Lake Catherine, Miller's Inn - early Saturday morning
Parker really, really shouldn't have been doing this. She knew that. But she just couldn't resist.
Ben was sweeping a few last errant leaves off the porch, his back to her as he employed his broom to good effect.
Pressing the red stone on the amulet, Parker began to sneak up on him.
Sneak... sneak ... sneak... sneak....
The invisibility wore off just about when she'd guessed it would, with Ben facing her as she popped back into view.
"Ahhh!" He clutched at his chest and the broom, staring at her in shock, and Parker nearly fell off the porch railing laughing. "Miss Parker! What the-- How did you--"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I had to," Parker said, gasping for breath. "Pretty cool, hunh?" She shook the amulet, and pressed the stone again, then sighed. "Battery's dead. Oh, well. It served its purpose." She grinned at him. "And seeing is believing, isn't it."
Ben propped the broom against the railing and folded his arms, studying her, then the amulet. "Do you mean to tell me that thing is-- magic? Like you were talking about yesterday?" He shook his head. "I thought you were just making up stories for the guests."
"I was. It's just that most of it was at least partially true," Parker admitted. "I didn't know how else to show you, so. Invisible Girl." She held up the amulet. "My friend Willow made it for me."
"Now why would one of your friends think you need a pendant that makes you invisible?" Ben was watching her closely, and Parker glanced away, off-balance again. Being friends with Ben was nothing like talking to her father, and was weirdly like talking to Sydney, with the difference that Sydney never asked certain questions; he knew her well enough to recognize when he wouldn't get answers. Ben seemed to want any answers from her, more than he cared about whether he was getting the whole truth. It was... unsettling.
"Oh, she was experimenting." She looked back at Ben, and smiled mischeviously again. "She put a spell on the orchids I'm raising for Biology, to make them sing when I asked her, as well. She's the witch I mentioned last night."
Ben leaned against the railing. "So the bunnies, and the little construction men, those are real too?" At Parker's nod, his eyes narrowed. "And the mummies? And the snow monsters?"
"Can't have good without the bad," she said lightly, swinging one jean-clad leg as she balanced on the railing. "And that was ages ago now."
"Does your father know about what goes on at the school?" Ben was frowning heavily, worry clouding his face. "That people get hurt there? And have to defend themselves?"
Parker looked away, humming under her breath, then decided on, "He knows what he needs to know. That I like it, and it's an academically top-notch school. Anything else is extraneous."
"I don't like it." Ben shook his head, tapping his fingers against his arm. "I don't like the idea that you could get hurt. I know you're happy there, and Jarod's there, but there has to be somewhere else just as good and less dangerous."
She'd flinched at the mention of Jarod, and Ben shot her a sharp look. "What did I say?"
"Jarod's not a factor any more." She looked away from him, over the lake, and hugged herself, watching the geese fly by. "And I like it. I have friends there, real friends. And it's close to Blue Cove. And Angelo. Sydney." Parker shrugged. "Nothing too bad to handle has happened yet."
"And I don't like that 'yet.'" Ben's voice softened. "I'm sorry about you and Jarod, though. That boy was so sweet on you-- hard to believe you let him go." Parker kept her face immobile, and shrugged again. Ben sighed. "You're not going to tell me anything more about that, are you?"
"Nothing more to tell."
He studied her a moment longer, then picked up the broom. "You get more like her every day. Secrets and secrets. She'd be sad to see it."
Which cut at her, even though it wasn't meant to. So for once, she offered an almost-explanation. "Someday there won't be any. It'll all be over."
Ben started to say something, then caught himself, hands tightening on the broom. "I hope so," he said softly. "You always have a place here if you need it. You know that, don't you?"
"I know." She gave him her softest, most careful smile. "And I appreciate it. It gets me through some hard times, remembering that. Especially since you don't have to."
He shook his head, then started sweeping again. "No 'have to' about it. Happy to do it." Ben shot her another look from under his eyebrows, and said, "There's cinnamon rolls in the kitchen. Go get one, then you can tell me more about-- the vampires? And the gremlins?"
"That'll take all morning." Parker got up, and headed toward the door. "And coffee for both of us. Back in a minute!"
Ben waited until she was gone, then shook his head again. "Wish you were here, Catherine. That girl of yours...." He looked back toward the kitchen and sighed. "Wish you were here."
