3rd Floor Common Room | Wednesday Evening

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

Cassel had been taking the shy outcast persona he took on at the picnic a little too seriously for his own taste. Sure, it kept people from asking questions but it did get kind of boring after a while. So when the boredom got too much to handle, Cassel decided to spend some time in his floor's common room.

After fishing around the pantry for some chips, Cassel flopped down on the couch to watch TV. He ended up finding some movie where cops were trying to track down a serial killer. The gloves worn at the various crime scenes made Cassel feel at home.

[Open CR is open, yes]

Comments

[dollpocalypse]

Chips and cop movies. Topher's favorites. Except not so much on the cop movies, but -- chips!

He flopped down on the couch next to Cassel. "Hey, dude," he said, reaching over to try to take some of his neighbor's chips right from the bag.

...Sorry, Cassel.

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

Cassel had two older brothers, so he was used to jackass moves like that. Didn't mean he had to take it though.

"Hey," Cassel said, jerking the bag away. "You ever heard of asking, dude?"

[dollpocalypse]

...No, Cassel. No, he had not.

"Thought about it," Topher said, kicking his feet up on the table in front of him. "Figured it'd be best to go with the element of surprise."

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"Well it's not gonna work for you this time," he said, guarding the bag of chips now. "Sucks to be you."

The chips weren't all that good but it was the principle of the thing.

[dollpocalypse]

"Oh, come on, man," he implored. Be careful, Cassel, he was about one step away from taking his shoes off. "Don't be like that..."

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"Why would I reward bad behavior?" Cassel asked, lifting an eyebrow. "You won't learn anything."

[dollpocalypse]

Oh! Oh, he totally had bribe material.

Topher held up one finger, then began rummaging through his pockets. Eventually he came up with fifty cents in dimes and nickels, a Los Angeles parking lot ticket stub, and a lens from a pair of sunglasses. Eek. Whatever, that wouldn't stop him.

"Trade ya?"

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

Cassel looked down at the look (and made a note of where the ticket stub was from) before look back up at Topher. "I'll just take the change."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher cocked his head, considered the walk from the couch to the pantry to get a bag of his own, then squinted at the bag.

"What flavor is it?"

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

Cassel had to look at the bag to check. Showed just how little he cared about the chips. "Barbecue."

[dollpocalypse]

"Deal."

He didn't even have to think about it. Barbecue chips were Topher's all-time favorite food ever.

Congratulations, Cassel, you were now the proud owner of fifty cents.

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"Nice working with you," Cassel said, handing over the bag. "Enjoy your chips."

[dollpocalypse]

"Sweet," Topher pronounced. Then proceeded to shove a handful into his mouth.

Manners weren't always his thing.

"So," he said with his mouth half-full, "whatcha watchin'?"

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"Some crime thriller," Cassel said, wiping his gloves off on his pants. "The hooker helping the cops did it."

Well. He didn't know that for sure, but he prided himself on being able to solve these things quickly.

[dollpocalypse]

There was a hooker in this? Yeech. But then again, movie!

"Yeah? How can you tell?"

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"Because she's being too helpful," Cassel explained. "She's also getting too close to the attractive cop, trying to figure out what he knows so she can adjust her story to make herself look innocent."

[dollpocalypse]

"Oh." Huh. Topher watched the screen for a few moments as, sure enough, the hooker leaned all over the cop in question. "Maybe she just likes him?"

Blech!

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

Cassel shook his head. "Don't be so naive. Nobody is that helpful unless they've done something wrong."

[dollpocalypse]

Between Cassel and Peter, Topher was getting fed a heck of a lot of cynicism.
He didn't mind.

"Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully. "Don't girls sometimes, like, do the fawning thing?"

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"She's a hooker," Cassel reminded him. "I think she's past the point where she's impressed by men."

[dollpocalypse]

This was a fair point.

"Right," said Topher, pondering this. "And the cop doesn't figure this out because..."

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"Oh he'll figure it out in the end," Cassel said with a nod. "He's the hero of the story. He'll figure it out and then he'll get her alone and confront her, she'll try to kill him and then he'll kick her ass--but leave her alive."

[dollpocalypse]

"Sounds boring," Topher decided. "Is there a Discovery Channel here?"

And that would be his ungloved hand reaching for the remote, yes. Never mind that Cassel had dibs.

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

Cassel rolled his eyes. "Figure it out for yourself."

It was not worth touching this guy's hand.

[dollpocalypse]

He didn't mind? Well, okay, then.

What followed was two full minutes of half-second glimpses at every channel the TV offered before Topher came to a sorrowful stop right back at the cop movie.

Alas, the Discovery Channel was not to be found. Or he just hadn't waited long enough. That was more likely.

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

Cassel sighed. "Well that was a thrilling intermission. Thanks for that."

[dollpocalypse]

"Happy to help."

Not three seconds of the movie had passed before Topher interrupted it again with more scintillating commentary.

"So why'd she do it?"

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

Cassel looked over at him. "Do you have ADD or something?"

[dollpocalypse]

He scoffed, waving a hand.

Then turned serious.

"You know, probab-- was he in something else? I think I recognize him."

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't know," Cassel told him. "I'm not from this...universe, I guess."

[dollpocalypse]

Oooooh. Well. That had been meant to be a sarcastic display of his so-nonexistent ADD, but that was more interesting.

"You're not, huh?" Topher drummed those bare fingers of his on the table. "Where're you from, then?"

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"New Jersey," Cassel answered. "I don't have any solid answers for anything beyond that."

[dollpocalypse]

Sorry for the nose-wrinkle, Cassel. Sure, Topher left his house almost exclusively for the length of time it took him to complete an accelerated school day, but he couldn't quite get over his LA-ingrained aversion to all things New Jersey.

"They make TV shows about New Jersey," he supplied helpfully. "I think they're probably not that good."

He shrugged. "Sorry, dude."

[shes-got-legs.livejournal.com]

Ariel didn't really have a reason to be down on the third floor, but Ariel was also of the opinion that she didn't really need a reason. If anything, she was just a bit restless, not having any job or any workshops today.

And there were people inside so she drifted on in, flopped into a free seat on the couch, and asked the quintessential question, "What's on?"

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"I'm getting annoyed to death." What? Topher was annoying.

[shes-got-legs.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Ariel asked, her eyes going wide for a moment as she looked at the television. "By the show? Why? What's it about? And why don't you just change the channel?"

[cursedconman.livejournal.com]

"If I was being annoyed by the movie I would have turned it off," Cassel said, sounding insulted that someone would think he was that stupid. "I was referring to the last guy that came in here. He was annoying."

[shes-got-legs.livejournal.com]

"...Who was it?" Despite herself, Ariel couldn't help but be curious, and she wondered if anyone she could think of might be Cassel's answer. She couldn't think of too many boys who might have been considered annoying, but there were a few...