Currently the moon is in the waxing No Moon phase (6% full).
Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the southwest at 12 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.08 and falling, and the relative humidity is 65 percent. The dewpoint is 53 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius.)
It is currently 15:29 Pacific Time on Sat Jul 21 2001.
Walker Safe House(#2832RAJL)
This small tenement building, is a work that any interior decorator would be proud of. The building is somehow filled with light, and space. Despite the fact that the room is far from large. Mirrored surfaces and lush, green pot plants are much in evidence - jarring only slightly with the video cameras that perch unobtrusively in various locations. A small sign on the wall lists the number of apartments upstairs as eight. There are no names next to the apartment numbers. Downstairs leads to a very thick door, with no visible method of being opened - except a keypad next to it.
The lobby branches off into what appears to be a small recreation room; for use only by residents and their guests. Much like the rest of the building, mirrors are prominent. There is a pool table set up in one half of the room, while the remainder is dominated by a large home theater system, with an incredibly expensive-looking couch in front of it. The couch nearly screams out, 'Don't spill anything'. For those who might, there are also two matching side-chairs, and a bean-bag on the floor - far too close to the television to be good for anyone's eyes.
Sophia brings her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I don't want to be an adult. I didn't ask for all this, you know. It wasn't like I went up to my mom and said, hey, I'd like to be a comic book hero with a fucked up life, and start screwing every guy I date. Why can't things just go slow, like they used to?"
Dizzy comes down from her room and peeks in the rec room, "Hey people."
Jonathan sighs and sits up, moving down to hug Sophis gently to him. "I know hon. It is hard. I didn't ask for this either." he sighs. "You don't have to fuck them. Just when you know you don't want to, cut them loose. Don't string them along."
Sophia rubs her eye, pressing too hard. "Hi, Dizzy. Hops was just explaining, about....stuff. With dating. Because Jeremy just ran out and stuff, and y'know, with how serious he's gotten lately, and I'm not ready for all the... stuff. That goes with having a boyfriend."
Jonathan looks up and waves to Dizzy. "I was just telling her, if she doesn't want to do.. it.. with him, that she should /tell/ him so." he shrugs and holds Sophia gently in his arms. "It is your choice hon. Don't let anyone pressure you into anything."
Dizzy steps in and walks over to her roommate to comfort her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Jeremy do something stupid I take it?"
Jonathan smiles to Sophia and takes a stab at making her laugh. "Soph? Just tell him that we Groo sometimes Frenzy during sex.. go crinos and tell him... /Then/ he'll understand." he smirks towards her, trying to cheer her up.
Dizzy smacks Jonathan lightly upside the head, "Stupid."
Jonathan looks to Dizzy. "What?" he asks, "It is true! John told me it has been known to happen. Mostly to males though."
A look of utter disgust falls on Sophia's face. "No... he didn't do anything. I just don't want him to think... you know... that I'm gonna..." She whimpers and hides her face in her knees.
Jonathan hugs Sophia tightly again. "Shh, it is okay hon. You're with friends here. Calm down.. do you want me to have a calm talk with him? Just man to man?" the cub offers quietly. "I promise I won't scare him, I'll just have a quiet chat with him, let him know you really care for him, you love him, but that you don't feel you are ready for that. Okay?"
Dizzy gently motions for Hops to move out of way so she can sit next to her roommate. "Hey, just remember, don't feel bad to say 'No'. No one is going to think any less of you. You're still young, you really should wait to have sex. Dating is just dating, no commitment to a lifelong relationship."
Jonathan looks to Dizzy. "Yes, but if she knows he isn't the one she wants to be with she has a duty to tell him. It is cruel to string him along like that."
Sophia looks from Dizzy to Jonathan with exasperation. "After today, bro, I'd rather you stayed clear of him for a little while. But that's not even the point. I /don't/ know. I don't know anything. All I know is I love him, but I don't want to have any kids yet."
Dizzy gets a little angry with the male cub, "He shouldn't be expecting Sophia to put out if he really cares about her. Dating young is not going out to get laid!" The last part is said a little strange, she just wishes someone had told her that when she was young.
Jonathan calls back to her. "You're right. He shouldn't! But he does want her to put out, so she should dump him like a bad habit!" he exclaims, obviously annoyed at Dizzy now, "She deserves better then a kid looking to get a piece of tail!"
