Participants:
| Scene Title | Real Men Can Drink Smoothies |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Amadeus and Savannah meet up to buy a book and drink smoothies. |
| Date | August 24, 2010 |
A Barnes and Noble — New York City
It's early in the evening when Amadeus meets up with Savannah at the Barnes and Noble. He's pick pocketed someone for at least enough to buy a book, and a little gas for his van. Arms crossed over his black AC/DC shirt, he nods from a shelf near the front door, looking over a random celebrity magazine. "Yo, Savannah!" he calls out and waves his hand.
Savannah slips into the bookstore, idly taking a moment's glance around the room before she notes Amadeus. He's a bit hard to miss, given the fact that he's not quite the bookstore type. "Hey," she offers, a small smile on her face.
"Sorry about the other day. I really ain't a gang banger, I just do little jobs so I have money to survive on and stuff. I don't usually get all tangled up with guns, you don't expect an old Chinese dude to have a shotgun." Amadeus reaches out to take her hand and start walking through the store, a few people of course giving her looks, due to author status and all. "So like, you write books, eh? You ever get one in a store? And people keep lookin' at you. You are totally fuckin' bangable, but that's kinda rude."
Savannah's hand is grabbed and off she goes, dragged into the aisles of books. She gives a friendly, if awkward, smile towards those giving her looks. "I suppose you're right about the shotgun thing. You really ought to find a safer way to make money, you know." She peers towards Amadeus. He still hasn't figured it out? Ah, well, perhaps that's a good thing. "Thanks for the compliment, I guess." She glances about the shelves before she looks back to him. "What, do bookstores carry my books? Yeah. More than one."
"I wanna find the other book. Library lady said it's called Reaper, but they don't got it." Amadeus looks from shelf to shelf, but he's almost random about it. He has no idea how to shop in a book store. "Can you help me find it? It's the second part of the Amplified."
There's a sly smile. "You called me up to help you find a book in a bookstore? You could have just asked a clerk." Savannah nods, though, tugging Amadeus along now as she forges ahead. "Should be over here. It's pretty popular, and the third book came out in February, so they should have a display with all three. I guess you finished the first one, huh? Did it get better? Second book gets better… it was written after the whole 'Evolved coming out' thing. Personally, I think it's hard to beat the second one."
"I liked it. I don't think I understand all the complex stuff, but it's a book I can read, makes me feel like I'm not so dumb to read about all this important stuff and like, talk to other people about it. Talkin' to other people about books really surprises 'em." Amadeus keeps looking around until he sees the display, with what's apparently a new shipment. He grabs the second book, looking it over, then rubs the cover a few times. "I can only afford one, so I'll get this one now, and the third one later."
"Good idea. Plus it's less intimidating to just have one book at a time." Savannah points out. "Books are pretty good, if you can get into them. I mean, it's something you can talk about, and if you get into something popular like the Amplified, you can manage to talk to a whole lot of people about it, likely. If it's popular, people read it, and people are more likely to know what you're talking about. You using it to pick up chicks?" She grins at the idea.
"You really know a lot about books. I don't think I'm gonna be a book worm or anything, but I really like this book. I should write a book." Amadeus turns it around to look at the new author picture, then tilts his head. "Fuck, this picture's even hotter. Gotta bang this chick one day. And how'd you know I was usin' it to pick up chicks?"
Savannah grins. "Good luck. Authors are temperamental. You might be better off sticking to the chicks reading the books than the chicks writing them." She looks back over to Amadeus. "You read the first book… said you liked it when smart girls didn't blow you off. So… you're into smart girls. What do smart girls do? They read books. And since you like these books… you can read them and have smart conversations." She picks up one of the books, idly thumbing through it. "You should give writing a book a shot. I didn't know I even wanted to write until I was in college. Not like a lifelong dream. Just kinda found it later."
"I don't have a thing for smart chicks in particular, I love a nice party chick who'll let you take a shot right out of her fuckin' belly button, but a smart chick's a whole new fuckin' layer. It's different." Amadeus starts heading for the register already, since he doesn't see the sense in standing around in a book store. "And I don't know, given' an author rug burn sounds like a pretty fuckin' good plan to me."
"Careful, she might prefer hardwood floors," Savannah notes, following him over to the register. "I guess you're one for all types. Trust me, though, every girl's got a little 'guilty pleasure' book that they like to dive into every once and a while and don't always admit to reading."
"Slippery floors is a challenge I'll gladly fuckin' accept." Amadeus sits the book on the counter, and the clerk is just staring a hole into her. Someone takes a picture with their digital camera, then runs back to her friends to giggle. "Didn't know people in book stores were so fuckin' weird. What's your guilty book?"
