The salter plays [Jade or Julien/Open]

[Jen Mitchellson]

Well, was this a crap day or what? Jen walked down the streets of Pilot Ridge somewhat briskly, pouting down at her cellphone, her cheeks puffed up, staring at the message she'd been looking at since morning. 

You've got to slow down, sweetie. 

Ugh. That was so totally unfair. So what if she thought it'd be funny to max her credit card with game points. She got so much stuff! Besides, she'd been bored and she lost the first time she tried the stupid game. And! And! they made those games for you to obviously buy lots of crap. So what if she'd already bought some comic books... and shoes. Ah, the shoes. Plus there were the special edition games and the pre-releases and the- Being a nerd was hard, okay?!

So now she was out of money. Well, out-ish. She still had her credit cards (thank you, daddy) and she obviously could still afford basic living necessities. She stopped, huffing again and turning away from her cellphone, placing it inside her jeans pocket and looking sideways. That's when a cute and delicious looking cake caught her eye. Her pout stopped and she broke a smile. You know what she needed? Chocolate. Lots of it. 


Entering the shop, Jen made her way to the nearest table. Sure, the place wasn't packed but it wasn't exactly alone either. Perfect balance, if you asked her. She sat, dropping herself on the chair as if it was actually a sofa. She puffed her cheeks again, looking around as she waited for someone to tend her. Her patience was slim though. Grabbing the salt shaker placed on the table, she started to play with it, making motions as if it was walking.


"I'm a big Mayor!" She said in a deep voice, "I'm rich and handsome and get everything I want. That's how you should be, sweetie. You're a Mitchellson! You get all you want!" She reached for the pepper and moved it as well, this time talking in a higher pitch, "Oh, darling! But Jenny is such a sweet child! She's not a fighter like you!" Again, the salt. "She's a Mitchellson! We're fighters! We're strong! We throw away our kids to the press and kick out the ones who bug us!" Now the sugar, "But daddy! I'm sad!" Yup, that was K. Salt again, "Gah! A bad feeling! Kill it with fire!" 


Jen smirked down at her little play and turned to the person in the next table. "Sorry, you mind lending me your sugar." Her smile widened, "Because I'm joining in with the family and I'm definitely sugar." 

[Julien Duval]

Julien had a hot chocolate beside him and a slice of chocolate cheesecake on the other side of him, his textbook right in front of him, eyes scanning the page, but not really taking in the words. He had a test in introduction to media coming up and while he wanted to believe that media was his calling, he still was a little bit nervous. Besides, it was an intro class, which meant all sorts of media were talked about, not just his interest in fim.

It was becoming increasingly harder to concentrate though, given the brunette that had walked in and seated herself at the table next to him. Not simply because she was just there, but because of what she was doing. He tried not to look up and glance at her with eyebrows raised as she talked in different voices to herself. But when he finally did and he saw the salt shaker in one hand and the pepper in the other, it made more sense. She was mocking her family. "Uhm, sure," he stammered at first. "Help yourself." He wondered what was making her so bitter about them. Julien missed his family for the most part. Even if Genevieve was a brat.

[Jen Mitchellson]

"Thanks!" She said with the same easy grin, stretching over his book to grab the sugar. She set it next to her rendition of Caelum and grinned. "This is my brother." She explained, nodding at the sugar. "Isn't he sweet?" Ha! Sugar puns. She picked her 'brother' and grinned down at it. "You have any brothers?" She wondered, not bothering to look up, considering she was only half listening.

"Well, this darling here is my mom and she- You know what? It's hard to talk like this." And, as if he wasn't a complete stranger, she stood from her table and moved to sit in his table, across of him. "So, this is my mom." She started explaining slowly, as if the subject was of utter importance. "The most important thing you have to know about her is that she's a total bitch." Yup, all said without any remorse or respect. "Daddy, though." She picked up the salt, "Daddy's the best. He gives... flavour to life, you know?" Salt puns. Somebody ought to stop her. She knew how lame she was being though and grinned.

"Wait a second, this is too weird, isn't it?" She nodded at her own words, "I mean, this total lunatic talks to shakers and then talks to you and it's all too crazy, am I right?" Then she rolled her eyes, pushing her hair back, "Ugh, I hate crazy people." Another joke of course and she smiled widely.

"I'm Jen." She said, "Jenny if you must. Please don't. And I'm obviously just saying this so I don't hit rock bottom and bitch to someone I don't know." Another grin, "And, you are?"

