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Toronto, Monday Night, Fandom Time
Sparkle hadn't even stuck around after he'd woken up in a hotel room this morning. He'd taken one look around, and then dialed Portalocity so fervently it had been a wonder he didn't break his phone. And nobody could blame him for it, either, so help him. That was the second different future version of himself he'd looked through the eyes of, and this was the second time those eyes were the eyes of a guy who had spent all too much time in prison.
It was good to be back in Toronto. Even if he couldn't remember the specifics of a lot of the weekend, he knew damn well that he'd rather be here right now than on the island. And there was a new girl showing up to the home tonight, which meant that they had to do their ritual greeting.
He'd barely made it into the living room with his tin whistle in time to start playing. Lewis was already there, wearing the customary ridiculous party hat, and the girl who was standing in the doorway looking lost and bewildered was about to get the most random and ridiculous show of her life. Sparkle perched himself on the arm of the couch as he played, and Lewis sang along.
"It's real good to have ya, it's so nice to meet ya, we heard so much about ya, so step right in! Oh yeah it's real good to have ya, it's so nice to meet ya, we heard SO much about ya, so step... right... in!" Lewis grinned, and there was a brief pause in Sparkle's playing so that Lewis could talk to the girl. "Hey. Cheer up, Elizabeth Raine McFurry McPhoo, because..." Lewis nodded, so that Sparkle would know to start playing again. "You're with friendly people, who can't wait to know ya, ya look really special, you're gonna have a blast! Eh? You're with friendly people, who can't wait to know ya, ya look really special and you're home at last! Oh yes, you're home... at... last!"
It was a few hours later when he made his way out to the steps to hang out next to where she was standing. The welcoming committee could be a little... overwhelming for the new kids. Especially the ones who were already almost his age, who couldn't appreciate the fun the same way, because they knew, knew that this was the last home they'd really know before they were out on their own, alone.
"Hullo." He waited for a moment. No answer. Well, okay then. "You want to be left alone?"
"Yuh."
The monosyllabic type, then. Sparkle nodded and reached for her hand. Put a sparkler into it, and then pulled out his lighter to set the thing off.
"I'm named after these," he shared. "My dad brought 'em in after my mother gave birth and she goes, 'Oh, there's a name.'" He fell quiet for a moment, squinting at her in the evening dark. "Are you tripping?"
"A little."
He figured.
"Are you... sad?"
"None of your business."
No, it probably wasn't. But this, too, was part of the new kid initiation. You got Sparkled at in Lewis' house, until you either took to him, or decked him. And even then, that was an iffy prospect.
"Oh, soREE. You just look so melancholy."
"Yeah. Well."
"Do you miss somebody?"
"No."
"Are you far from home?"
"No."
"Do you miss your home?"
"I don't have a home to miss."
That one got a frown out of him.
"Everybody comes from somewhere."
Even him. Even Sparkle, who didn't really talk about it, not to most people. Most people wouldn't really understand. Sometimes, sometimes the kind of people who came through here did, though.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Oh my goodness," Sparkle sighed, exasperated, "the air is green with your bitterness, girl. My grandmother used to say that."
At least, he thought that was how it had gone. It had been a while.
"So."
"So." There was a silence then, and he furrowed his brow. Looked down at the lit sparkler that was still in her hand. "What are you gonna be for Halloween?"
"Halloween?"
"I know what I'm going to be," he continued, puffing out his chest a little. It was coming on fall, here in Toronto, and he had already been thinking about what to do with himself now that he was back here. "The Velveteen Rabbit. What do you think of that?"
"Is your name really Sparkle?"
"Is your name really Raine?"
They stood for another moment in silence, contemplating one another, before she spoke again.
"You still go out for Halloween?"
"So many windows to break," Sparkle replied, grinning easily. "So much candy to steal, so many eggs to throw - I particularly like those little chewy wrapped caramel candies that take your teeth out, don't you? Don't you just love to bite into those and feel that you are--"
"Would you please just leave me alone?"
Yeah. Yeah, she'd lasted longer than he figured she might, anyway. Sparkle sobered again, leaning back against the steps, looking out at the street. It was a nice neighbourhood that Lewis had settled them down in. Fancy. Exactly the sort of place he'd always hated, because it was exactly the sort of place he'd never belong in, outside of this exact setup.
"You know," he hedged, watching the streetlights turn on one by one. "The first time I was in a group home I was six. I will never forget the feeling in my body when I crossed that threshold. As if all the breath in me escaped, and I was a flat plastic beachball. I felt that way for a whole six months."
"Six months?"
She actually seemed interested, now. She looked at him, and then shook her head. Looked around. And then finally took a seat beside him on the steps, letting her head hang down between her knees.
"Yeah," he agreed, thoughtfully. "About six months."
"... And then?"
"And then?" He looked back at her as her sparkler finally died out. "Well, you're just not the same as you were, that's all. You're something different."
