"Behind the story I tell is the one I don't. Behind the story..." - Response for Sim_Spiration
This is a sim_spiration post co-written by me and smoothiesims.
Of course, as we are prolific people, we went well over the LJ character limit, so...posting here. But this is by both of us, not just me, so remember that when commenting!
This is definitely AU for my apocalypse, and isn't canon for Marina's, though, as she said "it could be."
Our quote choice:
"Behind the story I tell is the one I don't. Behind the story you hear is the one I wish I could make you hear." (Dorothy Allison)
The park was fairly barren, but Liam still stared wide-eyed when he saw it. He'd seen chess sets before, and figured the bench was basically a couch, and, well, lights were commonplace. But there were swings, and ground that wasn't sand, and trees.
He'd never seen trees before.
He'd been walking for close to a full day, and he was tired. This park seemed to be as nice a place as any he'd ever seen, and it was warm enough that he could stay outside, so he dropped his bag next to the swings and tried sitting in one.
It moved a bit, which shocked him for a moment, then made him smile.
It was the first time he'd smiled in a long, long time.
He swung, not thinking about anything but the air moving around him and the sun shining on his face and arms.
After a while, he noticed someone approaching the park - a girl, maybe the same age as him, with long brown hair. He stopped pushing with his legs, letting the swing stop, and watched her come closer.
She didn't seem to notice him at first, keeping steadily to her path and picking a little at the sweater she was wearing. Then she looked up, spotted him sitting there, and jumped slightly, though she was quick to try to cover, offering him a shy half-smile. "Sorry. I didn't see you."
Liam shrugged. "It's cool." He supposed he would have to talk to other people at some point, and she didn't seem too bad. "There's another swing, if you want."
She hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Okay." The wooden frame of the swingset jostled a little as she sat in the other swing. "Um, I'm Elle, by the way," she added, after an awkward pause.
"Liam." He considered swinging a bit more - he really had enjoyed doing so - but he didn't feel comfortable acting so childish in front of someone else. "Are you from around here?"
Elle nodded, gesturing from the direction she had come. "We live around the corner."
He nodded. "Cool." He twisted the swing a bit, eyes going wide as it started twisting back. "So, um, what's it like around here?"
"Oh, it's, um, it's fine," she said. It was clear that she hadn't been expecting that question. "I mean, as fine as a military zone can get, I guess. Did you just move here or are you visiting or something?"
"Just got here." His eyes strayed unwillingly to the bag next to him. A red pajama sleeve was poking out one end of the zipper, and a bag of cookies was almost falling out of the outside pocket. He pulled his eyes away and looked around the park, shrugging. "Can't be worse than home," he muttered.
Elle blinked. "Why? Where's home?"
"The Hellmouth. It lives up to its name."
"Oh. That sucks." A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "The name's kind of poetic, though."
"Yeah, I guess. It's a horrible place, with insane laws and rules and ghosts. There's a reason I r-" he cut himself off.
"We've got some stupid laws here, too. It's military stuff. My family's trying to get rid of them, though." She dug at the dirt a bit with her shoe.
"Huh. Mine is, too." They sat in silence for a moment, each of them thinking about their family and their apocalypse. Finally, Liam turned to Elle. "Your family's trying to get rid of the laws, you said. Why? I mean, why your family?"
She shrugged. "I don't know if anyone even knows anymore. It's always been that way."
He turned to face her. "According to my mom, my dad got stuck with the job." He gripped the chain tightly. "Not that I would know." His voice was bitter.
Her fingers gripped the chains a little tighter. "I'm sorry. It's not fair."
"No. It's not." He kicked at the ground. "Can't be fair to you, either. Not if your family's trying to fix things here."
Elle looked up and her expression was pleasant, but there was tension in her eyes. "It's not awful. I don't even care about that anymore."
"How can you not care? The laws are insane."
"I just want us all to be happy," she said, after a short pause.
"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I get that." He shifted on the swing, accidentally kicking his bag. The bag of cookies tilted, then started to fall. He grabbed them before they could, then offered the bag to Elle. "Cookie?"
She blinked. "Thank you." Removing one from the bag, she took a nibble and her eyes popped. "Oh! These are sweet!"
"Yeah, they're good, aren't they?" He took a bite of one himself. "Want another?"
"One's fine, thanks." She finished off the rest of the cookie, carefully brushed the crumbs off her lap, and got up with a sigh. "I have to go to work." Though she said it casually enough, her expression made it clear that work was the last place she wanted to be.
Liam looked up at her. "Have a good time?" he said hesitantly.
"I'll try," she said. "Thanks for talking to me. Um, you could come by the shop later if you wanted. It's one of our family businesses, over on Sierra Lane."
"I'll keep it in mind." He leaned back a bit into the swing. "It was good talking to you too, Elle. Elle, right?"
"Or Ellie. I answer to both. And you're Liam."
"Yeah."
"I really do have to go, though. See you soon?"
"Yeah," Liam said, "see you soon."
With that, Elle turned and left the park, walking quickly towards where Liam assumed the family businesses were. He watched her walk away, then stood up and closed his bag, stuffing the pajamas farther in. Then he shouldered the bag and left the park.
