Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Won't go home without you."

Penelope Clearwater (_penny) wrote in wished,
@ 2009-12-15 23:34:00

Entry tags:

!1997: 12, !complete, orsino thruston, penelope clearwater

Who: Penelope Clearwater, Orsino Thruston
What: Jingle bell rocking!
Where: Vinyl Countdown, off Campden Road
When: 15th December
Warnings: PG-13

There was something wonderful about slipping through the crowded London streets ; weaving in and out of the Christmas crowds and slipping past the workers in their bright yellow jackets, clipboards and forced smiles. Penny only wanted to make it to the record shop, not be caught and forced to fill out a form indicating how she felt about kittens being forced to wear clothes.

Entering the shop was an assault on her ears ; somebody with a sense of humour had put on Bob Dylans Christmas Album and the voice crooning out Christmas tunes and cheerful lyrics was a stark contrast to the mounrful tones of his voice.

Penny found herself standing in front of the Christmas section clutching a collection of records to play at home. She adored Oliver and loved sharing a flat with him ; one of the many benefits was access to the record player. It meant she could indulge in music after work and not have to wince every time Celestina Warbeck trilled out one of those awfully pitched notes.

Shifting her albums - the type of music she'd be embarrassed to admit owning in public - she reached forward to pick up a Christmas album. The cover was lurid, gaudy and with enough red cheeked elfs to catch her attention.

A large hand swam into view, blocking the portly santa and Penny reached for the album at the same time. It was the last on the shelf, and it was one of the few albums she could play on repeat for a few hours without Oliver or Meghan staging an intervention.

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-16 11:09 pm UTC (link)

"That's not-" Orsino began, frowning in earnest this time, becoming increasingly frustrated. This was why he hated holiday shopping! All the loonies were out, roaming free, being rude and taking the things he wanted to buy. Or look at. He wasn't even sure he wanted this CD, but he'd have at least liked a chance properly evaluate it without someone else stepping in and interrupting his train of thought.

"Why are- Fine. May I touch it?" he said, not removing his gaze from the CD, on which both he and the woman had a tight grip. Was this seriously happening?

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_penny
2009-12-16 11:15 pm UTC (link)

"You may," Penny said beatificully as she handed the cd over. "You're very polite."

It was wrong of her to try and rile up this utter stranger, but part of her was enjoying the various faces he was pulling as his temper changed.

She began flipping through the albums she'd gathered on her way to the Christmas section and then rearranged them. For a few moments she toyed with soring them alphabetically, by genre or in order of preference. Penny plumped for by genre, and then alphabetically.

Finally, satisfied that everything was in order, she looked up expectantly "Its quite a good album. I'm sure you'll be able to pick one up like it somewhere else."

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-16 11:27 pm UTC (link)

Orsino's foot had begun tapping again, and he scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. He grimace when she deemed him "polite", feeling suddenly a bit too warm to be wearing a leather jacket inside of a store. No matter. He would be done here soon, and well on the way back to his flat. He hoped.

As the young woman sorted through the plethora of CDs she'd already nabbed (no doubt, he thought, from right between the fingers of other shoppers!), Orsino let his eyes wander over the front and back covers of the album, taking in the art and, eventually, the tracklist. It seemed fairly comprehensive, and there were several versions of some of his favorites that he was sure he'd not yet had the pleasure of hearing.

The woman spoke up suddenly, seeming to have finished her sorting. Orsino blinked and reluctantly looked over at her. He briefly met her eyes before looking vaguely at some of the other albums on the shelf. "You seem to have quite a lot already."

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_penny
2009-12-16 11:34 pm UTC (link)

He was tapping. And scratching. And seemed completly unable to stay still for a millisecond.

It was one of Penny's weaknesses ; she liked people who valued the ability to sit still.

"I know. Music is a weakness for me, although its not as bad as books. My flatmate has told me that I have to implement a one in- one out system as I'm spilling all over my room."