[OOC: NFB for distance, chock-full of establishy canon bits, and lifted pretty much directly from Habitat. Open for phone calls or whatever, but for SP because bedtime is almost upon me!]
It was good to be back in Toronto. Even if he couldn't remember the specifics of a lot of the weekend, he knew damn well that he'd rather be here right now than on the island. And there was a new girl showing up to the home tonight, which meant that they had to do their ritual greeting.
He'd barely made it into the living room with his tin whistle in time to start playing. Lewis was already there, wearing the customary ridiculous party hat, and the girl who was standing in the doorway looking lost and bewildered was about to get the most random and ridiculous show of her life. Sparkle perched himself on the arm of the couch as he played, and Lewis sang along.
"It's real good to have ya, it's so nice to meet ya, we heard so much about ya, so step right in! Oh yeah it's real good to have ya, it's so nice to meet ya, we heard SO much about ya, so step... right... in!" Lewis grinned, and there was a brief pause in Sparkle's playing so that Lewis could talk to the girl. "Hey. Cheer up, Elizabeth Raine McFurry McPhoo, because..." Lewis nodded, so that Sparkle would know to start playing again. "You're with friendly people, who can't wait to know ya, ya look really special, you're gonna have a blast! Eh? You're with friendly people, who can't wait to know ya, ya look really special and you're home at last! Oh yes, you're home... at... last!"
It was a few hours later when he made his way out to the steps to hang out next to where she was standing. The welcoming committee could be a little... overwhelming for the new kids. Especially the ones who were already almost his age, who couldn't appreciate the fun the same way, because they knew, knew that this was the last home they'd really know before they were out on their own, alone.
"Hullo." He waited for a moment. No answer. Well, okay then. "You want to be left alone?"
"Yuh."
The monosyllabic type, then. Sparkle nodded and reached for her hand. Put a sparkler into it, and then pulled out his lighter to set the thing off.
"I'm named after these," he shared. "My dad brought 'em in after my mother gave birth and she goes, 'Oh, there's a name.'" He fell quiet for a moment, squinting at her in the evening dark. "Are you tripping?"
"A little."
He figured.
"Are you... sad?"
"None of your business."
No, it probably wasn't. But this, too, was part of the new kid initiation. You got Sparkled at in Lewis' house, until you either took to him, or decked him. And even then, that was an iffy prospect.
"Oh, soREE. You just look so melancholy."
"Yeah. Well."
"Do you miss somebody?"
"No."
"Are you far from home?"
"No."
"Do you miss your home?"
"I don't have a home to miss."
That one got a frown out of him.
"Everybody comes from somewhere."
Even him. Even Sparkle, who didn't really talk about it, not to most people. Most people wouldn't really understand. Sometimes, sometimes the kind of people who came through here did, though.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Oh my goodness," Sparkle sighed, exasperated, "the air is green with your bitterness, girl. My grandmother used to say that."
At least, he thought that was how it had gone. It had been a while.
"So."
"So." There was a silence then, and he furrowed his brow. Looked down at the lit sparkler that was still in her hand. "What are you gonna be for Halloween?"
"Halloween?"
"I know what I'm going to be," he continued, puffing out his chest a little. It was coming on fall, here in Toronto, and he had already been thinking about what to do with himself now that he was back here. "The Velveteen Rabbit. What do you think of that?"
"Is your name really Sparkle?"
"Is your name really Raine?"
They stood for another moment in silence, contemplating one another, before she spoke again.
"You still go out for Halloween?"
"So many windows to break," Sparkle replied, grinning easily. "So much candy to steal, so many eggs to throw - I particularly like those little chewy wrapped caramel candies that take your teeth out, don't you? Don't you just love to bite into those and feel that you are--"
"Would you please just leave me alone?"
Yeah. Yeah, she'd lasted longer than he figured she might, anyway. Sparkle sobered again, leaning back against the steps, looking out at the street. It was a nice neighbourhood that Lewis had settled them down in. Fancy. Exactly the sort of place he'd always hated, because it was exactly the sort of place he'd never belong in, outside of this exact setup.
"You know," he hedged, watching the streetlights turn on one by one. "The first time I was in a group home I was six. I will never forget the feeling in my body when I crossed that threshold. As if all the breath in me escaped, and I was a flat plastic beachball. I felt that way for a whole six months."
"Six months?"
She actually seemed interested, now. She looked at him, and then shook her head. Looked around. And then finally took a seat beside him on the steps, letting her head hang down between her knees.
"Yeah," he agreed, thoughtfully. "About six months."
"... And then?"
"And then?" He looked back at her as her sparkler finally died out. "Well, you're just not the same as you were, that's all. You're something different."
[OOC: NFB for distance, chock-full of establishy canon bits, and lifted pretty much directly from Habitat. Open for phone calls or whatever, but for SP because bedtime is almost upon me!]