things just happen so much don't they

[adamantlyardent]

WHO: Cecelia, a cast of tens
WHERE: All over (except Jeopardy -- frick u, Jeopardy)
WHEN: April
WHAT: ACTIVITIES
WARNINGS: teeeeeeeeeeenager


Yo hit up whyellewhy to plan shit let's party

Comments

[adamantlyardent]

[in a sigh:] Such is the way, isn't it? I mean, in general, for sure, since no one really knows what can happen. But doubly so here. Obviously. You know that. Never mind.

[prayercycles]

[ Fortunato pauses. He doesn't always know how to talk to Cecelia; her worries seem to different from his own. She's commented on her classmates and others, but... ]

Do you enjoy it? Going to school.

[adamantlyardent]

Gods no. [her nose crinkles with disgust.] The amount of learning that goes on there pales in comparison to the amount of tomfoolery afoot. I swear, navigating from one room to another could be likened to a dungeon's gauntlet of booby traps on any given day! [let alone Wednesdays. for some reason, pink is a big deal on Wednesdays? hell if she knows.]

No...No, the more I endure it, the more I question its value. The tiny spoonfuls of historical and sociological information I'm given is hardly satisfactory. [flat:] To say nothing of enduring arithmetic.

[wow, one could easily not notice that Cecelia is typically uncomfortable around this guy? and yet, when put in her natural element of bitching about stuff that bothers her, she loosens up, and he's no longer a looming threat of potential embarrassments. she doesn't notice it herself, but maybe he does.

some classmates who've come in to study do, at least. from a distance. with phones. and hushed talk.]

[prayercycles]

[ Thankfully, Fortunato hasn't picked up that those are classmates of Cecelia's yet; he just thinks some other teenagers are being nosy. Hopefully not for media-influenced reasons. Cecelia is certainly opinionated, he thinks; there's not much she's saying that he would have ever thought to complain about. ]

You do not have to go. [ He points out, a bit dry. ]

[adamantlyardent]

Yeah, that's the impression I'm getting. [you want dry? she can do dry.] Fun that no one bothered to mention that to me at the start, otherwise I'd have not attended in the first place, you know! And probably be better for it.

[gods. so irritating. she can hear the hushed, annoying chatter now, plain as day. as if it's right...

oh.

it is right over there.

Cecelia does a bit of a double-take, her expression shifting to alarm as she quickly looks away.]

Gods. It's following me here. It really is inescapable...!

[prayercycles]

[ Oh boy. She really does...react to everything, doesn't she.

Fortunato pushes himself up from where he's sitting and grabs his cane, figuring the best course of action to prevent her from accosting a set of native teens is to bail. ]

We can go.

[ Or one of them can, but this seems kinder. ]

[adamantlyardent]

[muttered:] Or they can go. But they won't. Ugh.

[she clicks her tongue with distaste, getting up off the window sill.]

Yes. Let's. Sorry in advance for whatever slander's getting printed about this by next week...

[prayercycles]

[ Fortunato gets up; he's feeling better than he did, technically, but he's begun leaning on his cane out of habit, even if that's not what it's used for. He glances at the teenagers, but clearly he doesn't care as much as Cecelia does.

He wants to stay under the radar, but...he doubts this is as important as Cecelia thinks. ]

...It will not matter. [ Compared to so many other things? He can take one false rumor. ]

[adamantlyardent]

No? The busybodies don't bother you? How fortunate.

[she grimaces, keeping her mouth shut as they pass by the tables on the way out. after that, her voice stays low:] Didn't I ask about that before? I think I did. I forget.

[prayercycles]

[ Fortunato notices her lower her voice and does so himself, though it's not as if he's not usually quiet himself. ] You may have.

If- if you do not interfere with what happens here...not many people notice. It is different if you do.

[ He's thinking of more famous friends. Few people recognize Fortunato himself, unless they're particularly fanatic. ]

[adamantlyardent]

Oh, please. [she scoffs, pushing the door open. the sun is bright today, forcing her to squint.] There are volumes of those silly gossip magazines full of imPorts doing virtually nothing and yet that! That seems to be the talk of the town!

[prayercycles]

[ Fortunato has even more trouble with the light; his eyes can be sensitive to it. He looks away a bit, trying to find a response she’d like, but he can’t help but think this sort of thing is never at the forefront of his mind. ]

We...are not like them. And we cannot hide it, always.

