[color=green]"Hi, Zasha."[/color] Clay said dryly. His disdain for the ponytailed boy wasn't as strong as his voice let on, but he wasn't impassioned about the idea of being his friend. There was something oddly wholesome about Zasha that rubbed him the wrong way, regardless of their past.

[center][color=mediumpurple]"Heh, sounds like a sitcom don't it?"[/color][/center]
Clay nodded, pulling half of a cigarette he had saved in his pocket and hanging it from the corner of his mouth. He leaned back onto the table Zasha sat at, pulling out a matchbox.

A sitcom. Of course that's the reference Zasha would pull; shame on Kimmy for expecting something less mundane to fall out of his mouth.

[color=ed145b]"And where do you feature, Vasiliev?"[/color] she asked, tiliting her head-- cocking a brow: the picture of mock-curiosity. 

[color=ed145b]"Wait, let me guess. You're the endearingly, bumblingly useless, nosy sitcom neighbor? Or maybe the obnoxious mother in law?"[/color] She glanced at Clay-- smiled at him. Smug. Tipped her head toward the boy who'd taken a seat at the table despite being perfectly univited. [color=ed145b]"He is the spitting image Grandma Ethyl."[/color]

[color=green]"Zasha can be the main guy bad stuff happens to."[/color] He nodded at one of the girls passing by, trying to give one of them his best pouty lips. [color=green]"Like, uh. Richie Cunningham. I'll be the cool guy with the catchphrases."[/color] He stood up from his spot and flipped his collar up, giving Kimmy a thumbs up. [color=green]"Like The Fonz."[/color]

[color=mediumpurple]"Aww, Main Character billing? That's sweet, Clay. Don't sell yourself short though, you'd make a pretty good chump-protagonist yourself."[/color]

Zasha returned fire with a smile on his face, inclining his head towards Kimmy next. [color=mediumpurple]"I like to think I'm the quirky side character that shows up once an episode to be weird. That guy always seems like he's having the most fun of anybody, doesn't he? For you though, I'd have to say..."[/color]

Zasha stops for a moment to make a show of thinking, putting his hand to his chin and making a loud humming sound. After a suitably long moment he removes his hand from his chin with a snap of his fingers. [color=mediumpurple]"Like a tiny asian Mimi Bobeck. Plenty of sass to go around. Just need the eyeliner to match the lip gloss."[/color]

[color=ed145b]"You know, that does fit."[/color] Kimmy nods, [color=ed145b]"I've always thought Mimi had a spunk. Long as we're sharing? I always get a Kramer vibe from you-- only thing stops the perfect match is his hair, I think. His makes more sense than yours."[/color] She tapped her chin-- hummed a quiet, thinking sound.
 
[color=ed145b]"So does his wardrobe actually."[/color] Kimmy glanced down-- barely bit back a sneer at the technicolor frog splashed across the kid's shirt. [color=eb145f]"And he's got a bit more of a head on his shoulders..."[/color] She shrugged, conceding the failings of the parallel. [color=ed145b]"But similar, sure."[/color]

Zasha gives a loud chuckle at that, failing to keep his composure in the face of such a good counter. He waved his hands in defeat towards Kimmy, a big grin on his face and an entertained twinkle in his eyes.. [color=mediumpurple]"Aaah, that's good stuff, Kimmy. Truly the sass-master. Hell, you could probably give Mimi a run for her money."[/color]

He turned to Clay, nodding in Kimmy's direction. [color=mediumpurple]"You want to be the catch-phrase guy, you should definitely learn a thing or two from her."[/color]

When Josh realized Zasha wasn’t by his side anymore. He experienced a quick panic attack. His excuse for being there was Zasha, he was hanging out with Zasha. But if he was to be seen all alone, well, then everybody would know that he was just trying to fit in with the top guys. And then everybody would think that he’s just a moron.  

He turned around desperately looking for Zasha. When he saw him he couldn’t help but curse.

[color=red]“Oh, shit,”[/color] he said in a low voice. He saw his friend sitting to a table at the other side of the table section. [color=red]“Fuck, Zasha, fuck,”[/color] He was talking to Clay and Kimmy (and by the looks of it, kimmy was kicking his ass) and as it seemed, he wasn’t having the greatest time ever. All wrapped up in a I-don’t-fucking-want-to-go-talk-to-these-two mood, he started walking towards the table where his friend and the other two were chatting.

