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 Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:18 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:23 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Following a rather enjoyable dinner, Joy found her subjected to Ace pestering. That was until she finally crumbled and gave the mystery number a call. She had tripped over her tongue so much she was certain the guy on the other end would have thought she had a speech impediment. Still...A day and time was set...and Joy arrived nervousely dressed in her prim and proper attire. She had opted to dress in a black dress circled with a hot pink sash. Simple, elegant, and hopefully it didn't offend as much as Ace joked her last dress had.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:49 pm
When he'd answered, the mystery boy had laughed at Joy, an amused sort of laughter. He'd asked what Ace was up to these days, then was glad to set the date.
The young man she met had chestnut colored hair, was in a new stage of being a young adult.
It was indeed a high school friend of Ace's. Neil, older, calmer, but apparently just as much of a flirt as before.
The moment she'd appeared, he had his arm around her waist and twirled her inside and to a seat he'd already taken.
"Joy Edwards, I never knew black could look so good on you. If it hadn't been some frilly dress, it had been some over-large punk black tshirt. But this, Joy Edwards? You really are gorgeous, and out chasing men now too. I am lucky. Ace tells me you already graduated from college? Is that true? If it is, it's not fair, you know. What are you trying to do, prove all the rest of us idiots? Nevermind, no talk about work. Let's have some fun tonight. What's your choice, my lady?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:59 pm
Well! This was a incredible surprise! Joy's face flushed when she felt the arm circle her waist with such...familarity! She had not had anyone be this...easy with her since high school! "Neil!" She exclaimed with such surprise. Oh! She should have known! She was going to bop Ace for this!
"Ah! Well..thank you very much?" She stammered at first. She was positive her cheeks had to be close to the same color as her strawberry blond hair by now.
"I'm not...not chaseing men at all. Is that what Ace has told you? No no. I just..well.. Yes. I am out of college now." She flushed all the more as she allowed the charming man to practically sweep her off.
"Well I really wasn't certain what to expect. I was thinking dinner and maybe a movie. I doubt you'd want to go see a play would you?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:11 pm
"You're not not chasing men?" Neil repeated and winked, "Ah, a double negative! You are chasing men. I like your way of thinking, I think. Spend three years scooting your butt off in college and the fourth college-year just doing all the stupid things college kids do without all the responsibilities. I knew you were a smart cookie."
"Dinner, check." Neil nodded, "Movie, play, whatever, Joy. I'm more of a talker or action person myself. I think those other things were invented so people could hide behind their shyness and never actually speak, but if that is what you like, I'm all up for it." He tilted his head, "Except that I don't think there are affordable plays that we can just grab up at the spur of the moment like this? Maybe we could go to a comedy club, or a dance studio or something. Hmm, I could go grab a paper and see what's here. We just have to avoid your brother tagging along. Does he still do that to you?" He winked.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:19 pm
She felt flustered and her stammering was so smoothly brushed over. Neil didn't seem to have lost any of his smooth tongued skills over the years. He still made her feel rather...light headed too. Inwardly Joy scolded herself to stop acting like a schoolgirl and to remember she was a young adult now!
"Your probably right. I doubt we could get affordable tickets, or at least tickets with good seating...." His assumtion of date activities was quite right though. Joy's blush had not abated at all...
"Well..ah..no... Why don't we...."
She struggled for a moment to think.
"Let's...go to a bar? We could...have a few drinks and talk then?" She just hoped where ever they went served virgin drinks!
"Oh! no no, I'm sure Ace won't be popping up at all. he seemed rahter eager to get this blind date set up. I'm sure he wouldn't crash it...."
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:34 pm
"Ace is an incorrigible imp. I don't know what he's thinking, but we should make it worthwhile!"
"A bar?" Neil repeated, some surprise betrayed on his face. Then he nodded, "That may be fun. You looking for something quiet and hang-outish, or something roma--ah, softer, or something hip hopish?" He blinked, eyebrows furrowing a bit, "Not a bar. You mean a dance club?" He looked lost for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers, "I know a place, has a bit of everything. That or a latino dance place, but those are always loud."
