Start of Something Good

Ah, Canada. Oh, Canada. Big stretch from America, lots of interesting people and snowy adventures to be had, even when you don't want to be a part of them.

But hey, you wanted to explore outside Washington, and here you are. Not that you're complaining, really. You've gained yourself a cool group of quirky individuals.

It was funny how you met, really. It all started when you saw a poster of some indie rock band named "Sex Bob-Omb" and thought you'd make some graffiti art of it to kill some time.

You could also call it giving Toronto a piece of your talent as an artist, and you sprayed something that you could only word as, "huh, not too shabby". By the time you'd set the spray cans down, you realized you had a bit of an audience.

And by that, you mean a guy in a blue jacket, jeans, white shoes, and shaggy yellowish-brown hair. He looked confused, but definitely like he digged what he saw.

"'Sup?" You greeted, as chill as the snow in the air.

"Hey... I'm Scott, please be our artist." Needless to say, the guy didn't seem to hide his intention to make you join his band.

"So, you're part of Sex Bob-Omb?" You asked, kinda amused at the fact no subtlety was used at all. "Cool, I'm Y/N. You can call me 'Wyenn', though."

"Wanna come to one of the band's hangouts? We could talk about things along the way." You'd swear Scott was trying to sell a new vacuum cleaner or something, but his enthusiasm was kinda infectious.

"Okay, let's make this happen." You shrugged and gave a grin. You could tell this was gonna be a wild ride.

As Scott led you around, you learned a few things. One was that the band consisted of a guitar player named Stephen and a drummer named Kim, with Scott being the bassist.

"Hey guys, this is Y/N. They're an artist and they're cool. Wanna invite them to the band?" He asked the others, as bluntly as you'd expect him to.

The redhead girl, who you assumed was Kim, raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Do you have a portfolio?"

You took a few minutes to bring up your art on your phone. Kim seemed satisfied, as you got the sense she was a no-nonsense kind of gal. "Not bad, welcome to the team."

"I wasn't even asked if I wanted to join... But who cares? I'm in anyway, might be fun." You chuckled a little at the absurdity of it all, but it wasn't as though you were opposed to it.

And from there, you made sure the people knew where Sex Bob-Omb has been, doing some paint jobs that were basically the band's logo and stuff. You even gave it a little upgrade from the simple smiling bomb from the original.

Aside from Scott and Kim, you met the one who lived in Sex Bob-Omb's "hangout" and let the group use the place. Stephen Stills, the talent behind the whole thing.

Songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist, no wonder he was the main guy. Though you could tell he was a little anxious about the group's chances at making it big, though your art was a big help in drawing in some attention.

Crazy how much power an artist can have, pushing someone's motivation and confidence so dramatically. Stephen was still a little paranoid, for lack of a better word, but hey, no one said the road to fame is easy.

Speaking of which, you've also gotten acquainted with the local gay scene in the area. Rather, one of Scott's roommates.

Or at this point, his "sugar daddy that Scott doesn't realize, albeit a little reluctantly, is his sugar daddy."

Wallace Wells, Scott's fantastic gay roommate, is an interesting dude.

He's kinda a slacker, but not really?

You don't know how else to put it, but he's the kind of guy that you feel would be lazy if he really wanted to be.

At least he dresses pretty sharply. You can appreciate someone who knows how to style themselves well.

Oddly enough, he could never tell whether to flirt with you or not, like he was torn between the two, very much confused.

But aside from him, there's Neil Nordegraf, the other person that lives in Stephen's apartment, aside from Stephen himself.

He doesn't play in the band, but he does hang out with the crew a lot.

If "hanging out" could be considered being the self-proclaimed "#1 Fan of Sex Bob-Omb" and just playing on a Nintendo DS, then yeah, that's pretty much it.

Then there's Kim, the second member of Sex Bob-Omb you met after Scott. She's... A bit difficult to describe, though not very affectionate, and she's always pretty blunt and direct, that's for sure.

Apart from that, you don't know much. Which is weird, because you decided to pick up a job where Kim just so happened to work, as well. You two are basically coworkers.

No-Account Video, a video rental store that is located under a thrift store named "Honest Ed's", and it's not very busy. It's a good place to work, though, since there aren't a lot of customers.

And when a customer does walk in, it's usually short-lived. Not many try and make conversation or small talk, they just want to get in and get out. Also, because it's basically free food for your absorbed Video Conduit powers.

And also the Neon powers, since the ceiling lights are fluorescent to the point it's kinda painful. But hey, the brighter, the more gas in the tank you've got on neon.

But hey, there are worse gigs than working part-time at a video rental store, and the pay's not half-bad. You could definitely use a few more bucks to keep your head above water, after all.

But you have your own, personal Virtual World thanks to Video, and that's really all the home you need. You'll never be able to thank Uncle Eugene for teaching you how to do that with his powers a few years back.

But hey, life is pretty good, and you've made some great friends. Things could hardly be any better than they are now.