[Julien Duval]

As she reached over him and grabbed the sugar, Julien went back to his textbook, trying to concentrate once again, but she kept talking and continued to tell her which family member the sugar was. And then proceeded to make a pun, which he would have laughed at had he felt like that wouldn't be totally lame. Then again, she'd made the pun. "No," he answered. "Just a sister." She wasn't even looking at him as she spoke.

A moment later, she was sitting across from him, totally invading his space and he was kind of floored for that reason. Maybe it was an American thing, but he wouldn't complain anyway. It was a reason not to read his textbook. "Okay..." he said after she'd finished explaining the salt and pepper shakers and what they represented. "So we know why your dad is salt and your brother's sugar, but why is your mom pepper? And what are you?" Perhaps he was too invested in this girl's random performance with whatever was found on the table top, but then again, he wasn't invested in his reading and she seemed a lot more interesting. The interaction was making him want to take out his camera and film because it was so quirky, interesting, different. Maybe she was the salt adding flavor to his life.

The moment he'd thought that, he was glad he didn't say it aloud. "Nah, by all means throw it all out on the table." And then he grinned a moment later, realizing that he too had made a pun. She literally was...with the salt and pepper shakers and the sugar. He wanted to laugh even more this time. "Nah, not weird. I mean, it is...but I like weird." Everything was usually so boring. "It's not crazy, it's awesome." That was how he thought of it of course. Jen sitting down at his table with the intention of explaining her family with items found at the table was the most interesting thing to happen to him in a while.

"Julien," he replied. "Same with Jules. Don't."

[Jen Mitchellson]

A sister. Jen would've made a comment on that if she hadn't been so focused on her own little play. But it was usually like that with her, right? She had to be the centre of attention. And why the hell now when she was so adorable? Well, she thought so at least. But the thought stayed there for future questioning, more so because he seemed to be playing along, making her smile widen.

He was asking her what she was and she grinned again, "I told you. I'm sugar. Try to keep up." She picked up the sugar she'd taken and placed it next to her face, "See?" She pursed her lips as if she was posing for a picture and then grinned again, "Can't miss it." She shrugged and placed the sugar back to the table. "The sugar to your bitter coffee, baby." She let out a tiny laugh and moved to grab the pepper again. "As for my mom, oh she's pepper." She sighed, almost glaring at the pepper, "A bit too much and it makes you sneeze." Another shrug as she placed the pepper on the table. "That's why daddy left her."

He made a pun of his own and she laughed loudly, her grin widening. "Good one!" She said, "I'm feeling proud of you already and I don't even know you." And truly, it'd been cute. Jen always liked it when others followed through with her amusement and he was at least making her grin, which was a nice change of pace from the dullness that it was every day life.

He said he liked weird and she raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She leaned forward, nibbling on her lower lip for a moment, "Then I hit jackpot." It was meant to be flirty but it was an odd line even for her. Never the less, she still laughed at her own lameness. It was entertaining! Besides, he was pretty cute. "And please, don't stop with the compliments. Being awesome is my best quality." She fluttered her eyelashes playfully before grinning again as he gave her his name.

"Julien." She repeated with an air of importance, "That sounds fancy." She grinned again, "So tell me, Julien." She leaned further in on the table, resting her arms on it as she smiled at him. "Are you salt?"

[Julien Duval]

"I thought your brother was sugar," Julien replied in confusion. "Are you both sugar?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Is one of you fake sweetner?" He grinned, not insinuating anything about her or her brother in particular, or not meaning to, at least. He realized what had come out of his mouth had been clever, as well as dorky. The dorky part was fitting for him, but not the clever... He was surprised at himself.

He nodded at her explanation of why her mother was pepper. That made sense. And it was hilarious, these symbols she was using for her family, but at the same time, it seemed like she wasn't too happy with them, at least her mother in particular. Julien thought it was the opposite with his family. His parents wanted him to go back to France.

"Thanks," he told her, sheepishly. He wasn't used to coming up with stuff on a whim like that and was glad he'd managed. This girl was so dynamic in how she spoke, moved and acted in general. She radiated energy. It was exciting.

"Uh, yeah. I think you did." Well, that was an awkward response. "If more people came up to me like this and acted how you did, I think I'd find life much more exciting."

