Jackson Square

[Elda Forever]

OOC: Sure thing, chica. BIC:

Preston Brailsford

"I think you're silly, too," Preston told Gracie as Shelby returned, somehow balancing the four cups of hot chocolate precariously in her hands. She chuckled quietly, beginning to distribute the cups among them. "That's because she is," she informed him. "Okay, careful, it's hot. Gracie, you be especially careful, I really don't want to have to go to the hospital for head burns tonight. And one for you," she added, handing Preston his cup last. There came a small spat over who had more marshmallows, before Shelby assured both children they had an equal five. "You have five too," she added to Preston. "Just in case."

"Good, I was afraid Grace would get more than me," Preston replied with a smug grin as he cautiously took a sip. It burnt the roof of his mouth, leaving a starchy feeling there that would last until tomorrow and was so worth it. Both the girls giggled as he said, "It's good to know Shelby's a fair one, right?"

"Yeah!" Grace cried happily as Cecily added, "I love Shelby." Preston laughed delightedly at that, nodding his head. Shelby looked surprised, but smiled as she embraced Cecily.

"It's snowing!" Gracie shouted out again, making Preston turn to look skyward, seeing the white flecks falling down on them all.

"Wow, it is!" His jaw dropped open a little in surprise, and he turned to beam at Shelby, readjusting Gracie on his shoulders. "It's really snowing... And it's really starting to come down already...maybe it'll even stick!"

They made it to the end of the line now too fast, inside before the snow began to catch in the corners of the street. Preston took Gracie's cup from her before letting her off his shoulders, moving to hold her hand instead as they got tantalizingly close to seeing Santa. They watched him as he took kid after kid on his lap, leaning in close to listen to the shy requests of each.

[issie]

OOC: This is for GG, sorry again i took so long!!! BIC:

Liv Aldis

Walking had swiftly become one of Liv's favorite pastimes at this new place her parents had moved her to. At first she wanted to stay inside, but after a while she couldn't stand being around them. So she walked. Sometimes for hours, just to get away and see new things and new people. At first, she was worried that she'd be stared at by everyone, but she soon realized that nobody really cared that she had cuts and bruises. They were all too wrapped up in their own lives to ever worry about a teen's problems. It was bliss. Though she still tried to hide the injuries she had. Long sleeves covered her arms and she wore leggings with her mini skirt, proud of the way they covered almost all the marks there. It looked almost natural, the way she put her outfits together to try and cover as much skin as possible. She even had a small purple and black plaid bandana to cover up her neck and the two cuts shown there.

Smiling to herself, she unwrapped the grape flavored sucker she had been holding in her hand for the past few minutes. She stuck it in her mouth and stopped for a minute to admire a statue of a man on a horse, debating with herself on wether or not she should try and draw it later. Lately, her muse had been stuck on realistic images that came from all around her, so this was almost perfect. She circled it once, taking in some of the detail to be remembered for later. All the while thinking about how she loved old things like statues of famous people and buildings. Looking around, she just felt like she was in the right place.

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

Instead of staying indoors all day, waiting to get calls and texts between her friends' classes, Erin had taken to walking around outside, waiting to get calls and texts between her friends' classes. And if Yukito had to work on weekends, she would do the same, at least for a little while until someone could pick her up to go hang out. Oh the joys of not having a car... or legal permission to drive one.

Now she was wandering around Jackson Square, which, granted, was kind of stupid to do alone, especially since her nose was staring down at the screen on her phone as she sent out more texts. Right now she was in the middle of a text-discussion about Yukito officially joining up with Veritas, going back and forth between Trent and Jeremy. So far, Jeremy was all for it, and shared her excitement, but Trent was more reserved. Actually, he wasn't reserved-- just more negative. In fact, his most recent text to her had been pretty ticked, to say the least. The whole interaction between Trent and Yukito when Yukito had taken her home, it had all been pretty fuzzy, despite her knowledge that Trent was comfortable with morally grey. Granted, she'd never really been fond of him beyond his camaraderie, but Erin would forgive his morally grey decisions a hundred times before losing his friendship. It was just who he was.

