fandomtownies | Chilly Boulder; Late Monday Afternoon.

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Chilly Boulder; Late Monday Afternoon.

As she stood looking at the menu and waiting to meet up with Charlie, Turtle may have looked a bit....jittery. She drew in an iritated breath, drumming her fingers on her elbow, tapping her foot slightly. She was a bit at ends with the stock market jumping again. Good news, of course, but it was most likely going to drop by the weekend again, then back up, down, up, down. She hated it. She was too young for this kind of stress; it had to have been having an adverse effect on her hormones or growth or something. She was going to need more than just the usual Her sundae today, she was thinking.

She was thinking it was a good thing she was meeting with Charlie, too, because she was feeling ranty. She had a lot to rant about, and Charlie was good with those.

[[ Turtle's here for

girlzippo, of course, but open for all your ice cream needs! ]]

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Charlie came in and made a beeline for the ice cream counter, saying, "Hi!" as she tried to decide if she wanted a sundae or a split. Definitely a high-calorie day, though. "So how were the dates, and the talks, and why is everyone talking about this Rupert Murdoch guy?"

That should give Turtle room to get started.

Turtle met Charlie's buzz of questions with a groan. "You just had to start with him, didn't you?" she asked, giving the other girl a cool glare. "Do you really want to get me started? Because, I'm warning you, I might not be able to stop."

"Not if the stuff about your dates and your weekend is more interesting," Charlie said mischievously. "Hot fudge brownie sundae, please," she told the wait person. "With whipped cream."

Turtle drew in a deep breath before rambling off her own order. "Can I get a just a....big bowl with a little bit of every kind of ice cream in it, with extra caramel and fudge on top, lots of peanuts and almonds, and extra whipped cream, two cherries, and those rainbow sprinkles?"

And then she sent a look toward Charlie to emphasize the relevance of an order like that.

"Ooooooo." Charlie's eyebrows went up, taking that as a sign of Much To Talk About. "Right. We're going to be a while, hunh."

Turtle nodded after she had to repeat all that because the server didn't catch it all and explained, "And I'm not saying a word until we're sitting down. For your sake, you understand. You might as well be comfortable when I start in."

Charlie grinned. "No problem, I've got a lot to tell you too. All of it kind of fuzzy and uncertain, but good." She took her hot fudge sundae from the serve, and spooned up a bite while they waited for Turtle's. "Plus, still having fun with the play. We might get jet-packs, if Professor Alianne is cool with it."

Turtle shook her head. "That play keeps sounding to be more and more amazing by the second," she admitted with a small grin, and then got her ice cream and drifted over toward a booth. "Maybe we should start with your stuff?" she asked. She was only about two seconds in the booth before she started digging eagerly in.

Charlie licked whipped cream off her spoon, and gave Turtle a speculative look. "Well, sure. I think you're going to be telling me more, to judge by the ice cream. I had good dates with Rodney, John Sheppard, and A.J. last week." She dug her spoon into her sundae, frowning. "They're all cool...."

Turtle arched an eyebrow, sucking on the end of her spoon a little at how the frown didn't exactly match up with the words. "All cool," she speculated, with a slight wave of the spoon in the air now, "in the sense that you've really made no progress one way or the other toward any of them as a leading contender?"

"Yeah. I mean, I've spent more time with A.J., just because of the play. And because he's illustrating my stories," Charlie admitted. "So I do like him. But it's not overwhelming like like. And I had a really good time with Rodney, playing pool. And dancing at the movie with John. Oh! How did your date with him go?" she asked, a little anxious. "Do you want to date him more too?"

"Um, well, we were going to do another one," Turtle said, paying very close attention to her conglomeration of ice cream all of a sudden, and her voice turning into a very matter-of-fact tone to hide any sort of panic that might be in the revelation she was about to deliver, "but I had to cancel." Trying so very, very, very hard to keep herself casual about it, but there was a panic, a bouncing, a flail all in her eyes that darted over the various flavors drowning in toppings. "It wouldn't exactly be very prudent or appropriate, after all, to be going on dates with people when you've got a boyfriend."

She pressed her lips together, wondering if that was going to get the reaction out of Charlie that Turtle expected.

Charlie's immediate reaction was to "Eee!" then clap both hands over her mouth, to prevent further outbursts from rattling Turtle. Who already looked plenty unnerved. "Boyfriend. Ahh. Yes. And that would be..." she looked hopeful, knowing who she expected it to be, but hey. This was Turtle. Who knew if she was right.

Turtle rolled her eyes, grinning despite herself. Yup. That was pretty much what she expected. She settled a skeptical glance across the table.

