dinohigh, no humans allowed!

The bill was placed next to me with a loud thud. My school ID was next to the receipt in a wooden bowl as it dropped loudly on the wooden craft table of the cafe.

the luxury seats with cushioned pillows. moody lights for a classy ambience. a decorative fountain in the center. used not so decoratively by one of the aquatic patros sitting in it, much to the owners annoyance. a scratched-out sign that said no aquatics next to it on the floor. No, it wasn't the patron who did this. I saw the owner stomp on this sign earlier today on my way to school. He had been looking at all the non-dinosaurs entering. and yelled in rage.

It's amazing how these dinosaurs got more tolerant of each other overnight. and all it took was realizing. There were more people to hate. Yes, tolerance always needs something to hate. in order for things that don't mix, like water and oil. to mix so graciously together as if they were always soul mates, as if they were two of the same kind. as if they were never opposites.

It was disgusting; my eyes hated the look of it. the display case refrigerated at the cafe counter. The owner had clearly heard my comments and angrily glared back. as I let out a curt, smug smile.

(analytical evil little human thoughts)

These were all recently made, I could tell. looking at the pastries. specifically. of all the herbivore ones with a finely calligraphed mini sign post made of wood. All of them were decorated finely and looked elegant. plated expertly. now

to what I was referring to too. turning my eyes to the side. This was recent. the carnivore section. I could tell that this store owner has never cooked meat before. It was still bloody and raw. and the meat looked old, but like it was fresh in the morning, but bought at the at the last minute. Right now, the time is 11 p.m. He could explain it away as being degraded due to the day being late. but the bread is all brand new. and so are the veggies, meaning he refrigerates them lightly. but the meat isn't. So he must have gone out late at night. I know he went out late at night because normally people who buy meat for their shops get it fresh in the early morning. but he didn't, so it means he made a last-minute change to acomadate carnivores. There were other signs, too. like the sign posts being not wood but hastily placed folded pieces of paper with plain writing, which is not at all in character for the shop's style and aesthetic. Or maybe it was just that the plates were not the right color for the appealing look of the meat. You see, vegetables are supposed to be plated in certain colors to induce the herbivore instinct. But this shop owner didn't know that carnivores also need their own colored plates to stimulate their hunting senses. ugh, sigh—was a pedestrian mistake. an amateur error for a 3-star restaurant. if I were a critic, I would deduct his score.

but why? The answer was simple. So long as more dinos occupied the restaurant, there would be fewer non-dinos. even if it meant dinos he didn't feel comfortable with.

It was written all over his face that he was scared of carnivores. He was constantly staring at them every time they got near the waitress or his other herbivorous patrons. but he had no armor on any defensive structures like bullet-proof glass, metal doors, or steel bars. I felt more confident that this was a last-minute adjustment when I realized the behavior didn't match the long-term planning. People who changed their plan mid-stride were just so predictable. their previous course of action so clear. and their re-routed destination is just so obvious. If they had been more subtle, it would have been harder to read. Masking your change in plans is one of the few things I'm good at.

a smile of pride on my face, my eyes were neutral. And to the store owner, I was merely staring dumbfoundedly at the one thing animals desired if they did not eat plants. It was the meat.

so uhhh? how much. He looked annoyed, like I had asked a dumb question. It was written right there, he replied. grumpily. Clearly, he was tired from making all of these at the at the last minute. Hmm, time to have some fun. hmmm, I mumble. I don't see any price, sir. Did you perhaps, in your incompetence, forget to write one down? I had an innocent smile on my face with a relaxed expression. My tone was stated so matter-of-factly that it was practically a dead pan without the wit. to put people on edge. It was the kind of reply that sounded like an off-hand remark.

He rubbed his brow. It, uh, should be there. He was second-guessing himself. He looked and saw that on the meat section, I had clearly picked the only one, without a price. He looked at me, annoyed. You think you're a funny kid.

I reply emotionlessly. I think you're discriminating. He widened his eyes. what? What do you mean, kid? This is meat and veggies. This is for herbivores and carnivores. He said that last part with disgust. mmhmmm, I said, doubting his intentions. okay sir.

then? Can you please tell me why all of the meat is raw? or barely even cooked. He looked nervously around him as people began to notice. It's a good thing he raised his voice to respond to me; otherwise, I might have had to do the same to get others attention. 

