I never been to California. Furthest west I ever went was Topeka for a concert. [He feels, unwittingly, a similar pang to Cassie. That concert (the Dixie Chicks, before they turned into a bunch of shitty liberals) with his dad as a high school graduation gift, is one of his favorite memories about his much-beloved father. Whom he'll never see again, because death is even more permanent than magical quests, he thinks.

He sees the flick of emotion cross her face, and shoots her a sympathetic look. He can guess that she's thinking of home too.]

An archeologist. For Greek stuff. [He probably couldn't have told you what an archeologist was if she hadn't given him some context; his memory of Indiana Jones is mostly "hates snakes" and "in that movie where a guy's face melted off". He was scared of the latter as a kid.]

Nah, it's still ridiculous. It's just better than "hey, you". And at least people can pronounce it, which is more than some of the folks here can say.