Leather Jacket looked at her briefly and Penny felt that she knew him. One of those faces. It was highly unlikely she'd met him in St Erth as he lacked the distinctive accent which narrowed her choice down to Hogwarts or..Hogwarts. Unfortunatly due to the Magical Secrecy Act, she couldn't blur out 'I'm a witch, are you a wizard?'.

Tapping. Leather. Oooh. It as Thingummy from Kirleys band! The drummer - Orsey - no, Orsino. Recognition dawned in her eyes and had her shifting slightly, relaxing her body as it turned towards him.

"So since you've stalked me here," Penny smiled slowly "Are you going to tell me how you got into those leather trousers?"

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-16 11:42 pm UTC (link)

What?

For the second time, Orsino stopped fidgeting and leaned slightly away from her. He fixed her with a leery gaze. She apparently seemed to think they knew each other. Why else would she start asking about his trousers in such a familiar way, or accuse him of stalking her? But then...

"Oh." His posture became less rigid, though he was still a far cry from relaxed. Most people would probably smile at this point, having realized they've just run into someone they've spoken with before. Instead, Orsino just looked mildly concerned.

"What? Sorry. You're that one from the journals the other day." His grip on the CD tightened. "Penny?"

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	_penny 2009-12-16 11:55 pm UTC (link)
	Penny grinned and stuck out her hand "Yup. I'm Penny. Its a pleasure to meet you Mr Orsino Thruston." Her eyes drifted over him to rest pointedly on the cd "I think thats my cd you've got there. Tell you what, why don't you let me buy you a drink and we can see about splitting the album?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 12:07 am UTC (link)

Orsino looked at Penny's hand and then took it in his to return the handshake. "Yeah." He shook his head apologetically. "You, too, I mean."

It appeared he couldn't keep her from this CD, though. For reasons he couldn't fathom she was really determined to have it, even if she did already appear to have too much on her hands. And she was so damned chatty. Although he suppose he ought not to have been surprised - she had been just the same on paper.

At her suggestion, he raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat. If this had been just a random stranger, he'd have refused the offer and just surrendered the CD.

This was a friend of Meghan's, though. And one he'd been in contact with before. And had seemed nice enough then, even if today she was pushy and rude. A drink might not be the worst thing. Besides, if Penny was as she had seemed in the journals, Orsino probably wouldn't have to speak all that much anyway.

"I, er...you serious?"

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_penny
2009-12-17 01:53 am UTC (link)

"Of course I'm serious. I never joke about food and other important matters such as friendship," Renlinquishing control of the cd wasn't easy but Penny would much rather gain a new friend than a new cd.

"So what are you doing in this part of London? Are you local? I have to say, I always think there should be more portable music in the you know, other place."

Guiding them towards the sales counter, Penny kept up her chatter. "Are you all ready for Christmas? I've still got a ton of shopping to do but I'm probably going to leave it till the last minute. I usually do, even though every year I swear not to."

The line at the desk wasn't that bad and Penny tilted her head up to smile at Orsino "What kind of drink would you like? Tea, Coffee, Alcoholic or something fun like a Milkshake or Ice Cream float?"

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 03:21 am UTC (link)

It had been a while since Orsino had found himself bombarded by quite so many words and questions from a single person in so short a time period. He began following Penny up to the front of the store, wondering how his day had gotten to such a strange point. After he'd been silent for a while, sorting through whatever Penny was saying, he answered her as they waited in the queue.

"I'm...not immediately local, but near enough for our sort of...travel," Orsino said, casually looking at the CDs as they were being rung up. He certainly wasn't about to tell her he was living in Canonbury. She seemed like the type who would just show up randomly. "Ready enough. Didn't need to buy for many people. Shopping is...stressful."

He looked down at the single CD in his hand and then tilted his head in an attempt to see the titles Penny was buying. "Hm. Dunno." There was alcohol at home already, and plenty of coffee. And he'd never liked tea. Thinking about it, Orsino had not had a float in, possibly, a few years. "Float might be good. Even if it is freezing out."