If only she could persuade him to get over himself enough to accept Yukito.

Not having been looking, Erin's toe met a curb on the cement, and sh stumbled ahead, barely catching herself before she sprawled to the ground. Erin did, however, let out a startled shout, and her phone dropped from her hand and across the cement, the back part that hid the battery sliding off and heading in the opposite direction. Cursing her clumsiness, Erin jumped to retrieve the phone, grabbing the battery cover first, then scanning around her to find her phone, its half-finish text still on the screen. "Shoot, where'd it go?" she hissed to herself, frowning deeply. How many phones had she gone through for having lost or broken them like this? She would really have to get better about that... they couldn't just rush out and buy a new one now.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Shelby Wright

"I love Shelby," Cecily declared, her voice filled with that innocent, unmistakable honesty that seemsto only accompany small children. Shelby stared at the little girl, somewhat in shock. How could this kid--she couldn't have been no more than seven, Shelby could never remember, but she knew that Cecily was at least two years older than five-year-old Grace--who had known her a grand total of about two months, claim to 'love' her? Shelby couldn't remember herself being that open when she was a child, not in the slightest. How can you love me? You hardly know me...and you're just a kid...

Still, she couldn't help but hug her. Even if she didn't understand it, Shelby couldn't help but feel a strange affinity to Cecily, the fondness for her growing just because of three simple little words. I love Shelby...well, Shelby doesn't love a lot of things. Shelby herself doesn't even love Shelby...I think Shelby's a pretty difficult person to love. But if you do, then that's great...really great.

"It's snowing!" Grace shouted, prompting everyone in the general vicinity to look up. An excited murmur grew across the crowd as fluffy white flakes fell all around them. It clung to gloves and eyelashes and stray locks of hair that weren't swept away in their snug knit hats, turning already rosy cheeks and noses even redder from the cold. Children and adults alike tilted their heads up towards the sky with their tongues stretched out, trying to catch the first snowflakes of the Louisiana winter, and a few more ambitious kids began eagerly making tiny snowballs and throwing them at family members. "It's really snowing... And it's really starting to come down already...maybe it'll even stick!"

"YAY!" cried both of the girls in unison. Shelby leaned her head back and stuck out her tongue, joining the quest to catch the flakes. "I got one!" she cried triumphantly.

She glanced at Grace, who shook her head. "I'm like Lucy in Charlie Brown. I never eat December snowflakes when we have them. I always wait til January." She punctuated this statement with a flurry of giggles. Shelby joined in, raising in volume until she was full-out laughing for the first time that she could remember in a long while. And once she started, she couldn't stop.

I thought I'd forgotten how.

They finally made it to Santa Claus, and after a few more anxious moments of waiting, took their turns making their Christmas wishes. Cecily turned redder than ever before and whispered what she wanted, looking at the jolly man in red with a mixture of fear and awe, glancing back at Shelby for reassurance every few seconds. Even the normally-chatty Grace was made sober by the presence of Santa Claus, her voice subdued as she told him her wish list but never losing it's enthusiasm. When they were done, Shelby took Cecily's hand once again and led them outside, delighted to find a thin blanket of snow now covering the frosty ground, like powdered sugar on a donut. "We should probably go now...where's your car?" She glanced over at the grassy areas of the square for a moment before smiling. "Hang on."

She let go of Cecily's hand and collapsed on her back into what little snow there was, not caring about how cold and wet she would get. She moved her arms and legs up and down for a moment before slowly standing up to reveal her sad excuse for a snow angel. "We probably need more snow..." she said with exaggerated sadness, using her foot to write her name in cursive in the snow above her creation. "Oh well. Now we can go."

