>> "You might not have died yet, but I'm pretty sure that I have."

As with what most of Locke said, it took Gina a few moments to grasp what he meant. Gina was thinking along the lines of she hadn't "died of boredom", so to speak, and for a moment, she thought that Locke was confessing that he had. For a moment, Gina almost took offense, before realizing that Locke had probably meant dying by some other means... she smiled, rather than take offense, as if she knew what he meant.

When Gina agreed that the pizza was good, Locke took it a step farher.

>> "This would be food of the gods.... you know what you pretty much never see on Food Network? Those big name chefs making pizza. It's got all the food groups in it, and there's so much room for experimentation but nobody ever really talks about it. I mean, just because something is usually considered fast food doesn't mean that it can't be gourmet right?"

"I suppose... but pizza is a relatively easy thing to make, isn't it?" Gina countered, toying with her hair, "I don't think it would make for very good television... then again, I don't usually have much of an attention span when it comes to Food Network."

Locke tried to think of how a pizza was made. All he knew really was the little bits that he'd seen with kids programs. "I dunno, have you ever tried tossing the dough? It looks kind of like you need to be in color guard or something to do it right. And one of the most critical parts of a pizza is the sauce. You see chefs making special sauce from fresh red tomatos and lush herbs. It's not that complicated to make pasta, but that doesn't stop them from showing off different pasta dishes, because the important thing is the sauce."

How weird was it to talk about food? Nobody really talked about it unless they were in the restaurant business or were adults trying to say what place was best to eat at. He couldn't help it though. The Food Network was an addiction for him. What show was on didn't matter to him, as long as they showed the process and ingredients for whatever was being made. "Sorry, you aren't into food. Uh... you pick a topic."

"Besides the dough, I mean," Gina flapped her hand dismissively. She wasn't thinking in the "making everything from scratch" sense. Gina had never been, by any means, a chef. She was thinking of making a pizza in the sense that you covered a preexisting pizza flat with sauce from a can, and went from there. Locke was obviously speaking of actually making a pizza. It was all very befuddling to the gargoyle girl.

Locke picked up on the fact that Gina lacked his enthusiasm about food, and turned to conversation over to her. Gina shifted and smiled. Geez, what did guys talk about anyways. Or, going a step beyond that, what did shy, awkward guys talk about, besides Food Network? If he was a girl, this conversation would be a no-brainer, but talking to guys was practically impossible.

"What else are you interested in?" Gina inquired, stretching, "Besides Food Network?"

Neither one really knew what they were suppose to be talking about Locke realized. He didn't know if he should think of that as comforting or funny. The most entertaining thing about it was that while Gina was thinking it would be easier to talk to Locke if he was a girl, Locke was thinking it would be easier if Gina was a boy. Guys were just slightly easier for Locke to talk to, because he could understand how their brain's worked. Girls would always be too complicated, his dad had told him that. Was he suppose to talk about clothes again, because if that was the case then Locke was so totally screwed. All he knew was how to wash and fold them, and the chore of laundry was incredibly dull, and unless you were Dr. Horrible, not a good conversational gambit.

When Gina asked what other TV stuff Locke was interested in he turned a little red. The food network was an addiction, but he did have some shows that he loved. "Well there's a couple of shows I like. Pawn Star, and well..." His dad had been a computer programer, his step mother was an internet nanny, and Locke was named after a video game character. Locke was fated to have a geekiness to him. "You probably haven't heard of it, but there's this British show I like, the newer episodes kick butt and all but there's something about the older ones, from the seventies that just can't be topped. It's about an alien that has a blue box that travels through time and space and he does things like blows up Mount Vesuvius...." he hurried through.

Locke had an addiction to Doctor Who.

She'd forgotten that she needed to be specific. Locke thought that she was talking about t.v. shows rather than hobbies overall. Oops.

>> "Well there's a couple of shows I like. Pawn Star, and well... You probably haven't heard of it, but there's this British show I like, the newer episodes kick butt and all but there's something about the older ones, from the seventies that just can't be topped. It's about an alien that has a blue box that travels through time and space and he does things like blows up Mount Vesuvius...."

Gina didn't watch a lot of television. She would rather see the world on her own than watch it through a screen. Her youngest brother Dante liked Pawn Star, so the name sounded familiar. But, the second television show? It sounded like some science-fiction acid-trip. Not the sort of thing that Gina would watch, if ever she opted to watch t.v. But Gina indulged in Locke, and didn't voice what she actually thought.

"That sounds interesting," Gina trailed, tilting her head, "But, beyond television, I mean-- what do you like to do?"

There was much that Locke still had to learn about how to talk to Gina. Even after his earlier realization that he was being way too literal, he still was going by the exact meaning of her words. Gina didn't even give him a chance to ask what shows she liked before she charged on ahead, asking him about his other interests. "Uh.... I like horror movies, the worse they are the better. Sucker for bad special effects I guess,"

A slice of pepperoni started to slide off his slice of pizza. Before Locke could tell Gina more he had to deal with the crisis. The cheese was still melty enough it seemed to act as a sort of iceberg, flowing at a slow rate that wouldn't necessarily be noticed. "I love baseball. When I was little I played it. What else... writing, playing bass, cooking, rocks and dirt," Locke's eyes opened a little wider with the realization, "I am an incredibly boring person."

