hundreds of wallet sized photos
Jan. 22nd, 2024 05:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsPaige helps Jono attempt to piss off Warren.
Backdated to yesterday.
Jono had changed into an outfit that he hoped Warren would find even more unsightly than what the man had publicly complained about. he'd thrown on his old stage costume, which frankly wasn't all that different than what he normally wore, just a bit more...interesting. A pair of fishnets under his black, ripped jeans, just baggy enough to be interesting. His combat boots were a comforting weight, much like the chunky silver rings on his now black polished fingers. He had on his favorite The Smiths t-shirt, the one from their 'The Queen is Dead' album, he'd paired it with a red flannel shirt and then his patched and safety-pinned jacket on top. Rather than his usual bulky scarf he'd opted for a solid black bandana tied around his face, which he thought went quite well with the artfully smudged eyeliner he'd applied.
A year ago he'd have thought he was hot shit. Now? Well...now he just hoped that this outfit would piss off a member of the upper class. And despite it all he was nervous waiting for Paige to meet him in the library. What if she didn't like the outfit either? That would just be embarrassing.
Paige walked into the library, setting her phone to Do Not Disturb. Much as she appreciate Sam’s over prepared help with her current crisis, that’s not what she was focused on right now. She could do more reading later.
Seeing Jono’s new outfit stopped Paige in her tracks. “Woah.” Paige hadn’t really known what to expect for the spite outfit, but Jono had certainly delivered. It was a little over the top, but in a way that felt very Jono, and seemed to make him more comfortable. “Nice outfit. Did ya make those patches yourself?”
He inwardly preened, although the pleasure he took in her compliment certainly showed in the fond crinkling of his eyes. He grabbed the lightwriter off the table next to him and quickly typed. "Thank you! I made most of them. I used to wear this on stage without the bandana."
He glanced at her again and felt heat rising to his cheeks. "Thank you for helping with this. I know it's ridiculous."
“Oh, hey, you got a light writer! That’s great!” Paige smiled. “And don’t worry about it, this should be fun and I could use a break.” She held up her phone. “So where do you want to do this?”
"It's taking some getting used to but it's easier to talk to you now." Jono typed. This felt....warm, not the aloof distance that had existed between him and the man that had given him the device. Paige seemed genuinely excited for him. It was nice.
Back to the matter at hand, Jono winked at her. "I trust your creative vision. You tell me to jump, I'll ask how high."
“Uh, let’s see.” Paige put her hand on Jono’s shoulder and guided him into a better light. “There, that’s better. You can pose however you like.” She stepped back and held up her phone camera.
“Ok, smile!”
Jono couldn't even bring himself to feel a twinge of anger at the reminder that he couldn't smile as his eyes squinted in what he hoped looked like happiness. He had a friend again. Paige was nice to him. She was excited for him. She didn't resent him. And when he looked at her he wasn't reminded of everything he used to be and how much better people had liked him from before the incident. Paige only knew him now, and she hadn't run away screaming. And that was something to try to smile about.
Paige snapped a few photos before turning her phone toward Jono. “Here, any you prefer?” She thought he looked great in all of them, so it was up to him to choose which one would haunt Warren.
Jono glanced at her softly before turning his attention to the phone, only pretending to compare the photos against each other. "No." He typed. "Whichever you think is best. I'm not picky."
Paige pretended to think it over before picking one at random. “How about this one? Fashionable enough?”
"It's perfect." Jono typed, eyes crinkling in a smile. "Thank you. For everything."
“Yeah, of course,” Paige smiled back. “C’mon, let's set up a computer and get these printed.” It was nice seeing Jono smile and in a good mood. After the chapel and her dumping…quite a lot on him the last time they had met, it was nice to know Paige could have a friend under less stressful circumstances. Maybe she could drag Jono into the city with her to explore sometime.
Jono followed her on her quest for a computer and printer. It's been a year. He reminded himself. "So," he typed slowly as Paige figured out how to connect her phone to the computer. "I haven't actually been outside the mansion, they teleported me right in when I moved....maybe you could show me your favourite thing about the city so far sometime?"