Orsino shifted uncomfortably, pulling the zipper of his jacket up and down a little ways.

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_penny
2009-12-17 03:33 pm UTC (link)

"I live just around the corner actually," Penny gestured vaguely with her free hand in the general direction of the flat. "Its very handy, I don't think I could do without some of the local shops. I've always had a bit of addiction for pick n mix."

Noticing Orsino's look, Penny tilted her covers to show the titles. She wasn't ashamed of her taste in music ; they were classics after all. And when Ol left early for practice and she didn't have to worry about going into work early, there was little Penny loved more than putting them up loud and singing in the shower. Dancing in her underwear and jiving along to the likes of Aretha, Gloria, Journey and the Kinks was just..blissful.

"I've bought Meghans gift ; she was pretty easy so I've only really got Oliver's to get. I saw a pair of musical snitch socks that would appeal to him. They're rainbow coloured."

Sliding her purchases across the counter, Penny beamed at the salesclerk before fishing in her slim purse for the requisite notes. She'd always been under the impression that the Wizarding World would be less jingly if they used notes rather than coins.

"Its never too cold for ice cream. My favourite thing to do is sit on the beach wall back home and eat ice cream. You haven't lived until you've sat on St Erth in the middle of February munching a cone with your hands bundled up and atching the waves break against the sea front."

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 04:58 pm UTC (link)

He nodded slowly, tapping his CD on the side of his leg as Penny paid, and wondering why she would buy her boyfriend (well, she hadn't mentioned any brothers, so he assumed that was who this "Oliver" was). Perhaps he'd ask later. Orsino mulled over the idea of eating ice cream on a beach in frigid conditions. She seemed to think it was great fun. "Never had the pleasure, I admit."

Having grown up in Kidlington in a family that didn't make much of beach trips, Orsino had only been to a beach three or four times in his life. When Penny had finished her purchase he stepped up to the counter and slid his single item over to the clerk. His hand went to his jacket pocket, from where he pulled out the appropriate amount to pay.

Bag in hand, he began to head toward the front door, over which the store owners had flung several sashes of fir branches, holly, and twinkling lights. The display brought a small grin to his face. "So where are we going?"

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_penny
2009-12-17 05:08 pm UTC (link)

"If you ever get the chance, I reccomend it. If you're worried about not being warm enough, you can cheat and use charms"

Her legs had to walk a little faster to keep up with Orsinos legs but it meant she had time to look around and spotted the display briefly.

"Theres a choice; thers a cafe around the corner that does the best ice cream floats in all of London but its a greasy spoon and your ateries clog in the most pleasant way when you step inside. Or," Penny paused to shift her bag to the other arm and dug into her pockets to pull out a pair of gloves "Theres a slightly more upmarket bistro a few minutes walk toards the river. And by upmarket, I mean that the tables have real tablecloths and not the plastic ones you can wipe."

"What takes your fancy?"

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 05:24 pm UTC (link)

Orsino stepped out and stretched his arm behind him to hold the door long enough that Penny could follow through. "Well," he began, pulling on his own gloves and zipping the high collar of his jacket up nearly to his chin. As a stiff breeze slapped against his face, he regretted having left his hat at home. "I suppose the first one."

Generally Orsino wasn't very snobbish about where he ate - some of the best places he'd eaten over the years were random little shops on corners, with tables stained from years of use and booths that sagged in strange spots. He knew that regardless of where they chose at this point, this weather would probably see his face pink and mildly raw by the time they arrived. And he did like walking. Orsino shrugged and bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Though if you know both you'd know which is better for our purposes."

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_penny
2009-12-17 05:37 pm UTC (link)

"Excellent," Penny had time to say before she was hit by the blast of the cold air and she grinned like a lunatic at the contrast between the shop and the chilly London air.