"Ah, yeah...it's uh, French," he mumbled. She hadn't made a comment about his accent, which pleased him so far. Kailin hadn't either as most girls did. And then she asked him if he was salt and he suddenly felt like he was under a lot of pressure. Did he bring flavor to life? He was sure he knew the answer to that, and while he wished that he did bring flavor to life, he didn't think he did. Oh, how he wanted to be salt. He wanted to be salt so badly. He almost felt as if his answer would dictate if she continued to stay and talk to him. She definitely brought flavor to life. She was salt, even if she said she was sugar. No...she was some sort of spice. Man, he didn't know much about cooking and spices.

"I uh, I don't think so," he admitted, as if it was a huge deal, but it really was to him. He wanted to be so much more interesting of a person.

[Jen Mitchellson]

"We both are of course." She said. He mentioned fake sweetener and her smile froze. Could he see behind her act? Jen let out an awkward laugh at the joke, "I hope not!" She said between laughs, although she was sure if she was anything on that table, fake sweetener was certainly it. But he couldn't have known that, right? Just by seeing her? Jen was smart! She was a great actress, the perfect liar. Why did he say that? Despite her thoughts, Jen was still grinning widely, acting interested, although she wasn't sure whether she was pretending or not. He looked all cute, flustered by her presence and she liked it when people reacted that way. It meant she had their attention and what was better than that?

As they moved on from their conversation of her family, and she was glad, he made his own pun and she smiled at his reaction. Wasn't he just adorable? "You want excitement, uh?" She nibbled on her lower lip and leaned forward on the table. "What kind of excitement?" She gave a slight shrug, "You want to... add whipped cream to a salad just to see what it tastes like?" She'd done that. "You want to... jump down a plane in a parachute?" No way in hell she was ever going to do that. "Or you want to... meet a crazy girl who can turn your world upside down?" Her grin widened as she waited for his answer.

Ah so he was french. No kidding, with that hot accent. "Wow, French." She said, acting impressed, "Is it true that French men make the best lovers? Or is that just bad reputation?" Maybe she was flirting a bit too hard there, but she'd been bored and he was cute and... no, that was it. He was cute and she'd been bored. No more reasons needed.

He said he wasn't salt and her smile turned gentle. He wasn't salt, there was no way, she'd known that. But it was fun to tease him, plus it made their little game a bit more entertaining. "No, you aren't." She said, waving a hand and pushing the salter away, "Salt's too simple for you. You seem more... complicated." She grinned, "Deeper, right?" Her eyes went down to the book on the table and she smiled widely, "Smart. Attractive. Sweet, but not too much. Something romantic." She leaned back on her chair and thinking deeply, with a playful frown on her face as she tapper her chin with one finger, "What could you be? Something tasteful, of course. A french man can be nothing short of tasteful and rich." Her eyes went back to the table and she lost her thoughtful expression.

"Chocolate!" She said with some sort of excitement, though she wasn't sure it was real of she'd gotten lost in her performance. "You're totally chocolate."

[Julien Duval]

Well, color him flustered. Extremely flustered. Which meant his face was turning red the more Jen talked.

"Oh, okay," he agreed. Both sugar. "Just thought maybe one of you was Splenda or Sweet and Low or something..." He shrugged, as if to say that it wasn't a big deal and he hadn't meant anything by it.

"Yeah," he replied. He'd always wanted excitement. He made a face at her suggestion of whipped cream on salad. Surely that was odd and in no way something he wanted to try. And then jump off of a plane? Julien's eyes widened. "Uhh," he stammered, not so sure he could handle that kind of excitement which sounded more terrifying than anything. "I think the third one is closest to the kind of excitement I like. Just something beyond everyday life. You know, people just walking around stuck in their daily routines, the same thing over and over again. It gets so old." He didn't want to film that!

French men made the best lovers? He didn't understand the connection from that to it being a bad reputation. At all. And so he just mumbled, "I don't know."

"I'm not?" he asked. She talked so fast, moved from one subject to the next. He hadn't expected her to agree with him. He was simple though. He wanted to tell her that, that there was nothing too interesting about him, even if he wanted there to be. She was describing who he wanted to be. "I'm not exactly--" he'd started, before she'd blurted out 'Chocolate!' as if it was an epiphany.

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen's playful smile turned the slightest bit sweeter, if that was possible. There was something about this shy guy that made her want to see what was underneath all that flustering. They said shy guys hid inner beasts and she was more than willing to see that happen. He stammered with everything she said and her smile grew wider. So cute. But he wasn't exactly flirting back, and that was quite the turn off. So Jen used a hand to rest her chin on as they (alright, she) came up with the conclusion of him being chocolate. She fell quiet, smiling at him gently. What could she do to bring him out of his shell?

