Early Thursday Afternoon... [locked to brambless]

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane stands outside the Perk, dressed in some of her neatest, newest clothes. A pair of (purposefully) faded blue hip-hugger jeans without a single rip or tear in them, a green t-shirt with the word 'Teton' on the front in white silkscreen and a black blazer with a white pinstripe over it and her trusty black sneakers. Her long hair is tied back and on her nose is perched a pair of wire-framed glasses.

She's dressed to meet Tara so she can walk with her to class and is trying desperately not to fidget. Her fingers start tapping on her thigh as she looks up the street and then down in the other direction, chewing on her bottom lip a moment before finally giving up. She digs into the pocket of her blazer and pulls out her cigarettes.



[ooc: Just posted this a wee bit early so that Taramun and I could get a good start on it before she has to head to bed...]

Comments

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara hurries down the road, conscious that she's running a little bit late, and waving eagerly to Shane like a total dork once she sees her.

"Hey!"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

In the process of leaning over her cupped hands to light her cigarette, Shane looks up and sees Tara approaching. She takes a couple of quick drags on her cigarette to get it going and closes her lighter with a flick of her wrist. "Hey," she says, smiling as she tucks her lighter into the hip pocket of her jeans, cigarette bobbing between her lips.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Staring at Shane's mouth in surprise, Tara hesitates. "I... didn't know you smoked. Um," she bites her lip, "are you... you're not..."

She winces.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Both of Shane's eyebrows arch slightly and then drop back down. "Umm... not... what?" She asks, her right eyebrow springing back up as she shoots Tara a puzzled look.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara takes a deep breath. "Shane, are you evil?"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Taking a drag off of her cigarette, Shane reaches up and pulls it from her mouth, letting out a smoky chuckle as she does so. "No, Tara, I'm not evil," she murmurs reassuringly.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara nods, watching the smoke with a little frown. "Okay. It's just, um... the only people I know who smoke are. Evil, I mean."

She blushes. "We should go. Um, unless you wanted to get something first? From the shop?"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Shane says, frowning a bit, herself, before looking down at her cigarette a little suspiciously for a moment. She gives her head a little shake before looking up at Tara again. "Umm, I was just gonna get some tea, but I guess we're not allowed to have food and stuff in class, so..."

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara shrugs. "It's a few minutes walk. We can drink on the way." She cocks her head. "And actually, I don't think there are any rules about earing in class. I mean, I haven't made any, and Principal Connor says I can do whatever I want with my classroom. So, um..." she nods decisively, and turns to enter the Perk, "let's get something."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Okay," Shane chuckles as she takes one last drag on her cigarette. Passing by one of the outdoor tables, she snubs her cigarette out in an ashtray sitting on one of them and grabs the door for Tara, holding it open for her. "I didn't know if I should bring anything, like... a notebook or pens or anything."

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara's a little floored that Shane's holding the door open for her, but smiles sweetly as she passes through. "Depends how active you want to be. You're welcome just to sit in on the class, but you're also very welcome to join in the discussion. It's a small group - I think I've only got five students in this class - so another voice would be welcome. Discussion is a better way to learn than taking notes."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane notices Tara's surprise and offers Tara a slightly quizzical smile as she goes by, slipping into the shop behind her and letting the door shut on its own. "Only five? Wow," she says, brows arching slightly. "And ... pretty active? I guess?" She kicks herself mentally, which is why you should have brought stuff along with you, dumbass...

As they approach the counter, she offers the barrista a smile before turning to Tara. "So what do you feel like? Their tea here is excellent. I get a fifty cent discount on all my stuff since I helped the owner out during zombie weekend."

The last is said with a slightly wry smile at the thought of how exactly she'd helped Jane Smith: by taking her rain-soaked clothes so that they didn't get ruined.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Um, peppermint tea. Thank you," Tara says to the barrista. He doesn't seem as surprised this time as the last time she asked for it. They can be taught!

"I don't know if they're active - it's the first session." She lowers her voice, and leans into Shane confidentially. "I'm a little nervous about it, actually. My Ethics class has thirty students, and I had to split it into two sessions, so everyone was talking. I'm kind of worried there'll be long awkward silences."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"May I have the peaches 'n cream tea, please? Thank you," Shane says, smiling to the barrista as she pulls out her money and pays for their drinks. As she listens to Tara speak, her brows furrow slightly.

"Well, it's philosophy class, right?" She says reasonably, a slightly mischievous twinkle in her eyes, the barest beginnings of a smile teasing at the corners of her mouth. "Aren't we supposed to be thinking?"

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Remind me of that after class," Tara grins. "You may need to put me back together again afterwards."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Why would I have to do that?" Shane asks, a crease forming between her brows as she leans her hip against the counter. She rests the tips of her long fingers on the counter top and lightly drums them as she waits for their order, though it's more of an idle gesture than a nervous one.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara watches Shane's fingers, a small smile hovering at the corner of her mouth. "I knew ethics was going to be interesting. That's just the way it is. But philosophy's kind of only interesting to people who are interested. Which, logically, they should be, because the signed up for the class, but..." she grins ruefully, "I have to actually teach this one. I can't fake it."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Well, since you feel like you know enough about it to sign up to teach it, then I think you should be okay, right?" Shane says with a slight shrug. "I think as long as they think you're comfortable teaching it, they'll be comfortable learning it."

