[Sunday, August 8, 2004.] [Ivy is home! Actually, she hasn't been much of anywhere since she's been found. People have dropped in, but they generally haven't approached her... well, outside of the lady with the curly brown hair and the glasses, who tried to talk to Ivy. Her mom said that she was a psychologist or something. But it's generally been pretty quiet.] [The days have been filled with getting her to do things like wear clothes and brush her teeth and use the toilet and eat with silverware. It's been fun and exciting. You can tell because her parents gladly help her with every step of the way. Sometimes, at night, she can hear them talking, usually in hushed, worried tones. But they mostly seem relieved that she's back, and she gets hugs whenever she wants them.] [Every weekday, one of them stayed home with her in alternating patterns. Since it's the weekend, they're both home! Stunning! But they're not in the room with her, as Ivy's (clothed, thankfully - I'm a female GM, yes) playing/relaxing/doing whatever it is she does these days in her room. She still hasn't said a word to anyone.] [The room has typical teenage amusements. There's a small television in the corner, a stereo, a working but old computer, a full-length mirror, and a lot of make up on the desk and clothes in the closets. The walls are papered with posters of various boys. There's a teddy bear on the bed, which is still unmade from when Ivy woke up in the morning.] [Speaking of which, time? It's about 3:00. Go at it, Ivy!] [Mini Start.] * Ivy is laying on her stomach on the floor, drawing on a sketchpad. The button- down shirt she's wearing is a few too many buttons undone, but hey, at least she's wearing it! [Ivy doodles! Doodling is fun.] * Ivy is drawing a picture of a... well, it kind of looks like a person... with spike-like things coming out of their head and body. She's using a blue colored pencil, so fear not that it's Pinhead! [Ivy hears the doorbell ring.] (Her room's on the second floor, by the way.) * Ivy darts her head up at the noise, still a little uneasy with unexpected noises. She settles down quickly enough though, and continues doodling. [Ivy hears the door open and people talking. Yay for her door being open! It sounds like her father and someone she vaguely recognizes, but she can't put her finger on who it is.] * Ivy puts down the blue pencil and stands up. She slowly walks out of her room, and slightly peeks her head down the stairs to see if she can catch a look. [Ivy looks down the stairs. She sees her dad stepping aside, letting in a boy about her age. He has short, auburn hair and is wearing the ever-so-popular t- shirt, jeans, and sneaker combination. He's not looking towards Ivy, instead talking to her dad.] [Ivy recognizes him instantly as Jeremy, and with that recognition, memories of them playing together as kids come flooding back, even though it seems ages ago. He doesn't look like he's changed much at all. Maybe a little bit more stubble because he forgot to shave.] * Ivy watches him for a good moment, and then starts walking down the stairs. She's not moving down fast, but not cautiously either. Her shirt is showing off quite a bit of her bra, but she doesn't seem to notice. ["Thanks, Mr. Thorne," Jeremy's saying to her father, whose back is to her. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to... see..." He turns to look at Ivy coming down the stairs, and his blue eyes go wide. No, he hasn't changed much at all. Her father also turns to look. "Ivy?" Jeremy asks.] * Ivy ignores her dad for the moment, and walks over to Jeremy... right into his bubble. She stops there and begins to silently study him, her eyes filled with recognition, but she's not smiling. [Jeremy takes a small, involuntary step back. "Uh, Ivy. Good to see you." He looks understandably confused.] * Ivy slowly moves a hand out and smoothes it down his neck... well, if he lets her. Her parents probably have started to recognize this behavior, so don't find it too bizarre. [Jeremy twitches when Ivy does that, and he looks at her dad. Mr. Throne just smiles in reassurance, and Jeremy swallows, looking back to Ivy.] * Ivy pulls her hand away from his neck, and then moves her arms around herself in a self-hug. She continues studying him as if she hasn't seen him in years. ["So, um." Jeremy rubs at his neck where Ivy touched him. "You look great. Uh... how've you been? I mean, after you came home."] * Ivy pauses, and then glances at her dad. (*Drives the GM batty by having to do all the dialogue* Mwahahahaha!) [Her father catches the glance, and he turns to Jeremy. "She hasn't been speaking," he explains, "But she's been doing better. We've been talking to the psychologist about the possibility of her attending school when the summer's over."] * Ivy frowns at that. [Jeremy seems a bit crestfallen at the first bit, but as Ivy's