Seven Ball Tango

[WebMistressGina]

Gina, you are on FIRE!

: Really?
: Oh no! Are you okay?
: *screams and runs away in fear*

Beaker, get back here! No, I'm not really on fire; I meant as an expression, I happen to be crazy hot in the 'constantly posting fics' arena.

: *disappointed* Oh. Is that all?

You know what? Shut your cake hole!

Moving on, here - ladies, gentlemen, and felt creatures - is the much talked about sequel to Eight Ball Rhumba. If you haven't read it, please return to the big ole library of fics, find me, and then find said story. Mini Garcias.

If you HAVE read it, first - thanks much! - second, you'll remember that Miss Piggy had so graciously asked (re: ordered) Scooter to invite the lovely Amanda Cosgrove to dinner. Our little assistant did so begrudgingly and set it up for Saturday. This friends, is the true story of that date.

*fun fact - the title of the series, besides being based on the numbered pool balls and dance numbers, also refers to the number of people involved. In 8 ball, there were 8 final competitors for instance. I actually set up a '7' ball tango, but then a sneak snuck in and well...let's all pretend there's seven, ok?

Seven Ball Tango​

*sequel to Eight Ball Rhumba*​

*as part of the Pool Hall series*​

​

What was it about meeting your boyfriend’s friends that always seemed…daunting?

Amanda Cosgrove had her share of boyfriends, not many, but enough to know that meeting your main squeeze’s friends could be problematic. She was the type of girl who always seemed too smart for her own good, which could really be intimidating apparently to guys; business talk or technology talk threw them for a loop, worse when they had no idea what she was talking about.

It also didn’t help that her father, being the owner of a pool hall and a former player himself – not to mention former Marine – wasn’t exactly friendly to some of the guys she dated. In hindsight, some of them were kinda lousy, but a good learning experience in what she wanted in a significant other. And it just so happened that she had found what she considered the perfect SO.

Amanda Cosgrove was having the best week ever.

In fact, she had been having the best couple of weeks ever.

No, no…make that, the best couple of months ever.

It had all started when the stage manager of the Muppet Show had walked into Cosgrove’s Cool Pool, requesting to learn more about their annual pool tournament and wanting to host it at the Muppet Theatre. What was it about Scooter Grosse that she found so captivating? Was the shy manner in which he had first approached her father?

The way that he seemed to ease into a more business and confident manner?

His obvious intelligence?

Boyish charm that relatively eased into a semblance of outright sexiness?

She didn’t know. All she knew was that she had been instantly attracted to him and had wanted to get to know him better. It just happened to work out that, as the business manager, she would need to spend lots of time with the stage manager. And she had been spending as much time as she could with Scooter.

The start of this week had been the official start of their relationship, after Scooter had bravely stated that he wanted to continue seeing her after the tournament was over. She had actually managed to meet his friends before they had started dating, however the official ‘meet the friends’ event was actually going to happen that weekend. It did feel a little odd for his boss and his girlfriend to invite to her to dinner, but from the way Scooter talked about them and the way he seemed to be close to them made it a little more important than perhaps just meeting them as friends.

They hadn’t been dating long, so Amanda wasn’t really sure who Scooter’s parents were, in fact, she couldn’t remember him even mentioning his parents in the time they had known each other. She hadn’t thought anything about it, just guessing that perhaps they weren’t in the same state or perhaps they were deceased; she wasn’t sure and wasn’t sure when an appropriate time was to even broach the subject.

For now, she would look forward to sitting down with the frog and pig for dinner.


And there you have the first part of 7 Ball! So for those of you who have been reading, you've probably noticed that I keep mentioning Scooter heading off to a TED Talk conference. True fun fact - yes, this was mentioned in the 2011 movie, BUT our little go-fer actually DID do a TED talk. My apologies because I've been meaning to post this ever since 1. I keep mentioning it and 2. I discovered that OMG it's a real thing. So here is that official talk -

http://blog.ted.com/2012/02/29/scooter-at-ted2012/

This is the blog for the TED Talks, so if you've never heard of them, here's that page. And here's his official talk -

 

[WebMistressGina]

Sorry for the quick post. We lost internet connect at work for like two hours today - the down side was that most of my work consists of calling people, which I couldn't do with our Internet phone down and then there's doing research and getting email, which again can't do with no Nets.