"I know some people are a little fussy about where they eat. I don't really mind so long as the food is plentiful and warm." When she'd toured Europe she'd come to appreciate the smaller places that were piled high with mountains of food, although she had spent a larger part of her wages in the four and five starred restaurants.

Part of her couldn't understand why the more you paid for food, the smaller the portions.

"I love London. My family and I used to come up here when Paula got her letter ; it was quite different from our part of Cornwall and we fell in love with it. I' can't imagine growing up here though; I'm a fan of wide open spaces."

As they walked the crowded streets, Penny looked left and right to make sure she was going in the right direction. They passed carollers from one of the local scools, bundled up against the snow and bleating out 'Oh Come All Ye Faithful' and Penny tilted her head in time to the music as she fought the urge to go and look in every single brightly displayed window.

"Oh we have to go down here," Reaching up without thinking, Penny caught ahold of Orsinos elbow and pointed to a small alleyway off the street. At the bottom was a faded pink neon sign with 'Patty's' on it and graying signs in the window.

She could smell the fryups from here and it made her stomach rumble.

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 05:53 pm UTC (link)

Being mostly happy just to get out of the cramped store and into the open air, even if the streets were more crowded than usual, Orsino just followed at Penny's side, slowing his normal pace slightly to match hers. By now he knew enough to realize she'd probably keep talking, and, indeed, she lived up to it. He was listening, and nodded every so often. But he was also zoning out a bit, enjoying the smells that mingled in the air. It had been a while since Orsino had cut his hair, and this was made only more apparent as the wind was now blowing it in and out of his eyes every few seconds.

As they passed the carolers, he nodded in their direction in acknowledgment and smiled briefly. Orsino scanned the ground around them to see if there was anywhere for a collection of some sort, and when he spied a tin box near the end of the lineup, he tossed some of his change from Vinyl Countdown into it.

Just after, he was startled by the sudden pressure of Penny's hand at his elbow. He stopped short and looked down the alleyway she indicated. "That was quick," Orsino said a bit stupidly, turning down the alley with Penny and nearing the establishment.

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_penny
2009-12-17 06:08 pm UTC (link)

Penny noticed as he tossed coins into the tin and hid her grin. It was a Nice thing to do, and though Orsino didn't seem to be much of a talker, sparing some change said more about him than answering her ramblings.

"I told you it was just around the corner." Penny pushed open the door and held it open for Orsino to follow through. The small cafe was about half full - in the corner were to old women who were discussing their latest Bingo gossip over scones and tea and near to them was a young family, the children slurping fizzy drinks whilst their parents held a whispered argument about whos turn it was to change the nappy of the baby currently chewing his toes and gurgling happily in his pram.

"Oh, here's an empty table," Penny spotted one and slid in the brightly coloured and bench, despositing the bag beside her. Her feet brushed the ground and should she be so inclined, she could have drummed them against the botom of the booth.

She decided to leave the drumming to the professionals for the time being.

"Its nice to meet you, in person as opposed to through the journals," she dragged a hand through her hair and sent it curling in every direction as she tried to think of what to say. "Did you ever recieve any more cake?"

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 06:22 pm UTC (link)

Orsino slid into the booth opposite Penny and leaned back in the seat, stretching his legs a bit but being careful not to invade her territory. This seemed to be just as she'd described it - a top form greasy spoon, with the smells and the sounds that came with such a name. Nonetheless, it was somehow welcoming for all that. He realized that the reason his flat was so often bereft of any real food was because he tended to dine out at least once a day, although it wasn't usually with company outside of the occasional band mate.

He set his hands in his lap, then almost immediately put them on the table, and then his right hand had grabbed the container of sugar almost of its own accord. What Orsino intended to do with the sugar was anyone's guess, most of all his own.

Beginning to feel a bit badly for having barely responded to anything Penny had said since they left, he offered her a slow grin when she asked about the cake.

