Chapter 15 - (part twelve -- continued)

The Dining Hall was crowded this morning. Already a line snaked out the doors, and Lina and Daesti joined the queue, looking painfully out of place amongst the many corpulent denizens of Fatropolis. Though Fatropolis was now an established city, there must have been a time, Lina surmised, before there were laws on the books establishing regulation weights, when a good portion of the city's population would have been sent to the Fattenarium. Even some of the people around them must have been thin, or at least significantly thinner, at some point.

Lina found herself wishing she had paid more attention to that orientation holovid. And what was it the police officers had said? That they hadn't seen skinnies like Lina and Daesti in a long time? That implied that they had seen skinnies before. But Fatropolis surely had a bad reputation by now and most outsiders probably knew to avoid this city.

Lina became aware of curious glances directed toward her and Daesti.

"Hey, what are you in for?" sneered a burly, stubble-faced man with a massive gut, as he and several cohorts guffawed and elbowed each other. They must have noticed the bodysuits; everyone else wore the strange pajama-like outfits with food-themed patterns on them.

A chuffy woman with high-piled hair spoke up with a motherly tone. "You poor things! You look half-starved! Get some nutrition in you. Eat as much as you can, girls. Best thing for you."

"Oh, fresh doughnuts!" Daesti burst out, as they approached a table stacked high with the freshly baked treats.

"Just one," admonished Lina.

"You have to take one, too," said Daesti.

"Absolutely not!" Lina snapped, keeping her voice as low as possible while doing her best to maintain a decisive tone. "That's what started this mess for you in the first place."

Daesti tugged at Lina's arm and beckoned her closer. "Just take a doughnut," she whispered, with a hint of her old authoritativeness. "And be sure to fill up your plate when the buffetbot comes around."

Lina chafed. "No! If you think I'm going to--!"

Daesti pulled her in again. "Just do it. Don't worry...we'll switch plates and I'll eat everything so you won't have to. You'll call more attention to yourself if you refuse everything that's served."

Daesti had a point there. But it all was going to wind up as extra weight on her. This part of the plan would only work if one of them was eating.

"And warm cinnamon rolls!" said Daesti jubilantly, approaching trays of the icing-coated delights. "One for me! And one for you! Which means two for me!" Rather than cause a scene by arguing, Lina just looked on.

When they were seated and the buffetbot proffered stacks of pancakes topped with butter and drenched in syrup, and made-to-order 7-egg omelets, and heaps of greasy hashbrowns, and hot and cold cereals galore, poor Lina looked on worriedly as little Daesti greedily stuffed her face.

"Do me one favor," said Lina, resignedly. "At least try to eat slowly."