Participants:
Scene Title | He's Just A Stranger |
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Synopsis | Aaron is rude to another stranger. This seems to be a growing trend. He's just plain mean to poor Juliet. |
Date | October 6, 2009 |
A Country-ish Bar Near Columbia University
It continues to be a long and hard battle. Despite copious amounts of therapy, Aaron is still very, very hesitant to go anywhere but home and his therapist's office. Nevertheless, when he caught wind that an old professor of his had a gig at one of the bars near the Columbia University campus, he felt it was at least close enough within his reach to attend.
Aaron settles into a chair at one of the tables in the back of the country-ish bar, intent on remaining unseen. He really doesn't have any desire to be spotted and made to reminisce, given how things have turned out in his life. Right now he just wants to be content to listen to the music, even if it's bent a bit closer to the country end of the musical spectrum than he likes.
Not be seen? Whatever. Those men who don't want to be seen are the worst kind… for it's the outgoing ones, the open ones that you have to watch out for. Ted Bundy peoples. So with that note, a late aged teenager looking female stands at the bar having just ordered herself a drink (probably a Pepsi), and a plate of fries. With a looking around the room with her eyes, she scans the place perhaps in a place to sit. A quiet place. Spying Aaron at a table by himself, Jet watches him for a few moments before she heads towards him, ignoring all the college aged men that look at her on the way. There are always a couple.
"Excuse me," come her soft words, "May I please join you? I would rather not sit alone."
It actually takes a long while for those somewhat unusual words to sink in and only then does Aaron give a tentative shrug. No, he doesn't mind if she joins him. A server swings by with Aaron's club soda and he only gives a small nod in response as he takes the glass and sips from it. He leans back some in his seat and watches the stage and the performance with only mild interest. It's supposed to be fun, but it just isn't.
Jet slides into the seat across from Aaron, asking the waitress for lemon and ketchup before she walks off. Holding her hands in her lap for a moment she just watches Aaron with soft brown eyes, gazing at him for a moment before she turns her eyes to the stage, picking up a fry as it's briefly rolled in her fingers before she takes a bite of it. A chewing, then a swallow, then another bite. "Thank you," she simply offers to the man, looking back to Aaron for a moment then back to the stage. "Do you mind if I instigate conversation, or would you rather me be quiet?"
Did she just ask if he minded if she instigated conversation? Who talks like that? "Did you just …?" Aaron takes a sip of his soda. "That's an unusual way to put that question," he says, confusion written on his face for a moment before it relaxes into one of indifference. "Depends on the conversation. I guess." At least he's trying not to be rude. Whether or not he succeeds …. That's another story.
Jet has both her hands wrapped around her glass now, her thumbs lifting to the rim of it as she idly caresses the circle top of it. Watching Aaron for a moment longer she then flashes him a grin of a smile before it falls down to something softer. "I'm Juliet by the way." She offers him a hand now, but not before wiping the condensation away on one of her jean-covered thighs. "It's not an unusual way at all. I'm sure I can find a couple others who speak like this."
"Aaron." His hands remain firmly on his own glass and he doesn't return the smile. It may well be that he simply cannot smile anymore. He knows it certainly feels that way sometimes. Aaron gives his eyes a bit of a rub with his cold, damp hand (thanks to his own glass) before posing a question: "Any particular reason you picked my table?" His eyes hastily scan the outlying tables, hoping to spot others with only one person. Well, there's one, but he can't remember if the person was there before or not.
Jet holds her hand in mid air for a moment before her fingers curl into her palm. Did her eyes just mist with emotion? Perhaps. Looking away from Aaron now to watch the stage for a moment, Jet grows quiet as she picks up another fry, before laying it down as a small pile of ketchup is made on her plate. To his question she gives a shrug of her shoulders. "You looked semi normal," come her soft words as a fry is swirled around in the ketchup, "Thought maybe you would talk to me normally."
Aaron sighs. Another reason he shouldn't go out. He seems to spread misery wherever he goes. Worse still is how he makes people's misery worse. Terribly ironic, given what his ability is. He listens to the music for a moment before faintly echoing part of the chorus, "Oh, Sweet Caroline," and then humming along for a moment, allowing his ability to sap away some of Juliet's emotional agony. It's not much, but it's something and he hasn't the energy to stay. He stands up from the table, leaving his drink mostly unfinished, and lays a few bills down. "I'm sorry," he offers and then walks away.
Jet gives a tight smile to Aaron when he stands from the table, the female watching him with moist eyes before she looks back down at the table. "Bye," she simply offers to the departing Aaron, the female putting her elbow on the table as she holds her head up via a touch to her temple. Talk about social rejection, the female moving her fingers to the plate of her fries as she nudges them away from her. She lets Aaron leave her, he is a stranger, after all.