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" She asked playfully, still staring at him. His face was all red, poor guy, and she was enjoying every second of it. Except for the not flirting part. She's never flirted with a guy, single or not, who never flirted back! She was going to have to pull out the big guns. She stretched out a hand and placed it on top of his and her smile turned gentler. "I agree with you, you know?" She said, her thumb caressing his hand, "About life getting dull. That's why I kind of like living in my own little world." She grinned, "With salt shakers and sugar." Her smile turned playful, "Perhaps with a little chocolate." She winked, hoping to get a reaction from him.

[Julien Duval]

"Uh, sort of," Julien admitted when she asked the obvious question. It wasn't so much uncomfortable, but rather just out of his element, which he supposed made him uncomfortable. Julien tried his hardest to get along with all people, but many were very different in personality from him and while he found himself completely and utterly intrigued by Jen, he also felt lost as how to act.

Before he could say anything else, her hand was resting on his on the table and he just looked down at it for a moment just as her thumb started to move in circles. "I live on my own world sometimes...but even then I don't feel as if it's too exciting." He couldn't even create a world for himself that wasn't dull. Great. Even if Jen seemed to think life was dull, life didn't seem to think that of her. "Sounnds like an interesting world," he told her. "I mean, assuming I'm invited, since I'm chocolate and all."

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen smiled, leaning her chin on her hand as she stared at him. So he admitted it, which was surprising since most people weren't that honest about their reactions to her craziness. "Well, no need to be shy, Julien. I'm nothing but a simple girl..." She was obviously not, so she winked playfully. "And I'm certainly not that crazy. I just like to see how people react to silliness." Well, wasn't she being honest for a change? But she truly felt interested in this guy. He wasn't hitting on her, for starters, which was the best thing he could've done, considering how hard she flirted back with men. And he wasn't actually spoiling her, following along her games in competition like so many did. He did his own thing and, for someone so accustomed to lie and pretend, that was a tad weird to Jen, which instantly made him interesting.

He started talking as she'd hoped he would and she looked down in thought as he spoke. Well, wasn't he a tad depressing? That wouldn't do. She wanted to see him smile and she certainly was going to get him to do so. Jen always got what she wanted after all.

"And how is it?" She asked, "Your world. How are people there?" She was curious, since his little world would be full of his desires and knowing would give her enough information to figure out how to make him come out of his shell. Oh, that was it! He was just like a cute turtle, hiding his head in fear. She nibbled on her lower lip, listening to him. "Now, I'm sure that's not true. Dreams are always exciting. Like-" She grinned, "If you could have something right now, anything at all, what would it be?"

She laughed then, "Of course you are!" She said, "I wouldn't have said so, right? Trust me, no girl refuses chocolate." She winked again. "Besides, we still need to figure out what I am. I'm starting to think sugar doesn't suit me, right?" She leaned forward, still holding his hand. "What would you say I am?" Hey, just because she was interested in him and he sort of pulled the almost inexistent emotional bone she had didn't mean she didn't like attention from cute guys.

[Julien Duval]

"You don't seem so simple," Julien commmented immediately. She couldn't be. That's why he found her so refreshing, so enthralling. Simple did not make your day exciting, it made it...simple. And boring. "That's....rathe interesting actually," he'd said to her wanting to see the reaction to how people reacted to her silliness. Julien never thought to act a certain way just to see how people around him would react, then again, he didn't really know how to act. He wanted to be a film maker, someone behind the camera, not in front of it. He didn't do the acting, he just watched it happen. And that's what he was doing right now. And Jen was quite the amusing actress.

"I don't know," he mumbled at first and then he tried to actually think about it. "People there...they just do things. They don't think about how people would react, they just...act out their desires, no matter what they are. And they don't have an issue with spontaneous happenings. They embrace them. I can pan my camera around and everyone is doing something different, there's so much to see..." He realized he'd been rambling and patted the camera bag on the table. "I uh...I film," he muttered.

"What would it be? I don't know....for something bizzare to happen. Someone to just walk through that door and make me want to take out my video camera." Maybe it sounded lame. He shrugged.

