Networking

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Gah, Elsa hated the situations like this. Despite being eighteen and practically having control over a school, her parents still felt it necessary to occasionally set up "play dates" for her. At least, that's what Elsa called them. All too often they "found someone interesting" and insisted that "Elsa practice networking." As Elsa was the Bellefonte who actually wanted to network, she ended up agreeing as often as not. This one sounded like an actual college student, which made Elsa actually feel sorry for her.

Well, at least she knew all the best spots to get a meal in town. including a little place that was admittedly just a notch or two above a hole in the wall. It served the absolutely best pitas that Elsa had ever tasted, however. The smell of it could be detected from halfway down the block, causing people, mostly locals, to flock to it. Elsa figured she'd just wait outside for a few moments.

While she waited, she figured she might as well check on her phone too. Elsa flicked through screens, catching various messages and such. It was as she did that she noticed one from her sister, asking her if she needed her wallet, the new leather one she'd bought just a few weeks ago. Elsa frowned as she looked at the text. Did that mean...

Sighing, Elsa looked into her clutch, frowning and moving things around. Sure enough: no wallet. Great, just---did she have something else here? She kept digging around while still looking up, hoping that the person she was scheduled to meet either arrived late or at least actually remembered a wallet.

[Josephine Pierce]

As much as Josephine loved her parents, she didn't particularly enjoy it when they set her up with different 'high class' people to meet. She didn't understand why, but then again, Josephine never really opposed her parents. No, the blonde smiled and nodded, just like the good girl she was. But even so, she tried looking at this opportunity of making a new friend with a bright smile and at least some degree of positivity.

How bad could it possibly get? Surely, Josephine had heard the rumors about the girl she was meeting, but they hardly baffled her. Rumors were often exaggerated and tended to be just that, rumors. She was sure there were at least some redeeming qualities within this Elsa Bellefonte. There had to be. No one was one hundred percent bad. It was impossible.

Walking down the street towards the designated meeting area, Josephine turned down the music and pulled out her headphones. Looking around, the blonde squinted her eyes before sighing. Of course, there had to be like a gazillion people around, which just made the 'hunt' so much more worse. Sighing, Josephine puckered her lips before she continued forward.

Once she reached the restaurant, Josephine stopped and took a deep breath; Man, it really did smell good. Delicious, actually. Now, all she had to do was locate this rumored twin. She had seen pictures, but she wasn't sure if that was enough. Maybe she could just, yell? Would that be silly? That would be silly, wouldn't it? Yes. She couldn't yell. That was stupid, stupid, stupid. Buuut, then again, stupid was Josephine's middle name. "Elsa Bellefonte?" she called out and turned to the left, then to the right.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Okay, so Elsa hadn't quite expected someone to just up and shout out her name to get her attention, but then again, it wasn't as if they'd agreed on some sort of special code or anything. It certainly pulled her attention away from phone and purse toward... a bubbly looking blonde. Dear lord, had they cloned Frank Cox? No, this girl looked different, thank God.

A quick skim of the thoughts revealed that yes, yes this was the girl she was supposed to meet. Sighing, Elsa raised a hand, waving it slightly to get the other girl's attention. As soon as Josephine drew within range, Elsa pasted on her friendly smile, though she was certain that at least a little of her frustration had to leak through into the expression.

"I guess we should've arranged for some sort of sign, but yes, I'm Elsa, pleasure to meet you Josephine," and extend the hand, ready to shake. Now, with as much apology as can be managed: "I meant to pick up the tab today but I honestly forgot my wallet at home. I could probably get someone here in a few minutes if you want to wait?"

Though Elsa was tempted to suggest that the other girl pay. It felt a little rude though: Josephine was probably as forced to do this as Elsa was. Hardly seemed right to be like "yes, thanks for accepting my invitation; did you bring your wallet?"

