Edge of the Park, Sunday Morning
Parker didn't have any tests coming up, papers due, or problems to be solved. Just a lazy Sunday with an icy frappachino, her shades and her iPod in the middle of the Park. She was sitting juuuust out of sight of many of the kidlets.
"Sympathy for the Devil" was playing as she tried to decide if she wanted to walk down to the beach.
Being dropped by a random portal into some strange place would probably scare most kids, but not Ben. He knew all about portals and alternate dimensions and this clearly wasn't a hell dimension. So this was just another Something Weird that was happening. Nothing to worry about.
Even if he'd been with his dad a few minutes ago and was now totally, completely alone. Even though he knew about places that looked normal from above ground but had sewers full of vampires and demons that could show up out of nowhere.
Yep. He was fine. And when he spotted a familiar figure in the park, he only ran to her because he needed to get home soon, before anyone started worrying.
He came to a stop in front of Parker, so abruptly that he nearly skidded. Before he could say anything, his Something Weird radar pinged and he swallowed what he was going to say. Instead, he came out with a simple "Hi," and sat down next to her.
"Hi." Parker blinked at the kid, and tugged out her earbuds, raising an eyebrow at him over her sunglasses. Not Jarod, or any one of the other mini-fied adults from February. Soooo. What was up with him sitting down like he knew her? "Are you lost?"
"No," Ben said, then paused. "Where is this?"
"If you weren't lost, you'd know," Parker said dryly. Give the kid credit for moxie, at least. Weirdness was obviously in hand, but he seemed to be handling it. Sighing, she said, "Fandom Island, Virginia. The United States. Planet Earth?" She folded her arms. "Now. Any idea what year it is?"
Ben folded his arms right back at her. "Maybe," he said. "Do you?"
Parker snickered, unable not to. "Smartass," she muttered. "April 15, 2007." She pushed her sunglasses up. "I'm Parker. And you are?"
Ben did a quick calculation on his fingers and grinned. Now he knew where he was, and this could be fun. "I'm Ben," he said, offering her his hand. "It's very nice to meet you." His gentlemanly gesture was marred by the snickering he couldn't quite hide.
Shaking his hand, Parker said, "Care to share the joke, Ben?" She grinned at the snickering, and added, "I've always liked that name. Is there a last name that goes with it?"
"No," Ben said. "And yes. In that order."
Smartass just about covered it. "Then if you're not lost, what are you doing here? There aren't too many kids on the Island, and I don't think the school is taking them below the age of thirteen or so. You're, what? Eleven? Ten?"
"Visiting my mom," Ben said. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Parker winced, blinked at him, and looked askance. No, he didn't seem to be hitting on her. "Nosy kid. No, I don't have a boyfriend. I had one, but he left. Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked, turning the tables.
"No," Ben said. "I don't like to be tied down. What was your boyfriend's name?"
Laughing, Parker said, "Tied down? At eleven? And Weiss. His name is Weiss. Are you just on a tear of Twenty Questions? Where's your mom?"
It took Ben a moment to place the name, but when he did, a look of horror came over his face. "You dated Uncle Eric?" he blurted out.
Parker blinked at him, then boggled. "Uncle Eric? You're his brother's kid? Wait. That isn't possible, his brother's nearly the same age... oh, frak. Time travel?" And just as she was getting her head around that, she said, "Hey! I can date whoever I want!"
Ben clapped his hand over his mouth and snickered. "You said..." he hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Frak!" He burst into giggles.
"I said-- okay. Wait. Yes, don't say that. Bad word. Wait, how do *you* know it's a bad word?" Parker took a breath, and then muttered to herself, "Uncle Eric, frak, and... Okay, that's it, kid. Who the hell are you? I'm not answering one more question 'til I get a last name or your mom's name."
Ben grinned. "Parker," he said.
"Yes, I know my name," Parker said impatiently, "I asked you--"
Oh, no.
Oh no.
"Buh?"
Ben snickered some more.
Parker stared at him, trying to see it. "You are not. You can't be! I've never even been pregnant! And--" Time travel. Right. "F-- right, can't say that, god, um. Hi. Ben." She whapped herself on her forehead. "Oh, for Christ's sake, Ben. Duh. That's just-- how the hell did I miss that?"
"Do you love Unc- Weiss?" Ben asked.
Parker got a grip on herself-- barely-- and said, "Yes. I mean. I'm not in love with him, but I love him, and-- okay, so he's not your dad. No wonder that weirded you out." She took a breath. "Ben, why are you here? And who *is* your dad?"
She stared at him, trying to figure it out: brown hair (could be from her family), brown eyes (probably his dad's), smartass, smart, not shy... oh, man.
Ben shrugged. "I dunno why I'm here," he said. "And I shouldn't tell you stuff about the future." He knew that from movies and comics. "It might mess up the space-time continuation."
"How old are you again?" Parker asked, unnerved. "And, okay, good point. I guess." She took a breath. "Um. Well. Why don't we... go back to the dorm, and... uh. Maybe get you lunch?" She looked hopeful. Kids like to eat, right? "And I have a pretty good XBox. Though you probably have a better one by now. Even if mine does talk."
"I'm ten," Ben said. "Can I have pizza? What games do you have?"
"Sure. Lots of pizza. Planet Pizza." Parker got up and brushed off her skirt, still feeling wobbly. "C'mon. Let's get back there before... I have no idea, a giant pink bunny appears, or something."
