Wanda and Mort, Thursday Afternoon
Apr. 10th, 2014 07:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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om_mainMort meets Wanda. He really just can't help himself.
He had been hopping around the grounds. Outside was...it was nice. He'd not actually gotten to see much of this nature stuff where he'd lived in London, and here he was learning that there things about it that were quite nice. The air smelled fresher, there were tastier bugs around...Mort wasn't thinking he would ever relocate to the country, but it was a fun change of pace for a bit.
Besides, being so far from a real city meant fewer people, and so far they all seemed to be a great deal nicer than those he'd known before. And much, much more attractive.
Like the goddess he'd only just caught sight of beneath a tree.
Mort paused and tried to push his hair into something resembling a style of some sort, and then hopped his way in that direction. "Hello there, Beautiful. What are you reading?"
It took a moment for Wanda to pull herself out of the story long enough to realize someone was talking, only the jerk back a little in sheer surprise as someone very literally
hopped up next to her. "What?" She blurted, only to catch herself with a slight shake of her head. "I mean, hi?"
"Literally stole your breath away, did I?" Mort asked, acting a tinge proud of himself though somewhat uncertain it was really a good thing. "Hello, then! Nice to meet you, Hotness. What's your name?"
Hotness?, she found herself mouthing silently. Really? "Wanda," she did say, perhaps just a little warily. No idea where this was going, but it was doubtful not anywhere good.
"Even your name is beautiful. Well, I'm Mort," he said, smiling in what he hoped was a winning manner and offering her a green hand. "Or Toad, if you rather."
She quirked a faintly bemused smile without being able to help it, but reached to take his hand anyway. "Nice to meet you."
She took his hand. SHE TOOK HIS HAND! If it was possible for Mort to blush, he would've. Instead he just swallowed nervously, adam's apple jumping. "N-nice to meet you, too, sweetcheeks. What's the book?"
"Okay," Wanda finally said with a huff, slightly amused as it was. "Enough with the petnames, please."
He blinked. "Huh?"
"The...endearments or whatever," she said with a wave her her hand. "Knock it off."
Mort slumped a little into his usual stance, abashed. "Whatever you say, Wanda."
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "And as to answer your question," she twisted the book to show him the cover of Wicked Intentions.
He lowered himself into a crouch, way more comfortable than standing up properly, so he could look up at the cover. "Wicked Intentions? What is it about? Are you 'wicked', then?" He offered her what he hoped was conciliatory type of smile.
"It's a romance novel," Wanda said without an ounce of shame.
For a moment, Mort just looked up at her with awe, eyes wide and mouth agape. Romance novel? As in heaving bossoms and kiss-swollen lips and that sort? Talked about with no shame by a beautiful girl? Aw hell, he was going to be in love before he knew it. When he finally managed to pull himself together, he said, "Awesome, yo."
She gave him a long, searching look. Being mocked for her reading tastes was nothing new, but this boy Wanda couldn't quite get a read on. "It's a good book, yes."
"What do you like about it, then?" He settled in comfortably, still just taking her all in.
"I like the genre in general," she said a bit dryly. "And no, I'm not going to explain it. Why does anyone like anything?"
Oof. Another set-back. "Suppose explaining it all might take some of the magic out of it, wouldn't it?" Mort agreed -- who would want to disagree with her?
"Can you explain why you like everything you like?" But her tone was slightly gentler, like she was aware she'd been a bit too sharp. "Sometimes you enjoy things just because you do."
He leaned in, just a little bit closer. Maybe she didn't hate him? That would be brilliant! "I-I think that sounds 'bout right."
Without really thinking about it, Wanda leaned a bit further away from him in turn, though with the tree she was resting against there wasn't much space to go. Though she did just give him a vaguely amused look. "You want me to lend it to you when I'm done?"