The upside was that I completed the first chapter of 7 Ball and have started on the second. Actually, an awesome idea occurred to me on the bike ride home, so look forward to that.

But for now, here's our first chapter!

Chapter I​

Monday

Monday mornings were fairly slow when it came to managing a pool hall. Most people were usually starting their work week and the day wasn’t usually a busy night when it came to people coming in. For this reason, Amanda had these days off from work, though there could be times in which her dad might need to come in.

On this particular Monday, Amanda had been awake early in the day, as she was every day. However, this morning, she had gotten the nicest text on her phone –

SCOOTER: Morning, beautiful! Meeting this morning as you know, but how about lunch? Really wanna see you today.

Amanda couldn’t stop the silly grin or the bubbly giggle that came when she had read that. She had known the night before that Scooter would be in a meeting that morning, but the very fact that he would text her for lunch was endearingly sweet. She sent a quick message back that she would equally love to see him and for him to give her a call when he was done.

It was still fairly early and she was well aware that Mondays were the days that he met some of the cast of the Muppet Show and went over different ideas and the like. Living most of her life in the entertainment capital of the world, Amanda was certainly used to seeing and even speaking with celebrities of all walks of life.

Of course, she would just about die if she ever ran into Justin Timberlake or was introduced to someone like Drew Barrymore, but she had come across her share of the famous; you couldn’t not happen to see a star walking down the street or sitting at a table, even if they could prevent anyone from knowing it was them. With her father’s former pool playing skills, she had met the crème de la crème of the pool set; she had even been a couple of competitions in the past.

For some reason, however, none of that compared to the fact that she – Amanda Lilith Cosgrove – was dating the stage manager, production assistant, and semi-regular star of the famed Muppet Show and movies. And if that didn’t catch someone’s fancy, he also just happened to be a former employee of Google – that little company that ran just about anything and everything that the fruit company didn’t – oh and did she mention that he was a speaker at a TED conference?

The guy oozed sex appeal and he probably didn’t even know it.

[hr]

Lunch was slightly later than she wanted, but she was more than happy to meet with Scooter at a little bistro that was up the street from Muppet Studios.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, hurriedly, kissing her quickly on the cheek before taking a seat across from her. “Meeting ran a little late this morning.”

“Problems?”

“No, no,” he said, waving a hand in the air. “Just the normal stuff. You know, Kermit giving a ten minute long speech on how chainsaws would not and could not be used in any capacity unless it was carpentry related and how certain people shouldn’t usurp live sketches, to which apology baskets are to be delivered; oh and how under no circumstances are people to volunteer the Muppet Theatre for outside activities unless first discussing it with said owner and director. Which of course is when I pointed out that, technically, I was the owner of said theatre, which of course didn’t go over so well.”

Amanda grimaced. “He’s really mad at you, huh?”

“Well,” Scooter replied. “Mad is a relative term. As long as I hold as much information as Kermit thinks I hold and Piggy is swinging at bat for me, I’m guaranteed a job.”

“Really?” she asked, surprised. She had always thought Scooter held on to his job because of his awesomeness.

He chuckled. “It’s…it’s a long running gag,” he admitted. “I haven’t told you how I got this job as stage manager/production assistant/personal assistant, have I?”

Amanda shook her head. “I mean,” she began. “I know it had something to do with your uncle, didn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “See, it all started when my uncle thought I was lazing about when I should’ve been doing something productive. You know, the same thing every fourteen year old does. So he comes to me one day, telling me that I’m going to learn about the business by doing business; seems he has just leased this old time theater to a bunch of artsy, theater folk…”

Lunch was filled with funny anecdotes and stories from the life of one Scooter Grosse, including why Kermit had permanently banned non-motorized vehicles from inside the theatre, why Fozzie (or Gonzo) were not allowed sharp instruments, and why he and Piggy were never allowed significant time together. In turn, Amanda shared the reasons why she didn’t like jelly, why she was banned from scary movies as a child, and why she and her best friend Hope were no longer allowed to play Monopoly.

