"Oh, okay," Lionel replies when Val brings up taking a photo. His views on aliens -- not just the extraterrestrial type -- and how people have an impulse to other those who are unlike themselves can be put on hold. They can pick that thread back up later if they want.
Lionel isn't privy to Val's thoughts about him. Obviously. But mention of mothers and photos triggers his own memories. Of his own mother and her criticisms of him. Don't wear yellow, it makes you look pale. And, Smile with your mouth closed, otherwise your face stretches. Critiques poorly disguised as helpful, motherly advice.
He's so wrapped up in these thoughts that Val's arm on his shoulder startles him, but successfully brings him back to the present. He gently puts his hand behind her back and on her hip. He looks at the phone and smiles, as commanded. Though it's only after the photo is taken that he realizes it was an open-mouthed smile.
"We can take another if you want," he preemptively offers before she's even checked to see how it turns out.
Val turns the phone so they can both see the results. "No, no, look how cute we are," she insists. They're both smiling a little too widely, but Val's not quite ready to nitpick anything. She's too giddy. Her hair's a bit too frizzy, and her pink lipstick isn't totally crisp. They both have a bit of acne or blemishes, and maybe that's what Lionel's worried about.
She rapidly pulls up an app and runs the photo through a couple filters, and shows Lionel again. Their skin is perfect in the image, not a single hair out of place, and all the colors are bolder and brighter. Their matching blue eyes are unnaturally vivid. "See? Super cute."
All the while, her arm hasn't moved from his shoulder.
Lionel politely takes his hand off Val's hip once the photo is taken and she turns the phone around. "Very cute," he agrees, before she's even begun editing it. Moments later, they really do look cute. "Wow," Lionel says simply. He's genuinely impressed by both the technology and the ease with which Val navigates the app and manipulates the photo. "Now we're both Veelas," he jokes, before remembering to compliment her specifically, "You look very pretty."
Lionel realizes her hand is still on his shoulder, so he slowly and oh so gently puts his back on her hip and hopes she doesn't notice it was ever gone.
"Thank you," Val says reflexively, but she's pleased all the same. Who gets sick of being called pretty? Silently, she notes Lionel's uncertain hand on her waist, but doesn't comment on it. She just files it away for later.
"The magic of technology, right?" she says as she uploads the photo to Instagram. Hashtag homecoming envy, just a Scorpio and Capricorn feeling the spooky season, etc. etc. "That's your area of expertise. How much should muggles actually be afraid that the computers are going to take over?"
"Hmm," Lionel considers her question. It's something he's thought about before, obviously. Something he gets asked a lot. But he wants to give more than his usual, trite answer ('I think they want computers to take them over'). "I feel like wizards and witches underestimate technology. It's its own magic, too," he answers.
He gently rubs Val's lower back in a small circle. Something he's seen his dad do to his mom at parties before.
"You've got it," Val chirps. She's already started following Lionel, naturally. It's fun to keep tabs on her classmates. Who are they hanging out with, who has a crush on who, who's buying what, so on and so forth.
"It's easy to be totally checked out from what muggles are up to," she ponders, putting her phone back in her clutch purse. "And then suddenly it's like no one understands television or the internet. My dad listens to a wireless show about magical artifact antiquing, which you think would be a lot more fun with, you know, pictures?"
"It would, yeah" he agrees and lets out a small laugh, which seems to break down some of the tension he's been holding in his body.
"Technology is changing so quickly. If you look away for just a minute and you're behind. Or, in the case of many witches and wizards, if you've never look at all, how can you be expected to ever catch up?" Discussing Muggle Tech is much more Lionel's speed than taking Homecoming photos, and his comfort is reflected in his excitable tone. "I think it's good that Peckenpaugh emphasizes Muggle Tech, even if the... equipment is a little outdated." He politely substituted 'instruction' for 'equipment' at the last moment.
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peckenpaugh2019-10-26 11:01 am
THE SURLY STUMP: Val & Lionel
Lionel isn't privy to Val's thoughts about him. Obviously. But mention of mothers and photos triggers his own memories. Of his own mother and her criticisms of him. Don't wear yellow, it makes you look pale. And, Smile with your mouth closed, otherwise your face stretches. Critiques poorly disguised as helpful, motherly advice.
He's so wrapped up in these thoughts that Val's arm on his shoulder startles him, but successfully brings him back to the present. He gently puts his hand behind her back and on her hip. He looks at the phone and smiles, as commanded. Though it's only after the photo is taken that he realizes it was an open-mouthed smile.
"We can take another if you want," he preemptively offers before she's even checked to see how it turns out.
THE SURLY STUMP: Val & Lionel
She rapidly pulls up an app and runs the photo through a couple filters, and shows Lionel again. Their skin is perfect in the image, not a single hair out of place, and all the colors are bolder and brighter. Their matching blue eyes are unnaturally vivid. "See? Super cute."
All the while, her arm hasn't moved from his shoulder.
THE SURLY STUMP: Val & Lionel
Lionel realizes her hand is still on his shoulder, so he slowly and oh so gently puts his back on her hip and hopes she doesn't notice it was ever gone.
THE SURLY STUMP: Val & Lionel
"The magic of technology, right?" she says as she uploads the photo to Instagram. Hashtag homecoming envy, just a Scorpio and Capricorn feeling the spooky season, etc. etc. "That's your area of expertise. How much should muggles actually be afraid that the computers are going to take over?"
THE SURLY STUMP: Val & Lionel
He gently rubs Val's lower back in a small circle. Something he's seen his dad do to his mom at parties before.
Lionel nods at the photo. "Tag me?"
THE SURLY STUMP: Val & Lionel
"It's easy to be totally checked out from what muggles are up to," she ponders, putting her phone back in her clutch purse. "And then suddenly it's like no one understands television or the internet. My dad listens to a wireless show about magical artifact antiquing, which you think would be a lot more fun with, you know, pictures?"
THE SURLY STUMP: Val & Lionel
"Technology is changing so quickly. If you look away for just a minute and you're behind. Or, in the case of many witches and wizards, if you've never look at all, how can you be expected to ever catch up?" Discussing Muggle Tech is much more Lionel's speed than taking Homecoming photos, and his comfort is reflected in his excitable tone. "I think it's good that Peckenpaugh emphasizes Muggle Tech, even if the... equipment is a little outdated." He politely substituted 'instruction' for 'equipment' at the last moment.
"It's the way of the future."