01 [Day: Monday, September 27. Time: Fifth period lunch!] 01 [What a weekend, right? But Natalie's okay. You all got to school on time today (or were capable of doing so; if you didn't, that's your choice, but you didn't oversleep). Sydney's still pretty damn tired, but at least it's not as bad as it was yesterday.] 01 [You all doubtless have plenty to talk about... one of those things MAY be Homecoming, which - by signs and gossip and morning announcement chatter - is coming up two Saturdays from now. Got a date yet?] 01 [Regardless, you're heading to lunch. Some of you may have seen Hank in the hall on the way there, though he didn't seem interested in actually going into the doors to the cafeteria, instead heading for the main doors to outside. Whether you'd want to do something about that is your call.] 01 [In any event, today is burgers! And also sloppy joes. There's a vegetarian version; doubtless Jonah is thrilled.] 01 [Start!] 06* Javy got out a couple of minutes early from the previous class, so getting an early slot in the line is easy! 06* Tyler is staring at dismay at his burgerjoe. He's very much uncertain WHICH it is, but it's mystery meat with red stuff that might be ketchup. Also Onions. On a bun. He's at his normal table, but isn't paying much attention to what's going on around him. 06* Javy steps up and orders the vegetarian one. Just for a change of pace. 03* Rowyn is now known as Tiffany 06* Sydney arrives in the cafeteria and gets in line. If she saw Hank in the hallway, she certainly didn't acknowledge him. 06* Sydney idly flips through her phone as she waits. She looks a little tired, but not OMGGOINGTODROP. 06* Javy doesn't spot anyone in the line, or of the swim people, so he just gets some water to go with his food and heads for their regular table, and then scans the line. He puts down his tray and waves to Syd, and tries to see if anyone else is there. 01 [Steve sits next to Tyler, slapping down a tray of two burgers, a sloppy joe, and an entire plate of fries. "Hey, dude." He starts piling bread and meat and fries and... things... on top of each other.] 06* Tyler glances over at Steve and pales a little more, poking at his burgerslop. "Hey. Not..really hungry for this." 06* Sydney proceeds through the line, waving back at Javy, and eventually purchases food and heads for the table. She's got a burger and fries. 01 ["Dude," Steve says, "You're never hungry for anything. In the cafeteria, I mean." He dips a fry in sloppy joestuff.] 01 [Jonah and Cole walk in about now, talking to each other about something. Cole waves at Javy when they pass to the line, and Jonah can be heard saying, "At least they're *trying*," upon seeing the vegetarian option.] 06* Javy nods to her as she sits down. "Hey Syd. How's, uh..." He lowers his voice a couple of notches, and finishes, "your sister. Uh. Natalie." She's doing a lot better. Still tired, but doing well. She doesn't seem to be having any bad effects, at least none that I saw. 06* Javy nods, looking relieved. He waves back to Cole, looking at him for a brief beat before shifting his gaze to Jonah and adding a little second wave, too. "Yeah? I, uh, that's great. It's like. I mean, with the others, it was like that, but you never know. Since it was different. I was, you know." He looks down at his veggie burger, and pokes at it lightly. "Worried." 06* Tyler looks over at Steve and reaches for his fork cutting a tiny pit of joebursloper and tasting it. He almost immediately sets the silverware down and slides it over to Steve. "Don't know how you can eat reheated dehydrated cardboard soaked in salt." 01 [Steve snorts, his mouth full of sloppy joe. "'s not cardboard." He swallows. "Totally different."] You'd know. 01 ["Yup!" Steve doesn't seem to understand the insult implied in Tyler's statement. He is quite proud that he's managed to eat cardboard. It got him twenty bucks!] So was I. I was worried that we were going to be too late. 06* Tyler just sighs. "I hate today. I want to do something. Anything." 