01<@Ardweden> [Day: Saturday, September 11. Time: 10:45 a.m.] 01<@Ardweden> [It is morningish, and a very nice morningish at that! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and Tyler is driving to Tony's house with a video game of some sort sitting in the passenger seat.] 01<@Ardweden> [Did he let Tony know he's coming? I suppose we'll have to find out!] 01<@Ardweden> [Session Start.] 06* Tyler of course didn't let Tony know he's coming, what do you think he is? Considerate. He'll pull up and get out heading up to the door ringing the door bell and waiting. 01<@Ardweden> [Tyler needs to wait a few minutes before a middle aged woman opens the door. She's on the short side and curvy, with curly dark hair and a frown on her face. Tyler would recognize her as Tony's mom. Upon seeing him, the frown lessens a little but doesn't go away. "Good morning. Here to see Tony?"] Yeah, Could I? 01<@Ardweden> ["He's asleep, but he should be up and about eventually. That boy..." She sighs and opens the door the rest of the way, waving Tyler in. "Have you eaten?"] A little, is Tony okay? 06* Tyler is trying to put on his best "I have to be nice or I won't get my allowance" act. 01<@Ardweden> ["Lord knows. At first I thought he was staying up all night doing something or other, but now I *know* he's getting his sleep, so." Mrs. McKinney shrugs, leading the way to the kitchen. "Maybe it's mono. Or..." She stops herself, then repeats, "Maybe it's mono."] 06* Tyler shifts and follows her. "Hey, could you tell me about New York? Tony mentioned it once." 01<@Ardweden> [She blinks at the sudden conversation change, but then decides to go with it. "What about it?" she asks as she bustles about the kitchen, pulling eggs and bacon from the fridge.] Don't know. He brought it up once. He doesn't really talk, you know? 01<@Ardweden> [Tony's mom gives Tyler a look that says she clearly doesn't know, then asks, "How do you like your eggs?"] eh, scrambled. 01<@Ardweden> [She breaks a couple of eggs into a bowl and goes for the milk. "We used to live in New York, back before we moved here," she says as she pours some milk in with the eggs.] 06* Tyler looks like he's about to ask a question and then remembers he has to pretend to be good. "er.. What did he like there? 01<@Ardweden> [Mrs. McKinney starts beating the eggs, but at Tyler's question she stops and looks at him strangely. "What?"] 06* Tyler glances down. "I don't know. Look he talks, but he doesn't say much and he's been sick for a bit and you hear the rumors around school.... and well I just want to know." 01<@Ardweden> [And now Tony's mom frowns. "What rumors?"] Folks not waking up and... just worried. 01<@Ardweden> ["Oh, Jesus." She pours the mixture into the pan and starts scrambling the eggs. "I'm worried, too, but it's probably not as bad as all of that. Probably just mono."] Got me thinking, the only thing I know besides the video games he likes is New York. 01<@Ardweden> ["Mmm." She scrambles the eggs. "He used to be a lot more open, but then I remarried and we moved and well." She shrugs. "Plus, teenagers - you all do that, don't you."] 06* Tyler shrugs. "Don't know." Says the faux punk boy... 01<@Ardweden> [She raises an eyebrow at Tyler. "Of course you don't. Cheese?"] yeah, sure, thanks. You know, you're a cool mom. Most of them would have dragged out baby pictures and videos of their first concert. 01<@Ardweden> ["Well, I don't know about 'cool', but thank you." She adds cheddar to the eggs and then slides a plate with it in front of Tyler, before starting on the bacon.] 06* Tyler starts to devour the food, almost like Steve. This isn't the school crap. When it's gone he focuses on the empty plate, seemingly gathering his courage. 01<@Ardweden> ["You *were* hungry," Mrs. McKinney comments as she slides three strips of bacon onto Tyler's plate.] Yeah I guess. I'm just... look the only thing I know is new york. I... could you tell me more? I feel it's important. 01<@Ardweden> ["Tony spent the first twelve years of his life there." Mrs. McKinney turns off the stove and moves to the fridge. "Orange juice?"] Umm, sure. 06* Tyler shifts really uncomfortable like. 01<@Ardweden> [She pours Tyler a glass of orange juice, handing it to him. "It's a really nice city, but no place to raise a child. That's why, after marrying Tom, we moved here."] 06* Tyler drinks the juice a bit, sipping at it. "Thank you.... Did he like anything in specific? I mean, maybe the park or something?" 01<@Ardweden> ["Oh, well. We spent quite a bit of time in Central Park, of course - especially when he was very young. And Christmas... He still insists we go back every year to see Rockefeller Center."] Oh? I didn't know that. 01<@Ardweden> [She shrugs. "It's just the two of us. Tom's usually too busy."] 06* Tyler shifts VERY uncomfortably. "He has to like the time, because he wants to do it every year with you." It comes out sounds so lame. 01<@Ardweden> [Mrs. McKinney looks at Tyler strangely. Again. "... Yes." She looks at the empty plate. "Do you want anything else? More eggs, toast?"] No, could I go see if Tony is up? 01<@Ardweden> ["Sure. He's probably about by now."] 06* Tyler heads that way quickly to get out of the worst conversation he's had since the last dinner party. 