The days that have passed since Halloween have been strange, if only because the holiday itself was. Jenny supposes she ought to count herself grateful that she wasn't hurt, but mostly, there's just a part of her that can't help being bothered that the party she and Cameron planned to attend turned into a bunch of people hiding out from killer toys. Now that the danger's gone, it's a lot easier to think about how ridiculous the very idea was (and still is), and therefore easier to think about how what should have been a lovely night was ruined. Despite their matching costumes, it was never going to be a date or anything, but that hadn't stopped her from looking forward to it. So, as far as she can tell, she has every right to be frustrated by it
( ... )
Here's a girl who wouldn't look a beat out of place at Henley, Tyler thinks, as she approaches him with a bright smile and a fond tone of voice, but considering what he's learned about this place within the short time he's been here, it doesn't seem likely she's tagged along for the ride. Still, he's not above ruling it out, at least not for now, though he starts trying to put two and two together as she approaches him, expression alit with recognition, and the way she reaches out to touch his jacket certainly borders on familiarity on her end. She has to be another of Cameron's friends; they weren't exactly checking out the club scene the night before the race, though he could have easily pictured her as the kind who would've made an impression on one, either or both of them
( ... )
Though her smile doesn't wane much, Jenny's brows furrow in obvious confusion, hand dropping back to her side. So far, she's been given no reason to believe that anything might be wrong, but she can't make sense of what's been said, either; if there's an obvious assumption to be reached, it has yet to occur to her. "What does that mean?" she asks, chin tilting so she can keep looking up at him, everything as familiar as can be. "Are you alright?"
"Absolutely," Tyler promises, looking down at her. The only reasonable explanation he has for her confusion is that she still thinks he's Cam, somehow, but if he hasn't gone around broadcasting the fact that he has a brother, there may be many more of these kinds of interactions to come. It doesn't mean he has to be brisk about it, but maybe he should go ahead and rip the band-aid off. Then again, there is the way she touched him to consider. He's going to have to find out what that's about later on. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because -" Jenny starts, then frowns, not sure how to answer that. It's becoming increasingly apparent that something is off, but she doesn't know what it is, and the very fact of that is distracting enough that she can't even bring herself to feel foolish for it. She does consider for a moment that she might have misheard his first remark, but then, that seems unlikely. All she can think is that she's a step behind, somehow, unaware of something she ought not to be, and it's more than a little unsettling, though she doesn't let on that much. "I'm sorry, is there something I've missed?"
A lot, actually, is what he comes close to saying, but ultimately refrains in favor of not alienating her completely during their first and what may turn out to be their only conversation if things go sour. He's hoping they won't, but he's not going to dwell on it for too long it that becomes the case. "I'm - not Cameron," he finally adds, debating against whether or not to shed his jacket completely and deciding against it for the time being. "Beyond that - well, you probably haven't missed much."
"So you're," Jenny begins, puzzled still, until just a second later, when a look of recognition crosses her face. Considering the number of people here who look like each other, she probably ought to have considered as much from the start, but it's a little late for that, and the resemblance really is more than uncanny. She lets out an exhale of a laugh, pulling a face at herself, then shakes her head to dismiss it. "God, I'm so sorry. I'm Jenny, I'm... a friend of Cameron's."
"Tyler," he finishes, supplying the name for her as she trails off slightly, only to allow her to finish with the introduction portion of the conversation before he mimics her movement, shaking his head to wordlessly promise her that there is no apology needed in this instance, not if there's no harm done by such an honest mistake. Besides, he's got more questions for Cameron at this point than for her, though that doesn't stop him from smiling at her, faintly amused. "And I figured as much. Perhaps I'm the one who should apologize, though you can't help the face you're born with, and whether or not you share it with someone else."
"Oh, no, no apologies necessary," Jenny says quickly, one hand held up. While, around here, there'd have been no way to know right off if he was just someone else looking just the same, she thinks that's confirmation enough that this is the brother Cameron's mentioned before, and for that, she can't help but be pleased, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth again. She might not know how she'd feel about someone from her own home showing up, but this, as far as she can tell, is something Cameron will be glad for. "So you're here. And you've only just arrived? Have you seen him yet?"
