Light in the Woods- Clik Clak Diner scene

(clik clak/longest night plans)
You wake up feeling particularly groggy for some reason.
It becomes imperative that you drink some coffee as quickly as possible to rid your head of this feeling of heaviness.
You don’t feel hungry yet somehow, even though you usually are this time of day.

Once you’ve had your coffee, it occurs to you that it’s smack dab in the middle of the holiday season and Longest Night is only about a week away. You hadn’t made any plans yet or even bought anything festive for yourself or anybody else, but for whatever reason whenever you thought about doing that you immediately became intimidated and put it off another day.

By now some of the more obscure winter holidays had already been celebrated.
Come to think of it, wasn’t it nearly Krampus Night? Or was that last week?
You can’t remember, but maybe it varied with the denomination.
You like to imagine your father was fascinated with Krampus as much as you are. A creepy goat with dark fur who punished you for being naughty seems right down his alley.

You briefly consider digging through your father’s library again but for some reason you don’t feel like it. Maybe that sort of dark stuff isn’t what your in the mood for, it being the holidays and all. Instead you feel like getting some sunlight- what little there is in the grey overcast sky, anyway- and you pull on your coat and head out.

As you enter the suburbs, most everyone’s houses have lights on their roofs and windows. Most of them refreshingly modest, even if three or four of them have one of those huge inflatable cartoon characters that are too big for their lawns.
Entering Towne Centre, you see the “gang” standing in front of the Ol’ Pickaxe conversing. Gregg sees you and waves.

Gregg: Hey, (player)! How’s it going?

	Hey guys.
	Not much, what’re you guys up to?

Gregg: We were gonna head over to the Clik Clak for lunch, did you wanna come with?

	Sure thing.
	Yeah, I think I’m finally getting hungry.

Gregg: Great, let’s go!

You join the group and a short walk later you arrive at the Clik Clak Diner. The windows have been adorned with spray-painted images of snow, snowmen, snowflakes, holly, and Santa Claus. Inside, not much has changed, except for the miniature aluminum tree by the cash register and the string of LED lights along the walls.
It does, however, smell slightly different. Granted, it was still mostly the heavy scent of reused oils and slightly burnt coffee, but you seemed to detect a hint of sweet spices this time?
Everyone takes the same seats as before. Must be their usual booth. The busboy hands out the menus and brushes off some spilled sugar off the table. There’s a new page inserted into the middle of the menu printed on cheap paper with a small selection of holiday-themed foods.

Angus: Ooh, these sound like they might be good.
Gregg: Remember when they had a pumpkin spice pierogi for Harfest?

	That sounds delicious!
	That sounds gross.

Bea: It’s alright if you like that sort of thing.
Mae: I liked it! It actually kinda tasted like Indian food. It had pumpkin purée and beef in it.
Bea: Except Indian food doesn’t have beef.
Mae: (somewhat embarrassed) Right.
Bea: Meh. I don’t think pumpkin spice needs to be in absolutely everything for a whole month.
Mae: I love it when that happens!
Angus: Well now they have a “holiday beef” pierogi on the menu.
Which is probably the same thing but without the pumpkin and with more ginger.

You look closer at the menu and you narrow it down to three choices. The waitress arrives with a warm smile.

Waitress: Ready to order, hon?

	I’ll have the holiday beef pierogi, and the, uh… holiday coffee.
	I’ll just have the cheeseburger and a cola, thanks.
	I’ll have the veggie pizza and a lemon iced tea.

Waitress: Sure thing!

-pierogi
The pierogi arrives fresh and hot, and you give it a good sniff. The smell is both familiar and different- it reminds you of Longest Night but not any specific meal you’ve had before.
Biting into it, its flavor matches the smell. It’s somewhat similar to those big plates of roast beef you had when you were lucky enough to visit your uncles and aunts for Longest Night instead of staying at home. It was also filled with mashed potatoes and cheese, making it like an entire Longest Night meal in a single bite. You’re glad you took a chance on something you never tried before.
The coffee, on the other hand, is disappointing. It doesn’t taste any different from any other diner coffee you’ve had. You don’t understand how it can be “holiday coffee” if it doesn’t have any spices.
Angus: Funny, pierogis are traditional for Longest Night for a lot of families, but this far from a traditional recipe.
Mae: My grandmother’s were the best. I’ll pass on those.