dad continues, he makes a face. "Ugh. Like that's a good thing." He glances at Ivy, then points. "See, she agrees with me!"] * Ivy gives a ghost of a smile and nods slightly to Jeremy. ["I mean, if your life turns to sh- crap, you should at least get something out of it. Like no school." Jeremy looks to Ivy. "Right?"] * Ivy loses the small smile, but she does give a short nod. Her eyes dart to the window as she sees a bird breeze past. [Ivy's father looks from Jeremy to Ivy and back, then he rolls his eyes. "I see some things don't change," he says, but he sounds more good natured than put out. "Like teenagers trying to duck out of school."] ["Hey, no!" Jeremy protests. "I wasn't gonna duck out. Except to take care of Ivy, 'cause you guys gotta work, right?" At Mr. Thorne's look, he starts laughing, and then he checks on how Ivy's doing. He looks out the window, too.] * Ivy loses interest in the window after the bird flies past, and then glances back to the two. She puts her hands back to her sides, but then she suddenly just walks off in the direction of the kitchen. [Jeremy watches her go. "Are you- uh, is she hungry?" "I guess so," her father replies. They head after her.] * Ivy opens up a cupboard and grabs out a small bag of Baked Lays. She pulls it open and plops a chip into her mouth. She turns to see the two guys have followed her, pauses, and then offers Jeremy a chip. [Jeremy grins at being offered food. He takes one. "Hey, thanks." He pops it into his mouth and crunches. Ivy's father is smiling, still, and has a seat, picking up his paper.] * Ivy replies by eating another chip! Crunch! With one hand free of chips, she moves it over to clasp Jeremy's hand. Does she succeed? I'm not sure! [He lets her take his hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze back. Aww. "So, you understand what I'm saying, right? Even if you don't wanna talk back?"] * Ivy nods and takes off, tugging him behind her, but not forcefully. She's heading to the backyard! ["That's good- hey!" He laughs and is pulled after her.] ["Have fun," Mr. Thorne says, still reading the paper.] * Ivy looks at the sliding glass door, notes she can't really open it with two hands filled, and so she nonchalantly drops the bag of chips and then unlocks/opens the door, stepping out with Jeremy in tow. [Jeremy stalls Ivy a little as he crouches to snag the bag before getting yanked through the doorway.] * Ivy drops Jeremy's hand once they step outside. She looks thoughtful for a moment and then points at one of the bigger trees in their yard. She then moves her finger down from a branch of it, to the ground, as if to signify something fell from it... like Jeremy. (Yup, I'm making things up! Whoo!) * Ivy then glances back to Jeremy. [Jeremy walks over, popping a chip into his mouth. He hands one to Ivy while he's at it. "Oh no. I'm not falling off of there again."] * Ivy takes the chip and gives Jeremy another small smile. She pops the chip in her mouth, and then takes a seat on the deck. (Likely right next to a chair.) [Jeremy trails after her. He looks at her, then the chair, then sits on the deck, too, holding the open part of the bag to Ivy.] * Ivy takes another chip. Crunch crunch! Other than that, she's pretty much just glancing between him and the outside. [He also has a couple more chips, chewing thoughtfully as he looks Ivy over. "Man," he finally says, "I almost didn't think I'd see you again."] * Ivy glances over to Jeremy, giving him eye contact, but then she lowers her eyes to the deck. ["I mean," he says hurriedly when Ivy does that, "we looked everywhere for you, for a long time, and it... it sucked, because I thought I lost my best friend. Nobody knew what happened to you. After a while, the police figured you were just killed or something. But now you're back, right? And you're gonna stay."] * Ivy pulls her knees in to touch her stomach and wraps her arms around them. Her face looks sad and uncertain now, but she's still not looking at him. [Jeremy shifts uncomfortably. "And, uh... you're not going away again." He repeats it again, probably reassuring himself, "You're not going away again. I'll stay with you, okay?"] * Ivy moves her arms away from her knees so she can rub her hands along her neck. She begins to slightly shake, but she manages to look up into Jeremy's eyes, studying them. [He looks kind of at a loss, but he doesn't blink. "Um. Do you want a hug or something?"] * Ivy pauses, and then drops her knees to the side. She slowly smoothes a hand up his chest, as if to test the waters. [Now Jeremy blinks. "Is that a yes?"] * Ivy moves her upper body against Jeremy in a sitting hug! She's still slightly shaking. [Jeremy hugs back, gently at first, then more tightly. "Guess so. 'm sorry, Ivy."] * Ivy holds on tight as well, her hands clasped around the material of his t- shirt in the back. [Aww. Mini End!]