[Elda Forever]

Preston Brailsford

The girls were so adorable. Cecily with her shy, quiet nervousness as she managed to ask Santa for what she wanted. Grace seemed more prepared, but couldn't hide all her fear. Preston watched them both with a smile on his face, remembering when he had been small enough to sit on Santa's lap and whisper to him all the things he wanted the most. Once they got outside, Preston lifted Grace to his shoulders again, and Shelby took Cecily's hand, stepping out into the cold snow-dusted world outside. His teeth starting to chatter already, Preston looked over to smile at the other girls.

"We should probably go now...where's your car?" Shelby asked, glancing around them.

"Here," he nodded to a spot not far away. He was glad he'd managed to get the car tonight, and that no one else had needed it tonight. This was one of those golden opportunities, in his mind.

He looked over to see Shelby sending him a smile, "Hang on." She let go of Cecily's hand and fell to the ground, hitting the little bit of snow and created a snow angel. Or at least an attempt at one. Most of the head was alright, but riddled along the uneven lines there were bare patches where grass and mud showed through, ruining the image. "We probably need more snow..." she said with exaggerated sadness, using her foot to write her name in cursive in the snow above her creation.

Preston chuckled, "Maybe tomorrow you can make them all over your yard. They'll be really pretty, then, if this keeps up."

"Oh well. Now we can go." Preston smiled over at her, reaching up to brush some of the snow off her shoulders as he led the way to the car. It looked much more worn down and used tonight than it usually did, and Preston lowered Grace into the back seat, pushing aside abandoned jackets that could be very well used as makeshift blankets.

They slipped into the car, with him at the wheel and Shelby beside him. He looked over at her and started to laugh as he turned up the heat all the way praying it would kick in soon. "You have snow in your hair..." He reached up and started brushing it out with his fingers, "It's all over the place... You're going to be wet in a few minutes..."

[issie]

Liv Aldis

Liv automatically twisted around when a startled shout came from behind her. The voice wasn't familiar, thankfully but she was startled all the same. Instinctively, her heart started racing as she looked to see a girl on the ground and she sort of put together what had happened in her mind, considering she was near a curb. She tripped. Even knowing this, it still didn't calm her nerves. She was jumpy by nature, which is to be expected, considering the fact that she still lived with her parents. Liv watched silently for a moment or two, just standing there as if she was a statue herself. Suddenly, the girl jumped up and grabbed something off the cement. After a brief moment, she realized that it had been a cell phone... or, part of one at least. The rest of it was not too far away from Liv, she realized.

Without a second thought or glance back at her, Liv walked over and picked it up, choosing not to read the text on the screen. "Shoot, where'd it go?" the girl hissed to herself, a frown on her face. A moment's hesitation and then she started walking towards the owner of the small phone she held in her hand. "This your's?" she asked, trying to speak carefully so that her accent wouldn't be as apparent and strange. Of course, she already knew that it was her's so the question she had asked was almost rhetorical. Holding her hand out so she could grab it, Liv offered a smile. Another hesitation. "I saw you fall, are you hurt?"

Silently, she berated herself for not having the social skills of a squirrel. Everyone she knew was so talkative and friendly. She wanted to be like that but she always felt too awkward when it came to having a conversation, no matter how well she knew the person. Some she knew blamed her parents, others blamed it on her accent but only she thought that that was just her personality. Soft spoken unless it's something severely important to her in some way, shape, or form.

"You look really familiar," she stated while tilting her head to the side slightly, "Have we...met before?" She was struggling with her words now. She knew so few English words... her sister knew it by heart but Liv found it both difficult and annoying. Of course, she wouldn't tell anyone that because practically everyone she knew spoke it.

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"Shoot, where'd it go?" Erin hissed. Jeez, she was such a freaking klutz. Oh, well. There were worse things to be.

A girl Erin recognized after only a second had the rest of her phone-- the important part-- in her hand, and was holding it out to her. "This yours?" Immediately Erin heard the girl's accent, though she couldn't place where it came from, but it sounded pretty awesome. And it sparked her curiosity. She'd learned from Yukito that sometimes people with the cool random accents could be the coolest, most amazing people.

