Jerry's Triangle Becomes A Square

Log Info

Title: Jerry's Triangle Becomes A Square
Emitter: None
Characters: Jerry & Eshe
NPCs: The Jellokinetic Freshman
Place: Siegal Dining Hall
Time: Dinner Time 6/2/2010
Summary: Eshe goes for dinner and meets Jerry then proceeds to make his life much, much more complicated.

_( Siegal Dining Hall - The Quad - Steranko Institute )___

Siegal Dining Hall is less a cafeteria than a mini food court. Starting from the entrance and moving left around the edge of the room there is a salad bar, a soup station, a grill, a sandwich station, and a more traditional cafeteria line. Finally, right before the checkout, are the desserts and soft serve ice cream machine. Small digital signs at each station list the names of each item, and if one watches closely you might catch the signs changing languages, or flashing allergy warnings as they detect the proximity of certain students. No cash is needed in the dining hall, rather students swipe their ids at check out, and purchases are counted against their meal plan.
The center of the hall is where people sit to eat. The room is broken up by tall planters in areas of five or six tables, the tables ranging in size from tiny tables that sit just two people to larger ones that might sit a dozen.

__

The Dining Hall is rather busy at dinnertime, students excitedly chatting in the center, others queing up to wait their turn in line. Eshe has been having an interesting first day. After morning Orientation and her class assignment, she's been exploring the school. Finally deciding to get something substantial to eat, she's made her way to the dining hall and stands at the very back of the line. Nervously watching the other students, she tries to listen for what they are ordering, so she'll know what to try.
She has her hips cocked to one side, her jeans riding low atop her rather wide hips. Her attention is drawn to the center of the room as one of the new Freshman makes his Jello swell and explode all over his friend. She laughs a little and shakes her head.

Jerry is carrying his tray and looking for a table. He stops beside Eshe as he observes the freshman, and laughs a little himself. "Jellokinetic. Harsh. Specialized but oddly useful power…" he says matter-of-factly. He looks over to the unfamiliar girl and extends his hand. "Jerry Fein, resident destructive crazy person, nicetameetcha."

The dark-haired girl blinks her wide, brown eyes a few times and takes the offered hand. "Eshe Hikuptah," she replies, her voice heavy with a strange, unplaceable accent, "I am new here and unfamiliar with most of the powers the others have. I am still getting used to everything myself." She looks over the young man and her lips curl into a smile. "Though I suppose there are things worth getting to know here."

Jerry returns that smile. Oh, this is a bad idea, he thinks, but that's what medical insurance is for. "Oh, I can guarentee that," he says, matching that smile. "I can't say I've ever heard that accent before?" he says, smoothly lowering his tray to the table and claiming a seat by the exotic girl. "You got here at a good time, between semesters. Got some stretch time to get used to things.."

Eshe takes her tray of food, a bit of this, a bit of that and slides into the chair next to Jerry. "Yes, I came between Sessions to learn. I have a lot to catch up on." She leans forward and reaches into her back pocket to pull out a small piece of paper. She unfolds it and reads. "History of Western Civilization, History of Asia, American History, English and something called Algebra," she pronounces it like Algae-Bra. "I was told I need to take these classes to catch up with my peers who are… Juniors?" She used the word slowly. "You would not have heard my accent before," she grins, reaching up to slide some of her hair back behind her ear. "No one has in over 2000 years from what I have been told."

Jerry clicks open his juice and takes a drink from it. "OK, wow, not knowing what Algebra /is/ will take some explaining," he admits. "Oh, huh. I was going to guess you for alien, but.. huh. Stranded time traveller? Step through some weird arch or gate or something, wind up in the 21st century?"

"Burried in a tomb in Egypt for the last 4100 years," Eshe replies, casually. She pokes at her brocolli for a moment, then spears a bit of it clumsily with her fork before lifting it to her mouth and tasting it. She nods and grins a little before just shoving the entire steamed floret right into her mouth and chewing vigorously. Swallowing, she takes a drink of her juice and laughs. "I love your foods. There are so many and they are all so delicious."

Jerry's eyebrow quirks up. "OK, haven't heard of that. I hope you weren't like, awake and aware for the entire time?" he says. "How's that work, then, coming back to life like that?" he continues non-chalantly because, face it, after facing a crazy magician who can turn iron into pudding, this is penny-ante. He cuts up his turkey and dressing, and eats some, then combines it with some cranberry.

Eshe does frown just a bit. "Yes, I was awake and aware. I just couldn't do anything. At first I could wander around inside but it was dark, I has no light and there was nothing to do. It did not matter, I could not learn anything or change at all. I couldn't even go mad." She looks down into her dinner. "It was… unpleasant. I eventually just lay there and waited. I slept some. That I could do. But I was never hungry or thirsty. I was as good as dead… but not allowed to pass on to my Eternal Life with the gods." She takes a sip of her drink again and then smiles. "But last year I was found and released and taught some modern languages so I could communicate and learn once more. I learned modern Egyptian, Arabis, Latin and, of course, English. I can read Arabic and English, the others I am very bad with. Of course, I know a bit of Greek as well, but it's a little outdated." She chuckles and takes a bite of her lasagna, her eyes going wide before she just devours it.

Jerry's expression changes over the course of that explanation, and he tries not to make it one of pity, or surprise. "Umm, wow," he says succinctly as he eats a bit more turkey. "Well, if you like that.. here, try some of the cranberry. Fruit, but we gel it, usually," he says, turning part of his plate. "That.. well, man, that is .. some tale. Was that something.. done to you, or is 'not dying' your power, and your people just didn't know how to deal with that?"

