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Post by Pete Valenkov on Aug 25, 2009 20:52:26 GMT -5
 I'M COMING OUT OF MY CAGE[/font] and I've been doing just fine[/font] GOTTA, GOTTA BE DOWNbecause I want it all[/font] ------------------------------[/center] "People with too much free time on their hands?"
"I guess. Destroying other peoples' stuff was never my idea of fun, though."
Sometimes, him and his friends were out late doing stupid things, but they'd never do anything like breaking into someone's house and trashing it. Even if Pete hated the person, that was a whole other level.
As Pete laughed at his own stupidity, Harlequin joined in. Then, something crossed his mind, which made him laugh a little harder. "Wait... I hope you're laughing with me, not at me."
Of course, he couldn't blame her if she did, since he was sort of doing the same thing and it actually was pretty funny. Well, it was better to be laughing rather than to be brooding over something he couldn't do anything about now.
"Everyone is allowed mistakes, no-one's going to judge you for being clumsy every now and again."
"You don't know my friends. If they found out I nearly burned the place down, I'd never hear the end of it. Same with my parents. They'd lecture me about responsibility and whatnot."
Which was why he opted to keep things quiet. He didn't see the harm in telling his new friend, though. She seemed nice, trustworthy, and she definitely needed a laugh, too.
"It's part of life, part of who we are as humans. What would you be if you weren't clumsy on occasions, eh?"
"I dunno. I'd probably be a robot or something," he responded. "I guess we're all allowed our moments, huh? I can have my clumsy ones, and you can have your tearful ones."
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Post by Harlequin Powers on Aug 25, 2009 21:06:32 GMT -5
 I guess. Destroying other people's stuff was never my idea of fun, though.
According to Leaf and Saint it was. Their idea of fun was climbing on unsafe buildings with a bag full of spray paint and defacing the property of an elderly man who tells Leaf to dress in more appropriate clothes and wear more. Saint didn't stand for that, so they'd both ended up drawing a band of prostitutes on the old man's balcony. Leaf pursed her lips slightly at that comment but said nothing else.
Wait... I hope you're laughing with me, not at me. The brunette ceased her laughing almost immediately at that statement; she was sure that she was laughing with him, rather than at him. "It would be most rude, on my part, if I were to be laughing at you." she explained. "Wouldn't dream of laughing at you."
Their laughing stopped briefly for a serious conversation, well slightly serious.
You don't know my friends. If they found out I nearly burned the place down, I'd never hear the end of it. Same with my parents. They'd lecture me about responsibility and whatnot.
Without realising what she was doing, Leaf scoffed. Blinked rapidly at her strange reaction and then leaned backwards, against the bed and chewed on the inside of her lip for a few moments, before opening her mouth and speaking. "Parents don't know the first thing about responsibility until their child hits the age of thirteen." Her tone was harsh, it was accidental - for some reason she'd just been reminded of her father.
I dunno. I'd probably be a robot or something, I guess we're all allowed our moments, huh? I can have my clumsy ones, and you can have your tearful ones.
Speaking of tearful moments, Leaf's eyes had started to swell with more tears. It had been the mere thought of her father that had done it. She wiped them away hastily, then nodded silently.
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Post by Pete Valenkov on Aug 25, 2009 21:23:45 GMT -5
I'M COMING OUT OF MY CAGE [/font] and I've been doing just fine[/font] GOTTA, GOTTA BE DOWNbecause I want it all[/font] ------------------------------[/center] "It would be most rude, on my part, if I were to be laughing at you. Wouldn't dream of laughing at you."
"I guess it's mean, but it's a natural reaction to laugh at the idiot and his misfortune. At least, to most people it is,
Pete replied.
He'd laughed the stupidity of her friends on a number of occasions, but not when the situation was serious, because he didn't really find anything funny in it.
"But I'm glad you're not."
The last thing he needed was another girl laughing at him. It didn't look good and his friends teased him enough as it was. When she scoffed at her previous comment, Pete became more attentive, then listened to her speak as she leaned against the bed,
"Parents don't know the first thing about responsibility until their child hits the age of thirteen."
