That night, the five friends decided to go out to Ike's for dinner. They grabbed a booth near the stage with good lighting, so Lea could see her food. Lea and Sméagol sat next to each other on one side of the table, and Bri sat between Aini and Damian on the other side.
"Does the light bother you, Sméagol?" Bri asked.
"Sméagol's alright."
"Okay, Honey, but if it starts bothering you, let me know. I have a pair of sunglasses you can wear."
"I love this place," said Damian. "I usually come here on my lunch break. The food here is really good."
Bri and Lea nodded in agreement.
"Okay, Lea, what do you want to eat?" Bri asked.
"Uhhh..." Lea thought for a moment. "Boneless buffalo wings and fries."
"That's what I'm gonna get," said Damian.
"What's buffalo wings?" asked Sméagol.
"Fried chicken wings tossed in buffalo sauce," said Lea, "and buffalo sauce is spicy and really juicy and good."
"Spicy?"
"Yep. Hey, if you want, I'll let you try a bite."
"Does it have sushi here?"
"I don't think they do," said Aini. "Let me check."
"If not, they have pizza," said Bri. "I know you like that."
"Oh, yes," said Sméagol, "we loves pizza."
"I don't see sushi on the menu," said Aini, "so you want pizza instead?"
"Yes."
"Pepperoni?"
"Yes, please."
After the friends placed their orders, it didn't take long for their meals to arrive.
"Careful, Sméagol," said Bri. "It's really hot."
"Alright," said Sméagol, "we waits for it to cool."
"Do you wanna try a French fry while you wait?" Lea asked.
"They looks like Middle Earth chips."
"Yeah. They're called French fries here. Wanna try one?"
Sméagol hesitated. "Alright."
Lea handed Sméagol a fry that wasn't too hot to touch.
Sméagol popped the fry in his mouth. "It's tasty," he said. "We likes it."
"Wanna try one dipped in Ranch dressing?"
"Yes, please."
Lea dipped another fry in her dressing, and handed it to Sméagol, who quickly popped it in his mouth before it dripped all over his T-shirt.
"Ooh, we likes this, too!" he exclaimed.
"Ranch dressing tastes good on literally everything," said Bri.
"Oh, yeah," Lea agreed. "I dip my fries in it, my chicken, and I love it on pizza."
"Oh! You likes Ranch on pizza?" Sméagol inquired.
"Yeah, you wanna try that when your pizza cools?"
"Yes!"
"Okay. Then, if you like it, I'll order some for you."
"Thank you, Precious."
Lea smiled. "I'm glad you're trying new foods."
"Me, too, Precious."
"Hey, they have karaoke tonight," said Bri.
"Oh, sweet!" Lea squeaked.
"What's karaoke?" asked Sméagol.
"It's when you get up on stage, and sing covers of your favorite songs," said Bri.
"It's like what I did at the group the other night," said Lea. "I was singing one of my favorite songs, and I was using an instrumental backing track."
"Ohh, that sounds like fun," said Sméagol.
"It is," said Lea. "I love to sing."
"Hey, Sméagol, I think your pizza's cool enough to eat now," said Bri.
"Alright."
"You wanna dip it in Ranch?" asked Lea.
"Yes." Sméagol picked up a slice of his pizza, and carefully dipped it in Lea's dressing. Then, he took a bite of it. "Mmmm! This is delicious, Precious."
"See? I told you Ranch goes with anything," said Bri.
"We'll order some for you when the waitress comes back," said Damian.
"Wanna try a buffalo wing?" asked Lea. "Remember, it's spicy, so maybe start out with a small bite."
"Alright," said Sméagol.
Lea cut off a tiny piece of chicken for Sméagol to try. She handed it to him, and he tried it as Aini very nervously held her hand to her mouth, praying it wouldn't be too hot for him.
"It's very hot," said Sméagol, "and it burns us a little. But, we likes it."
"Oh, thank God," Aini sighed, relieved.