>> "Uh.... I like horror movies, the worse they are the better. Sucker for bad special effects I guess."

Gina wasn't a fan on horror movies, both on principal and because they freaked her out. Some people got a thrill out of being scared, Gina did not.

"I like action movies," she replied. Her brothers had exposed her to those. Mostly, those movies had attractive, rugged male leads, plenty of thrills, and fast cars. And explosions. Couldn't forget those. Offhandedly, she added on, "And comedies, chick flicks, and animated-type movies..." And movies that were twice her age, and essentially anything but horror or romance... yes, even acid-trip sci-fi, but she didn't mention those.

>> "I love baseball. When I was little I played it. What else... writing, playing bass, cooking, rocks and dirt... I am an incredibly boring person."

"Sounds cool to me," Gina countered, "I can't cook worth a hoot, have never been very good at sports, haven't ever played an instrument, and only write when need be. And I don't know much about rocks or dirt..." She smiled coolly. So maybe she was the boring one? Remembering to be forward, she clarified, "I think those are interesting hobbies. Don't right yourself off as a bore too readily."

You would think that a guy who likes movies with blood, guts, and gore would enjoy action movies. Explosions, fast cars, a sense of tension... Yet Locke got bored with them easily. He also didn't have much interest in war movies, even though he enjoyed history. Comedies were a hit and miss thing, but there were a few that Locke liked enough to own. "You ever seen Spaceballs? he asked. Yes it was a science fiction movie, but it was a Mel Brooks, and that equaled, at least in Locke's mind, comedic gold.

Gina was trying to reassure Locke that he wasn't boring. The sports thing and the instrument thing he could see as being entertaining or interesting. It was the rocks and dirt part that he was sure made him duller than a pair of safety scissors. He found the materials he worked with fascinating, but not everyone did. There isn't much new in the world of dirt. "Yeah, because everyone is interested in stones. Anyways what about you? I mean you like flying, but something not related to your mutation."

>> "You ever seen Spaceballs?"

"Spaceballs?" Gina echoed, cracking a grin, "Of course I've seen it. How can I claim to love comedy and never see Mel Brooks? I tell ya... Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein are my favorites, though."

>> "Yeah, because everyone is interested in stones. Anyways what about you? I mean you like flying, but something not related to your mutation."

"If everyone were into stones, then it wouldn't be interesting," Gina quipped, rolling her eyes, "Work with me, here, I'm trying to be personable." She was just giving Locke a hard time, but really, he was too serious.

"Me?" she mused, "Well, singing and dancing, but I'm not a pro or anything... going to the theater or musicals, reading, wandering about... sewing, shopping, drawing... and talking to people."

She counted her hobbies off on one hand, wrinkling her nose and grinning. Ginas' hobbies weren't very interesting, either. Especially to a guy, she presumed.

"History of the World Part One," Locke said with a smile. Common ground had been found! Blazing Saddles had been alright in Locke's book, but it just didn't hold his interest the same way that Spaceballs or History of the World did. Mel Brooks made the few comedies that Locke owned on DVD. "Have you seen Zombieland? I know, you said you don't like horror movies, but it's not exactly one. Yeah there's zombies, and there are spots of tension, but the thing was meant to be a TV series. You don't make horror shows."

Talking with people was definitely not one of Locke's hobbies. That was Eaan's job. As far as theatre and musicals went... Locke hadn't been to anything that wasn't involved with a school. He shuddered at the thought of his sixth grade's production of Pirates of Penzance. Immediately the paradox song started up in his head. He was going to have to drop a bomb on that[/b] brain worm.

"Yeah, the sewing's cool," Locke said. His hand not occupied with pizza twisted and played with the hem of his long sleeved thermal. Could he pretend about anything she said? Shopping though?. Locke hated shopping. "I sort of learned how to cha-cha once. Sort of."

>> "History of the World Part One… Have you seen Zombieland? I know, you said you don't like horror movies, but it's not exactly one. Yeah there's zombies, and there are spots of tension, but the thing was meant to be a TV series. You don't make horror shows."

Gina made a face and shuddered, shaking her head adamantly, “I’m too much of a wuss to see a zombie movie. Maybe, if someone dared me, but… willingly? On my own? Nuh-uh.”

Gina was a tough cookie, but horror films weren’t her thing. She either found the monsters sympathetic or was scared witless by them, and the thrill of fear? She didn’t like it. She liked safe, fluffly, laughable movies. Or action movies.

>> "Yeah, the sewing's cool. I sort of learned how to cha-cha once. Sort of."

“The cha-cha, huh?” Gina echoed, “I guess you’re way ahead of me, there. I’m more of the freestyle dancer.” Which was a nice way of saying that, she only danced behind the closed door of her bedroom, singing into a hairbrush, when no one else was there. It wasn’t to say that she couldn’t dance or sing. Gina could, she just didn't publicize it.

