[ There's a girl at the school bus stop. Earlier than her two best friends, so she's alone for now. But busy, apparently. From her spot on the sidewalk bench, she's snapping photos of an enthusiastic street preacher, clicking away as he points to the sky and cries out Christ's name.
[ For somebody who is deathly paranoid of every stranger suddenly turning out to be one of those people that their parents had warned her and her twin brother about, Pasi is awfully nosy when it comes to other people. Pretending that she's not staring at the girl on the other end of the bus stop bench doesn't really last very long, because after a few short glances, Pasi turns completely with her eyebrows raised and asked. ]
[ There's a pause, then the girl turns towards the person sitting at the other end of the bench, arching both of her brows as if she finds it a bit inappropriate to be asked such a thing by a stranger. Still. Zoey is the sort of girl who likes to explain what she's doing-- and anyway, this other girl seems more or less harmless. ]
Not exactly. It's for school. Photography homework. [ She shrugs lightly. ] And I wanted to photograph something interesting, so. There you have it.
[ Pasi looks at the girl and then turns her attention back to the preacher who is still thundering away across the street. She tilts her head as she looks at him, squinting her eyes slightly; she's trying to see exactly what is interesting about him, once you strip out the sound and the motion. ]
Oh. Well, yeah okay, I think I can see that. Way better than the usual 'this is my cat' or 'this is my boyfriend' type pictures the girls in my art class come up with.
I'm allergic to cats anyway. And I don't have a boyfriend. Not unless you count my loser boy friends. [ Different emphasis. Boy friends, not boyfriend. ] Photographing them would be a disaster.
[ She rolls her eyes. ] Jesse would probably spend every frame trying to subtly flex his pecs, and I'm pretty sure Levi would have a heart attack just thinking about himself on film.
[ At the mention of Levi, Pasi freezes -- her whole body going still -- while her eyes move around from side to side in their sockets. She takes the next minute and a half weighing out the likelihood that there would be another boy their age wandering around named Levi. One who seemed prone to having heart attacks at the sign of -- well, at the sign of anything. Eventually, Pasi looks at the stranger and says (trying not to sound like she cares, which she completely fails at): ]
You know a boy named Levi? Wait, was that a dumb question?
[ Zoey arches her eyebrows again, watching this girl's reaction curiously for a moment before turning more fully to face her. She has a feeling this conversation might be getting interesting, and she's got this terrible habit of interfering with just about everything she can to the point of being obnoxious. ]
Well. I'm sure there's lots of Levis, but I know a Levi, yeah. A Levi Hartley, to be precise. [ She shrugs as if to say, No big deal. ] He's sort of a funny character. Awkward, you know. But a little cute, in a geeky way.
[ Pasi's oddly tentative, I-might-throw-up-okay-not-really expression breaks into a bright, relieved-looking smile. She's not entirely sure why him being the right Levi makes her feel better; perhaps it's some morbid curiosity she has about him. Pasi exhales a noise like a laugh and then lifts a finger -- tip pointed upwards -- and twirls her finger round and round a few times, like she's caught up in something. ]
...Yes! Yes. There's really a tragic relationship between my dear friend Levi and the evil wiles of duct tape. Its minions, the football team, are helpless to its whims! [ She says dramatically. ] And valiant Levi-- a victim to repeated travesty-- can only endure, go home, and try not to scream as he rips the tape from his own skin.
[ Pasi's expression goes a bit wide-eyed at the girl's...oddness. It was hard to believe that squeaky, awkward, please-don't-make-me-look-at-you-for-more-than-two-seconds Levi was friends with somebody so (again) odd. She wonders idly if this is how she comes off to Pericles sometimes, or if this is how she comes off to Levi. She squints her face at the thought. ]
I, uh. I know Levi, actually. I saved him once from a fate worse than tape, though the entire time he kind of had this look like he was hoping to choke on his own spit. We're, uh, not-really-maybe-kind-of friends. I think.
[ As she suspected! Zoey has another ah-hah! moment at Pasi's reply, and somehow, she migrates from her end of the bench and towards the other girl's. The movement is strangely conspiratorial. ]
Wait.
You're telling me that you-- a girl-- are friends with Levi Hartley?
[ She seems pleased about the idea-- but it's sly somehow, like there are gears turning in her head. A dangerous thing. ]
[ Admittedly, Pasi finds Levi's friend a little intense. This, coming from the girl who is meant to single-handled unmake the fabric of existence, is pretty hardcore. But, Pasi does what she can not to looked spooked. Usually the one with the upperhand in situations (given that most of her time is spent with her even more socially awkward brother), it's a little disconcerting to suddenly have the tables turned. Nervously, she tucks a bit of her hair behind one ear and quirks an eyebrow. ]
Well. I am a girl. Last I checked, heh. And, I think me and Levi are. Uh. Friends? I mean if he didn't think so that'd be totally cool it's not like we keep randomly running into one another on purpose. Wait, I'm pretty sure that makes me sound like a stalker. Uh. [ There's silence as she figures out how to salvage this portion of the conversation and manages to just stick out her hand in the girl's direction. ]
[ There's a long pause where Zoey just inspects Pasi's face with something between suspicion and curiosity. They are a pair of strange girls, each thinking the other is stranger than herself.