When they finished and paid, Scooter walked her to her car before pulling her into a tight embrace, which caused her giggle in joy.

“You wouldn’t happen to want to have dinner with me, do you?” asked the assistant, kissing her cheek gently.

“As a matter of fact,” she replied, answering his kiss with one of her own. “I would love to have dinner with you. In fact, why don’t you come over and I’ll make dinner?”

“I have a girlfriend that cooks?”

“Good thing, too,” she quipped. “Who knows what kind of meals you’re eating being left by yourself?”

“I’ll have you know I eat pretty well, thank you.”

“Please tell me you have silverware and plates.”

Scooter made an over exaggerated grunt, pulling Amanda to him and spinning her slightly. “Scooter no need plate,” he grunted. “Scooter have hands. Scooter kill things with rock.”

The Whatnot couldn’t help but laugh at the poor caveman impression; what made it even more ridiculous was the fact that she was well aware that Scooter was very much a modern man. The couple stopped their playful turns; Scooter was well aware that he was probably making a scene, but he found himself not really caring. In his arms was a beautiful, smart, funny, talented girl who was just as crazy about him as he was her and it kinda didn’t matter that he was spinning her around in a crowded parking lot.

“Is that a club in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

The redheaded manager couldn’t stop the blush even if he tried and worse, he couldn’t really think of anything snappy to respond to that. Nearly twenty years working with the funniest people ever and you haven’t learned a thing, he thought to himself. “Well…” he sputtered. “Of…of course I’m happy to see you! And…and…stop laughing!”

She couldn’t help herself, the look at on Scooter’s face was comical, stunned, and endearing all at the same time.

“You know what?” he replied, indignantly. “I blame you.”

“Me?”

“Yes you!” he said. “Looking all…hot and beautiful and…and…hot. You look far too pretty during the day.”

The girl smirked. “You think this is bad,” she replied, leaning in closer to him. “You should see me at night.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Oh, I think it’s too late for that,” she murmured, pressing herself closer to him. “Don’t you think?”

“An interesting saying just popped into my head.”

“Oh?”

“The female of the species is more deadlier than the male.”


Here's another fun fact for you all - those things that Amanda doesn't do, like eat jelly, or isn't allowed to do - like watch scary movies alone or play Monopoly...those are all things that I'm not allowed to do anymore. So yes, as a child I was banned from watching scary movies and my friend Jason and I have been banned from playing any board game together.

The more you know!

 

[The Count]

*Cheers for sequelness. Me like, me approve, me smile at Scooter and Amanda. tears into the fic, leaving crumbs on his furry self. More please? No? That okay, me satisfied for now. Thank you, buh-bye.

 

[newsmanfan]

--------------
Of course, now I'm curious WHY you may no longer play Monopoly...

A fun start! I was a little surprised at the "club in your pocket" line, but what the hey. I agree Muppets should have normal love lives, so go for it, you wacky kids!

I really enjoy the one-liners and offhanded bits you throw in. Those are essential to any good Muppet story/script, and they make me snicker every time. NON-motorized vehicles not allowed? What about Gonzo's motorcycle? Are you saying he's done something even worse with a -- a -- handtruck?!

That's nothing. You should see the OTHER lawnmower.

Keep going!
-----------------

 

[WebMistressGina]

--------------
Of course, now I'm curious WHY you may no longer play Monopoly...

Well, because you asked, Jason and I are no longer allowed to play Monopoly because we are way too competative with each other. We're the kind of people who take a personal interest in our properties and doing everything we can to basically screw the other person from getting what they want.

This is true for every board game we play, which is why we're not allowed to play any together anymore.

