Sheldon and Leonard were walking to meet Raj and Howard for lunch, up until today they really hadn’t paid much attention to the Art Institute of Pasadena, which had a campus right next to Caltech. That was until Leonard fatefully looked up into a nearby tree they were passing and saw a pair of jean clad legs dangling out of it instead a cat.

“Uh, Sheldon check that out.” He said pointing to the pair of legs that were now swinging.

“Just ignore it. They probably belong to some crazy bum that dropped out of Art college because they were too ‘cool’ for school.” replied Sheldon.

Some how Leonard didn’t think so. So he ignored Sheldon’s remark and looked up into the tree only to see a girl. She was about 18 or 19 and was wearing a tight ACDC concert T and blue jeans with charcoal pencils shoved in the pockets. The girl appeared to be drawing intently and hadn’t even noticed Leonard looking up at her and now Sheldon too was staring up at the girl in the tree.

“See! I told you some crazy art student, let’s go.”

“Yah, well you said some crazy bum and that is in fact a girl, and a fairly attractive one at that.”

Just then the girl moved her long, straight, auburn hair out of her eyes and smudged the side of her temple with black dust as she did.

“You know I can hear everything you’re saying down there.” the girl said loudly without looking away from what she was drawing.

“Really? Because I had assumed you were blind, deaf, and dumb, seeing as how you are currently in a tree, on a public walkway, at one in the afternoon.” Sheldon quipped back.

The girl laughed and finally turned to faced them. She was smiling with her bright blue-green eyes and her soft featured face. Leonard had stand corrected, this girl wasn’t good looking she was actually quite pretty.

“Well, you see what Sheldon here meant to say was it’s just a little strange of you, not to mention dangerous you could fall off there and brake your arm or something.”

“No. Actually I said exactly what I meant to say,”

But the girl cut Sheldon off by saying,

“Sorry. If my feet were bothering you, I pull them up so you can be on your way.”

“Oh really? Because the way you said that, it sounded like we were the ones bothering you.” Sheldon muttered at her.

“Really? Did it sound that way?” The girl said sarcastically, “Let’s see, I’m up here not speaking, not making any sort of disturbance, trying to draw this street, and two guys I don’t know start talking about me and how I’m an art school bum and apparently a good looking one at that. Now who sounds like they’re bothering who?”

Sheldon was about to shout a cutting retort when Leonard stepped in and said nervously,

“Sorry uh Miss?”

“Oh, so now it’s my name is it? It’s Eloise.” But she said it while smiling.

Leonard blushed a little and tried to steer a now irate Sheldon down the street as he talked,

“It was really nice meeting you Eloise, I’m Leonard and this is Sheldon. We’ll go on and leave you alone now.”

“Okay, nice meeting you Leonard, oh you too jerk face.”

It took all of Leonard’s strength to stop Sheldon from running back to that tree and giving Eloise an ear full.

“Of all the childish, ineffective retorts!”

“ It seemed pretty effective to me, you’re pretty wound up Sheldon.” Leonard had a hard time trying not to laugh.

And that was the first time Leonard and Sheldon met Eloise.

The next day Leonard and Sheldon were heading off campus for lunch again and Leonard wondered aloud,

“I wonder if Eloise is still in that tree?”

“Yes! She probably is, in fact, a crazy bird person who never leaves her perch and is still currently roosting in that tree by the side walk.”

But when they got to the tree, Eloise’s legs weren’t dangling from its branches and Leonard was a little disappointed. Anyone who could parry Sheldon’s sarcastic remarks might be an interesting person to know. Just then as he was scanning the sidewalk and he saw Eloise sitting on a bench near the walking path and she appeared to be looking right at them. Leonard waved awkwardly at her and she seemed to snap out of a trance and actually see them and waved back. Then Eloise got up and grabbed her black V for Vendetta messenger bag and sketchbook and walked over to them.

“I figured you guys walked this way everyday, you smart types are very predictable and well scheduled.”

“I prefer being predictable and well scheduled to disorganized and lazy any day.” Sheldon shot back.

“Figures, what I meant was I thought it would be a good opportunity to sketch you two, wanna see?”

Eloise didn’t wait for a response and flipped open her sketch book to show a very detailed pencil drawing of Sheldon and Leonard walking side by side underneath the trees.

“Wow. That’s really good.” Leonard said looking at all the creases she had drawn in his hoodie.

“Yes, well there’s a monkey at MIT who can reproduce the Mona Lisa in mashed potatoes, any body with half a brain can draw.” Sheldon remarked flippantly.

“Really now? Because if your shirt is any indication you enjoy the finer things in life, comic books in particular, am I right?” Eloise said pointing sharply to Sheldon’s bright red Flash t-shit. Sheldon nodded not dignifying her with an answer,

“If that’s the case then do you think Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Art Spiegleman are all trained monkeys?”

“I really only read comics for the writing.” Sheldon replied defeated.

Eloise laughed at him, then said,

“If it’s any comfort I also write my comics as well as draw them.”

“Wait! You draw and write comics!?” Leonard finally got to chime into their heated conversation.

“Yep, you know that new series Marvel Genesis?”

“Yah, after the civil war when a bunch of new mutants get there powers after every one thought there were only 132 left, it just came out. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Right now I’m not skilled enough to draw the comics professionally yet, but I can still write them. I’m co-writing Genesis with Allen Osman right now, I’m E.C. Jennings. Eloise Caroline Jennings.”

Leonard was about ready to have a heart attack from sheer power of his fan-boyness when Sheldon broke in with his old wit.

“Wait a minute. You’re 17 or 18 and you’re already writing for Marvel comics? Something about this stinks and it’s not your vintage rock band t-shirts. Prove it!”

A smug look came on to her face and she said,

“Fine. Here’s two old story boards and two news ones for the upcoming issue. How else would I have these if I wasn’t a writer for the comic.”

Sheldon looked the panels over carefully and said,

“You could have faked these, you are a pretty good artist.”

“Yah but I didn’t so it doesn’t really matter, and was that just a compliment? Oh and Leonard please don’t drool on those I need to submit them two days from now.” Eloise said taking the papers back from Leonard who had just snapped out of his fan-boy trance.

“You should come to lunch with us, Raj and Howard would love to meet you!”

Sheldon wanted to shout out no way! But it was too late, Leonard had already invited this infuriating girl to lunch.

“I would, but I have a biology lab today, by the way jerk face I’m 19.” Eloise said sticking her tongue out at Sheldon.

“You certainly don’t act a day over three!” he shot back.

“Maybe tomorrow then?” Leonard called after her.

Again Sheldon was too late to stop Leonard’s invite and really wanted stick Leonard’s superman boxers through a shredder right about now.

“Sure! Meet me here tomorrow and I’ll come have lunch with the brotherhood of comics and geekdom.” Eloise waved and then disappeared into the Art Institute’s cool marble front building.

Sheldon wanted to be the one who always finished an argument with a crushing blow of sarcasm but some how this 19 year old art student was beating him to it and it enraged him, not unlike Einstein’s theory of relativity. Leonard on the other hand couldn’t wait to tell the rest of the gang about the comic book creator they would be eating lunch with tomorrow afternoon.