“I haven’t actually gotten a whole lotta time to explore yet.” Paige uploaded the photo to her Google Drive and logged in on the computer. “Sam really wanted to show me ‘n Jay around but that hasn’t happened yet with the…everythin’…but I think we might go into the city when my sister, Melody, comes up to visit at some point. Maybe after that trip, we could go exploring together? I’ve heard District X is interestin’.” She really would have to bug Sam and Jay about that soon.
"Yeah maybe." Jono typed. "Anything you're hoping to get to explore? I've always loved used bookstores. Used to work in one."
If she hadn’t met Jono in the library the first time, Paige would almost be surprised, given how bad his spelling was. “So…you know the New York Public Library? With lions out front? I’ve always wanted to go there. It was in a show on PBS as a kid and I thought it looked amazin’. I love bookstores, too.”
"I do not but I'll look into it." Jono promised seriously, nodding at her as she spoke. "Might be interesting to see if there are any record stores around. I'm sure the music scene's different from home."
“Oh, definitely.” Paige had no idea what the grunge music scene was like in Alabama, or anywhere else really (assuming he was from that Birmingham and not another state). “Could be fun to see what they have up here.” Maybe she could get some band recommendations from Jono while they were at it.
"What do you listen to? I'm realizing I never asked." Jono asked, fiddling with his fingers as they waited for the pictures to print. Cutting these out was going to be a bitch. Worth it though.
“Loretta Lynn!” Paige picked up a pair of scissors and got to cutting out the first page of pictures. “I mean, older country in general, like Dolly and Reba and Johnny Cash, and bluegrass too of course, but Loretta is my favorite. She’s just got this amazin’ voice and she’s from Kentucky, too, so she’s got a lot of songs about home that really resonate. What artists do you like? Maybe I can look up some of their songs.”
Jono froze and hoped it didn't show on his face that the only name he recognized from Paige's list was Dolly Parton. Loretta Lynn, he'd have to remember that. He pointed to his shirt. "Obviously I like the Smiths. Nirvana, Mud Honey, Alice in Chains, Babes in Toyland, and Hole are good too."
Paige nodded along, despite not knowing a single band he listed. Nirvana was familiar in name, but she hadn’t heard any of their music. There was really a band called Hole? “I’ll have to look them up. Or you could text me some recommendations. If you want.”
"I'll make you a playlist." Jono typed quickly. "It's no trouble, it'll give me something worthwhile to do with my day."
“…Wait, what do you do all day?” Paige couldn’t believe she hadn’t asked yet. “Besides printing out little pictures of yourself to terrorize billionaires with?”
“Read. Sometimes I practice my guitar. Write songs…..I’m unemployed and not in school.”
He hadn’t felt ashamed when he’d first come here unable to communicate beyond writing. He hasn’t felt ashamed when Warren mocked him publicly. But now? Now he felt ashamed admitting to Paige that he had absolutely nothing going for him.
“You know, Jay plays guitar and writes songs, too. Maybe you both could collaborate or something.” Paige wanted to ask about what songs Jono had written, but she didn’t think he’d be comfortable sharing. That was fine, since she wasn’t that familiar with his genre of music yet. It was nice that Jono was keeping up with his music.
He blinked at her in surprise. “Yeah, maybe.” He gestured towards all the pictures. “I won’t ask you to cut them all out with me, you have much better things to do with your time but- thank you. This was nice.”
Paige put the last photo she cut out into the nest pile she had started making on the table. “You sure? I don’t mind helping.” She probably should get back and write up that discussion post she needed to do tonight, but this was much more fun.
“Well, if you insist I won’t say no.” Jono typed, blushing as he reached for a pair of scissors. “It’s nice getting to hang out. We should do it more often.”
“Yeah, we should,” Paige said, picking up her scissors again. Her homework could wait for a bit.
Backdated to yesterday.