That was... harsh. Then, it clicked. Maybe that's why she was so upset? Was she mad at her parents? It made sense, since most teenagers always faught with their parents. It definitely was a possibility.
As he continued to stare at her, he saw her eyes well with tears and his mood changed to a concerned one, once again. She was quick to wipe them away, but she couldn't hide them.
"I-I'm sorry, Harlequin," he responded.
Was she really that angry at her parents? Pete himself had never harbored hatred toward his mother or his father. He clashed with his father on several occasions, but they were still really close, so the whole "kids vs. parents" thing was something he never really experienced.
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Post by Harlequin Powers on Aug 25, 2009 21:36:36 GMT -5
I guess it's mean, but it's a natural reaction to laugh at the idiot and his misfortune. At least, to most people it is.
Leaf agreed with a simple nod of her head.
But I'm glad you're not. She smiled faintly. "I don't want to laugh at you, I wouldn't." And that was the truth. When Harlequin Powers came to like someone, no matter how stupid they were, or whatever stupid things they did; she would not, could not laugh at them instead of with them. It was just a part of her personality.
Then the mood started to change and she wished she hadn't said what she had about parents not knowing what responsibility was. Her tears from earlier started afresh, but she did not want to cry anymore, she wouldn't. Leaf had been told that when people see her cry it meant that they could find a weakness within her and that was a problem.
She did hope that he didn't see the tears, but apparently - by his apology, he had seen the tears, which meant that she hadn't been quick enough to wipe them away. Leaf shook her head.
"No, i-i-it's okay," she whispered, lowering her gaze to the carpeted floor of the motel room, her hand hovering by her eyes to wipe away anymore tears that threatened to spill. "Ijustgettearyeyedtalkingaboutparents." she admitted in a jumble of words. If he could understand what she had said...
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Post by Pete Valenkov on Aug 25, 2009 21:54:51 GMT -5
I'M COMING OUT OF MY CAGE [/font] and I've been doing just fine[/font] GOTTA, GOTTA BE DOWNbecause I want it all[/font] ------------------------------[/center] "I don't want to laugh at you, I wouldn't."
Pete smiled and nodded. "Well, thanks for that."
He really just wanted her to feel better, but when the tears started again, he realized that maybe this was more serious than a simple fight with the 'rents. Fights were soon forgotten, but she was more upset than he'd initially thought.
"No, i-i-it's okay,"
He frowned. "Well, it doesn't look okay."
Maybe she was trying to convince herself that everything was fine, too. But Pete knew better and he thought that there must have been a part of her that did, too. Still, he didn't want to press the issue, so he decided not to say anything more about it and interrogate the problem out of her.
"Ijustgettearyeyedtalkingaboutparents."
"Umm.... huh?"
Her words were all squished together and they all came out at once, Pete was having trouble trying to understand what she'd said. He'd heard "teary" and "parents."
"You get teary about parents?" he asked, trying to confirm what she'd said earlier. Now she was the one who was spewing words, only he could laugh at her. He was just plain confused.
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Post by Harlequin Powers on Aug 25, 2009 22:22:54 GMT -5
Well, it doesn't look okay.
How very true his words were, Leaf knew that it wasn't okay, but she just didn't have the strength in her to fight about whether it was okay or not. Clearly, as was evident from her tears and earlier situation, nothing was okay in her life. She felt as though she was just one big screw up that couldn't even hold tight on a family when everything falls through the window.
You get teary about parents? Well, it wasn't exactly far from the truth, but neither was it the particular truth at the same time. She nodded slightly, at the same time trying to shake her head.
There hadn't been a single person in her life that she'd been able to tell about the problem her father had and how he'd ended up six feet under the ground prematurely. The only reason why she'd gotten teary about parents was mainly because of her mother who never really seemed to care all that much.
