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Who: Holly [

keywarding] & Jovan [

grannyfucker]
When: 01/27/14, after school
Where: Some cute cafe near the Locke City Middle School
What: Out for their 'date' aka hot chocolate at a cafe

[Of all the days to be late!

Holly is running from the bus stop to the spot they'd discussed meeting over the network. A little cafe just a few blocks from school. Close enough she could get there quickly after school and during the day so it wouldn't look creepier-ish, which her brothers had pointed out when she'd mentioned being late home.]

He's not a creeper. [She mutters to herself as she skips around a woman and a stroller before finally making it to the door of the cafe. It was closer to a Starbucks but a little cheaper and not filled with college kids. Which was good because she didn't want to see her brother Taylor here.

The moment she's inside, Holly is glancing around for him. Jovan. She's not even sure what he looks like out of being a zombie, hopefully he's close enough. At least she'd thought to say she was going to be wearing yellow in the form of a loose shirt over knee shorts. Her mother had been home this morning so she had a ribbon in her hair because of it.]

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[Jovan is sat down at a little table at the back of the shop. He doesn't immediately recognize Holly because he's actually a little nervous about this himself. Why did he think this was a good idea--his only interaction with this girl was when they were both dead!

And she can't be older than, what, 13? 14? Jovan certainly FEELS like a creeper, even if he knows he isn't. He's pretty sure men his age have gone to jail for things like this before.

He looks up in the middle of his worry though and spots her, the yellow pointing her out easily. She looks different, obviously--a lot less green and chewed and all that. He doesn't make any motion to invite her over just yet, but he's not hard to spot--between the curly hair and wide-eyed stare he's got going on right now, he's not exactly blending in.]

[It takes her one more pass over the patrons before she sees him and her smile brightens. Oh good he didn't ditch her. Though she wouldn't have blamed him. She waves to him as she heads over, squeezing easily between a few tables before she's standing next to his.]

Hello. I'm sorry I'm late, we had a surprise quiz in my last class. [Which probably wasn't interesting in the least but she wanted to explain that she hadn't just made him wait for the heck of it.]

Did you want anything? [She hasn't glanced to see if he even has a drink, but she'll offer. Her parents raised her right.]

[He is not going to let a little girl pay for his drink. Even if he has fifty dollars in the bank account right now to last him until next month, even if he's been eating nothing but ramen and free college food for the past week. He refuses to let her pay. His father taught him better than that.

He stands up out of his seat, wallet in hand.]

D-don't--I'll get us both something, okay? You should just sit down, I'll--uh, what do you want?

[Smiling, she takes a seat when he stands.] Hot chocolate, please.

[A simple drink that's usually not that expensive and warm. They could use warm with how cold it's been getting outside lately, as it is, she's regretting leaving her jacket at home.] Thank you.

I-it's no problem.

[He gets in line, keeping an eye on Holly as he moves up to order. When it's his turn, he gets two hot chocolates--he's normally a coffee guy himself, but today he feels like changing things up a bit.

Order placed and paid for, he waits for the drinks further down the counter. And once they finally come out, he grabs them both and heads back to their table. He places one cup in front of Holly before sliding into his seat with his own cup in hand.]

Here.

[And...now he doesn't know what to say. He blows on the hot chocolate to cool it down before taking a sip, mostly to give himself something to do in the silence that follows because...well, how do you talk to a little girl who was dead the last time you saw her?]

So! Uh...are you--how have you been? Since. [He tries to find a polite way to phrase it but instead just vaguely waves a hand in the air. Yes, Jovan, that is the best way to express "that one time we all got bitten by a zombie."]

[Despite the awkward silence, she answers without much hesitation, letting her hot chocolate cool before trying it.]

Pretty good. After all that happened I've had a pretty dull time for this month, which I'm not complaining about at all. [She smiles bright at the end, laughing that surprise tests could be considered dull now.]

How about you? I'm sorry we had to all pile into your apartment. [Now she finally takes a sip of hers and smiles because of it. There is nothing like hot chocolate on a cold day.]

It's fine. Nobody left any lim-- [he makes a soft choking noise and abruptly cuts off. Not only are they in public where they can be heard, but just the thought of arms and fingers and other body parts littering his apartment horrified him.] --a mess, nobody left a mess. So it's not like it was a problem.

