fandomtownies | Luke's Diner; Sunday [ 10/28 ]

You can just imagine how good glam advice from him would be.

"Hey, A.J. Chocolate milkshake?" Charlie asked, smiling as she came in and settled down at the counter. "What have you been up to? Aside from painting everything in sight, from what I remember on the Radio."

"Chocolate milkshake, coming right up," A.J. grinned as Charlie settled in, reaching for an ice cream scoop and deftly tossing it from one hand to the other as he cut across the space. "And, hey, don't make me threaten to add your room to the list of everything in sight. I don't feel the need to explain my art to you, Charlie."

"What's to explain? You have a notion, you make it real," Charlie said, grinning and watching her ice cream being juggled. "I'm just losing track of all the places that ought to have your signature on them. And I'd like to go view them, if they're open to the public?"

"I guess you'd have to ask the people who stay in those rooms," A.J. chuckled a little. "Let's see...I've done Annette's room, River's spaceship, my own room, of course, just finished Beauty and Adah's room, and then I should probably bug Professor Tyler about the work planned on her office. That one kind of got shoved aside for Beauty and Adah's."

"I met Adah during amnesia weekend. And I'm writing a new story for Beauty. What kind of design did you do on their room?" Charlie asked, curious. "Wait, what does Professor Tyler teach?"

"She teaches pop culture, I guess?" A.J. shrugged. "I'm not taking her class, but she came in here for a milkshake one day and one thing just lead to another. And I'm really proud of my work for Beauty and Adah; took almost two whole days to finish, which means you gotta try to make sure to con one of them into letting you see it. One side of it's got these roses all along half of it for Beauty, 'cause she had roses all over the place at home, I guess, and then the other side is the same, but, instead of roses, you've got jungle plants, 'cause I guess Adah spent some time in Africa. That's what River told me, anyway, when I tried to think of what to do for Adah's side of the room. Adah doesn't really like me much, and, besides, I don't think she would have told me anyway."

And then, A.J. took a breath finally, with a big, bouncing grin.

Charlie blinked a little at this outpouring, then grinned. "Yeah, Beauty told me about the roses, and I kind of worked them into the story for her. That sounds *really* cool. I can't remember what Adah said about where she's from. But why wouldn't she like you?" She frowned. "You're very likable!"

"I know!" A.J. said, throwing up his arms for a moment, helplessly with a light chuckle before scooping out some ice cream. "Too likeable for my own good," he added, with a touch more seriousness, but then smiled easily again, "but she just doesn't for some reason. She always gives me these glares and looks and stuff and, I dunno. River and Beauty seem to like her well enough, though, so maybe it's just me."

"I don't know, the only time I met her was that weekend, and I was freaking out about the lost memory, so of course I doubt she was much herself right then either. She seemed okay. A little goth, maybe?" Charlie shook her head. "Odd. You probably remind her of her fifth grade teacher or something." She grinned. "And you're *not* too likable for your own good, is that even possible? Silliness. River and Beauty like you, so... yeah."

A.J. snorted. "Clearly, then, River and Beauty just like everyone. And, yes," he said significantly as he poured some milk into the blender and prepared to blend. "It is possible."

For once, he wasn't saying anything at all while the noise of the blender rang, though he did frown a bit at the mixing shake.

Charlie winced, remembering the thing with Annette, although she still thought that was all Griselda's fault.

Hmmm.

She flipped open her notebook. Might as well give Turtle something to be happy about.

"Tell me where you hid the magic amulet!" Alice demanded. "You were the last one to have it!"

Griselda sniffled in her position chained to the floor of Alice's dungeon. "I lost it."

"Lost it! Unbelievable!"

A.J. sighed a little as he turned off the blender, resolving to just not think about it. He'd made his choice, he was going to stick by it, even if it wasn't easy. He poured the shake into a cup and, placing a napkin under it as he did, side it onto the counter in front of Charlie. His elbows were quick to follow, as he leaned in to peek at her writing.

"This doesn't look familiar," he commented, then looked up toward her in expectation for an explanation.

"It's a new fairytale for Beauty, because she told me about the legend of the magic forest near where she lives," Charlie explained. "And then I got interested, and starting making up new stuff, and, well... Turtle gave me the villainess." She grinned, and leaned over to put a straw in her shake, and take a long, satisfying slurp. "It should *definitely* have illustrations, I think."

"Well," A.J. said with a smirk as he peeked over at a few more of the words, "you know I'm a slave to my art, so I'm definitely game. 'Specially if it's for Beauty, too."

"Yayyy! Uh, Alice? Might bear a strong resemblance to a certain forthright store owner whose initials are TW." Actually, they were TRW, but Charlie was sworn to secrecy on that. "And Verity might look a lot like Beauty. But that's your call." She pushed the notebook over to him. "You can read the first few pages, if you want. How are things going with the maybe-person you mentioned before?"

A.J. smiled a little as the notebook was pushed his way, pulling it closer and eager to start skimming through it when Charlie's comment caught him and he blinked up at her with a confused look. "The maybe-perso--?" Blink. "Oh!" Another blink, this time with a fiercely red blush and a duck of his head. "Oh, yeah, uh, hi-- um. Not...not so good anymore, since, uh, last time we talked. But, y'know," he shook his head. "Just...stuff. Happens..."

"Awwwww. I'm sorry about that. But..." She cocked her head, taking another pull on her shake. "You don't look very upset about that. And what kind of 'stuff' are we talking about, here?"

"It's...come on, Charlie, you don't really want to hear about that kind of thing, do you?" A.J. turned his best, pleading, sincerely desperate puppy eyes her way, although part of him was thinking he should just take the invitation and run with it. Maybe Charlie could help put things in perspective. "I mean, it was just me being a complete tool and I totally deserve that everything went to hell, so..."

"Hey! You are not a tool! You weren't with Gris-- Annette, so I kinda doubt you were again," Charlie protested, reaching out to poke him with one finger. "And I wanna hear if you want to talk. That's what friends and artistic partners are for, right?"

A.J. drew in a tentative breath. "I...I guess, but.." He sighed again, shoulders sagging. "Charlie, seriously. You actually have a good opinion of me right now, I don't want to ruin that, because, really, it was really, really stupid of me. Probably stupider than the Griselda-slash-Annette thing."

Charlie's eyes got wider, but the sympathy was still there. "Seriously? In a not-fixable way? I promise, I won't think less of you. You've got no idea about some of the stuff *I've* done. But believe me, I'd win any stupid-badness contests." Even if it *was* eight years ago. "But the sad puppy eyes are killing me here!"

Go away, icky cold. ;_;

*sends virtual tea and soup* :(

Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Re: Talk to A.J. -- 10/28

Mod your Service -- 10/28

OOC -- 10/28

Re: OOC -- 10/28