Fourth Floor Common Room | Evening | Monday | June 27

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

It was nice to be back in the dorms where there were walls and doors and bed that he didn't nearly roll off of every single goddamn morning. It was nice to be able to go down the hall and flop down on a comfortable sofa instead of sitting his ass down on a log and risking splinters in that unpadded area. Yes, he had a flat ass, what of it? It came with the skinniness.

In Nathan's opinion, dorms were much better than cabins and, to him, his opinion was gospel. The telly was on but Nathan wasn't really paying attention to the dill, boring drone of the news. He'd gotten an interesting text from Kelly telling him about their new probation worker (called Shaun, apparently) and how he hadn't tried to kill anyone yet. Sally was still missing in action, apparently. Nathan texted Kelly to ask Simon about that because he had the sneaking suspicion that the little pervert was keeping her in his closet but Kelly just told him to shut the fuck up and be nice.

Nathan scoffed at that text and was now trying to get Kelly to admit she missed him. It wasn't going well. And eventually, he got bored and start channel surfing while he waited for Kelly to stop being such a fucking stick in the mud.

"God, I should just read a book if this shit is all the choice I have to watch," he muttered and made a face as he kept flipping channels.

[Open common room, open post]

Comments

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

Nathan waited a second to see if she was serious and when it looked like she was, he scratched his cheek. "Do you not tease people where you're from? You know, intentionally poke and prod at them to get a rise out of them for fun?"

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

That got Elphaba to give him a look of 'are you serious?'.

"I guess I'd become accustomed to better out of the students at this school," she said.

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"Oh, boo fucking hoo, Nathan said, mimicking wiping a few tears away from his eyes. "If you really think the people here are gonna be what you find out in the real world, you've got another thing coming. Better grow some big balls now so you can take it."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

Elphaba narrowed her eyes for a moment. "You really think I don't understand what it is to be bullied?" she asked. "You really think, out of all the people that have hurled insults and belittled me, you are in some way special?"

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"I know I'm special," Nathan said cockily, shrugging. "That's called confidence and if you can't take a little teasing without stomping off and holding back tears, then you're just gonna get eaten alive when you hit the real world. But yeah, I'm special and I know it. It's a cold, hard fact."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"I'll give you credit," Elphaba said, sitting back down. "You found something new to pick at. Most people don't go beyond the green. That I can deal with."

She crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "Why do you do it, really?"

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"Why does there have to be a reason for it?" Nathan wondered, shrugging. "Is there a reason behind everything you do? Do you logically think out why you're gonna go take a piss or why you're gonna wear what you wear or why you're gonna kick someone in the teeth?"

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"So you're saying you just naturally enjoy the suffering of others," Elphaba said, just trying to understand it all. "That it just comes as nature, to you."

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"Suffering is such a harsh word," Nathan said breezily before he nodded. "But yeah, yeah, that's what I like. Does that make me a bad person?"

Probably.

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"Well, I think most people would say causing pain is a bad thing," Elphaba said. "But morality is relative. If you thought it made you a bad person, you'd probably not do it. Personally, I find it sad."

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"And is this you telling me that you've never ever tried to intentionally make someone else feel bad just because you could?" Nathan asked dubiously.

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"Not because I could, no," Elphaba said. "I've lashed out in defense and when I've felt overwhelmed. I've done things I wouldn't say I'm proud of. But I suppose it's... different natures. Much like the difference between a mouse and a badger."

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"Maybe you should give it a go!" Nathan encouraged, giving Elphaba a thumbs up. "I mean, there's really no funnier thing than watching someone stumble over their words and hold back tears because you threw a few measly words at them. It's one of life's little pleasures and I take those where I can get them."