Presents...
ICly in his private journal
Alyssa got me presents.
Wow, I didn't expect to get anything from graduation. Well, except from the parents. The trip home and all. Guess I didn't expect that either, but cool.
Not sure which is cooler of the two. This moleskin notebook. Left spiralbound hell years ago, but this makes composition notebooks look like... wall crayonings.
And the lighter. Hah. Yeah, Alyssa's fit in real quick here. Nicer than my old one, though the spring is tight still. Forgot how stiff a new one feels. I'll break it in real quick.
And... I think she asked me out on a date. Except I don't think she really she meant to. And heck, I don't know what I'd do if she had.
Guess I've got plenty of time to think everything through. And maybe do some writing. 20 hours on this flight. Man.....
<> Bobby and John's Room - Lv2(#1215RCA)
Alyssa feels like Santa Claus or something, today. First Rogue, and now, John. Well, /hopefully/, providing, "John? Johnny?" This time, the query comes a few seconds before the knock. She's barefoot and in jeans, of all things, looking like she hasn't bothered to change since she was on cleanup duty this morning. In her right hand are two packages, and the left flicks a lighter -- John's lighter -- open and closed, then slips it back into her pocket. "You in here?"
"It's open," John calls out. Inside, he's sprawled out on the bed, socked feet tracing patterns on the wall behind him and any number of papers strewn out in front and around and on the floor and... just about everywhere. He flicks between them, stacking them into several different piles.
Alyssa slips inside the door, grinning as she sees John, papers spread out all around him. "Trying to put together your portfolio, or just looking at all your stuff?" She begins the careful navigation of the floor, packages shifted so that she's holding them in both hands, slightly held out. "I.. um.. got you.. graduation presents, you know?"
John shoves some of the papers aside to sit at the edge of the bed. "Yeah... still trying to get another story together to send off to this editor. I think there needs to be at least three to be considered a portfolio. And I want to make sure I send it to her before I fly home." There's a touch of eagerness there, then he stops as the last part of her sentence registers. "Presents? For me? Uh, thanks...." A corner of his mouth turns up in a surprised grin.
Alyssa just kinda grins sheepishly, and says, "I actually ran into Leah, the lady who says she got you in touch with the editor, y'know? Was shopping for Rogue, actually, and she helped me find a few things, and.." She trails off, shrugging slightly. "Small world, huh?" The larger of the two packages is held out, wrapped in plain, if pretty, paper. Regtangular and this, it bears a strong resemblance to a thin book. ...Aly's not that creative, in the giftwrapping department.
John reaches for the package, staring at it a moment in his lap, before looking back up at her. "Ya didn't have to get me anything." But clearly he's pleased that she did, at least if the hint of a smile is any indicator. "Do... do you want me to open it now?"
Alyssa wears her moods on her sleeve, unfortunately for her. And so she grins happily at the hint of a smile. "Yeah, I know I didn't /have/ to. But I wanted to. And.. yeah. Go on, open it." Still grinning, she adds, "I had the idea, and Leah helped me fine-tune it a little bit.."
John slides a finger underneath the edge, lifting the tape and pulling back the paper. His eyes widen slightly at the book and he lifts it up, carefully opening the cover fingering the pages inside. "Wow." That's all he has to say for a moment, then he smirks as he glances at the chaos surrounding him. "I guess now that I'm graduated, I've got to give up spare napkins and stuff, hmm? Thanks."
Alyssa makes a valiant attempt to wipe the 'kid in a candy store' look off of her face, and rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet. It's a happy Alyssa kind of thing. "I just thought.. that your stuff should get written somewhere that's as good as it is, you know? Because eventually that notebook you carry around everywhere'll run out of pages." She moves a little bit closer, finally, and extends the other gift. It's wrapped similarly, though shaped differently. If John's original zippo came in a case, he might even recognize the shape. "There was a reason I told you not to worry 'bout your lighter, last night.."
John slowly reaches for the second gift. "Two presents. Like... Christmas or something," he says. This one takes a bit longer to unwrap, despite the smaller package. His eyes widen as the paper falls back, and his gaze flickers between Alyssa and the box. "You... didn't," he mumbles as he proceeds to open it.
Alyssa blushes faintly, and nods. "I did.. I'd already ordered it, and picked it up yesterday before the game.. so.." She fidgets slightly, then nods toward the case. "Open it?" Inside is a brushed chrome Zippo -- obviously the real deal, not one of those comvenience store imitations. Engraved on it are the words 'I WANT TO BREAK FREE,' the letters of the final word somewhat bigger than the rest. "I.. I hope you like it," is breathed, as she leans forward slightly to await his reaction.