"Yeah! Oh, my god, thank you!" She took the phone back and slid its other part back onto it, closing the text to reply later. The stupid text argument could totally wait.

The girl-- her name was on the tip of Erin's tongue, she could almost swear it, and she hated forgetting names-- smiled a little. "I saw you fall, are you hurt?"

"What, that? Pfft..." Erin dismissed the question with a gesture of her hand. "The worst it coulda done is give me a bruise on my knees. And then I'll just have an excuse to wear purple and blue together to match 'em," she added, laughing a little at her own joke. "It's all good, I'm like, required to test gravity three times a week or something. That would be two down right there, and gravity's still going strong." A little bit more laughter. Hey, if you couldn't laugh at yourself, then what could you laugh at?

"You look really familiar," the girl continued tilting her head to the side slightly. What was her name? Erin knew she knew it! Libby? "Have we...met before?"

"Y'know, I feel like we have, and I kind of suck right now because I know I know your name, 'cause I think we go to school together? Or maybe I met you at a show or something? Or you're on my band's myspace? I always check those, like, all the time... Liz?"

[issie]

Liv Aldis

"This yours?" Liv asked, holding the part of the cell phone to the girl who had fallen.

"Yeah! Oh, my god, thank you!" She replied, taking it back and putting it together again and closing it. The look of relief on the girl's face was apparent. 'There's my good deed for today.' she thought jokingly to herself. She sent a small smile to her and Liv thought for a moment and decided to ask her if she was okay. Falls could be pretty nasty sometimes, she knew.

"What, that? Pfft..." she replied with a wave of her hand, as if she was physically wiping the thought away. "The worst it coulda done is give me a bruise on my knees. And then I'll just have an excuse to wear purple and blue together to match 'em," Liv didn't completely understand all that she was saying, but she had a pretty good idea. They both laughed for a brief moment, then she spoke again. "It's all good, I'm like, required to test gravity three times a week or something. That would be two down right there, and gravity's still going strong." Silently, Liv berated herself for forgetting what the word 'gravity' meant. Mentally cursing the language had become an easy habit for Liv, and that's what she did then as the girl laughed again.

"You look really familiar," she stated, hoping to put off awkward silences as much as she possibly could. She tilted her head to the side slightly, studying the girl for a moment and trying to place where exactly she had seen her. It had been from somewhere, she knew. "Have we...met before?"

"Y'know, I feel like we have, and I kind of suck right now because I know I know your name, 'cause I think we go to school together? Or maybe I met you at a show or something? Or you're on my band's myspace? I always check those, like, all the time... Liz?"

Liv laughed a little, saying, "I don' know about a band... school sound right. My name is Liv." The slightest hint of difficulty was showing through her tone as she tried saying the words. She had to think about every word she said now, because she didn't want to humiliate herself when she had first officially met this person. "What.. is your name?" She knew that she sounded as if she was a little slow... but at least she was attempting it. Sometimes it was hard to find the motivation in speaking any language other than Norwegian. And sometimes she would catch herself using her native language around a group of people who only spoke English whenever she got really excited or angry. It was just the way her brain worked, she supposed... That or she was certifiably crazy.

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"It's all good," Erin said, continuing to excuse her clumsiness. "I'm like, required to test gravity three times a week or something. That would be two down right there, and gravity's still going strong." She laughed easily, despite feeling a little conspicuous and stupid when the other girl didn't join her. People made jokes about people who laughed at their own jokes, but she couldn't help it if she liked to laugh and it was easy to do...

"You look really familiar," the girl started, catching her attention again. Erin's eyes snapped back up from where they'd drifted to her phone."Hm?" Her accent wasn't familiar to her; she needed to watch her talk to make sure she heard right.

"Have we...met before?"

"Y'know, I feel like we have, and I kind of suck right now because I know I know your name, 'cause I think we go to school together? Or maybe I met you at a show or something? Or you're on my band's myspace? I always check those, like, all the time... Liz?"

