For Peter

[miniclaws]

Laura never forgets a face, at any point she can pull fifty facts on a person. However, she does not often go and seek a person out after the first meeting. Peter is ....different, Laura cannot explain why but she looks for him, watches him, studies him.

She realises she wishes to talk to him again but she is not known for her conversation starters. It is hard. Eventually, she stands outside his room in the evening and waits for him to emerge. She is silent until the door opens so Peter should have no idea she is there.

When the door creaks open she catches his scent and puts her hand in the door. She peers around.

"You owe me a joke."

Comments

[spideys]

"I dunno." Peter shrugs a one-shouldered shrug, laughing. "It's not exactly my area of expertise, nail-painting."

But - yeah. From what little he knows of Noriko, having met her the one time, he's not exactly surprised that she didn't think normal nails needed painting when Laura's claws were available for the same task.

"You and Noriko are friends, I guess?"

[miniclaws]

"I am not either, I do not usually wear it. Noriko is..." Laura paused. They are no longer team mates and as for friends....no. They know each other, they fight together but Laura knows she does not trust her. Her finger tense.

"We go to the same school, we fought on the same team once"

[spideys]

"Ah."

Yeah, he gets that.

Going to the same school and being on the same side is different from being friends. Peter hasn't actually got many of them himself, so he's well-versed in the difference.

"I met her one time. She was folding a bunch of cranes. Like, a thousand of them or something?"

[miniclaws]

"She does not like to sit still." The electric currents that Nori controls zip through her body and makes her antsy. Laura has seen her sit still, once, at a funeral.

Laura looks down at her folded hands in her lap. "I do not make friends easily."

[spideys]

"Hey, it's okay." Peter shrugs. He considers making a light-hearted quip about it, but decides to keep it to himself.

Not even because Laura wouldn't catch onto it, but -

It's not exactly one of those light-hearted subjects. Better go with the truthful, serious answer anyway.

"Honestly? I don't either." He leans forward, stretching his arms and trying to dispel the awkwardness and embarrassment of his confession, because no one really likes to admit they have trouble making friends - and keeping them. "I mean, I'm not exactly a popular guy."

[miniclaws]

"You would have friends at the school I was at." Laura knows a group of people who would welcome him instantly. However, his confession makes her look up, and hope. "We can be friends? You do not have to be popular to have a friend."

[spideys]

"Yeah."

Peter smiles a little crooked, but it's genuine and accepting and pleased all at once.

"Y'know, I'd like that. I mean, we don't know each other too well yet but you seem pretty awesome." And he already knows she's going to be the kind of person where once you're friends with them, you're friends for life.

And the way things have been going lately, he could use a friend like that.

[miniclaws]

"I do not make friends based on the length of time I have known a person." She looks....happier, like a normal teen. She has killed the people she's known the longest. "You are interesting. I am not 'awesome', I am only Laura but I will kill anyone who bothers you.'

[spideys]

"Uh -"

Peter laughs. He hadn't exactly expected that - but he can appreciate the sentiment all the same.

Anyway, he feels a little more relaxed, and less cagey being stuck on this ship.

"We'll - um. Just try not to kill anyone, if possible.

"But thanks."

[miniclaws]

"I will only kill them if they are about to kill you." It may look like a joke but she is serious.

She glances at the eggs. "Do you have an enemies on board?"

[spideys]

"Not so far," Peter says, frowning. "I mean, I hope I don't."

He's been doing his best to keep to himself, pretend he's a completely normal, run-of-the-mill teenage boy with no real special talents to speak of.

This is a complete lie, of course - and the mask hidden in his things suddenly feels like it could burn a hole through them, revealing everything - but no one has to know that.

"You and the doctor guy are the first people I met on-board. Other than that, I've been mostly keeping to myself, taking the occasional picture here and there."

[miniclaws]

"What do you take pictures of?" She does not find it strange that Peter has only talked to a few people as she has only talked to four herself, and two of them are mutants.

There is no developing room on board the ship as far as she knows so she doesn't expect to see the pictures unless he uses a digital camera. But she is curious. What is so interesting to him that it needs to be documented?

[spideys]

"Anything, really," Peter replies. He gets to his feet to grab his camera, which is sitting in one of the little spaces in the wall not officially designated a shelf-space but it keeps his camera out of the way when it's not in use.

"I mean, they aren't really works of art or anything but I like documenting moments in life, the seemingly 'unimportant' stuff that you tend to remember best when you think of the 'good times'." And when you spend your 'professional' career in photography capturing only the big moments - sports games, prom, social justice events, etc. - it's a nice reprieve.

