ax_main | Vance and Penny (dated May 26)

The Saturday after arriving at the school, Penny hits it off with Vance, who she assumes is one of the locals. Meanwhile, he's thinking the same thing about her. Featuring: being over-enthusiastic about books at a stranger, Jewish nerding out, and Nintendogs.

Also related: this text convo.

Wow, Penny thought as she glanced around, the outside was just as crowded as the inside. She stood around for a minute, holding the tray of salad and half-sandwich she had purchased inside, looking for a table. At first she thought that none were empty, but just as she was trying to come up with a plan, a group started packing up. She beelined over, the politely waited to the side until she could sit down. She felt a little bad taking so much room herself - it was a large rectangular table that could sit four people, six if they really liked each other - but she could always switch to a smaller table if one became available.

It may have only been a week, but by the time Saturday rolled around, Penny had to get off campus. It may not have been as bad as being stuck in her house for a week, since the school was so much bigger, but she still was having a hard time adjusting. She was definitely stir crazy at the end of the week, but getting into town had been easy, so there was no reason she couldn't come in sometimes. Maybe she could even find a job after school some days - the money she had in her bank account wouldn't last forever, and her aunt and uncle had kindly but firmly made it clear that she still wouldn't be getting to touch her savings just because she wasn't at home. It'd be nice to have a reason to leave a couple days a week, though.

Now settled, she bit into her sandwich, and hummed happily to herself. Delicious. She pulled her book out, and opened it to her bookmark, and got reading while she ate.

Vance couldn't say he was exactly comfortable when he dipped into the Brotherhood's stolen funds, but his shoes had worn all the way through and his options were basically using the money the ATM had "accidentally" given them or straight-up stealing some shoes. He thought option A was at least a little less wrong? Maybe? In any event, he'd made himself make enough peace with it to get his butt over to the outlet mall; at least that way he was using less of the money. Which could only be a good thing.

He needed some fuel first, though, and there was a mean sandwich shop here. It was crowded, but Vance didn't mind much. Crowds were the sign of good food, really. After he'd finally managed to get his turkey Ruben on rye, Vance made his way outside which...was no less crowded. At least he wasn't in a rush or anything today. Vance began awkwardly wondering the area, keeping his eye out for a free table.

Penny was into her book enough that she hadn't noticed the kid wandering the seating area until he was almost in front of her. She glanced around to make sure that there were no empty seats, then closed her book, waving at him.

"Um, you can sit here, if you want?" she offered, a little awkwardly, but she smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. She was a little shy talking to strangers, but she couldn't let this guy just wander around for a seat. "I have this whole table."

"I'm Penny," she said, giving him another little wave, "and it's nice to meet you too."

"And yeah, it is - I had to stand around until someone left. Is it always like this? I've never been here before."

"I mean, there's usually a decent trickle of folks," Vance said thoughtfully as he unwrapped his sandwich. "But usually I can at least find a chair. Guess today the party is just at the outlet mall."

"It's nice out, people probably want to get outside," Penny suggested, poking at her salad. "I mean, that's what I'm doing."

She paused for a moment, glancing between Vance and her food. "Um, sorry," she said with a little bit of an awkward chuckle, "but I'm not sure what would be more rude here - to be quiet or to keep talking." She flashed him an edge of a chagrined smile, and tucked her hair behind her ears again, a nervous tick. "I figured maybe I should just ask what you'd prefer." She didn't mind either way - it was nice to talk to someone outside of the school, and she liked meeting new people, as awkward she she was with strangers, but she liked her book, too. "I'm happy either way."

"Whatever you prefer." Vance said, utterly earnest. "I like meeting new people, and you seem really nice, but I don't want to interrupt or make you uncomfortable."

Penny practically beamed when Vance said she seemed nice, and that he didn't mind talking. "Thanks! You seem really nice too. I don't mind talking." She took a bite of her sandwich, and used the time it took her to chew to try and come up with something to say. Unfortunately, she hadn't come up with a lot. "So...how are you?" She smiled even as she cringed just a little at her own awkwardness.

If Vance had perceived any awkwardness, it didn't show as he smiled back beatifically. "Pretty good. It's nice outside, I've got a great sandwich, I've met someone new. Can't complain," he said. "How're you? Whatcha reading?"

"The Song of Achilles? It's a retelling of The Illiad, sort of. I just started it, but I've seen it on a bunch of recommendation lists, and the way it's written is really beautiful. I thought I'd sit and read it, but honestly, I felt kind of bad taking up a table for longer than I needed to, since it's so crowded." She offered the book out to him to read the back, if he wanted to, though it was kind of a reach, since he was at the other end of the table.

He reached over, gently taking the book and then turning it over so he could read the back. "Can't say I've ever read the regular Illiad," he admitted. Probably one of those things he was supposed to have taken in sophomore English that he'd just...never gotten to. It was hard to keep up with that kind of thing on the run, or in the Brotherhood. "Looks really interesting, though. Do you like it?"