And they headed back to the dorm, Parker calling for two pizzas with extra cheese on the way.
[no ic interaction possible, OOC comments are love]
"Sympathy for the Devil" was playing as she tried to decide if she wanted to walk down to the beach.
Being dropped by a random portal into some strange place would probably scare most kids, but not Ben. He knew all about portals and alternate dimensions and this clearly wasn't a hell dimension. So this was just another Something Weird that was happening. Nothing to worry about.
Even if he'd been with his dad a few minutes ago and was now totally, completely alone. Even though he knew about places that looked normal from above ground but had sewers full of vampires and demons that could show up out of nowhere.
Yep. He was fine. And when he spotted a familiar figure in the park, he only ran to her because he needed to get home soon, before anyone started worrying.
He came to a stop in front of Parker, so abruptly that he nearly skidded. Before he could say anything, his Something Weird radar pinged and he swallowed what he was going to say. Instead, he came out with a simple "Hi," and sat down next to her.
"Hi." Parker blinked at the kid, and tugged out her earbuds, raising an eyebrow at him over her sunglasses. Not Jarod, or any one of the other mini-fied adults from February. Soooo. What was up with him sitting down like he knew her? "Are you lost?"
"No," Ben said, then paused. "Where is this?"
"If you weren't lost, you'd know," Parker said dryly. Give the kid credit for moxie, at least. Weirdness was obviously in hand, but he seemed to be handling it. Sighing, she said, "Fandom Island, Virginia. The United States. Planet Earth?" She folded her arms. "Now. Any idea what year it is?"
Ben folded his arms right back at her. "Maybe," he said. "Do you?"
Parker snickered, unable not to. "Smartass," she muttered. "April 15, 2007." She pushed her sunglasses up. "I'm Parker. And you are?"
Ben did a quick calculation on his fingers and grinned. Now he knew where he was, and this could be fun. "I'm Ben," he said, offering her his hand. "It's very nice to meet you." His gentlemanly gesture was marred by the snickering he couldn't quite hide.
Shaking his hand, Parker said, "Care to share the joke, Ben?" She grinned at the snickering, and added, "I've always liked that name. Is there a last name that goes with it?"
"No," Ben said. "And yes. In that order."
Smartass just about covered it. "Then if you're not lost, what are you doing here? There aren't too many kids on the Island, and I don't think the school is taking them below the age of thirteen or so. You're, what? Eleven? Ten?"
"Visiting my mom," Ben said. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Parker winced, blinked at him, and looked askance. No, he didn't seem to be hitting on her. "Nosy kid. No, I don't have a boyfriend. I had one, but he left. Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked, turning the tables.
"No," Ben said. "I don't like to be tied down. What was your boyfriend's name?"
Laughing, Parker said, "Tied down? At eleven? And Weiss. His name is Weiss. Are you just on a tear of Twenty Questions? Where's your mom?"
It took Ben a moment to place the name, but when he did, a look of horror came over his face. "You dated Uncle Eric?" he blurted out.
Parker blinked at him, then boggled. "Uncle Eric? You're his brother's kid? Wait. That isn't possible, his brother's nearly the same age... oh, frak. Time travel?" And just as she was getting her head around that, she said, "Hey! I can date whoever I want!"
Ben clapped his hand over his mouth and snickered. "You said..." he hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Frak!" He burst into giggles.
"I said-- okay. Wait. Yes, don't say that. Bad word. Wait, how do *you* know it's a bad word?" Parker took a breath, and then muttered to herself, "Uncle Eric, frak, and... Okay, that's it, kid. Who the hell are you? I'm not answering one more question 'til I get a last name or your mom's name."
Ben grinned. "Parker," he said.
"Yes, I know my name," Parker said impatiently, "I asked you--"
Oh, no.
Oh no.
"Buh?"
Ben snickered some more.
Parker stared at him, trying to see it. "You are not. You can't be! I've never even been pregnant! And--" Time travel. Right. "F-- right, can't say that, god, um. Hi. Ben." She whapped herself on her forehead. "Oh, for Christ's sake, Ben. Duh. That's just-- how the hell did I miss that?"
"Do you love Unc- Weiss?" Ben asked.
Parker got a grip on herself-- barely-- and said, "Yes. I mean. I'm not in love with him, but I love him, and-- okay, so he's not your dad. No wonder that weirded you out." She took a breath. "Ben, why are you here? And who *is* your dad?"
She stared at him, trying to figure it out: brown hair (could be from her family), brown eyes (probably his dad's), smartass, smart, not shy... oh, man.
Ben shrugged. "I dunno why I'm here," he said. "And I shouldn't tell you stuff about the future." He knew that from movies and comics. "It might mess up the space-time continuation."
"How old are you again?" Parker asked, unnerved. "And, okay, good point. I guess." She took a breath. "Um. Well. Why don't we... go back to the dorm, and... uh. Maybe get you lunch?" She looked hopeful. Kids like to eat, right? "And I have a pretty good XBox. Though you probably have a better one by now. Even if mine does talk."
"I'm ten," Ben said. "Can I have pizza? What games do you have?"
"Sure. Lots of pizza. Planet Pizza." Parker got up and brushed off her skirt, still feeling wobbly. "C'mon. Let's get back there before... I have no idea, a giant pink bunny appears, or something."
And they headed back to the dorm, Parker calling for two pizzas with extra cheese on the way.
[no ic interaction possible, OOC comments are love]