01<@Ardweden> [TYLER FLEES!] 01<@Ardweden> [Upstairs, he approaches Tony's room. The door is closed! What does he do?] 06* Tyler has a short pause where he stares at the door before knocking. 01<@Ardweden> [Tyler hears a muffled, "Come in."] 06* Tyler swings the door open. "Hey Tony!" 01<@Ardweden> [Tony blinks up at Tyler; he's sitting on his bed, wearing red and black checkered pajama pants. His hair is... well, he has bed head. "Huh?" Another blink, and then, "Tyler?"] Hey man, you haven't been feeling good, thought I'd show up and hang. 01<@Ardweden> ["Oh... cool, sure." Tony yawns, then says, "Need to get dressed."] Sure, anything in specific you want to do? 01<@Ardweden> ["Dunno. Maybe play some video games?" He pauses as his stomach rumbles. "Eat."] 06* Tyler tosses the game at Tony. "Your mom made breakfast. I brought my new game over for us to play. I'll let you change." He'd back out of the room giving Tony some privacy. 01<@Ardweden> [Tony reaches out to catch the game and fumbles it a bit. "Cool, thanks."] Sure! 06* Tyler closes the door and just waits now. 01<@Ardweden> [Day: Saturday, September 11. Time: Noonish.] 01<@Ardweden> [Tyler and Tony are in Tony's basement, which is where all of the game systems are set up. Currently, they're playing multiplayer Call of Duty 4. Tony's been having an unusually rough time of it this game, getting blown up repeatedly by the other players online, much less Tyler.] 01<@Ardweden> [The game ends with Tony in dead last and Tyler in second, and Tony throws his controller on the floor. "Agh, I give up." He's woken up a bit, at least.] 01<@Ardweden> [Mini Continue!] Hey man, you okay at all? 01<@Ardweden> ["Yeah, 'm just tired." He rubs at his eyes. "It's funny, like, I keep sleeping, but." He shrugs. "But Mom, man, she's treating me like I'm about to die or something."] 06* Tyler shifts very uncomfortably looking away. "Look man, you've heard the rumors." He looks back up at Tony, shaking his head. "Look, this is completely out there, but if you did go into a coma what would you dream of?" 01<@Ardweden> [Tony looks confused. "Uh? I dunno, I've never... what would *you* dream about?"] 06* Tyler looks very uncomfortable, this is far past the territory of who was a fucking newb fag in that last game, the usual take after a match. "Er.. apparently a good school day..." 01<@Ardweden> [Tony blinks again. There's an awkward pause, then he shakes his head rapidly. "That's kinda lame," he says, in his typical joking around voice.] 06* Tyler deadpans. "Yeah..." He shifted looking away again. 01<@Ardweden> [He leans back in the couch and closes his eyes. For a moment it looks like Tony's falling asleep again, and then he says, "Wouldn't be too bad, though... I mean, a good school day."] Yeah, kindof like normal life but better. I know, not having a supermodel in my bed or anything but. Eh. Whatever. It's at least nothing horrible. 01<@Ardweden> [Tony yawns, then stretches and with some effort sits up again. "I dunno, man. Good school day doesn't sound bad. Going to New York would be pretty fun, too... um... yeah, I dunno."] What would you do up there? 01<@Ardweden> [Tony looks at Tyler strangely - a look, Tyler may realize, is very close to his mother's. "Hang out?"] Hang out? Like where, I don't know New York that well. Not like here. Know too much about here. 01<@Ardweden> ["Oh come on," Tony says, "You've got to have gone *sometime*. It's like next door!" Now he seems a little more awake, or at least energetic.] Once in a while I get dragged up there for a company thing or to be shown off as "Yes we are a good family unit".... 01<@Ardweden> [Tony ughs. "Yeah, I hear ya." It looks like he wants to say more, but then lets it drop there.] So what would you do up there? I've been but I've never been. 01<@Ardweden> ["I dunno. Go to my favorite pizza place, for sure... there's lots of good food. Um, Rockefeller Center's awesome, especially around Christmas. Union Square... um..." Tony shrugs.] 06* Tyler just half nods. "I don't know. I should get out of here someday and just explore." 01<@Ardweden> ["Yeah. Yeah, that'd be the best idea. It's huge, though, the city." Tony thinks for a moment, then says, "Y'know, if you want, I could go with... if you're serious about going anyway."] 06* Tyler smiles. "Sure." 01<@Ardweden> ["Sweet." Tony grins. "It's only probably the best place ever."] 01<@Ardweden> [And then they played more video games, and Tyler went home before Tony's mom insisted he stay for dinner.] 01<@Ardweden> [End!]