Eshe gladly slices off a bit of the jellied cranberry and pops it into her mouth. She raises her eyebrows and smiles, nodding. "Oh, that is good. Sweet and tart at the same time. I like it!" She tries a little more and listens to the questions. "I was cursed. I had spurned the advances of the man I was arranged to marry and had followed my heart with another man. My husband to be was much older than I am and my cousin. I did not love him. I loved a scholar who was not of the Royal line as I was. When he found out, my Cousin had my lover put to death and had me cursed by a Sorceror to exist but never die beneath the sands, in my tomb, forever. Forever was a long time coming but I was freed." She takes another bite and giggles. "Wow, this is good."

"OK, he was a bastard; I hope he got what he had coming to him, at least," Jerry says. "I wonder if there is some record of it. From what I remember of history, your people /loved/ making pharoahs and such just disappear. It's caused a lot of headaches on our end."

"He is dead, that is all I care about." Eshe replies. "And I am still alive. He messed up, he tried to destroy me but he only made me more powerful than ever. The goddesses of my time saw that I chose love over duty and rewarded me for being loyal to my heart." She leans closer, a huge smile on her face. "They gave me the ability to walk through fire without injury, to fly, to resist disease and poison and the strength of the Hippo and the combat skills to use it. While I was in the tomb I was trapped in grief, the death of my loved on forever fresh but when it ended, I found release. Now I am more alive than ever." She laughs. "And I intend to enjoy every moment of my second life."

Jerry can't help but smile at that, and leans closer himself, listening to the young woman. "Well.. good attitude to have, certainly. Not everyone gets a second chance, and with superpowers thrown in to boot," he says.

Stealing the rest of the cranberry sauce from Jerry's plate, Eshe just nods. "I have so much to catch up on though. I have no idea how to operate one of your con… cars. I do not know how to use a… telephone. And I need to learn about the events of the last 40 centuries and this Algebra thing." She leans in a little closer. "And I need to know what it is to be a 'teenager'. When I was alive the first time, a girl was considered an adult at 12. She was expected to be married and producing children. Now, thre is a time between childhood and being an adult. I want to explore and enjoy that." She reaches up to touch Jerry's face gently. "Every aspect of it."

Jerry's eyebrows flicker up as his face is touched, but he stays cool and smiles back at the girl. "Ah, yeah, that is new. Algebra shouldn't be too hard for you; I think your people invented it. For the rest.. I'm sure lots of people can show you how to do those things. Get one right, it helps a lot with the others."

Eshe stares into Jerry's eyes, her own dark, brown and deep. She leans just a tiny bit closer. "Will you teach me? Will you help me learn the ways of your world?" Her voice is low, her hand sliding back through Jerry's hair. "I would love one such as yourself to help me. Tell me, you said you were the resident crazy, destructive person. What can you do? What are your abilities?"

Jerry doesn't look away, his dark blue eyes unblinking as his hair is stroked. "I could try, but I'm not a bit technical guy," he says. "Stuff like phones, cars, yeah… Algebra less so.." he smiles. "Mine? I control kinetic energy, the energy of, um, movement and activity. Move it around, control it. Mostly to blow things up, if needed."

Eshe leans up a bit and presses a soft kiss to Jerry's forehead before she pulls away and steals the dinner roll off his plate. "So, you are a destructive sort. I like that. That's useful." She takes a bite of the roll and closes her eyes for a moment. When she finishes chewing, she chuckles throatily, "I love this place. I love this school. I love this era. So much to see, so much to do, so much to eat and experience and learn and read and… it's overwhelming. Teach me to use the phone and the car. Help me to understand this world better. Tell me Jerry Fein, are you betrothed?"

Jerry sits back, the better to look up to Eshe and smile, meet her eyes. "No, not betrothed, no," he says, turkey and dressing forgotten.

Eshe smiles a bit wider and leans back in, "Then you do not mind if I pursue you? With romantic intent?" She lets her eyelids close about halfway, her hand sliding back over his cheek to his hair. "You seem a very good man." She really doesn't care if she is drawing looks from the other students.

Jerry gulps. Sasha. Amber. Um. Other.. um. Such a bad idea. "I'm really not," he says, perhaps more throatily than he intended. "But, um, no, p-pursue away," he says. Not a promise, he thinks. Some part of him thinks, at least, but that head isn't at home right now.

Eshe smiles a bit more at that answer. She leans in and presses her lips to Jerry's, with a long, slow, eager kiss. Her hand slides to the back of his head and holds his hair. That kiss is primal, as if she were staking a claim with her intent. It lasts almost a minute before she pulls back and grabs another bit of food from his plate. She pops the olive into her mouth and munches on it, before grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Of the two, you taste much, much better by far."

Jerry participates to, of course, and he's a fairly good kisser himself, it seems. When they part, he e whews as he sprawls in his seat,looking up at the girl who kissed him, eyes wide for a moment. "Um, I.. two?" he says, swallowing.

Eshe laughs and nods. "You, you. Two. And here, I thought I was the one with problems with English." She finishes her dinner and stands up from her seat, leaning down over Jerry to kiss him on the forehead, right above and between his eyes. "See you soon Jerry Fein. You can find me in Jones Hall." She turns and marches off towards the trash can, which she has learned is where waste goes. Dumping her trap and putting it with the others, she walks out, swaying her hips from side to side and grinning widely.

"I"ll.. remember that.." Jerry says, and watches that departure, and it'll be several minutes before he can get up and leave himself, so he contents himself with slowly eating the rest of his turkey and dressing. Whew. Bad, bad idea. Why, why do I do that?

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