[Josephine Pierce]

Skipping over to the brunette as soon as the hand gesture was shown, Josephine offered the younger girl a brilliant smile; Damn, she was even better looking in real life than what she was on pictures. Lucky girl. She probably had half the school's bachelors storming her castle every single night. She probably deserved it too, and with the smile, it struck Josephine that the girl couldn't be nearly as bad as people claimed her to be.

"Please, call me Jo," she waved at her and grinned before reaching out for the hand, and giving it a gentle shake. "And the pleasure is all mine, or our parents, all depending on how you want to view it," she spoke and grimaced, though, the smile didn't fall from her lips. Once Elsa told her she had forgot her wallet, Josephine shook her head before turning her attention towards her own purse. Pulling out her own wallet, she waved it in the air, "Nah, don't fret about it," she dismissed her, "I got it covered." At least she could use her 'family fortune' for something good besides shopping and ice cream. God, her mother would hate her for thinking that.

Really though, Josephine didn't mind paying at all. It wasn't her own money she spent, anyways, and after all, her parents were the ones (and Elsa's) that stood behind this whole thing, so she'd might as well, right? Turning her head towards the restaurant, Josephine nodded, "Shall we?"

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Why was it that everyone seemed to think that Elsa had a bevy of people vying for her affection? Always straight to males too, which she found more than a little amusing. True, most of her relationships had veered that way, but that was just a fluke of the numbers. Elsa supposed the most important thing to note and remember was that Jo found her attractive. Sure, it was probably because she'd never met Erika, but still.

"Pleasure to meet you then, Jo," said Elsa, nodding, "and I'm sure our parents are practically squealing," she rolled her eyes before letting out a small sigh. It faded into a smile, one that turned a little more sincere and apologetic as Jo offered to cover it. She nodded, glad to hear that the other girl didn't seem to mind picking up the bill at all. The thoughts that followed only further twitched Elsa's lips up, and she nearly released a giggle.

"Yes, we shall," said Elsa, nodding and taking the lead. She opened up the door, pausing only for a moment as they essentially hit a solid wall of delicious odor. "You'll want to get a pita," said Elsa over her shoulder. She pointed at the menu, which looked weathered but still well taken care of. "The lamb is especially good."

[Josephine Pierce]

"Squealing? Try jumping up and down while running around the room praying to the heavens," she said, adding the same eyeroll as the brunette had. She sighed then before shaking her head. No, it was hardly a topic to even discuss. Jo was fairly certain Elsa knew exactly how dreadful parents could be with their kids when they expected them to run around being their puppets. "But it is what it is," she said, "The best we can do is to make something good out of a less than pleasant situation, right?" she winked.

Not that she really thought this was going to be such a horrible time, mind you. Whatever had forced them to be here, didn't really matter in the end. They were here now and they could might as well make the best out of it. At least, that was what Jo was going to do.

Following after the pretty brunette, Josephine stuck both of her hands into the pockets of her jacket and puckered her lips a little, offering the people they passed by a polite smile. She turned her attention back towards Elsa when she spoke, taking in the delicious smells this place offered. She smirked a little at the girl's suggestion; Her mother would cringe. "Oh?" she said as she followed her line of sight to where Elsa was pointing. "That sounds delicious," she beamed. Then again, when it came to food, Josephine was rarely picky.

Much to her mother's dismay.

"I take it you've been here before then?" Josephine asked and nodded slowly. She hadn't heard anything about this place, but the pita did sound good, and look good as well.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa actually laughed dryly at Jo's comment. Yes, that did sound almost accurate. Elsa was tempted to point out that her parents would never do something quite so undignified, but the moment had already passed. Plus, that smell had been tugging on her stomach for the past few minutes, and Elsa knew full well what deliciousness lay just beyond those doors.

Still, she had to say: "I wouldn't call the situation unpleasant, yet." She had, after all, had a few of these meetings that hadn't gone horribly awry. This one seemed like it just might fall in that line as opposed to several of the others. Jo seemed quite agreeable, and she hardly struck Elsa as wild as some of their ilk tended to be, or as reserved as, well, she herself often was. The other girl's attitude even relaxed Elsa slightly.

