Deck [Sunday Afternoon]

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Ned hadn't spent much of his time outside since his arrival. It was partly due to nervousness, partly due to unfamiliarity and the other part due to the season. He liked winter but summer wasn't his favorite time of year.

He always seemed to sunburn.

But, he'd been out to the deck area a few times and, since he didn't want to cook, took Digby down there. He'd bought a cheap pair of sunglasses and some sunscreen with him. You know, just in case.

He had his shirt on. Pity. But he thought the pale might scare people.

[So open. I have been watching bad movies all day. This is better.]

Comments

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

Feeling lazy, John thought tanning and potentially napping out on the deck were in order after his workout. Shirtless but sunscreen-coated, he headed out with water and some comics.

"Good way to spend a lazy Sunday," he remarked to Ned as he plopped into a chair.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Seemed like something different to do," Ned responded as Digby lifted his head to peer at the newcomer.

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

John smiled at the dog and patted his leg to encourage it to come say hi. "Different's sort of essential to staying entertained. This is why I picked up the latest edition of The Fabulous Foursome."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Digby didn't need more of an invitation before trotting over to John and putting his head on John's leg.

"What's that?" Ned asked. "The Fabulous Foursome, I mean."

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

John was more than happy to pet the adorable golden. Hopefully he liked it when he got his ears rubbed.

"Comic book. Four characters altered by a solar flare in outer space fight evil in a big city. Good stuff." You know John wanted to be Mr. Fabulous.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Digby was all about any attention that got his ears rubbed. He wagged his tail happily.

"Solar flare?" Ned looked up, now having something new to worry about. "Does that happen a lot?"

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

John wanted a dog. Too bad it seemed like he couldn't even take care of a fish.

"Well, that depends on if you think this is fact or fiction," John told him.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I...don't know," Ned admitted. "Is there a right answer?"

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"In my world, this stuff's fiction," John replied. "But where my girlfriend lives, people are like superheroes."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I'm from Earth," Ned said. "But I have a---" He didn't really know what he should call Kaylee. So, he went for the safe. "I have a friend from space though."

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"She got powers?" John asked. It had become one of those typical bits of conversation here. So weird.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Um." Well, he didn't really know. "She can fix things."

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Well, fixing things is useful," he said. "And you bake, so she could help fix your oven if it broke." He had no idea.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I don't have an oven," Ned pointed out. "I use the one in the common rooms. Hopefully those don't break and, if they do, the school should fix it."

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Right, dorms," John said, bringing logic to the table. What? It was hot. "Got your own oven back home?"

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Ned balked at answering that question for a moment. "Um. Not really, no."

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Oh. So, nice weather in Tortuga. Wonder what we'll end up with next." John failed at smalltalk.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"As long as it's somewhere safe," Ned said stupidly. He wasn't too good at small talk either. "Classes okay?"

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Are we ever really safe?" John wondered. "Classes are cool. My one teacher talks a lot though."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Which one?" Ned wondered.

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Professor Atriedes. Destiny class," John said. "It's all very...complicated.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Destiny?" Ned repeated. "Like...what we're all meant for?"

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

John nodded. "Whether we have choice in the matter or if we're fated to be something."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, that doesn't really sound hands on," Ned said thoughtfully. "Is it interesting, at least?"

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"It is, except for when she wants us to overthink our existence." John would prefer to ignore and repress.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Overthink your existence?" Ned asked. "How can you even do that?"

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

It was nice out -- beyond nice, really -- so rather than hole up in the common room, Eve had elected to go sit out on the deck for a while. She grabbed one of her grimoires and her purse, stuck her feet in a pair of sandals, and headed out to lay claim on a deck chair.

She settled in, putting her sunglasses on and propping her grimoire open on against her legs.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Ned wasn't the best with new people but, when he saw the girl approach, he gave a little wave.

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

Ooh, cute boy. Hey, just 'cause she had a boyfriend didn't mean she couldn't appreciate cute when she saw it.

"Hi," she said cheerfully, returning the wave.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Hi," he said. Digby wagged his tail at the new arrival but was good and didn't jump or run at her. "How are you today? Warm, huh?"

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"But it's a nice kind of warm," Eve said. "Not the kind that makes you want to hide indoors with a never-ending pitcher of something wet." She grinned and then wiggled her fingers at Digby, because it was just rude to ignore whoever else was there even if Digby was a dog and not human or humanoid.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I guess," Ned said, having never heard it put that way. Digby, always happy to get attention, trotted over to the wiggling fingers and sniffed them. "I still hope I don't sunburn out here."

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"Plenty of sunscreen and you should be fine," Eve said. "Aww, hi, doggy. You're a friendly one, aren't you?" She gave Digby a careful scritch on the head.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"He likes attention," Ned said while Digby basked in said attention. "His name's Digby and I'm Ned. And I brought sunscreen. I actually remembered."

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"Hi, Digby. Oh, you're a good boy, aren't you?" Eve grinned. "My boyfriend's got a dog, but he went home for the second part of the summer semester and so I'm a bit dog-less. Which is just a shame. Everyone should have an attention-loving dog in their life." She pulled her attention away from Digby long enough say, "I'm Eve, by the way."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Good to meet you, Eve," Ned said, nodding. "Sorry to hear you're missing your boyfriend's dog. He coming back?"

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"Yep," she said with a nod. "He just had to go home and deal with family stuff or something." She made a face. "Family stuff sucks."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." Ned looked down at the mention of family. "But, he's coming back. That's something. And until then, um, there's...this place."

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"And I've got family and friends here, so it's not like this place is a bad place." Eve shrugged. "It's pretty damn fantastic, actually."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"It's okay," Ned said which was pretty high compliment from him. The fact that he was still there and social was a compliment, even. "How long have you been here?"

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"Been here since... first summer term of '07," Eve said after taking a moment to think. "Shit, it's really been that long? Good Lord."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Ned laughed and said, "Older than me, then. Start of the summer or so. Seems like longer."

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"You gotten to experience any of the really weird shit yet? You weren't here for the freaky angel statues, but..." She thought for a second. "Oh, the nightmares. Were you here when the people had the nightmares?"

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Was that the demons and stuff?" Ned asked. "Because if so, yeah, I was here. I spent that weekend in the library with other people and not hiding."

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

"That was Hades being a dipshit. So probably, yeah." Eve made a face. "Ooh, I think you missed the random future kids, and those were a weird that was actually kind of fun."