First Floor Lobby, Tuesday Late Morning/Early Afternoon

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

There are still six days left to go before classes start, and Anders has stationed himself in the first floor lobby with . . . a book. (He's quite shocked about it too, actually.) Yes, he's actually reading.

Granted, it's a book on baseball history that Cally gave him for Christmas. But the important thing here is that he's reading. Voluntarily. And not for class.

And he kind of wants people to see this. Just so they know he actually can read, and isn't afraid of books. Hence his presence in the first floor lobby instead of one of the common rooms.

Not that he'd be averse to a conversation if anyone were to stop by.

[OOC: It is deader than dead at work today. Entertain me. I beg you.]

Comments

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Isle of Ikea," Rory replied. "And do you have a favorite team yet?"

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Oh! You're going on that trip with Angela! Listen, do me a favor and give this to her for me? I was gonna do it last night and forgot." Anders dug out his wallet and fished out a couple of twenties. "I asked her to get me some stuff, and forgot to get the money to her."

He leaned back in his chair, tapped the book against his chin, and said, "As for a favorite team? Haven't really seen enough to tell, but I kinda dig this Angels team for some reason. Maybe it's the logo. Cally keeps gettin' me jerseys and stuff of theirs."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Sure," Rory agreed, pocketing the twenties. "How come you're not going?"

She arched a brow. "Angels, huh? They're good. I'm a Yankees fan. Mostly because of proximity - I grew up near New York."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Eh." Anders shrugged. "Didn't really feel like it, I guess. Maybe if you guys get to go another time, though."

He scrunched up his face and puzzled for a moment over the vagaries of U.S. geography, then gave up completely. "See, that's the thing that I'm still completely confused by, with baseball and stuff. I have no idea where any of these teams are, except by Eastern, Central, and Western divisions. That's like, as much geography as I know around here."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory smiled. "Yeah, I can see it being complicated given how we've got fifty states and all. We ought to take a roadtrip at some point to New York or something. I know Professor Cregg took a group there. We could go see a Yankees game. And we could stay in Stars Hollow!" She bounced excitedly, eyes lighting up with the idea.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"See a real baseball game?" Anders practically started bouncing up and down in the chair himself. "That'd be an awesome field trip idea. You could even call it a cultural thing for us non-Earth people!"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Yes, exactly! And we could do other touristy stuff, like go see plays and the Met and the park! And I could take people on the route my New Yorker...friend took me on, so you all can see the not-so-touristy stuff! It'd be great," Rory said excitedly.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders grinned. "New York's supposed to be the big sophisticated city, right? Where all the night life is going on? Man, I'd love to take Cally out for a really great date there sometime. You come up with some great ideas, Gilmore."

He conveniently did not mention anything about what might occur after said date.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Oh yeah. Very glitzy, if you want it to be. And I can give you the names of some nice restaurants and fun things to do there, date-wise. It'd be fun. For you and Cally, I mean. I wouldn't have anyone to do date stuff with. I think I'm going to stay single for awhile," Rory said, nodding and wondering if she was getting any better at lying.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Hey, it's not that bad. I mean, I was single for sixteen years. 'course, I didn't know what I was missing, then," mused Anders, cheerfully oblivious to any knife he might be twisting in a wound. "And yeah, I'd love a list of places to go. You've got me all excited about this trip now even though it's not official or anything."

Anders being Anders, of course, he was too caught up in the excitement and therefore totally oblivious to any lying that might be happening on Rory's part.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I was single for fifteen years, so yeah," Rory smiled. "And then the longest I've been without a relationship since then was this past summer. So it's just weird, being single. Not having someone to like, be known with, you know? Like, you're half of Callynanders, and it's strange to think that I'm not really half of Rory and Logan to everyone in school anymore, if that makes sense."

There. That was all true. It would be weird to adjust to not having a public, coupley image.

"And I don't know when we should do this trip. Oh! Oh, I know!" Rory grinned. "We ought to go around Valentine's Day. It'd be so cute."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Huh." Anders scratched his head. "I never really think of me and Cally as half of Callynanders like you guys do. I guess I think of us as more of a team. Kinda new to the whole relationship thing and all, you know? Don't know if I could go back to bein' single after this, though. Cally's the best thing that ever happened to me, I swear."

