#bergen_county

Adam wanders another part of school, looking for.. a girl during lunch time. One of two girls in fact.

Either of two girls, really. Or heck, anyone he knows....

"Looking for someone?" a scrawny girl with a kind of emo look asks.

He's seen her around, but doesn't know her well.

Adam gives her a grin. "Kinda. I'm Adam."

"Merle" She offers a hand, fingerless black glove to match her feathered dark hair "Nice to meet you, Adam. Seen you around. "

He gives her a quick shake. "Yeah, still kinda new but... I'm figuring things out. I like your vibe."

"Oh, I may not look it, but I'm a solar baby, really hate the summer ending" A grin "Thanks though. Nice to get a compliment from a cute guy. You're making an impact"

A shrug. "Hey, it's true. So, what are you into?"

"Everything" she says

"That's cool." He nods. "I do a little sports, a little nerdy stuff." Shrug.

"Nothing wrong with nerdy stuff" She says "Jocks are just lucky enough to have an obsession that everyone shares and most of society approves of. Nerds often find themselves either ahead of the game or on the fringes. " She looks him over with coal black eyes, "Let me guess, you're into fantasy stuff"

"Uh. Yeah, actually."

"Cool..so... which one do you want to be? Cunning Rogue, shining knight? Macho barbarian, or powerful wizard? Most folks have a favorite. " Merle does seem an ordinary... okay, she's a bit odd, but she's not kithain

"Oh yeah..... an eternal question, huh?" He thinks about it. "Up to recently I would have said some kind of fighter, yeah, but.... been thinking about alternatives the past couple weeks."

"Yeah? What's soured you on fighter big guy?" She seems genuinely interested

"Nah, not really -soured- me but .... ya know, looking at other stuff too. Like....." a shrug "Magic users."

"Oh the shiny stuff, who can resist it right? Gandalf taps his staff... boom, wizard fire."

Another flash of a grin. "Well, yeah, but.... wouldn't it be cool? If we could really do stuff like that?"

"Utterly amazing" She agrees, "I mean, in a way we have some stuff.. crystal balls look cooler than web cams but they do work... me? I like to think there's more to the world, you know? Like... layers?"

"Like... what you're seeing is just the surface of a cake...stick your finger in the frosting and you hit something that may not seem as sweet at first, but it's dark and rich and moist and worth having too"

"Woah." He blinks. "That's, like.... poetry."

"Poetry, like.. 'quote the raven nevermore' stuff? Flattering"

She grins

A shrug. "No, really; never heard it put like that. Not without, you know, a couple of rough drafts."

"Thanks. Can't blame a girl for being abit cautious.. some guys lay it on thick and heavy, and ah, I've noticed you do enjoy flattering a lot of ladies. Your'e Sam's friend right?"

"You know Sam?" A smile. "Yeah, we're friends. Something wrong with flattering people?"

"Some folks think it devalues the currency so to speak. Not sure how I feel about it, but... the person who rarely gives a compliment? when they give one, it means more than someone doing it who says nice things about everyone. Y' know?"

"And I've seen Sam around... I'm not the biggest sports fan, but she can hurl a ball from the opposite end of the court. Mark me, if she really wants, she's gonna be a giant in the WNBA some day.. huge"

"Yeah, I guess I can see that. But, you know, I'd rather say something nice if I can." He nods, agreeing with her assessment of Sam. "Yeah, I want to get her on the court a little more."

"Ask her to play against you sometime."

"Yeah, gonna. We did, a little bit."

"Cool." She says "Did you give her an edge since you're a guy? "

He grins. "Nah. She wouldn't have taken it if I offered!"

"Cool. Yeah, I can see it. She's tall enough that the normal guy being stronger bit might not apply"

Adam nods. "Yeah, exactly." He sweeps a gaze over her. "You play?"

"Scrawny little me? You kidding? I mean, sure I'm quick enough I suppose"

"But the rest? Too much work and I'd get flattened"

"I dunno. You look pretty fit." A charming smile.

"Ha. Compared to some of the girls around here ? If it werent' for my fashion choies most wouldn't notice... it's the nose... bit too big for anywhere outside of jersey"

"I don't know....." He takes the opportunity to give her another looking over. "I mean.... do -you- like how you look?"

She looks down, then "more than most girls my age. I'm at peace with it, but I'm also not unaware that some look better.. atl east by traditional standards. "

"Well." He shrugs. "It's not all looks, right? I know this girl, she's pretty hot, but sometimes she treats me like I'm something stuck to her shoe. So... if you ask me, she's not -that- attractive. To me."

"You talking about Tanya?" Guessing

"Nah. Not gonna name names." He shrugs.

"Would have thought less of you if you had, but am also dying of curiosity now." Merle says "Well, more of a slow itching ... I'll live. Nice meeting you, Adam. More to you than meets the eye I think"

"Nice to meet you too, Merle. Hope I can see you around."

"I sure wouldn't mind" And she leaves.

He watches her go, with a grin she can't see.