Jono had changed into an outfit that he hoped Warren would find even more unsightly than what the man had publicly complained about. he'd thrown on his old stage costume, which frankly wasn't all that different than what he normally wore, just a bit more...interesting. A pair of fishnets under his black, ripped jeans, just baggy enough to be interesting. His combat boots were a comforting weight, much like the chunky silver rings on his now black polished fingers. He had on his favorite The Smiths t-shirt, the one from their 'The Queen is Dead' album, he'd paired it with a red flannel shirt and then his patched and safety-pinned jacket on top. Rather than his usual bulky scarf he'd opted for a solid black bandana tied around his face, which he thought went quite well with the artfully smudged eyeliner he'd applied.
A year ago he'd have thought he was hot shit. Now? Well...now he just hoped that this outfit would piss off a member of the upper class. And despite it all he was nervous waiting for Paige to meet him in the library. What if she didn't like the outfit either? That would just be embarrassing.
Paige walked into the library, setting her phone to Do Not Disturb. Much as she appreciate Sam’s over prepared help with her current crisis, that’s not what she was focused on right now. She could do more reading later.
Seeing Jono’s new outfit stopped Paige in her tracks. “Woah.” Paige hadn’t really known what to expect for the spite outfit, but Jono had certainly delivered. It was a little over the top, but in a way that felt very Jono, and seemed to make him more comfortable. “Nice outfit. Did ya make those patches yourself?”
He inwardly preened, although the pleasure he took in her compliment certainly showed in the fond crinkling of his eyes. He grabbed the lightwriter off the table next to him and quickly typed. "Thank you! I made most of them. I used to wear this on stage without the bandana."
He glanced at her again and felt heat rising to his cheeks. "Thank you for helping with this. I know it's ridiculous."
“Oh, hey, you got a light writer! That’s great!” Paige smiled. “And don’t worry about it, this should be fun and I could use a break.” She held up her phone. “So where do you want to do this?”
"It's taking some getting used to but it's easier to talk to you now." Jono typed. This felt....warm, not the aloof distance that had existed between him and the man that had given him the device. Paige seemed genuinely excited for him. It was nice.
Back to the matter at hand, Jono winked at her. "I trust your creative vision. You tell me to jump, I'll ask how high."
“Uh, let’s see.” Paige put her hand on Jono’s shoulder and guided him into a better light. “There, that’s better. You can pose however you like.” She stepped back and held up her phone camera.
“Ok, smile!”
Jono couldn't even bring himself to feel a twinge of anger at the reminder that he couldn't smile as his eyes squinted in what he hoped looked like happiness. He had a friend again. Paige was nice to him. She was excited for him. She didn't resent him. And when he looked at her he wasn't reminded of everything he used to be and how much better people had liked him from before the incident. Paige only knew him now, and she hadn't run away screaming. And that was something to try to smile about.
Paige snapped a few photos before turning her phone toward Jono. “Here, any you prefer?” She thought he looked great in all of them, so it was up to him to choose which one would haunt Warren.
Jono glanced at her softly before turning his attention to the phone, only pretending to compare the photos against each other. "No." He typed. "Whichever you think is best. I'm not picky."
Paige pretended to think it over before picking one at random. “How about this one? Fashionable enough?”
"It's perfect." Jono typed, eyes crinkling in a smile. "Thank you. For everything."
“Yeah, of course,” Paige smiled back. “C’mon, let's set up a computer and get these printed.” It was nice seeing Jono smile and in a good mood. After the chapel and her dumping…quite a lot on him the last time they had met, it was nice to know Paige could have a friend under less stressful circumstances. Maybe she could drag Jono into the city with her to explore sometime.
Jono followed her on her quest for a computer and printer. It's been a year. He reminded himself. "So," he typed slowly as Paige figured out how to connect her phone to the computer. "I haven't actually been outside the mansion, they teleported me right in when I moved....maybe you could show me your favourite thing about the city so far sometime?"