"Who do you think, Charlie?"

"Jeff!" Charlie immediate said, punching the air. "Unless you met some guy in the last 72 hours who runs his own multi-million dollar business and follows the stock market even more than you do! But Jeff's the only one you mentioned more than twice, and logic didn't help you stop, so-- Jeff!"

"I wouldn't want to date someone like that," Turtle said, nose scrunching up as she stabbed her ice cream with a spoon. "I'd have to be all competitive with them and everything, and if there's anything I'm starting to understand about this whole dating and boys thing is that it makes no logical sense what-so-ever, and it drives me absolutely crazy. So, yeah, logic? Right out the window!" She made a dramatic gesture. "But, yes, Jeff, because even though the date with John went insanely smoothly, I couldn't stop thinking about Jeff, and so now I did it, and now, so help me, not only do I think his crazy is contagious and working into my system because I feel more erratic and crazy, but I'm also in a situation where, because of the recent buy-out by Murdoch and the fact that Jeff's name is Murdock, I want to strangle my boyfriend for the mere fact of having some sort of association with that horrible man who's making my life a miserable roller coaster...."

She took a deep breath. She needed one after all that. But she gave Charlie a warning, dang it.

"Have more ice cream! And congratulations," Charlie said, following her own advice and having another spoonful. "And you're not sounding crazy. Which doesn't mean you aren't, but hey. This is a good thing, right? You don't have to date other guys and evaluate them, and do any more comparison statistics." She paused, and blinked at Turtle. "And I won't mention the Rupert guy again, nope."

"Stupid. Rupert. Murdoch." Turtle muttered, face and teeth both clenched. "At least it jumped back up today. A lot. A lot a lot. That's something, at least, but, blaaaarg, it's so stressful! So I guess you're right, with the comparison stuff, but still, I mean, now I have to do girlfriend stuff. I don't know how to do girlfriend stuff! I've never been anyone's girlfriend before! So on top of the up, down, up, down, up, down of the market and worrying about Sokka coming up to me and being all, 'You crazy woman! What the heck is happening to my money? You've ruined me! RUINED!,' I also have to worry about Jeff and whether or not he's all, 'I'm really glad I said yes, that Turtle sure is a jolly good girl'" --because, yes, she was trying to imitate his accent, "or if he's all, 'She's bloody mad. What the heck was I thinking?'"

"Ummm." Charlie followed maybe half of this, but fell back on Best Friend Protocol and nodded a lot, looking outraged. And supportive. "He wouldn't do that, you're not mad. And, girlfriend stuff is just... stuff. Hanging out? More than with other people?" With smoochies? Yeah, maybe better not panic Turtle with that suggestion. "And what has Sokka got to do with-- the person whose name I won't say 'cause it upsets you more?"

But Turtle, who thought she was done, discovered that she wasn't done, and forged right on ahead. "And then there's the whole fact that he's British or whatever; there's no way my mother would approve of that. Oh, geez, and the mother issues and the whole fact that maybe he's right to think what he thinks about her and one day I will find myself kidnapped and held ransom or put to torture to spill sordid details because she found out and she really is crazy, and..."

Turtle stopped. She stared a bit forward a moment before she blinked a couple of time.

And then promptly dropped her head on the table. "Oh, geez. Oh, man. I'm turning into him, Charlie. I'm assimilating Jeffness."

"Breathe. Breathe? Do you want me to get you some water?" Charlie asked anxiously. "Have another bite of ice cream. Really. It helps, I swear it does."

"I'm good," Turtle, forehead to table still, drew in a breath and waved a dismissive hand toward Charlie. "I'm good. Really."

She just needed a moment. After she took that moment, she took another deep breath and sat up, straightening with dignity, straightening her shirt, pushing the hair out of her eyes. "Okay. So. That's done. You talk now. I feel selfish."

"Oh, please. This is huge! So, you're kinda flailing a little. That's completely acceptable and way more urgent than me going, 'I don't know who I like best.'" She shook her head. "And the stock market. That's your thing. Your lifeline is all twisty lately. You're entitled." Charlie shook her head, smiling at Turtle.

"Twisted doesn't even start it," Turtle said. "It's more like...twisted and then turned and then thrown down and then built back up, curved and cyclonic and..." She was making gestures in front of her, twisting and moving her arms around to match her words when she felt a little buzzing from her back pocket. She stopped, blinking at Charlie, and then her phone started ringing. She blinked again, her arms still twisted up.

"Who the heck could be calling me right now?"

"Hmmmmmm?" Charlie smirked a little, swallowed and suggested, "Your boyfriend?"

