fandomtownies | Mystery Sign Theatre, Wednesday

Entry tags:

Mystery Sign Theatre, Wednesday

Kate was still largely just wanting to go home to Kansas, but at least she'd found herself a brief distraction for today. She'd first spent part of her morning persuading a couple of her coworkers into doing her bidding, and then supervised them as they updated the marquee for the day:

TODAY'S SHOWING:
Cabbie

FREE ADMISSION IF YOUR NAME IS NATHAN
AND YOU'RE EIGHTEEN AND A DAY

They'd had to push the smaller letters pretty tight together to make it all fit on there and technically, it wasn't free so much as it was something Kate had paid for in advance, but whatever. She was pleased with the marquee and snapped a photo of it on her phone before going in and getting to work. Even if a certain Mr. Young and his possible post-birthday hangover didn't wander through this part of town today, she'd have proof of her gift of sorts.

Mystery Sign Theatre 3000 was open for business!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Nathan is a vile Irishman who was a dick over Parents Weekend and still got this kind of a birthday present from me," Kate replied nonchalantly, even if she hadn't bothered to try and suppress the pleased grin that had appeared on her face at his sudden appearance. "So I guess he's a friend. Hi, Jack."

"I don't think you even remembered my birthday," Jack said, not that he actually thought Kate knew it. "He must be a good friend. Or his accent is better than mine."

Grinning back, he added, "Hi. I wanted to see Emma, and I have a few extra days in town. How's the movie business?"

"Quiet," she replied wryly, then held up the cellphone that was still in her hand. "But, for instance today I've pretty much been getting paid for texting my mom, so I can't say I'm like, actually complaining."

"I miss getting paid to play on the law office computers," Jack said wistfully. "Was your mother out for the weekend?"

Kate snorted. "God no," she said emphatically. "She's not allowed on here ever again. My brother came with his best friend, and so did the guy I'm seeing."

And she couldn't help making a slight face at that last one.

"Is he also not allowed on here ever again?" Jack asked, scrunching his brow a bit at the face.

"More like he's not allowed near my friends ever again," Kate replied, rolling her eyes at the whole weekend. "Or vice versa, really. So no, I guess not."

"You realize this is making me wonder what's wrong with him," Jack said. Because clearly what Kate needed was another protective boy in her life.

Though another possibility occurred to him. "... oh, lord, did Mitchell pick a fight?"

"No, thank Christ, but Nathan tried to." She made another face. "And as far as I can tell, Mitchell did pull an 'if you hurt her I will end you', but that's not so bad. At least I hope Zach's not just holding out on me with the deets."

Because Mitchell probably could've scared Zach into dumping her if he'd wanted to.

"And Puck hates him too, but at least he behaved himself."

"Idiot with the mohawk?" Jack checked, agreeing 'if you hurt her I will end you' was not so bad, all things considered. "Why does he have an opinion about who you date?"

"I don't know, because it's all the rage these days to hate on who Kate is dating?" she suggested. "Puck thinks Zach looks like a tool. And a yuppie. I can maybe agree with the last one, I just don't think it's a bad thing."

"I'm the wrong person to ask entirely," Jack said. He'd settled on a relatively preppy modern style because it was neat, simple, and required little extra thought; if it made him look like a tool, so be it. "And now I need to be sad I missed out on my chance. I suppose there's graduation."

"Oh, no, he's never coming here again," Kate said, shaking her head. "I'm sad you didn't get a chance because you're probably the only one who I would've trusted to behave himself without getting judgey or dickish, but no. I'm gonna die from stress if he comes here again."

"Why trust me?" Jack asked, a bit warily. He had a sinking fear this was somehow about Sebastien.

"Because you're all --" She waved a hand at him, trying to convey some vague quality he was in possession of. "-- Victorian and polite and stuff. At least you wouldn't have been jumping to conclusions and acting like an ass straight away."

"I usually wait until people prove they deserve me to be an ass to them," Jack said loftily. (Praise always pleased him.) "Besides, it's not as if every relationship I've ever been in has made sense from the outside."

"See, me too," Kate replied, nodding. "I don't think any of my relationships have made sense from the outside." Some not even from the inside, but anyway. "I'm still waiting for an inevitable lecture from Mitchell about dating someone older than me."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Is he picking up women at old age homes now?"

Really. In his mind (if not in the eyes of the law) Kate was close enough to an adult to date whoever she wanted.

Edited 2011-03-16 19:21 (UTC)

"My argument exactly." Of course, Kate had already hooked up with a twentysomething while she'd been only fifteen, so she was probably not the best judge of these things. "I mean, I'm sure it'll make for a change of pace from Nathan's 'he's a dick' argument but still, I already don't want to hear it. It's not like I'm a fucking toddler."

Jack ... had spent most of his life in love with someone working on his second millennium. Not the best judge of these things was an epic understatement.

"Out of sheer curiosity, how much older is he?" Jack asked. "I understand it's not in fashion anymore, but where I grew up you could have married a 40-year-old without anyone glancing twice."

Especialyl if said 40-year-old had money.

"He's twenty seven," Kate shrugged. "So, I don't think it's that much older, really."

Well, of course she wouldn't.

"That's almost nothing," Jack agreed. "What does he do with himself, when he's not being threatened by your friends?"

"He owns a chain of restaurants," she told him, shrugging a shoulder again. "It's a pretty successful business, those places are all over Kansas City."

"I'm having a hard time seeing him as a horrible threat, based on that."

Success tended to impress Jack.

"That's because he isn't one." Duh. "And the time I'm spending with him is kinda the best I have in general right now, so I'm getting really tired of everyone giving me shit for it."

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]

Re: Talk to Kate [Mar 16]