Still. It's not a bad thing. At least, Zoey doesn't think so. She reaches out with her own hand to accept Pasi's, shaking it. ]
Zoey Lockwood. Nice to meet you, Pasi-Who-Might-Or-Might-Not-Sound-Like-A-Stalker.
[ Pasi is -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- used to being stared at. So many years of visiting her mother's side of the family (the magic side), being subjected to this test and that, can do that to a person. Still the fact that it's one of Levi's friends (best friend if she remembers right) makes her a little anxious. ]
Nice to meet you too, Zoey. Um, Levi's mentioned you before. And his other friend -- uh, Jesse, I think? I don't really make a habit of getting friendly with strangers and stuff, but. He's a nice guy, so. It was sort of easy. Heh.
[ There's something sly about Zoey's face. Something subtly wily. But she's smiling and encouraging in her voice, like she would love nothing better than for Pasi to go on. ]
So, tell me about your Levi experiences! I'm kinda curious to see what he's been up to, since we haven't seen each other much lately.
[He's late, of course, but it's a dramatic entrance-- complete with Jesse jumping over the back of the bench to seat himself next to her, throwing an arm around his best friend's shoulders and smiling. Like he just cracks himself up.]
Is it the Second Coming? Did I miss the raining hellfire?
Class assignment. Photography. ]
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Um. You big on street preachers? Or something?
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Not exactly. It's for school. Photography homework. [ She shrugs lightly. ] And I wanted to photograph something interesting, so. There you have it.
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Oh. Well, yeah okay, I think I can see that. Way better than the usual 'this is my cat' or 'this is my boyfriend' type pictures the girls in my art class come up with.
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I'm allergic to cats anyway. And I don't have a boyfriend. Not unless you count my loser boy friends. [ Different emphasis. Boy friends, not boyfriend. ] Photographing them would be a disaster.
[ She rolls her eyes. ] Jesse would probably spend every frame trying to subtly flex his pecs, and I'm pretty sure Levi would have a heart attack just thinking about himself on film.
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You know a boy named Levi? Wait, was that a dumb question?
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Well. I'm sure there's lots of Levis, but I know a Levi, yeah. A Levi Hartley, to be precise. [ She shrugs as if to say, No big deal. ] He's sort of a funny character. Awkward, you know. But a little cute, in a geeky way.
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Um. Duct tape?
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...Yes! Yes. There's really a tragic relationship between my dear friend Levi and the evil wiles of duct tape. Its minions, the football team, are helpless to its whims! [ She says dramatically. ] And valiant Levi-- a victim to repeated travesty-- can only endure, go home, and try not to scream as he rips the tape from his own skin.
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I, uh. I know Levi, actually. I saved him once from a fate worse than tape, though the entire time he kind of had this look like he was hoping to choke on his own spit. We're, uh, not-really-maybe-kind-of friends. I think.
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Wait.
You're telling me that you-- a girl-- are friends with Levi Hartley?
[ She seems pleased about the idea-- but it's sly somehow, like there are gears turning in her head. A dangerous thing. ]
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Well. I am a girl. Last I checked, heh. And, I think me and Levi are. Uh. Friends? I mean if he didn't think so that'd be totally cool it's not like we keep randomly running into one another on purpose. Wait, I'm pretty sure that makes me sound like a stalker. Uh. [ There's silence as she figures out how to salvage this portion of the conversation and manages to just stick out her hand in the girl's direction. ]
I'm Pasi. Hi.
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Still. It's not a bad thing. At least, Zoey doesn't think so. She reaches out with her own hand to accept Pasi's, shaking it. ]
Zoey Lockwood. Nice to meet you, Pasi-Who-Might-Or-Might-Not-Sound-Like-A-Stalker.
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Nice to meet you too, Zoey. Um, Levi's mentioned you before. And his other friend -- uh, Jesse, I think? I don't really make a habit of getting friendly with strangers and stuff, but. He's a nice guy, so. It was sort of easy. Heh.
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[ There's something sly about Zoey's face. Something subtly wily. But she's smiling and encouraging in her voice, like she would love nothing better than for Pasi to go on. ]
So, tell me about your Levi experiences! I'm kinda curious to see what he's been up to, since we haven't seen each other much lately.
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Is it the Second Coming? Did I miss the raining hellfire?
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