“The tamarins are being juggled,” Gina said matter-of-factly, as if Locke had just asked her the solution to a very easy addition problem, “They’re much too small to juggle anything interesting… nothing larger than marbles, I’m afraid. Wouldn’t make for a very worthwhile show.” Gina was speaking through a fit of laughter now. Were they really, truly having this sort of discussion?— “Now, if we could get a chimpanzee or a gorilla to juggle, then that would be a show.”

But, Locke seemed set on shifting to a more normal topic of conversation. Locke corrected her on what were and were not useless classes, to which Gina simply rolled her eyes—she hadn’t listed classes that were useless, simply her schedule. This guy was obviously quite literal, and you had to be quite literal with him in return. A difficult feat, for a very non-serious Gina.

“I wasn’t listing useless classes in my schedule, just my schedule,” Gina clarified, heaving a sigh in feigned exasperation, tilting a smile to show that she wasn’t really worn out by his literal inquiry. Locke reminded her of her eldest brother, the brains of the bunch… just about as no-nonsense as Locke, but not nearly as dorky, “I thought you were just asking what classes I was in, except all jaded and anti-school-like.”

“What classes are you in?” Gina countered.

So a tamarin was a small type of monkey, probably the primate world's equivalent of a chiuaua. A chimp or a gorilla would make a better show, but they were so close to humans that was even worth it? Of course Locke was stupid to move away from the subject of juggling monkeys. He could see that now that Gina was laughing. The problem was convincing himself that it was the monkey juggling was the reason why she was laughing, not because he was laughable.

"Hey I've got nothing against school. By the end of the summer I kinda look forward to it," By now Locke's pizza slice had cooled enough to be eaten without risk of serious oral injury. The grease on the pepperoni was just warm enough to make the spices really kick, and Locke wished he had some of that dried red pepper flakes that you see all the time in pizzerias. Food would always serve as a distraction from the conversation. "Me? Well you know my math. AP English, Earth Science, World History... the normal stuff plus mutant class. I probably got lucky that I don't have to make up the same gym classes here that I had in San Francisco. Nothing says that children are the future quite like a bowling unit."

Locke rattled off his classes, to which Gina just nodded to show that she was listening. Somehow she had missed sciences this year—instead, she was in computers to learn the bare-bones basics of computer use. This saddened Gina for, though she was merely average in science, it was probably her favorite subject.

>> “…I probably got lucky that I don’t have to make up the same gym classes here that I had in San Francisco. Nothing says that children are the future quite like a bowling unit.”

Gina’s ears perked up, a smile touching her face. She had thought that his accent sounded familiar… a fellow Californian!

“Get out of here,” Gina gasped, smacking her knee, “You’re from San Francisco?! Oh my gosh! I live not too far from there—you know, Mendocino? It’s only a couple of hours north of there.” No wonder she wanted to talk to this guy. He had a voice that sounded like home. Gina was so accustomed to that accent that she hadn’t even noticed it was different until he mentioned that he was from California, “That’s totally unreal, another Californian!”

It would be narrow-minded to think that nobody else at Xavier's was from somewhere other than New York. After all, Xavier's drew from all over, so the fact that two students were from the same state probably wasn't as much as a novelty as Gina thought it was. Gina had held back with one slice of pizza for a while, but she was still hungry. And, Locke permitting, she really wanted another. It was weird just sitting there, watching him eat while they talked.

“Would you mind if I had a second slice of pizza?” Gina inquired.

Locke nearly leaped out of his skin when Gina gasped. The action was entirely unanticipated and he thought for a minute that something had frightened her. It didn’t take her long to spew forth her excitement. Like water the words gushed forth and there was a bit of the soothing that Locke. California, home, and it was a place near home too. ”Um, yeah, I’m from San Francisco,” Locke started. Gina was thrilled to find out he was from near her. Locke was excited about it as well, but it was almost like a pleasant shell shock. ”My dad and I use to go up to Mendocino in the summer.” He leaned back in his seat and ate a little more of his pizza. ”Felt like everyone was from the east coast. Or somewhere in the middle.”