[color=red]"Hey man, I completely lost track of you"[/color] he said to Zasha. [color=red]"What do you say if we get going. It's getting kind of late. Plus the mall is about to close up, I think."[/color]

Zasha blinks, looking over to the suddenly arriving Josh. After a moment he shrugged, gesturing towards Clay and Kimmy. [color=mediumpurple]"Yeah, I was just chattin while you were doing your thing. It's that late already though? Guess time flies and all that."[/color] He stood up, pushing the chair back into place. Zasha nodded towards Kimmy and Clay, then towards the vague direction of the mall exit. [color=mediumpurple]"Feel like heading out together? Pretty sure we're all going the same way."[/color]

[color=ed145b]"We're going the same way, all the way to the only exit on this side of the mall? So we should walk together?"[/color] Kimmy chirped, clapping her hands. [color=ed145b]"Golly gee, isn't [i]that[/i] a plan!"[/color]

She let a measure of spite curl around the thin veneer of glee she'd plated her voice with-- leveled a glance Zasha's way. [color=ed145b]"Here [i]I[/i] was going to suggest that Clay and I left here, while you and yours [i]took a hike[/i]."[/color] She rolled her eyes. Adjusted her backpack. [color=ed145b]"Thank God we have your big brain around."[/color]

Clay was less... [i]enthusiastic[/i] with his response to Zasha's idea. [color=green]"Mhm."[/color] He pulled his beaten up green phone out of his jacket pocket, and began trying to unlock it. [color=green]"Want me to call a ride, Kimmy?"[/color] He said, tapping a few buttons.

[color=mediumpurple]"Sounds good to me, but Kimmy's the girl over there, remember?"[/color] Zasha interjected before Kimmy had a chance to respond.

Clay stared at Zasha for a moment, with an expression somewhere between insult and surprise; Kimmy glared at him mostly with the former. [color=green]"Call Keira."[/color] He said into his phone, still keeping his eyes focused on Zasha, who was still smiling at his own joke. That Kimmy wound up stomping on one of Zasha's toes as she jumped up from the table was [i]totally[/i] accidental-- not at [i]all[/i] a pointed effort to wipe that grin off his face. That would be [i]rude[/i].

[hr]

[color=yellow]"So tell me,"[/color] Keira said, switching her phone to her other shoulder, bending her neck as to pin the small but imported iPhone to keep it from falling and to let her opposite shoulder relax. With one hand she cradled a pumpkin spice coffee and her keys. In her other she stabilized her backpack. [color=yellow]"What do we have? I heard it was a Tyrannosaur but no one was telling me anything besides that."[/color]

[i][color=PeachPuff]"Well, I'm looking at it now. We haven't broken it out of the boxes yet but it's labeled 'Lythronax'. Latin for 'Gore King'."[/color][/i]

Keira's initial reaction was to stop. Tyrannosaurs, like any red blooded american, were her favorite large genus of carnivore and she was getting the oppertunity to work on one very special species.

[color=yellow]"No fuckin' way!"[/color], Keira said a little too loud, causing a small family walking across the street to give her dirty looks. With the small child asking what the word 'fuck' meant. She smiled sheepishly and continued walking. [color=yellow]"So tell me, what's her name? What do we have of her?"[/color]

[i][color=PeachPuff]"Well, we have the back, head, a pretty good portion of the ribs and tail, and the legs are a complete set. We're looking at 65-75% completion here. Hard to get a size estimate but we could be looking at eight to nine meters. One of the best finds around. We wont be the only ones on the cleaning job but..."[/color][/i]

Her phone beeped. She was getting another call. She was popular today.

[color=yellow]"Shit, sorry Mike, I'm getting another call. I'll call you back about this later tonight."[/color]

[i][color=PeachPuff]"Yeah, that works. See you."[/color][/i]

She shouldered her backpack and took her phone into her free hand to end the call and switch to the other line. A call from Clay. She didn't get those often. At least not anymore.

[color=yellow]"Yeah-- hey. Sorry for the wait, what's the deal, Clay?"[/color]

[i][color=green]"Hey. Can you pick me and Kimmy up from the mall?  It's b--"[/color]
[color=mediumpurple]"And Zasha and Josha!"[/color]
[color=ed145b]"Just Zasha's[/color][/i] [color=ed145b]corpse[i]."[/i][/color]

[color=yellow]"What fuck?"[/color]

[i][color=green]"[b]Not Zasha and Josh.[/b]"[/color][/i]

[color=yellow]"You have the stealth of a retarded bull made of megaphones in a fine china shop."[/color]

[i][color=green]"The fuck's a retardable made of megaphones? Anyway, can you swing me a ride? [/color][/i]

[color=yellow]"Yeah same. I'll be there in a few."[/color]

[i][color=green]"Thanks, butt stallion."[/color][/i]

[color=yellow]"I'm going to kill you while you sleep."[/color]