"Yes," Penny said, quickly and eagerly with a nod that shook her hair from behind her ear, and she hastily swept it back again. "I haven't actually read The Illiad either, but this is young adult lit, so it's way easier to read, and you don't actually need to have read the original. And, just, it's so beautiful, like-"

She took it back from him, and thumbed through the book quickly, her brown knit as she looked for the line she wanted. She cleared her throat before reading aloud, "I would recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came, and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world." She looked back up, and she almost felt like she should be embarrassed, but was too enthused to really feel it. "It has stuff like that, and just - it's so good. I love the way it's written. Sometimes I read things, and it's just so beautiful or vivid, and I'm just like, how does anyone actually learn to describe things like that?"

Vance's eyes were wide. "Wow, that's...that's incredible. Like, art," he said. His awe seemed earnest, too, and not at all feigned or meant as a joke. Though it was probably made a little less poignant by him following it up with a large bite of sandwich.

Penny grinned at Vance's agreement, nodding in agreement as she took another bite of her own sandwich. It was easy for her to get wrapped up in talking sometimes, but the place was packed, and she was hungry, so it was a good reminder. She had planned to say something else about the book, but it was forgotten as the flash of silver around his neck caught her eye, and she paid closer attention to it.

"Mm!" She made an excited sound, even as her mouth was still closed around her food, her eyebrows raised as she gestured at it, discreetly enough to outright point while still trying to indicate. "Are you...?" she asked once she'd swallowed, and she hooked her finger under the chain around her neck, pulling it out to show the small gold Magen David pendant that had fallen under her shirt to finish her question.

He swallowed and grinned immediately. "I am! You too, huh?" Vance reached over to hold his hand up. "Tribe high-five."

"Tribe high-five!" Penny said excitedly, the sleeve of her oversized cardigan sliding down her arm as she reached over to high five him. "That's beautiful, by the way," she added, leaning in a little to get a better look at the small mezuzah on a chain around his neck.

"Thanks!" He fished the rest of his chain out of his shirt, so he could show it to her more easily. "My grandpa gave it to me."

Vance leaned in closer to check out her own Jewish accessorizing. "I like the metal work on yours. It's pretty."

"Thanks! My mom gave it to me, she got it when she became bat mitzvah." She leaned her chin up and swept her hair back so he could see it better, even as she looked at his, and when they were finished checking each other's accessories out, she bit the bullet and moved her stuff over to sit across from him. It seemed silly to keep leaning across the table hwen they were having a conversation. "This is so funny. What are the odds?"

"Right? This is awesome!" Vance proclaimed. He took another happy bite of his sandwich, which he clearly enjoyed, before swallowing and asking, "you go to a shul around here then?"

Penny had bit into her sandwich at the same time, so it took her a second to swallow, sort of rolling her eyes at herself in apology as she hurried to finish chewing so she could answer. "Yeah," she said, after swallowing at last and clearing her throat. "I just recently moved, so I've only been a couple times, but I've been going to Kol Ami, the reform synagogue in town? Everyone seems really nice, though. I'm going to join the confirmation class in a couple weeks, though it'll probably take me an extra year now." She looked a little disappointed, but shrugged. It was better than nothing, and at least she'd sort of know her class, now. "What about you?"

He shook his head 'no' a little. "Nah, I stopped going after bar mitzvah." Vance's family had never been overly religious. Cultural Judaism was more the order of the day, from the kosher meats his father sold to their holidays, than anything at synagogue. They'd only gone to services maybe twice a year for more of his childhood, other than the year leading up to his bar mitzvah when he'd been required to attend a few more; high holidays only, basically. And now he didn't even do that. High holidays tickets, it turned out, could be expensive. Besides, he wasn't sure anyone would go with him, and wasn't entirely comfortable showing up alone.

Penny was a little surprised, but only because Vance had asked first. She didn't care, though - there were lots of ways to be Jewish. "Oh okay, I know a lot of people who do that. My uncle, actually, riiight up until he had kids." She grinned a little mischievously as she added, "It's kind of nice to finally get to go to services other than tot shabbat."

Vance chuckled. "I'm guessing your cousins are younger than you, then?"

"Five and two," Penny said with a nod. "I love them, but I'm an only child, so it can be kind of a lot." She did missed them, though. She wondered if they were going to move Asa into her room, now that she wasn't there all the time.

"I'm an only child too, and can't imagine being around kids that little," Vance admitted. So had she lived with her uncle, then? Since she'd mentioned going to services with them? Or did her whole family go together, like as a big unit? Those questions felt a little personal to ask someone he'd just met just now though, he Vance kept them to himself. "But at least tot shabbats come with snacks, right?"

"They do - my old synagogue had the best challah. I'm still trying to find some good challah - not for shabbat or anything, just to eat." She shrugged a little, and smiled again. "So what're you up to today? If you don't mind me asking, I mean."

"There's nothing like good challah," he agreed amiably. "And I'm here to get some new shoes."

Vance shifted so she could see his sneakers. They were beat up, gray from use, seams frayed, and it looked like the soles might be separating the little. What couldn't be seen was the wear to the sole itself, and the fact that they were actually now too tight on his feet. "Figured I would see what the outlets had to offer."

