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.

[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.

[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.

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Or just a couple of - " Willow stopped herself from saying 'years'. "Um. Months. Apparently."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler leaned back in his chair. "I think some months are longer than others."

And then he frowned. "So it's not my business, but Peter knows about this guy, right?"

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

Willow nodded. "Knows the whole story. I even offered to show pictures when he gets back."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"You could do a slide show," Tyler suggested. "Things that have broken Willow's heart."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

Willow looked uncomfortable at that suggestion. "Um. I guess. So how are things going with you?"

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler drummed his fingers on the table. "Sorry. I'm good. I'm seeing a lot of River. And I registered for workshops for next term."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Me too," Willow said. "What'd you sign up for?"

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Wilderness survival, winning friends, and the lying class with that guy from Caritas," Tyler said. "Seemed like I'd be covered no matter what happened with those. What're you taking?"