The girl laughed a little, and Erin knew she was wrong. Shoot... "I don' know about a band... school sound right. My name is Liv."

"Liv!" Erin snapped her fingers of her free hand, stomping one foot against the cement. "I totally knew that! I swear!"

"What.. is your name?"

"Huh? Oh! Right, sorry, I must sound like a total space-case to you right now," she rambled off, laughing a little bit again. Why couldn't she remember common courtesies like that? The girl was clearly not from around here, and she was probably making all Americans seem like rude, classless jerks... Maybe I am one, she wondered for a moment before returning her attention to Liv. Liv. I am GOING to remember that and never forget. "I'm Erin.. I'm sorry, I totally don't know why I'm being so clueless and crap. Major brain farts or something," she tried to explain, giggling. "Um, so, I don't recognize your accent. Where are you from? How long've you been here?" she asked, genuinely curious.

[issie]

Liv Aldis

"Have we...met before?" Liv asked, seeing that she was familiar to her in some way.

"Y'know, I feel like we have, and I kind of suck right now because I know I know your name, 'cause I think we go to school together? Or maybe I met you at a show or something? Or you're on my band's myspace? I always check those, like, all the time... Liz?"

She laughed in reply to the girl saying her name was Liz. But she had been close, and plus she didn't blame her for getting it wrong. It's not like Liv is exactly a normal name to have. "I don' know about a band... school sound right. My name is Liv."

"Liv!" The girl said with a snap of her fingers and stomped her foot on the ground beneath them. Like the name was on the tip of her tongue the whole time. It was really funny to watch someone do, but instead of laughing at her, Liv merely smiled. "I totally knew that! I swear!"

"What.. is your name?"

"Huh? Oh! Right, sorry, I must sound like a total space-case to you right now," From the look on her face, she could almost tell that the girl wasn't expecting to be asked that question. Almost as if she was taken off guard. But why? Liv pondered this as the girl laughed a little, probably to herself. It was curious, the way people acted sometimes. It made her want to know more about them. "I'm Erin.. I'm sorry, I totally don't know why I'm being so clueless and crap. Major brain farts or something," she said with a giggle. 'This girl really likes to laugh.'

"Um, so, I don't recognize your accent. Where are you from? How long've you been here?" Liv smiled, these were the questions she had been asked time and time again and she knew the answers in English by heart. It was just the accent she couldn't stand. "I am from Norway, and I came here a couple of weeks ago. Have you always lived here?"

[The Phantom of Paris]

Shelby Wright

"We should probably go now...where's your car?" Shelby asked, looking around. The square was less populated then it had been when they were waiting in line, as most of the crowd was making their way home for the night, but there was still a sizable line to see Santa and several people milling about, huddling together and enjoying the snow. I can't even remember the last time it snowed before Christmas...how old was I? Did I play in the snow? Did I do anything, or just ignore it? Did I...

"Here," Preston said, indicating a nearby car. Shelby was about to go over to it when a crazy whim struck her. Careful, Shelby...the last time you did something unexpected, you ended up kissing someone. Let's not make the same mistake twice, shall we? Still, making a snow angel didn't seem to have too many terrible repercussions, so that was exactly what Shelby did, ignoring the stinging cold as the snow covered her back and went down the collar of her jacket, freezing the back of her neck and plastering her hair to her skin. She stood up to admire her work--not that there was that much to admire. "We probably need more snow..." she remarked sadly, earning a quiet giggle from Cecily and a reprimand from Grace. "We do need more snow, Shelby! And now you're gonna freeze. You're gonna be an icicle," she said, nodding seriously as she gazed down from her perch atop Preston's shoulders.

"Maybe tomorrow you can make them all over your yard. They'll be really pretty, then, if this keeps up."