She was right about no girl refusing chocolate. It was what his father bought his mother whenever she was slightly upset at him and while it always didn't immediately fix the situation, she always accepted the gift. "What you are? Oh, uh...no. I mean, I don't think you're sugar. Not that not being sugar is a bad thing." His eyebrows knitted together, slightly confused at his own words. Her hand was still in his as he mulled over what he would say she was. "Paprika?" he guessed. "Guess I need to learn more about you to really classify that. But you strike me as...spicy?"

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen blinked in surprise. She knew she wasn't simple, but apparently this guy didn't get sarcasm. It was rather... sweet? She wasn't sure, but she still smiled. Maybe it was because she liked the attention. He truly seemed interested in her, which was odd. Most guys just waited for her to turn so they could stare at her butt. Not actually want to see what shenanigans she could come up with.

He started talking about his word and she leaned forward, listening to him talk. He had a great accent, so it was hard to not want to listen to him talk. Ah, there was something about french men... But he was talking! "Oh, so you're artistic too. Gotta add that to the chocolate list." She winked at him, although she wasn't sure he would get she was flirting anymore. "And I'm not camera worth it?" She wondered she asked, placing a finger next to her smile, trying to look innocent, but soon enough she was grinning widely again. "You don't think I'm cute enough for it?" Not that she cared. She'd been on T.V. before, when she'd been a kid. She'd hated it. Sure, it'd been a campaign and had to wear those warm dresses in such hot weathers. Maybe acting would be different. Well, she was good at pretending... Nah. She wouldn't dare try it. The fear of failing would be too great and, seriously, how many women wanted to end up in front of the camera? Just thinking about wishing that for herself made her feel so generic.

But then they went back to her previous game and she smiled at his answer. "Paprika! I like that." She said, and stared at him with a lazy smile, "So, you think I'm spicy? Or maybe... hot?" And again with the flirting. But flirting was safe! Jen was used to be looked at, be attractive, not... listened to. So this was weird and different for her, and the fact that such a serious guy was giving her that was just... She wasn't sure she liked it or not. Seriousness was not her thing, then again, she did like different.

[Julien Duval]

"Well, yeah, I guess it could be seen as artistic," Julien mused, although he just loved looking through the lens of a camera and capturing life as it was happening. Sure he enjoyed photography as well, but video had movement...and there was just something about that...

"Oh, you're plenty worthy of the camera," he assured her. "I didn't mean to say that you were not. I've actually wanted to take it out quite a few times." He had to admit that. "You're not like most people I meet. You prompted the attention to be on you...with what you were doing, with the salt and pepper shakers and all. And...I don't know, there's something about that. I don't feel like you were doing it to get attention, but rather just because it's what you wanted to do." He shrugged. Of course, what he felt wasn't always true. Maybe she did want attention from the boy with the camera, who didn't understand she was flirting with him.

"Yeah, Paprika," he said again, coming to terms with his answer. "Spicy works. I mean, you seem to bring a bold flavor. Not like salt," he explained further. "I suppose spicy and hot are interchangable." He'd heard people throw around that word in high school to describe people they thought were attractive, something about America he never quite understood.

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen's smile widened. "Well, why don't you take it out then? I can be whomever you want me to be." As if to prove that she playfully changed expression, turning cold and smirking at him, "I think I'd make a pretty good villain, or how about-" Her face turned different then, her eyes widening and her lower lip plucking slightly out in a mocked pout, "The innocent little girl who'll get murdered in the first scene." She winked at him, since she was playing and leaned back on her sit.

But then he started talking about her and her expression changed. She looked shocked for a second, before smiling awkwardly. Not an usual expression on Jen. She was taken aback at his honesty. Did she really appear that way to others? "How do you know that?" She asked in a low voice, smiling although feeling watched, "Are you-" She leaned forward again, as close as the table would let her and whispered her next question, "Are you a meta?" It wasn't that far fetched, considering where they lived. "Do you have psychic powers or something? like...did you just read my mind?" Maybe he had. She hadn't particularly wanted attention, although she welcomed it, but she'd been angry at her parents and that'd been a great way of venting. And now here he was, describing her as if he knew her, as if he'd seen what she kept secret from others. Sure, she liked having fun and she was playful, so she didn't mind it much. But if he'd seen that, maybe he would catch up on other things she didn't want anyone to figure out.

And he was describing her to have a bold flavour. Well, she couldn't help but smile at that. "Paprika." She repeated again as if the word would leave the spicy flavour behind, "I think i really like that." He didn't catch on her previous flirting, but that didn't stop her. "Do you think it'd go well with chocolate?"