At least, not beyond the bigger problems we were having already with that whole...thing.

[She nods, happy that everyone was okay at least.]

How long have you been- [She pauses only because she's not sure if she should say 'a number' out loud, maybe the network? In the end Holly settles for another internet lingo. They still have forums right?] How long have you on the forum?

[It takes Jovan a few seconds to catch what she means because he does actually frequent quite a few forums still. But eventually he figures out what she really meant.]

Oh! Oh. I've been on it for, uh, a-a few months now actually. Since about November, I think.

[Oh thank god he understood, she's not good at being spy like and hinting at things. It's why she always has to wait till the last minute to shop for gifts, she just wants to spoil the surprise and give them away early.]

Really? That's about when I finally checked it out. [She sips a bit more of her hot chocolate and smiles at it. It's really very good.]

Have you.. found out anything different about yourself?

[Oh, jeez. Jovan doesn't like this question. He looks to the side as he nods slowly while taking a sip of the hot chocolate. He doesn't think he can look Holly in the eyes and give a verbal response knowing that he's getting the memories of some guy who must've been some serial killing freak.]

[Oh- Oh no! She can kind of tell this mood and immediately feels horrible.]

I'm sorry. Ignore that question! Completely, it's silly and doesn't mean a thing! [She quickly waves her hands in front of her, trying to cheer him up.]

Do you work anywhere? I want to get a job at my cousins flower shop!

[Well, this is a more comfortable topic! He nods again, this time more comfortable with the conversation.]

I teach.

[Her expression turns curious, leaning forward a bit in interest she moves her drink to the side to give him her full attention.]

What do you teach?

[Her enthusiasm is both comforting and kind of disconcerting. He leans back a bit, not quite sure what to make of it. But at least this is a safe topic. He can talk about this.]

English. And essaywriting. Just some basic classes for freshmen--it's just a side thing while I get my degree.

That's really cool. [What she's one of those kids that still likes school. Especially with how weird the world has gotten for her in the past few months.]

Do you help at the college?

[Enjoy it, Holly. Jovan only wishes he enjoyed studying public policy--he'd have a way easier time forcing himself to do the homework.

In answer to her question, he nods.]

Locke City University. Honors program.

Wow honors? I can barely keep myself at a B average. [And that was before the network got involved in her study time.]

My brother Taylor goes to Locke University, he wants to be a lawyer but last year he wanted to be a print design person, and Michael will be going there next year, maybe the year after.

[Her smile is still bright and interested, her brothers don't talk about their futures much with her anymore, it's not 'cool' to talk a lot to your younger sister. It's after she's blabbed on that she realizes he might not care about her boring life.]

I'm sorry. I'm just rambling on.

N-no, it's fine. [In fact, it's kind of nice.

It's normal. Jovan has a new appreciation for normal.

After a small sip of hot chocolate, he doesn't know what else to say, and the silence is really uncomfortable, so he just. Backtracks and tries to find something else to cover it up with.]

So, uh...you have two brothers?

Yes. [She answers, pulling out her phone to show him a picture of her family. Two tall boys stand next to a brown haired woman who must be her mother and a darker haired man who has to be a father, Holly is in the center with a younger more red haired girl standing next to her with a bright grin on her face.]

I have two older brothers, Taylor and Michael and I have a younger sister named Katelyn. It can get pretty cramped on the holidays when we're all home and together.

[She explains, not bothered by the silence. Believe me talking about normal family things is a welcome distraction.]

[He wanted to fill the silence, but now he has no idea what he's doing. He's not used to conversation. He's almost always alone, and most of what little social interaction he does get comes from either speaking with his dad or Mrs. Hunter when he's at her house, or giving students feedback on their essays.

Jovan hasn't had a normal conversation like this in so long that he actually doesn't know how to proceed. How is he supposed to respond here?]

Oh. Are they...do you all get along?

[Maybe it's lucky for Jovan that Holly is a little social butterfly, and finds talking to be fairly easy, almost too easy as she sometimes just won't shut up which is her own little embarrassing curse.]

