Fifth Floor Common Room, Thursday Afternoon

[suitably_heroic]

A new week, a new term, new classes... and an old card game.

So far, Atton didn't have much to complain about regarding his classes (except for all the things he did complain about) but he was pretty glad they were over for the week. After all, the school had flooded with a bunch of new students who, presumably, didn't know how to play pazaak so good (or at all). So now he was stretching out in the common room, watching something called The Real Hustle (or whatever) while playing a friendly game of cards against himself.

Good. Friendly. Accessible! He might even switch to poker if you asked real nice. He was a nice guy like that.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

"Try both," Atton said. "I'm telling you, half the people on this island are in desperate need of a good night out at a strip club or something."

[pursuedthestars]

"You should organize that!" Jim said, smirking. "You would be doing a lot of people so good and just think how much goodwill you'd earn!"

Because that was what Atton was all about. Goodwill. Yep.

[suitably_heroic]

"Eh," Atton said. "Not worth all the trouble."

Making people happy. Pffft. Who needed that?

[pursuedthestars]

"Yeah, I probably wouldn't do it either," Jim admitted with a shrug. "Besides, the people that need the help probably aren't gonna be the most fun people to take out for a night. They'd just ruin your fun."

Jim tucked his hands behind his head. "Besides, I'd rather my roommate just remain unhappy. He deserves it."

[suitably_heroic]

"You ever show up at your room in the middle of the night making a lot of noise just because you can?" Atton wanted to know. Because Jim seemed like the type.

[pursuedthestars]

"I'd feel awful about myself if I didn't," Jim said, snickering. "I tend to try and sic other people on him too. Pretty sure Cade still has something of Jackson's that I let him steal. Gert was gonna introduce him to her dinosaur friend too."

[suitably_heroic]

Atton snickered. Then paused. "Wait, dinosaur?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Yeah, she's got a dinosaur," he said, scratching his cheek. "Not one that's going to destroy the school or anything. She seems to like cookies, in fact. Kind of a teddy bear dinosaur."

[suitably_heroic]

"I saw those things on TV once," Atton shared. "Didn't look so cuddly."

[pursuedthestars]

"You believe everything you see on TV?" Jim asked. "And would I lead you wrong, Atton?"

[suitably_heroic]

"Is that a trick question?" Atton asked, "Or just a sarcastic one?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Little bit of both," Jim admitted. "I'd definitely lead you wrong if I wanted to but I think you're a little too smart to be led down a path that's gonna bite you in the ass either."

[suitably_heroic]

"I try to avoid ass-biting whenever I get the chance," Atton agreed. "No, I'm not going to buy anything you sell. It's not personal, it's just having met you."

[pursuedthestars]

"Hey, it just means you're smart," Jim said, taking no offense. "Besides, there's a lot of other people who'll buy what I'm selling. Losing you will hurt, Atton, but I think we can still be friends."

[suitably_heroic]

"Just don't turn up at my doorstep at eight in the morning holding one of those old audio things you people have," Atton said wisely. "Seen that in a movie once. Bad idea."

[pursuedthestars]

"Yeah, but would that be a bad idea for just me or for anyone in the world?" Jim had to wonder because that just sounded...cheesy.

[suitably_heroic]

"I was going to go with everybody," Atton drawled, "But if you want to take it personally..."

[pursuedthestars]

"Please, I take nothing personally," Jim replied, waving a hand. "That'd mean caring a lot more about stupid things than I wanna do. But, I think I'd find someone showing up at my door with a radio kind of...cute if a little strange."

[suitably_heroic]

"Well, let whatever girl you've got waiting for you know," Atton said, "The knowledge is wasted on me."

[pursuedthestars]

"Aww, now you've made me sad that I don't have a girl waiting for me," he said and made an exaggerated sad face.

[suitably_heroic]

"Suddenly I feel a lot more sympathy for your roommate," Atton said.

[pursuedthestars]

Yeah, that made Jim laugh too. "Why's that? Because I'm sad or because I don't have any girls or because you wanna room with me instead?"

[suitably_heroic]

Atton held up his hands. "Somehow, I think you'd be worse than Jessica," he said, "But I'm gonna go with 'you crying into your pillow'."

[pursuedthestars]

"What's wrong with Jessica?" Jim asked curiously. "She a bad roommate? I would have thought she'd be pretty, I dunno, okay."

[suitably_heroic]

"She's a brat," Atton said, rolling his eyes.

...Admittedly, the fact that they didn't fight all the time pretty much made her a perfect roommate for him.