John's eyes are bugging out now. "Wow," is again uttered, because unlike most teenaged pyros, he does recognize the real thing when he sees one. And despite any house rules, he pulls it from the case, flicking it open in a practiced motion and staring at the wavering flame a moment before it clacks shut. Because he knows just how long it can stay open without triggering a fire alarm, of course. ;) He looks back up at her. "I, uh, like it? Too right, I do. Ah, thanks." And here, you see young John in a rare awkward situation. Because he's just not used to such generosity. (re)
Alyssa watches John's reaction, relief flooding over her features, accompanied by another blush. Her toes curl against the floor, and she grins down at John, reaching up to tuck her hair back over her ear. "I'm.. glad you do. It just seemed.. I was worried you'd think it was too corny, or something, you know? 'What do you get the boy who plays with fire? I know! A /lighter/!'" Shaking her head (and undoing her hand's work, as the strands of hair come sliding back down), she grins again. "The quote's from the song by Queen. You always seem like you're bursting at the seams, or something. Ready to blow this joint.." There's another blush, as she digs ehr hands into her pockets, and adds in an undertone, "'Sides. It's my favorite song."
"Naw, it's cool," John says, quickly breaking gaze to look back at the lighter. "Better'n my old one, fer sure." He sits for a moment. "I know the song. I guess... yeah, I'm just ready for something... different. Not so bad here, but... ready to do my own thing for a change." Not that John's ever really done much different.
"Speaking of which.." Alyssa fidgets for a moment, left hand playing with something in her pocket for a moment before sliding the hand and what she's playing with out. Her hand curls into a fist, then rotates and opens, revealing John's original lighter. "I found it when I was on cleanup duty, this morning. I wanted to give you your presents first, but.. if you want it back..?" She trails the question off, withdrawing her hand a fraction of an inch, then holding it steady. It's fairly obvious that she wants to be allowed to keep it, but won't object if he takes it back. "And. Um. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out.. er. Hang out.. sometime.. after graduation. After you get back."
John shrugs at the extended lighter. He's got a new shiny one. "Ah, that's cool. You can have it, if you've any use for a lighter," he shrugs. "Don't really know what's going on when I get back. My stuff'll be here still, so I'll probably be around for a week or so while I find a place and stuff. You planning on staying with your parents for the summer or stickin round here?"
Alyssa curls her figners back around the lighter, grinning broadly. "Thanks! ...I don't, really, but.. you never know when the need might pop up, right?" And it's much better to be prepared than not. At the question, she frowns slightly, then shrugs a little bit. "Staying here, more than likely. Dr. Grey hired me on as a summer lab assistant, so it'll be easier to work for her, if I'm here. I'll probably go home on weekends and stuff, though." There's a pause as she thinks, flipping the lighter end over end in her hand. "We should at least get togehter once you're back. If nothin' else, you can tell me what it was like to finally go back home for a while.."
"That's cool," John says. "'Nuff people stay around during the summer it's not too dull. And yeah, kinda hard not to bump into anyone who's here, so I'll see you when I get back, I'm sure. No homework either. Ace!"
"Yeah, that'll be awesome. Not having homework, I mean." Aly's trying to keep the disappointment from showing, and experiences some small degree of sucess as she slips the lighter into her pocket, and turns to survey the room. Or John's half of it, at least. "Have you picked out anything to submit, yet?"
John sighs suddenly, looking around at his scattered works. "I don't know. I had a couple stories... then, keep deciding against them. Because, man, they're looking for something /good/."
Alyssa slides down onto the floor near the bed, carefully moving papers out of her way and resettling them in the same little stacks, just slightly farther away from her. "You're a /good/ writer, Johnny. have a little more faith in yourself.." They're somewhat empty words, because she understands that every writer is their own worst critic, but she still means them just the same. "Which ones have you thought about submitting?"
"Eh, that one there," John pokes the air down toward one stack of papers on the floor beside Alyssa. "Reading through some of them again, though. Some of my 'great ideas' just... kinda flat, you know?"
Alyssa leans over to nab the stack, accompanied by a questioning look. "May I?" She grins slightly, and adds, "I know what you mean, though. You should see what it looks like when I go through any of my art, at home."
John shrugs at it. Apparantly, he's not in the over-protective artist mode today. "Yeah, just bring it back when you're done. Don't know where my other copy is just yet. And it's the best I've got to send off." At the mention of art, he looks at her curiously. "You... draw? Sculpt? Fingerpaint?"
