06 && what was your name again?

[maka albarn]

Lilly slid her laptop into it's case and slipped her computer-bag strap over her shoulder. Breathing a sigh, she set out across the massive conference hall, taking the long way around chattering crowds of programmers, students, and curious bystanders.
It was the last day of the gaming Expo. The event's organizers (all big names in gaming and design) always set this afternoon aside for young programmers trying to share their work, make connections, or find a mentor.
Shifting her computer-bag, Lilly looked back on her presentation. "What do you have for us, Miss..." The programmer had leaned over her station, glancing at her name tag, "...O'Brien?" And Lilly had explained. An atmospheric, story-driven role-playing game for PC, the product of six months' hard work. Overall impression? The programmer (and the few other professionals who examined her work) had liked her concepts, liked the aesthetic. There were some structural problems she had to fix. Overall, though, the presentation had gone well.
Walking alone, Lilly listened to her echoing footsteps. Her eyes darkened. It had taken a whole day of steeling herself and scraping up her courage to suggest that her father might come with her to the Expo. All of that just to hear, "I have a four o'clock meeting with Mr. Genaux. Tell me about your performance when you return, Lillium."
Lilly stopped next to a table with a few dispensers for coffee and tea, and absent-mindedly stuck a cup under a spigot. Lost in her gloomy reflections, she didn't notice the stranger approaching until he was close enough to speak.

OOC: still not the best post. :P sorry

[✖STRIDE✖]

Elliot had never been very good with direct conversation or contact with others. But he had come to the expo interested in the types of people that might be coming into the wonderful world of games and programming. And for the most part he was very disappointed in what he saw. Most of them were either very insecure about themselves, to the point that they stammered in their own presentations, or they were arrogant and felt themselves at a higher level of intelligence then everyone else. Elliot absolutely hated those kind of people. While he himself had been blessed with a wealthy background, he didn't go around throwing it in everyone's faces. And even though he was the main mastermind behind the BOW game in general, he had brought in enough people that he trusted to make sure the game ran smoothly. Those were the people that got the credit. He was simply an administrator that came in when necessary. 

Of course he did enjoy watching the players flounder through the game. It was quite entertaining. The point was that they enjoyed floundering through the game themselves. It was challenging enough to require critical, creative, and analytical thinking, but easy enough to understand causing it to be one of the most popular games on the market. He did his job well, he had to think to himself. However, the popularity was not something he wanted and so he had left his name off the credit line. That didn't mean, however, that he was simply willing to just allow his game to be owned by someone else. No way. It belonged to the Carmichael gaming company "LINES." It was something that Elliot himself had requested his father create and he used this company to sell several different games. But none were as popular as BOW was. This was simply because Elliot himself had done the coding and designing. 

Anyway, back to the expo. There was one girl he saw, however, that caught his eye. He didn't approach her for the entirety of the expo conference. Possibly because he was debating with himself. He watched her from a distance. Observing her performance and the responses of the critics carefully. There was a moment when a man he had worked with several times before, had come to her station and began to more or less criticize her work in a very rude manor. He watched as she dealt very well with him, though the man hadn't stood in front of her post for long. Elliot shook his head in deep irritation. He hated that man dearly, but was quite impressed with her response toward him. What really caught his eye, was that she didn't act like an "all knowing" person. In fact, she had accepted criticism given by professionals and drank up every detail she could from those around her. She had come here to learn, not to show off. That was what he noticed most about her.

After the presentation time he just knew that he had to speak with her. As the expo came to a close, he watched her pack up her bag and then make her way over to the drink stand to get some coffee. She appeared wiped out and maybe even a little disappointed. He wasn't sure why, as she had a good run, although this was the last day of an expo and so was sure that she could just be quite exhausted from the long day. Even so... 

It took him a moment before he stood up from his seat on the side to walk up to the drink station beside her. He went straight for the tea. He wasn't a complicated person when it came to getting a drink. Coffee was for those who needed quick energy. Tea was for those who needed energy, but created a calmer atmosphere and relaxed a person under stress. He grabbed a mint bag of tea, easy on the stomach, and put some hot water into the tea. "You don't want coffee." He said to her, whether she would understand he was talking to her or not. "Tea will relax your nerves and bring your energy right back." He made a tea that he was used to making for himself. It wasn't as strong though, and placed it in front of the girl named O'Brien. "Here, try this. It'll make you feel a lot better. By the way, you pulled a good run today. I was impressed." 

On days like this, Elliot wore very casual types of clothes to help him blend into the crowd. He normally didn't care to come into direct contact with many of the people who came, so he didn't want to be recognized as someone important. 