[ooc: NFB due to distance. No interaction, same reason, although OOC commentary always welcomed.]
Ben was sweeping a few last errant leaves off the porch, his back to her as he employed his broom to good effect.
Pressing the red stone on the amulet, Parker began to sneak up on him.
Sneak... sneak ... sneak... sneak....
The invisibility wore off just about when she'd guessed it would, with Ben facing her as she popped back into view.
"Ahhh!" He clutched at his chest and the broom, staring at her in shock, and Parker nearly fell off the porch railing laughing. "Miss Parker! What the-- How did you--"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I had to," Parker said, gasping for breath. "Pretty cool, hunh?" She shook the amulet, and pressed the stone again, then sighed. "Battery's dead. Oh, well. It served its purpose." She grinned at him. "And seeing is believing, isn't it."
Ben propped the broom against the railing and folded his arms, studying her, then the amulet. "Do you mean to tell me that thing is-- magic? Like you were talking about yesterday?" He shook his head. "I thought you were just making up stories for the guests."
"I was. It's just that most of it was at least partially true," Parker admitted. "I didn't know how else to show you, so. Invisible Girl." She held up the amulet. "My friend Willow made it for me."
"Now why would one of your friends think you need a pendant that makes you invisible?" Ben was watching her closely, and Parker glanced away, off-balance again. Being friends with Ben was nothing like talking to her father, and was weirdly like talking to Sydney, with the difference that Sydney never asked certain questions; he knew her well enough to recognize when he wouldn't get answers. Ben seemed to want any answers from her, more than he cared about whether he was getting the whole truth. It was... unsettling.
"Oh, she was experimenting." She looked back at Ben, and smiled mischeviously again. "She put a spell on the orchids I'm raising for Biology, to make them sing when I asked her, as well. She's the witch I mentioned last night."
Ben leaned against the railing. "So the bunnies, and the little construction men, those are real too?" At Parker's nod, his eyes narrowed. "And the mummies? And the snow monsters?"
"Can't have good without the bad," she said lightly, swinging one jean-clad leg as she balanced on the railing. "And that was ages ago now."
"Does your father know about what goes on at the school?" Ben was frowning heavily, worry clouding his face. "That people get hurt there? And have to defend themselves?"
Parker looked away, humming under her breath, then decided on, "He knows what he needs to know. That I like it, and it's an academically top-notch school. Anything else is extraneous."
"I don't like it." Ben shook his head, tapping his fingers against his arm. "I don't like the idea that you could get hurt. I know you're happy there, and Jarod's there, but there has to be somewhere else just as good and less dangerous."
She'd flinched at the mention of Jarod, and Ben shot her a sharp look. "What did I say?"
"Jarod's not a factor any more." She looked away from him, over the lake, and hugged herself, watching the geese fly by. "And I like it. I have friends there, real friends. And it's close to Blue Cove. And Angelo. Sydney." Parker shrugged. "Nothing too bad to handle has happened yet."
"And I don't like that 'yet.'" Ben's voice softened. "I'm sorry about you and Jarod, though. That boy was so sweet on you-- hard to believe you let him go." Parker kept her face immobile, and shrugged again. Ben sighed. "You're not going to tell me anything more about that, are you?"
"Nothing more to tell."
He studied her a moment longer, then picked up the broom. "You get more like her every day. Secrets and secrets. She'd be sad to see it."
Which cut at her, even though it wasn't meant to. So for once, she offered an almost-explanation. "Someday there won't be any. It'll all be over."
Ben started to say something, then caught himself, hands tightening on the broom. "I hope so," he said softly. "You always have a place here if you need it. You know that, don't you?"
"I know." She gave him her softest, most careful smile. "And I appreciate it. It gets me through some hard times, remembering that. Especially since you don't have to."
He shook his head, then started sweeping again. "No 'have to' about it. Happy to do it." Ben shot her another look from under his eyebrows, and said, "There's cinnamon rolls in the kitchen. Go get one, then you can tell me more about-- the vampires? And the gremlins?"
"That'll take all morning." Parker got up, and headed toward the door. "And coffee for both of us. Back in a minute!"
Ben waited until she was gone, then shook his head again. "Wish you were here, Catherine. That girl of yours...." He looked back toward the kitchen and sighed. "Wish you were here."
[ooc: NFB due to distance. No interaction, same reason, although OOC commentary always welcomed.]