He listened carefully as she asked for another slice. Maybe it was because he had spent New Years back in San Francisco but he could pick up on her accent now. ”Yeah, help yourself. I mean it would just get cold anyways,” he said, staring at her. Normally Locke didn’t stare. For one it would involve looking at something other than his feet. He didn’t like it when people looked at him, and staring down right gave him the creeps. But he couldn’t help it! First the strange ‘letters’ and now, after a year, someone who lived a few hours from his home. Coincidence? ”Do you want a drink or something?” he asked standing up.

Locke quickly confirmed that he was from San Francisco, his words sputtering out nervously before slowing into an air of relief. She listened as he spoke of coming to Mendocino with his father in the summertime, to which Gina nodded and hummed. A lot of city-people came up the highway into Mendocino. It was the tourist traffic that generated revenue for the towns' businesses, after all.

"Isn't that the truth," Gina agreed, when Locke spoke of where most other students hailed from. The fact that these two had some sort of kinship based off of their home-state was quite exciting. Gina mused admits aloud, "Just think... You could have gone to my mother's shop and I never would have known... I could've seen you and not even remember it."

With that in-mind, Gina have a brief "thank you" before hopping to her feet, and retrieving another slice of pizza. The notion had effectively silenced her, and she glanced towards Locke--

Only to catch him staring at her, with a funny look on his face.

"What's that face for?" Gina chuckled, "You look like you saw a ghost."

Locke quickly dropped his gaze, and asked if Gina was thirsty. Gina appraised him with her eyes, smiling kindly.

"Sure, I'd love one," she agreed, smiling as her gaze turned away politely. Gina hopped to her feet, ready for Locke to lead on.

”Well you know what they say, small world and all that,” he rambled, shrugging his shoulders. The time had come to slough off the worry about his potential stalker. It wasn’t as though there was anything malicious about the pictures. This was just a little past creepy to get pictures of himself that he didn’t even know existed, not like there was anything past him age five. Really it was amazing how many moments in his life had been forgotten. ”If every actor can be connected back to Kevin Bacon why shouldn’t the same thing happen with people?”

Locke’s concern showed on his face, prompting Gina to question what was wrong. He gave her an awkward smile, the expression still not entirely familiar feeling. Maybe he should practice smiling in the mirror. Think of his brother and sister or Taco Bell, anything that brought the happy face up until his facial muscles had gotten enough exercise. ”Just got a bit of homesickness I guess. You know how you can go for days without thinking about home and then suddenly it hits you like a two by four? Could be the smell of clean laundry or a song that you heard as a kid…” Yeah, the smile was becoming more familiar, but he still had to work on looking at the person he was smiling at.

Before he could go into the kitchen to get Gina her soda a thought occurred to Locke. The whole pizza and conversation thing all got started because he traded his brains in for the sound of rain and left the box out. ”Guard the pizza.”

Leaning into the fridge felt good. Cool, but not the type of cold that Locke hated. The buzzing noise had a sort of hypnotizing effect on him. For a solid minute he stared into the fridge, not remembering why he was there. No matter what was going on, no matter how old he got, Locke would always have his brain go blank when he opened the fridge. Now why did he open the thing? Something to do with drinks right? Yeah, that sounded right. ”What do you want?” he asked Gina.

Gina quirked a smile as Locke awkwardly attributed his staring to homesickness. Right. It wasn't that Gina didn't believe him, she just-- didn't believe him. She arched an eyebrow, her skepticism clear on her face, but she gave Locke the benefit of the doubt. He was awkward enough without being put on the spot.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Gina agreed, nodding her head. She'd had more homesickness when she first came to Xavier's, but had adjusted somewhat over time. She called her Mom on almost every other day, or at least once a week, and was getting better about not getting homesick everytime she heard some laugh like one of her relatives, or heard that song, or saw that familiar mannerism.

Locke trailed out of the room, instructing Gina to guard the pizza.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Gina said with a mock salute and a grin. Locke went to go get drinks, and Gina manneuvered herself so that she was right in front of the pizza box, perched on the couch like a sentinel. (Or, if you really wanted to be specific, like a gargoyle on the edge of building.)