Then again, so did this place. The smells and everything. "I've been here a few times," drawled Elsa slyly, half-smiling. "I went through a phase when I was younger. Went through every restaurant in town, trying to determine which ones were the best. My sister accompanied me, which is why we were kicked out of so many," the thought had Elsa rolling her eyes, but she took another step closer. There was a slight line now, not to mention a few people in the seats. The restaurant obviously drew a crowd, and it filled its narrow shop easily enough. There was a line of booths against one wall, square tables shoved against another, and a dotting of round tables in between. The far counter awaited their order, and from there, they'd have to wait till their number was called and come get it. Simple, but quite efficient. The wait would be the only hard part.

"So, is this the first time they've done this to you? Or have you have the pleasure of more people's company?"

[Josephine Pierce]

Listening to what Elsa said, Josephine nodded. She actually envied her for having siblings; Josephine herself had none. Which of course, came back to bite her in the ass because she knew that her father wanted a son to take over the lab, and her mother only fuzzed about her weight. But they were her parents, and basically the only family she had, so she couldn't exactly complain. "It must be nice," Josephine said and offered Elsa a meek smile, "Having a sister." She could only imagine how wonderful and equally horrible it had to be. 

Looking around, a content smile splayed over the blonde's lips. She liked this place. It had charm; A very homey and warm kind of charm and Josephine would be lying if she said she hadn't already fallen in love with the place. "It's nice here," she said, mostly to herself, but loud enough for Elsa to hear. "It's very welcoming and I can already feel my mouth watering from all the delicious smells," she giggled softly.

"Oh no, they do this all the time." Josephine turned her attention back to Elsa, offering her something of a smile. "Maybe not to this degree, but they use me as a means to further themselves whenever they can, be it socializing or something else," she shrugged. She was sure Elsa would understand though. Josephine might not have been nearly as wealthy as the Bellefonte family, but she figured the expectations that followed was about the same. "What about yourself?"

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"If you want one, I have a spare," replied Elsa, her voice as dry as ever. Her mind immediately went to Alexis, who she probably would sign over given an option. The girl was always more trouble than she was worth. Still, Elsa could understand wanting to have siblings and all. She certainly loved hers. Though sometimes she wondered about what it would be like to be in Jo's situation.

Technically they were in the same situation now, though Elsa at least was familiar with the area. She could pick up a few of Jo's thoughts, and tried to contain herself to the other girl. She could technically bounce around or just shut it off, but Elsa didn't like to as a general rule. "It is," she agreed, nodding and looking around. The giggle made her half-smile again; Jo did seem to be rather... giggly.

Though she also seemed to be more or less in the same situation as Elsa herself. The Bellefonte nodded, recognizing that all too well. "I'm often the sacrificial sibling, as it were," she said, taking a few steps forward as the line moved. "My older brother is decent enough. My twin doesn't like pretending she's better than anyone else, and my kid sister would rather be at a raucous party. So I'm usually the one out and associating with people, getting to know them and all," Elsa shrugged. She'd grown used to it. She supposed she should be a little more careful here: Jo could be a useful resource. But right now, Elsa figured that if she wanted a bubbly blonde with rich parents, she could also go for Ellen Banks.

[Josephine Pierce]

Chuckling at Elsa's offer, Josephine shook her head, "As tempting as that sounds, I think I would prefer knowing them from childhood rather than adopting one," she said and smiled. Though, it did make her wonder how things would be. Her parents would probably adore getting a son, but she wouldn't wish that kind of thing on anyone. Maybe she just had to put her pansexual love for women aside, and focus on men so that her parents could get exactly what they wanted. The thought made the blonde let a frustrated sigh fall from her lips.

"Sounds like quite the fun Christmas Eve," Josephine noted. "Well, I suppose we all have our roles to play." Following suit, Josephine let her eyes wander over the area once more. This place seemed to do well, which she couldn't really blame them for from the look of things. And if the food tasted as good as it smelled, she'd might just have to come here again, and again, and again.

