The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Seven (Draft 3) "The Meaner Things in Life"

"I can crack a window."

Pam waved a hand. "Not complaining, but it does get funky in here now and then."

Morpheus laughed.

"You want to go out?"

"Now?"

Pam gave him a lopsided smile. "I nearly went to the movies, but I didn't feel like going alone."

"What do you wanna see? Is Aladdin out, yet?"

"The Disney movie?" Pam shook his head. "Closer to Thanksgiving. Dracula's out."

"He's a vampire."

Pam laughed. "Your upbringing, man."

"It was mostly cartoons and costume epics."

Pam beamed a smile. "You might like it."

"I might."

⁂

They'd walked over to a theater on 3rd Avenue and found lines at the box office and outside their auditorium. As they joined the end of the queue, Yara peered out from several places ahead and waved. Morpheus recognized her face and shape though she was dressed differently than when he'd seen her in costume. Her own hair was cropped close and dyed green and she wore a sienna colored leather blazer over a white tee, flared jeans, and platform boots.

"Hey, you," Pam said to her, stepping one foot out of the line. "You remember my friend Tyron?"

Yara looked up and smiled. "I almost didn't recognize you."

"My jewelry's silver today."

Pam laughed.

Yara's brow furrowed.

"It's just an in-joke," Pam said softly, "We didn't see you at the club that night."

"I ended up at my girlfriend's dorm."

A woman in the queue between them shifted aside.

Yara made a wide smile. "And Jules wouldn't have gone on his own."

"That's cool. We did happen to see his sister."

"Blade." There was a slight breathiness as if perhaps Yara had once had a crush on her friend's older sister, but her tight smile suggested Julien was even less likely to appear in public with Blade than alone.

"I hadn't realized they were related." Pam glanced to Morpheus. "But I guess some of his schoolmates talk."

Morpheus nodded.

"That's how we happened to hook up again." Yara gestured back toward the lobby. "My girlfriend's at Parsons."

Morpheus looked past Pam. He wasn't sure if Yara had pointed towards her girlfriend or Julien, until he saw him.

Julien walked from the direction of the concession stand carrying several paper cups.

"Another chance meeting?" River whispered from the folds of the skull-print scarf Morpheus had formed.

"It's not on purpose this time," Morpheus whispered.

Pam turned his head.

"Funny. Running into the same people. Again."

Before Julien reached them, he stopped and turned around. It looked like maybe he had forgotten something from concessions, until Morpheus noticed Athen in the lobby.

"I thought Lulu wasn't coming," Yara said under her breath.

The queue began to move.

"Yara." Pam lifted his chin.