Late July 2000

[bohemian_mark]

The lobby of the building is mosty uninteresting. A stairway is the first thing seen, to the right a bank of mailboxes, to the left an outer office, with Mark's office to the rear of that. Behind the stairs is a hallway leading to other offices. As always a pile of boxes lie in front of the mailboxes. Watch your step!

Comments

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

Jamie can tell it's a totally innocent offer, and he's not quite so smarmy that he's going to try to take advantage. "No, it's cool, I'll wait."

Big smile.

[quinby.livejournal.com]

"Alright. I'll be down in a moment." Quinn disappears, then returns about fifteen minutes later in a just-over-knee length black skirt, a blue sleeveless top, and sandals, clearly lacking her laptop bag. "Alright. Now here's the question. Where would you like to go?"

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

Jamie stares for a moment. And then makes a mental note not to gape.

Someone's found a girl he is very attracted to.

"Uh... uh, anywhere's fine with me. Um, except Mexican."

[quinby.livejournal.com]

Quinn makes a face. "I don't like Mexican either." She ponders for a moment. "I'm feeling rather lazy and not much like making desictions. The Life it is." She leads Jamie out the door. "I'm assuming, if you know Mark that you've been there."

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

"Nope!" Jamie says cheerfully. "But then, I just reconnected. Hadn't really talked to the bastard since just after he graduated high school."

Ask if they grew up together, Quinn. Just ask. Maybe he'll tell you the sekkrit nickname.

[quinby.livejournal.com]

Quinn blinks. "Oh, you poor boy. I think that someone needs to show you the more Bohemian side of the city."

She pauses. "You knew Mark in high school? How'd you two meet?" There just might be the beginnings of a mischievious smirk there.

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I've known Mark since we were kids," Jamie laughs, his hands in his pockets. "We were at the same temple, went to Hebrew School together for a little while."

He grins wickedly. "We used to call him 'Rubie'."

[bohemian-mark.livejournal.com]

Quinn beams, a huge, bright, and in some ways attractive grin. "You're kidding me? Oh my god, I can't wait to tell everyone."

She smirks, and walks along beside him. "So, out of curiosity, what was he like when he was little?"

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

"He was... I dunno, he was a kid. We hung out - our moms were friends. We got in trouble sometimes. I don't know how to describe it, really, he was just another kid." He laughs a bit. "Pretty shitty description for a writer, huh?"

[quinby.livejournal.com]

Quinn laughs. "Hey. Sometimes you just can't describe something. It's too normal. Or something." She smiles, just as they get to the Life. "So, Jamie, welcome to the Life Cafe, where Today For You goes nuts, and people seem to think Mark owns the place. He doesn't. ... yet."

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

"I assume it's only a matter of time?" Jamie asks dryly, and opens the door for her. "After you."

[quinby.livejournal.com]

She turns slightly pink, and goes through the door. "Er, thanks." She goes through the door, and signals to a waitress who comes over.

"Hey, Quinn." She peers at Jamie. "Is this guy auditioning for Ponder? He'd be damn good for it."

"No, he's not, Evie. He's... a friend of Mark."

"Oh. Well, your usual table?"

"Yeah." Evie leads them to a table in a corner by the window, then disappears.

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

Evie's ass gets a thorough checking-out as she seats them, then when she walks off.

Jamie approves.

"So... who the hell is Ponder, and why does everyone think I'm auditioning for him?"

[quinby.livejournal.com]

Quinn slides into the seat and plops the menu down on the table. "He's a geeky wizard from Mark's next film. The character was in Mark's last film, but the actor just... disappeared. We're rather worried about what happened to him, but we can't find him to save us." She makes a face. "So, well, I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find another Ponder." Beat. "I'm babbling about work, sorry."

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

Jamie laughs a little. "No, it's cool! Honestly, I'd offer, but... well, Cathy would probably pitch a bit of a hissy fit if I tried to foray into her arena." He makes a face. God, why can't Cathy just stop being so god damn insecure?

[quinby.livejournal.com]

Quinn snickers a bit, pushing her menu to the side. "What's she like?" There's an odd expression on her face.

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

Jamie sighs softly, trying not to let it show, and looks blindly at his menu. "She's... beautiful," he says slowly, and diplomatically, "very intelligent, and... talented. Not quite living up to her potential yet."

God, he'd love to complain. But... he's not cruel.

"And she's insecure and clingy as hell."

Sometimes, however, exasperation outweighs the desire to not say anything bad about somebody.

[quinby.livejournal.com]

"And there lies the problem, right?" Quinn leans back. "A very lovely person who becomes someone that you didn't think you signed up to be with. I had an ex like that, back when I was working in DC. He was wonderful, handsome, caring, but his politician was possibly going to be elected out, and he got all... strange."

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

"Exactly!" Jamie is thrilled that someone gets this. "She was beautiful and talented and funny, and then I married her and... not right away, but pretty quickly, she just got all... completely insecure. I couldn't so much LOOK at another woman for a split second, or talk to one, without her getting all upset about my 'wandering eye'. I swear to god she thinks I'm having an affair with my editor because I talk to her so often."

Frustration, thy name is Jamie.

[quinby.livejournal.com]

"She needs to relax and put all that energy into her work." Quinn snorts. "If you have time to be complaining about things that are probably not happening, you have too much time on your hands."

Yes, Quinn works too much. She's good, though.

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

"Except that all her insecurities funnel into her auditions, and she does horribly and completely botches things she could've been amazing in." He sighs. "I hate to say it, but... I'm glad she's on a summer tour this year. It's nice to be able to breathe."

He misses the woman he married. He loves her so damn much, but it's so hard to find her in the insecure, clingy, accusatory woman he's married to now.

[quinby.livejournal.com]

Quinn winces. "Oh, Jamie, I'm so sorry." She starts to reach out to put a hand on his, but pulls it back. "That has to suck. Um. You should come around more and hang out. Bohemians help everything."

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

He would not be opposed to the hand. Alas.

He smiles though, slightly sardonically, but a smile. "I think I'll take you up on that. You're a lot of fun to talk to, at the least."

[quinby.livejournal.com]

She turns rather red. "Well, I don't know about that. I'm not the creative team. I'm the press manager. Not as interesting, but just as important." She's used to being ignored in staff meetings.

[offinjamieland.livejournal.com]

"So? I think you're fun. Fun, pretty, intelligent... you must be intelligent, you like my books!" he teases a little.