-cheeseburger
You’ve decided to get the old diner standby- it’s been ages since you’ve had a decent burger, and you’ve had very little opportunities to eat at places like this.
It unexpectedly arrives with a huge pile of fries, which you somehow missed in the menu’s description. How on earth are you going to finish all this?
Biting into the cheeseburger, you find that it’s quite delicious, although it’s maybe a little *too* greasy- making it instantly dribble down your chin and stain your shirt- and maybe a little burnt around the edges, but you don’t mind too much as long as the cola cuts through the grease.
The fries are also a little soggy, but sometimes you like it that way. You offer to share them, and everyone gratefully agrees, making it a little easier to finish your meal.

-veggie
Your order arrives, and it’s scent makes you glad you picked the healthier option. The cook seems to have compensated for the veggies a little too much by coating it with a thick layer of cheese, however. Thankfully the crust is crispy and perfectly cooked, even if the broccoli, onion, and mushrooms are a little rubbery.
The lemon iced tea is refreshing, if a little sugary for your taste.

Everyone must be hungry because there’s little more than small talk until everyone is almost finished with their meal.
The conversation eventually turns to the subject of how Possum Springs isn’t a victim of “Longest Night Lurk” like other towns, and stores aren’t so eager to sell decorations as early as September before autumn arrives and choke out Harfest before it even begins.

All this talk about the holidays reminds you that you might be alone this Longest Night.

No, not completely alone- you have friends now! Maybe you could find out what everyone else is doing? Would they mind if you joined them?

	So what’re you guys doing for Longest Night? I haven’t got anything to do myself.

Mae: I was gonna go to the Festival in Town Centre with Mom and Dad. We do that every year.
Angus: We were just gonna stay home and play Dragons & Dungeons pretty much all day as soon as we’re done opening the gifts. Germ says he’ll come if he can.
Germ: If I can.
Gregg: You can come too, (player)!

Bea: Not sure. Just gonna open presents with my dad, I guess.

Lori: My dad’s not be gonna be home that day, so I was just gonna watch a bunch of movies all day.

Selma: The library always does a reading of The Night Before Longest Night and A Longest Night Lullaby for the kids. If you’re interested, you can drop by. And there’s a craft and bake sale right outside!
Lori: Yeah, can’t have those cupcake crumbs or any frosting getting on the books, now can we?
Selma: *snorts* The books get frosting on them anyway. Every single time.
Lori: Oh no!
Selma: Kids will get it on their fingers but don’t lick all of it off.
Lori: Gross!
Angus: …And you have to clean it all up?
Selma: Yup. The library keeps a stock of baby wipes for that sort of thing.
Bea: So you have to read the entirety of A Longest Night Lullaby? Sounds exhausting.
Selma: It is, but it’s still fun. I get to do all the characters.

	That’s a pretty weird story when you think about it.

Selma: Oh yeah, a Longest Night story about ghosts? Who knew?
Angus: And yet it’s the most popular Longest Night story ever.

	You wouldn’t think something so spooky would be in a Longest Night story.

Lori: I like it that way. There’s all sorts of weird traditions in Europe like that: Creepy costumes around the bonfire and stuff. I wish we had those here.

You’re suddenly reminded of something you were thinking about earlier.

	Do any of guys like Krampus? I think he’s pretty cool.

For some reason their response is mostly awkward silence, even though their expressions don’t change much. Mae in particular looks a bit uncomfortable. What was wrong with what you said?
Lori for some reason doesn’t look perturbed at all and speaks up first.

Lori: Oh, Krampus is *awesome*! He’s so cool!
Mae: Oh sure, he’s pretty freakin’ awesome, but I’m kinda… over it?
Lori: Seriously? I thought you liked that sort of thing.
Mae: …Goats kinda creep me out.
Lori: Huh.
Mae: It’s those weird frog eyes. No other reason.

Angus clears his throat.

Mae: (embarrassed) Oh but just ignore me. I like Longest Night bright and cheery, is all.
Lori: Aw.
Bea: It wasn’t always that way, y’know. Used to be that Longest Night was all about surviving the cold winter by storing food and chasing away ghosts and monsters.
Angus: So Longest Night used to be a much darker holiday.

You’re glad that the subject has shifted to a broader topic, but you’re also disappointed you can’t talk more about one of your favorite holiday icons.

Despite that hiccup, lunch goes on smoothly from that point on, and when everyone is finished, you all say your goodbyes.
So many options! This’ll give you lots to think about what to do for Longest Night. It’s a little intimidating- how on earth do you choose?