He looked her over, then he looked himself over and shrugged. "I think either you're overdressed or I'm underdressed." He muttered, then shook his head, continuing to mutter, "Or maybe that it's the fact you make even a goth tshirt look like an evening gown. Oh well, guess I'll have to do."
A waitress came by to order than food. When she was done, Neil turned back to Joy, "What did you major in anyway? Any plans now?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 8:18 pm
"Ugh. He so is! he called me every hour on the hour to ask if I had called you yet...even at 1 in the morning!" Her lips cracked into a distracted little smile. "Little pest wouldn't let me sleep until I promised to call you in the morning."
Joy felt a small flicker ofsatisfaction at the look of surprise that Neil seemed to show after her hesitant suggestion. She then allowed him to puzzle out just where to take her. This date wasn't any easier for her then if it had been planned...though she supposed that because it was Neil...that did make it a bit...easier after all?
"Oh...no..I'm probably overdressed." Joy replied after looking down at herself. "I wasn't certain what to expect so...well...ah..." Her head ducked at the obsecenely obvious flirtation. "Thank you Neil...
When it was that they were sitting, just the two of them, Joy fidgetted in her seat a little. "Honestly? I took a lot of computer technology classes. I officcialy only took General Studies as my major. I'm planning a...ah... A vacation overseas as soon as I talk Daddy into letting me go. I'm hoping by the time I get back he'll have a place for me at where he works. Government stuff you know? What about you? Have you and Ace been keeping in touch?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:49 am
Neil fell into a wide grin at Joy's announcement about what she wanted to do with life. Instead of replying immediately, he took a thoughtful sip of his Dr. Pepper.
"Overseas? Which continent? Australia, Europe, Antarctica? How many friends are you taking with you? I've always wanted to do that, but I never seemed to be able to find just one person that would go gallivanting with me." Neil made a face, "And it's not fun gallivanting alone."
"Oh, and me. Ace and I keep sporadic touch. Believe it or not, that sporadic part is on his side. I'm afraid I would have lost touch with him months ago if he didn't keep popping up here and there. I've been neck deep in school work and real work both." Neil made one of those momentary face-twist looks that made a world of remarks about the ugh-factor of real life as real life, "Ace frequently makes up stories about my life to explain the cruelty and evil plots of my current situation. Thank goodness for graduation though! I think I'll get pushed into getting a master's, but at least I can argue into going part time. Huh." He shook his head, "How do you like that? I was two years ahead of you in high school and you still managed to get through college the same year. Man, I wish we could have a huge summer-long party to celebrate overseas wherever together. I wonder if I can convince the money-people in my life to let me to something like that too. I'd probably have to tie it into education somehow. How does an accounting major argue going traveling for valid reasons?" He blinked, "How are you going to convince your dad to let you go? Maybe I could use those tactics too. I think your dad and my great grandfather would get along splendidly, if only they'd been contemporaries. Look, food! That was fast."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:52 am
Joy, as probably expected, had skipped the soda and merely ordered a water with a lemon twist. So as neil took a moment to think about his answer she played with her lemon slice and swirled it about in her glass with her straw.
"Oh! Europe most definatly! With a stop at Ireland I think. It depends utterly on Daddy though. I'm hoping for at least a few months overseas." Joy lifted her had and waved it in a partly dismissive manner. "Oh, I honestly don't have any plans to take anyone with me. I'm not really close with any of my college aquainteces, so I'd rather not pretend to be friendly with them while I'm exploring."
Of course, having them around would also make it incredibly hard for her to sneak about and see if she could meet any evolveds too...
"Oh that really does sound like Ace." Joy had to agree, her lips curling into a faint and fond smile. "Always popping up where ever he wants. You should have seen him yesterday. He gave one of my 'friends' a fright when he showed up asking for me. He nearly got himself sprayed with Pepper Spray." Her head shook as she imagined just what sort of insane stories Ace had drummed up about Neil's life. It seemed that his own family wasn't enough, he had to inflict his madness on others. It was...still endearing...
