Loriot: Alright, guys, this is my last one for a bit. I'm going away for a week or so – family vacation. I apologize for the poor quality (this is completely unedited), but I'm pretty tired. My work schedule was completely shifted (new job, really), and now I'm not getting very much sleep. I hope you guys enjoy this, despite grammar, etc. I liked the 'innocent touch' of the last story, so I hoped the capture that again. Now, I want to go to bed. It's nearly 11, and I get up at 6. I'll hopefully fix this one day.
Questions
The bus was dim, quiet, except for the snores of some sleeping students. The entirety of the freshmen English classes had gone on a long field trip to see two Shakespearean plays – As You Like It and A Midsummer's Night Dream. The bus trip itself was nearly three hours long. Though it was nearly seven in the evening, they still had an hour to drive. After the initial leg of the trip, the students became sleepy, most opting to take a nap before getting home to work on homework that had been assigned to them before leaving. Jimmy and Cindy were sitting in the back seat. Cindy had one leg curled under her, the other dangling off the seat as she faced Jimmy. He was turned toward her slightly, his knee pulled up on the empty space between them. In the seat before the, both Sheen and Libby were sound asleep. Outside the window, twilight glimmered peacefully.
Cindy sighed. She and Jimmy were the only two left awake on the bus. She had been reading; Jimmy had been working on some blueprint, but now it was too dark to consider straining her eyes. Looking up, she noticed that Jimmy was watching her. Or appeared to be. She glanced away shyly. A few more minutes passed. She gently nudged his knee with her own.
"Want to play a game?" she asked quietly.
"Sure, what did you have in mind?"
"I dunno. Twenty Questions?"
Jimmy looked thoughtful. "Am I a person?"
"Hey! You're supposed to give me a minute to think of something."
"Fine."
The pair settled into a peaceful silence as Cindy thought. By the time she decided on the answer, she was feeling very placid. "Alright. Yes, I am a person."
Jimmy shifted, draping his arm along the top of the seat. "'Am I male?"
"Yes."
"Am I elderly?
Cindy snorted. "No."
"Hmm. Am I fictitious?"
"Yes." Jimmy paused to consider his next question. Sleepily, Cindy draped her arm along the top of the seat, her hand resting millimeters away from Jimmy's.
"Am I within a specific genre?"
Cindy frowned, contemplating her answer. ". . . Yes."
"Action/Adventure?"
"No."
Jimmy wrinkled his nose. "Romance?"
Cindy laughed quietly, shifting forward, hand brushing against Jimmy's. "No." Lightly, almost tenderly, Jimmy's finger tips brushed hers. She responded unconscientiously, fingers closing slightly over his, her rough karate-induced calluses brushing roughly against his lab-smooth hands.
"Mystery?" Jimmy asked quietly. The world was quiet; the hum of the bus had faded into the background. The pair was solely concentrating on the soft touch of the other.
"Yes." And the game, of course.
"Am I well known?" Shifting in her seat, Cindy saw rather than felt their hands fall, hitting the seat with a muffled thwap. As she answered she softly traced swirled across Jimmy's palm.
"Yes." Jimmy's voice was growing softer, a frown in place as he thought. His hand suddenly closed around Cindy's, their fingers intertwining.
"Am I in a series?" The bus sped over pot hole, sending them jolting in the air. Jimmy held out his free hand to steady her.
"Yes." Cindy was breathless, hypersensitive to the fact jimmy's hand was now resting low on her waist, disappointed enough to cry when he slowly released her.
"Am I old enough to drive?" Jimmy was watching Cindy intently, fixated on the way her eyes shone, even in the dim light. He was distinctly reminded on one evening years ago before their trip to Mars. What had ever happened to that perfume?
"Yes."
"To drink?" Cindy's gaze dropped as she became shy once again under his gaze. She pulled his hand into her lap,
"No."
"Am I aspiring to follow in someone's footsteps?"
"Yes." Cindy glanced up Jimmy, tightening her grip, marveling how much larger his hand was compared to hers. Jimmy rubbed the back of Cindy's hand gently with his thumb.
"Is that person a relative?"
"Yes."
"Am I romantically involved?" Upon the word 'romantic,' Cindy looked up. Jimmy was once again deep in thought. His eyes fixated on a spot above her.
"No." There was a brief pause before his next question.
"Did I meet another literary character?"
"Yes."
"Is there more than one of me?" Cindy almost laughed at this. He had it.
"Yes."
"Am I the Hardy Boys?"
"Yes." Cindy dipped her head in conformation, pleased he was able to get to the answer.
The pair sat quietly for a minute, eyes downcast.
"Is this . . .?" Jimmy began softly, adding a bit of pressure to Cindy's hand.
"It's fine," Cindy murmured, barely loud enough to hear. Jimmy visibly relaxed.
"My turn?"
"Sure, Neutron, if you so desire." Cindy teased gently, shifting so she could sit closer to the blue-eyed genius. "Am I a person?"
"Yes."
"Am I male?"
"No." Cindy smirked.
"Marie Curie," she said simply. Jimmy's jaw dropped slightly in surprise.
"How did you—"
"Neutron, you aren't that hard to figure out."