"Oh well. Now we can go," Shelby said as Preston reached over to sweep away some of the snow that now covered her. She took Cecily's hand once again and followed him to his car. It was smallish and slightly beat-up, but presumably had a working heater, so Shelby deemed it acceptable transportation. She helped Cecily up into the car, letting her fasten her own seatbelt at her quiet request, before taking her place in the passenger seat. "I call shotgun," she said quietly.

"You have snow in your hair...It's all over the place... You're going to be wet in a few minutes..." Shelby nodded. "I know." She was already starting to shiver, and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hug some warmth back into her.

She looked up as they started to pull away from the square. "Oh," she said, the thought only now striking her. "You don't know where you're going. You've only been to our mom's house. We're at our dad's house right now. Those two--" she indicated the girls in back, both quiet and sleepy-looking after their eventful evening. "--live across the street. It's in the Lower Gardens. Melpomene Street. You know where that is?"

[Elda Forever]

Preston Brailsford

"You have snow in your hair...It's all over the place... You're going to be wet in a few minutes..."

Shelby nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. Preston poked at the heater, as though it could heat it up faster that way. "I know."

Once he was reassured by a slight heat starting to fight its way out of the dashboard towards their faces, and soon around their feet, Preston buckled and pulled away from the square.

"Oh, you don't know where you're going. You've only been to our mom's house. We're at our dad's house right now. Those two--" she indicated the girls in back, both quiet and sleepy-looking after their eventful evening. "--live across the street. It's in the Lower Gardens. Melpomene Street. You know where that is?"

Preston though a moment, then gave a little nod, "If I don't, we'll get there eventually!" His words were cheerful, despite the chattering teeth. They were driving along, slowly, through the lazily falling snow. The car warmed up fast after taking so long to start up, which was a pleasant surprise for Preston. When they pulled up in front of the house, Preston looked over to smile at Shelby. "I think someone fell asleep," he whispered quietly, peering back at the two dozing girls. "I hope they sleep like that on Christmas Eve, they'll be a lot better off that way." He sat for a moment, watching them both with a smile on his face.

Then, he turned to Shelby, the expression still there. "They're really very adorable. It was fun hanging out with you guys tonight." Then, more bluntly than he expected of himself, "I don't suppose we're ever gonna bring up that kiss again, are we?"

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"Liv!" Erin shouted dramatically, making a show about her forgetfulness. "I totally knew that! I swear!"

Liv was just smiling a little, and Erin had a feeling she wasn't too fond of Erin's natural loudness... oh, well. "What.. is your name?"

"Huh? Oh! Right, sorry, I must sound like a total space-case to you right now." She smiled, hoping to excuse herself from her brain-lapse. "I'm Erin.. I'm sorry, I totally don't know why I'm being so clueless and crap. Major brain farts or something," she said, laughing a little. Liv didn't seem interested in Erin's lame attempt at jokes. She steered the conversation elsewhere. "Um, so, I don't recognize your accent. Where are you from? How long've you been here?"

Liv smiled. "I am from Norway, and I came here a couple of weeks ago. Have you always lived here?"

"Norway!" Erin exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "That's so freaking cool! You're the first person I ever met from Norway, congratulations!" She held out her hand in an over-dramatic congratulatory handshake. "A couple of weeks, really? Wow, I dunno why I keep getting floored at how well people know English when they get here! Don't they teach it in schools and all that?" She laughed, eager to explain herself a bit more. "When I first met my boyfriend, he'd only been here a couple of weeks, too, from Japan, but I think he learned English from his mom, no so much from school," Erin said, the words finishing pensively as she thought out loud about it. "What does Norwegian sound like? I've never heard it. I keep trying to learn stuff besides English and I am so not good at it," she rambled with a laugh.

[issie]

Liv Aldis

"What.. is your name?" Liv had asked, struggling with her English a little.