A fun start! I was a little surprised at the "club in your pocket" line, but what the hey. I agree Muppets should have normal love lives, so go for it, you wacky kids!

If there is one thing that I've learned from watching the Muppets, is that jokes I didn't get as a kid, I get now and there were some that snuck in through the sensors (like the 'assets' joke in MCC) Actually, it reminds me of this MovieFone (?) interview with Kermit, Piggy, Segal, and Adams.

They were answering users questions and I don't remember what the question was, but the joke was something along the lines that Kermit and Piggy were 'doing it'. So Kermit makes that comment and not only did I go, "Wait. Did he just say...?" but so did Segal and Adams. The looks on their faces were hilarious!

I found it on You Tube, so maybe I can find it again and post it.

I really enjoy the one-liners and offhanded bits you throw in. Those are essential to any good Muppet story/script, and they make me snicker every time. NON-motorized vehicles not allowed?
-----------------

Glad you enjoy it! I've always loved the one liners that fly around. There are some that I'm STILL getting now that I'm older and actually understand what they mean. Expect more hilarity, hopefully coming up later tonight!

 

[WebMistressGina]

Sorry for the lateness! Apparently, the universe has decided it doesn't want me to set up my desktop, which is very annoying because writing this, as well as playing video games, would make more sense on a desktop.

Chapter II​

Tuesday

Tuesdays were relatively slow days for the Muppets; it was usually towards the end of the week when things got to be interesting, with dress rehearsals going on, as well as last minute add ons, dismissals, and change ups. For this reason, Scooter spent his time doing some side work for Google and debating about doing another TED Talk.

Working at Muppet Studios was actually a pretty fun workplace when you knew what to avoid and who to actually talk to. On this Tuesday, apparently Scooter wasn’t the only one who had gotten bored and decided to head out to the studio lot and find something fun to do. For some unknown reason even to him, the go-fer dusted off his old skateboard and took to riding around the lot, uninhibited by the wide open spaces and hidden from the disapproving eyes of a certain frog boss.

It felt a little odd to be on the skateboard, especially considering he hadn’t actively used it since getting his driver’s license and then when he got his first car; but odd and strange as it was, it felt great to skate around, feeling the wind and sun against his face and hair. It was the same reason he kept his old bike, the one he used to ride to school and then to the theatre afterwards.

Though the show took up a good majority of his time, Scooter none the less was able to squeeze in some after school activities. One of his favorites was that of basketball and while he hadn’t been a star player, he was pretty good; good enough to enjoy the game and play it well. He wasn’t the only one who enjoyed a good sporting event; with splitting their time in both Hollywood and New York, the group had managed to pick sides in the different sporting events that were going on.

He was actually surprised at some of the more heated arguments the gang had gotten into when it came to sports; while not everyone agreed on the different types of sports, their team affiliations were what set them apart in any instance. Last year’s football season, for example, had been utterly disappointing to anyone who wasn’t Rizzo, who saw his beloved Giants not only make it to the Super Bowl, but win it.

Now basketball – that was Scooter’s game and as such, he had managed to talk his uncle into building a small court down from the theatre; as the Muppet became more famous and as the theatre expanded to that of Muppet Studios, Kermit and the others had agreed that the basketball court should stay, if just to have something to do when a creative dry up occurred or – in most cases – they were bored and just wanted to start a pick up game.

Today, being a slow day anyways, Scooter was actually surprised at how many people seemed to be milling about the studios. It wasn’t uncommon for some of them to head over to the studios just to see if anyone was there or to get some work done without the constant hustle and bustle of the others being around. But what was common was the insistence that who was around get involved in whatever activity was going on.

The stage manager caught up to Rowlf, Floyd, and Janice, who were just leaving the music area, no doubt creating some new amalgamation of songs; Gonzo and Fozzie were already on the court, tossing the ball and forth to each other, while Piggy was stretched out in one of three lounge chairs that she had insisted be available should anyone want to sit.