Pretty much. Taylor isn't home much at all because it's not 'cool' to hang out with your family and Michael is working so much I don't see him hardly ever anymore. But when we are all together it's good.

[She smiles down at the phone, maybe just a little wistful before she's looking up again.] None of them know about... all this. I'm pretty sure they'd think I was crazy if they found out.

[Jovan nods, but he can't really relate. He doesn't have any siblings, so he has no idea what any of that's really like.]

Yeah, I...haven't told my family either. It's too weird and it would just cause more trouble than it's worth.

[She nods, agreeing that it'd be too weird and would be much more trouble than it's worth.]

My cousin Ellie, she's on the network, so I do have her, but otherwise it's just better. I just wish I knew why this was happening? I haven't had anything too horrible happen... minus the zombie.. thing.. but I know it can be bad and that scares me.

[Jovan makes a noise somewhere between a hum of agreement and an awkward sound that sounds like a grunt, or maybe some choking. He tries to hide it by leaning into the cup of hot chocolate and pausing to take a sip and clear his throat.]

Well...at least you've had it pretty good with this 'echo' sh--stuff so far.

[He didn't mean to put emphasis right there, but it just kind of slipped out anyway.]

[Cue observant child mode, because she heard that emphasis and the sound- frowning, she leans a little forward, not crowding his space but allowing her to speak softer without him having to come to her.]

Is everything okay? Have you gotten back any bad things, bad memories? [She doesn't really expect him to answer her, she's a kid and he's in college. But she was always told that talking about things helped you, and she's worried because Jovan is nice and she doesn't want bad things to happen to nice people.]

[He pauses, looking down at the table for a few moments before looking at Holly again. And then just over to the side of her, a little, because staring directly into someone's face like that while talking about this makes him uneasy.]

Yeah--yeah, I have. Pretty much--nearly everything I've gotten so far is pretty--pretty terrible. I'm trying not to get any more, but they keep happening anyway and. They're all pretty much just as bad.

Do you... want to talk about it? [She wants to help, somehow.]

You don't have to if you don't want to, but sometimes if you talk about bad things it makes them easier to forget. [Like airing out a dusty room, and letting the light in.]

I...I'm just. [How does he phrase this, exactly? There's no good way to put this, there really isn't.

He sets the hot chocolate down on the table and, with his elbow on the tabletop, leans his forehead into his hand.]

I'm not...so sure that I was a very good person.

[He doesn't really want to go into much more detail, partially because the last thing he wants is to admit to being a murderer out loud. For some reason, saying things aloud makes them feel so much heavier, so much more real. But he also doesn't want to further elaborate on his echoes because he tries to ignore them as much as he can, and to actually describe them would mean forcing himself to recall all the grisly, morbid details.]

[Maybe it's something in his voice, or maybe it's just the words themselves but Holly is shifting so she can touch his forearm softly.]

A friend told me recently, that we're not them. No matter how many memories or things we get back, we're still ourselves. [She says, her voice soft but earnest, remembering Skyler in his bedroom telling her not to worry.]

You're a good person right? Right now, you're a good person. [She stresses, smiling reassuringly for him.]

[The touch is both nice (not in a pedo way or anything, though) and an uncomfortable reminder that Jovan hasn't really had a relationship much closer than passing acquaintance with anyone since he was a little kid.

It makes him seize up. Jovan's mouth runs dry as he stares at Holly's hand a little too conspicuously. What is he supposed to do next? Just leave her hand there, touching his arm, and act like it hadn't happened? Move his arm out of the way? Reciprocate?

Thinking about even that much trips him up in terms of what to say next, and now he doesn't know what to do. His mouth instead flaps as though he's a fish out of water, not sure whether to say something or shut his mouth altogether.

This was a terrible mistake.]

[At first she's worried she might have triggered an echo with how he freezes up, which is why she doesn't do much at first. Then he's staring at her hand and she suddenly realizes what's actually wrong. Quickly she's pulling her hand back, waving both of them in apology.]

I'm sorry! I know some people don't like to be touched without their permission.

[C'mon Holly it's one of the first things you learn in Health Sciences! As well as that a baby doesn't come from an egg, cabbage patch or whatever story your particular parent has decided to tell you.]