[maka albarn]

"You don't want coffee." Lilly looked up. A stranger - a young guy in casual clothes - stood next to her, pouring hot water into a cup. Steam curled up from it's brim, wispy white. The smell of mint - green and sweet - wafted through the air. The young man set the cup down in front of her. "Here, try this. It'll make you feel a lot better. By the way, you pulled a good run today. I was impressed."

Lilly picked up the cup. "Thank you." There was a faint note of surprise in her voice. Lilly lifted the cup to her face and blew gently across the top. Tiny ripples stirred the pale green liquid.
Years of doing things on her own, of splintered relationships and her own reluctance to give trust, had made Lilly cautious. So... who was this guy? A fellow programmer? A quick glance showed no name-tag or identification: he probably wasn't staff. Heat from the tea warmed her hands. Well. He was probably a student programmer.

Even with all her reasonable caution, the stranger's kind gesture and encouragement had helped to lighten her gray mood. Kindness - real kindness - always stood out to her as something precious. And, sometimes, hard to find. Lilly took a sip of tea. I wonder... do I really look like I need something to make me feel better? Is it that obvious?

"I don't remember seeing you earlier. Were you here to make a presentation?"

[✖STRIDE✖]

"I don't remember seeing you earlier. Were you here to make a presentation?"

He didn't respond right away, not because he was acting suspicious, more because he was almost finished with making his own, much stronger, tea. He enjoyed perfection. And perfection required his full attention. Elliot had heard what she'd said of course. He wouldn't leave her hanging. But Elliot was the type of person to take his time. He hated to rush anything. Rushing ruined the quality. Finally having made his own tea, he walked and sat down at the nearest table, gesturing for her to sit down across from him. 

He took a sip from his tea, savoring the flavor, and then he looked back at Lilly, having already assumed that she would follow suit and sit next to him. He could see that she was wary of him, but that was understandable as he was a random person whom had just come up to her and given her a drink. But he brushed that off carefully. Not in a way that showed he didn't care, but rather he kept himself relaxed, hopefully helping her to relax as well. It wasn't the easiest for Elliot Carmichael to do as he wasn't the most social person himself, but he had learned quite a lot about human behavior and reaction to atmosphere. 

"No, I didn't do a presentation this year. I'm sort of an intern and I came to see who would be in the rings this year. I'm simply here to watch. Although, I wasn't all together impressed with the attitude of more then half of the presenters this year. But I can't blame them. Its difficult to get noticed by a critic. Especially one of Dillion Galvon's standards. And I have to say, you really showed him great confidence. You shouldn't let idiots like him tell you about your work or bring you down. Its not even worth it." 

He glanced at her for a moment and then at her backpack. "Oh yeah, I was just wondering. I know the Expo is over, but would it be alright if I took a look at your game? I saw it from afar, but didn't get a chance to check out it's details."

[maka albarn]

The stranger finished making his own tea, then walked to a table and sat down, inviting her to do the same. Lilly stayed where she was for a second, thinking. Well. She did have time to talk. Nobody needed her at home. Without a doubt, her dad had gone straight from the meeting to his office and her mother was at some tux-and-gown dinner party. There was nowhere else she needed to be and, Lilly realized, nowhere else she really wanted to be. Besides. She was curious to hear what he wanted to say. Carrying her cup, Lilly walked to the table and slid into a chair.

"No, I didn't do a presentation this year. I'm sort of an intern and I came to see who would be in the rings this year... "
Lilly sipped her tea. Sort of an intern. I wonder what that means...
Before she could ask, he commented on the attitude of the other presenters. Lilly furrowed her brow. She had been too preoccupied with her own presentation to pay much attention to anyone else. Come to think of it, though, she had overheard some brash comments and over-confident pitches. For some presenters, it was easy to mistake bragging for healthy self-confidence.
" Its difficult to get noticed by a critic. Especially one of Dillion Galvon's standards. And I have to say, you really showed him great confidence....you shouldn't let idiots like him tell you about your work or bring you down. it's not even worth it."
Dillion Galvon. Lilly remembered him right away. And the memory wasn't a pleasant one. From the moment he learned over her station to the moment he told her that in ten years she might produce something valuable, Lilly had felt the self-confidence oozing right out of her. Staying poised while Galvon dissected and nitpicked had been tough. Still, it surprised her to hear the stranger describe Galvon as an idiot. Lilly gave a short laugh. "Thanks. I get the impression that building confidence isn't Galvon's strong suit. He was right about my programming flaws, but...he also tore into a few ideas i knew were good. At least," she hesitated, "they seem good to me." There was a brief silence.