But, there had to be more interesting things they could talk about than their home situations, right? They were both teenagers, at least when it came to age. The brunette seemed to be a lot more mature than what Josephine could ever dream of becoming and she seemed a lot more composed emotionally. Josephine was more of a flight risk and kind of annoyingly happy. Well, she tried to be, anyways. Nothing good ever came out of being pessimistic.

"It must be tiring," she said and glanced over at the brunette, "Having everyone know your name, and everything that follows with being 'famous'." She was glad she was one of those people that kept under the radar. She had enough on her plate as it was, and didn't really need a gossip blog going on a witch hunt. "I don't envy you."

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"Offer stands," said Elsa easily enough. She was tempted to chuckle, but she thought that might just be a bit too dark, even for her. Though if Jo had met Alexis, she'd probably understand. she certainly seemed to understand that family dynamics could be complicated, judging by the next comment. It certainly had Elsa nodding a few times, readily agreeing.

The thoughts that followed amused Elsa further still. Ah, the thought that since they were teenagers, they should talk about something more teenager related. Obviously the girl didn't know Elsa very well: this was pretty much her life. Oh, she could handle her own in a talk about fashion or books, but not much else. As for being mature, that was just a result of someone in the family needing to be.

In fact, those very words dangled on the tip of Elsa's tongue. She just swallowed them back as Jo spoke. "It can be," agreed Elsa, nodding. "I think it is more for my sister then me. The blogs certainly have more fun talking about the 'wild Bellefonte' then the bitch," she included the necessary air quotes before taking a step, moving further up the line. Only a few people stood between them and their pitas, which, considering the rumbling that Elsa's stomach did, was probably for the best. "I actually like having people know me. I've been working hard to build my reputation. It's all in how you use it," she smiled, raising her brows slightly. "I take it that you've mostly been ignoring your family name an whatnot? Happens a lot. I wouldn't worry about it: it's different for everyone.'

A touch condescending, even Elsa could tell that. She couldn't really help it though; this was how she talked to people. She looked up at the menu, frowning slightly, trying to think of a more... appropriate line of conversation to take.

[Josephine Pierce]

"Fair enough." Maybe that was how it was with twins; One got more attention than the other, and despite looking the same, they didn't have to actually be the same. At least Josephine understood that much, which seemed to be a rare feet, at least according to other people. But yeah, being wild and scandalous often got a lot more attention that just being mean or cold. Unless you were a world famous actor, or something. "Yeah, I guess you make a point there," smiled Josephine and nodded. Her smile only widened at Elsa's spot-on description of her. Chuckling, Josephine lifted her hands and shrugged, "Caught me in a web there, Bellefonte," she mused. 

She frowned then before sighing, "I don't really worry though," she said and narrowed her eyes, "It's not that I have much against it or anything, I guess I just feel like I don't have much to brag about, or something." Nothing she was going to dwell on though. It was her own insecurities haunting her, mixed with the feeling of not being good enough for her family. Whatever, it didn't matter.

Then again, Josephine was a living cliche; Insecure teenager with parental issues and a hunger to please anything and everything she met. She was a sad case of a rich girl that didn't feel like she was good enough, so she masked it all with a bright and positive attitude. It was all very pathetic. Maybe that was why she kept insisting on not telling every living human about her family.

Whatever negativity the brunette might have directed towards the blonde was completely lost on her and the smile was quick to return to her pale features. Bopping her head a little, Josephine lifted her hand to run it through her curls. "But even my family has it perks though; As you probably know, we own this lab where we study mut- genetic mutations and DNA. It's all very cool," she said with a bright smile, "That's what I study here too." Her voice was hushed now. "One day, I'll invent a cure for side-effects," she joked.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa couldn't help but feel a little pleased at having deduced how things were for Jo. She hadn't meant to be quite that accurate but, well, she'd met her share of fellow rich kids, and there were only so many options to go though. JO continued, saying that she didn't have much to brag about. That struck Elsa as odd, and she considered questioning. Instead, however, she elected to remain silent, focusing on the thoughts that drifted through...