And that, sports fans, is how a pickup basketball game occurred between Scooter and Gonzo versus Floyd and Rowlf.

For those in the audience – that of Piggy, Janice, and Fozzie – watching four Muppets play basketball was in reality a perfect excuse to just sit around and talk, especially when it came to an upcoming show. The trio was only interrupted when Scooter’s phone – which Piggy had liberated from his jacket pocket when it started going off. The diva was quite surprised to see that Amanda had tried calling and was more than happy to send the Whatnot a text to let her where Scooter was.

It didn’t take long for Amanda to find where the impromptu game was being played, just wanting to find something to do before needing to head out to work and for her, spending time with Scooter was the best way to do that. By the time she arrived, both Floyd and Scooter had divested themselves of their shirts and Gonzo had apparently decided that his tie made a great headband.

Amanda’s sudden arrival pleased Scooter more than he thought possible. It also started a chain of events that he – nor anyone else – had seen coming.

Floyd had of course seen the change, with Scooter looking over at the redhead every chance he could.

“Hey man,” the bassist taunted, as Scooter waited to pass the ball from the sidelines. “Just cause your girlfriend’s here doesn’t mean you get to stop playing.”

“That sounded like a challenge,” Gonzo shouted from center court.

“That did sound like a challenge,” Scooter agreed, staring down Floyd.

Scooter Grosse wasn’t the kind of guy who got heady off of testosterone, but in that moment, the hormone that resided in his felt body demanded that he not be embarrassed in front of his girl. In fact, it told him, you are gonna show Amanda what a basketball star you are. Cause you are one.

The next few plays did indeed showcase what a talented ball player that Scooter was and the cheering from Amanda only helped to fuel his game. After passing a shot to Gonzo that the weirdo managed to make, Scooter was more than a little excited.

“Scooter Grosse can’t stop!” he roared. “I just can’t stop! And I can’t be stopped!”

“Someone’s getting a little cocky,” Janice whispered to Piggy, causing the diva to giggle slightly.

“I never realized what a great ball player Scooter was,” Amanda replied, dreamily.

“And someone has fallen hook, line, and sinker,” Piggy retorted.

Back on the court, Scooter’s testosterone was making him invincible, an idea forming in his head. He was going to do a dunk shot.

Now, Muppets can do a great many things. Their bodies can withstand a great number of things that the average human would falter under, however there are things that a Muppet is just not designed to do.

One of those things is making a dunk shot.

Scooter Grosse however was going to be the first Muppet in history to do a dunk shot.

The score was in their favor, 35 to 30, and Scooter was determined to win. He was on the side, with Floyd trying to block him; he quickly mapped out his approach and then made his move. He passed to Gonzo, darting past Floyd in order to get the pass from his blue partner.

Rowlf tried to block him; the brown dog had been a formidable force this game, making at least six rebound shots, and blocking several others.

Scooter feinted around him.

Floyd seemed to assign himself the official shot blocker for Scooter Grosse, managing to block a good portion of the shots that the stage manager had tried to get off.

Scooter did an around the back pass to Gonzo, spun around the bassist, and was able to get the ball back as he cleared him.

The basket was there and ready for the taking; Scooter went for it. He dribbled down the court, his feet thundering on the ground before he took flight. He flew through the skies, pulling his arm back as it held the ball.

Closer and closer he drew towards the basket, just as his hand went down, sinking the ball within. And like a feather, he landed on his feet and embraced the woman that flew at him.

He could hear them chanting for him. “Scoo-ter! Scoo-ter!

“Scooter!”

“Hey, I think he’s waking up.”

“Kid, you okay?”

When Scooter managed to open his eyes – correction, one eye – he was greeted with the ceiling above his head and the sounds of people around him. And his face hurt; even the grimace he made in response to his pain even hurt.

“Wha’ happen?” he asked, groggily.

“You tried dunking the ball and ran face first into the metal pole,” replied a voice. Was that Piggy? He was pretty sure that was Piggy. Her name was Piggy, right? “You’re gonna have one heck of a shiner on your left eye.”