Alyssa straightens the pages, tapping them against the floor and tapping the sides 'til everything's all in place. "Thanks, John.. I could probably make a copy of it for you, if you'd like..?" She bites down the urge to offer herself as an editor as well, and simply grins. "Yes, yes and yes. I do a little bit of everything.. which is why it's a little bit like 'Art Class Gone Wild' in my room, if I ever decide to drag stuff out.. current passion is watercolors, though." Because it changes, you see.
"Eh, I'll have t'check out your dorm," John says, nodding at her explanation. Which is perfectly sensible to him. "You have stuff up here, right? Because you've been here, what, few weeks now? And you can see how much /my/ dorm is my own," he smirks, looking around. Well, there are socks and cloths strewn about with the papers. Yeah, teenager male.
Alyssa stutters. "I.. uh.. you want to? Really? I mean, I'm not very.. I just.. yeah, there's stuff there.. I mean.. the new stuff.. that I've done since I got here?" Pupils narrow, lenses flicking up in a moment of artistic panic before she clamps down on it, and everything returns to visual normal. "I.. just.. promise you won't laugh?" Or mention the number of times 'fire' is a theme in her current work.
John snickers before responding. "I think you're holding the insurance that I won't," he says, rolling his eyes at that. "Naw, fellow artists gotta stick together, I guess."
Alyssa looks down at the story in her hand, flinching slightly at the death-grip that seems to've wrinkled it a little bit. Relaxing ehr hand, she smoothes the papers out against her leg, and blushes. "Yeah, I guess I am.." Grinning slightly at her own folly, she adds, "How do you think I knew you were either an artist or a writer, y'know?"
"Eh, the notebook might've clued you in," John says, smirking. "Either that, or when that kid had to pry it out of my fingers to write to us."
"Well, yeah. But it was how protective over it you were.." Smirking back at him, Alyssa leans back against the bed, and adds, "/Totally/ gave it away."
"But I'm getting better, see," John says with a short grin. "You're holding it there. And I'm not leaping across the room to pry it away. Or launching fire to burn it down. That's a start, right?"
"Yeah, you are, and it definitely is.." Grinning, Alyssa puts her free hand down on the ground, pushing herself up onto her feet while using the story-holding hand for balance. "But I should go, before I press my luck, and you come leaping after me, or burn my fingers off.." With that, she's stepping carefully across the room, turning back right before the door. "Goodnight, Johnny.."
Alyssa got me presents.
Wow, I didn't expect to get anything from graduation. Well, except from the parents. The trip home and all. Guess I didn't expect that either, but cool.
Not sure which is cooler of the two. This moleskin notebook. Left spiralbound hell years ago, but this makes composition notebooks look like... wall crayonings.
And the lighter. Hah. Yeah, Alyssa's fit in real quick here. Nicer than my old one, though the spring is tight still. Forgot how stiff a new one feels. I'll break it in real quick.
And... I think she asked me out on a date. Except I don't think she really she meant to. And heck, I don't know what I'd do if she had.
Guess I've got plenty of time to think everything through. And maybe do some writing. 20 hours on this flight. Man.....
<> Bobby and John's Room - Lv2(#1215RCA)
Alyssa feels like Santa Claus or something, today. First Rogue, and now, John. Well, /hopefully/, providing, "John? Johnny?" This time, the query comes a few seconds before the knock. She's barefoot and in jeans, of all things, looking like she hasn't bothered to change since she was on cleanup duty this morning. In her right hand are two packages, and the left flicks a lighter -- John's lighter -- open and closed, then slips it back into her pocket. "You in here?"
"It's open," John calls out. Inside, he's sprawled out on the bed, socked feet tracing patterns on the wall behind him and any number of papers strewn out in front and around and on the floor and... just about everywhere. He flicks between them, stacking them into several different piles.
Alyssa slips inside the door, grinning as she sees John, papers spread out all around him. "Trying to put together your portfolio, or just looking at all your stuff?" She begins the careful navigation of the floor, packages shifted so that she's holding them in both hands, slightly held out. "I.. um.. got you.. graduation presents, you know?"
John shoves some of the papers aside to sit at the edge of the bed. "Yeah... still trying to get another story together to send off to this editor. I think there needs to be at least three to be considered a portfolio. And I want to make sure I send it to her before I fly home." There's a touch of eagerness there, then he stops as the last part of her sentence registers. "Presents? For me? Uh, thanks...." A corner of his mouth turns up in a surprised grin.
Alyssa just kinda grins sheepishly, and says, "I actually ran into Leah, the lady who says she got you in touch with the editor, y'know? Was shopping for Rogue, actually, and she helped me find a few things, and.." She trails off, shrugging slightly. "Small world, huh?" The larger of the two packages is held out, wrapped in plain, if pretty, paper. Regtangular and this, it bears a strong resemblance to a thin book. ...Aly's not that creative, in the giftwrapping department.
