NOT ANOTHER TEEN DIMENSION - Nerds
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xp_logsTopaz and Felicia investigate the nerds.
The transition was just as they had described it to them; a momentary feeling of dislocation and suddenly they were in the halls of a high school.
Topaz looked up and down the halls. The quiet in her head was momentarily disturbing, but she shook it off. "Right. Peter Parker. Science kid, photographer." Oh god her accent was American. "Check the classrooms first? Library?"
“Wait. I think,” Felicia frowned, slowing in front of a small display case filled with photos and trophies of various sports teams, before beginning to dig in the tote purse on her shoulder. Pulling out an extremely thick, flagged, and decorated planner from its depths, she gave a quick glance at the delicate watch on her wrist before opening it up, flipping pages. "My Parker got one of his first side gigs because he had four years of experience taking decent team photos for the newspaper and the yearbook. It looks like they have someone competent," she said, gesturing with her chin towards the display case, eyes still on the aggressively organized planner. "So it may be the same here."
"Newspaper or yearbook office, then?" Topaz asked. She dug through her pocket to find a worn map of the school (apparently her teenage doppleganger didn't have a good memory), and started scanning it. "Looks like those are both on the first floor and pretty close to each other."
Felicia tapped a pearlescent pink nail against a certain line and looked up, closing the spiral bound manager, barely holding together after nine months of torture, closed with a weak snap. “Exactly. And at least one of them is meeting right now. Seems this Felicia really likes guillotining, which. Fair.”
“After you,” she said, gesturing Topaz forward.
They start down the hall, and finally Topaz has to break the silence to ask, "My time in American schools is limited, but I don't recall any beheadings at Bayville High."
“The time honoured tradition of the student council. It’s how you get rid of the upstarts,” Felicia replied, absently smoothing the pleats of her skirt as she followed. “It’s also the name of the type of photo trimmer yearbook would use. Which I will not be explaining why I know. Gives very accurate cuts though.”
"Oh the paper slicing thing. Right." Topaz had seen that thing in passing. But it was too easy to imagine her somehow chopping her fingers off, which... she'd pass on. She looked back down the hall and saw the hallway split off into four directions. A quick check of the map, and she turned left. "Yearbook room is right up here... do you want to go first? Seems like you're a part of it and I'm definitely not."
Felicia nodded before she slid herself a half step and to the left of Topaz, fiddling with the short necklace around her neck until the letters were perfectly centered with her collarbones. "You're welcome in advance this Felicia," she murmured, and threw open the door, scanning the startled faces who immediately hid back in their work when they realized who had entered. Some not fast enough.
"Parker!" she barked, giving a pressed showing of her teeth that only resembled a smile when he looked up at her. "With me, please?" she asked, sweet, and gestured for him to follow her out into the hall.
"Uh, um... me? Right, me. Sorry. Uh-" Peter clutched his camera protectively to his chest as he followed them out. "Um, hi? We, uh- we already got the Student Council photos. I think."
He was a nervous, anxious teenage boy. He didn't need a full-on interrogation. "You were hanging around the Science Club's room before that device disappeared, right?"
"Uh, no. No. No. I was taking pictures of the basketball game." He said, spectacularly unconvincingly while a range of tics ravaged his face.
"We approved the boys photos last week and the girls tourney starts this weekend," Felicia reminded him, just a little unkindly, before shifting onto her hip. "Look. You're not in trouble, Parker. I don't care if you stole it or not, but honestly your pictures are the only thing holding this yearbook together and I can't have you involved in a scandal, especially if it fucks things up enough that it transfers over into next year. Just tell me enough so I can get the story straight when the Lensherr inevitably asks. It's not like I can flirt with him."
"Why would I take it? I worked on it! I-" His defiance wilted in the face of Felicia. "I let Janet Van Dyne and Yelena Belova into the room with my key. But they didn't take the device, honest!"
"Why did they want to see it?" Topaz asked. "And why would you let them in?"
"They didn't care about it. They-" He paused, his face screwed up. Peter was a classic good kid, never stepped a foot wrong. "They wanted to take digital photos of the science final in Mr. Banner's test. They said if I let them in they'd tell Mary-Jane Watson to say yes if I asked her to the dance on Friday. And she did!" He said, hanging his head.
"God you're dumb," Felicia muttered, looking up at the ceiling in tandem with crossing her arms before remembering 17 and sweater set and subtly adjusted her pose, turning her glare at him. "Make sure the data cards aren't linked to you in any way. If Lensherr asks, I had you in the development room that day but you had to get more extra distilled water for the photo stop bath from the science rooms to explain why people saw you up there. If Janet and Yelena break we can admit you may have forgotten to lock the doors again, but anything else is our word against theirs and it's not like we're flunking out of anything that isn't graded by participation."
Lecture given, Felicia gave him a playful half shove back towards the yearbook room. "Don't be this stupid again. And have a nice time at the dance."
