Fourth floor common room: Monday evening

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

There was a large Firecat taking up pretty much the entire common room couch. Altra wasn't exactly giving off happy kitty vibes while he stared out the window, so it was probably best not to disturb him.

Karal didn't even try, just sat at the table with a pot of tea, attention divided between Altra, his notebook, and the box of savoury pastries he'd bought from J, GoB after class. There were far more than he could eat alone, so he'd be happy to share.

"Are you sure you don't want one?"

Altra looked at him long enough to say, :No,: then turned back to the window.

Karal shook his head and sighed, then nibbled on a pastry while he made more notes.

[ooc: open, of course.]

Comments

[fat-halpert.livejournal.com]

"A couple weeks ago I was... okay, this is going to sound weird, but I was possessed by a pumpkin. I don't know if you heard about that? But the pumpkin me kept taking your horse out for rides where I'd throw pumpkins at people," Jim confessed.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"...a pumpkin? You were possessed by a pumpkin?" Everything else sort of faded into the background, still important but...pumpkin.

[fat-halpert.livejournal.com]

"That was actually pretty much my reaction when I found out," Jim said.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"So you're the one who took Trenor!" Not that it was his fault if he'd been possessed by a ...pumpkin.

[fat-halpert.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry about that," Jim said. "If it makes up for anything I ended up with some weird pumpkin flu thing for the rest of the week after that, so I definitely got paid back for taking him."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"No, no no! If you were possessed it certainly was not your fault! And even if it was, you being ill after would only be a bad thing," he said earnestly. "It is a relief, actually. I was afraid someone had stolen him deliberately."

[fat-halpert.livejournal.com]

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Jim said. "Because I also broke into your room and stole all your underwear because I had to do laundry. And was possessed. But I washed that and put it back."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal tried very hard not to smile. "That's very unfortnate. You should probably know that all of a Sun-Priest's clothes are blessed by Vkandis. Anyone else who wears them finds themselves with a big red circle forming on their forehead, some days after the event." He peered at Jim's face. "Hmmmm."

[fat-halpert.livejournal.com]

"So that's what that was," Jim said. "Barely got it off in time for the wedding."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal laughed. "As long as you washed it all and put it back, then it shouldn't return. And Trenor is fine and getting ridiculously spoiled," he said. "But are you completely recovered from your...pumpkin possession? Possession is usually a very serious matter."

[fat-halpert.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, Katara destroyed an evil pumpkin to cure me, then I just needed bedrest for a few days," Jim said. "Nothing seems to be lingering."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal blinked. "Do you think this place will ever be normal?"

[fat-halpert.livejournal.com]

"Not ever," Jim said. "It wouldn't be the same if it were, though."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Does that mean that it is normal, after all?" he suggested. "Just...normal for here?"

[fat-halpert.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," Jim said. "Normalcy is relative."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Normalcy is relative," he repeated, turning it over in his head. "That, I like that. It's very profound."

[fat-halpert.livejournal.com]

"Clearly I'm a very profound kind of guy," Jim said.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I've always thought so," he said solemnly, trying to keep from grinning.