"Oh yeah, I was just wondering. I know the Expo is over, but would it be alright if I took a look at your game? I saw it from afar, but didn't get a chance to check out it's details." This came as a bit of a surprise. For a minute, Lilly thought about it, looking over the brim of her cup at the young man. Throughout their conversation, she had remained wary, but his relaxed demeanor and the way he spoke and carried himself seemed straightforward. No red flags were going up. Lilly considered the possible problems that could stem from showing this guy her work (like, getting something stolen) then decided that the risk was negligible.
"Sure." Lilly grabbed her laptop. Moved to a seat on the other side of the table. Set up her game. In a few minutes, she was explaining the basics of the game, and demonstrating some gameplay. "it's not finished, of course..." Lilly glanced at the sort-of-intern programmer, curious and (Galvon's commentary still playing in her head) a little anxious about his opinion.

[✖STRIDE✖]

Elliot didn't really respond when she spoke about Galvon not being good with lifting people up. For he knew that it was more then that, but spreading rumors wasn't his thing. He just happened to know that Galvon had his own personal grudge against Elliot whether he knew it was Elliot who created BOW or not. He was certainly jealous of all those who were better then him. And looking at the rookie programmer's unfinished game definitely proved that. It may not have been brilliant or worthy of a prodigy name. But there was definitely potential here to be a great programmer and a famous game creator. Galvon should be afraid of her. He didn't know why none of the other programmers didn't pick her up as an apprentice or student. It was possibly because of some of the mistakes and coding hiccups that Elliot continued to come across within the gameplay. But those were easy to fix. As long as she was willing to learn and understood coding she would be fine. What a Programmer really needed was an imagination and a creative mind. Without that there was no potential at all. And this certainly was a creative idea.

As he explored the game Elliot was extremely quite for a critic. Usually they would give advice and suggestions through out the gameplay if one was interested. However, the only indication that Elliot was actually interested in the game was the fact that he continued to just sit there and play it. He didn't even so much as wince when it glitched or he found some other error. He had to force himself not to go into the coding and fix the errors and glitches himself, but he was a firm believer in finishing what one has started. If he fixed her game for her, then she could not become better at programming. If she didn't learn how to do it herself then she wouldn't live up to her full potential. But that didn't mean she couldn't have a little bit of help and shoves along the way.

Finally he leaned back in his chair and just stared at the game with a blank expression. It was a long couple of moments before he spoke again. "It's been a long time since I've seen a concept as interesting as this one. You shouldn't let people who are jealous bring you down. There are a few coding glitches and errors, but nothing you can't learn or fix. I-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence when another teen about his age came running up and said, "Hey Carmichael!, I've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been? I didn't invite you so that you could do your little solo act like the good vampire you are." With that the teen chuckled at his own joke. "And why you in the programming area? Dude, me and my bro have been looking everywhere for you, ya know?"

Elliot flinched and lifted his hand to hide eyes for a moment. An enormous sigh escaped his lips as he turned away from the screen and Miss O'brian. "Blass you freaked idiot. Do you have to go throwing my name around?"

"Yes! Of course I do! Its funny to watch you squirm under it's totally awesome power!" Then he chuckled and waved his hand in dismissal. "Chill Elliot. No one's gonna-- *gasp* who's your adorable little friend?"

[maka albarn]

Lilly explained the basics of the game, then sat back and let him play. It was hard not to glance at him, to see his expression. She wouldn't admit it to anyone else (she barely acknowledged it to herself) but some of Galvon's words had cut deep. In the back of her mind, she could still hear him talking. His comments about her coding errors and bad ideas made her self-conscious about her work. But that wasn't what stung. An error was an error: if you didn't know about it, you couldn't work toward something better. No, what really got under her skin were Galvon's sly remarks about her general lack of ability and talent. Lilly hated being told that her abilities were lacking. Hated being told that, no matter how hard she worked, her efforts would never quite measure up.

Lilly analyzed her game as she watched the screen. There were some good concepts. Some of the visuals had turned out. She was still proud of some of her work. All the same, she cringed at the coding flaws: they all seemed glaring to her now. Mistakes are natural for someone who is still learning: but, Lilly still wished that she could have fixed the code before anyone else played her game. The intern's silence was a little disconcerting. Did he dislike the game? Lilly shrugged. Maybe, maybe not. He didn't strike her as the expressive type: even if he liked a game, it probably wouldn't be easy to tell. Glancing at his face, his expression was as blank as new snow. The game demo drew to a close. Lilly suddenly remembered her tea and took a sip. It was cold.

