Amanda kept her watch for a few moments, then turned toward Pala to taunt him about how she'd found him in his apartment the other day. "So... Did all your bruises heal yet? What about the paper cuts?"
She'd noticed the girl watching Renton, but she really couldn't care less what the idiot was doing.. Something about him and his twin sister rubbed her the wrong way.
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect, has intended us to forgo their use."
- Galileo Galilei
Use your sense, reason, and intellect: www.manpollo.org
He turned to her, blushing and somewhat irritated; in his excitement over the museum he had forgotten his 'incident' with his books. He gave her the mildest glare possible and, rubbing his forgotten bruises under his shirt, mumbled:
"It's fine... but thanks for finding me.
And quickly wanting to change the subject, he gestured over at the Babylonian wing:
"I think there's some stelae over there that we haven't checked out yet."
With a mild look of surprise the girl bemusedly accepts the yo-yo lesson, after a false start or two landing a decent sleeper that transitioned into an unexpected walk-the-dog as it skips erratically across the floor. She laughs aloud at her unexpected maneuver in a manner that is free and entirely lacking in self-conscious.
"That's just... haha... wow. Umm...
Oh, my brother! He went inside because he thought he recognized someone, he said it would only be just a second... I think I just worry about him too much."
The obvious transition from humor to concern on her face betrays the sentiment, however. She seems to shrink back into her earlier self-aware bubble, handing the yo-yo back meekly. After gazing around the museum floor in concern she abruptly seems on the verge of walking away in embarrassment.
"Sorry, I guess I'm wasting your time..."
"Oh dear, well... We don't know exactly... I mean, it's really up to the command branch. I hope everything will still be fine when I make it there! ...I know you're in kind of a crazy position right now, but I'm sure that" --BZZZT-- --BZZZT-- "and everything will be allright.
...Chloe, are you still there? I have to go, it's still late night where I am and there's a lot of work to be done. Maybe some of it will help you in what you're doing! Be safe ok...?"
The abrupt shake of the cellphone in your hand was accompanied by a text message in the middle of your phone conversation.
Unformatted Account messaged you at 9:32 am
UA: sory to interrupt....
UA: but I didnt know wen you were going to finish your conversation
UA: and its kind of important but i hope you wont be mad @ me
UA: ar u the one named chloe
UA: ??
The boy at the table across from you is holding one of the many cellphones he apparently possesses, having put the others away. It looks just like the one you have, although a little weather-worn. He waves shyly.
As Amanda and Paul began to make their way towards the Babylonian wing, they approach in passing the girl Amanda noticed earlier. She's wearing a pair of red-rimmed glasses. The glasses girl turns and promptly walks away at your approach, disappearing into the chattering crowd near the Interactive IMAX Experience that is just letting out.
Chloe furrows her brow a bit in frustration. She was certainly a bit creeped out by this string of texts. Actually, more than a bit creeped out. It meant someone was listening in on his conversation. She got goosebumps when she typed in her message.
Renton scratches his head in boredom; history is nice and all, but there aren't enough explosions. The crippled girl's with Nanook of the North; he waves cheerily at the two with a loud "Prepare your anus Pala!" as they walk/slide by. Content with his petulant outburst, he leans against a wall in feigned cool. With a practiced flip and juggle routine, he pops open his NERV cellphone to check his texts.
Lucky13: hey now Lucky13: don't go Lucky13: lets make this a right number
"He has your exact shadow. I think he keeps his cell-phone on him but I'm terrible with those sorts of things and I'm not even sure what his number is these days... uh, I hope he hasn't broken anything..."
She begins leading the way across the museum floor, bending her path every which way without regard for any sort of coherent search pattern. Seemingly by absolute random you approach a wing of the Museum near some sort of IMAX theater which is just now letting out. Near some sort of translated Dialogue of Political Uselessness or another near the Babylonian wing of the museum is Renton, the twin brother of that clinical Renny girl from the battle, tapping away on his phone.
Unformatted Account began messaging you at 9:31 am
UA: hey uh
UA: uhoh sorry
UA: wrong #!
Lucky13: hey now
Lucky13: don't go
Lucky13: lets make this a right number
UA: ummm alrigt
UA: but its ok im talking to the nice chloe girl now
UA: except i think I acidentally uh freakd her out
UA: but I think me and her can be friends
UA: I dunno maybe this is dumb but can you help
For a second your text message lingers, although the boy at the table has begun texting heavily, probably with some other third party. Finally he works up the nerve to stand up and approach you.
His grey hoodie is a little bit stained, but more then that his hair is an unholy mess. He gulps before speaking.
"H-Hi! My name's Alex. I hope you don't mind just, uh, talking too much. My, err... battery is kind of low."
He waits awkwardly at the edge of your table, perhaps for an invitation to sit down.
Now, Chloe was just freaked out. This boy had somehow managed to get her number and text her. Or did he? "How...how did you get my number?" Chloe asked, genuinely perplexed, and about five seconds away from bolting.
Jack is more or less aware of the hopelessness of the girl's search pattern, but he isn't exactly a strategy whiz either. One way or another, he's killing time. "Shadow? You mean shape or somethin'?"
Upon seeing Renton, he groans. "Oh jeeze, not this kid. Damn weirdo. Keep movin', don't make eye contact."