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

[marmoron]

Oh.

[Boots on, Keith straightens up and tosses the pillow back at Jsmes.]

You wish.

[onebetter]

[ James catches the pillow effortlessly. ]

I don't wish, I know.

[marmoron]

[A shrug.]

You can think what you want.

[onebetter]

And you can remain arrogant but wrong.

[ Time to fluff this pillow and lay his head down on it again because well, clearly he is not at all invested in this conversation, look at how chill he is because he knows he's right. ]

[marmoron]

[There will be absolutely no such looking in James' direction. Instead, Keith picks up a roll of ace bandages from his table and plops it into his bag. His tone's staying flat, disinterested.]

Yeah. Arrogant of me to forget that sitting on your ass studying all day builds up strength and reaction time better than physical training. Guess I forgot we live in some crazy alternate reality.

[onebetter]

I do train, you know?

[ He hasn't really done it since coming here but that's only a few days.]

[marmoron]

[That one actually gets Keith to turn and actually look at James. A slow up-down-back up look at his roommate as he's lounging on his bed. His conclusion?]

Uh-huh.

[onebetter]

[ Yeah, because lying down for five minutes negates muscle build, jeeze. James pushes himself up on his elbows and scowls. ]

You think I'm lying.

[marmoron]

No? I just don't think you can beat me, that's all.

[onebetter]

Hmph. Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.

You heading to the gym?

[marmoron]

[He's not gonna eyeroll at the proverb. Okay maybe he'll eyeroll just a little.]

Yeah.. You coming?

[onebetter]

Seems like.

[ Because there's no way he'll just leave this?? James climbs off the bed and tosses some sports clothes in his bag.]

[marmoron]

Suit yourself.

[He'll likewise shove a change of clothes in his bag.]

But don't say I didn't warn you.

[onebetter]

Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time.

[ Time to slip into his shoes.]

[marmoron]

Kay. You can back out whenever you want to.

[But Keith's not going to say anything further on this particular matter. He puts on his jacket, slings the bag over a shoulder and opens the door to start heading out.]

[onebetter]

[ James follows after in silence. Normally he'd be making all kinds of small talk now, but now he's with Keith and it's not the same as it'd be with anyone else. Awkward.]

[marmoron]

[See, this awkwardness is exactly why Keith is just not even sure why James felt obligated to tag along on this?? Is he just a glutton for awkwardness, who knows. But for what small thing it's worth he does wait for James to emerge from the room before actually heading out of the dorm building. Good thing the walk to the gym isn't that long.]

[onebetter]

[ The silence lasts for a little longer as they simply walk alongside each other. The argument has died out and now it's hard to fill its place. James eventually makes an attempt.]

Why did you even start training this much?

[marmoron]

[He's a little surprised that James decided to start talking after all, but save for a quick glance in the other boy's direction, Keith keeps his eyes forward.]

I like to be prepared.

[True enough anyway. One bad run-in with a hunter had been enough for Keith to know he never wanted to feel that powerless again and it seems like the world's only gotten more complicated since.]

[onebetter]

For what? I mean, you already packed a punch way before you awoke your Flame.

[ James had felt that on his own body and he'll never forgot how it stung.]

You're not actually into street fights, are you?

[marmoron]

[Did we say Keith was keeping his eyes on the path ahead? Well scratch that. He turns his whole hea, looking and sounding incredulous as hell.]

Huh?

[...Street fights.....?]

Why would I be into that?

[onebetter]

You skipped school so much, it had people guessing.

[ James shrugs, surprised this wasn't somehow obvious to Keith already.]

[marmoron]

...and nobody assumed I was just at home playing video games?

[Te things he's learning belatedly about the assumptions his old classmates made of his character...]

[onebetter]

Some people probably did, but you have that rough look to you that invited the other kind of speculation.

[ It's really amazing that Keith just... never even knew how he was coming off. For a moment, he looks at the scar but refrains from comment. ]

[marmoron]

[He has half a mind to ask what's wrong with the way he looks, but given a moment of thought it's self explanatory and ... to nobody's surprise, Keith doesn't want to talk about it.]

Great. Even more reason not to go to the ten year reunion.