"It's been a long time since I've seen a concept as interesting as this one. You shouldn't let people who are jealous bring you down. There are a few coding glitches and errors, but nothing you can't learn or fix. I-"
"Hey Carmichael!"
Lilly looked from the intern to the exuberant kid shouting at him, and saw the intern flinch and put his hand to his face. Carmichael. Why did that sound so familiar...
"Blass you freaked idiot. Do you have to go throwing my name around?"
"...Chill Elliot. No one's gonna-- *gasp* who's your adorable little friend?"
Lilly raised her eyebrows at the "adorable little friend" comment. Then the name clicked.
"Wait. Carmichael...as in...Elliot Carmichael? You're Elliot Carmichael?" Lilly felt a blush spread across her face. She bit her tongue, embarrassed by that little outburst. The pleasant surprise of being complemented on her game had been completely overthrown by a sudden shyness and skepticism. She'd been talking to a member of the Carmichael family this whole time?
Lilly was so stunned, it took her a minute to respond to Blass's question. "Oh. Uh... I'm Lilly O'Brien... I made a presentation. Here. Today."

[✖STRIDE✖]

"Wait..." In that moment Elliot knew what was coming and he shied away from it by switching his attention to his own tea. It always happened like this. It was why he didn't go throwing his own name around or go out in public much in general, especially with the Geroux's. He hated it when people acted like it was the most amazing thing in the entire world to meet him. Like... The world just ended because they did meet him. "Carmichael...as in...Elliot Carmichael? You're Elliot Carmichael?" He didn't answer right away. In fact he left her hanging for awhile when she turned her attention back to Blass Geroux. Honestly, he wished he were in his room right now working on the new game idea he had been planning for several months now. Of course he was no where near finished with the concept and wouldn't release it for a long while. Course he didn't want to release it until the popularity of BOW started to die down anyway. Or something "better" came along to kill it out. He also didn't want the BOW plot to go unfinished anyway. There were still a lot of elements that were to go into it.

Taking a moment to see Blass's reaction when Lilly responded to his words Elliot ignored his own question and raised an eyebrow as Blass seemed look at the girl with a confused expression. "Lilly O'Brian?" he asked with that expression still plastered on his face as if the lady in front of him meant something to him. But within seconds the teen composed himself and laughed. "Well then!" he said happily. "How'd yah do on your little presentation Lills? You beat everyone to the punchline? If you impressed our dear Elliot here, then you certainly must have done something right."

Elliot narrowed his eyes irritably and glanced at Blass to try and get his attention, but was unsuccessful and instead ended up peering over at Miss O'Brian with curiosity. It wasn't like Elliot was some sort of god or anything. The only difference between him and a normal person his age was the bottomless bank account and the political and social power that came with it. He averted his gaze silently from the girl back onto his tea. He had a question to ask, but now he was nervous about asking it. There seemed to be some sort of wall that kept him from ever having a normal conversation with normal people. Was he embarrassed? Guess that made sense, but it wasn't the word he would have used to explain it.

[maka albarn]

Lilly glanced at Elliot Carmichael. There was no mistaking his reaction. In the pause that followed her startled exclamation, Elliot had looked uncomfortable: wincing, and staring down into his tea. Well. It had to be embarrassing, listening to someone over-react when they heard your last name, when they learned what family you belonged to. Whenever her mother took her to some social event, glittering and ill at ease in some expensive gown, people whispered and stared at Mrs. O'Brien and her daughter. Lilly hated it: it made her feel like she was on display.
It made sense, Elliot not wanting his name thrown around. Lilly stared at the pale green tea in her cup. Maybe Elliot just wanted to be treated like any other person at this Expo. Like he was normal.
"Lilly O'Brian?" She nodded, and narrowed her eyes a little. Blass (an unusual name) looked... confused. Come to think of it, there was something about Blass that seemed familiar. She couldn't quite put her finger on it....  "Well then! How'd yah do on your little presentation Lills? You beat everyone to the punchline? If you impressed our dear Elliot here, then you certainly must have done something right."
Lills? Suddenly, Lilly found herself grinning. There was something about Blass that made you want to smile. It'd take a pretty crabby (or miserable) soul to frown at such cheerful exuberance. "I don't know if I beat everyone to the punchline, but I think I did alright." The thought that Elliot had played and thought well of her game (flaws aside) gave her a strange mix of nervousness and satisfaction. His father was an influential member of the gaming industry: having his son like her game must mean something. Elliot's taste was probably better developed than most people's. Which brought a question to mind...
It was on the tip of Lilly's tongue. Then she stopped herself. Elliot struck her as a very private person: somehow, it didn't seem like a good idea to start asking him questions about what he was doing at the Expo in front of Blass or anyone else. So she turned to Blass instead. "Are you or your brother programmers? Or were you just checking out some new games?"

