(Untitled)

[lionelthayer]

Lionel isn't sure why he's even brought out his old camera in the first place; it's not as if he can take any pictures that won't do anything but sit on a roll of film he can't develop. It's probablya bit for nostalgia's sake - taking Mark's cinematography class has been putting him more in mind of his own college years. It isn't homesickness so

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[turnthebadinme]

"Oh, god, are you okay?" Serena asked, wincing as she headed over to check. She hadn't really seen what had happened - just a sudden blur of motion to her side, followed by the sound of something cracking. Even if it was the camera and not Lionel himself, she wanted to check he was alright.

[lionelthayer]

"I'm fine," Lionel insists. The only thing really bruised is his ego, and the only thing broken is his camera. "As long as you promise you didn't see anything."

[turnthebadinme]

"I didn't," Serena said, then laughed a little. "I mean, I really didn't. Just sort of a -" She waved her hands around, an indication of the flurry of movement she'd seen. As the camera caught her attention, though, she quieted again. "Is it broken?"

[lionelthayer]

"Just a little bit," Lionel admits, tilting the camera carefully to show the cracked lens. "I guess I'm lucky this wasn't the camera I actually use now."

[turnthebadinme]

Serena drew in a sharp breath and bit her lip. "Yeah, that is lucky," she said. Seating herself on the edge of the table, poised mostly on her toes, she smiled a little. "You used to do this stuff at home, too, yeah? Photography, I mean."

[lionelthayer]

"Mostly freelance," Lionel nods, "but yeah. I studied photojournalism. I guess the most professional I get here is a few pictures in the Times every issue."

[turnthebadinme]

"My mom used to be a photographer," Serena said, thoughtful, one foot swinging. "I mean, not even freelance, mostly amateur, and way back before I was born, but like..." She shrugged, waved a hand. It all made her think of her mother too much. "Why photography?"

[lionelthayer]

"I've loved it since I was a kid," Lionel says. He thinks about adding onto it for a second, head tilting back. "But honestly? I think the ten-year-old me just liked telling people what to do in front of the camera."

[turnthebadinme]

Serena laughed. "Aww, I bet you were adorable," she teased. "Floppy hair and your camera, all bossy. I can picture it now." She nearly could, too. She almost wished she had a camera of her own. People disappeared so fast here and left nothing behind.

[lionelthayer]

"Hey," Lionel protests, looking up from where he's straightening up the books he's already collected. "I'll have you know I was a perfect angel when I was a kid."

[turnthebadinme]

"Uh huh," Serena said, laughing a little, "and so was I." Now that she was so far from home, she was kind of sorry for how completely untrue that was. A lot had changed, though, mostly for the better. "Utterly innocent, then as now."

[lionelthayer]

Lionel looks over at Serena, eyes narrowed a bit as though he doesn't believe a single word she's saying. "Saying it that way just makes it all the more suspicious," he says goodnaturedly. "Have you been up to no good?"

[turnthebadinme]

Serena laughed. "Not today," she said, a little more solemn about that. "Not for a good long while. Although if I get bored enough, all of you better watch out."

[lionelthayer]

"Peter and I will stay far out of the way," Lionel promises, giving Serena a smile. "I've had enough excitement over the years to last me a lifetime."

[turnthebadinme]

Privately, she was glad that things had been quiet for her, too, of late. It was a refreshing change from the drama that had seemed to follow them from New York. "I'm really glad I signed up for his class," she said. "I hadn't realized how out of practice I was getting with Italian."

[lionelthayer]

"Ah, but you knew some of it already," Lionel helpfully points out, "which means you're automatically doing better than I am. There's always a bright side."