Of course, as we are prolific people, we went well over the LJ character limit, so...posting here. But this is by both of us, not just me, so remember that when commenting!
This is definitely AU for my apocalypse, and isn't canon for Marina's, though, as she said "it could be."
Our quote choice:
"Behind the story I tell is the one I don't. Behind the story you hear is the one I wish I could make you hear." (Dorothy Allison)
The park was fairly barren, but Liam still stared wide-eyed when he saw it. He'd seen chess sets before, and figured the bench was basically a couch, and, well, lights were commonplace. But there were swings, and ground that wasn't sand, and trees.
He'd never seen trees before.
He'd been walking for close to a full day, and he was tired. This park seemed to be as nice a place as any he'd ever seen, and it was warm enough that he could stay outside, so he dropped his bag next to the swings and tried sitting in one.
It moved a bit, which shocked him for a moment, then made him smile.
It was the first time he'd smiled in a long, long time.
He swung, not thinking about anything but the air moving around him and the sun shining on his face and arms.
After a while, he noticed someone approaching the park - a girl, maybe the same age as him, with long brown hair. He stopped pushing with his legs, letting the swing stop, and watched her come closer.
She didn't seem to notice him at first, keeping steadily to her path and picking a little at the sweater she was wearing. Then she looked up, spotted him sitting there, and jumped slightly, though she was quick to try to cover, offering him a shy half-smile. "Sorry. I didn't see you."
Liam shrugged. "It's cool." He supposed he would have to talk to other people at some point, and she didn't seem too bad. "There's another swing, if you want."
She hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Okay." The wooden frame of the swingset jostled a little as she sat in the other swing. "Um, I'm Elle, by the way," she added, after an awkward pause.
"Liam." He considered swinging a bit more - he really had enjoyed doing so - but he didn't feel comfortable acting so childish in front of someone else. "Are you from around here?"
Elle nodded, gesturing from the direction she had come. "We live around the corner."
He nodded. "Cool." He twisted the swing a bit, eyes going wide as it started twisting back. "So, um, what's it like around here?"
"Oh, it's, um, it's fine," she said. It was clear that she hadn't been expecting that question. "I mean, as fine as a military zone can get, I guess. Did you just move here or are you visiting or something?"
"Just got here." His eyes strayed unwillingly to the bag next to him. A red pajama sleeve was poking out one end of the zipper, and a bag of cookies was almost falling out of the outside pocket. He pulled his eyes away and looked around the park, shrugging. "Can't be worse than home," he muttered.
Elle blinked. "Why? Where's home?"
"The Hellmouth. It lives up to its name."
"Oh. That sucks." A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "The name's kind of poetic, though."
"Yeah, I guess. It's a horrible place, with insane laws and rules and ghosts. There's a reason I r-" he cut himself off.
"We've got some stupid laws here, too. It's military stuff. My family's trying to get rid of them, though." She dug at the dirt a bit with her shoe.
"Huh. Mine is, too." They sat in silence for a moment, each of them thinking about their family and their apocalypse. Finally, Liam turned to Elle. "Your family's trying to get rid of the laws, you said. Why? I mean, why your family?"
She shrugged. "I don't know if anyone even knows anymore. It's always been that way."
He turned to face her. "According to my mom, my dad got stuck with the job." He gripped the chain tightly. "Not that I would know." His voice was bitter.
Her fingers gripped the chains a little tighter. "I'm sorry. It's not fair."
"No. It's not." He kicked at the ground. "Can't be fair to you, either. Not if your family's trying to fix things here."
Elle looked up and her expression was pleasant, but there was tension in her eyes. "It's not awful. I don't even care about that anymore."
"How can you not care? The laws are insane."
"I just want us all to be happy," she said, after a short pause.
"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I get that." He shifted on the swing, accidentally kicking his bag. The bag of cookies tilted, then started to fall. He grabbed them before they could, then offered the bag to Elle. "Cookie?"
She blinked. "Thank you." Removing one from the bag, she took a nibble and her eyes popped. "Oh! These are sweet!"
"Yeah, they're good, aren't they?" He took a bite of one himself. "Want another?"
"One's fine, thanks." She finished off the rest of the cookie, carefully brushed the crumbs off her lap, and got up with a sigh. "I have to go to work." Though she said it casually enough, her expression made it clear that work was the last place she wanted to be.
Liam looked up at her. "Have a good time?" he said hesitantly.
"I'll try," she said. "Thanks for talking to me. Um, you could come by the shop later if you wanted. It's one of our family businesses, over on Sierra Lane."
"I'll keep it in mind." He leaned back a bit into the swing. "It was good talking to you too, Elle. Elle, right?"
"Or Ellie. I answer to both. And you're Liam."
"Yeah."
"I really do have to go, though. See you soon?"
"Yeah," Liam said, "see you soon."
With that, Elle turned and left the park, walking quickly towards where Liam assumed the family businesses were. He watched her walk away, then stood up and closed his bag, stuffing the pajamas farther in. Then he shouldered the bag and left the park.