AN: Bit on the short side, but its a transitional chapter, sorry about that. Hopefully we can get into the convention proper in the next one.
Nobody 245: That flashback was actually set immediately after Luna and Lincoln's romantic dinner. So it doesn't represent new behavior, it's more to explain how she's already been acting. Sam's thing with Lynn isn't personal (Well, wasn't personal before she interrupted Lincoln's inspection of her costume.), she's just wary of anything that threatens her ship.
Guest: Agreed, Becky did absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, it's actually commonly accepted nowadays that a statuesque redhead is the best tool to clear one's airway in case of choking. Luna's clearly not up to date on her medical procedures.
Lincoln sprung from his seat the second that Vanzilla stopped moving. This was purely because of how excited he was to be finally be at Savvy Con, and had nothing to do with how cozy he'd been starting to feel, snuggled between Luna and Sam. The heady scent of Sam's perfume intermingling with the warmth and softness of the older girls had been...trying, to say the least.
As he exited the vehicle, Lincoln took a deep, satisfying breath, simultaneously clearing his head and removing the all too alluring scent of girl from his lungs. The parking lot was quite calm at the moment, but he knew it was only a matter of time before it would be teeming with life. The perrenial early bird con-goers were already lining up, as usual, determined to be among the first into the convention in spite of the fact that nothing worthwhile ever happened on the first day of the con, and in response food vendors were already gearing up to relieve the weak and ill-prepared from their hard earned convention funds. Lincoln shook his head, a bemused smile on his face. Twas a tale as old as time.
"Alright", Lori announced, taking charge as usual. "Lincoln and I going to check in. You guys stay here and watch the stuff.
Lori's eyes narrowed as she made a point of looking directly at Lynn.
"And behave." She concluded, leaving no doubt as to whom she was talking to.
Lynn's eyes narrowed in turn, and the two simply stood there, staring at each other. Lori quickly tired of the impromptu staring contest, and with a roll of her eyes, broke contact with the younger girl and turned away. Lori failed to notice the swift and silent raspberry Lynn sent her way as she did so, but Lincoln did not. He made a heroic effort to stifle the laughter that threatened to erupt, so as to not draw attention to the sporty girl's antics. But Lynn noticed, and the two shared a brief smile before Lincoln turned to join Lori.
Lincoln pulled up alongside the older girl, nodding to her as she slowed slightly, allowing him to match her stride. He took a moment to admire the costumed conventioneers in line. There were some really nice outfits on display, some of them even rivaling Leni's work. Though he couldn't help but notice how much more...*ahem*, attention grabbing, the female con-goers costumes tended to be.
It was at this point Lincoln realized that Lori was attracting quite a bit of attention herself. Some parts of her more than others. While he realized that Lori was probably used to that sort of thing, Lincoln found that he didn't appreciate the stares being sent his sister's way, and subtly re positioned himself so as to block as much of Lori from view as possible. He imagined that a great many of those lusty looks had probably changed to angry and indignant ones, now being sent his way. But he also found that he didn't particularly care.
He turned to address the older girl, only to find that she was already looking his way, her lips quirked upward in bemusement. She didn't say anything, but Lincoln flushed with embarrassment just the same.
Lori's lips quivered as she attempted to hold in her amusement, and she made an effort to add an extra little sashay to her stride. Lincoln's current position gave him a front row seat to the event, which, to her delight, caused her little brother to redden even further. Lori had already made peace with the fact that attending this convention would likely mean that she'd be drooled over like a piece of meat. This wasn't exactly a new problem for her, Lori had been dealing with situations like this since puberty had hit her like a runaway truck, then backed up over her a few times just for good measure. Add Leni's sewing wizardry to the equation, and it was sort of inevitable that she'd attract her share of attention. Lori had learned long ago that it was usually best to just ignore her unwanted admirers, with the judicial application of her patented acidic stare, and in more extreme cases, a good swift kick generally being enough to deter the most determined of would be suitors.
And so she has found it extremely amusing that Lincoln, of all people, had not only found it within himself to be offended on her behalf, but was also trying to protect her in his own little way. Some girls might have been offended at the presumption that they needed such protection, but she knew her little brother, and she knew that this came from a good place. Lincoln Loud was forever determined to play the hero, in spite of his unimposing stature and general lack of physicality. She knew that if one of those goobers had found the courage to actually approach her, there was very little that her brother would be able to do to deter them. But, she also knew with the utmost certainty that he would try his absolute hardest in spite of that, and that knowledge stirred something with in her.
Lori found herself struggling with the urge to sweep up her younger sibling into an appreciative cuddle, but the rational part of her mind was able to recognize that Lincoln probably wouldn't appreciate being manhandled like that in public. Instead, she opted to save him from his self-imposed embarrassment.
"So, little bro" she said conversationally, "Where's Clyde? I assumed you guys would be meeting up at some point."
"Oh. He actually had to bail on the convention." Lincoln replied, visibly relieved to have something else to focus on. "Family emergency."
"Oh." said Lori, now concerned. "Everything alright?"
She wasn't particularly disappointed. Clyde had a tendency to make things...difficult, especially when she was involved. But she also knew that his behavior wasn't entirely his own fault, boys got weird at that age. She frowned as the thought of Lincoln similarly going to pieces over a girl flashed through her mind. Images of her little brother following around a nondescript girl. Trying to do her favors. Presenting her with gifts. Proposing...
"There was a car accident." Lincoln continued, drawing her from her disturbing little reverie.
"Not involving Clyde". He immediately added, clearly reading the surprise on her face.
"The crash happened like, three blocks away from their house. But, you know how his dads can be." he said, rolling his eyes in amusement. Lori chuckled in agreement.
"They were so distraught over what could have happened that they ended up scheduling some therapy time for the entire family. Clyde wasn't too thrilled about that."
"I'll bet", Lori said, shaking with repressed laughter.
A bold impulse shot through her, and without thinking, she reached out and took the younger boy's hand in her own.
"Well," she said, locking eyes with him. "I guess it's just you and me then. Hope you're not too disappointed.'
Lincoln smiled, and gave Lori's hand an affectionate squeeze. "How could I be?"
And Lori knew that he meant it.