(happy human inner monologue)

Was it a cheap tactic? Yes, but it's the only one I can afford. It's a valuable way to cause drama. because there is this magical thing that happens when people stop talking one-on-one and start talking in a group. suddenly they cannot be so openly cruel. even though everyone else in the room is equally cruel. They don't want to be perceived as such by others. It's their silent war against each other. and all I give them is a front for them to fight it on.

It's the obvious reaction to stare when a human and a dinosaur start arguing. They would tell you, and maybe they convinced themselves too, that it is to make sure the human doesn't get up and attack the dinosaur. but in reality, it's their anticipation, a secret wishful pleasure, that they hope the other dino attacks me, all while they shake their heads and condemn outwardly. but internally, they have their full support. but that isn't what keeps them up at night. That isn't what keeps them from preventing the others from attacking me; paradoxically, even they want to. They know the other dino, especially if it's from a different species than their own, which is almost always the case. will eventually gain enough spine to experience conflict. that those same people they routed for to take me down may one day turn against them. because simply

Humans have enough danger level to momentarily elevate a species that defeats them in that moment in the eyes of others. and this terrified everyone else. who didnt. while enticing those who wished to try. 

because it will throw a temporary wrench in the social dynamic. Those who moved upward may continue moving upward. By threatening those who are already up and those who have been left behind underneath, it showed people that their place in the world wasn't static and that there was no security in normalcy. that things weren't the way they were because they had to be. They were like that because people were complicit in being stepped on.

and that was such a humiliating realization that they blocked it out of their minds. and it was even more humiliating. that they only realized such things. when confronting or watching a confrontation with a lowly ape. like me..

So, you see? It was our tragic dance. our ballroom of backstabbers.

(She snaps back to the situation.)

I open my eyes after closing them for a good, solid 30 seconds. 45. of my bad. I think I enjoyed that a bit too much. ready for my attack to begin again.

The store owner was explaining why he had to buy the meat so late. I stopped listening and started daydreaming because the story just didn't line up. I didn't even need to deconstruct it; everyone in the room wasn't buying it either. I love it when my targets defend themselves and manage to make their stories seem even weaker. It was like they were doing all the work for me.

Cut the crap, old lizard! I know exactly why the meat in this cafe was bad. He widened his eyes as I clearly was not listening and had so rudely interrupted me. He wanted to yell at me clearly for being a disrespectful younger generation to him. but in a room full of high schoolers, that was the surefire way of antagonizing yourself. so he begrudgingly remained quiet. allowing me to move the pace of the narrative at my own speed.

Some of the patrons around me, especially the carnivores, stopped eating their food, clearly listening to what I had to say about something terribly wrong with their food. I could see a lot of them didn't care about its poor quality. Maybe the flavor of the vegetables, sauces, and pastries had been enough to carry the meat's poor quality to their standards. or maybe they were just poor taste.

You're feeding us raw meat! undercooked, and worst of all, BARELY SEASONED? and for these prices. I raised my receipt. A carnivore meal is half the price of herbivore food! The herbivores looked at the carnivores, wondering if it was true, with raised eyebrows and perplexed expressions. The carnivores returned the gesture curiously. some shrugging, others nodding their heads.

The answer to this is simple! You are disrespecting us carnivores and meat eaters. You think we are broke as shit! I delivered the message so outraged. I sounded like those Karens in those trending videos for people to laugh at. Indeed, some of the crowd began chuckling and rolling their eyes and continued to enjoy their meal. 

but as the carnivores laughed. They noticed tension in the room. from the herbivores. the sudden realization. if they could eat raw blood. recently killed meat with no preparation or cooking. so mindlessly. What would stop them? from standing up right now. and taking a bite out of them? The silence in the room from one demographic was deafening, while some other carnivores laughed wholeheartedly at my act. unaware of how it looked now in the minds of their herbivore compatriots. The laugh of humor morphed in their prey like an herbivore mind. to the laughter of their fellow students. to the evil laughter of a bloodthirsty animal. 

It was amazing. how I could trigger the survival instincts of old. so easily. with just the right amount of buildup. All you have to do is blindside them with it. by talking about one topic. then making them realize the topic refers back to one of these sensitive topics. these weak points of harmony. where strife prospered.