un: j.griffin

[onebetter]

Hey, newbie here with four (4) questions! I'll try to make this short and sweet.

1.) What's the top 5 books in the library that you absolutely have to have read?
2.) How much does the STAR Club actually work with Runes in practice?
3.) Best free time places in Soleil? I'm fresh from the USA, France is all new for me.
4.) Any recently enrolled undergraduates up for a study group kind of thing? Can totally be casual and involve nice cafés etc. I figure I'm not the only one who came here from half the world away and needs to meet new people.

Comments

[onebetter]

[ James tilts his head a little. ]

This isn't war. You're my rival, not my enemy.

[marmoron]

[That... surprises him for a moment.]

Being rivals would imply we were competing for something. I didn't give a shit about grades or school back in Arizona. The hell were we competing over?

[onebetter]

[ .... ah. Yeah. That's... that's not a question that is exactly easy to answer. There are things here that Keith doesn't know and that James doesn't want to tell him. Though he sometimes forgets Keith isn't aware, James still doesn't want to be the one to break it to him. Least of all after that talk they had about Keith's opinions on the Garrison.

Time to keep this general then. After a pause that is just a little too long. ]

Well, you're my rival now that we've started competing in martial arts. And hopefully you'll be putting some more effort into grades here now, so there's that as well.

[marmoron]

[There's a raised eyebrow at the "hopefully" like he wants to ask since when James gave a shit about his level of academic engagement, but thinks better of it. It's clearly a throwaway comment, not one that has to be specifically inquired after. All the same, he can't quiiiite let this go.]

That something you just decided on your own?

[onebetter]

It's not a pact for life, Keith. You don't need to think so deeply about it.

[ That would force James to also think more deeply about it and he would prefer not to. ]

It was just a good word to explain why this isn't comparable to war.

[marmoron]

I wasn't thinking that hard about it?

[Okay, well that's a lie if there was one. A beat, then:]

I just wouldn't have called you a rival.

[onebetter]

[ Annoying as it is, James knows that it makes sense for Keith to never have used the term in his head. He'd never had reason to, he's never compared himself to James this way. ]

Well, is this war to you then?

[marmoron]

We're training for a war, so technically yeah.

[onebetter]

[ There's a pause here. Keith has a point and James is considering it seriously. ]

Can't deny that... I wasn't thinking of this or the rematch as practice so much as of competition. That's the difference then.

[ ..... ] You might have the right of it though.

[marmoron]

....did you just say that I'm right about something?

[Perhaps that's entirely besides the point, but it gets a disbelieving kind of laugh.]

[onebetter]

[ James rolls his eyes. ]

I'd be an idiot to not acknowledge it when you do have a point.

[marmoron]

...And?

[EXPECTANT LOOK. Patiently waiting for James' self awareness to kick in in 3..2..1.]

[onebetter]

... and I just said you are right, what more do you want from me?

[ He's just staring back with mild irritation..... ]

[marmoron]

[Keith raises an eyebrow.]

Nothing. Just a little surprised.

[onebetter]

.... okay.

[ This is turning into a very weird staring battle and James isn't sure what else he is supposed to say to this conversation to help it move back to normal. So instead he shrugs his shoulders and just changes topic entirely. ]

Well, if I'm already here, I'm going to hit the gym equipment next.

[marmoron]

[...which is something Keith translates in his head as James has decided he's done spending time with him and that's fine by him. Or at least it would be if it didn't also remind him of just how bloody socially inept he is that people are practically running away from him. He sighs.]

Suit yourself. I'm gonna be hanging out here practicing with my sword.

[onebetter]

Oh, okay.

[ Makes sense that Keith would go for that, of course. It's his greatest weaponry - and James is still jealous of its existence. ]

Come over when you're done, we can go home together.

[ Not that the way is far, it's just a matter of being polite. ]

[marmoron]

[Aaaand record scratch.]

Wait. You want to go home together? Weren't you just trying to ditch me?

[onebetter]

Hm?

[ James blinks, obviously a little confused by the question but not majorly caught off-guard either. ]

No, I just don't have a sword so it's not like training over here is much use to me.