The Dorm Roof, Saturday evening

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

Dick was fairly sure that the whole "volcano spewing ash" thing wasn't good, but, really, how often did you get to see something like this? Rarely if ever, that's how often.

That's why Dick was up on the roof, sitting on a lawnchair, under a patio umbrella (to keep him relatively rain and ash-free), taking pictures of the volcano. He figured he was mostly safe until there was lava anyway. In the meantime he'd get a good record of a potentially devastating natural phenomenon.

[OOC: Open in case there's anyone else ready to risk potential firey death or years of lung problems from inhaling ash in the name of a good view. Also, I don't know what it is with me and roofs today.

ETA: I was dragged off for a couple hours by a friend. Sorry for any slowness during that time!]

Comments

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

Ella had tied a scarf over her hair and face, and was wearing long sleeves and jeans to protect her skin, but she was still up on the roof. Not even her trepidation about heights could keep her from the chance to get a good view of something so unusual.

She nodded a greeting to the boy already there. He'd had the right idea, bringing an umbrella...

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"You're more than welcome to come under the umbrella if you want to stay out of the ash," Dick pointed out. "There's plenty of room."

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't want to -" Ella began, then was interrupted by a large gobbet of ash landing directly on her nose.

She dove under the umbrella. "Thank you," she told him. "You were smart to bring one; I didn't think of it."

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"I try to always be prepared," Dick said. "Just don't ask where I got a big umbrella on such short notice, okay? It'll take away from my mystique."

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

Ella quirked an eyebrow at him, smiling behind the scarf. "I certainly wouldn't want to ruin anyone's mystique. It's too hard a quality to develop."

"I, she went on, mock-woefully, "have little mystique at all."

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"I don't know. A girl sneaking around on a roof in the middle of a geological event with her face all covered up? That has 'mystique' written all over it, or my name isn't Dick. By the way, my name is Dick. Nice to meet you," Dick said, extending a hand.

[ella-obeys.livejournal.com]

"I'm Ella. Does not wanting to breathe ash makes me mysterious?" Ella asked, reaching to shake his hand. "I'll remember that for the next geological event."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Good Lord," Cal commented as he took in the view, "it's like being able to get half a month's worth of cigarettes in my lungs in one fell swoop."

Note, however, that he was still, upon reaching the roof, lighting up.

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"And it's all natural, too," Dick pointed out.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Hey," Cal gave an approving nod of this detail, drawing in the cigarette deeply. Any excess smoke and ash that made its way in there, he wasn't too concerned with. It couldn't do any more damage than the tobacco itself. "Good point."

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Thanks. I think it's well worth pointing out the positives of an event like this," Dick said.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"It certainly does sort of take the edge off of things, too," Cal added thoughtfully. "I mean, you know, a nice apocalyptic landscape makes all the little things bothering you not seem as important anymore. And I did say, when I first got here, that I was sad that no big disasters seemed to have happened between now and 1976..."

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"It's all about getting the proper perspective," Dick said. "And it could be worse. The volcano could be on Fandom Island. We're probably in slightly less danger being a tiny bit farther away and having a nice tall building to hide in. Probably."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Cal sent him another approving look. "You're a good man, Dick," he complimented. "A good smart man. I like your way of thinking. At least, I do in this particular case."

Pause.

"I could do with a little less of the smell, though."

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

Alice stopped to drop an abbreviated curtsy to the boy, flushing slightly. They hadn't spoken since that rather awkward last conversation; she wondered idly if he thought her too strange to acknowledge, now.

Perhaps she should not be so free in discussing the asylum, in the future. One learned.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Cal gave Alice a small, light sort of smile, and nodded his head in greeting a little, before taking the cigarette between his lips and taking in a deep breath. The curtsy was a little awkward, for him, but it was a little encouraging to see that she didn't completely just want to avoid him after last time. He'd been burning so many bridges lately that, sometimes, it was good to know that you weren't going to wind up completely useless and stranded on your self-made island entirely.

"Hey, Alice. How've you been?"

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"I've been well, thank you," she said, smiling faintly in return. Somewhat relieved that she wasn't too insane to be conversational towards. "I've reached the Cs, musically, at work. I have rather a lot to catch up on, it seems."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Hey, I like the Cs," Cal commented, cradling the cigarette closely. "Of course," he blew out a long breath of smoke, "I might be biased. What do you mean, though, musically, at work? Where you working?"

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"At a shop calling itself 'Groovy Tunes,'" she said, the word 'groovy' sounding somewhat strange from her proper Victorian accent. "I suppose the intent is that I sell music discs to customers, but most of what I do is pull out discs and listen to them. I have over a century to catch up on; it's no wonder I've only reached C."

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

Alice stopped on the roof, peering out and frowning.

"I don't believe I'm very fond of the island's new residence," she decided.

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Come on. This is a once in a lifetime experience, even if we don't die in it," Dick said.

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"I suppose it is whether or not we die in it," Alice said cheerfully. "It is a rather amazing sight. I must say, I'd appreciate the sight more if it didn't smell so foul."

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Do you have anything to cover your mouth and nose with?" Dick asked. "That'll help a bit."

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

Alice considered, and then removed the white apron from her dress and carefully wrapped it around the lower half of her face.

"Much nicer," she admitted, bobbing her head slightly to him. "I thank you. Though I might be less clear, when speaking. It's all right, most of what I say is nonsense anyway."

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Well, that's the kind of thing that keeps conversation interesting, so it's not a problem," Dick said. "I'm Dick, by the way."