"Oh! Well I..." Joy's cheeks flushed a bit at the comment on how quickly she had managed to finish college. "You know me Neil...I love academics." her lips remained curled into her small smile even as he jumped on ahead to the trip she was planning again.
"Well... Hmm... You could always tell them you want to become more familar with the monetary system in other parts of the world? Working with the international exchange is a very good careeer you know and a respectable position. If you could convince them it would help you get an edge to understanding the market..." Her shoulders shrugged lightly, though her smile grew lightly. "I'm going to tell daddy I want to use the exposure to work on my foriegn languages and to get to know other cultures and such. Since I don't know what sort of job he can get for me I want to be prepared to do anything and go anywhere. I'm sure he'll accept that. You know...I could always ask Daddy if he'd let you come with me...if we both had 'academic reasons' for going he might be better inclined to let me travel."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:57 am
Neil shook his head at the comments about Ace, but kept his opinion on that to himself and allowed Joy to finish answering his monologue. His look took on a thoughtful one as she went on, his lips quirking into a smirk-like smile.
"You know something, Joy Edwards, you are quite something at coming up with ways around the---Whoa, check her out!" Neil stopped to stare at a girl who had entered the room.
She was skinny and short, looking to be somewhere in her mid-teenage years. She looked like the stereotypical 1980s cartoon version of a random teenage, completed with a pastel-splotted dress and hair with blue and pink ribbons in it, both which seemed to swirl around her as if they had a wind source all of their own.
She looked around a moment, then locked eyes at Joy and squealed, "I did it! I found you, finally! I found you, Mimic! Oh, thank goodness. We are saved, we are saved!"
She half-ran, half-skipped forward, taking Joy's hand. She turned around and squealed at the crowd, "I did it, everyone! I found Mimic! Everything will turn out right as rain now. Hurrah! Come on, Mimic. Let's go!"
"No, hey, wait!" Neil jumped up to try to pull the strange girl away from Joy, "You aren't taking her anywhere!"
"Well, who are you? She is needed, you know. You can't just keep her to yourself. That is SELFISH. It is wrong to be selfish, sir!"
"What? This is my date, you can't have her!" Neil now had a protective arm around Joy's waist, "Now go away!"
The girl stood stock-still for a moment. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell into a big "O." Then she gave a fangirlish sort of squeal, hands flying up and waving, "No way! Awh, that is so nice! Well, ok then, you can come to. In you two go!"
"Yes that's nice, now g--what? We're not going--Whoa!"
Neil had tried cutting the girl off, though she'd continued to gibber. Now she made a weird, shimmery oval around them, and had it close in on the three of them.
An instant later they were in a different house entirely.
"Here we are!"
"Here where and what do you want? Look, leave us alone. What do you want?"
"Really, Mimic, what a funny date you have! Does he really not know what we need? Now, come on, time is sort, let's go, CopyCat." With that she turned to go through one of the doors, stopping to wave them on. She frowned, "Well, what are you waiting for?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 12:12 pm
"Well I am Aces little---" Joy paused in her attempt of a coy response when Neil would exclaim over the presence of another girl. Her green eyes opened a fraction and, for the next following moments, her gaze was locked on Neil. It was...rather rude and tacky to exclaim in such a way about another girl when he was on a date with her! Actually, Joy felt a strange flare of anger at the insult. Whether it was unintentional as she expected, or not.
It was the sound of the girls squealing that caused Joy to turn and look. Not the calling of the name Mimic. After all, Joy had never actually choosen a name for herself as the conflict had ended before she ever had a chance to become involved. Joy's eyes fell upon her apperance, and a small spark in the back of her head released a slightly appalled sensation. She looked so..cheesey! So utterly...fabricated... Good God... Was this what Ace saw every time he looked at her? A obviously fake mock up doll of a girl? No wonder he was always on her about what she really wanted...