"Yeah, it was an odd shock," he agreed, then quickly added, "good, though, too. At least I know you weren't some loony trying to get a CD off of me."

Orsino stopped again and thought that that hardly sounded like a compliment, or even a nice thing to say, and he wasn't trying to be rude. Bollocks. He moved on quickly. "Erm. No, I didn't. Probably a good thing, though."

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_penny
2009-12-17 06:43 pm UTC (link)

The grin changed his into something more friendly and Penny leaned forward to straighten the menu and arched an eyebrow at the way he cradled the sugar bowl.

At his comment about her being a loony though she started laughing, and it took a few moments for her to straighten her face. "Trust me, if I wanted a CD off of someone, then I'd go out and buy one." Of all the various types of music she owned, a Weird Sister album was not one of them.

It was too loud and ..pipey.

"But I'm not a loony, honest. I just have this tendancy to ramble. It drives Ol - thats my flatmate - absoloutly mad. It even got me into trouble when I first met Meghan. Imagine two eleven year olds in an empty railway carriage arguing over which was the best team: The Prides or the Falcons.

Shaking her head fondly at the memory, Penny caught the eye of the waitress who bustled over "Bloodshed ensued and then we settled it over chocolate. Its the way of girls."

" A good thing?" Penny raked her gaze over him and then arched an eyebrow in confusion "How do you mean? Don't take this the wrong way but you look as though you could do with a good few cakes, a fry up and a giant pizza. Unless," she lowered her voice to a stage whisper "You're not one of those blokes concerned about your weight are you? If you are, tell me now so I can be sure not to offend you with my eating habbits."

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 06:51 pm UTC (link)

He cocked his head a bit, similar to the way a bird or a dog might when it's picked up on something interesting. Realizing that he'd never taken off his gloves, or his jacket for that matter, he abandoned the sugar and tugged the gloves off. Rather than standing again, he squirmed a bit to better position himself for the removal of the jacket. As he accomplished this mighty feat (well, for a tall man at an average-sized restaurant booth, it wasn't exactly easy), Orsino looked up at Penny.

"What? Oh! No."

The supposition that he was worried about his weight almost made him laugh. He was by no means a picky eater, and when it came to food, if he liked something, he'd probably eat it. Unfortunately, his stomach didn't always agree with his taste buds, and he'd more than once regretted having eaten so much of certain things.

His face took on an expression of mixed amusement and concern as he finally freed his second arm from the jacket sleeve and shoved it off beside him. "No. It's just, last time, I ate too much of it all at once and..." He trailed off. If he remembered correctly, he'd told her something like that on the journals. "It was a bad idea."

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_penny
2009-12-17 07:01 pm UTC (link)

Leaning back against the bench, Penny watched Orsino try and get out of his jacket and gloves.

It was a little like watching a giraffe try and escape a strait-jacket.

Of course it didn't do anything to dispel her curiosity as to how exactly they all got in and out of those leather trousers and the thought had her flushing slightly. It was completly inaporpriate to be thinking things like that when she was sitting opposite one of the possible trouser-wearers.

"Um, yes," she said distractedly once he'd sat don again "You mentioned. Since you've no objection to eating, would you be offended if I ordered a Chelsea bun? I can practically hear them calling my name."

The waitress shuffled over and Penny ordered her bun and ice cream float ; banana milkshake with a scoop of mint choc chip. At the strange look she simply smiled pleasantly and batted her eyelashes as she added 'Please'.

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 07:20 pm UTC (link)

Orsino wondered why he would be offended by someone ordering food, least of all a bun. Actually, ordering some real food that wasn't just a glass of sugary beverage with a lump of sugary dairy product floating around in it sounded like a good idea. As if to back this thought up, his stomach growled ominously.

After Penny had placed her order, Orsino followed in kind. Not only did he order the float that had gotten him here in the first place - chocolate ice cream, ginger beer, he didn't care if it seemed boring - but also a sandwich. A hot triple layer ham, cheddar, and tomato sandwich, to be precise. As if to further disprove Penny's thought that he might be a conscientious eater.

