569/Welcome to ESU

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Welcome to ESU
Date of Scene: 17 March 2020
Location: Midtown
Synopsis: Future Empire State University students meet at a Future Freshmen orientation.
Cast of Characters: Alexander Aaron, Jennifer Stavros




Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "So you see guys, it's going to be a great year here at Empire State University!" The young woman who had been taking the role as master of ceremonies to the gathering of the twenty students for next semester grins happily, waving her hand to the room of prospects and grinning as she strikes a festive little pose with her hands thrust up into the air, "ESU all the way, YAY!"
    Her partners in crime, other upperclassmen grin and clap while the incoming Freshman mostly sort of smile and grin, there's some applause scattered hither and thither as the new students are left to mingle and look over some of the pamphlets and information available. It's all rather nice, since their meeting room is decorated passingly well. There's free food and snacks and drinks. But a few of the prospects are already heading out.
    However one is staying, for the moment at least. The one with the name-tag that says simply, 'ALEX :P' complete with emoticon on top of his t-shirt which is apparently an image of a pikachu if it was crossed with an alien xenomorph. Though other than that he doesn't stand out too much in the crowd of Frosh. His clothes are a little baggy, hair a bit scruffy, though he does have a handsome face, and a lazy manner. Like now how he's slouched in a chair and enjoying a few sliders from the snack table.

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Yes. There is much smiling and grinning. Jennifer Stavros considers herself too cool for smiling and grinning. Plus, she knows that girl over there, another freshperson. Tiffany Raines. Tiffany considered herself Jennifer's rival back when Jennifer was on the preteen beauty pageant circuit. Tiffany was never her rival. Tiffany couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, and yet she always sang for the talent part of the competition -- from 'The Farmer in the Dell' at 3 to 'Friday' at twelve. Tiffany never won a pageant.

And yet Tiffany (cute enough, but her teeth and nose are too obviously plasticized in Jen's not at all humble opinion) has spied Jennifer, and is now approaching with screeches of "Stavros!" And Jennifer rolls her eyes and slips her sunglasses down to cover them. She's dressed in a retro-cool acid-washed denim jacket; a pale blue t-shirt, what appears to be an eye on her chest, but close-up turns out to be the words 'Empire State' as the upper lashes, 'University' as the lower, and the school's crest as the pupil; grey-blue leggings; grey-blue sneakers. "Jennifer!!!" is printed on the 'HelloMyNameIs' tag on her shirt. She strolls away from Tiffany as if she hasn't even heard her name being called, right toward Alex.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The young Mr. Aaron is not an oblivious fellow. He can read a room, get a vibe for people, and likely when he first saw Jennifer across the way during orientation, he'd probably nodded to himself and said something akin to, 'That gal is bad news.' Which, to be fair, she sorta was.
    Case in point, is when poor cute Tiffany is calling out wandering her way, shouting Jen's last name with such an enthusiastic manner. That's the moment when Alex tilts his head to the side, those curious hazel eyes of his meeting Jennifer's despite that barrier of sunglasses in the way.
    For some reason he smiles, then looks past Jen to lift a hand as he calls out lightly, "Heya, Tiff." Not that he knows her but can read. "Did you put your name on the sign-out sheet? Gotta do that before you go."
    Which might well send her back the other way. Perhaps an act of mercy for one or the other. Or perhaps he just wanted to let Jen know he acknowledges poor Tiffy's existence.

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen is totally bad news, but she's not bad news here yet. And Tiffany's shouts are not particularly enthusiastic and certainly not friendly. Jennifer raises an eyebrow at the young man who's ignored her in favor of her wannabe nemesis. The corner of her mouth turns upward, turning back and away, raising her glasses and eyes going wide as she sees Tiffany -- such an actress. "Tiffany Raines? Oh my god, I haven't seen you in four years!"

"When you ruined the Little Miss New Jersey pageant!" Tiffany yells. "What were you thinking?! We had to end the pageant with no crown! So selfish, you...!"

Jennifer stretches out a hand and puts her fingers to Tiffany's lips to silence her mid-sentence. "If your precious pageant administration weren't such complete prudes, dear, they wouldn't have had to stop the pageant to revive all the swooning old crones who were so terribly scandalized by a little pop music. As for you, you remain a tonedeaf, no-crown, wannabe pageant princess who can't get over the existence of Mickey Avalon." Her hand rises from the girl's lips to pat her on the head. "Welcome to adulthood, Tiff. You're going to hate it. My advice: get laid."