Mort...wasn't sure. Seemed like a personal sort of thing - it being her book and all. What if he lost it? What if it was an imposition? He didn't want to impose. 'Course, on the other hand, it would be a good reason to see her again, right? He'd have to give it back, after all. Maybe he could borrow it, and just be real, real, real careful with it? But that could still be an imposition. "Er...I....I don't know?"
"Maybe not, then," Wanda said with a faint snort. "Relax. I'm not going to force you to read it."
"All for the best. I'm not a big reader, meself," Mort admitted. He was slow at it, and really just kind of terrible.
"Not at all?" She gave him a curious look.
He shrugged his sloped shoulders a bit awkwardly. "Suppose some blokes just aren't meant for reading." Or much of school at all, really. If not for the fact it was at least a change of scenery, Mort might not have even bothered the last few years. His grades were truly terrible - probably because he had some learning disability thing or whatever the school had said. Made it hard to really get excited about it all.
"That's a shame," Wanda said with a slight shrug. "It's always been important to me. Escapism and all that, I guess."
Mort blinked. "A hot, smart girl? What would you have to escape from?"
She gave him an incredibly arch look in return. "I can't imagine."
He was still confused, because he really couldn't imagine. Not really. She was a mutant he supposed, but she looked...gorgeous. Not the sort that would have been bothered, he didn't think. "I...I can't, babe. I really can't."
Wanda had opened her mouth to reply before her eyes suddenly narrowed sharply. "What did I say about the names?"
His eyes went a little wide, and he gulped. "Uh...don't use them?"
"Thank you," she said. Firmly.
Man, beautiful, smart, and in control. Was there anything not to like about this girl? "You're welcome?" He offered with a hopeful sort of smile.
"Just remember it, please."
"Anything for you, Sw-" Uh oh. ABORT! ABORT! "-Wanda."
Wanda smiled, very, very slightly. There was still something slightly threatening about it. "Was there anything else you needed?"
He shook his head 'no' rapidly, almost so fast it made him dizzy. "Nah. Nah, it's cool." He half-stood. "I'll bounce. You know. See you around, b-Wanda!"
He had been hopping around the grounds. Outside was...it was nice. He'd not actually gotten to see much of this nature stuff where he'd lived in London, and here he was learning that there things about it that were quite nice. The air smelled fresher, there were tastier bugs around...Mort wasn't thinking he would ever relocate to the country, but it was a fun change of pace for a bit.
Besides, being so far from a real city meant fewer people, and so far they all seemed to be a great deal nicer than those he'd known before. And much, much more attractive.
Like the goddess he'd only just caught sight of beneath a tree.
Mort paused and tried to push his hair into something resembling a style of some sort, and then hopped his way in that direction. "Hello there, Beautiful. What are you reading?"
It took a moment for Wanda to pull herself out of the story long enough to realize someone was talking, only the jerk back a little in sheer surprise as someone very literally
hopped up next to her. "What?" She blurted, only to catch herself with a slight shake of her head. "I mean, hi?"
"Literally stole your breath away, did I?" Mort asked, acting a tinge proud of himself though somewhat uncertain it was really a good thing. "Hello, then! Nice to meet you, Hotness. What's your name?"
Hotness?, she found herself mouthing silently. Really? "Wanda," she did say, perhaps just a little warily. No idea where this was going, but it was doubtful not anywhere good.
"Even your name is beautiful. Well, I'm Mort," he said, smiling in what he hoped was a winning manner and offering her a green hand. "Or Toad, if you rather."
She quirked a faintly bemused smile without being able to help it, but reached to take his hand anyway. "Nice to meet you."
She took his hand. SHE TOOK HIS HAND! If it was possible for Mort to blush, he would've. Instead he just swallowed nervously, adam's apple jumping. "N-nice to meet you, too, sweetcheeks. What's the book?"
"Okay," Wanda finally said with a huff, slightly amused as it was. "Enough with the petnames, please."
He blinked. "Huh?"