John reaches for the package, staring at it a moment in his lap, before looking back up at her. "Ya didn't have to get me anything." But clearly he's pleased that she did, at least if the hint of a smile is any indicator. "Do... do you want me to open it now?"
Alyssa wears her moods on her sleeve, unfortunately for her. And so she grins happily at the hint of a smile. "Yeah, I know I didn't /have/ to. But I wanted to. And.. yeah. Go on, open it." Still grinning, she adds, "I had the idea, and Leah helped me fine-tune it a little bit.."
John slides a finger underneath the edge, lifting the tape and pulling back the paper. His eyes widen slightly at the book and he lifts it up, carefully opening the cover fingering the pages inside. "Wow." That's all he has to say for a moment, then he smirks as he glances at the chaos surrounding him. "I guess now that I'm graduated, I've got to give up spare napkins and stuff, hmm? Thanks."
Alyssa makes a valiant attempt to wipe the 'kid in a candy store' look off of her face, and rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet. It's a happy Alyssa kind of thing. "I just thought.. that your stuff should get written somewhere that's as good as it is, you know? Because eventually that notebook you carry around everywhere'll run out of pages." She moves a little bit closer, finally, and extends the other gift. It's wrapped similarly, though shaped differently. If John's original zippo came in a case, he might even recognize the shape. "There was a reason I told you not to worry 'bout your lighter, last night.."
John slowly reaches for the second gift. "Two presents. Like... Christmas or something," he says. This one takes a bit longer to unwrap, despite the smaller package. His eyes widen as the paper falls back, and his gaze flickers between Alyssa and the box. "You... didn't," he mumbles as he proceeds to open it.
Alyssa blushes faintly, and nods. "I did.. I'd already ordered it, and picked it up yesterday before the game.. so.." She fidgets slightly, then nods toward the case. "Open it?" Inside is a brushed chrome Zippo -- obviously the real deal, not one of those comvenience store imitations. Engraved on it are the words 'I WANT TO BREAK FREE,' the letters of the final word somewhat bigger than the rest. "I.. I hope you like it," is breathed, as she leans forward slightly to await his reaction.
John's eyes are bugging out now. "Wow," is again uttered, because unlike most teenaged pyros, he does recognize the real thing when he sees one. And despite any house rules, he pulls it from the case, flicking it open in a practiced motion and staring at the wavering flame a moment before it clacks shut. Because he knows just how long it can stay open without triggering a fire alarm, of course. ;) He looks back up at her. "I, uh, like it? Too right, I do. Ah, thanks." And here, you see young John in a rare awkward situation. Because he's just not used to such generosity. (re)
Alyssa watches John's reaction, relief flooding over her features, accompanied by another blush. Her toes curl against the floor, and she grins down at John, reaching up to tuck her hair back over her ear. "I'm.. glad you do. It just seemed.. I was worried you'd think it was too corny, or something, you know? 'What do you get the boy who plays with fire? I know! A /lighter/!'" Shaking her head (and undoing her hand's work, as the strands of hair come sliding back down), she grins again. "The quote's from the song by Queen. You always seem like you're bursting at the seams, or something. Ready to blow this joint.." There's another blush, as she digs ehr hands into her pockets, and adds in an undertone, "'Sides. It's my favorite song."
"Naw, it's cool," John says, quickly breaking gaze to look back at the lighter. "Better'n my old one, fer sure." He sits for a moment. "I know the song. I guess... yeah, I'm just ready for something... different. Not so bad here, but... ready to do my own thing for a change." Not that John's ever really done much different.
"Speaking of which.." Alyssa fidgets for a moment, left hand playing with something in her pocket for a moment before sliding the hand and what she's playing with out. Her hand curls into a fist, then rotates and opens, revealing John's original lighter. "I found it when I was on cleanup duty, this morning. I wanted to give you your presents first, but.. if you want it back..?" She trails the question off, withdrawing her hand a fraction of an inch, then holding it steady. It's fairly obvious that she wants to be allowed to keep it, but won't object if he takes it back. "And. Um. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out.. er. Hang out.. sometime.. after graduation. After you get back."
John shrugs at the extended lighter. He's got a new shiny one. "Ah, that's cool. You can have it, if you've any use for a lighter," he shrugs. "Don't really know what's going on when I get back. My stuff'll be here still, so I'll probably be around for a week or so while I find a place and stuff. You planning on staying with your parents for the summer or stickin round here?"
