video for Stephanie and spam

[fire_punk]

Private to Stephanie

[Kevin can't help his grin as he turns on the camera. He's already dressed to leave the ship and is fidgeting with the cuffs and collar of his suit. It's definitely not anything he's used to wearing.] Hey, Stephanie! You said you didn't want to stay here and we're at a port. It's not permanent but... It'd be some time off the Barge. It'll be fun.

Spam

[Kevin's been exploring as much of the fair as he can get to. He definitely needs spending money and he doesn't want to have to keep asking Jesse for more. The obvious solution is to hang out in the carnival area a bit and play with fire and paper. Everyone should just assume he's doing some kind of a trick, not magic, right? Besides, it's fun showing off what he can do. If he can make enough money, he'll buy one of those naked paintings over in that art building. If he makes more than that... Maybe he'll stay at a hotel instead of going back to the Barge overnight.]

[OOC: Feel free to run into Kevin anywhere in the fair. Just specify in the header.]

Comments

[fire_punk]

[Kevin's trying not to laugh. Really, he is. He's just not succeeding very well.] Yeah. It's cooler than what I had back home. [He really does like this better than the centerfold pinup he had in his room. The paintings seem more... more something.]

[yeahscience]

[That gets a slightly skeptical glance; Kevin, he's pretty sure he knows what you had back home. It's not like he doesn't didn't have his own private collection, after all. He's still pretty much a teenage boy at heart.

On the other hand...]

And if, uh, anyone asks, that's what this is, right? Art appreciation.

[fire_punk]

Sure. I mean, I guess. [He doesn't get the big deal but if Jesse says so...

He points to another one. A red-head, this time.] I like her. She's... [He shrugs, not sure how to say it.] She looks nice.

[yeahscience]

If someone in particular asks, I mean. Like Lua, someone. [He doesn't think Lua would really mind that much, but Claire absolutely would have, and he's not sure he wants to risk the fight. He gives Kevin a knowing look and follows him to the redheaded woman, folding his arms thoughtfully.]

I dunno if nice is what I'd call it, yo.

[fire_punk]

Yeah, sure. [He still doesn't understand why it's such a big deal.]

Then what would you call her?

[yeahscience]

Smoking hot, mostly. [She reminds him a little of Ivy; for just a second, he misses her a little.]

[fire_punk]

[He can't help laughing at that.] Yeah, she's that, too. I meant her face, though. Not pretty. I mean she's that, too, but... [He shrugs. He doesn't know how to say these things.]

[yeahscience]

But... [He glances over, curious.]

[fire_punk]

She looks... [He sighs, searching for a word, any word that might come close.] Good.

[yeahscience]

[He laughs.] Yeah, okay. That's one way of putting it too, I guess.

[fire_punk]

No, Jesse. [This is really getting frustrating. That's not what he's talking about, Jesse!] Not good like she's hot. Good like... like you.

[yeahscience]

[He's openly caught off-guard by that. That's an understatement, really. He blinks, smile fading in sheer surprise.]

That's...

[Wrong, he wants to say, but for once he keeps his mouth shut. Someday, he'll let Kevin get a look at his file, maybe, tell him about the operation and Gale and Drew... Today, for once, he swallows it back and lets Kevin look up to him. That's what he's wanted, right? He smiles wanly.]

Thanks, man. Thank you.

[He takes a deep breath and lets it out, looking to the painting.] How are you doing, lately?

[fire_punk]

[Even if Kevin knew about that, he'd still say Jesse's good. Now, anyway.]

Good, I guess. School's weird.

[yeahscience]

Yeah. [It's such an obvious truth to him that he doesn't think to say anything else at first, but then he realizes he should probably ask:] Weird like how?

[fire_punk]

Nothing makes sense. [He's so far from being high school level. He never even went to middle school. It's frustrating.] Except shop.

[yeahscience]

Oh. Yeah. [He hesitates, not sure how to respond. He did go to middle school, but it's not like that had helped him when he'd gotten to high school and still hadn't understood a fucking thing. Kevin's situation there is pretty much identical to his... but all he can think of is how he responded, and how stupid that had been in retrospect.]

Stick with it, though, right? I mean, maybe you can ask someone to like... tutor or whatever. School's important.

[fire_punk]

But... why? Why does it matter if I know all that stuff? [He hates always feeling left out like he does when people talk about things he's never heard of and just assume he should know them. But he's so tired of not understanding a thing in class.]

[yeahscience]

[He shifts uncomfortably.] You just... you do, right? Like we talked about. Open doors and all. [He rubs the back of his neck.] It's important.

[fire_punk]

Why do people care if I know what's in salt? [At least that part wasn't too terribly confusing. But it was the only thing in that lesson he'd understood.]

[yeahscience]

[Salt. Does he know what's in salt? He tries to think back and comes up blank, and it makes him laugh, because he can talk about lithium and magnesium and phosphate now, but not salt.

The laugh becomes something of a groan and he rubs a hand over his face, moves closer to Kevin, lowers his voice to a near-whisper. This isn't really the place he wanted to have this talk, but it's the only thing he can think to say.]

What would you say if I told you I was one of the best chemists in the country back home? I mean, definitely in the southwest, but as far as I know it pretty much anywhere. Except that I got no idea what's in salt. I don't... know much about anything, except how to make this one thing.

[Off Kevin's look, he drops his head, but forces himself to keep his eyes up.] Poison. Drugs.

[fire_punk]

You mean like during that flood?

[yeahscience]

No. [He says it immediately, vehemently, because nothing could ever make him want to be like that. Not like that.] Not like that asshole.

[Except yes, actually, very much like that asshole. He falters, and now his eyes do fall. He wipes a hand across his mouth, picks anxiously at a fingernail.] But the, uh, job, that was the same, yeah. Cooking, selling.

[fire_punk]

Oh. [It's okay, Jesse. He gets it.] That's a big thing where you're from?

[yeahscience]

Yeah. Enough to keep us in mad cheddar for a while.

[fire_punk]

So you're saying I should learn to do that?