He grinned crookedly. "Hey, Valentine's Day? Jaye told me about that one. That's the really romantic one, right? And then she said she was gonna dress all in black and hide in her room all day . . . I don't know what that's about."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, Valentine's Day is the romantic one," Rory nodded, smiling and leaving the subject of pairing behind - mainly because she didn't trust herself to slip and say something she oughtn't. "And Jaye's funny like that. That's the kind of thing single people protesting a holiday that is basically invented by Hershey's and Hallmark so that couples can be schmoopy. I don't really care, since I usually think most couples are cute. Like you and Cally, for instance."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders blinked, the way he usually did when something went over his head which was quite often. "Hershey's and Hallmark? Huh? Thanks for the cute thing, though."

He chewed on his lip and scowled. "Jaye's better off single than hooking up with that Kennedy jerk, 'f you ask me, though."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I like Archie!" Rory protested. "He and Jaye are adorable. And what is with you two? He was saying bad stuff about you on New Year's, too. And then during the truth or dare game, you were hardly friendly to each other."

"And Hershey's is a candy company. They mostly make chocolate," she explained, shifting her weight. "Hallmark makes greeting cards."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders completely let the thing about Hershey's and Hallmark go, since he couldn't quite get the connection between that and a holiday, and anyway Rory'd given him a new topic to go off on.

"He doesn't like me, that's all I know," grumbled Anders. "Don't know why, but whenever he's around I always get the feeling he's sittin' there thinking up new ways to put me down, or that I'm not good enough for Cally. And I don't get why, either, it's not like I even know him or anything! But everybody keeps tellin' me how nice he is."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"He is," Rory insisted. "He colored with me when I thought I was three, and didn't make fun of me. And also he's just a very gentlemanly kind of guy. Maybe you guys just need to hang out or something and bond. Play Pyramid or something. Go sailing. Or just watch a movie together. I think that if you got to know one another one-on-one things might be smoother."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"That? So not a good idea, Gilmore." Anders shook his head emphatically. "I mean, yeah, maybe he's nice enough to everybody else, 'cause Cally sure seems to think he's a nice guy, but something about me brings out the mean streak in him, or whatever. I'll end up punching him eventually, and I really don't want to get into any more trouble. And also my mun does not want to talk to herself that much."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Well, maybe like...Bridgey or I or someone could be there, too. That's what the mediating program's for, anyway. We ought to use it. I bet you and Archie could be great friends if you just tried," Rory said encouragingly. "You've got lots in common like a mun!"

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Gilmore?" Anders gave her a slightly tired glance. "Drop it, 'kay? Crichton was going on about the same thing yesterday, and just . . . no. Maybe sometime later, but right now I'm still pretty sore at him. I think I just need to stay the frak away from him for a while so the mun's brain doesn't completely crack and let stuff blow over."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory pouted slightly. "Okay. I just don't like conflict," she shrugged.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I know." Anders sighed. "And I don't wanna drag you into the middle of it, either. I'll work it out on my own, promise, and no more bashing on him in front of you, 'kay?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"S'okay," Rory smiled. "It's not like I'm offended. We all have people we don't get along with, after all. I'm sure I'm annoyed with...someone you're friends with." She tried to think of people she didn't like, and frowned when she couldn't come up with anyone.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders laughed. "It'll happen eventually, I'm sure." Glancing at the new watch Cally had given him for Christmas, he looked up at Rory and asked, "Hey, aren't you supposed to be meeting Angela and everybody? You don't want 'em to leave without you or anything, do you? I mean, not that I'm kicking you out or anything, I just don't want you to get left."

He grinned, though, and stuck his wrist out to show her the watch, with the red and gold Caprica Buccaneers logo. "Another one of my presents from Cally. I swear, she's the best."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Oooh, spiffy. Who are the Buccaneers? Pyramid team?" She read the time and winced. "Yeah, I ought to go. I have no idea how we're getting there, and it might be complicated or something."