Oh, that would explain why he couldn’t open his left eye. And why his face hurt.

“That not cool,” he slurred.

“Oh, it was totally embarrassing!” Fozzie supplied.

“Though you did redeem yourself in your semi-conscious state when you started singing the theme to Shaft,” Gonzo added.

“Yes,” Piggy replied, sarcastically. “And thank you so much for finishing the song for him.”

“Hey,” Floyd interjected. “When someone says they’re talking about Shaft, you dig it. No matter what.”

“Was Manda there?”

“Fer sure,” Janice said. “She was like first on the scene when you hit the pole.”

“Not right…”

“Good news though,” the guitarist continued. “Dr. B said you probably didn’t have a concussion.”

“Which is the only reason we let you sleep for a few hours,” Piggy concluded.

“Hours?” Scooter squeaked.

“Oh yeah!” Fozzie exclaimed. “You knocked yourself cold! It reminded me of that time Gonzo went through the wall after shooting himself out of a canon.” Turning to the daredevil, the bear asked, “You remember that?”

“Yeah!” the weirdo agreed, before a confused look landed on his face. “Sorta. I remember coming out of the canon, seeing the wall coming at me, and three days after that.”

“You ramble,” Piggy mentioned. “You also seem to know all the capitals of the United States.”

“I do?”

“And countries, too,” Janice added. “Didn’t Robin get an A on his continents test because of that?”

Piggy sat up straighter, with a big smile on her face. “He had the highest grade in the class,” she responded, proudly.

“How is the little green machine?” Floyd asked, with curiosity.

The group began to discuss Robin the Frog, the youngest member of their troupe and Kermit’s nephew. The young frog had been heavily involved with schooling by the time they were starting to falter. Even with the split of the group and his school activities, Robin had never lost the theatrical spirit that he had gotten from his uncle.

He had been highly active in his school’s vocal program, as well as their theater arts program; he of course complained that it wasn’t nearly as crazy as what he was used to, but it did manage to tide the melancholy he got being away from it all.

In any other circumstance, Scooter would have loved to hear how his younger counterpart was doing, but with a throbbing face and head, the buzzing around him was getting to be too much.

“Hey!” he croaked. “Guy with the concussion on the couch needs answers! And aspirin.”

“We told you,” Gonzo replied, watching as Janice hopped up to get the requested aspirin. “You don’t have a concussion.”

“Though I was suspect to hear Honeydew’s assertion,” Piggy muttered.

“We got your second opinion,” Gonzo retorted. “And that guy said Scooter was fine. Other than his face would be puffy for a bit. It’s looking better though. Other than that eye. It’s gonna make seeing with your glasses difficult.”

Oh, that would explain why everyone looked like giant colored blobs.

“Where Mandy?”

“She had to leave for work,” Piggy answered. “However I told her that once you were up and about…” A catchy upbeat techno song rang through the room signaling that someone was calling the diva on her cell. “Talk to me,” she answered. “Oh hi! Yes, he’s up; he’s a little confused, but none the worse for wear, as they say.”

Piggy listened for a moment before responding with, “Well, Dr. Honeydew didn’t think he had a concussion, but I called in a favor and got a second opinion, which of course confirmed what Bunsen thought. Hmm?”

“Who dat?” Scooter asked, trying to reach out and touch the pinkish blob he thought could be Piggy.

“It’s Amanda, dearheart,” the diva whispered. On the phone, she said, “As I said, he’s fine, though not much in a talkative…Scooter, lay down. Andrew, I said lay down! Where was I? Oh yes; he’s really not in a talkative mood. He’s lost some of his cognitive…Andrew Martin, get back on that couch this…

“Gonzo, get a waste backet! Scooter, if you throw up, you’re going to clean it up! And you know what? I think you should. It’s your office after all and…what’s that, dear? Well, that’s what he gets for trying to move. I told him he should lay back down and…Andrew, unless you can recite the Declaration of Independence, you are not speaking to this girl! Now lay down!”

