Outside Everything But the Monkey, Sunday afternoon

[lovemykilt]

Jane had actually made Priestly breakfast -- when they'd both gotten around to waking up, anyway, Priestly wasn't so far past teenagerhood as to not be able to sleep in like a champion -- and it was even pretty goddamn good.

"Uh, duh," Jane had said. "What'd you expect? I grew up in a restaurant."

Which was a good point, really.

Now, Priestly was taking her on a tour of Fandom, pointing out high spots and avoiding looking at the lows. Jane was dutifully pretending to be interested -- it wasn't actually that hard, she was enjoying finding out her father was a real person, once upon a time -- and looking for the best places to get into trouble on her own.

"And this is where Dinah helped me pick out Ramone," Priestly said, gesturing to the shop.

"I thought you and Mom rescued Ramone from behind the record store," Jane said, referring to her childhood cat. "And who the hell is Dinah?"

"Yeah, sorry, honey, but your universe is clearly defective."

[ooc: open, la!]

Comments

[newlances.livejournal.com]

Laurie had been wandering around town on her own, checking out the shops and restaurants, the beach, some of the houses. It was a little weird, but mostly just touristy, from what she could see.

She stopped a few stores down on the sidewalk, when she saw Priestly and Jane, torn between running and confronting again.

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

Jane happened to glance over and spot Laurie looking. She raised a couple fingers in greeting, then bumped Priestly with her shoulder.

"Let me guess, Dad. Old girlfriend?"

Priestly looked up. "You're hilarious. Hey, Laurie!" he called. "How's it going?"

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"It's going." Laurie shrugged one shoulder, then nodded at the other girl. "Hey." Awwwkward. "So, no other little rugrats around today?"

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

"No, thank gawd," Jane said. "I'm Jane. How d'ya know my dad?"

"This is Laurie," Priestly said. "Dinah's daughter."

"Aaaaaand who is Dinah, again?"

[newlances.livejournal.com]

That reaction made Laurie smother a grin of sympathy, because wow, she was so on board with that.

"Dinah Queen. Um, would've been Lance, while she was here, I guess." Laurie grimaced, then pointed at Priestly. "They were best friends in high school. Or something. Mine didn't actually go here, it's confusing. Blonde amazon?"

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

"So she looks just like you?" Jane guessed. "Nope, never met her." She hadn't slowed down long enough in the diner, last night. "I dunno if my dad ever went here or not, but he sure doesn't talk about it if he did." She shrugged. "I know he went to private school before he met my mom, but that's it."

"That'd actually explain a lot," Priestly noted.

"Yeah, you were too busy being crazy to figure out you liked my mom."

". . . Something like that."

[newlances.livejournal.com]

Laurie made a face, then said, "She's prettier." Yeah, having a couple guys drool over her mom hadn't helped things over the last few months. "So, he's not your dad, and she's not my mom, but we still got stuck here. This island is so weird."

Just then she was distracted by one of the animals in the window. "What the heck is that? (http://yorkieblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Find-Exotic-Pets-Online.jpg)"

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

"I doubt that," Jane said, tilting her head a little. Laurie was really pretty. Then she looked to what Laurie was indicating. "Holy shit! It's like a lemur fucked a cat!"

"Jesus, Jane." Priestly grimaced. "Crass, much?"

[newlances.livejournal.com]

Laurie was laughing, way too entertained at the byplay and Jane's dramatics. "We have to see what other weird things they've got in here... and is that even possible? Wouldn't a cat just take out a lemur?" She grinned at Jane, holding the door for her and Priestly.

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

"Maybe the clerk knows?" Jane guessed. "Hey, maybe they have a liger! (http://www.maniacworld.com/liger.jpg)"

Priestly looked between the two of them, eyebrow cocked. "Uh, you two go ahead. You don't need Jane's not-so-old man cramping your style."

Also, there was a weird flirty thing maybe happening here that made his head hurt and he had to go find Dinah and hide from the imaginary future children.

"Shoo, then!" Jane said. "We're totally adults." Then she made a childlike squeeing noise. "Is that a red panda?!"