[brambless.livejournal.com]

I didn't volunteer so much as got volunteered. "I'm sure you're right," Tara nods. "I just get nervous before class. The peppermint's good, though, it soothes the stomach."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane nods, offering her a small but wholly sympathetic smile. "You know, if it... makes you feel any better, I'm ... kinda nervous, too," she says, frowning a little. The barrista approaches the counter with their orders and she smiles as she takes her plastic to-go cup and grabs a green straw, poking it through the lid.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"It does, actually," Tara takes a deeep breath, wrapping her hands around the cup and taking off the lid entirely to inhale the fragrance for a moment.

"Um, Shane? Can I ask you a favour?"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

In the midst of taking a sip of her own tea, both of Shane's eyebrows arch as she pulls the straw from her mouth, pursing her lips around her mouthful of tea as she favors Tara with a curious look.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Would you..." she stops, and sighs. "You can say no, alright? But, um, I don't know a lot of people here yet. And we're friends - I mean, I think we are." Her eyes widen, slightly panicked. "We are, aren't we?"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Seeing Tara's panic, Shane swallows her tea and nods. "Yeah... yeah, we're friends," she says, offering her a smile.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara smiles back, gratefully. "Would you... um..." She ducks her head, and mumbles, "come to my birthday party?"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane's mouth drops open just slightly in surprise. "When's your birthday?" she asks.

Meanwhile, in the back of her mind, she remembers that she has to go with Angela to the Emporium sometime later today after class so that she can pick up decorations for Rory's birthday party the following evening.

"And when are you having the party?"

Just please don't say Friday...

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Sunday. Um, last Sunday." She shrugs. "I hadn't really decided when the party would be. I mean, I didn't feel like I deserved one, with Maia in a coma, but she woke up for a minute this morning - she opened her eyes, and she said my name! So I thought maybe it would be okay if I celebrated. Just a little."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Last..." Shane's voice trails off as she gives Tara an apologetic look. "Tara, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Fuck, I had no idea. Happy birthday." Setting her cup on the counter, she steps closer to Tara and slips her arms around her, giving her a hug.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara accepts the hug, daring to slip her arms around Shane and lay her head on Shane's shoulder for a moment. "Don't be sorry. You couldn't have known." And even if you could have, this would make up for it.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"And I know you're worried about Maia," Shane murmurs, giving Tara one last careful squeeze before leaning back to look at her, hands gently grasping her shoulders, "but honey, you can't blame yourself for Maia being sick. You didn't have any control over that. You know?"

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara shakes her head. "She got sick because of something I was helping her with. If I'd been more careful, it wouldn't have happened. So I spent my birthday with her. Got my cake from Deb's and took it to the clinic to eat. But she's getting better," Tara smiles sadly, "and I'd like to do something a little less lonely. Will you come?" Blushing a little, she adds "I mean, to my party?"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane offers Tara a sympathetic look. She remembers Maia looking really down the last couple of times she'd been in the diner but, as best she could tell, Maia hadn't been sick. She couldn't help but get the feeling, though, that the lion's share of the guilt, in Tara's case, was misplaced.

"I'd love to, but -- and I swear I never do this because it's so fucking lame -- but I'd need to know when it's gonna be?" She says, looking uncomfortable and apologetic about having to 'check her schedule' for a friend's birthday party. "I'd love to come, but this afternoon I'm actually helping with another friend's birthday party that's tomorrow night. It's sort of a surprise."

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara shakes her head. "It doesn't matter when it is. Um, a night when you're not working? Maybe next week sometime?"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"I'm always working," Shane says with a slightly ragged chuckle as she takes another step back and picks up her take-out cup, taking a sip of her tea.

Well, usually, when I'm not running around town trying to find my best friend to tell him his girlfriend's started putting curses on people or going to help another friend who's feeling claustrophobic sitting on the sidewalk because of some kinda fucked-up voodoo smoke...

"I get weekends off, though," she adds thoughtfully after a moment, straw resting against her bottom lip as she thinks aloud. She looks up at Tara, arching her eyebrow slightly. "Would that be cool?"

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara nods, happily. "Very. Um, Sunday? This one, or the one after?"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Actually, I was kinda thinking I might get drunk this weekend," she says with a rueful grin. "But next Sunday?"

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Next Sunday," Tara nods. She looks down at her tea. "Um, Shane? Thank you."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"For what?" Shane asks, giving her a slightly bewildered smile.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara smiles, softly. "Being you."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

((thread (http://www.livejournal.com/community/fandomtownies/200711.html?thread=7331079#t7331079)))

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane lets out a soft huff of laughter and ducks her head. "Um... we should... probably get going," she says quietly. "I don't wanna make you late for class."

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara nods. "Yeah. We should."

((and any moment now I'm going to bed. Really.))

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"All right." Shane offers her a quick smile as she moves over to the door, pulling it open and holding it for Tara.


((heehee! reallyreally?))

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara blushes, murmuring, "thank you" to Shane as she passes.

((really. Wanna come?))

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

((Oooh, you minx, you! Really, though, I sadly must decline - actually went to bed early (well, for me) so that Angela and Shane can go shopping for Rory's birthday party, plus Shane's got to meet and talk with Mr. Phale about Paige today... *le sigh!*))