"Like now. This moment."

[miniclaws]

"Like me, sitting here." Laura does not understand the appeal. She searches through her memories of something she wishes there was a picture of. Her memory is perfect and the only person she wishes she had a picture of was her cousin.

"Professional. Do you catch people unawares at these events?"

[spideys]

"Yeah," Peter confirms, nodding. He starts to wind the film, advancing it to the next frame. "Like you, sitting here. Because, you know what? This - this moment's kinda special. It'll be the day you and I became friends. Like, officially.

"Nothing big happened, no epic fight or some celebration with fireworks or whatever ... but I dunno, it's still an important moment to remember."

He lifts his camera.

"Do you mind?"

[miniclaws]

Officially. Laura hesitates and evaluates. Peter is like none of her 'friends' at the Xavier Institute, he's accepted her as she is and he does not look at her as a killer. She likes being around him. Her green eyes widen and her lips curl up, into the beginnings of a smile.

"I do not mind. I would like a photo of you to commemorate this moment." She pauses and adds, "This is the first time, I have voluntarily had my photograph taken."

[spideys]

"Hey, well there's a first time for everything, right?" Peter's smile is kind, and veers a little crooked on one side.

He focuses the lens, sets the aperture and shutter accordingly, and clicks the dial to a timer. He's usually not keen on being in front of the camera, and very rarely does, but Laura's request for a photo of him, too, makes him change his mind last minute.

"Put on your best cheesy smile, okay?" He laughs a little because he's not exactly sure what to expect from her but he's kind of enjoying the moment anyway.

[miniclaws]

Laura knows what a cheesy smile is, she's seen people pose with smiles that take over all features on their face. It is not natural for her to do, but she shows her teeth as she draws her lips back into a small smile. It probably looks a little forced, but she is trying.

"They used to say 'say prunes' before they changed it to 'say cheese'."

[spideys]

"Prunes?" Peter repeats as the camera goes off and a picture is captured with the ol' familiar (and, frankly, comforting) click. "You serious? Why prunes?"

He shakes his head.

"I mean, that doesn't exactly get you to smile. You end up having a weird O-face."

He demonstrates with slight exaggeration for effect.

"Not exactly model-perfect."

[miniclaws]

The 'weird O-face' hides Peter's teeth. "They had bad hygiene when they used the word prunes so it meant they hid their teeth from the camera."

She tilts her head on one side. "They did not need to be models." It was almost a joke, almost. Laura pauses awkwardly.

[spideys]

Peter's laughter easily slides into the silence that might otherwise have, maybe, been awkward for both of them.

He leans forward, grabs the camera from its perch, and advances the winder for a new frame. But instead of taking a picture, he sets it back down again.

"You know, that - that makes sense, actually. Personal hygiene was lacking back then, and I'm sure they weren't exactly making any special effort for a Colgate smile. Prunes and cheese, though ... it's weird the things people will come up with to get a smile out."

[miniclaws]

"I do not understand." She wraps her hands around her knees in thought. "Perhaps they got hungry while they were waiting for the perfect photograph." Many people did not make good snipers, Laura could go for days on basic rations. She did not eat sweets or crisps as a child.

[spideys]

"... I don't think that was it, no," Peter says, laughing again. "It's just the way the words sound, the effects they have on the shape of your mouth when you say them."

He repeats the words.

"Prune."

His mouth turns into an 'O' shape, effectively hiding his teeth.

"Cheese."

The demonstration allows his teeth, in all their fantastic glory, to be shown in a grin of sorts.

He feels really silly, but humour has always been his crutch, especially when he's a certain costumed crusader, and besides which, the rare times he can get Laura to smile seem like little victories.

[miniclaws]

Laura watches and a smile tugs at her lips, Peter is being silly and she cannot find it wasteful after he laughed at her joke. "You look better when you say cheese. It does not contort your face." It is a simple statement of fact.

She finds she is very relaxed in his company. "Do people object to you taking photographs, of them?"

[spideys]

"Yeah, I definitely prefer 'cheese' over 'prune'," Peter agrees. "But uh. I'll prefer not to have to say either word if I can help it."

He shrugs, toying with the hem of his jacket, picking at a loose thread absent-mindedly.

"Some do," he answers. "I mean, not everyone likes getting their picture taken. Most people are pretty cool with it though. Or they just - uh. They don't notice, I guess. Here I've been a little more careful. It's not as easy to sneak a photograph in. The whole -" He waves a hand to their surroundings. "- Close quarters thing."