"The...endearments or whatever," she said with a wave her her hand. "Knock it off."
Mort slumped a little into his usual stance, abashed. "Whatever you say, Wanda."
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "And as to answer your question," she twisted the book to show him the cover of Wicked Intentions.
He lowered himself into a crouch, way more comfortable than standing up properly, so he could look up at the cover. "Wicked Intentions? What is it about? Are you 'wicked', then?" He offered her what he hoped was conciliatory type of smile.
"It's a romance novel," Wanda said without an ounce of shame.
For a moment, Mort just looked up at her with awe, eyes wide and mouth agape. Romance novel? As in heaving bossoms and kiss-swollen lips and that sort? Talked about with no shame by a beautiful girl? Aw hell, he was going to be in love before he knew it. When he finally managed to pull himself together, he said, "Awesome, yo."
She gave him a long, searching look. Being mocked for her reading tastes was nothing new, but this boy Wanda couldn't quite get a read on. "It's a good book, yes."
"What do you like about it, then?" He settled in comfortably, still just taking her all in.
"I like the genre in general," she said a bit dryly. "And no, I'm not going to explain it. Why does anyone like anything?"
Oof. Another set-back. "Suppose explaining it all might take some of the magic out of it, wouldn't it?" Mort agreed -- who would want to disagree with her?
"Can you explain why you like everything you like?" But her tone was slightly gentler, like she was aware she'd been a bit too sharp. "Sometimes you enjoy things just because you do."
He leaned in, just a little bit closer. Maybe she didn't hate him? That would be brilliant! "I-I think that sounds 'bout right."
Without really thinking about it, Wanda leaned a bit further away from him in turn, though with the tree she was resting against there wasn't much space to go. Though she did just give him a vaguely amused look. "You want me to lend it to you when I'm done?"
Mort...wasn't sure. Seemed like a personal sort of thing - it being her book and all. What if he lost it? What if it was an imposition? He didn't want to impose. 'Course, on the other hand, it would be a good reason to see her again, right? He'd have to give it back, after all. Maybe he could borrow it, and just be real, real, real careful with it? But that could still be an imposition. "Er...I....I don't know?"
"Maybe not, then," Wanda said with a faint snort. "Relax. I'm not going to force you to read it."
"All for the best. I'm not a big reader, meself," Mort admitted. He was slow at it, and really just kind of terrible.
"Not at all?" She gave him a curious look.
He shrugged his sloped shoulders a bit awkwardly. "Suppose some blokes just aren't meant for reading." Or much of school at all, really. If not for the fact it was at least a change of scenery, Mort might not have even bothered the last few years. His grades were truly terrible - probably because he had some learning disability thing or whatever the school had said. Made it hard to really get excited about it all.
"That's a shame," Wanda said with a slight shrug. "It's always been important to me. Escapism and all that, I guess."
Mort blinked. "A hot, smart girl? What would you have to escape from?"
She gave him an incredibly arch look in return. "I can't imagine."
He was still confused, because he really couldn't imagine. Not really. She was a mutant he supposed, but she looked...gorgeous. Not the sort that would have been bothered, he didn't think. "I...I can't, babe. I really can't."
Wanda had opened her mouth to reply before her eyes suddenly narrowed sharply. "What did I say about the names?"
His eyes went a little wide, and he gulped. "Uh...don't use them?"
"Thank you," she said. Firmly.
Man, beautiful, smart, and in control. Was there anything not to like about this girl? "You're welcome?" He offered with a hopeful sort of smile.
"Just remember it, please."
"Anything for you, Sw-" Uh oh. ABORT! ABORT! "-Wanda."
Wanda smiled, very, very slightly. There was still something slightly threatening about it. "Was there anything else you needed?"
He shook his head 'no' rapidly, almost so fast it made him dizzy. "Nah. Nah, it's cool." He half-stood. "I'll bounce. You know. See you around, b-Wanda!"