“I haven’t actually gotten a whole lotta time to explore yet.” Paige uploaded the photo to her Google Drive and logged in on the computer. “Sam really wanted to show me ‘n Jay around but that hasn’t happened yet with the…everythin’…but I think we might go into the city when my sister, Melody, comes up to visit at some point. Maybe after that trip, we could go exploring together? I’ve heard District X is interestin’.” She really would have to bug Sam and Jay about that soon.
"Yeah maybe." Jono typed. "Anything you're hoping to get to explore? I've always loved used bookstores. Used to work in one."
If she hadn’t met Jono in the library the first time, Paige would almost be surprised, given how bad his spelling was. “So…you know the New York Public Library? With lions out front? I’ve always wanted to go there. It was in a show on PBS as a kid and I thought it looked amazin’. I love bookstores, too.”
"I do not but I'll look into it." Jono promised seriously, nodding at her as she spoke. "Might be interesting to see if there are any record stores around. I'm sure the music scene's different from home."
“Oh, definitely.” Paige had no idea what the grunge music scene was like in Alabama, or anywhere else really (assuming he was from that Birmingham and not another state). “Could be fun to see what they have up here.” Maybe she could get some band recommendations from Jono while they were at it.
"What do you listen to? I'm realizing I never asked." Jono asked, fiddling with his fingers as they waited for the pictures to print. Cutting these out was going to be a bitch. Worth it though.
“Loretta Lynn!” Paige picked up a pair of scissors and got to cutting out the first page of pictures. “I mean, older country in general, like Dolly and Reba and Johnny Cash, and bluegrass too of course, but Loretta is my favorite. She’s just got this amazin’ voice and she’s from Kentucky, too, so she’s got a lot of songs about home that really resonate. What artists do you like? Maybe I can look up some of their songs.”
Jono froze and hoped it didn't show on his face that the only name he recognized from Paige's list was Dolly Parton. Loretta Lynn, he'd have to remember that. He pointed to his shirt. "Obviously I like the Smiths. Nirvana, Mud Honey, Alice in Chains, Babes in Toyland, and Hole are good too."
Paige nodded along, despite not knowing a single band he listed. Nirvana was familiar in name, but she hadn’t heard any of their music. There was really a band called Hole? “I’ll have to look them up. Or you could text me some recommendations. If you want.”
"I'll make you a playlist." Jono typed quickly. "It's no trouble, it'll give me something worthwhile to do with my day."
“…Wait, what do you do all day?” Paige couldn’t believe she hadn’t asked yet. “Besides printing out little pictures of yourself to terrorize billionaires with?”
“Read. Sometimes I practice my guitar. Write songs…..I’m unemployed and not in school.”
He hadn’t felt ashamed when he’d first come here unable to communicate beyond writing. He hasn’t felt ashamed when Warren mocked him publicly. But now? Now he felt ashamed admitting to Paige that he had absolutely nothing going for him.
“You know, Jay plays guitar and writes songs, too. Maybe you both could collaborate or something.” Paige wanted to ask about what songs Jono had written, but she didn’t think he’d be comfortable sharing. That was fine, since she wasn’t that familiar with his genre of music yet. It was nice that Jono was keeping up with his music.
He blinked at her in surprise. “Yeah, maybe.” He gestured towards all the pictures. “I won’t ask you to cut them all out with me, you have much better things to do with your time but- thank you. This was nice.”
Paige put the last photo she cut out into the nest pile she had started making on the table. “You sure? I don’t mind helping.” She probably should get back and write up that discussion post she needed to do tonight, but this was much more fun.
“Well, if you insist I won’t say no.” Jono typed, blushing as he reached for a pair of scissors. “It’s nice getting to hang out. We should do it more often.”
“Yeah, we should,” Paige said, picking up her scissors again. Her homework could wait for a bit.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-23 04:58 pm (UTC)I love this friendship and I love that it is Warren who is bringing them together <3 LOL
no subject
Date: 2024-01-23 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-27 12:35 am (UTC)I really enjoyed the back and forths here — from Jono's relief to having a friend, to Paige gradually asking questions to get to know Jono better (after she goes and gushes about country music, also delightful).