[He wants to say 'no, it's fine' but the words don't come out.]

O--okay.

["Okay"? What the hell was 'okay' supposed to mean? Jovan feels stupid the second he says it, but he can't take it back now and he doesn't know what he can say that won't make him look even dumber.

His hot chocolate has gotten pretty cold by now, but he still brings the cup up to his lips with both hands and starts drinking, just to give him something to do with both his hands and his mouth that will prevent him from doing anything else stupid.]

[Now there might be a bit of awkward silence. Looking down at the table, she toys with her cup before finally she looks back up and smiles a little.]

How was Christmas for you? [It's a complete change in topic, offering an easy retreat from the awkwardness from just moments ago.

If he doesn't want to answer and wants to leave, she'd not blame him at all.]

[He does admittedly like the company--he just doesn't know how to handle it. But Christmas. Christmas is a safe topic.]

It was alright. You know, just the same as every year. Pretty nice.

[That earns a smile. While she won't know what 'the same as every year' is for him in particular, the fact it was nice is good enough.]

That's good! I got a cook book, did you get anything you really wanted?

[She's not leaning forward, so much as resting her weight on her arms.]

[He shakes his head a little.]

No, we don't really do Christmas gifts or anything like that. We just do dinner with the family every year.

['The family,' of course, being just his dad. And maybe a Skype call from his dad's relatives.]

[Smiling, she pushes her drink away, it's done anyway.]

That's fun too at least. Like I said, our house gets pretty crowded when everyone's there. This year I had to help with all the cooking, my mom had a morning shift so she didn't get home till closer to dinner.

[She was going to continue on that train of thought, how she'd dropped the ham and Michael had to go out and find the one store open to buy a new one. But then she has an idea and switches topics.]

Oh- do you like cookies? I want to try making them but a lot of my friends think they're all going to taste bad. Would you be willing to try some when I eventually try it out?

Cook--cookies?

[the topic switch is so abrupt that it catches Jovan off-guard and he has to take a moment to process one more time what it was that she said.]

Uh, yeah. Sure.

Oh good! I promise they won't be burnt or taste horrible. I'll taste them first but it always helps to have someone else's opinion right?

[Her smile is relieved. This will solve one problem and maybe help make a new friend in the process!]

[...okay, her happiness is infectious. Jovan grins a little too.]

Uh, yeah, I guess so. If you really do need cookie tasters, then...whatever you want me to try, it's fine by me.

Great! You're not allergic to anything right? I mean my mom's a paramedic but I would like to not send you to the hospital on accident!

[He shakes his head.]

No, no. I'm not allergic to anything--not in food, anyway.

That's good! I have a cousin who's lactose intolerant and it makes having ice-scream sundaes not so fun.

Do you have a favorite type? I can try to make it first.

[She's excited, her words getting a little faster with it.]

Oh, well... [He hesitates as he tries to figure out how to describe this in terms that would be useful for someone else.] ...There are these cookies, they're like sugar cookies, I think. But kind of puffier. I-I don't know how to describe them, I've always just called them sušenky.

[He shakes his head a little.]

But that's probably a little too obscure. Really, I'm just okay with trying anything.

Do they have icing on the top? [She'd seen some thick iced cookies in her cookbook.]

Oh are they shortbread? Those are good! [They used to get cookies from a store in shapes with icing on it all the time that were shortbread.]

No...more like it's dipped in sugar, I think. I don't think they're shortbread either.

[He's not entirely sure on the details--he's only ever had them when relatives visited (rarely) or when they were sent to him in a care package, already made.

Also, he's just plain never had shortbread.]

Hmmm.. [She pulls her phone out to make a note of it, blinking down at the time when she does. ]

Ah! I have to go- I promised my mom I would go to lunch with her.

[She's grabbing her stuff now, but she does pause to smile at him.] I'll find out what it takes to make those cookies. I want to try them!

[He blinks, a little surprised since he'd apparently lost track of time himself.]

Oh--right. Yeah, it'd be cool if you can actually find a recipe for them somewhere.

[As she gathers her things, he starts waving at her with one hand.] Uh, have a good lunch with your mom.

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