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[turnthebadinme]

There had never been a shortage of magazines on the bookshelf when Serena checked it. Real books, even good ones, cropped up, too, but magazines had been plentiful from the start. It was kind of silly, she guessed, reading up on fashions she couldn't follow and people she hadn't seen in ages, but somehow all the spun fantasy of things like Vogue

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[forhawkeye]

"Doing a bit of light reading?" I ask, momentarily distracted from my quest to find yet another comic book about my life. It was sad to get my news this way, but I've come to realize it's better than not knowing. "Seriously, Serena, you look like a magazine rack, only with better shoes."

[turnthebadinme]

"That's because I do have better shoes," Serena says, then takes a moment to glance down at her feet just to be sure of that. The Lanvin flats are more than a little scuffed up after most of a year, but she feels the statement holds true all the same. "I'm just reading up on home. Or, apparently, myself because suddenly the bookshelf thinks I'm seriously some kind of narcissist."

[forhawkeye]

"Hey, I was hoping the bookshelf would think I'm some kind of narcissist," I say with a bright smile, moving some of the magazines to clear a spot on the table to sit myself down on. I lean over to glance at some of the covers, then look back to Serena. "Anything new and exciting or did Paris land herself in jail again like it's 2006?"

[turnthebadinme]

"Not that I've seen," Serena replies, shaking her head. It would hardly be surprising. "But Mischa Barton was in rehab and I spent my summer doing shots with Prince Harry." She's more sorry she missed the Venice Film Festival. Hanging out with George Clooney is always a way better life choice than shots with Harry.

[renegade_reaper]

"Are the magazines talkin' back?" he asked. Seein' Serena hangin' out with magazines ain't anythin' new. Her talkin' to herself kinda was, though. Headin' over from where he'd been standin', he invited himself to sit down next to her, leanin' in to kiss her cheek. It was the only spot he could reach at the angle her face was at jus' then.

[turnthebadinme]

Serena smiled, turning to give him a quick kiss. "Not yet," she said, "but give it time. I don't know why I keep looking at these things." They always left her with more questions than answers, unsatisfied. At least, though, this time they weren't making her want to go back.

[renegade_reaper]

"'Cause it's probably either them or somethin' a whole lot worse?" he guessed. That's how it usually worked for him. He'd been gettin' a lot about Japan lately. He knew it was doin' that on purpose. "The bookshelf's got it out for people, yo. I'll always think that."

[turnthebadinme]

"I guess we're not the only ones bored." Leaning her elbows on the table, Serena cupped her chin in her hands. As much as the idea of her gallivanting around Europe bothered her -- partly because she didn't know why, partly because it still looked fun -- it didn't seem worth sharing. "What are you up to? Please tell me it's something fun."

[wizard_alive]

Nita flopped onto the couch next to Serena. "Thinking about what?" Ponch wriggled along the floor on his belly, following an invisible bug that apparently only dogs could see. Nita raised a brow at the dog, before shaking her head and looking back at Serena.

"Hey, are you okay?"

[turnthebadinme]

"These designs," Serena answered, tipping her head up with an expression that verged on too innocent. She had never been good at lies on a small scale, except to herself. "I'm fine, but the Spring 2010 ready-to-wear collections are not."

Actually, she was loving what she could see of this season, but it seemed a good enough answer as she leaned forward to pet what she could reach of Ponch.

[wizard_alive]

Nita's brows rose as she looked at the paper, then back at Serena's face. "Should I just not ask and pretend that you were sort of believable?" Ponch stopped following the 'bug', and starting trying to lick Serena's hand - as she was petting him.

"I mean, I don't really know anything about fashion, so I could probably fake it."

[turnthebadinme]

Serena cut herself off mid-giggle, hand stilling in the air over Ponch's nose, and glance at Nita. "I kind of meant it," she protested. "I really don't understand how the Nineties can be back in. It's, like, five years early, but --" She bit the tip of her tongue, gone still a moment, then shrugged. True though her words may have been, they weren't the problem and she knew it. "It's just home. Home stuff."

[filmstarbeauty]

Peering over Serena's shoulder, Blair arched an eyebrow and frowned. Some things never did change and apparently bad girl Serena had hopped a plane for Europe and taken a body-shot tour of the continent.

Figures.

"Apparently you weren't. I hope you got your shots."

[turnthebadinme]

If there was anyone Serena was okay with showing these to, it was Blair, who was bound to find out eventually about anything which occurred in the known universe at some point or the other anyway.

"I really don't think I had medicine in mind," she said dryly. "Or my health."

[filmstarbeauty]

"Well that's obvious."

One didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that whatever had been going through Serena's mind none of the thoughts had been to use the alcohol as an astringent.

"Anyone interesting? Or is it just you making a scandal with every inch of you across the world in full color?"

[turnthebadinme]

"Carter," Serena murmured, shaking her head. "Just... Carter Baizen, again and again, which..." There was plenty she'd done in her life that involved Carter, but where this fit into all that, she didn't know. In any case, it looked like she and Dan really were solidly broken up, which, after their trip home, was a bit of a relief. "I don't know."

[learnwhatsreal]

"Hey, what are all those?" Jenny asked, having come into the rec room for the sole purpose of doing what it looked like Serena had already beaten her to. She was pretty sure she'd all but exhausted the supply of decent magazines that the island was likely to give her in her entire lifetime, but that wasn't going to stop her from looking for more. Even when they were old, it was a good way to pass the time, and besides, looking at old fashions was undeniably hilarious. Approaching, she glanced at the cover of one, then her eyes widened considerably when she saw the date. "Oh my god, are these new?"

[turnthebadinme]

Serena nodded as she glanced up at Jenny. "Yeah, they're all new," she said, surveying the collection with mild disdain. "I'm still waiting for all the Fashion Week issues to turn up, but I'll let you know when they do." Maybe she'd get lucky and find Marc had named another purse after her or Zac had made her a dress, although those things were slightly torturous in light of not being able to have them.

[learnwhatsreal]

"God, what I wouldn't give," Jenny sighed, almost wistful, absently picking up one of the magazines and flipping through it, though not paying enough attention to its contents to recognize Serena pictured there. Though this hadn't been her life, just seeing something from her own time -- her future, really -- was comforting, like having a little part of home there with her. It still didn't do anything to assuage the homesickness she'd felt far more strongly over the past few weeks. "Maybe we can't pull off dressing like that here, but it'd still be nice to see, you know?"

[turnthebadinme]

"Yeah," Serena agreed, sheepish as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I mean, it's so silly, but just looking at these pictures makes me miss my wardrobe. And, apparently, what it became, but... that whole world." She glanced down in thought, worrying at her lip. It wasn't something she liked to admit, not when she'd rebelled against all that so thoroughly before, but there were parts of it she was sorry she had left behind.