06* Javy nods. "But also, well. I mean." He lowers his voice again. "The other times, we, uh. Bad things happened to, to... you know. The dream person. But not her. So." He picks up his veggie burger, takes a bite, and looks thoughtful. 01 ["Like what?" Steve asks, curiously.] Anything. I'm bored. We did it differently this time. I talked to her. That... probably should have been how we were going about it all along, but at the beginning I was all yay crazy fighting time. 06* Javy smiles slightly, and looks up and down the line for other people, particularly Tiffany and Nate. "I don't remember you, uh..." His voice lowers again, almost hard to hear over the noise of the room, "Saying that. Like, exactly like that." 01 [There is no Nate, but that's pretty normal because he's always late for lunch.] 01 [There's also no Tiffany, which is much more odd.] 01 [Leah shows up, though, along with Natalie, who gives Sydney a (very tiny) wave. Leah looks over at the wave, sees Javy, and blushes, looking away. Natalie laughs.] I punched evil dream you. I'm kind of sorry about that. I wouldn't beat up on normal you, obviously, but maybe I should've been a little less enthusiastic about beating up on evil dream you. 06* Sydney waves back to Natalie and smiles. 06* Javy sobers at that, and then shrugs, taking another bite. "It's... it wasn't me. Really. I, uh... you wouldn't actually to me, right? Like, do that." Of course not! Unless you like, wanted to learn how to fight. In which case I'd turn you over to Rhi. She's been talking about teaching classes someday. 01 [Steve finally makes to respond to Tyler when he spots something that causes him to choke on the food that was halfway down his throat. Smooth, Steve.] 06* Javy nods. "I'm, uh, yeah. I'll stick with swimming. It's... I mean, I can't hurt my hands." 06* Tyler glances over. "What?" Good idea. That's more important. 06* Javy colors slightly, and nods again, smaller than before. "So, uh. Have you heard from, um, Tiffany? At all?" 01 [Steve pointpoints and half ducks under the table. It's Tiffany's friend Christina, wearing a newsboy cap and a short jacket (indoors, yes) over with a dark, floral print dress. She makes it work. And she's heading for the table of dream walkers. Funny, Tyler doesn't remember seeing her in this part of the cafeteria before.] 06* Sydney shrugs. "Nope." She doesn't sound like she particularly cares. 06* Tyler shrugs. "Not after us. Has bigger fish to fry." 01 [Steve swallows, blushing madly. "Yeah." He hides his blush by making with the devouring of foods.] 06* Tyler grins suddenly. "OH!" 01 ["Don't," Steve says upon seeing Tyler's grin.] 06* Javy looks concerned, and sips some water. "I... I mean, I texted her yesterday. And, uh, nothing, which I guess, that's not too weird. For her. But I was just checking in. And now she's not here. Like. Not in line or anywhere." Don't what? Look I'm bored and you being a friend gave me this. 01 [Christina walks up. "Hey," she says, hovering near Sydney and Javy's table. "Have you seen Tiffany?"] 06* Sydney shakes her head. "No, sorry." She looks over at Javy. 06* Javy looks up at her, almost startled by the question. "I, uh. I was just saying. I texted her yesterday. But..." He shrugs. "And not today, either." 01 [Christina blinks at Javy. "She didn't respond to *you*?" And then she frowns a little. "Weird."] 06* Javy looks a bit confused at that response, but tries, "So... not you, uh, either?" He blushes a bit, and then comes up with "... obvious. Sorry." 01 [Christina forces out a small laugh. "Yeah." Pause, then, "Hey, if she *does* contact you, can you let me know? I bet she just ditched today, but..."] 01 [Meanwhile, Steve shovels food in his mouth. It's the best way he knows to ignore Tyler being Tyler.] 06* Tyler grins at Steve and stands up moving towards that table. "Christina!" He is sing songing it out. 06* Javy nods a couple of times quickly. "Um. Sure, but then..." He colors more, all along his cheeks. "I need your info," he blurts out, reacting in part to the calling out, too. 01 [Christina turns at the voice to see Tyler. She eyes him warily. "What?"] 01 [SHOVEL THE FOOD goes the Steve.] 