“What are we doing, Elkay?” Litvir asked as Elkay tugged at Litvir’s hand, towards a strange vehicle that had just touched down. Litvir was supposed to have things to do, special plans, things like that, but everything had been cancelled, and the people they were supposed to be spending time with had all gone off to do different things. So it was just Litvir and Elkay right now, with nothing on their schedule and an empty stomach.
“We’re getting ice cream!” Elkay beamed, still dragging Litvir. It was a bit of a struggle though, because Litvir was bigger and heavier than Elkay.
“Why?”
“Because it’s the start of the new season, and it is tradition that you have ice cream on the first of this month.”
“Uh… why?”
Elkay shrugged, then continued to drag Litvir over to the vehicle. It was selling ice cream but there didn’t seem to be anyone outside to greet. Litvir was confused by this, but Elkay was unbothered.
“Where is the person?” Litvir asked.
“There is a person inside the ice cream truck. They serve everything remotely. For health reasons. It is a job that people who are hurt or weak or ill can do safely, while also having a fun and fulfilling job.”
“Oh… Why have I not heard of this before?” Litvir was confused. “It sounds… nice, actually. I think a few people I know would like this job.”
“It’s nice, yes. Anyway, what ice cream do you want?”
“What ice creams are there?” Litvir answered with a question of their own. “Actually, what is this ice cream made of?”
Elkay thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Huh. Good question. Depends on the ice cream, I guess. A traditional chocolate or vanilla ice cream is generally some sort of dairy, but a sorbet is basically sugar and fruit.”
“Sugar and fruit?”
“And ice.”
“Huh…” Litvir turned their attention to the side of the vehicle. On it was a screen, several buttons, a component that opened up and closed but only from the inside and a place where one could digitally pay with a card or something. The screen showed a menu and a scrolling side bar with adverts, special offers and recommendations.
“Too much choice?” Elkay teased.
“Yes, too much choice…” Litvir examined the screen some more. They inspected the main list and found themselves lost in thought.
“Well, what flavours do you like?” Elkay suggested. “I like strawberry, my favourite has always been the strawberry sorbet, but lemon and mango are also good options. Basic chocolate and vanilla are also great choices.”
“Can I… can I get a lot of ice cream?”
“If you can eat it, sure.”
Litvir glanced downwards, at their wristband. They quickly checked to see how much money they had on hand, then smiled to themselves. “I want to get a lot of ice cream. I have to try all the flavours.”
“Well, do that then! Nothing is stopping you!”
Litvir’s smile turned into a massive grin. They turned their attention back to the screen, then started tapping buttons, making their choices. Most of Litvir’s selection was pre-packaged ice creams, but they also ordered two very large strawberry sorbet ice creams. Once they were done, they hit the pay button, tapped their debit card to the machine and waited.
After a few seconds, a thank you message flashed on the screen, followed by a message saying “please be patient, we have a lot of orders right now”. Rummaging around could be heard inside the ice cream vehicle. It didn’t take too long, but, eventually, the compartment on the side opened up, revealing Litvir’s order.
Feeling satisfied, Litvir telekinetically picked up all the packaged ice creams, then handed one of the giant strawberry sorbets to Elkay.
“For you!”
“Uh… why?” Elkay blinked.
“Because you are wonderful!” Litvir beamed. “Ice cream is great. We should do this again sometime.”
Elkay smiled back as he licked his ice cream. “Yes, we totally should.”
…
“What are we doing, Elkay?” Litvir asked as Elkay tugged at Litvir’s hand, towards a strange vehicle that had just touched down. Litvir was supposed to have things to do, special plans, things like that, but everything had been cancelled, and the people he was supposed to be spending time with had all gone off to do different things. So it was just Litvir and Elkay right now, with nothing on their schedule and an empty stomach.
“We’re getting ice cream!” Elkay beamed, still dragging Litvir. It was a bit of a struggle though, because Litvir was bigger and heavier than Elkay.
“Why?”
“Because it’s the start of the new season, and it is tradition that you have ice cream on the first of this month.”
“Uh… why?”
Elkay shrugged, then continued to drag Litvir over to the vehicle. It was selling ice cream but there didn’t seem to be anyone outside to greet. Litvir was confused by this, but Elkay was unbothered.
“Where is the person doing the actual selling?” Litvir asked.
“There is a person inside the ice cream space ship. They serve everything remotely. For health reasons. It is a job that people who are hurt or weak or ill can do safely, while also having a fun and fulfilling job.”
“Oh… Why have I not heard of this before?” Litvir was confused. “It sounds… nice, actually. I think a few people I know would like this job.”
“It is nice, yes. I… telepathically heard about these while I was briefly locked away in Deathven. Anyway, what ice cream do you want?”
“What ice creams are there?” Litvir answered with a question of his own. “Actually, what is this ice cream made of?”
Elkay thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Huh. Good question. Depends on the ice cream, I assume. A traditional chocolate or vanilla ice cream is generally some sort of dairy, but a sorbet is basically sugar and fruit.”
“Sugar and fruit?”
“And ice. Or something cold.”
“Huh…” Litvir turned their attention to the side of the vehicle. On it was a screen, several buttons, a component that opened up and closed but only from the inside and a place where one could digitally pay with a card or something. The screen showed a menu and a scrolling side bar with adverts, special offers and recommendations.
“Too many options?” Elkay teased.
“Yes, too many options…” Litvir examined the screen some more. He inspected the main list and found himself lost in thought.
“Well, what flavours do you like?” Elkay suggested. “I like strawberry, my favourite has always been the strawberry sorbet, but lemon and mango are also good options. Basic chocolate and vanilla are also great choices. Teekay always likes the orange sorbet.”
“Can I… can I get a lot of ice cream? How much is in here?”
“If you can eat it, sure.”
Litvir glanced downwards, at this wristband. He quickly checked to see how much money he had on hand, then smiled to himself. “I want to get a lot of ice cream. I have to try all the flavours.”
“Well, do that then! Nothing is stopping you!”
Litvir’s smile turned into a massive grin. He turned his attention back to the screen, then started tapping buttons, making his choices. Most of Litvir’s selection was pre-packaged ice creams, but he also ordered two very large strawberry sorbet ice creams. Once he was done, he hit the pay button, tapped his wristband with the payment option to the machine and waited.
After a few seconds, a thank you message flashed on the screen, followed by a message saying “please be patient, we have a lot of orders right now”. Rummaging around could be heard inside the ice cream vehicle. It didn’t take too long, but, eventually, the compartment on the side opened up, revealing Litvir’s order.
Feeling satisfied, Litvir telekinetically picked up all the packaged ice creams, then handed one of the giant strawberry sorbets to Elkay.
“For you!”
“Uh… why?” Elkay blinked.
“Because you are wonderful!” Litvir beamed. “Ice cream is great. We should do this again sometime.”
Elkay smiled back as he licked his ice cream. “Yes, we totally should.”