And then she looks back to Alex. "I get it," she says. "You see me ignoring somebody and assume I'm trying to be a bitch. Truthfully, I was trying not to, just this once."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Well," Alexander says as poor Tiffy most likely reacts to this rather serious dressing down in an expected manner. But he doesn't seem too bothered by what could be construed as cruelty. Though there's no empathy there from that youth still sitting there with the dish of sliders on the windowsill nearby. His pale blue and jade eyes meet Jennifer's and he tilts his head to the side, "I was more trying to get her to head on back. Since I figured not much good coulda come of whatever that was."
    A small nod is given in the direction of the likely rapidly retreating poor Tiffany.
    But then he looks back, expression just as easy-going, just as calm as when he smiled earlier. "But." He offers that word as if it alone would salvage the entire situation. He lifts his chin and adds, "That was rather interesting. In a way."
    With that he extends a hand towards her as he rises up, "Alexander Aaron. A pleasure." His voice shifts subtly more formal for some reason.

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Tiffany gawps at Jennifer, her mouth opening and closing several times. Jennifer has returned her attention to the cute-but-not-cute-enough brunette and meets her eyes coolly. Then she nods once. Tiffany turns away, shrinking in on herself, rushes away.

"That was about fourteen years of unsupported superiority being punctured and deflated," Jennifer says, turning back to Alex and accepting his hand. "Jennifer Stavros. Jenny or Jen to my friends, typically. And, clearly, 'Stavros!' to certain former acquaintances. Honestly, I threw the competition. Her chances of winning only increase."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The young man scrunches up one eye as he seems to be gauging the situation, weighing the back and forth that was Tiffany and Jennifer's feud. But his eyebrows eventually lift a touch, as if coming to some conclusion or another. What that is, however, he does not grant voice. Instead he leans back now against the window sill, crossing one leg over the other and tilting his head toward the young woman before him.
    "Are you going to continue doing beauty contests while you're in school?" A small smile as he looks to the side, as if considering the school as a whole before his attention returns back to her.
    "Or are you going to focus on you studies?" As he says that last his lip twists up, curious.

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jennifer snorts. "I quit beauty pageants four years ago by performing 'My Dick' in front of the largest beauty pageant crowd in New Jersey. If I hadn't dropped out so spectacularly, my mother would have me in a prom dress with vaseline on my gums here and now."

She glances back in the direction Tiffany's gone. "The sad thing is, if she hadn't had quite so much Kool-Aid, she'd probably be a really nice person. Not a terribly smart one. But nice. Beauty pageants are about the worst thing on Earth." Here she pauses a moment, considering. "Well, the worst thing after Kool-Aid. Disgusting. Speaking of which..." She nods toward the refreshment table. "I'm going to avoid the bright red beverage, myself, seeing as it's probably not spiked in this crowd, but the water should be fine. And I believe those are brownies. Care to join me, O Ye of Two First Names?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    It's kind of fun, listening to Jennifer as she regales him with such tales, offering her view of the world. He gives a nod and then tells her as much, "You know, I think in the last thirty seconds you've given me this kinda neat portrait of your point of view, and it's like..." He shakes his head a little as he pushes off from the window sill.
    "It's like finding Samuel Clemens at a party with people that he hates." As to what exactly he means by that, well he doesn't elaborate. Instead he gives a nod to her, "Lead on, Ms. Stavros."
    And with that he'll mosey on with her, across that small gathering, a few people glance over and give one or the other of them the stink-eye. Her perhaps because of some past negativity, but perhaps more at him since he's apparently gained Jennifer's attention.
    "Will I lessen myself in your eyes if I imbibe milk with my brownies?"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen smirks. "I'm no Twain," she says as she leads the way. There's a line, of course, but she doesn't seem to mind this, nor mind anybody hearing her commentary. "And I don't hate people here. Even Tiffany. I think she's an idiot who wants to be Honey Boo Boo, but that just makes me feel sorry for her." She leans past the young man in front of her to snitch a brownie before he can take one, breaks it in half and offers part to Alexander. "It does, however, mean that I want to spend as little time listening to her complain as possible.