And now...she was comeing towards her? Joy felt her face flush with embaressment as she imagined all eyes in the bar were now locked on her. "Ah-ah-ah-" Her throat had locked up. She simply could not speak! In mere seconds she found herself caught around the waist by Neil. She tried to loosen her tongue, to inform him that she could handle this. She was still a little upset over his insult after all but..but... Things were going terribly quickly!
"Ah-I-Wai-" She simply had no chance to speak! Her eyes grew larger and her heart leapt into her throat as the oval appeared about them. A Evolved!? Oh no!!! Mimic...MIMIC!? She knew what she could do!? Joy's flush quickly paled to horror.
She felt...faint. The dissappearance of the bar and their reappearence elsewhere.... She had to be a teleporter. A Teleporter. They were...quite rare weren't they? And powerful...and as she looked down at the eagerly coaxing girl...possibly unhinged worse then Ace.
"I..I don't...know what...Miss...." Joy had not budged a step, not even to try and pull Neil's arm from around her waist. "You...you have the...wrong girl... I'm not...I'm not...."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 12:19 pm
"You need to set us back right now." Neil tried to pull up all the authority he could in his voice, but it sounded weak even to him. He still had Joy protectively by his side, but he wasn't quite able to hold back some of the trembling. What was this? What was going on here? What was going to happen?
"What? Oh, no. Oh, no. Mimic--Joy! You remember your name, don't you, Joy? You remember you're Mimic? You're out best hero, you can't have forgotten, you can't have!" The girl was coming to tears. "Oh, no. You have to save us. You have to help us, Mimic. Don't you remember me? Don't you?"
"Uh-you--but--you're--but---" Neil looked back and forth from the freak to Joy, his hand now having slid from her waist as he tried to comprehend this.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 12:28 pm
Wow...her heart was fluttering so quickly in her chest. It seemed she wasn't the only one that was unsettled. She felt the slight tremble at her side. Neil seemed to be taking this poorly as well. For a guy that had always seemed so calm and in control... He had to be fighting some form of terror at being kidnapped by a obviously crazy Evolved. Joy's eyes slipped to neil for a moment, then were drawn back to the girl as she would carry on.
"Listen... Miss I'm not this...Mimic your talking about. I...I don't know anything about..heros or...or anything like that. I'm just a normal person." Joy lifted her hands and made a half brushing away gesture with them at the girl as her features grew strained. She felt Neil pull his arm away from her and she half turned to look at him.
"I...I don't know what's going on any more then you neil. I swear. I...I have no idea what she's talking about."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 12:41 pm
"This is awful! Oracle. Oracle!!!" She disappeared out of the room.
"Uhm, ok, let's go now." Neil muttered. She was gone. That meant they could just walk out now. "I don't---what is--this is insane. What does an evolved want to do with you, Joy? How could she get you mixed up with...with...with something that doesn't even exist? Evolveds don't even exist anymore! Or, they're not supposed to. Not like her."
He stopped to stare at Joy, then took her arm to lead her to the door. He set his lips together, eyes going determined, "I bet I know. Let's find Ace. The jerk."
"I'm behind you."
"I'm going to kill you!" Neil spun around on his heel to set off after Ace's voice, but just as quickly stopped, "What have you done to yourself? What sick joke is this, Ace? You set us up on a date, and scare the crap out of us? It's not funny, man. I can't believe you'd go this far."
The young man that had spoken certainly sounded like Ace, and in a very basic sort of way, looked like Ace. Same color hair, without the dyed tips. Same bone-thin look. Same eyes and facial shape.
He had what looked like an old scar, wide but short, from one side of his nose to the top of his cheek bone. He looked older somehow. He wore black jeans and a dark blue long sleeved shirt. His arms were folded into a frown, glaring at Neil, nothing jovial about his look, everything deadpan serious. "What have you done to my sister?"
"Nothing, but I'm going to save her from you and your insane teleporter. We're leaving. Come on, Joy."
"Joy." This 'Ace' turned to her with a half-pleading look, "What's going on? What happened? Please, I thought you---we need you." He frowned, "Wait."
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