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."

[tigerundercover]

"That's weird," Raven said. "But thank you. I appreciate it anyway."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"No problem," Travis said, shrugging. "Least I can do since you were entertaining at the party with me the other week. Made me feel more comfortable with being there."

[tigerundercover]

"Well, I'm glad I could help," Raven said. "It can be tough being all new and everything. You feeling more settled in at all?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"For the most part," Travis said, giving a shrug of his own now. He looked around for a few moments. "Still strange to be away from home when I haven't ever been before."

Ignore the five years he was dead and in some freezer somewhere, of course.

"And this place is...very unique. Loved losing my memories that one weekend. But the speed dating was kinda cool."

[tigerundercover]

Raven couldn't quite decide how sarcastic that comment about losing memories was. "I actually didn't end up doing either of those," she said. "But this place will definitely do more than make you lose your memories sometimes."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

Pretty sarcastic.

"Oh yeah?" Travis could have guessed that with some of the things he'd heard about. He laughed quietly. "Am I gonna end up talking to a shrink about this place one day?"

Hopefully not. He had enough to talk to his doctors about.

[tigerundercover]

"I suppose that depends as how likely you are to talk to a shrink," Raven noted. "But you'll quite possibly get turned into some alternate version of yourself. I once spent awhile as a communist spy. Or sometimes people switch genders, or have future kids come visit, or -- well, all sorts of things. I played a game of 'I never' once where people had to drink to 'I've never been turned into an animal.'"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Communist spy?" Out of all the things she'd said, that one caught his attention the most. He had no idea why. "And no one knows what actually causes it? Surprised half the government's agencies aren't out here with their helicopters and men in black."

[tigerundercover]

"I'm not sure they'd have jurisdiction," Raven said. Because that totally stopped black ops. "Also, we're pretty good at fighting back."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"That's what I've heard too," Travis said, rubbing a thumb against his lip. "Stuff happens that often that people got good at fighting back? That wasn't in the brochure."

And he was more and more glad his parents weren't coming because oh god the freaking out.

[tigerundercover]

"They leave a lot out of the brochure. I'm pretty sure mine never mentioned that the school was sixty years into the future."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Deal breaker, huh?" Travis asked, chuckling a bit. "Maybe this is a dumb question and has already been answered in a roundabout way but do you regret coming here?"