open-ended life

Oh well, she wasn't going to sulk about it. "High end clothes?" She asked with a sarcastic grin. "Are you into fashion yourself or are you just telling me what you think I want to hear?"

"I don't know who you are," Mads deadpanned. "Why would I bother trying to tell you what you want to hear? I'm not on the tourism board, I couldn't care less about making this place sound great to every stranger I meet."

Having put on the largest pair of sunglasses in her collection, Angel had decided that she would take a walk around town in order to familiarize herself with the new surroundings and maybe even a neighbor or two; she was bored and shopping with others was the best way to cure her boredom.

“Are any of these shops even worth visiting?” She said aloud to no one in particular.

"I've got my whole house furnished and decorated with things I found at Whoseits and Whatsits, so I'd say the shops here are worth a look." Mads said. "Though depends what you're looking for in a shopping experience I guess. You want high end clothes, Queen Bee. You love a good thrift, Farm To Table."

It sounded vaguely familiar. She wondered if Annie had listed Cass in her long rant of complaints about prom committee. Not that Drizella would actually harbor any resentment for the people on Annie’s lists. In fact, if Annie complained about them, that probably made them cooler.

“Actually,” she said, dropping her voice down low. “This might be a good time to tell you …” She leaned forward conspiratorally. “I’m actually here on behalf of the anti-prom committee.” 

Mads held back a laugh, because of course Drizella was, that was so her. And he thought it was as hilarious as half the things she did (compliment).

"No way, an agent of Jun Moon himself? Though now that you told me, will he have to kill me?" Mads joked.

See — this is where Jun had a point. The town spent so much money on fancy dress events. If prom was, like, the only one, then it’d be okay. But there was an excuse for Swynlakers to flaunt their wealth at basically every opportunity, so 

Yeah, yeah, she realized how hypocritical that was, coming from a rich Swynlake family herself. But hey, someone had to be the change they saw in the world, right? 

“So, I’m thinking we scope out the drinks and snacks first. Grab the good stuff before it’s gone.” 

"Right, imagine being flat broke in Swynlake," Mads said, shaking his head.

He had to agree, people really liked to show out and not repeat outfits but...the credit card debt in this town must be massive.

Georgette could barely find time these days to get in retail therapy. So when Mads and her finally got a day and time on the books she was certain to keep it!

"Between working on my thesis proposal and everything going on at Interpride I feel like I have very little time darling!" Georgette huffed some air out from her bottom lip - so much her bangs flopped from the wind. "Couldn't leave you hanging though! Who would I be to ghost out!"

Time had flown..spring came and went and now it was nearly the middle of summer. Or so she felt like it was. "Are you teaching through the summer then or are you going to afford yourself some time off!"

"I'm doing an online summer class, The Middle East and Migration, but it's asynchronous so I just grade whatever day of the week I get to it." Mads said. "I can still enjoy traveling in the summer with an online class, as long as there's wi-fi."

Mads gestured to her.

"What about you? What's your thesis proposal?"

That said, he couldn't hold this fence post up, get nails and a clamp, AND hammer it all into pkace by himself.

Seamus sighs, then glances to the side when he sees a shadow pass him by. A sharp whistle calls the person's attention, and Seamhs grins crookedly at them.

Mads was quite busy -- or, no, he wasn't, he just didn't want to stop and help some random man with a fence post.

He thought about walking on, but there was nobody walking behind him and he knew he'd be the arsehole if he didn't stop, so...

On one hand, she was attending prom with Mads. On a date. Which was cool and awesome and she was trying to be totally cool and awesome about it. She’d suggested coordinating Texas outfits because she thought it would be funny and then was pleasantly surprised when he texted her at almost the same exact time suggesting the same thing. 

She was trying not to read into it and be totally cool and awesome.

On the OTHER HAND, she’d also promised Jun that she’d join his protest. 

She could totally do both. Prom was bound to get kinda boring eventually and then she’d excuse herself (or maybe even just tell Mads what was up) and sneak out to the protest line with a t-shirt she’d made at one of the anti-prom committee meetings. If Jun asked, she’d say she’d been infiltrating prom.

It was all gonna work out!

Either way, both things made Prom way more fun than she thought it could ever be. 

“Y’know, I kinda doubted this theme at first,” she said to Mads. “But I think I love it. There’s a lot of range — is that person in a fursuit?!” She smiled gleefully. 

Mads, as a rule, thought prom was pretty stupid. He went some years, if he was seeing somebody who wanted to go, if friends were going, but he could take it or leave it. He was thinking of skipping this year until he and Drizella were kind of like 'wouldn't it be hilarious actually if we went as the Texas dream,' so here he was.

He wasn't mad about it, he was having a good time hanging out with Drizella lately, so he knew tonight was going to be more of the same.

"The fursuit is killing me. I need to know who that genius is."

She paused.

"Just quietly you know. Cant disrupt all the studying students."

“You’ll have to send that link to me,” she said. “I feel motivated now. Maybe this’ll be my new thing. Last time I needed a new thing I got really into rock climbing. I still go to the rock gym in NTO a couple of times a week. You should come!” she added. “I definitely did not think I’d be as into it as I ended up being.” 

"Rock climbing? That's interesting, I haven't gotten around to that being on the table for my next new thing." Mads said. "Isn't that the best? When you stumble into being really into something new."

A beat.

Mads and Georgette had been trying to meet up for a while, but neither of them exactly had an empty schedule. As it happened though, they both finally seemed to have a free morning to meet for coffee or tea at Hatter's.

It was a welcome addition to his weekend plans, which were mostly grading and exam prep.

"I'm glad our scheduled lined up this morning," he said, sitting across from her with his tea. "Otherwise I'd just be grading all day."

[outfit]

The words were all said in a quiet voice down towards the ground as a breeze danced around Avery's feet.

"It's not nice to be lonely all by yourself. Or lost."

Put! The wild! Animal! Down!

"What's up by the way? Did you need something from the library?"

"No, I'm actually hiding. I don't want to talk to any of the other lecturers in my department right now because my brain can't handle our usualy conversation topics right now, so I can't sit in my office and grade assignments." Mads said. "But they won't look in the library to chat."

Though, in her hazy state she couldn't remember where or when. Maybe he was her professor. Maybe they'd fucked...maybe both?

"Don't mind if I do."

She took the drink and started guzzling it down until it was nearly empty. "Thanks! Feel much better." She did not, in fact, feel better.

Oh, fuck him. He wasn't getting out of this so easily, was he? What kind of person would he be if he just let some drunk girl wander around?

"Where are you going? I'll walk you there."

"It's fine." He said with a weary shrug. "Keeps me from sitting at a desk all day, I guess."

"Small wins I guess," Mads said, looking at the stack. "I don't remember being that careless as a student. Then again, I also actually did all of my assignments and didn't let AI write for me. I practically lived in the library."

"Okay all safe and sound. And mission accomplished." Sylvia grinned showing the book she had managed to grab. Some desperate student would be thrilled.

But call him booboo the fool for doubting her, he supposed!

"Glad your feet are flat on the floor now."