"Not Boy Scouts," Teddy says, with a little mischievous curl of their smile. That would've been an interesting argument. Jesus. Their parents don't even know about the gender thing now, much less at age seven. They didn't even have a word for it then. Then again, they really didn't feel it, much, until later.
"No, uh. Neither version, actually. My parents are just very you should learn the basics, and it's the middle of nowhere, it's good to be a little handy. And hey," they lift their hands, pretty sure he's not offended but still a little hasty to set the record straight. "Honestly -- I'm not judging. There's a lot worse shit you could do. I'd just ...rather the first friend I make here doesn't get ..." They look around. "Put in the stocks, or something."
She grins, relaxing when he moves on to the next subject easily. "No, not at all! I don't know shit about Canadian history, so? But yeah, we used to be part of Virginia and -- basically a lot of resentment built up between the mountain folk," she gestures broadly to herself as the, apparently, designated representative, "and the rest of Virginia, especially large plantation owners, who had a lot of government influence. So." She makes a little breaking apart mime.
"Almost heaven, West Virginia," Teddy sings back, nodding with a smirk. "You got it." The ubiquitous love their state has for a song a not-even-native shoved into the right syllable count is the most West Virginian thing he can think of: there's some used-to-pulling-theses-out-of-the-air part of him that could make that a metaphor for the way the state's been treated since before its formation. And yet, he's, begrudgingly, one of those people who will still sing along with it and even feel a little despite knowing all that.
"I mean, I think most people who like nature like it aesthetically at least a little bit. I do love camping, but if you asked me would I prefer to go hiking and come back to a cabin with AC and Wifi and usually a giant bed and a Keurig? Hell yes. ...Oh man. I wonder if this place has coffee." That...That is maybe more of a problem than nicotine. Teddy's at least attempted to quit smoking before. He's been nurturing the caffeine habit like a favorite plant since they were, what, eleven?
"Oh, good. Maybe good?" They consider that. "Good, no major disasters, bad, no incredible news or mention-worthy revolutions?" They shrug expansively, but then nod, expression relaxing into something more serious and interested as Iggy goes into his own life. His shorter curls sort of spring back from being pushed back; it's cute.
"Nanaimo," they echo, their turn to be intrigued. "That's -- is that also an island?" Vancouver being off the coast is one of the few geographical things about Canada they have relatively pinned down. They nod, a slow emphatic agreement.
"I don't know much about Vancouver," she disclaims. "It's a -- hazy impression of um, rain and killer whales, and -- film? And cool but nonspecific city images, and...I think the stock images of my brain might just be generic Pacific Northwest, I'm sorry." She laughs and pushes her own hair out of her face, shaking it back, embarrassed. "Oh! And um, Neko Case. Is from there?" She tilts her head, raising an eyebrow in did that get any points and grins, burying her head in one hand only a little over-dramatically. "You know, I should have just shut up and pretended I did know."
Teddy lifts their head and adds, more seriously, "But...yeaah, I think of the rent prices on ourwest coast and my brain just makes alarm noises, so I assume it's the same a little north." They smile, wry.
"So -- wait, art school. That's awesome. What kind of art are you into?"
no subject
"No, uh. Neither version, actually. My parents are just very you should learn the basics, and it's the middle of nowhere, it's good to be a little handy. And hey," they lift their hands, pretty sure he's not offended but still a little hasty to set the record straight. "Honestly -- I'm not judging. There's a lot worse shit you could do. I'd just ...rather the first friend I make here doesn't get ..." They look around. "Put in the stocks, or something."
She grins, relaxing when he moves on to the next subject easily. "No, not at all! I don't know shit about Canadian history, so? But yeah, we used to be part of Virginia and -- basically a lot of resentment built up between the mountain folk," she gestures broadly to herself as the, apparently, designated representative, "and the rest of Virginia, especially large plantation owners, who had a lot of government influence. So." She makes a little breaking apart mime.
"Almost heaven, West Virginia," Teddy sings back, nodding with a smirk. "You got it." The ubiquitous love their state has for a song a not-even-native shoved into the right syllable count is the most West Virginian thing he can think of: there's some used-to-pulling-theses-out-of-the-air part of him that could make that a metaphor for the way the state's been treated since before its formation. And yet, he's, begrudgingly, one of those people who will still sing along with it and even feel a little despite knowing all that.
"I mean, I think most people who like nature like it aesthetically at least a little bit. I do love camping, but if you asked me would I prefer to go hiking and come back to a cabin with AC and Wifi and usually a giant bed and a Keurig? Hell yes. ...Oh man. I wonder if this place has coffee." That...That is maybe more of a problem than nicotine. Teddy's at least attempted to quit smoking before. He's been nurturing the caffeine habit like a favorite plant since they were, what, eleven?
"Oh, good. Maybe good?" They consider that. "Good, no major disasters, bad, no incredible news or mention-worthy revolutions?" They shrug expansively, but then nod, expression relaxing into something more serious and interested as Iggy goes into his own life. His shorter curls sort of spring back from being pushed back; it's cute.
"Nanaimo," they echo, their turn to be intrigued. "That's -- is that also an island?" Vancouver being off the coast is one of the few geographical things about Canada they have relatively pinned down. They nod, a slow emphatic agreement.
"I don't know much about Vancouver," she disclaims. "It's a -- hazy impression of um, rain and killer whales, and -- film? And cool but nonspecific city images, and...I think the stock images of my brain might just be generic Pacific Northwest, I'm sorry." She laughs and pushes her own hair out of her face, shaking it back, embarrassed. "Oh! And um, Neko Case. Is from there?" She tilts her head, raising an eyebrow in did that get any points and grins, burying her head in one hand only a little over-dramatically. "You know, I should have just shut up and pretended I did know."
Teddy lifts their head and adds, more seriously, "But...yeaah, I think of the rent prices on ourwest coast and my brain just makes alarm noises, so I assume it's the same a little north." They smile, wry.
"So -- wait, art school. That's awesome. What kind of art are you into?"