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Oh my god it is! (http://news.worldwild.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/red_panda.jpg)" Laurie put her hands to her face to muffle the meeping in joy. "Maybe I can guilt my parents into getting me one? You think? Look at its little face!"

She barely noticed Priestly leaving; he seemed okay, kinda cool, but... just knowing that he knew her mom in a way her dad didn't weirded her out.

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

Jane got that -- or would if she ever, you know, met Dinah long enough to actually hear her talk. "Best way to get your parents to agree to something is to just do it," Jane decided. "How much d'you think they are?"

She was the best influence ever.

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Probably a few thousand or so," Laurie said, making faces at it through the glass. "No big. Dad was going to get me a car for my birthday. I'll just say I want this instead." She grinned at Jane sideways. "Would your parents be cool with one of these little guys? Your dad seems... fine." Not really fine with Laurie, maybe, but whatever.

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, he's pretty cool. You know, for a dad. I keep him and Mom in line." Mostly by being a force of nature herself. "Your parents are going to buy you a car? I've been fussing at Dad for one for ages but he's just been driving the same old beat up thing since the dinosaurs or something."

The red panda stood up on its hind legs and started batting at the glass in Laurie's direction. Jane gasped. "Look! She likes you! She has taste."

Of course the panda was a she, shut up.

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Awwwwwwww." Laurie melted. She was a complete sap for animals, she'd own it. And this one was so. Cute. "Yeaaah. My dad's got money. He's got nine cars. As long as it's green, he'll buy it for me." She was quiet a minute and said, not looking at Jane, "Mom'll throw a fit, though."

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

Jane, who'd crouched down to look closer at the red panda, peered up. "Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Ugly thing." Laurie's face was sad, watching the panda. "Think they're splitting up. At least, Mom wants to. Dad's in denial." She bit her lip, then added, "Unless me being gone makes some stupid cable movie breakthrough and they realize they need each other and we're a family and ... yeah, I can't even make that sound real inside my own head." She blew out a breath.

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

"Yeeesh," Jane said sympathetically, straightening back up. "Why does she want to leave? Did she tell you?" She hadn't just gotten her penchant for painful body alterations from her father, no.

[newlances.livejournal.com]

Laurie blinked at that. Look, it was distracting, okay?

"She's trying to say stuff about how she needs her own life and she and dad want different things. But I heard her yelling at him." This was kind of too painful to tell her friends just yet. They'd judge, and remember, and if her parents did get back together it would so embarrassing. But Jane wouldn't be around past a few more days, so. "Something about this being the last time he lets her down and breaks her heart." Laurie leaned her head against the glass, watching a pair of tea-cup hedge-hogs (http://www.cutehomepets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/pet-hedgehog.png). "He's a great dad."

And didn't that sound weak?

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

That didn't make him a great husband.

"That sucks," Jane said. "I'm sorry." Her parents argued plenty, but then they usually made up with really loud sex she pretended not to hear. "Maybe you need to do something a little . . . smaller. To piss them off. Then they can bond over how weird teenagers are."

It always worked in her family. Extended one included.

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Well, if I'd done this on purpose, that would help." She slid Jane a considering look. "Like what, exactly? Coming home with a pot-bellied pig?" With her luck, her mom would just tell her to be sure and take care of it.

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

"Cute!" Jane said. "But no. That could end up being mean to the pig." Poor piggy. "You'd look awesome with a nose ring, though. I mean, not that you don't already look awesome. . . ."

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Yeah?" Laurie was turning pink, but grinning at the compliment, expression speculative. "A nose ring, and maybe something else? Like a tattoo?"

[hasafirstname.livejournal.com]

"Fantastic," Jane said. "I think I spotted a parlor around here."

Actually, her dad had pointed it out as where he and Dinah got tattoos, but she was pretty sure Laurie didn't want to hear that part.

[newlances.livejournal.com]

Jane had called that one exactly right. "Ooo!" Laurie looked back at the hedgehogs, and said, "Okay, these little guys can wait. Something to really freak out Dad, and... ohh, make my mom re-think her life choices! Yes." She looked at Jane, studying her piercings, envying her a little. "And new clothes to go with it!"