[ He’s so used to hiding it. It’s strange to be known, even somewhat. ]

[adamantlyardent]

Nor should we be expected to, but here we are. [she plants her hands on her hips, scowling about toward the street.]

So much for a peaceful afternoon of browsing. [she tilts her head and gives Fortuanto a side-eye.] Unless you know of some hidden, hole-in-the-wall book shop in this town?

[prayercycles]

Um.

[ There's actually a Christian bookstore close by that he once had to visit for a group from church, who'd asked him to use the Porter and buy something. But an elf clearly will not want to go there, right? ]

...Not- no. Not really. [ But- ] We can find one. [ He takes out his communicator. ]

[adamantlyardent]

I guess. [sigh.

beat.

wait...

she suddenly looks troubled.]

Wait. Wait, did I just--drag you out of...whatever it was you were doing? Like, just because I said so? You didn't just...follow along because I said so, right?

[it's not like he's the one that suggested leaving or anything!!!]

[prayercycles]

[ And Fortunato remembers he made that suggestion. Maybe this girl isn’t just more accustomed to the concerns of an average teenager- she’s also very worrying.

Not that that’s much of a problem to him. Just puzzling. ]

I...thought you wanted to avoid them.

[adamantlyardent]

I did! I, I do! But... [an exasperated sound, complete with exasperated hand gesture. why doesn't he get it! why doesn't he just say wow you're really annoying and also a huge waste of time?!] But, but not at the expense of, of dooming YOUR day! Like! What does that make me? You know?

[prayercycles]

You have not doomed anything.

[ Frankly, he’s confused by how upset she is over this, but he won’t hold it against her. He turns to look down the street- there’s a shopping area that way, isn’t there. ]

Do you want to go?

[adamantlyardent]

Well, yes, but not if you don't? That's, like...practically...holding you hostage. Right? [she squints. she's right? isn't she?]

[prayercycles]

[ ...

He's just. Going to gesture in a direction down the street to her, and walk that way. ]

We can find somewhere to go.

[adamantlyardent]

[she follows, still stressed about this, but at least not pressing the non-issue she's trying to turn into an issue. instead, she's frowning at the back of his head and shoulders, as if staring hard enough is going to divine what his actual stance on this is -- as if she'll reveal that, yes, yes this is annoying to him and yes, if it weren't for the laws of this land he'd be launching her into oncoming traffic.

that...that's just the conclusion that makes sense alright? SHE would throw herself into oncoming traffic!

silence stretching out too long will probably kill her faster, honestly, which is why she has to pipe up before too long:]

So, um. You...you know this city fairly well, then? Navigating it and all...

[prayercycles]

[ Frankly, Fortunato's both more and less stressed about this than he comes off. This is honestly a petty situation; Cecelia shouldn't be this worried about something so minor.

On the other hand, he's got no idea why she's prone to reacting this way. He feels like he's walking on eggshells, if only in a minor sense. ]

...Yes. It is easier if I know what is around- when I cannot see.

[ His communicator has to guide him, often. But he knows some things by shape more than full sight by now. ]

[adamantlyardent]

So that's, like...an on and off sort of thing? Just, just one day your eyes are keen, and then maybe the next day you didn't drink enough tea and it's hazy? How does that...even work? [she squints at his back as she yammers on.] Is that, that what your power here is, now? That's not really a power, is it? More like, like some adverse side-effect of transport, I'd think. Is that common? I mean, I just wound up with some of my stuff broken, but it's not like my senses have been distorted or anything--

[if he doesn't cut in, she won't stop. it be like that sometimes: a deluge of stream-of-consciousness.]

[prayercycles]

I- it-

[ Look, Fortunato's just bad at interrupting. He tries to speak multiple times, having answers to most of what she's asking, and then she just keeps going. He'd rather not be that rude to her...

But she does keep talking...

Until he notices they're near a used items store with some books in the window. He has to speak now. ]

Cecelia.

[adamantlyardent]

What? [she looks a bit miffed to be interrupted in her flow, but that quickly evaporates when she realizes they've stopped. like, pointedly stopped, and not because of traffic.

she blinks.]

What's--oh. [blinkblink.] Oh! We...we're here... [blushing:] Right. Sorry. Let's...just go see what we have here, then.

[and not make eye contact while scurrying inside.]