Sophia watches, knees still curled up. The only information she can offer is, "Well, he says he doesn't. But I don't know whether to believe him or not, because, y'know, he /is/ a boy."
Dizzy turns to her roommate, "Well, not _all_ boys think with their dicks, just the vast majority of them."
Jonathan nods in agreement. "Yes, not all. But ask him. If he says yes, tell him you're not looking for that. Just tell him the truth. Tell him you don't want to have sex, you just want a friend, someone to share time with, feelings. And then tell him that it is his choice. If he can handle that then you'll stay together. If he can't you'l break up."
Jonathan says "Just, be honest hon.""
Sophia looks a bit confused. "I /have/ been honest. But how do you know for sure? If he was looking for ssex, he wouldn't say so, would he?"
Dizzy shakes her head, "He might, he might not. He could try touching you and see how far you'll let him go. Guys'll try a lot of different things to judge how far they can get with a girl."
Jonathan shakes his head. "A boy looking for sex can be sneakier then a shadow lord." he pets her gently. "If you've already talked to him, and it is bothering you this much, I only have one piece of advice to give you." he lifts her chin gently to look at him. "It is what helps me when I can't decide about something important. Talk to the elders, get permission to head out into the woods, or somewhere else where you can be alone. Then spend a day or two just with you and your feelings. Look inside yourself until you find what you truely believe. If you don't believe he is sincere, then end it. If in the end you find you love him, and you think he loves you as much, and doesn't have any ulterior motives, then go back to him.
Sophia nods silently. Finally, two people are both giving much the same advice. She puts down her legs and sighs. "Ok. Can we talk about something different now?"
Jonathan nods. "So, how about we tackle abortion, capital punishment, and affirmative action while we're at it. I'm sure we can get at least one frenzy before the night is over.
Dizzy shakes her head, "Hops, sometimes you really try _too_ hard to make jokes."
Jonathan chuckles towards Dizzy. "I'm not a Raggie, it doesn't come easilly to me." he admits, and shakes his head. "I deal with social situations by trying to make people laugh. Even if I can't or it isn't appropriate.. only because I'm not good with people. I grew up alone, isolated. I didn't get a chance to develop soscial skills like you did." he sighs, then looks away. "Now, moving past my personal mental problems, that have confounded some of the greatest minds in psychology, lets move on to someone else, eh?"
Sophia looks up at Jonathan. "Fair, fair, not fair. That's all there is to it." She wants the whole idea of sex to just fade from her mind. "So. How am I gonna get Daisy to let me live in the woods for a few days? Maybe they'd let me stay at the farmhouse... I don't think Jeremy would come out there. I could sleep at the Caern, maybe, but I'd have weird dreams. That Compound, maybe?"
Jonathan sighs at this. "I wouldn't know." he comments, "Never been there." he then looks off into the distance. "Anyway, you want me to talk to Daisy and explain things to her? I'm sure I can get her to let you go. You just get a Cliath to take you there and I'll talk to her. Okay?"
Dizzy rolls her eyes at Jonathan while getting up from the couch, "TMI. I really don't care about your mental state, sorry." She looks at Sophia, "I'm sure Daisy'd let you do either of those. She might even support it."
Sophia nods quietly.
Jonathan looks to Dizzy. "Can we talk?" he says quietly. "I didn't mean to offend you, really. I consider you a friend too, otherwise I wouldn't be helping you into the room. So please, don't be angry at me or anything like that. I didn't mean to offend."
Dizzy says to Sophia, motioning to Jonathan, "See, that's the second time it's worked."
Sophia raises an eyebrow. She has no idea what Dizzy is talking about.
Jonathan doesn't either, and gives her a similar look.
Dizzy notes, "The coke got Alicia to dress more appropriately and the lipstick made Hops nicer. Perhaps the whipped cream will turn Corey around."
Sophia frowns. "I don't think that's really what's going on. I think Alicia dresses different on different days and Hops acts different on different days."
Jonathan shakes his head. "Nah, I just act different after getting some sanity from talking to Sophia here earlier."
Dizzy shrugs, "Say what you want, but you can't ignore the facts."
Jonathan smirks to Sophia and then whispers something to her.
Sophia hears a noise from upstairs and runs. Is that a phone ringing? The thump of her footsteps obscures the noise.
Dizzy chases after her roommate, wondering what spooked her.
After several rings, Sophia picks up the phone, breathing hard. "Hhello?" Pant. Pant.
Jonathan chases after the pair, moving into the room with them.