"I'm sorry..." she mumbled, bowing her head to the floor to wipe away some more of her tears. "I j-ju-jus--," her words were interrupted by a slight cough. "just can't handle talking about parents." Finally, she admitted. If only he knew the reasons as to why she couldn't handle talking about parents, maybe he'd understand. She wiped away some more tears.
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Post by Pete Valenkov on Aug 25, 2009 22:53:01 GMT -5
I'M COMING OUT OF MY CAGE [/font] and I've been doing just fine[/font] GOTTA, GOTTA BE DOWNbecause I want it all[/font] ------------------------------[/center] "I'm sorry..." she mumbled.
"Don't be sorry. It's okay, I'm just trying to understand what you said."
The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel even worse than she already did, so he tried his best to pick his words carefully. The thing about words? He was never very good with them. He understood them and he could write songs with them, but when it came to actually using them, he usually stuttered and stumbled.
"I j-ju-jus-- just can't handle talking about parents."
That was a start. He understood that. "Okay. I... won't bring it up again."
If talking about parents made her that upset and uncomfortable, then he'd steer clear. He just hated seeing Harlequin so upset. Even though he'd only known her for less than an hour, he just didn't want to see her like that.
"What do you want to talk about, then? Anything to make you feel better. We can make fun of what an idiot I am, if you want?"
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Post by Harlequin Powers on Aug 26, 2009 3:46:29 GMT -5
Don't be sorry. It's okay, I'm just trying to understand what you said.
That was understandable, not even Leaf had understood the sentence she'd just blurted out; it was hard to make out any of the words, even though she knew what she had said. She nodded a little and wiped the tears away from her eyes, hoping that she could actually stop crying now. But the talk of parents was a sore subject and would always be that way for her.
Okay. I... won't bring it up again. Again, Leaf nodded. She felt slightly ridiculous at the fact she was crying in front of a stranger over certain things that she usually kept to herself. It was also uncomfortable and she was pretty sure that she looked like a panda now. Or not, she wouldn't know because she didn't want to get up and go look in the mirror.
What do you want to talk about, then? Good question.
Anything to make you feel better. Leaf found this very sweet of him.
We can make fun of what an idiot I am, if you want?
At the last question, the brunette cracked a small smile, but shook her head. "That's a good offer, but I don't want to make fun of you for being an idiot; it doesn't sound fair on you." Her hands were starting to shake a little from all the crying that she had been doing.
"I don't know exactly what there is to do in a motel, but I'm sure we could think of something else, rather than making a mockery of you."
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Post by Pete Valenkov on Aug 26, 2009 18:54:55 GMT -5
I'M COMING OUT OF MY CAGE [/font] and I've been doing just fine[/font] GOTTA, GOTTA BE DOWNbecause I want it all[/font] ------------------------------[/center] "That's a good offer, but I don't want to make fun of you for being an idiot; it doesn't sound fair on you."
Pete smiled back. "Well, that's a relief. I'm all for conversing, but tearing myself apart isn't really that much fun. At least not for me."
The Russian boy always laughed at himself, of course. He thought it was important to be able to laugh at yourself, but there was a difference between laughing at yourself and cutting yourself down. He was glad that Harlequin didn't have the same sense of humor as a lot of people he knew.
Looking down, he noticed that her hands were now shaking. She'd gotten herself all worked up and he felt bad again.
"I don't know exactly what there is to do in a motel, but I'm sure we could think of something else, rather than making a mockery of you."
He reached a hand out, across the distance between them and placed it on her shaking ones, in an attempt to stop her from shaking so much.
"Hey. It's okay now."
It almost seemed like she was punishing herself, in a sense. He didn't know why, or the circumstances behind anything. Hell, he didn't know anything about her other than her name, but he couldn't let her do this to herself.
His hand lingered atop hers for a little longer for reassurance, but he withdrew it soon after, so she didn't get the wrong impression. That, and he didn't want to make things awkward, which he was sure she must have felt, since he was some weird stranger.
"We can think of something. Whatever you want," he said, with a reassuring smile.