[✖STRIDE✖]

"I don't know if I beat everyone to the punchline, but I think I did alright." Blass grinned rather openly and shrugged slightly dramatically. Of course it didn't really matter what she did. If she got Elliot's attention then she had to have done something right. It probably had to do with her concept and gameplay. Otherwise, Elliot probably wouldn't have even noticed her.

But thats what everyone thought. "Has to be something perfect or Elliot's not going to like it." But that wasn't the case. He hadn't even cared about the game much in the beginning to be honest. It was all about her attitude and behavior. That was what caught his attention. She looked teachable, Openminded enough to listen to what others have to say, but close-minded enough to have her own ideas and not worry about being forced into something she wasn't interested in. There was suddenly this feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he a sense of nervous fear washed over him and he waited too long to ask.

"Are you or your brother programmers? Or were you just checking out some new games?" Lilly asked after a brief awkward pause. Blass began to laugh so hard that he doubled over. Feeling somewhat surprised by the sudden outburst and kinda bad that she was getting laughed at, Elliot scrunched up his face and elbowed Blass in the side to get him to shut up.

"Be nice Blass. You're such a jerk."

Blass winced and then chuckled slightly. After a few moments of composing one's self he stood back up and waved his hand in a casual way. "Nah, Game programming are for those amazingly creative people like you and Elliot. We aren't into such glamorous things sadly. Though I wish I were. It would make my life so much more exciting then always having to play BOW all the time. Even though I freaken love that game to death."

[maka albarn]

Blass burst out laughing. Lilly watched in surprise as he doubled over, cackling like she'd told the funniest joke in the history of humor. Elliot elbowed Blass in the ribs. "Be nice Blass. You're such a jerk."

"No, that's alright." Lilly raised one hand in a gentle wave. Maybe Lilly asked a stupid question without realizing it. Judging by his behaviour so far, Blass could just be laughing at something that popped into his own head. Well. One thing was sure. Subtlety wasn't this kids' strong point, was it?
Whatever the case may gave been, Elliot's rebuke seemed to sting a little. The boy winced; the gale of laughter died down and came to a stop. Straightening, Blass replied, "Nah, game programming is for those amazingly creative people like you and Elliot. We aren't into such glamorous things sadly. Though I wish I was. It would make my life so much more exciting then always having to play BOW all the time. Even though I freaken love that game to death."

Lilly's eyes glinted with recognition when Blass mentioned BOW. Nodding a little, her tone was a shade brighter than before as she replied, "Ah, I see. So you play BOW? I do too: it really does represent an incredible leap in game development. If you don't mind my asking, which element do you play?"

It was clear from her open posture and the way she looked at Elliot that Lilly included him in this conversation: the last thing she wanted was to exclude him or make him feel left out. Especially after he had been so generous.

[✖STRIDE✖]

"Ah, I see. So you play BOW? I do too: it really does represent an incredible leap in game development. If you don't mind my asking, which element do you play?"

At the casual compliment Elliot let himself smile very softly. He loved hearing other people talk about his game. Not because he needed the praise, but because it excited him to know that people were enjoying it. That he was doing something right. Of course they didn't know that it was him who designed the game. Not even Blass and his brother knew.

In the mean time, Blass winked at the girl and put his hands on his hips, superhero style. "What element do you think I play Lills? I'm sure you could guess. It really wouldn't be that difficult. I would be rather insulted if you hadn't figured it out by now."

"Blass!" Elliot growled. But the blond haired boy stopped him with a hand and smiled reassuringly at him. Slightly confused Elliot turned back to his tea and started staring into it.

[maka albarn]

"What element do you think I play Lills? I'm sure you could guess. It really wouldn't be that difficult. I would be rather insulted if you hadn't figured it out by now." "Blass!"

Lilly smiled. No wonder Blass seemed familiar. "I would have to guess Fire. For you and your brother." Meeting a BOW player she knew in-game felt strange. With players logging in all over the world, what were the chances of running into someone out here?
Somehow, the improbability added to the simple pleasure of being introduced.

"I see you leave the vivid garb in-game." Lilly gave Blass a smile, obviously happy to meet a fellow guild member in person. Well. A fellow group member. Nobody called their team a guild. After all. Who wanted to be tied to a guild?

Elliot stared into his tea. Glancing down, Lilly realized her drink was stone cold. Even though there was no heat to it, she only took a small sip. Just the way she had been taught to. Manners were manners. "Do you play BOW, Elliot?"