At least, until the day Scott was getting himself into some steep waters in his dating life.

- Current Day -

The afternoon started like average, you were chilling with your new squad of pals at Stephen's house and drinking cola in a coffee cup, for whatever reason. One makes do, you supposed.

You were distracted on your sketchbook, thinking what could be the next masterpiece to spray in the city. Maybe add some neon outlines to make it stand out at night, too.

But, just as you were stuck in your artist dreamscape, your attention shot up once you heard someone mention, "Scott Pilgrim is dating a high schooler!"

"Really? Is she hot?" Stephen asked, and you raised an eyebrow.

"Heh, that's what you're concerned about?" You asked with a chuckle, looking up from your sketchbook.

"Natural curiosity, that's all." Stephen defended.

"How old are you now, Scott? Like 28?" Kim asked, sounding not that surprised.

"I'm not playing your little games, kids." Scott smiled as he poured some cola into his coffee cup.

You, Stephen, and Kim shared a tri-look. And Kim was the first to speak up after that, "So you've been out of high school for like, 13 years, and-"

"I'm 23! 23!" Scott shouted, not taking that well to being called 28.

"And you're dating a high schooler? Not bad, not bad." Stephen said, lowering his head as if he were impressed.

"Dating a... Come on, what does that even mean?" Kim scoffed, looking at Scott with an accusatory stare.

"Yeah, actually." You joined in, not seeing why Scott was getting his feathers ruffled. "Though, there's one thing I need to know, and you best believe it's pretty important."

"I think I know what it is. Like, did you guys 'do it' yet?" Neil chimed in, his tone curious.

"Fuckin'..." You muttered, pinching the bridge of your nose. "...no, that's not what-"

"Well, we sort of ride the bus, and she tells me about how yearbook club went, and about her friends, and, you know, drama..." Scott tried to explain.

"Yeah, okay... Have you even kissed her?" Stephen asked, sounding a bit suspicious as he ate his toast bread with jam.

"We almost held hands once, but then she got embarrassed." Scott smiled, giving a proud look.

"Thank God." You sighed in relief.

"What, what did I screw up? I screwed up, didn't I?" Scott asked, now worried.

"Oh my God." You said, burying your face in your hands. "Alright, I get 16 is the age of consent in Canada, and it's the same in Washington... But dude, you're 23 and she's..."

"17." Kim answered for you.

"Yeah, she's 17. That's a 6-year difference, man." You stated, feeling pretty exasperated. "Couldn't you wait another year to at least make it less weird? Just saying, being above twenty dating someone below 18 is generally looked down on."

"I think it should be okay, man. As long as we don't go beyond holding hands, everything's cool." Scott insisted, and you sighed.

"That's... good enough, I guess." You admitted. "Still doesn't make it less weird for me, but as long as you know your limits, you're probably safe. From me, not the police."

"You say that as if I'd just committed murder." Scott pointed out. "You worry too much, Wyenn."

"Or you worry too little..." You mumbled, finishing your cola and setting the coffee cup on the table.

"Probably, but doesn't he just seem pleased as punch?" Kim smiled, sounding some volume of amused.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Scott smirked as he took a sip of his own cola.

"So earlier argument aside, what's her name?" Stephen asked, arms crossed and leaning forward.

"Knives Chau. She's Chinese." Scott stated, his voice confident.

"That's wicked! Where'd you meet het, anyway?" Neil asked, and Scott smiled as if he'd just been given a prize.

"I believe I mentioned the bus...?" He recalled, and you could just feel the flashback being painted in your head as Scott narrated...

- The bus, as few nights ago -

"Sherman. Nice boy. You like him." Knives' Mom, Ms. Chau, asked.

"Mom, I'm seriously not interested at all." Knives said, not even looking at her mother.

"You are seventeen year old! Time to get interested in boy!" Ms. Chau insisted, albeit in a slightly aggressive tone.

"Mom!" Knives groaned. As she did so, her grip on the paper bag she held let loose, and it fell.

"You drop books." Ms. Chau said.

"Aaaa!" Knives panicked, quickly getting on her knees of the bus' floor to collect her dropped books.

"Hey..." Scott spoke up, picking up some of Knives' books while flashing a smile. "Don't worry about it."

- Scott Pilgrim, 23 years old, rating: awesome -

"...and that's how we met." Scott finished, and you raised an eyebrow.

"Is that seriously the end of the story?" Kim asked, looking annoyed.

"Yes." Scott nodded, looking proud.

"Okay, it was pretty lame." You admitted, feeling a little underwhelmed. After all the buildup, it felt kinda empty. "But hey, whatever worked, right?"

"See? Wyenn gets it." Scott said, smiling proudly.

"That's just because Y/N's not a prude." Stephen argued.

"Hey, come on, don't bring me into this." You raised your hands in surrender. "Just wanted to make sure that Scott doesn't get into legal trouble. Looking out for him, ya know?"

"Whatever." Kim sighed, shaking her head.