The transition was just as they had described it to them; a momentary feeling of dislocation and suddenly they were in the halls of a high school.
Topaz looked up and down the halls. The quiet in her head was momentarily disturbing, but she shook it off. "Right. Peter Parker. Science kid, photographer." Oh god her accent was American. "Check the classrooms first? Library?"
“Wait. I think,” Felicia frowned, slowing in front of a small display case filled with photos and trophies of various sports teams, before beginning to dig in the tote purse on her shoulder. Pulling out an extremely thick, flagged, and decorated planner from its depths, she gave a quick glance at the delicate watch on her wrist before opening it up, flipping pages. "My Parker got one of his first side gigs because he had four years of experience taking decent team photos for the newspaper and the yearbook. It looks like they have someone competent," she said, gesturing with her chin towards the display case, eyes still on the aggressively organized planner. "So it may be the same here."
"Newspaper or yearbook office, then?" Topaz asked. She dug through her pocket to find a worn map of the school (apparently her teenage doppleganger didn't have a good memory), and started scanning it. "Looks like those are both on the first floor and pretty close to each other."
Felicia tapped a pearlescent pink nail against a certain line and looked up, closing the spiral bound manager, barely holding together after nine months of torture, closed with a weak snap. “Exactly. And at least one of them is meeting right now. Seems this Felicia really likes guillotining, which. Fair.”
“After you,” she said, gesturing Topaz forward.
They start down the hall, and finally Topaz has to break the silence to ask, "My time in American schools is limited, but I don't recall any beheadings at Bayville High."
“The time honoured tradition of the student council. It’s how you get rid of the upstarts,” Felicia replied, absently smoothing the pleats of her skirt as she followed. “It’s also the name of the type of photo trimmer yearbook would use. Which I will not be explaining why I know. Gives very accurate cuts though.”
"Oh the paper slicing thing. Right." Topaz had seen that thing in passing. But it was too easy to imagine her somehow chopping her fingers off, which... she'd pass on. She looked back down the hall and saw the hallway split off into four directions. A quick check of the map, and she turned left. "Yearbook room is right up here... do you want to go first? Seems like you're a part of it and I'm definitely not."
Felicia nodded before she slid herself a half step and to the left of Topaz, fiddling with the short necklace around her neck until the letters were perfectly centered with her collarbones. "You're welcome in advance this Felicia," she murmured, and threw open the door, scanning the startled faces who immediately hid back in their work when they realized who had entered. Some not fast enough.
"Parker!" she barked, giving a pressed showing of her teeth that only resembled a smile when he looked up at her. "With me, please?" she asked, sweet, and gestured for him to follow her out into the hall.
"Uh, um... me? Right, me. Sorry. Uh-" Peter clutched his camera protectively to his chest as he followed them out. "Um, hi? We, uh- we already got the Student Council photos. I think."
He was a nervous, anxious teenage boy. He didn't need a full-on interrogation. "You were hanging around the Science Club's room before that device disappeared, right?"
"Uh, no. No. No. I was taking pictures of the basketball game." He said, spectacularly unconvincingly while a range of tics ravaged his face.
"We approved the boys photos last week and the girls tourney starts this weekend," Felicia reminded him, just a little unkindly, before shifting onto her hip. "Look. You're not in trouble, Parker. I don't care if you stole it or not, but honestly your pictures are the only thing holding this yearbook together and I can't have you involved in a scandal, especially if it fucks things up enough that it transfers over into next year. Just tell me enough so I can get the story straight when the Lensherr inevitably asks. It's not like I can flirt with him."
"Why would I take it? I worked on it! I-" His defiance wilted in the face of Felicia. "I let Janet Van Dyne and Yelena Belova into the room with my key. But they didn't take the device, honest!"
"Why did they want to see it?" Topaz asked. "And why would you let them in?"
"They didn't care about it. They-" He paused, his face screwed up. Peter was a classic good kid, never stepped a foot wrong. "They wanted to take digital photos of the science final in Mr. Banner's test. They said if I let them in they'd tell Mary-Jane Watson to say yes if I asked her to the dance on Friday. And she did!" He said, hanging his head.
"God you're dumb," Felicia muttered, looking up at the ceiling in tandem with crossing her arms before remembering 17 and sweater set and subtly adjusted her pose, turning her glare at him. "Make sure the data cards aren't linked to you in any way. If Lensherr asks, I had you in the development room that day but you had to get more extra distilled water for the photo stop bath from the science rooms to explain why people saw you up there. If Janet and Yelena break we can admit you may have forgotten to lock the doors again, but anything else is our word against theirs and it's not like we're flunking out of anything that isn't graded by participation."
Lecture given, Felicia gave him a playful half shove back towards the yearbook room. "Don't be this stupid again. And have a nice time at the dance."