"Oh wow, yeah. I thought I wore my shoes until they were dead." She took another bite of food to think over her next question, and once she swallowed, she decided to ask. "Is it in that same strip as the CVS and bookstore? If it is, we could walk over there together if you want."

"Oh, yeah! Absolutely, that'd be great," Vance said, grinning widely. "What'd you come to get, if you don't mind my asking?"

Penny smiled brightly, obviously very pleased he agreed. "Awesome. And just some random stuff - pushpins, bobby pins, hair ties." Pads, but he didn't need to know that one. "I'm just going to walk around the bookstore and look at things, but I probably won't buy anything there. Just trying to get out, mostly."

He nodded. "It's nice to get outta the house sometimes, right? Get some sunshine and fresh air," Vance agreed. He took another massive bite of sandwich; man, there really was nothing like a good turkey Ruben. "It's a nice side perk to needing some new shoes."

"Definitely." She glanced around - the overcrowding issue really wasn't letting up. "God, it's still so busy. I guess we should hurry up and finish? I got caught up talking and kind of forgot to eat." Now that she knew that they were going to walk together after, she didn't mind finishing up faster.

"Right!" He didn't even look around to confirm what she'd said, trusting in her assessment. Instead, he just began inhaling his sandwich.

Penny's eyebrows jumped up just a hair when he started wolfing it down, but she just started eating her food at a similar, if slightly slower, pace. She actually managed to finish it all, much to her surprise, and started to gather up her stuff, putting her book back in her backpack, and, once Vance stood, leading the way out of the sandwich shop.

Once they were out on the street, she sighed with relief and slung on her backpack, a old, well-loved green Jansport - there hadn't even been room for it with all the people in outdoor seating. Once that was on, she pulled her hair out from under it, splitting it at the back so that it could hang over both shoulders. "That was insane." She slipped her hand into the pockets of her shorts, and smiled up at Vance, who, it turned out, was quite a bit taller than she was. "Did you like your food?"

Vance swallowed the sandwich and grinned, "I did. Did you?" He asked.

"Great! I want to go there again sometime. Just maybe not on Saturday."

As they started off in the direction of the shopping center, Penny added, "So, um. Do you know anything fun to do around here?"

He cocked his head in thought as they walked. "Well, in town there's an arcade and a movie theater?" Vance offered as they walked. "And a library? Aaaand, hmmmm, what kinda stuff do you like to do for fun?"

"I like all of that - I love libraries. I would go to the one near my house to do homework every day, our internet was kind of crap. Plus, you know, little kids." She grinned and shrugged in a sort of 'what can you do' way. "But I like to bike and skate - not, like, anything cool, just riding around. I love baseball and softball - I played softball for my last school."

"Oh yeah? Neat. What position?" Vance asked. "Are you gonna play for your new school here?"

"Second base - I'm going to try out, so hopefully!" She wasn't actually going to play at Xavier's, but at the local high school. She actually had an outside chance at being good enough for a scholarship, though it wasn't very likely. "What do you like to do?"

"I'll have my fingers crossed for you." He promised.

"Uh, I like video games and movies and comic books and stuff," Vance said, shrugging a little as though he as aware that those weren't very interesting hobbies, necessarily. "I like reading, too, so I go over to the library sometimes."

He smiled a little self-deprecatingly. "Not all that interesting, I guess."

"Sure it is," she said, giving a warm smile back at him. "What games and movies and comic books?"

"I like stuff about superheroes, and uh, Sci-Fi? The last game I finished was Mass Effect: Andromeda," he said. Vance glanced over to see if there was any flicker of recognition at the game's name. "I actually liked it pretty well."

"Oh, I see stuff about that game online! I've never played it, but it looks fun. I like that it has all the different storylines. I've never had any video game systems except my old DS, but they seem fun." She still played Animal Crossing sometimes.

"Oh yeah? What'd you play on DS?" Vance asked, apparently genuinely interested.

"Oh, uh, Pokemon X, Animal Crossing, Zelda." She blushed and looked down, sweeping her hair behind her ear as she admitted, "Nintendogs..."

Vance smiled. "I'm going to tell you a secret," he said, "and you can't tell any of my buddies, because I'd never hear the end of it....but I played Animal Crossing and Nintendogs, too."

Penny beamed back, and held up her hand for a high five. "Was it the labs? The labs were my favorite."

He high-fived her, grinning broadly. "Definitely the labs. I mean, come on, how do you beat that?"

"You can't. It's the best."

They turned the corner - and suddenly, there was the outlet mall. There was a shoe store right, and the bookstore was nearby, but in the opposite direction. "I guess this is it," she said, both sounding and looking a little disappointed.

"Hey," he said, "you wanna exchange phone numbers? I mean, we don't have to, if you don't want, but we could."

Penny brightened up immediately, and reached into her purse to take out her phone. "Yeah! Here- give me your number?" She keyed it in when he did, then texted him a few smiley faced emojis. "There."

He smiled. "Awesome. Thanks! Enjoy the store, and it was great to meet you."

"It was great to meet you too!" She gave him a little wave and turned to walk towards the bookstore. She glanced over her shoulder to look back at him once, then stuffed her hands into her pockets and grinned to herself. At least she was making friends.