 

[Twisted Tails]

Poor Scooter! I hope he recovers soon so he can have a good talk with Amanda.

 

[The Count]

*Is in a better mood after finding and reading the update. *Enjoys Scooter out on his old skateboard again. *Agrees with the sporting fan assesment. *Laughs at the display of machismo out on the basketball court once the boys have something—or someone—to play for. *Grimaces at the gofer being temporarily indisposed. *Smiles again at the veiled Animaniacs references in how it transitions to talking about Robin's current curricular progress. *Grins amusedly at the entire phone conversation between Piggy and Amanda. Thank you for this. More please when you can post it.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Hello, mon amis! I have good news! I just on my car insurance with Gieco!

No, I'm kidding. I didn't, but I love that joke. No, even better! I got my desktop to work! And because of that, I have a new chapter for you for 7 Ball Tango!

Chapter III​

Wednesday

“What happened to your face?”

Wednesday mornings were always set for Scooter and Kermit to spend time going over the acts for the upcoming show, as well as going over the books. While the Monday morning meeting would sometimes touch on the their budget, it was Wednesday in which the stage director and manager looked a bit more closely at everything going on.

“Oh, didn’t you hear?” Scooter replied, as he hung his laptop case on the patio chair and sat down. “I tried to fight a metal pole with my face and lost.”

“What?”

“Scooter tried to make a dunk shot and ran face first into a metal pole,” Piggy said, coming out from the kitchen and taking a seat next to Kermit. “I told you that you’d have a nice shiner on that eye.”

“That must’ve hurt,” the frog said.

“As I’m sure you can imagine.”

“The puffiness has gone down,” the diva stated. “When did that happen?”

“Around the time Amanda came by and I kicked Beaker out.”

“Why was Beaker there?” Kermit asked.

“Because your girlfriend/live-in wife felt the need to send a chaperone with me,” Scooter said. “In the case that I were to savagely attack a metal pole with my face again.”

“He did attack that pole with gusto,” Piggy commented.

“Well, it looks like you got into a fight,” Kermit added. “Or you were in a boxing match.”

“That’s what Mandy said, too,” Scooter sighed, dreamily. “Said it was really brave of me to tackle something never been done before.”

“There’s a reason for that, you know.”

“Don’t you have a fashion show to attend or something?”

Piggy smirked at the comment. “Well, I had planned on baking you some cookies,” she retorted. “But now I’m not.”

“Well good,” Scooter quipped. “I’ve saved myself from food poisoning.”

“If laugh-in is quite finished,” Kermit interrupted, though he was smiling when he did so. “We have work to do.”

%%%%%​

Thursday

Thursday afternoons also got a bit busy at Cosgrove’s; that was the night that they would hold their Texas Hold’em games, but it was also a popular night to watch any sporting events that might be held during the season.

Amanda would split her time during the card games either doing some admin stuff or playing dealer. This night, she decided to play dealer, as one of the dealers was covering for one of the wait staff. Her table was fairly popular, as many of the regulars were in that night; some of them, like Ted Malone, had known her before she was even thinking about being a dealer in her dad’s pool hall.

Others, like Sammantha Cohrsen, had just discovered the place when they moved into the area and enjoyed playing a game with some of the others.

On this Thursday, the regulars’ table was invaded by some of the members of the Electric Mayhem. Ever since that year’s pool tournament, more and more of the Muppet cast members would find themselves within the pool hall/bar, finding it a great place to unwind, have a couple of drinks, and watch a game or two.

Joining that of Ted, Sam, and a few others were that of Dr. Teeth, Floyd, and Rowlf; Scooter, who elected to just stand and watch, made his presence right by Amanda’s side as she dealt out cards and poker chips.

So far, Rowlf was having a pretty good night, taking the lead with a little over $10,000 in poker chips; Ted was right behind him, with slightly less than ten thousand, Sam and Teeth were tied at just over seven thousand, and Floyd was stubbornly holding on to one thousand chips.

