twenty-one ✶ voice

[candidly]

[ gwen sounds just a little peeved when she turns on the comm, and a lot more subdued than she was last post, even with the annoyance. ]

Come on, Porter. If you're gonna send me home and bring me back, couldn't you have at least brought me back after prom?

[ she pauses, lets out a sigh. ]

So I'm back. Hi. [ slight hesitation ] No one important left while I was gone, right? And we're not, I dunno, having a weird alien cat invasion or anything?

Comments

[candidly]

Milk made from soy beans.

[invoking]

That sounds a little disgusting...

[candidly]

It not that bad, but it's not as good as actual milk.

[invoking]

Anyway...

When did the porter send you back?

[ He doesn't keep up with the network often... ]

[candidly]

Thursday-ish? I think? It's been a while.

[invoking]

Welcome back... I guess.

[candidly]

Thanks.

[invoking]

[ Pause. ]

What's prom? A dance?

[candidly]

Yeah, it's a dance at the school.

[invoking]

And you want to avoid it?

[candidly]

Oh, yeah. I'm not a prom fan.

[invoking]

You don't like dancing? You could just not go.

[candidly]

I have to go. There's this contest thing involved that someone nominated me for.

[invoking]

What sort of contest?

[candidly]

Basically people get nominated for prom king and queen and then other people vote who they think should be it. It's a popularity contest.

[invoking]

If you win it it doesn't sound too bad.

[candidly]

Except I'm not going to win, but now I have to go to this thing I don't want to go to.

[invoking]

How can you know that? A nomination must mean something.

[candidly]

Most people generally don't like me. Definitely not as much as other people on the ballot.

[invoking]

[ What should he say? Should he comfort a teenager... ]

I'm sure you don't need to be worried about it.

[candidly]

I'm not worried about it. I just don't want to go.

[invoking]

It won't be that bad, will it? What about friends in the school?

[candidly]

Most of them will have dates and stuff.

[invoking]

What's wrong with that?

[candidly]

Have you ever hung around with people who are a couple? It gets kind of awkward sometimes.