[PRP] pleasant conversation (Jordan, Horace)

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It was just about time for lunch, and this month Jordan had enough spare cash to be a little self-indulgent and treat himself a few times, and maybe even someone else. With that in mind, after a little consideration, he got out his phone.

Quote:

Text to Horace: Hey, if you're free today, want to get lunch? My treat.

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

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Text: Yeah im free. where dyou want to meet? gaia_diamond

A text from Jordan was a welcome break from his studying and Horace closed his textbook with a thud. Sure, it was still break time, but he wanted to soak up as much knowledge as possible - like a mutant sponge. It helped that he had an excellent memory. Studying wasn't mandatory, but he did it anyway. He stretched, popping his back loudly. Well, if that didn't make a man in his 20s feel old...

Slipping his phone into his pocket, he began to dig around for acceptable clothing, feeling strange.  

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The Semblance of Unity

Text to Horace: Where are you at? I just got out of class, we could meet at the fountain if you're on campus.

Jordan wasn't sure if Horace's class or work schedule had changed since the world had altered itself, and hadn't yet figured out a clever way to ask without sounding like a weirdo. He guessed that ultimately it didn't matter other than making him seem forgetful, if something had shifted.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

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Text: My house! corner of ferros & pine. it's near campus so i can meet you there or halfway?

He frowned and chewed his lip. Jordan probably wouldn't appreciate an invitation to come over to his house for a meal. Maybe later, he thought, and erased that portion of text. There was, however, a kickass Thai place near campus...

Quote:

Text: Dyou like thai food?

 

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The Semblance of Unity

Text: Hey, my apartment's over that way, a few blocks over. Thai food's great, are you thinking that one place by the convenience store?

It was kind of neat to know that they didn't live that far apart; that was convenient, as far as future possible invitations to do stuff went. Thai food sounded wonderful, and he hadn't been to the place he knew of for weeks.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Quote:

Text: Really? awesome. & yeah that's the one I think its called sawatdee. i can meet you there!

It was kind of cool they lived so close and made him wonder why they bothered to meet up at the university for study sessions, sometimes. Horace made a note to offer his house up next time, though he'd have to dust. Ugh. Drawbacks of having a whole row house to himself. He'd been thinking about getting a roommate lately, to help alleviate costs, but fist he'd have to put an ad on craigslist or something.

Enough thinking! Horace quickly got ready, then spent nearly ten minutes thinking on which scarf to wear before concluding he was being silly. With a huff, he grabbed one and headed out. Within just a few minutes, he was there and grabbed a table about halfway back so he could watch the door.

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The Semblance of Unity

Text: That's the one, yeah. See you there!

Jordan pulled his jacket on and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He spent a couple of extra minutes looking into the hallway mirror, messing with his hair. He should really get it trimmed, he thought; it was starting to look messy rather than just a little tousled. Then he shook his head at himself and headed out. It was just lunch.

It didn't take him long to get to the restaurant, when he got there, he looked around for Horace, and found him sitting at a table halfway back in the restaurant. He grinned and headed over to the table. "Hey," he said cheerfully as he got within earshot.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace jiggled his leg under the table. A menu was spread in front of him and he made the pretense of looking through it though his eyes were on the door. But he tried not to look like he was looking. Still, Jordan's grin was met with one of his own.

"Hey, Jordan. You got here quick." He slid another menu across the table. "The pad see ew here is pretty good, if you haven't had it yet." Horace rubbed the back of his neck and belatedly tied up his hair. While he was fond of it, long hair didn't work out too well with Thai food.

"Y'know, since we live so close if you ever wanna do studying at a house instead of the school, let me know?" Fairly awkward way to broach it, but still. He scooted his chair closer to the wall as a waiter came by.

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"It's chilly out there. Better to keep warm by keeping moving." Jordan pulled a chair out and sat down, accepting the menu and giving it a cursory once-over. "I'll give that a try. Want to share some fried tofu?"

"Okay," he agreed easily. "We could alternate where we set up for studying, if you want. My couch is pretty comfy."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He nodded. "I was kind of hoping for a white Christmas, but it hasn't been cold enough yet." There was something romantic and traditional about a white Christimas (before it turned into slush). "Never got much snow in Oklahoma. And yeah, fried tofu sounds great." He gave his order to the waiter, some kind of vegetable curry, heavy on the peppers.

"Like a real couch? Fancy. I've been here for a bit, but still just using a futon as a couch... I should hit up an Ikea sometime but it's a hassle to move a couch." The idea of studying at each other's houses sounded honestly fun - like some part of a high school ritual he never really took part in. No one really wanted to study over at his place, and he also slacked on studying horribly back then.

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"We don't get much snow in California either," Jordan agreed, "not the part my family lives, anyway. It snows up in the mountains, so it's like, going somewhere snowy is a special trip, you know?" He ordered the pad see ew and the fried tofu appetizer and handed his menu over to the waiter.

"Don't get me wrong, it's secondhand. But I have a cover on it so it almost looks fancy. When I move next I'm probably just going to put it on the curb, let it go to the next rung down on the used-furniture ladder," Jordan laughed. "It's functional."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Sounds nice and warm; I hate the cold." California... "Stereotypical question, but have you ever gone surfing?" He tried to imagine Jordan on a surfboard, waves, salty breeze, et cetera. Not bad.

His stomach grumbled and Horace ignored it, feeling his ears flush slightly. "The age old college tradition of throwing out stuff when you move. Are you going to stay here after graduation?"

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Jordan leaned his elbows on the table and grinned. "Man, that's a total stereotype." He paused for about two seconds, then admitted, "Yeah, I totally have. I got a secondhand board and suit from a friend's brother. I'm not that great at it but I like it. Ever tried it?"

"I don't know," he said, more seriously. "It's been pretty nice to live here. If I find a job, maybe." He was considering it more seriously now, after having been pulled inadvertently into things he still didn't understand. This town seemed to be the locus of those things, and if he wanted to know more or go deeper into what magic was, it might be best to do it here.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace laughed. "I knew it! And nah, there's only man-made lakes in Oklahoma. Nothin' surf-able." He leaned back as the waiter dropped off their tofu. "I think I'd probably be really bad at it, if I tried." He wasn't the most coordinated at times, plus the ocean was kinda freaky.

"I like it here - though I haven't lived in very many places. I used to think I had the wanderer gene, but I kind of like the stability of one place." He speared a piece of tofu. "Of course, it helps that I do have a job here. What're you wanna do after college, career-wise?"

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Jordan picked up a fork and secured one of the pieces of tofu, dipping it into the accompanying sweet sauce. "I fall off all the time," he said cheerfully. "It's a good thing I swim well."

"I like it here," he agreed. "It's a nice town." Aside the weirder occurrences - but he left that part out. Nothing had been too weird since the world hadn't ended. Maybe it would continue not being weird. Except for the part where magic was a thing now, but he couldn't really talk about that being weird, now that it wasn't weird. "I'm probably going to teach," he answered. "I guess I could become a counselor, but I like the academic setting, you know? How about you?"

The Semblance of Unity