Once the waitress had wandered away, Orsino was beginning to feel somewhat more comfortable in his surroundings. This wasn't too bad.

"So," he said, folding his arms across his chest and tapping his foot under the table, "you've been friends with Meghan since Hogwarts." It sounded more like a statement than a question.

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_penny
2009-12-17 07:39 pm UTC (link)

Penny was glad he wasn't a fussy eater, it was one of the things she couldn't abide.

"I have. Day one, and we were lucky enough to be sorted into the same house," at the tone of his voice, Penny settled in for a pleasant conversation "I was a member of almost every club in Hogwarts, Prefect, Head and nothing terribly exciting happened to me during my time at Hogwarts."

She missed out being Petrified, and having Sirius Black roam the halls. Some things didn't need to be shared.

"I'm 21, am an apprentice ward smith, lifelong Falcons fan and live in London with my flatmate Oliver Wood. I can provide references if you'd like."

The waitress bustled over with their order, and Penny shut herself up by taking a long drink of the ice cream float until her mouth froze.

"So," she echoed as she mirrored his stance "How did you get into drumming?"

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 08:00 pm UTC (link)

Orsino allowed himself to snicker a little at the way Penny rattled off her life history since Hogwarts in about a minute and a half. He thought the name Oliver Wood sounded somewhat familiar, but he wasn't sure why. Probably just remembered it from school. Ah - he'd been the Gryffindor Quidditch captain for a few years, that was it.

"No references needed," he said shortly, pulling the float closer to him and stirring it around a bit with the long spoon that had arrived with it. Penny's query about his drumming took him off guard, and he took a few moments to sort it out. Not as though he didn't remember, but it had been about twelve or thirteen years.

"I, er, it was sort of an accident." He paused to scoop some of the ice cream out of his glass and consumed it. "I was maybe nine or ten and walking around the neighborhood. Someone was selling their old set, and I got my parents to buy it for me and it sort of...went from there."

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_penny
2009-12-17 08:34 pm UTC (link)

"And I bet that made your family popular with the neighbours."

Penny reached down into her float and scooped out a slice of banana, eating it before her tongue darted out to lick the spoon clean.

It was nice to know that he could string a sentance together, and when he was talking about himself he looked more relaxed. Nobody should have shoulders that pointy all the time.

"You're really lucky that you get to do something you love. And something thats very, very noisy. Noise is good."

"And the Weird Sisters? Should I assume thats Kirley's idea? He's always struck me as a male version of Meghan - or in other words, a human tornado."

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oneandtwoand
2009-12-17 08:42 pm UTC (link)

"Well, silencing charms were certainly a help."

He took a break from the float to concentrate on the sandwich, which had come with a heap of chips and was giving off the most appetizing aroma. Chewing thoughtfully, Orsino was becoming increasingly pleased to be here. This sandwich was very good indeed. He made a mental note to remember this place.

And, admittedly, the company had proven to actually be enjoyable - considering how this had all started. One eyebrow quirked and he bobbed his head from side to side as he swallowed, preempting an answer.

"Dunno really. Well, I mean, I know. But I didn't come in until they'd already formed. They lost their first drummer to..something or other." Orsino put two chips in his mouth and continued. "I knew Herman in school. They were sort of getting started when we were graduating, but I wasn't interested then."

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_penny, 2009-12-17 09:14 pm UTC

oneandtwoand, 2009-12-17 09:25 pm UTC

_penny, 2009-12-17 09:38 pm UTC

oneandtwoand, 2009-12-17 09:48 pm UTC

_penny, 2009-12-17 09:57 pm UTC

oneandtwoand, 2009-12-17 10:09 pm UTC

_penny, 2009-12-17 10:26 pm UTC

oneandtwoand, 2009-12-17 10:32 pm UTC

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