He didn't have anything to do and neither did she, and it was clear that she needed a distraction right now. Now, he was considered by many to have a bright mind, yet at the moment, he couldn't think of a single thing. Maybe it was the situation he found himself in, but he tried to think hard, for her sake.
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Post by Harlequin Powers on Aug 26, 2009 19:13:17 GMT -5
Well, that's a relief. I'm all for conversing, but tearing myself apart isn't really that much fun. At least not for me.
Leaf nodded, she understood fully, but not on a complete level - she was the kind of person who could tear someone down if she deemed it absolutely necessary, but not Pete. He was being too nice to her for her to mock him, it didn't seem right to laugh at him. Especially not since he'd been there for almost an hour now and had listened and helped her.
Her hands had started to shake after all that crying she'd been doing, something she hadn't really noticed. Either that or she didn't really want to notice, but to simply ignore instead. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his hand reaching across to her. Leaf wanted to flinch, to move away but she didn't. His hand was placed on her shaking ones.
Hey. It's okay now.
She nodded in response, it was okay now. Controlling herself and her hands, Leaf felt her hands beginning to stop the shaking, slower now, but still shaking. Prehaps his hand was on hers for a little longer than was necessary but she didn't seem to mind. If anything it as helping her stop shaking. But then he removed his hand from hers and they started shaking a lot more.
We can think of something. Whatever you want.
In an attempt to stop the shaking, Leaf shifted her position and sat on her hands. It had worked the last few times it'd happened, but not for very long. "I think there's a couple of movies by the TV, but I don't know what kind?"
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Post by Pete Valenkov on Aug 26, 2009 19:34:28 GMT -5
I'M COMING OUT OF MY CAGE [/font] and I've been doing just fine[/font] GOTTA, GOTTA BE DOWNbecause I want it all[/font] ------------------------------[/center] She was now sitting on her hands in an attempt to stop them from jittering. Now that they weren't talking about parents, Harlequin seemed to be doing better. He'd just have to be careful not the mention the 'P' word around her.
"I think there's a couple of movies by the TV, but I don't know what kind?"
Movies. That seemed like a good idea. Pete liked movies and they were always a good way to escape the world around you and fade into a different setting for a while; just what his new friend needed.
"Okay. I'll check."
Pete crawled over to the TV, looking around for a sign of movies. He didn't see any in plain sight, so he opened the small entertainment set and inside were a few movies.
"Bingo."
There were four movie cases inside. Grabbing them, Pete scurried back to where he was sitting before, placing the movies in between him and Harlequin. Since it was her room and she was the one who'd clearly had a bad day, he decided to let her choose which movie she wanted to watch.
"So, what'll it be?"
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Post by Harlequin Powers on Aug 26, 2009 19:49:34 GMT -5
Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was quite uncomfortable. At least they weren't talking about parents now, they'd moved on from there so that was a plus. It seemed as though Pete was going to stay until he was satisfied that she was fine and wouldn't do anything stupid.
Movies were always good to get away from reality, if only for a couple of hours at the time. Having no idea what kind of movie's her entertainment set held, she silently prayed that there were no horror films.
Okay. I'll check. she nodded and moved her hands from the floor and crossed them across her chest instead. They weren't shaking as much now, but at least this way was more comfortable than sitting on them.
She watched him crawl to the TV and open the small set, pulling out some cases and then moving back over to his previously vacated position. He set them down on the floor between the two of them. Green eyes roamed the titles of each case carefully. Great... three of them were horror movies; the last one however was...
"ALICEINWONDERLAND!" she squeaked, rather loudly. It was a little embarrassing. Quickly she brought a hand up to her face to cover her mouth in shock. It was, now, probably more than a little obvious that she wanted to watch Alice In Wonderland.
"Ahh, desolé." Leaf mumbled absently as she picked up the Alice In Wonderland movie case and opened it to check that the movie was actually in there. Which it was. Leaf shuffled over to the TV and popped the movie in the player, switching on the TV and grabbing the remote before moving back over to where Pete was.
