Outside the dorms, under the trees - [Conversation NFB; events, broadcast]

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker pushed Rory's wheelchair with a little too much verve, but finally found them a good spot under the trees, with enough light and shade to be comfortable in November, and a picnic table for her to sit on. Setting the parking brake on the chair, she climbed onto the table, dusted off the surface with her scarf, and sat down.

"Now. Tell me what you're planning for Thanksgiving. Is Logan going home, is your reputedly scary grandma going to be there, what?"


<sub>[[Open to dorky_broots and jarodpretends]]

[Continued from here in the park and here in the clinic]</sub>

Comments

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Maybe I should invite Logan for Thanksgiving," Rory mused. "Mom and Luke and I are doing something at the diner, I think. Grandma won't be there. And can I say once more than I am perfectly capable of walking, and this chair is ridiculous?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker made a face at her. "I know. But one, it's faster, and two, Wilson wouldn't let you leave without it. You don't have to stay in it," she grins, "if you can get back in it under your own power. Fair?"

"Weren't you guys going to Vegas, or something, this weekend?" Parker frowned, then looked chagrinned. "Ah, never mind, that's part of what we're not talkin about. But... I'm sure Logan would like to stay with your parents, since he probably doesn't have other plans. Do they like him?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"No. Well. I don't know, anymore. Luke does. Mom...didn't, but after the whole 'saving my life thing'...I think she does." Rory shrugs. "And I don't know how up to visiting with the parents he'd be."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Ah." Parker bites her lip. "I know Tara's doing something, and I'm pretty sure she'd be happy to have him... oh. Damn, I keep wanting to distract you, but I just remembered someting important." She straightens. "The new psych teacher-- and Marty says Tara, too -- know a 'disinvitation' spell to put on your place, and Echolls', to make sure CherubicMan can't come back. It'll stop him like a plate-glass window. With bulletproof glass. And, possibly, lasers."

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

Broots was running, at a speed that was actually fast. Fast enough that he ran by Miss Parker and Rory before he realized who that was. "Park" pant "Er" pant "Miss" pant "Pa" deep breath "Geeeh!".

Broots's voice is a bit high pitched.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker blinked at him. "Broots? What the hell? Is someone chasing you?" She looked around, and not seeing anyone, she shook her head. "Breathe, will you?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Broots?" Rory asked, looking confused. "What's wrong?"

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

Broots took a few grasping breaths and leaned on his knees. "Not yet! Just give them time!" A few more breaths. "I'm never leaving my room again!" And a few more. "I hate this town!"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Okay, checklist: zombies? Gremlins? Squid? Vampires? Marauding accountants? What?" Parker asked, growing impatient. "What's got you so spooked? Where were you?"

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

"No. No. No. No. What?" He took a long breath. "You know that thing we are not talk about? That thing? Well, it's currently sitting, feeding ducks. Feeding ducks PEZ. The thing." He makes a vague hand gesture that includes half of fandom.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker leans forward, and almost hisses, "And if you ever answered my voice mails, I would have told you that!" She palms her face. "Just *chill*, okay? I know. I know. Stop spazzing out."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"The what? What's...Pez?" Rory asks, clearly mystified. "Who?"

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

Broots starred. "I can't answer voice mails I didn't recieve. And why didn't you tell me?" He's still wheezing a bit. "Ducks."

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

Broots looked at Miss Parker for the answer to questions one and three. "Pez is a candy thing."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Check them *now*, Broots," Parker said through gritted teeth. "And get off the ducks, will you? There's more important aspects to this."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I know what Pez is," Rory sighs. "The other stuff. Who or what are you not supposed to talk about?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker gives the best imitation she can of a deer-in-headlights. "Um. Uh." She looks, for her, fairly desperate. "A thing?" she says weakly, then realizing she sounds like Broots, smacks her forehead. "Someone who is not supposed to be here," she amends it.

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

Broots took a few more breaths and took out his cell phone. "Damn, sorry, I didn't notice I had a message. What are you going to do?" Broots has moved back to his favorite emotion, fear.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Really?' Rory says curiously. "Who? Maybe I've met them or something."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I *was* going to have you do a search on phone listings and apartment listings, and then new employee hires," she says, shooting Rory an uncomfortable look. "Now? I'm tempted to just go down town, if you didn't scare him off."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker looks even more desperately uncomfortable. It's a new and bizarre look on her, actually. "I really, really doubt it. He just got here a few weeks ago. And, uh. He's shy."

She turns back to snap at Broots.