Savannah chuckles, noting the girls as well as Amadeus' apparent obliviousness. She'll let it hit him when it hits him. No point in ruining the amusing part of the whole thing. "Me? Well, you know, the whole point of having a guilty pleasure is that they're embarrassing to admit… but since you asked, I'll go ahead and admit it. I'm actually kind of fond of the Harry Potter books. Makes me feel like a kid again and I can just pick those up and it's easy to read… don't have to think about it."
"I remember those from before jail, that's fuckin' crazy. Never thought a serious chick like you would be into that." Amadeus grabs his bag with the book in it, then starts heading to the door, looking back as the clerk waves to her. "Me an' you are the most unlikely fuckin' friends, aren't we?"
"Yeah, but that's the kind of thing that makes life interesting, isn't it? Unlikely people being unlikely friends." Savannah waves at the clerk with a polite smile before she looks back to Amadeus. "But hey, I'm always for the friendships that involve promoting literacy."
"You heard of that social light chick, Peyton Whitney? Used to get on TV flashin' stuff all the time? I had a date with her the other day. Won her in a charity auction after I pick pocketed some guy." Amadeus admits as he looks around, surveying his next move. "Didn't get laid, and Christ all fuckin' mighty it would have been a great lay, but we're friends now. Can you believe I'm friends with Peyton Fuckin' Whitney?"
There's a moment before Savannah realizes who Peyton Whitney is. "Oh, right! I'm not too familiar with her or anything, just kinda know the name, but I suppose that's pretty cool. You've got a new friend, which is always a perk. You know, regardless of fame."
"I like famous chicks. Ain't never bone one, but they're always fun when they show up at a party or somethin'. So I've got my first famous friend." Amadeus has no idea that technically Savannah is his first famous friend. He carries the bag as he heads down the shopping complex, sighing and walking rather aimlessly. "Where you wanna go?"
Savannah shrugs as she follows after Amadeus. "We could go wherever… I'm not quite used to hanging out quite like this. I work a lot, or have dinner with my agent, or things like that. I could go for a smoothie or something. If that's not too 'straight-laced' for you. Are smoothies hardcore enough for you?"
"You don't drink? And smoothies are totally hardcore, a real man can drink a smoothie." Amadeus takes her hand in his free one, crossing the street so they can head to the food shops. "You don't date, do you? You seem like the stay at home alone after deciding she don't need a husband type, but you secretly want one or whatever."
"Oh, no, I drink. Quite frequently." Savannah grins. "I'm not that much of a shut-in." She lets herself be led across the street. "I'm glad you're man enough for smoothies." The author laughs a little. "I date, it's just a little more selective than most, I suppose. And you're right. I probably am the type who decides she doesn't need one and then goes home and wishes she had one. You've caught me there." She states, peering over at various food shops. "I guess I'm just picky and a little weirder than some would expect. I'm not a terribly good girlfriend."
"I ain't a good boyfriend either, we got that much in common. I ain't never been a boyfriend, but girls sometimes think I am and don't tell me for a few weeks, and I'm like, fuck. Just 'cause we've been shakin' up for a few weeks don't mean we're together. I try not to fuck a girl I live with, don't shit in your own dog pan, y'know?" Amadeus heads for the smoothie shop, opening the door hard enough to pull her through before it closes.
"… 'you don't shit in your own dog pan'. That's a new one. Can't say I've heard that." Savannah shakes her head a bit. "Well, if you're living with a girl that usually means you're either paying rent, in a relationship with them, or they're doing you a damned fine favor and letting you stay there. In your case, if you haven't established that it's one of the three, the second is likely to be assumed." She studies him carefully as she's promptly tugged into the smoothie shop. "Do you do that often? Live with some girl and let her think you're dating her?"
"It ain't a matter of lettin' her think, I just don't fuckin' know she thinks that until the last minute and she kicks me out on my ass. Last chick I stayed with was a college girl. We didn't fuck or anything, she said she was doin' a, um, thesis thing, and she needed to know my whole life story to do it." Amadeus shrugs as he releases her hand, clearly not getting it. "She's in school for psychology."
Savannah tilts her head, curious at that description. "Oh, well… that's definitely an odd one. I can understand that, though… working on a thesis and living with your subject, although that might be a bit too close." She looks towards the menu. "Mm.. apples and peaches." She idly makes her selection before stepping up to the counter to order.