From the fridge, Locke inquired what Gina wanted.

"Hmmm... maybe some Sprite or the likes, if they have any?" she hollered back, looking over her shoulder, "If not... hm... probably nothing caffeinated?" She smiled, well aware of the fact that the last thing she needed was caffeine in her system.

Sprite or some other non caffeinated soda. Locke moved aside two jugs of milk, searching for something fizzy for Gina that wouldn't give her a sugar rush. One plus side of the school's kitchen was that the fridge was always well stocked. The down side was that the fridge was always well stocked. It took time to sift through the healthy things to find the junk that was in such high demand. Either the staff member who did the grocery shopping wanted to avoid tooth decay or the students wanted to keep their favorite choices hidden. "Orange ok?" he called out, resting a hand on the can he found, "Wait, I think I got one. Dude... did that just growl at me?" The food wasn't spoiled or anything, Locke just wasn't sure if it was food. Sprite safely secured and rescued from the green vegetation, the earth manipulator headed back into the kitchen.

Once again he found himself staring at Gina. Yeah he told her to guard the pizza, but somehow he didn't think she would take him seriously. Maybe just warn people if they were heading towards the box. Perched like she was on the couch and staring at the pizza box Locke thought also briefly of cats that spend the whole day watching the fish tank. "It didn't get up and start walking away or anything did it?" he asked. This was about the closest he could get to a joke. "Because if it did I am so asking for a refund. Pizza is not the same as sushi."

Gina listened as Locke rummaged through the fridge. Whoever had hidden the soda must have done a bang-up job. He asked if orange soda would work, but before Gina could affirm this, Locke spoke up once again.

>> "Wait, I think I got one. Dude... did that just growl at me?"

Gina laughed shortly, smirking. It would figure that some of the food at Xavier's was senitent. Maybe it was some sort of joke, or maybe it was a food-shifting mutant who'd been wedged in the fridge. God only knew. Locke trotted back into the living room, still in one piece. Good, the fridge hadn't eaten him.

And, he was staring all over again. Okay, maybe it was a bit much that she was staring the pizza down like this, but-- he'd said to guard the pizza, and after he'd looked so dismayed after Gina had snatched a slice, she couldn't imagine his reaction if another person decided that they were hungry.

>> "It didn't get up and start walking away or anything did it? Because if it did I am so asking for a refund. Pizza is not the same as sushi."

Gina chuckled and shook her head.

"No, it's still here," Gina confirmed. Obviously. Because it was still in front of her. She moved back to the end of the couch, sitting on its arm, so that Locke could reclaim his spot. She munched on her second slice cheerfully, "But, I don't think any pizza would've dared crawl off while I was on duty..."

She didn't get the joke. Well crud. Locke had thought that he had been pretty witty right there. This was why he didn't try to pick up girls. He could use the same flirtatious lines that his buddy Eaan did and the girl would wonder what was wrong with him. Jokes never worked out if he told them, which made Locke think that there was a science to them. Somewhere someone must have figured out the equation of the perfect joke. He'd heard that tragedy plus time equals comedy, but some things just never were funny. That and once enough time passed for his attempts at a joke to pass from tragedy to comedy, people would forget what he said in the first place. With a sigh he took his seat again.

"I guess you'd have it licked. I mean if it crawls it can't be going that fast, and if someone threw it you'd be able to catch it," This time it wasn't meant to be a joke. It was one of those "what if"s that he started to wonder about. How would pizza travel if it could? Soaring through the air like a cheese coated frisbee seemed the most obvious answer. Unless it was deep dish it wasn't going to be able to roll on the crust. Too uneven in thickness.

Yeah, the joke went right over Gina's head. She hadn't even thought there to be a joke, or if Locke had told her it was, she wouldn't have known when to laugh. Sushi wasn't the same as pizza, which could have been how meant had Locke to be funny... Gina thought he was just rambling though, and agreed with him on that, sushi wasn't pizza. Locke sighed and took his seat, and Gina hadn't even an inkling of his disappointment. She just didn't catch on like that.