"He sort of found me, more accurately," Tyler replies, finally just deciding to suffer less by removing the crimson jacket altogether, though there's no signs that he's sweating overtly other than a small beading on his brow. The heat doesn't completely bother him; he tends to work up more of a sweat with crew than in any other activity, but even that's an extreme reaction that lessens over the course of a year's training - and once cooler weather strikes. Here, he doesn't get the feeling he'll experience that kind of respite. "So he's mentioned me, or not? Judging by your reaction, I'm assuming the 'completely identical' part got left out of the description."
"He might've said so," Jenny says, shrugging, honestly uncertain. It sounds right, but now she's not sure if she honestly knew it before or if it's only having just been told that makes it seem familiar. "He has mentioned you, though. The first time we met, in fact, he and I were both still new then." She's glad to hear it, though, that Cameron was the one to find him. She may be without a comparative situation of her own, but it strikes her as being the way it ought to be. They've been apart for too long. One corner of his mouth hitching up a little higher, expression clearly teasing, she adds, "He said he wasn't surprised you were running late, that he'd always been the punctual one."
He chuckles outright, thumbing the edge of his jaw as he flips the jacket back over one shoulder, two fingers crooking in the collar to hold it there. She certainly seems to have recovered from her initial embarrassment, and he's not going to bring the conversation back around to the beginning, at any rate. There's no point in revisiting any of that, not when he has a much more interesting remark to respond to - and the more she talks, the longer his mental list of questions to ask his brother becomes. "That sounds like him," he admits. "Well, I usually have to try and explain to him that anything worth showing up for usually doesn't begin on time."
"That may be true," Jenny allows, feigning seriousness as best as she can, head tipping to the side, "but we also both agreed that arriving late is only fashionable to a point. So the question is, does four months fit?" It's a bit overly familiar, maybe, but despite the fact that she wants more than she should to make a good impression, she finds it surprisingly natural to let her guard down, knowing that this is the brother of the dearest friend she has here. Besides, Tyler seems charming in his own right, easy to talk to; she's certain of her own feelings, unspoken though she intends to keep them, but she likes Tyler instinctively.
"Frankly, Jenny, I think these are very special circumstances," Tyler counters, looking down at her without any attempt whatsoever to hide his own smirk, slowly widening the longer he keeps his gaze directed at her face. "And taking those into consideration, I'd say as long as I made it here inside six? I'm safe." He's perfectly willing to counter her teasing with some of his own, especially if Cam holds her in as high esteem as she appears to be doing with him. His brother isn't the kind of person who likes - or, in some cases, loves - freely, but once he does, it's difficult for anyone on the receiving end to shake his loyalty. Tyler, on the other hand, may not be as generous, but in the long run, the common thread of reliability is still there, especially with those they call friend.
Jenny pauses for a long, drawn out moment, pretending to consider this, though there's really nothing to think about. Showing up here is outside of everyone's control; from what she's seen, Cameron is lucky to have his brother here at all now (and vice versa), when so many people never get anyone from home. Four months isn't really that long, anyway, when it feels like so much less. "Alright," she says finally, nodding once, still trying to keep her own smile restrained. "That sounds fair to me." It's not like she'd actually have any say in it even if were a serious point of contention, but while he's playing along, she sees no reason to stop. "Still fashionably late it is, then. For what it's worth, I'm glad."
"Good. We're in agreement," Tyler declares, nodding quickly to punctuate the remark, though he can only feign a solemn expression for so long before another smile filters through, slow and yet still physical evidence of his amusement. "What, was he going on and on about how much he missed me? I knew it," he adds, without waiting for her to respond, smirking visibly even as he pretends to picture the thought of Cam beside himself. Truth be told, he'd be pretty miserable himself without his brother around for four months straight, especially since their presence in each others' lives has been without significant interruption since the time they were born. At the very least, it was probably jarring for him, and his face does fall a little at the realization. "I'm glad too," he admits, more sincerely.
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