"Drink what you want with the brownies," she continues with a wry smile. "They don't usually serve milk at these things. Milk goes well with brownies." She edges along, nibbling her own bit of brownie as she considers the people around her. "There is plenty of potential in this crowd."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    For a few moments as Jen speaks, Alexander follows along, though at one point he clears his throat a little and asks her, "Who is Honey Boo Boo?" Though he might not get an answer. He follows along with her words, and she might notice at times when she speaks he watches her lips, nodding at points when he seems to either agree or understand.
    But then she hands him a brownie and he accepts the ill-gotten gains, earned much to the consternation of the youth ahead of them who had wanted the last rocky road one, darn it. Alex, however, is no do-gooder. Usually.
    "No milk?" That does seem to reach him, his features visibly wilting as he crinkles his nose, as if this of all things might have convinced him to not attend ESU. Serving brownies without milk. The nerve.
    But then his eyebrow quirks, "Potential for what?"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
"Oh my god, I wish I were you," Jen says with a mix of pity and true desire. "Honey Boo Boo is a former beauty pageant competitor who turned into a reality TV star. Her mom was this amazingly fat woman called Mama June who got involved with a guy who had child sex convictions and so they lost the TV show. And for a lot of little girls who believed pageants were wonderful, Honey Boo Boo was a terrible role model." She snags a plastic cup full of water, sips. "Me, I knew pageants sucked from day one, but when you're three you do not generally have the vocabulary to explain to your parents why you don't want to participate."

She scans the table, though, then glances around the room. Cocks her finger to Alexander. "Come with me," she says mildly as she heads toward the back door to the auditorium. "I'm pretty sure I know where to get you milk."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Lips parting in a small, 'ah' as he realizes what she's saying and follows along as he is gifted with the epic tale of the Honey Boo Boo and the failings of her Mother. His eyebrow quirks as she mentions what took the show off the air, listening and nodding and then perhaps not so entirely pleased to have been given this gift. In any case, he crinkles his nose, "You'd imagine people if they were gifted with good fortune wouldn't do something to endanger it, and would sort of try to protect it."
    Thus sayeth Alexander offering his wisdom on the topic.
    That said he makes a face at the idea of poor Jen having to deal with beauty pageants, but there he finds something to relate on and offers her this small connection. "My father sort of had a similar mindset about some things. Sometimes you're too young to know the difference or that, 'Hey I don't have to do this.'" But again, he does not elaborate beyond that.    But now with his own brownie on top of the one half she gave him, he lifts his chin as she asks him to come with her, "Sure, lead the way." And with that he wanders off with her.

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
"You assume that people on the pageant circuit have brains," Jen replies. "Those of us who do get out. Fast." She glances left and right as she arrives at the back door, then quickly, while nobody older than a senior is looking, pushes through and into...

The Kitchen.

"Knew it," she says. "They had to have a kitchen attached. That room's clearly used for big alumni meetings and whatnot. So..." She pushes on to the tremendous fridge, opens it wide, and makes a Vanna White-style motion to demonstrate the multitude of milk bottles within. "There we go. All the milk you can drink."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Settled into step beside her, she might notice with time that Alexander isn't quite as bleary as he may seem, his attention is curious and his expression may be a touch distant, but he follows along and cocks his head to the side. And those clothes he wears, perhaps a size or two too big, but when they reach the kitchen and he lifts an arm to reach for a particular bottle up on high, she might catch a glimpse at the subtle swell of bicep, the lift of the t-shirt exposing what could only be a taut six-pack as he hops the last distance and grabs the top bottle, then turns and cracks the top.
    "Thanks, Jen. This was a good idea." And with that, having already taken a bite of one of the brownies, he takes a sip. Then reaches for another bottle.
    "Would you like one?"
    Though even if she declines, he seems likely to ruin the whole thing for what does he do than reach into his back pocket for his wallet and then pulls out a five dollar bill? Apparently to put it in the fridge to pay for it for some reason? Lame.

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen chuckles, shakes her head. "All yours," she says, amused by his insistance on paying for what nobody'd really care if they took. Her eyes have noted his body, though, and she looks decidedly impressed, her lips briefly pursing. "You need to wear a better fit," she observes thoughfully. "You'd have girls all over you, Alexander Aaron."

But, too, she happens to notice the time on her Apple Watch and utters a sigh. "And, sadly, I am going to have to call it a night. I live in Westchester, and my ride leaves soon." She looks apologetic, inasmuchas Jen is capable of apology. "In the fall, happily, I will have a car. One way or another."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Thanks," He offers, tilting the milk back and taking a few greedy swallows. Then he nods to her and smiles a little, perhaps a small blush marring the tips of his ears as he says, "Ehn, I'm sorta dating a person. As it were." He offers in explanation, but then he brights and says, "But hey thanks, that's a kindness." Her saying that after all.
    Then he nods as she starts to make her departure, "Alright, I'll see you in... a few months maybe." He offers as his hazel eyes meet hers, then he nods again. "C'mon, I'll walk you out so whatserface doesn't hassle you anymore."
    And with that he'll walk on, stride easy, and apparently figuring he's made a friend.