06* Sydney looks over at Tyler, wondering exactly what he's up to. I just want to talk. Can't we talk? Who you taking to the Dance? 01 [Christina frowns. "None of your business." Followed shortly by: "Not *you*."] 01 [At this point, a few heads from other tables have turned.] 06* Tyler holds up his hands. "Oh no no no, not me. Who ARE you taking, because the rumors are it's Heather, but I just can't believe that." 01 [Christina rolls her eyes. "I am *not* gay," she says, then follows it up with, "But if you really have to know, I'm not going with anyone yet."] oooh just a dateless loser instead of gay, so much better. 06* Javy looks down at his burger, and then half back up at Christina. "Just. Sit with us. If you want. We have space," he tries, trying not to be too loud. 06* Sydney looks over at Tyler. "Oh, shut up, Tyler. Seriously. What the hell's your problem?" 06* Tyler groans. "Really, Sydney, I'm just..." He sighed. "I'm trying to have a conversation with Christina and she doesn't need you rescuing her. I'm sure." He looks around his tone changing. "Look, Christina, I know someone that has a huge crush on you. That's all." 06* Sydney rolls her eyes at Tyler but doesn't respond otherwise. 01 [Christina grabs her purse, which she put on the table. "If he's even twice as charming as you, I'm gonna pass." So saying, she turns and walks quickly for the cafeteria door, having forgotten that she was going to give Javy her phone number.] 06* Javy looks after her forlornly. He opens his mouth to call after her, but gives that one up in about two seconds. 06* Tyler sighs watching her walk away, his whole attitude changed. "I'll let you guys alone." 06* Javy scans the line again, but not particularly hopefully. 06* Sydney has a history of not realizing that people don't have other people's phone numbers, so she doesn't actually notice that Javy never got Christina's. She looks over at Tyler, like she wants to say something, but instead just shrugs at him. What the hell, indeed. 06* Tyler shrugs looking at Sydney and Javy for a bit, giving them a little bit to say something. 06* Javy isn't even looking at him. He's really hoping for Nate or Tiffany to show up. He wouldn't say anything across the room anyway, though. 06* Sydney looks at Tyler. "What?" Her tone is more confused than hostile. 06* Tyler shrugs. "Nothing." He turns heading back for his table, Steve, and what's left of the meal. 01 [Steve looks like he's going to die. Not ACTUALLY die, but metaphorical high school death is still pretty bad.] 01 [Tyler nears, and he just goes, "*Dude*."] 06* Javy looks disappointedly back at Syd. "I think, just, sometimes. From over there, he's better, but then. Then. Like this. Maybe it's just not..." He looks at a loss for words. 06* Sydney goes back to having lunch. "At least in dreams he's a *helpful* ass." 06* Sydney sighs. "I was hoping we'd... well... enh." 06* Javy looks at her, confused. "Huh?" 06* Tyler sits down and shakes his head. "Whatever, you know she's not going with any one now." Was hoping we'd be a better influence, or something. Never mind. 06* Sydney pokes at one of her fries. "So nobody's heard from Tiffany at all." It, uh. If I haven't. And she hasn't. Then... She wasn't doing well, at the end... but the dream ended. Maybe she's just still feeling sick. 06* Javy nods, and takes a sip of water before asking, "Just. What should I do? Like. What do you think?" 01 ["Yeah," Steve says, "but there's no way I can ask her *now*."] You should go find her. 06* Sydney seems surprised at her own reaction. 06* Javy blinks. "You think so? Like. Now?" He looks at his plate. "I guess, uh. I'm, um, almost done." Could you have before? 01 ["I was *working* on it," Steve says defensively. Nobody would believe it.] Mmhmm sure It's either now or wait until classes are over. 06* Javy nods slowly. "Okay." He pops the rest of the veggie burger in his mouth, and gets up. "Then. Okay, I will. Thanks." You're welcome? 06* Javy looks slightly embarrassed, but nods again, and makes his way out. 06* Sydney waves to Javy as he leaves, then grabs the last bits of her lunch and decides that she can finish it outside. 01 [End!]