"Mind if I sit here?" Radar mumbled, among the general hubbub of the crowd.
Meg had perched herself in the back row of the auditorium, near the door, where she was trying to sit still as she watched all the kine throng in, exacerbating her still dazed condition.
"I'd sit closer to the screen," Radar continued, "But I can't sit too close, the picture is too big, and I get dizzy looking at it." He shuffled nervously.
She smiled some, "Yeah, I know how you feel." She scooched over.
"I brought you some coffee, if you wanted some. It's only lukewarm, but--"
"Ehh... no thanks." She grabbed her stomach a bit, "I've had enough of that mortal stuff toni--" she paused mid-sentence as Radar thrust a coffee mug toward her, which she could instantly pick out as NOT being full of coffee. She took the cup.
"Thanks," she finally said, smiling and sipping. "I'm Meg... um, did I tell you that before?"
Radar nodded, "A few times, actually, but I don't mind. I'm Walter. My good friends call me Radar, though."
"Wh--" "Because I sometimes know what's going to happen before it does. It was also my Uncle Ed's nickname, I kind of grew into it."
Meg grinned and shook her head, "Okay, Radar, tell me when the--"
"Now."
"--lights are going to get turned out," Meg trailed off as the lights seemed to switch off at Radar's command.
Radar lowered his voice as the movie began to run.
"Okay, now is it my turn to ask a question?"
"Only if you don't mind my not answering it until you're done talking."
"Well, I guess it'll have to do-- but, seriously, promise you won't laugh, even if the question sounds really silly?"
Meg shook her head, "Nope. Unless it's "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?""
Radar giggled, "Well, that was going to be it, but if you prefer, I'll try something else."
"Please." Meg stated playfully.
"Okay... here goes..." Radar took a deep breath, leaned in close to the Scourge, and... bleated.
"How do you do that 'Nos trick' thing you did in the O.C.?" was what he said. Meg blinked, and understood.
"How did you--?" she sputtered, then, testing, bleated, "How did you learn to speak Lambish?"
Radar blushed, "Well, I am one, you see, I only look like this to other people," he bleated out softly, spreading his arms in a helpless indication of his physical person. "I was wondering if you could teach me to let people see what I really look like."
"You're a what? I mean, I guess I believe you... or maybe I'm just drunker than I thought." She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
"I'm a lamb. My glasses are also a bear, and my teddy bear is a dragon." Radar elaborated.
"Now you're yanking my chain."
"I just wanna know how you let people see your... lamb parts."
"I didn't. I mean, I don't. It's not--- baah--- the Nos trick is to NOT let your real self be seen. Or else all the Nos get in a big load of trouble. But it doesn't do us Gangrel much bad, either."
"Oh. That's too bad. Why'd you want to hide it?"
"Because it's ugly--"
"I didn't think so--" Radar cut in, almost too hastily, quite awkwardly, and, believe me, it sounded even more awkward in Lambish. Like a sickly little squeal of a bleat.
"And besides," the Scourge continued, "If all the kine-- err- humans-- saw it, they'd all wanna kill me."
"I guess that's a good point. I think Father Mulcahy wants to kill me. And he's the only one who can see me, really, in the whole world."
Meg was quiet a while, "You really think I'm pretty, Radar?"
Radar blushed like a demon, and nodded.
Meg giggled a bit, human-wise, and then bleated, "Thanks. A girl needs to hear that, from time to time." She stared at the movie screen a while, thinking to herself, and Radar did the same, until she finally spoke again.
"Your accent's familiar. Where are you from?"
"Near Ottumwa, Iowa." Radar readily replied.
"Oh, geez, you swear you didn't just yank that out of my brain? That's near where I'm from. I'm from Chinnaughay, Iowa."
"Chinnaughay? I went to all four years of high school, there! I had to drive in by car, Ottumwa didn't have one."
"Yeah, I remember the Ottumwa students coming in, when I was there." Meg sighed, "I can't believe how much I remember, good ol' Jimmy P High..."
"Jimmy P?"
"That's what we called it. You know, James Peters High School...?"
Radar shook his head, "No... the school I went to in Chinnaughay we called M.M. High... Megan Madditon High School."
Meg did a double take, "What?" she bleated loudly, then, more quietly, "What?"
Radar nodded, "Yeah, Ma told me they named it after some girl who went missing bout--" Radar paused, blinking. "Bout 30 or 40 years ago." He trailed off.
The sounds of the movie overcame their conversation for a moment, before Meg finally corrected him, "More like 50."
"Hey!" someone finally shouted from the center of the 'theater.' Someone tell the shepherd to take the flock outside, I'm trying to watch the movie, huh?"
Meg shifted in her seat and finally climbed awkwardly over Radar, "Scuse me, I'm going to get a bit of fresh air." She mumbled distractedly.
"Need some company?" Radar whispered back.
"No. I-- We'll talk later, okay, Radar?" She even smiled at him through her distraction. She, though she hesitated, even swooped down and placed a little kiddish kiss on his forehead, right under the brim of his cap. Nothing more than a sister would give a brother.
But it took the words right out of the Pooka's mouth. And you all know how hard it is to do THAT.
