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The Buffet (4): A lengthy walk through the Crystal Garden and the Art Gallery must have worked up quite an appetite. Thankfully, the event has an amazing catering team. The buffet is regularly replenished and filled with all sorts of food meant to please every guest. Ingredients are posted near every dish to ensure no accidental allergies, and all meals are prepared with safety and care. A few local restaurants have volunteered recipes or are preparing their specialties; if there’s a meal you liked, you may be able to find it at your next favorite local restaurant!
Eddie deserved a treat.
It had been A Day at Knightside Elementary. There must have been something in the air that got into all her fourth-graders, because the entire class was vibrating like a nest of giddy, giggling hornets, and they couldn't focus on schoolwork for anything, not even bribes of cookies on Friday. Then there was the grading, which offered a slight reprieve before a couple of parent-teacher conferences that went overlong and were overly stressful; she wanted the kids in question to succeed, but it felt like pulling teeth to get the parents involved in actively helping their children to succeed. By the time the day was finally over, Edwina Coopersmyth was exhausted.
She definitely deserved a treat.
So as a treat, she treated herself to a visit to the Crystal Heart Gallery exhibit, hoping to be soothed by the gorgeous crystal flower installations in the Crystal Garden and the Art Gallery with its pieces that seemed like an ode to Destiny City. It was all simply lovely and grand on a scale she hadn't experienced in quite some time – even better, in fact. And she was almost suitably soothed. Almost.
Eddie felt her stomach begin to rumble a little, embarrassingly, and she realized she hadn't eaten since she had a quick cup of yogurt at lunch, bolted down while venting about the kids' restlessness and inattention with the other teachers. (Thank goodness she hadn't been on lunchroom duty.) There was supposed to be a buffet here, right?
She headed for the exit from the Gallery, avoiding the Shops for now, and found herself in the midst of a fantastic-smelling array of different food stuffs. This was almost as good as the vendors at Faire! Wandering past the steam tables, she grabbed a plate and filled it with spaghetti with meatballs, some mashed potatoes, a half-ear of corn, something she couldn't identify but it smelled delicious, and a couple of token sprigs of steamed broccoli. She found a seat and tucked in, demolishing her dinner like she hadn't eaten in days.
Afterward, plate clean, she sat back with a smile, replete and content. Until… She looked around the Buffet room and saw dessert offerings. Oooooh.
Disposing of her used plate and flatware on the stand allocated for same, Eddie strode with purpose toward the stands of various sweets, from iced cookies to dacquoise. Then she saw the ice cream stand, The Scoop… And the sundae to end all sundaes. She paused, thinking for a moment. It was February, still winter. Was it really a good idea to have ice cream when it was still kind of chilly outside?
"I DO WHAT I WANT," she growled to herself like Eric Cartman and went over to the stand.
The proprietor, a young woman with vibrantly magenta hair, took her order for the treat of the day, the Very Cherry Hearts Sundae (without the peanuts). The towering sundae was delivered to her in short order; she gazed upon the creamy concoction with desire in her eyes. Desire to consume it posthaste. Locating a table, she took her prize and sat. She wasn't going to wolf this down like she had her dinner. No, she was going to take her time with it, savoring every lucious bite of soft serve and cherries and chocolate.
And she did just that.
( wc: 558 )