Alyssa curls her figners back around the lighter, grinning broadly. "Thanks! ...I don't, really, but.. you never know when the need might pop up, right?" And it's much better to be prepared than not. At the question, she frowns slightly, then shrugs a little bit. "Staying here, more than likely. Dr. Grey hired me on as a summer lab assistant, so it'll be easier to work for her, if I'm here. I'll probably go home on weekends and stuff, though." There's a pause as she thinks, flipping the lighter end over end in her hand. "We should at least get togehter once you're back. If nothin' else, you can tell me what it was like to finally go back home for a while.."
"That's cool," John says. "'Nuff people stay around during the summer it's not too dull. And yeah, kinda hard not to bump into anyone who's here, so I'll see you when I get back, I'm sure. No homework either. Ace!"
"Yeah, that'll be awesome. Not having homework, I mean." Aly's trying to keep the disappointment from showing, and experiences some small degree of sucess as she slips the lighter into her pocket, and turns to survey the room. Or John's half of it, at least. "Have you picked out anything to submit, yet?"
John sighs suddenly, looking around at his scattered works. "I don't know. I had a couple stories... then, keep deciding against them. Because, man, they're looking for something /good/."
Alyssa slides down onto the floor near the bed, carefully moving papers out of her way and resettling them in the same little stacks, just slightly farther away from her. "You're a /good/ writer, Johnny. have a little more faith in yourself.." They're somewhat empty words, because she understands that every writer is their own worst critic, but she still means them just the same. "Which ones have you thought about submitting?"
"Eh, that one there," John pokes the air down toward one stack of papers on the floor beside Alyssa. "Reading through some of them again, though. Some of my 'great ideas' just... kinda flat, you know?"
Alyssa leans over to nab the stack, accompanied by a questioning look. "May I?" She grins slightly, and adds, "I know what you mean, though. You should see what it looks like when I go through any of my art, at home."
John shrugs at it. Apparantly, he's not in the over-protective artist mode today. "Yeah, just bring it back when you're done. Don't know where my other copy is just yet. And it's the best I've got to send off." At the mention of art, he looks at her curiously. "You... draw? Sculpt? Fingerpaint?"
Alyssa straightens the pages, tapping them against the floor and tapping the sides 'til everything's all in place. "Thanks, John.. I could probably make a copy of it for you, if you'd like..?" She bites down the urge to offer herself as an editor as well, and simply grins. "Yes, yes and yes. I do a little bit of everything.. which is why it's a little bit like 'Art Class Gone Wild' in my room, if I ever decide to drag stuff out.. current passion is watercolors, though." Because it changes, you see.
"Eh, I'll have t'check out your dorm," John says, nodding at her explanation. Which is perfectly sensible to him. "You have stuff up here, right? Because you've been here, what, few weeks now? And you can see how much /my/ dorm is my own," he smirks, looking around. Well, there are socks and cloths strewn about with the papers. Yeah, teenager male.
Alyssa stutters. "I.. uh.. you want to? Really? I mean, I'm not very.. I just.. yeah, there's stuff there.. I mean.. the new stuff.. that I've done since I got here?" Pupils narrow, lenses flicking up in a moment of artistic panic before she clamps down on it, and everything returns to visual normal. "I.. just.. promise you won't laugh?" Or mention the number of times 'fire' is a theme in her current work.
John snickers before responding. "I think you're holding the insurance that I won't," he says, rolling his eyes at that. "Naw, fellow artists gotta stick together, I guess."
Alyssa looks down at the story in her hand, flinching slightly at the death-grip that seems to've wrinkled it a little bit. Relaxing ehr hand, she smoothes the papers out against her leg, and blushes. "Yeah, I guess I am.." Grinning slightly at her own folly, she adds, "How do you think I knew you were either an artist or a writer, y'know?"
"Eh, the notebook might've clued you in," John says, smirking. "Either that, or when that kid had to pry it out of my fingers to write to us."
"Well, yeah. But it was how protective over it you were.." Smirking back at him, Alyssa leans back against the bed, and adds, "/Totally/ gave it away."
"But I'm getting better, see," John says with a short grin. "You're holding it there. And I'm not leaping across the room to pry it away. Or launching fire to burn it down. That's a start, right?"
"Yeah, you are, and it definitely is.." Grinning, Alyssa puts her free hand down on the ground, pushing herself up onto her feet while using the story-holding hand for balance. "But I should go, before I press my luck, and you come leaping after me, or burn my fingers off.." With that, she's stepping carefully across the room, turning back right before the door. "Goodnight, Johnny.."