Locke rolled his eyes. "It's not that scary, I swear. There's more blood in Rambo than in Zombieland." Maybe. He had never actually seen any of the Rambo movies, but knew of the character. Compared to his other "horror" movies though, Zombieland was mild. "How bad can a horror movie be with the guy from the Social Network in it? Abigail Breslin is in it. The girl that they had wear headphones in Little Miss Sunshine so she wouldn't hear the swearing in the dialog. And there's an amusement park and an obsession with Twinkies. Now, does that sound so bad?"

It wasn't like he was trying to get her to watch a Saw marathon, and it wasn't like Evil Dead either. With the later at there was so much cheese you could make fondue, but it was so wonderfully bloody. This was Zombieland. "You mean to tell me that you have no problems with flying about when people are at their most paranoid, but you won't watch something with Twinkies? Twinkies!"

When Gina said that he was ahead of her in dancing Locke shook his head no. "I'm not really. Dancing means being flexible. I have waaay too much in common with my materials. Dancing with me is like dancing with a statue, only slightly more mobile, and hopefully, not nearly as heavy."

Yeah, well, Gina had covered her eyes in Rambo, too. Her brothers, well-intending, figured that their little, action-loving sister would love the action-packed movie like Rambo, but it was simply too over-the-top. Locke was still vouching for Zombieland, though, rattling off the actors and actresses (who, regrettably, she didn't follow... but she didn't follow actors and actresses). But she quirked a smile at the "an amusement park and an obsession with Twinkies".

>> "You mean to tell me that you have no problems with flying about when people are at their most paranoid, but you won't watch something with Twinkies? Twinkies!"

Gina chuckled.

"It's different," she protested. She didn't draw a parallel between horror films and flying. Flying was like going for a jog. Somehow, Twinkies didn't make the horror film drop to the level of what was, essentially a "jog".

>> "I'm not really. Dancing means being flexible. I have waaay too much in common with my materials. Dancing with me is like dancing with a statue, only slightly more mobile, and hopefully, not nearly as heavy."

Gina smiled, "Well, howe often do you dance with someone else? Maybe if you danced with them more, you wouldn't be so tense." Because, Gina imagined it to be a product of his shyness that influenced his stiff dancing style, rather than an actual inability to. Dance could actually have referred to simply interacting with people, too-- if Locke became more practiced at conversing with people his age, maybe he'd become better at it?

"Yeah, sure it's different," Locke joked, "Instead of people on a screen getting shot when they attack someone, you just have to worry about wind currents, airplane engines, and being mistaken for an unidentified flying craft and get shot down." Flying wasn't on the list of things Locke wanted to do. Planes crashed, maybe not as much as a car did, but they still crashed. He would stick to things that kept his feet on the ground. At least that way he could see what was around him.

"Just watch it once, you'll like it." If Gina could keep pressing the topic of dancing then Locke could keep pushing Zombieland. "The zombies are kind of funny really, not scary. Just once ok?"

"I can't do it. I can't be that close to someone and dance with them. That involves holding hands and waists and I just...." Locke turned scarlet. For a brief moment he forgot that Gina was a girl and now his brain was reminding him that he sucked at talking to them.

>> "Yeah, sure it's different. Instead of people on a screen getting shot when they attack someone, you just have to worry about wind currents, airplane engines, and being mistaken for an unidentified flying craft and get shot down."

Gina smiled, reclining on the couch. Spoken like a truly earthbound individual.

"I don't fly with airplanes, Locke," Gina began, chuckling at the silliness, "It's too high, the air is too thin..." Wind currents were also not a problem. They actually made it more fun. Her mind had never wandered to the getting-shot-down after being mistaken for an unidentified flying craft.

>> "Just watch it once, you'll like it. The zombies are kind of funny really, not scary. Just once ok?"

Gina puffed her cheeks out stubbornly, the impish retort of "make me" on the tip of her tongue. Rather, she spiced this sentiment up with fancier speak, "I will, if accompanied."

Those were her conditions. Locke, or really anyone else, watched Zombieland with her, she'd watch it. Because, if someone was watching Who knew, maybe her freaking out over zombies could be just as entertaining as the zombie flick itself.

>> "I can't do it. I can't be that close to someone and dance with them. That involves holding hands and waists and I just...."

Locke broke off, his face going an impossible tint of red. Shoot, he was getting embarrassed just by talking about dancing. Then again, for an introvert, touching someone else was probably a pretty big deal. Gina couldn't help herself. She chuckled. She really had no room to talk, for she'd never danced with a guy. She couldn't really fathom being that close to a guy either. Gina's face might have flushed a little, too, but it was hard to tell, with grey skin.

"But if you're close to someone enough, you'd get used to it eventually, right?" Gina countered. She had enough experience in compulsively hugging people to notice that, if she hugged the same person enough times, they stopped getting irritated over it. She tossed a smile Locke's way, "Then the waists and the hands might not bother you so much."

Gina kept her cool quite well. They were just talking. It wasn't like they were actually going to dance, or anything.