“Where’s your old man, Mandy Mo?” asked Ted, as he received his cards and signaled he was going to call the big bind.

“He was in earlier,” replied the dealer. She waited until everyone had either called or raised before setting the first run of cards. “I think we ran low on a few things, so he went to go pick them up.”

“Business been good?”

“It’s gotta be,” Sam replied, nudging Rowlf who sat next to her. “Look at all the celebs that are in here.”

“Should make ‘em start working for their food and drinks,” Malone chuckled, folding his hand with disgust.

“You’re only saying that cause you’re losing,” Teeth retorted, raising the best by $1500.

“Oh, c’mon!” Sam complained, also folding in the wake of the raise. “Rowlf Puppy, defend my honor!”

Rowlf gave the girl a look. “And let him take even more of my money?” he asked. “No way.”

“Well, how about defending my honor?” Floyd groused. Between you and Doc, I don’t have any money!”

“Just for you, Floyd,” Teeth replied. “I’ll go a little easier on you. I’ve never liked to see a grown man crying.”

“How you do you feel about a woman screaming?” asked Sam.

“Are you kidding?” Scooter spoke up. “Remember who you’re talking to.”

The next continued with friendly banter and card playing before the table was whittled down to that of Rowlf and Ted Malone. Their two man card game was fairly epic, but Ted managed to get Rowlf in the end, pushing him out and winning the final hand.

The Muppet group called it a night, with Scooter reluctantly saying goodbye to his girlfriend.

“How’s your eye?” the Whatnot asked, draping her arms around his shoulders.

“Well, I can see out of it,” the stage manager joked. “That should account for something.”

“A very brave something.”

Scooter chuckled. “A very stupid something,” he retorted. “I tried doing something I know I can’t do and it resulted in this.” He shrugged, sheepishly. “I guess I was trying to impress you.”

“Silly boy,” she whispered, pulling closer to him. “You don’t have to impress me. I’m already impressed.”

“Yeah?” he whispered. “You’re pretty impressive yourself.”

“Scooter!” called a voice, one that the stage manager recognized as Floyd. “C’mon, let’s roll! I gotta get back and make sure Animal hasn’t eaten my woman!”

Amanda giggled, while Scooter rolled his eyes. “I suppose that’s for me,” he quipped. “We still on for Saturday?”

“Absolutely,” she replied, dropping a kiss on his lips. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Probably not,” he said. “Kermit’s called us in early for dress rehearsals. We have a couple of difficult acts this weekend, so we’re doing some extra crowd control.”

“Can’t wait to see it.”

“I’ll leave a ticket for you.”

The honking of a horn stopped any further comment, complete with “There are laws about what you can do in public!” being shouted at the couple the more they dallied.

Scooter nodded. “Floyd won’t be at dinner,” he said. “I just want you to know that.”

 

[The Count]

Hello back Aimes. *Sorry, I've been reading a Scarecrow fic over in the Batman Begins section of fanfic.net, one of the few good ones, I find it endlessly frustrating that the Page 1 of that section is so full with Joker fics. You'd think the bat's never fought any other villains since. Oh, have I delivered this rant before? Please pardon my minor indulgence.

at the entire Wednesday morning conversation between both bosses and young snarky assistant. Noticed you subbed Scooter in for what would usually be Kermit's retorts.
"Well, I was going to bake some cookies, but now I won't."
"Good, now I won't suffer food poisoning."
Are you talking about the er, ones mistook as raisin-baked?
Mmm, those were good, got any left around?
Aren't you going to tell him?
Nope, and neither are you.
Me never thought me say this... But that one cookie even me no eat.

*Imagines Amanda as a crouppier.
Scooter's got one heckuba girl.
Nice addition of the poker game and how each player fares and how the Muppets have kind of commandeered Cosgrove's Cool Poll Hall as an official unofficial hangout spot.

*Chuckles at the Mayhem's impatience to beat feet, or pedal meddle as the phrase were to be.
*<3 the ending between Scooty G and Mandy C.

More please?