Q is for Quixotic
Characters: Adam Rove and Grace Polk
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Summary: Grace visits Adam in the shed and discovers one of his latest pieces
Character Age: 16
Joaniverse: TV show, missing scene for episode "Bringeth It On"
It was eerily quiet when Grace approached the shed. Normally there was always some kind of noise when Adam worked on his art. He would be welding or hammering or sawing or... something.
She carefully opened the door. Adam's back was turned to her and he jumped when she harrumphed. He awkwardly stood in front of something obscured from her view with a caught-in-the-act expression on his face.
"Grace," he said, as if it wasn't normal that she'd be here without prior notification.
She frowned. "Rove, what are you hiding?"
"I, uh... nothing." He awkwardly swayed a little to the right but didn't move.
She wouldn't let herself be fooled and without invitation stepped closer. At first she couldn't make sense of what she was seeing, but then it dawned on her. "Paper mâché? And, uh," she pointed at a huge roundish form standing on the ground behind him, "What is this?"
"It's, uh, it's this thing I did." Quietly, he added, "For Jane."
She swallowed. "You wanna impress her, right? With this? It's ugly as hell."
No one but Grace could be so blunt and get away with it.
"You think so?"
She ignored his question. "Besides, how were you gonna give it to her? Were you gonna rent a truck and dump it in her front yard?"
Adam scratched his head. He hadn't considered that yet. "I don't know."
She took a step back and surveyed the artwork again. Even though she wanted to find some kind of hidden beauty or meaning in it, she came up empty.
"Seriously, Rove, I think you can do much better than that. I mean, Girardi's a little weird sometimes, but even she would be appalled at this... monstrosity."
When she saw his crestfallen look, she couldn't help but feel pity for him and added, "Look, she's got this cheerleader tryout thing, right? And let me just add that I'm not encouraging such brain-dead über-conformity, but, you know... Maybe she could use some support."
Adam looked at her, confused, his brow furrowed. After a few seconds' silence, he asked, "Like what?"
Grace shrugged. "I don't know. Make her something she can actually take with her. You know, like your," she pointed at the shelves to her right that were filled with all kinds of bits and pieces, "twisted metal sculpture things or something."
He fell quiet. When she looked at him, he had already zoned out. She climbed onto the old bar stool in the corner and waited for him to join the real world again. When he didn't, she decided to help him along.
"Hey, wanna go to the sewers?"
Not entirely surprising, Adam didn't react.
Grace raised her voice. "Hello? Rove! Focus!"
He finally met her gaze. "Huh?"
"The sewers," she repeated.
"What about the sewers?"
She sighed. "Wanna go?"
"I, uh... Well, I just had this idea."
She sighed again. He had hopelessly fallen. For Girardi. Grace wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
"Okay, Rove, you do your thing. I'm gonna go rob a drugstore and paint my toenails pink. See ya."
He just nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, see ya."
She shook her head incredulously as she left the shed. This was worse than she thought.
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Summary: Grace visits Adam in the shed and discovers one of his latest pieces
Character Age: 16
Joaniverse: TV show, missing scene for episode "Bringeth It On"
It was eerily quiet when Grace approached the shed. Normally there was always some kind of noise when Adam worked on his art. He would be welding or hammering or sawing or... something.
She carefully opened the door. Adam's back was turned to her and he jumped when she harrumphed. He awkwardly stood in front of something obscured from her view with a caught-in-the-act expression on his face.
"Grace," he said, as if it wasn't normal that she'd be here without prior notification.
She frowned. "Rove, what are you hiding?"
"I, uh... nothing." He awkwardly swayed a little to the right but didn't move.
She wouldn't let herself be fooled and without invitation stepped closer. At first she couldn't make sense of what she was seeing, but then it dawned on her. "Paper mâché? And, uh," she pointed at a huge roundish form standing on the ground behind him, "What is this?"
"It's, uh, it's this thing I did." Quietly, he added, "For Jane."
She swallowed. "You wanna impress her, right? With this? It's ugly as hell."
No one but Grace could be so blunt and get away with it.
"You think so?"
She ignored his question. "Besides, how were you gonna give it to her? Were you gonna rent a truck and dump it in her front yard?"
Adam scratched his head. He hadn't considered that yet. "I don't know."
She took a step back and surveyed the artwork again. Even though she wanted to find some kind of hidden beauty or meaning in it, she came up empty.
"Seriously, Rove, I think you can do much better than that. I mean, Girardi's a little weird sometimes, but even she would be appalled at this... monstrosity."
When she saw his crestfallen look, she couldn't help but feel pity for him and added, "Look, she's got this cheerleader tryout thing, right? And let me just add that I'm not encouraging such brain-dead über-conformity, but, you know... Maybe she could use some support."
Adam looked at her, confused, his brow furrowed. After a few seconds' silence, he asked, "Like what?"
Grace shrugged. "I don't know. Make her something she can actually take with her. You know, like your," she pointed at the shelves to her right that were filled with all kinds of bits and pieces, "twisted metal sculpture things or something."
He fell quiet. When she looked at him, he had already zoned out. She climbed onto the old bar stool in the corner and waited for him to join the real world again. When he didn't, she decided to help him along.
"Hey, wanna go to the sewers?"
Not entirely surprising, Adam didn't react.
Grace raised her voice. "Hello? Rove! Focus!"
He finally met her gaze. "Huh?"
"The sewers," she repeated.
"What about the sewers?"
She sighed. "Wanna go?"
"I, uh... Well, I just had this idea."
She sighed again. He had hopelessly fallen. For Girardi. Grace wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
"Okay, Rove, you do your thing. I'm gonna go rob a drugstore and paint my toenails pink. See ya."
He just nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, see ya."
She shook her head incredulously as she left the shed. This was worse than she thought.