Sophia's Apartment(#4128RAJ$)
Small, bare, and uninviting, this little apartment is clearly not the dwelling of a homebody, nor of a person accustomed to entertaining. The sitting area has only bright white plastic lawn furniture that looks as if it might have been manufactured by Tupperware. Makeshift shelves of cinderblocks and 1"X8" boards bow with the weight of scores of books. Titles like "Rescuing the Bible From Middle America" or "Zarathustra: Modernism in Antiquity" can be seen here, along with dozens of dime-store paperbacks. The small writing table is completely taken up by a computer, powered up and humming softly.
The kitchen looks as if it might never have been cooked in. A small microwave on the counter is still blinking "12:00", no one having bothered to set the clock. Beside it is an electric can opener. The only evidence of use is a single glass in the stainless steel sink and a few fast-food bags in the trashcan. The sole decoration on the refrigerator is a postcard bearing a photograph of a monstrous, grimy power plant with "Come to Hanford!" printed on the bottom in fluorescent green.
Through a door opposite the kitchen, the tiny bedroom looks slightly more lived-in. On top of a black particle-board dresser sit a hairbrush, a few hair-ties, and several plastic hairclips, along with a small pile of cheap costume jewelry. A frame designed to hold several of snapshots is hung squarely on the wall. One bed is made, a bright yellow bedspread bravely trying to cheer up the room. Another is made half-heartedly, the bedspread just carelessly tossed over the top, as if to humor someone.
Dizzy stops Jonathan at the door and shakes her head, "No entry."
Jonathan blinks at Dizzy. "Huh?" he asks, confused.
Dizzy gives the male cub a wink as she closes the door, "Sophia needs her privacy, sorry."
Sophia nods, ignoring the fact that Jeremy can't see her. "Yeah, 'ts me." Her voice is a bit distracted, as she's waving for Dizzy to let Hops pass. She covers the moutpiece and says, "I have no secrets from my tribe. Let him in."
Jonathan nods and sighs. "I'll wait out here." he says and starts to sit down.
Dizzy shuts the door all the way and leans on, sliding down to sit on the floor. "It's okay. Talk in peace."
Sophia sighs. "You didn't do anything. Look, we opened the bag, we know there wasn't anything bad in there."
Sophia hesitates, then says "Look, Jer? I... I'm gonna have to go away for a bit. Into the woods. So you don't worry."
Sophia grimaces. "Um... yes. No. It's complicated. I just need to... think about things."
Dizzy tries not to listen to the conversation by quietly humming to herself.
Sophia bites her lip. "I... I um... I'll see you later, when I come back." She hangs up the phone quickly, a hangdog expression on her face.
Dizzy gets up and goes to sit in a lawn chair. "If you want to talk, I'm here," She offers.
Sophia walks over and opens up the door for Hops. "C'mon in, bro. I'm done. I told him I was going away for a while. I have a favor to ask of you."
Jonathan looks to Sophia and rises. The cub moves towards her and nods. "Anything." he says quietly. "What do you need?"
Sophia walks into the room, closing the door behind her. "I know how brothers are. I want you to stay away from Jeremy, not give him any trouble, until after I come back. There's no point in yelling at him if I decide to break up with him, and it'll fuck things up if I decide not to."
Jonathan nods. "I promise hon. I won't yell at him until after you get back." he smiles warmly. But if he breaks your heart can I show him his?"
Sophia shakes her head solemnly. "No, that's my business. I'll do it myself if it needs doing."
Jonathan sighs and nods. "Okay..." he sighs sadly, almost dissapointed. "I hope things work out in whatever way is best for you. I just want you to be happy hon. I promise, I give you my word, that I won't harm him until you get back."
Sophia glares. "Don't even /breathe wrong/ at him. I mean that."
Dizzy pipes up from the chair, "Hell, even I'll come after you if I hear anything from Jer while Sophie's gone."
Jonathan nods to Sophia. "I promise." the cub then looks fo Dizzy. "You looking for a piece of me?" he asks curiously. "I mean I want you as a friend, but I'll hand you your ass on a stick of you make me."
Sophia walks out the door, wanting to be away from all this for a while. She heads downstairs to the rec room, hoping to find someone calm and rational to talk to, or the TV free at the very least.
"Let's just say that you're not on my good side and that I've got my eye on you. You may have a can of whoopass you want to open, but too bad it's already empty," comes the reply from the lawn chair.