Turtle's eyes widened. "Crap!" she said, frantically. "It can't be! Jeff hates phones."

And then she realized maybe she should answer it. After untwisting her arms and making a flailing scramble for her back pocket, Turtle got her phone out, flipped it open and pressed the button. "Hello?"

"...Crap. I missed it." She tilted her head, turning it off. "Maybe they're leaving a message."

"Then yay! You'll have a voicemail you can keep if it's something cool," Charlie said, grinning at Turtle's twisting and untwisting and mild panic. "Or a good reason to call him back, even if he does hate phones. What's that about, anyway?"

Keep? Turtle arched an eyesbrow at Charlie as she went to open up her voicemail and shook her head. "You're such a dork," she said, rather hypocritically as her face was still red from the panic. "And it has something to do with his mother. Of course." She settled the phone against her ear and listened (http://stocksgrrl.livejournal.com/385.html?thread=68737#t68737).

And promptly facepalmed.

"Yup. That's Jeff, alright...."

Charlie stuck out her tongue, then started giggling about the time Turtle facepalmed. "The one and only. I'm guessing. Anything you want to sha-are?" she sing-songed.

Turtle sighed, turning off her phone and sliding it back into her pocket. "He needs me," she reiterated. "Someone's going to interview him about lesbians tomorrow, and then I think his dog at him. And I'm not only dating this guy, but I'm also really actually crazy for him. Crazy. Really, the perfect word for this whole entire situation and ohmygawd, Charlie, what's wrong with me? What's happened? I'm scared..."

"No, don't be scared! Well, maybe you can't help it, a little," Charlie said, reaching out to pat Turtle's shoulder. "It's just a new thing! But you're really smart, and you'll figure it out. And it'll settle down into less fear and more fun soon, I'm sure of it. I'm actually kind of jealous. You really like someone who likes you back. He gets how cool you are. That's as good as a stock market win day."

"Lesbians, Charlie!" Turtle reiterated the message with extra emphasis this time, throwing down her hands in front of her incredulously. "I don't think I realized what I was getting myself into, and I hate that. But what are you talking about, likes me back? Out of the three guys you've gone out with, if at least one of them doesn't like you back, I'm losing all faith in mankind, that's all there is to it."

"Okay, why would they think Jeff would know about lesbians? Do I want to know?" Charlie thought about that, then shook her head, still smiling. "I think it's just too early to tell if any of those guys like me. Like it's too early for me to tell the same thing. But, at least none of them ran away or fell asleep, right? That's got to be a good thing."

Turtle nodded. "Very good thing. I mean, heck, even if they did run away. I ran away from Tannim all the time, so running away doesn't mean anything. Not necessarily."

"This is true!" Charlie became more cheerful, and grinned a little. "And if I can manage not to run, and they manage not to, I'll figure out which one I like best eventually. I just hope it's the same one that likes me best."

Turtle nodded encouragingly, and then leaned a little on her hand, propped up with an elbow. She started scooping together more ice cream. "Is it all a pretty even running game right now, then? Neither of them really seem to...jump out at all, over the others?"

Charlie tried to think and compare the three guys in her head, and said, "Well, maybe A.J. Because of the artist thing, and he gets how much I like to write, because of that. And he did *such* a great job on the illustrations. But like I said, I've talked to him a couple more times than the other two guys. Rodney's really smart, *and he said I was hot the first time we met. And John's funny, and... Why can't I smoosh them all together into one guy?"

Turtle grinned a little. "You should. Then we can call you Doctor Frankencharlie. Which is catchy. You thinking of going on any more dates with Rodney or John to get 'em caught up with this A.J. guy?"

Charlie snickered, finishing up her hot fudge sundae. "I think so, yeah. I'll see A.J. at play rehearsals anyway, and hey. I asked him on the last date." She gave a firm, I-am-an-adult nod, however unconvincing it was. "I can ask John and Rodney out on dates too. It's not *too* hard, once you stop wanting to hurl."

Turtle grinned a little, poking some of her remaining ice cream. "I don't recommend getting this, then, right beforehand. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that I've ranted and it's melting, it's kind of gross..." She let out a sigh. "Thanks for listening to me freak out, Charlie."

"Sure! You know I loved hearing about it. I mean, it's encouraging to see things go well for you, you know? And it just makes me happy." Charlie wiped her mouth, smiling hugely. "Plus? Let's not forget the entertainment value. Just a teeny, tiny bit of it."

"Glad my pain can bring you happiness, you big sadist," Turtle grumbled, although there was a wry smirk on her face as she continued to poke and mix the gloopy ice cream around.

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Chilly Boulder; Late Monday Afternoon.

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