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

"Me? Scare someone?" Broots like the idea is beyond hilarious. "Right. He's by the ducks." He pauses for a moment. "Quack."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Great. Perfect. Broots? Go away. Have a happy Thanksgiving. We'll talk when I get back. Until then, it is *my* problem, and not yours. Understood? You still don't know anything."

Parker's glare made it pretty clear that he better understand.

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

Broots glares at her and heads back towards the school. "You still owe me a laptop!" He yells over his shoulder.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Who is it?" Rory repeats. "And what's with the secrecy?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker palms her face, and mentally curses Broots and his tendency to go to pieces when surprised. "That was about...." Well, Carter and Liz knew part of it already. It was just going to be harder to explain, since Rory had seen Broot's fraking out.

"A friend of mine, who's run away from home." She took a breath. "He's here in Fandom, I found out on Saturday. He won't tell me where he is. That's why I was going to have Broots check for him."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"What's his name? I might know him. Seriously."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory arches a brow, but stays quiet, listening.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker is getting more and more snappish. "I didn't think you were, Jarod. That would've meant you were as dumb as Broots can be."

"And he ran away because he's intimidated by anyone connected with... home. I think he's sorry he ever took the internship there."

"Where are you?"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* All I did was feed some candy to some ducks. And call him by name. I have no idea why he ran away screaming like a little girl.

I'm not there now, by the way. In case you were on your way to the park to check.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

On my way to work. It's a nice place. You'd probably like it.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Jarod?" Rory says, remembering the name from somewhere. "Jarod who works in town?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Special, great, Jarod, stop playing games! Come on! This is ridiculous!"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"What? What do you mean, Jarod who works in town?" Parker hisses, soft enough that the guy on the phone can't hear her. She looks torn between her phone and Rory.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker is shaking her head, when her phone rings. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/mparker16/2413.html?thread=421997#t421997) She rolls her eyes, answers it, then listens for a second before she gets up to pace.

"You jerk. I've had a lot of crap going on, you know that!" She says into the phone.

"And I was going to have Broots start, but the idiot didn't check his voice messages. Nice job scaring the life out of him with the ducks, by the way."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"There's a guy named Jarod who works at Caritas and...the brothel. I taught him to tie cherry stems in knots with his tongue!" Rory explains, smiling.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Ah, ah, ah, Parker. Remember the ulcer.

Have a nice Thanksgiving. Don't tell your father I say hello.

*click*

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"WHAT?" Parker chokes. "Okay. You're joking. Right? Please be joking, Rory."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Ahhhhhhhhhh! Why does he do that? Why? Why?" Parker futilely hits *69, gives up, and stomps back to the picnic table. "Pendejo!" she swears.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

She shakes her head. "No, no, I'm serious. He wasn't very good at it. But he was nice. He was there the other day when we all went and I said that thing you didn't like at the bar in front of Tara."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker squeezes her eyes shut, trying to follow this, and comes up with, "He was there on Wednesday? And I didn't even see him? And..." It suddenly hits her. "He knew. Lorne knew. I am going to KILL him!"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Why is it such a big deal?" Rory asks, confused. "I mean, so he works in town. And...well, the brothel I get, but my evil twin works there too. But it's not a big deal."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Your evil twin works in a brothel?" Parker says, momentarily diverted. "Okay, that's an exercise in cognitive dissonance." She shakes her head, re-focusing. "It's a big deal because Lorne didn't *tell* me, damnit, he knew I was worried about Jarod! You don't get it, he's smart, he's very very smart, but he's been so sheltered, god, this is *just* what I was afraid of..." She stands up and starts to pace.

"Can we go back now? It's almost half an hour anyway, and I need to go track down Lorne and skin him, then I'm finding Jarod and shaking him silly. God, why didn't he come to me first?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Sure," Rory replies. "And I take it this is way secret, right?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker's eyes go round. "Christ, yes. Please don't tell anyone about this. Not until I know what the hell is going on! I am not getting him in trouble, and..." She bites her lip. "Rory, he's eighteen, but the people he ran away from-- really don't care. They'll want him back. So if anyone from outside Fandom asks you if you know a Jarod, for god's sakes, lie. Okay?"

She kicked out the parking brake of the chair, and steered it back to the path, probably a lot faster than it was designed for.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory nods. "I'll totally lie. Absolutely," she says as they zoom back to the clinic.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Thanks. I'll explain more, sometime. Maybe. Probably." Parker laughed sardonically. "Well. Looks like I *do* get to see him for Thanksgiving, after all."

[aka-vala.livejournal.com]

(( "Quack." *dying* here, guys! ;-)))