Jeff, GOB's, lunchtime Thursday

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

A few minutes early, Tyler ordered some coffee and sat sipping it at a table. If it felt strange to him that he was having lunch with a girl who had so recently been afraid of him, his face didn't show it.

His fidgety hands, however, might tell a different story.

[OOC: Thread with Willow is closed, but otherwise open like an open thing.]

Comments

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

If Willow was also nervous, which she was, she... was totally showing it because she had no acting or lying skills whatsoever.

But she tried.

"Hey, Tyler," she said.

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Willow," Tyler said. He noticed her nerves. "Are you okay?"

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Are you reporting any of my answers back to Peter?" Willow asked.

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler hesitated. "Only if you want me too."

He paused again. "I guess if you said you were going to take an Uzi into a clocktower, I'd have to say something. But I can't get a message to him right now anyhow."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"When he gets back," Willow said, taking a seat. "If he gets back. I dunno. I've never had somebody officially watching out for me before. I don't know what this entails. Like am I being tested? Will bad answers mean that if he comes back he won't want to talk to me? And what are bad answers? Should I be okay? Upset? Some combination of both that maybe has people wondering if I should be taking lithium? Other?"

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"You don't want to take lithium," Tyler said automatically. "Unless you like drooling as a hobby."

He looked serious. "I think he just wants to be sure you have a friend. I don't think either of us knows why he picked me. But no, I'm not going to report to him with every word you say."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Okay," Willow said. "Then... I don't know how I'm doing. How's that?"

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Perfect," Tyler said, and took a sip of his coffee.

Then he realized he should probably keep the conversation going. "What do you mean you don't know?"

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

Willow shrugged. "I'm sad, but maybe I should be sad. And sometimes I'm happy if something fun happens. So it's a whole mix of ups and downs and could be either at any moment so -don't know."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"I've missed someone before," Tyler said, and no need to mention it was his alternate personality-slash-imaginary friend. "That sounds about like I felt. I felt kind of empty, too. Like when you want to tell the person something and you can't."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Willow said. "Exactly. And, thing is? This has happened to me before. So it's like I'm going through that all over again. Not only do I miss not being able to talk with Peter, but I wanna talk to - um - the other guy too. Because I would. If he was around. It's very headachey."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler made a sympathetic noise. "Can you get in touch with the other guy, or would that not help?"

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Nope," Willow said. "He left and I don't know where he went. I'm down to writing emails on my computer that I never send."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler rubbed the bridge of his nose. It sounded like this girl had a broken heart.

"Must be hard to have lost two people," he said. "The other guy, you were pretty close?"

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

Willow nodded. "Very. I thought he was my forever."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

And now Tyler was wondering if he should tell Peter this part. She sounded hung up on this guy, whoever he was.

"Forever is a really long time," he said instead.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River had gone to town for a walk, looking for something to wrap Berthold in. The monster seemed interested in going rafting, but was terribly shy. She caught sight of Tyler sitting at a table with a girl she recognised from school.

No, she wasn't jealous. Just curious. Maybe. She just ignored them and walked on.

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark had a news paper in hand, and was standing rather still, staring at the headline.

WHY THE WORLD DOESN'T NEED SUPERMAN

AN EDITORIAL BY LOIS LANE

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River stared at the man. "You're superman?" she asked, wondering who superman was.

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

Clark looked up in surprise, both at the sudden voice, and that this girl had figured it out so easily, when no one else had.

Not anymore

"I beg your pardon?" Clark asked, lowering the paper a bit.

In addition to the headline was a picture of Superman.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Why not anymore? And who is superman?" River got curious.

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

He hadn't said that outloud. "Are you," he said awkwardly and maybe a bit apprehensively. "Are you reading my thoughts?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Yes," River said. "Want me to stop?"

[mildly-super.livejournal.com]

"If you wouldn't mind." clark said. "Also, just in case there's someone from my world here, please don't tell anyone what you er, heard."

He decided to answer her questions however, and pointed to the picture of Superman. "That used to be me."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River nodded, not being particularly bothered. People all had their secrets and their reasons for staying hidden. "Don't worry," she said. "I like your hat by the way." She waved and walked on.