...which could've matched her sister nearly perfectly. "You should meet my sister some time, my twin," Elsa added the last, remembering the one she'd practically tried to hand over, "you'd get along well, I'm sure," she meant it too. Like drew unto like and all. Maybe that was why Elsa felt so comfortable around Jo, though the blonde didn't seem to have quite as much backbone as Erika.

The perks though... Elsa had heard about that, though she admittedly hadn't quite put two and two together. A lab? Studying side effects? Her mind immediately jumped to the McLisk papers, a copy of which she still had in her possession. That soon made her think about Seiji and his copy, and she wondered if the two knew each other. Both students studying side effects...

"Perhaps you shall," said Elsa. "I was wondering--" she began, but she found they'd finally reached the front of the line. Elsa sighed, looking toward the grizzled man behind the counter. Good, she recognized him. Elsa prattled off an order for a lamb gyro and a matching small salad, before stepping aside to let Jo do her part. Her question still burned in her mind though, demanding to be said.

[Josephine Pierce]

"Is that so?" Josephine mused. Well, she quite enjoyed this sister, so she didn't see a reason as to why she wouldn't like the other. Then again, Josephine generally liked everyone. Well, okay, not everyone. She tried giving them the benefit of the doubt in most cases, but again, insecure and being a people-pleaser often drew her towards people. Luckily, she had yet to meet any horrible people and the friends that she had made, they were all a bunch of wonderful people. Ricky, Serena and Seiji being some of them.

Ah Seiji; He was probably one of her most cherished friends. Such a cutie too; He was like, the definition of a living, breathing teddy bear. Josephine loved their movie nights and sleepovers. She had to tell him that more often so she could giggle at his blushing manner.

Knitting her eyebrows as Elsa said something, but stopped, she decided against asking anything until after they'd ordered. Ordering the same thing as the brunette, because that's what Elsa had told her to order, and quite frankly, she didn't know anything about the place or the food, so it seemed like the better option, Josephine offered the man behind the counter a polite smile before giving Elsa her full attention again. "Should we find somewhere to sit now or after getting our food?" She looked back at the man again, before turning her head to look at the line behind them. She wondered how much time it would take for them to actually get their food.

Wait, right. Elsa had a question. "You were saying?" she added quickly and side-stepped once more to get out of the way of the rest of the people and perhaps offer the two of them a little more privacy than they would have, standing in front of the counter. She couldn't think about what the question might have been though, as she figured Elsa already knew about the whole lab business, but then again, it seemed to wake quite a lot of different questions from a lot of different people.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Right, enjoy her company. Give Jo time to get to know her. Though the next thoughts, the ones covering Seiji, those were far more interesting. Elsa was sorely tempted to start truly prying about in the other girl's mind. She'd have been noticed though, and Elsa did believe in manners so long as she was showed them. Plus, she didn't like tipping her hand, letting people know her power if she didn't have to. Best to just wait.

They had their orders anyway, and Elsa still wanted to ask her question. The order went through, and Elsa wasn't surprised to hear Jo ordering the same: "You won't regret it," she assured the other girl. In that, Elsa was most confident. she'd been ordering it for years, after all. "It won't take long for the food, though it wouldn't hurt us to get a table...."

Elsa began, frowning slightly. She really wanted to bring up her question again, especially now that she knew about the connections. Almost as if Jo were the mind reader, she asked the very question Elsa had been pondering. "I was actually wondering if you knew another student, one Seiji Lockard. I've had some dealings with him in the past," though it had been something of an awkward meeting. Elsa really hadn't had the time to seek him out for a followup, sadly. She pointed toward an open table against the wall. "We should take it while it's available," she said, heading there, counting on Jo to follow.