The Deck, Thursday afternoon

[tigerundercover]

Okay, so it was a little bit on the cool side out, today. And overcast. And . . . damp. Raven was not the sort to be put off by any weather! It just mean that she was mimicking a fluffy sweater instead of a sundress. Paired up with oddly scaly looking blue leggings (those were totally leggings. Who would hang out on the deck pantsless?), some fluffy socks, and a big thermos of hot cocoa, Raven was totally set for a nice quiet classless afternoon reading dystopian YA fiction.

No wonder the future didn't have any flying cars. At some point, the whole culture had decided it had to be all gritty and dark.

The future was weird.

[because sometimes you have to live vicariously through your characters. Open!]

Comments

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Might be a little too late in the season to catch some rays," Travis joked when he made his way onto the deck. He liked the cooler weather. It offered welcome respite from hot summers that he was used to in Kansas City.

When he got closer, he saw she was definitely not dressed to soak up the sun. "Oh, you've already got that covered. Ignore me."

[tigerundercover]

"That's alright, apparently tanning's really bad for you. Who knew?" Most of the last thirty years at least, Raven. "I could ignore you, but that wouldn't be any fun. How're you doing?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Can't complain," Travis said, sliding into a seat and stretching his legs out in front of him. "Or I guess I could but I won't. That'd just make me no fun to be around, constantly whining."

He did enough moping when he was alone.

"What about you? Enjoying the cloudy, rainy week?"

[tigerundercover]

Raven nodded. "Cloudy and rainy doesn't bother me. It just means you get to curl up all cozy." In a fake sweater. Sure. "Do you have anyone coming to Parents' Weekend?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, actually. And thankfully not my parents because they wouldn't be able to handle this place."

His mother would freak out and want him back home and his father...would probably act the same way but in a more down low manner.

"My friend, Kyle." Who was twenty one while Travis was stuck at sixteen. Huh. "He should be riding into town to charm one and all. You?"

[tigerundercover]

Raven shook her head. "My brother came last time, but this year he has an interview at Oxford, so he can't make it. I don't really have anyone else back home I'd want to have visit me, so I'm just going to watch everyone else."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"I'll do my best to send Kyle your way, then," Travis promised, half smiling. "He's been bugging me about the people here and how they compare so he'll definitely be a rapt audience and you'll save me from having to entertain him constantly."

That last part was a joke.

[tigerundercover]

"I am very entertaining," Raven said with a joking smile. "Especially if the other person is cute."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"You base your entertainment on cuteness?" Travis asked, laughing. "Well, Kyle's plenty cute."

But gay, unfortunately. He just couldn't say that outright since Kyle was out of the closet but not very far.

"I guess it depends on what you like, though. Maybe his looks won't really ping your 'deserves entertainment' radar."

[tigerundercover]

Raven shrugged. "We'll see," she said. "Most people do."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"That's because you're a nice person," Travis complimented sincerely. "And a helpful one. Sorry no one's gonna come by for you. If you're ever in need of entertainment, I've been told I'm a huge dork so I'll be happy to demonstrate that for you."

His accolades, let him show you.

[tigerundercover]

"Why would I want to see you be a dork?" Raven asked, confused. 'Adorkable' wasn't a thing yet, when she was from.

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"...because it apparently makes people laugh?" He hadn't expected a question like that. "But, I'll keep that to myself if it's not your thing. Just an offer to get you through the weekend."

[voiceoverdue]

Cecil really liked you, Raven. You could tell, because he was out here to say hi, despite the cold and wet!

He had on a big fluffy jacket, his hands shoved deep into the pockets, but he was here!

"Hi! Oo, you look cute today!"

[tigerundercover]

"And you look like a marshmallow," Raven said, smiling up at him. She picked up her thermos and held it out. "Hot cocoa. Warm yourself up from the inside."

[voiceoverdue]

Cecil was an adult, really. He was going to deal with her in a very adult fashion.

By sticking his tongue out.

He grinned and took the cocoa, but just held it for a second. "Thanks. We're going to get winter again, aren't we?" he asked mournfully. "I'd sort of hoped it was a fluke."

[tigerundercover]

"In my experience," Raven said. "It happens every year. But so does summer, so you'll get your heat back again."

[voiceoverdue]

"You get it every year?" Cecil asked, fascinated and horrified. "I don't know if I could stand that." He sipped the cocoa and handed it back.

[tigerundercover]

"Well, yes," Raven said. "That's what having seasons means. You don't have them at all in Nightvale?"

[voiceoverdue]

"We've got rain week and hot, pretty much." Cecil shrugged. "Well, officially. Then there's all the mauve and speckled, and the raining blood, and the other unpredictable - well, unpredictable except by the government - things. Oh, and earthquake weather. But not really a whole lot of seasons, really."

[tigerundercover]

Raven frowned. "What's earthquake weather?"

Yep, out of all that, that was what she focussed on.

[voiceoverdue]

"Oh, you know." Cecil waved a hand dismissively. "Like, when the government turns on the earthquake machines but they haven't quite warmed up yet, so there's just all this extra lightning and screeching for a while. That's how you know an earthquake's coming."

[tigerundercover]

"I'm pretty sure that actually doesn't happen anywhere else," Raven said.

[voiceoverdue]

"You don't have earthquakes either?" Cecil asked, blinking at her in astonishment.

[tigerundercover]

"Well, no," Raven said. "But I'm pretty sure in the areas they do have them, there's no lightning storms or buzzing."