>> "I guess you'd have it licked. I mean if it crawls it can't be going that fast, and if someone threw it you'd be able to catch it."

"I was speaking figuratively," Gina laughed. Although, if someone had the capacity to animate food, that would be quite laughable. She smiled patiently, took up her soda and popped it open. She then took a swig, and sighed. Good stuff. As if to clarify, "I just figured since you'd looked so dismayed when I'd helped myself to the pizza, that if someone else tried to join the party.... well, y'know--" Gina nodded her head absently, switched from soda to pizza once again, "--'One's company, two's a crowd,' that sort of thing..."

"Two's company, three's a crowd," Locke corrected automatically. He liked different phrases and their origins. "I mean you can't have company with one, and it would make you a crowd." It took him a moment, but Locke caught on that she had said that she was being figuratively. Ah crud, did he just take what she said too literally again? "I just did it again huh?" Locke had to groan at how stupid he could be.

What could he say next? This was why Locke was a listener. It meant that he didn't have to start each topic. Simply adding to something that exist was so much easier. He opened his mouth without thinking, expecting something to come crawling out. When nothing did at first Locke was left with his jaw dangling uselessly. Think of words, let words out. Still Locke didn't know what to say and he just inserted his pizza crust.

Her mom's shop! That was something that they could talk about! And to make things better it wasn't a subject that he could be expected to know much about since it was something personal. Once the thought occurred to him he tried to ask immediately. Talking with your peers, a great idea. Talking to your peers with a chunk of Papa John's pizza crust en route to your stomach, not so much. He started to cough and sputter.

Gina nodded. Yes, he had just done it again-- she shrugged as Locke corrected her, did a mental eyeroll. He got the picture, so who cared if she had messed the saying up?

"No, it's cool," she assured him. She sipped her soda quietly, humming to herself. Locke took a bite of his pizza, seemed to have something to say, and tried to speak before choking on his bite.

"Whoa, easy there-" Gina gasped, sitting upright fast, "-Locke, buddy, are you okay? Not choking, are you?" She was already on her feet, and the can was set aside, if he was.

A few more coughs erupted from Locke before his brain told him to drink some soda to clear up his throat. His eyes watered as he chugged the carbonated beverage, but by the time he set the can down the crust that had gotten stuck resumed its passage. For good measure he pounded his chest a couple of times. Gina had reacted quickly to his struggles and it made him wonder how often people had choked around her. Or it could just be part of her training like how he was trying to memorize different gemstone names. "Good now," he weazed, and then pounded his chest one more time. Instead of a cough like he expected there was a rather loud belch. Around Eaan it would have been welcomed with applause and answered back, like some bizarre, but gross none the less, man to man mating call. Around Gina however it was just one more thing to make his ears burn. "S'cuse me" he mumbled, slinking lower into the couch.

Why oh why couldn't he vanish into thin air? Or at least get the ground to swallow him whole? Was it some sort of curse that struck the Tori men? Just look at his dad's luck when it came to the fairer gender. Chris might at least stand a chance thanks to a twin sister who could give him insight about what to do and say around girls, and who could make him look good. All Locke had was Eaan and well... Eaan was as helpful as a nuclear bomb for getting rid of pests. "I could cough, so it was cool." Though cool wasn't exactly the word one would use to describe almost killing yourself on crust.

Locke gave a few more coughs, and a brief "Good now". This announcement was punctuated by a loud belch, a timid "s'cuse me," and Locke sinking into the couch.

"You're excused," Gina chuckled, flopping back onto her perch on the arm of the couch. Noting Locke's embarrassment about the burp, she assured him, "It's okay, Locke, I'm used to it-- I've got three adoptive brothers."

Locke assured Gina that he had been okay, because he was still coughing, and Gina only nodded and sipped her soda. It was true, a lot of people tended to choke if Gina walked by while they were eating. It was reflexive to want to scurry over and perform the Heimlich maneuver, but Gina didn't bother mentioning that.