LBJ Campfire, Monday Evening

[rocksthescarf.livejournal.com]

Chuck didn't know who started the campfire outside his cabin but he was glad that someone did. He was capable of working a lighter but that whole Boy Scout-y wood and newspaper in the optimal fire starting position thing was lost on him. So when people did the hard stuff for him he was appreciative. Silently appreciative. He wasn't about to be thanking people out loud.

Now he was sitting back against a log with a joint in his hand and was debating going back inside the cabin to grab marshmallows. Maybe after the munchies set in.

[Open! You will keep me entertained whilst I wait for the Gossip Girl finale]

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Adams. Why do so many guys who get elected president have to use all three names?" Dinah wondered aloud, distracted by this question. Cute guy, cute accent. "Are they compensating for something? They're president! They shouldn't have to do that."

[bitten_notshy]

"I have no idea," Jack said. This was a bouncy one. "There aren't presidents at home. You could tell me they call called themselves Horatio V. MacGillicuddy, and I'd believe you."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah's grin widened, and she asked, "So is home just the U.K., or a new interesting variation of it? They still don't have presidents. Prime ministers and parliament and the Queen and all that."

[bitten_notshy]

"A variation, I suppose," Jack said. She hadn't exactly asked, so he saw no reason to point out he wasn't British. (It was amazing how seldom people did ask.) "I've lived in several places, but we've been in the colonies since March. It was Spain before then."

"Where's home for you?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"New Gotham City. Which only one other person here has heard of, even though it's the biggest city on the east coast where I'm from," Dinah said. "Eight million people. Ooo, Spain? That sounds cool. And we're still colonies in your world, hunh?" She tilted her head. "Is your family military, or just like to travel?"

[bitten_notshy]

"My guardian's a detective," Jack explained lightly. "An eccentric. He moves when the spirit takes him; that's how I ended up in New Amsterdam, and then here, to begin with."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah immediately brightened. "Police detective, or private? What kind of cases? My adopted sister's dad is police commissioner in New Gotham."

[bitten_notshy]

"Private detective. Consulting," Jack said, studying the girl. "You're very curious about me -- or is it everyone?"

He was also a tad nervous, in truth. If her stepfather (or something like that) were police in a world where being a vampire was illegal, that could so easily mean trouble.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah looked briefly embarrassed, turning pink, then had to grin. "Everybody, honestly. If I'm being too nosy for you, just tell me to stop and I'll bibble at you about Fandom teal deer or furred fish, or hush up. I want to be a private detective when I graduate college, so I get really interested in people in the same line of work, too."

[bitten_notshy]

"It's not too much," Jack assured her, even though it kind of was. "Sebastien's been in his line of work a long time; I'll introduce you if he ever visits."

Sebastien might kill him for it, but that would be the funny part. "Now, bibble at me about the odd livestock."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah laughed, then grinned at him again. "There are fish with fur deep in the Preserve, and tiny blue deer you can attract by talking too much." She shrugged, looking mischievous. "I had a lot of them following me once. Got them on camera for the class I was taking."

[bitten_notshy]

"But could you tell they were blue on the film?" Jack asked, thinking he was being clever.

No one had showed him color film yet.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Sure." Dinah gave him a puzzled look for a second, then blinked. "Oh, do you guys not have color film yet? Or does it have to be tinted?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Hand-colored," Jack nodded. "We have photography, but not in color."

[OOC: Crashing, night!]

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah tilted her head. "I think we got color film about... sixty years ago? Or so. I didn't even ask, what year is it where you're from?"

[ooc: Niiiight! SP yay!]

[bitten_notshy]

"I think this is the first time I've forgotten to say," Jack remarked. "It's 1899."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Wow, long way for you," Dinah said, thinking. "My friend Cal is from the 1970's, and Arthur and Merlin and Morgana are from even further back. Do you like it here so far, or is it too weird?"

[bitten_notshy]

"The people are friendly," Jack said, intentionally putting a bit of flirtation into his tone. "That always helps me feel at home, wherever I am."

"And I met Merlin. I'm afraid I was terribly rude to him when he mentioned Prince Arthur -- I thought he was having me on."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah turned pink, and grinned back. "Well, when new people are charming and smart, how can we not be friendly?" she said, tilting her head flirtily. Then she winced, looking rueful. "Yeah. I met Merlin my first day here, and kind of freaked him out when I mentioned the legends. I think everyone who's heard of those stories have had similar reactions. Don't feel too bad about it, I'm sure he'll understand. How'd you figure out he wasn't joking?"

[bitten_notshy]

Jack smiled at the blush, then ducked his head briefly before answering. "It was his manner," he answered. "I could tell what I was saying didn't make any sense to him, and he didn't seem like a good actor."

He brought a hand to his chin. "I was always told Malory was full of lies, anyhow."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"He wrote the first legends, right?" Dinah checked, not sure of her facts. "There's been a half dozen movies and a musical play about them now. And it is weird, to have Merlin telling me the legends got it wrong. Arthur's not a stable boy, his dad's alive. You're lucky you didn't meet Arthur first, the huffiness would've been huge if you'd reacted that way to him."

[bitten_notshy]

"He wrote the version I read as a boy, and one of the first compilations in modern English," Jack confirmed. (He'd been raised to be pedantic about such things.) "So you think the legends are about them, and it's not just a coincidence of names? And I'm yet to meet Arthur."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I guess they could be? There's a lot of similarities. Their facts are just off enough from the usual version for it to be possible that someone got them wrong, and made up some of the romantic parts to be more interesting." Dinah grinned. "Arthur's a good guy, but really aware he's a prince and most people here aren't. He's giving me fencing lessons, but he can take some getting used to." Massive, massive understatement. "If you use his titles, he'll be a lot more friendly."

[bitten_notshy]

"That's what legend is, isn't it?" Jack asked, brushing his hair down. "Someone takes facts and adds romance or violence to make them interesting."

He nodded at what she'd said about Arthur; it was something to keep in mind, at least. "You fence?" he asked, instead.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"True enough. It's odd thinking you know a legend, though. But it's odder for them, I think," she said, thinking of Merlin's vehemence that he was not That Guy. Dinah brightened up at the question about fencing. "Yup! Well, since February. It's with broadswords, not foils," she added. "In case something invades that needs to be killed a lot. Do you fence?"