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Post by Pete Valenkov on Aug 26, 2009 20:16:54 GMT -5
I'M COMING OUT OF MY CAGE [/font] and I've been doing just fine[/font] GOTTA, GOTTA BE DOWNbecause I want it all[/font] ------------------------------[/center] "ALICEINWONDERLAND!"
The sudden outburst took Pete by surprise. One minute, she was too upset to barely form words, and now, she was squealing in excitement over Alice in Wonderland. It definitely was weird, but he wasn't about to complain.
"I take it that's a yes," he said with a laugh, watching her as she placed a hand over her mouth in embarrassment.
She picked up the case and opened it, retrieving the movie and shuffling over to pop it into the VHS player. She moved back to where he was sitting and waited for the movie to begin. Gauging from her reaction, she must have really loved the movie.
"You know," Pete began. "I've never seen this movie before."
He'd read the book. Who hadn't? Lewis Carroll's masterpiece was a classic around the world. He quite enjoyed the book, but like he'd told her, he'd never actually seen the movie before. There must have been a first for everything.
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Post by Harlequin Powers on Aug 26, 2009 20:27:35 GMT -5
Of course she loved Alice in Wonderland. It was one of the best Disney films ever to be made, plus in certain aspects of Alice's life, Leaf definitely could relate. But what she loved the most was the silliness of the film and everything that had been put into it. It was completely irrational and utter nonesense for the most part.
I take it that's a yes. Pete laughed as she moved to put the film on the TV and the move back to where she was before. A genuine smile spread across her paled features, one of the very few that Pete had gotten since he had arrived.
You know, I've never seen this movie before.
A look of incredible... incredulousness crossed her features as she turned to face Pete; deliberately slowly. Her eyebrow raised a bit and her brow furrowed. "Are you, like, ferreal serious?" She asked, shifting side ways so that she could lean against the end of the bed.
"Not that it matters, because I've... never read the book." The brunette laughed lightly and then changed her mind about the floor, standing up and sitting on the bed, moving up to the pillows and leaning back against the headboard.
"Hey! Sunshine, you don't have to sit on the floor, you can sit on the bed if you want." She told him, not wanting to see him being uncomfortable or anything. "There's..." green eyes looked at the bed and then back at Pete. "plenty of room." she smiled.
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Post by Pete Valenkov on Aug 26, 2009 23:08:21 GMT -5
I'M COMING OUT OF MY CAGE [/font] and I've been doing just fine[/font] GOTTA, GOTTA BE DOWNbecause I want it all[/font] ------------------------------[/center] "Are you, like, ferreal serious?" she asked, as though he'd just said the most insane thing ever.
Was it really that shocking that he'd never seen it? There had to have been a lot of people in his boat. The movie was one of Disney's older ones and most people their age were more familiar with the newer ones, like the Lion King or Beauty and the Beast.
"Yeah," he answered. "Never seen it."
He hadn't expected that reaction out of her, but then, he hadn't expected any of this to happen; for him to find a crying girl alone in her room, to talk with her and try to make her feel better, and now, to be watching a movie with her. It definitely wasn't what he thought would happen when he woke up this morning.
"Not that it matters, because I've... never read the book."
Now it was Pete's turn to give her the bedazzled look. "Now that's insanity. You've honestly never read the book? I know I haven't seen the movie, but I can already tell you, the book is a hundred times better. Nothing ever compares to the book."
So many movies were made from books and virtually none were as good as the book itself. He didn't want to pass judgement yet, since he hadn't even seen the film, but he didn't think it could be any better than the novel.
Harlequin stood up, moving so she sat on the bed. "Hey! Sunshine, you don't have to sit on the floor, you can sit on the bed if you want."
That definitely sounded like a good idea. It was a lot more comfortable than the floor, but he didn't want to make her feel awkward.
"There's... plenty of room."
"Okay. Sure."
He stood up, scooting onto the bed next to her, resting back against the headboard as the movie started.
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