Fifth Floor Common Room, Saturday afternoon

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

Bruce made his way to the common room to get some more room to stretch out while reading. He was doing just that, too, when the TV suddenly turned on, tuned into the football game. Bruce tried to mute it with the remote, which of course didn't work. "I'm trying to read here," he said. The volume didn't change.

Bruce was going to get a freaking EMF meter before the next time he came to this common room. But since he didn't have one of those right now, he went back to his dorm room, came out with his spare sheets, and covered the TV with them to dampen the sound.

He won this round, thank you very much.

[OOC: Open CR, of course.]

Comments

[shes-got-legs.livejournal.com]

Reorganizing your entire stuff collection and listening to mash-ups all day could leave a girl feeling pretty hungry, so there was at least one point in the afternoon where she decided to see what might be in the fridge down in the common room.

Pity she and Chuck ate all the pizza last night...

"Hi, Bruce!" she chirped when she spotted him and headed toward the fridge. "Why's there a sheet on the TV? Is it broken? Is it a ghost?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"It picked a fight with me again," Bruce said. "It lost."

"You seem to be in a good mood." Like that was strange.

[shes-got-legs.livejournal.com]

"Well," Ariel said with a giggle, leaning on the open refrigerator door and smirking at Bruce, "it had to let you win eventually. And of course I'm in a good mood! Why wouldn't I be? It's an absolutely beautiful Saturday!"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"It didn't let me win," Bruce said, offended at the suggestion. "Do you know how many covers it took to dampen the noise?"

[shes-got-legs.livejournal.com]

Ariel was okay with just letting Bruce believe that.

"Five?" she guessed.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"And two pillows. The volume kept rising, too," Bruce said.

[shes-got-legs.livejournal.com]

As hard as she tried not to, Ariel couldn't help another giggle. "Whatever was on," she said, ducking her head into the refrigerator to grab a mystery box of Chinese, "it really wanted you to watch it, Bruce."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"It was just a football game. But I had things to read," Bruce said. "My wants beat its wants."

[shes-got-legs.livejournal.com]

"What are you reading?" asked Ariel, who, opening the container and taking a sniff, pulled a face and decided that could go right back where it came from.

[angelo_wings]

It wasn't Rinoa's floor, but she was bored and looking for something to do. And she had to ask, once she spotted the gift-wrapped TV.

"Is it haunted?" she asked, giggling.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"I haven't ruled it out," Bruce said. "Something has to be causing its grudge against me."

[angelo_wings]

"What's wrong with it?" she asked, walking over to it. "Are the sheets stuck on there?"

Scissors might help.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"It turned itself on while I was trying to read," Bruce said. "It wasn't willing to keep quiet, so I did what I had to do."

[angelo_wings]

Rinoa laughed. "Maybe it's lonely," she said. "Maybe the TV has a desperate crush on you, and is sad that you're not paying it any attention."

Rinoa, for her part, was looking for where the TV was plugged into the wall.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"If you're looking to unplug it, go ahead and try. It won't for me, though," Bruce said. "And if it has a crush, it's clearly never moved past grade school flirting."

[angelo_wings]

"Well, how would you flirt if you were a TV?" Rinoa noted. "You're so close, but just out of reach! It wants to lure you in, and get you to notice. But how? By being mysterious. By refusing to be ignored."

It always worked for her.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"And staying on shows that people usually don't want to watch?" Bruce asked.

Except for maybe the Bachelor. He could actually see the appeal of that one.

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

Elphaba entered, paused when she saw the TV, and then smiled.

"I approve of your redecorations," she said. "Does anyone need anything from the kitchen area?"

She was, as usual, about to fetch an apple.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"They're temporary. Once I don't need to keep the sound down any more, the sheets are coming back with me," Bruce said.

And then they were getting washed, just in case Rinoa was right.

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"Alas," Elphaba said. "So I take it the television is refusing to behave for you again."

She grabbed her apple, a golden delicious, and made her way closer to Bruce. "What are you trying to do, then?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Get some reading in about Japanese history," Bruce said. "A talk with Momoko reminded me that I haven't kept up my studies on that front very well since I've been here."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"That is the history of Japan, then," Elphaba said, a little proud she recognized the name. "I don't know much, or really anything of it. But I at least know the name. Is it a very important country?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Economically and culturally, yes. It also played a significant role in World War II," Bruce said. "But I'm more interested in it on a personal note."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"May I ask why?" Elphaba asked, wanting to be as polite as possible. "If it is too personal, I don't mean any offense by asking."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"I spent some time there a couple years ago," Bruce said. "It's steeped in history, and I always meant to study up on it a little more."