"I want somethin' with chocolate, and whipped cream, and put a little bit of salt on top." Amadeus leans his butt against the counter, it being late enough that not many people are really stopping into a smoothie shop. "You happy? I mean, with your whole life. Seems kinda boring. Just writing, not gettin' laid, hangin' out with a guy who's pointin' these things out."
Savannah pays for her drink (and kindly, pays for Amadeus' while she's at it), moving off to the side to wait for it. "I'm happy with my life, for the most part. Writing's what I like to do, and since I'm good at it… makes me feel pretty awesome. It's not so boring. Writing's a lot of work and I get to read and research and things like that. Pretty fun. The not getting laid part, well…" She shakes her head. "Guess I've just kinda been waiting for someone special. I had flings back when I was in college and I kinda got bored of that sort of thing. So, I'm just kinda hoping for something… different." Almost seems like she already knows what she wants. "And hanging out with you isn't bad. You make me think in different ways. Just not quite used to your way of dealing with things."
"Flings got old? Maybe you just ain't havin' the right ones." Amadeus shrugs when presented with a concept completely beyond his means of comprehension, tapping the side of the counter. "There's this chick, she's a totally straight-laced chick, straighter laced than you. I don't know, a part of me wants to just go for it, but there's this other part of me that, like, doesn't wanna do that. That make any sense to you? She judges a lot, but she's nice, and fuckin' adorable. Never met a chick I wanna fuck and don't wanna fuck at the same time, it doesn't make any sense."
"It's not really that they got old, it's just that they don't mean much other than sex. And I'm tired of meaningless sex." Savannah points out, though she pauses as she lets Amadeus explain his situation. "You've got a crush. You wanna know how I know? You're attracted to her, obviously, since you want to have sex with her… but you don't want to, because you don't wanna mess things up, cause you like hanging out with her. And sex always changes a relationship. Sometimes for the better, but… it can be risky if you don't know it'll be better after. That's why you want to both do it and not do it." She reaches for her smoothy as it arrives, taking a sip before she moves to go sit at an empty table.
"That's fuckin' nuts, I don't get crushes, I'm fuckin' badass." Amadeus graciously points out as he grabs his smoothie in both hands and takes small sips. He follows after her, then sits across from her at the table. "She's way fuckin' innocent, and that's a huge fuckin' turn on, but I don't wanna fuck her up or somethin'."
Savannah laughs. "No, you've got a crush. And there's nothing wrong with that, mind you. But really, if she's innocent… don't take that away. Few people really are anymore and it's kind of nice when you can find someone who genuinely still is." The smoothie is sipped quietly.
"So we talkin', don't take it away physically, or like, don't change 'er?" Amadeus apparently wants to know the line here, sticking a finger into his smoothie to lick some of the salt from the top. "And I don't got a crush, guys like me don't get crushes. I mean, look at me, I'm wearin' a fuckin' AC/DC shirt."
"Feelings of the heart spare no one, my friend." Savannah chuckles. "Remember that. And I'd say let things go as naturally as possible and don't push her into anything physical. If she initiates it… I'd say it's fair game, but… let her figure things out on her own."
"I ain't the kinda guy who pushes. If she says no then it's no." Amadeus hunches over his glass, taking very long sips inbetween talking. "Alright, let's say I do have this whole crush thing, why would I like a straight-laced chick like that? She's straighter-laced than most chicks I ever met. I'm into chicks like Peyton, nip slips out the freakin' ass and doin' it in a back alley."
"Well, she's innocent. She's not like that." Savannah nods a bit. "She's probably sweet, maybe it's cause she's opposite of what you're used to. Opposites attract, they say, and if you go with chicks who are like you, then maybe that's why you like this girl?"
"The whole thing makes me fuckin' nervous. But I'm gonna go and tell her I've got a job tomorrow, then she won't think I'm a loser, maybe." Amadeus stands after finishing his smoothie rather quickly, yawning and stretching. "And y'know, that's what sucks about chicks over twenty-something, you've got all your shit together and you don't fall for all my charms and stuff."
Savannah smirks. "I've just got my shit together better than most. Well, in some ways." She laughs, continuing to sip on her smoothie. "I'm gonna stick around her for a bit, maybe get some writing done." She looks back to him. "But thanks for hanging out. Kinda refreshing for a new point of view, you know?"
"Yeah I know. And for the record, I still don't got a crush. Later." Amadeus waves her off without looking back, playing it cool and heading right out the door.
The author watches him head out, taking another sip of her smoothie before she shakes her head a little. "Whatever you want to believe, Amadeus." She murmurs to herself with a small chuckle.