~
Meg had perched herself in the back row of the auditorium, near the door, where she was trying to sit still as she watched all the kine throng in, exacerbating her still dazed condition.
"I'd sit closer to the screen," Radar continued, "But I can't sit too close, the picture is too big, and I get dizzy looking at it." He shuffled nervously.
She smiled some, "Yeah, I know how you feel." She scooched over.
"I brought you some coffee, if you wanted some. It's only lukewarm, but--"
"Ehh... no thanks." She grabbed her stomach a bit, "I've had enough of that mortal stuff toni--" she paused mid-sentence as Radar thrust a coffee mug toward her, which she could instantly pick out as NOT being full of coffee. She took the cup.
"Thanks," she finally said, smiling and sipping. "I'm Meg... um, did I tell you that before?"
Radar nodded, "A few times, actually, but I don't mind. I'm Walter. My good friends call me Radar, though."
"Wh--" "Because I sometimes know what's going to happen before it does. It was also my Uncle Ed's nickname, I kind of grew into it."
Meg grinned and shook her head, "Okay, Radar, tell me when the--"
"Now."
"--lights are going to get turned out," Meg trailed off as the lights seemed to switch off at Radar's command.
Radar lowered his voice as the movie began to run.
"Okay, now is it my turn to ask a question?"
"Only if you don't mind my not answering it until you're done talking."
"Well, I guess it'll have to do-- but, seriously, promise you won't laugh, even if the question sounds really silly?"
Meg shook her head, "Nope. Unless it's "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?""
Radar giggled, "Well, that was going to be it, but if you prefer, I'll try something else."
"Please." Meg stated playfully.
"Okay... here goes..." Radar took a deep breath, leaned in close to the Scourge, and... bleated.
"How do you do that 'Nos trick' thing you did in the O.C.?" was what he said. Meg blinked, and understood.
"How did you--?" she sputtered, then, testing, bleated, "How did you learn to speak Lambish?"
Radar blushed, "Well, I am one, you see, I only look like this to other people," he bleated out softly, spreading his arms in a helpless indication of his physical person. "I was wondering if you could teach me to let people see what I really look like."
"You're a what? I mean, I guess I believe you... or maybe I'm just drunker than I thought." She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
"I'm a lamb. My glasses are also a bear, and my teddy bear is a dragon." Radar elaborated.
"Now you're yanking my chain."
"I just wanna know how you let people see your... lamb parts."
"I didn't. I mean, I don't. It's not--- baah--- the Nos trick is to NOT let your real self be seen. Or else all the Nos get in a big load of trouble. But it doesn't do us Gangrel much bad, either."
"Oh. That's too bad. Why'd you want to hide it?"
"Because it's ugly--"
"I didn't think so--" Radar cut in, almost too hastily, quite awkwardly, and, believe me, it sounded even more awkward in Lambish. Like a sickly little squeal of a bleat.
"And besides," the Scourge continued, "If all the kine-- err- humans-- saw it, they'd all wanna kill me."
"I guess that's a good point. I think Father Mulcahy wants to kill me. And he's the only one who can see me, really, in the whole world."
Meg was quiet a while, "You really think I'm pretty, Radar?"
Radar blushed like a demon, and nodded.
Meg giggled a bit, human-wise, and then bleated, "Thanks. A girl needs to hear that, from time to time." She stared at the movie screen a while, thinking to herself, and Radar did the same, until she finally spoke again.
"Your accent's familiar. Where are you from?"
"Near Ottumwa, Iowa." Radar readily replied.
"Oh, geez, you swear you didn't just yank that out of my brain? That's near where I'm from. I'm from Chinnaughay, Iowa."
"Chinnaughay? I went to all four years of high school, there! I had to drive in by car, Ottumwa didn't have one."
"Yeah, I remember the Ottumwa students coming in, when I was there." Meg sighed, "I can't believe how much I remember, good ol' Jimmy P High..."
"Jimmy P?"
"That's what we called it. You know, James Peters High School...?"
Radar shook his head, "No... the school I went to in Chinnaughay we called M.M. High... Megan Madditon High School."
Meg did a double take, "What?" she bleated loudly, then, more quietly, "What?"
Radar nodded, "Yeah, Ma told me they named it after some girl who went missing bout--" Radar paused, blinking. "Bout 30 or 40 years ago." He trailed off.
The sounds of the movie overcame their conversation for a moment, before Meg finally corrected him, "More like 50."
"Hey!" someone finally shouted from the center of the 'theater.' Someone tell the shepherd to take the flock outside, I'm trying to watch the movie, huh?"
Meg shifted in her seat and finally climbed awkwardly over Radar, "Scuse me, I'm going to get a bit of fresh air." She mumbled distractedly.
"Need some company?" Radar whispered back.
"No. I-- We'll talk later, okay, Radar?" She even smiled at him through her distraction. She, though she hesitated, even swooped down and placed a little kiddish kiss on his forehead, right under the brim of his cap. Nothing more than a sister would give a brother.
But it took the words right out of the Pooka's mouth. And you all know how hard it is to do THAT.
~