"Huh? Oh! Right, sorry, I must sound like a total space-case to you right now." She smiled, and Liv smiled back, hoping to not seem completely rude for her extreme concentration on what she was talking about. She wasn't exactly sure what a 'space-case' meant or even if it was actually a word... "I'm Erin.. I'm sorry, I totally don't know why I'm being so clueless and crap. Major brain farts or something," Again, Liv was drawing a blank. She almost felt bad for not knowing everything the girl was saying. "Um, so, I don't recognize your accent. Where are you from? How long've you been here?"

Liv smiled proudly, knowing that she knew the answers to these questions, because she had been asked them so many other times before. "I am from Norway, and I came here a couple of weeks ago. Have you always lived here?"

"Norway!" She exclaimed, Liv practically beaming with pride. She was never ashamed of where she came from, to be sure. "That's so freaking cool! You're the first person I ever met from Norway, congratulations!" Erin held out her hand and Liv shook it. "A couple of weeks, really? Wow, I dunno why I keep getting floored at how well people know English when they get here! Don't they teach it in schools and all that?" Liv was going to reply, but she was very eager to talk again, because she did it and did so quickly. "When I first met my boyfriend, he'd only been here a couple of weeks, too, from Japan, but I think he learned English from his mom, no so much from school,"

Liv smiled in reply, trying her best not to get too confused with what she was saying. "What does Norwegian sound like? I've never heard it. I keep trying to learn stuff besides English and I am so not good at it," she rambled with a laugh.

"I am... not so good with English sometimes." she said, trying to not sound too slow. "That's cool.. your guy... he is Japanese? What is his name?" Her head swirled slightly as she thought of Natalie... her sister had a japanese boyfriend. She could still remember his face, her sister smiling at him. She loved him, and from what she saw, he loved her back. She was his, and in turn he was her's. 'Her Yukito.'

"I can say something in my language. what do... you want me to say?" Some common phrases were being pieced together in her mind as she said this, there wasn't a lot she could translate right away, but there were some things. Things her teachers had taught her...

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"Norway!" Erin exclaimed, and it got her rambling a bit. "That's so freaking cool! You're the first person I ever met from Norway, congratulations!" Erin held out her hand and Liv shook it. "A couple of weeks, really? Wow, I dunno why I keep getting floored at how well people know English when they get here! Don't they teach it in schools and all that? When I first met my boyfriend, he'd only been here a couple of weeks, too, from Japan, but I think he learned English from his mom, no so much from school," Erin rattled off, not having paused very long at all for Liv to speak. She caught herself and smiled an apology. Liv only smiled back, so Erin picked up again. "What does Norwegian sound like? I've never heard it. I keep trying to learn stuff besides English and I am so not good at it." She punctuated her ramble with a little laugh, feeling more and more comfortable around Liv, even if she didn't say much. Erin liked the vibes she gave off, though, or whatever they'd be called.

"I am... not so good with English sometimes." Erin waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "It's fine, really, don't even worry about it."

"That's cool.. your guy... he is Japanese? What is his name?"

Erin's face brightened at the invitation. Automatically her hand went to search for her keys in her pockets (the keychain her parents had given her now was full of pictures of him and them together), and Erin answered with a mixture of happiness and pride, "Yeah, his name is Yukito Maki, and we've been dating for a year and a few months now, and--" She cut herself off, showing the little keychain to her new friend, lighting up a picture of them together, a recent one with both of them actually looking at the camera. It was one of her current favorites, he looked so good in it, too... Erin looked up at Liv, putting the keys back into her pocket and adding, still chipper, "I'm just kind of messing around until he gets off work. Y'know, convincing my bandmates not to be so stupid and chill out about him permanently playing with us. Actually, it's only one being a pain about it, but he's a big baby, and oh! Sorry, I totally forgot, we were talking about Norwegian!" Erin laughed again, clasping her hands together and gesturing towards Liv. "Okay, your turn now. Norway?"

"I can say something in my language. what do... you want me to say?"

"Um..." Erin glanced up thoughtfully, as if the answer was up there somewhere to Liv's open question. "What would you say to me if we just ran into each other in Norway?"