[PRP] Paper Boats (Jordan & Horace)

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace couldn't recall when he'd been this gung-ho about studying. Of course, he had to admit to himself that the reason was the who ad the where. And maybe that made him sound a little silly, but at least his silliness was self-contained. Nobody needed to know but him.


He waited in front of Jordan's apartment building, feeling awkward even trying to go through the main gate. He said he'd be right by and Horace hadn't expected to be first; it let his mind wander too much. Huffing out a cold puff of air, he pulled his scarf closer around his neck.

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"Hey," Jordan called, coming around the corner at a quick walk. "Sorry, I managed to drop my stuff coming out of class and it took forever to get it all picked up. I hope you haven't been waiting too long," he said, and went to open the gate, giving Horace a quick, slightly embarrassed grin.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

He pulled down his scarf a bit to speak. "I think we've all done that before. Did you get all of it or is some lost to the terrible halls of Rider Waite?" He trailed behind Jordan.

"And nah, I wasn't waiting too long. It's popsicle weather, though."

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"I think I got it all. Of course, that means that I'll discover later that a key page of my notes is missing just as I frantically study for an upcoming exam, but that's future me's problem," Jordan said breezily. He punched a number into the worn-looking keypad beside the door, and pulled on the handle when it clicked open.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

"RIP future you. I'll hold a nice funeral for you; I've the experience," Horace said, shuffling in behind Jordan. "What floor are you on?"

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let's make it jordan's door?

 

[prolixity]

"No roses, please. Too dramatic," Jordan said, flashing a pleased grin at Horace. "Third floor. I usually brave the stairs, the elevator is clanky, ancient, and small. I'm not going to say that it scares me, but it kind of scares me." He crossed the lobby and held the stairwell door open for Horace.

The Semblance of Unity

sounds good biggrin

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Fine, lilies for the fair Jordan," he said dramatically, rolling his eyes. Horace popped into the stairwell, pulling a face at his companion. "Maybe the elevator's haunted. The really old ones always give me a weird Silent Hill vibe, y'know?" Horace's voice echoed oddly in the stairwell. He kept a hand on the railing as he ascended. Luckily, three floors up wasn't unmanageable in the world of stairs.

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"Lilies are a classic anyway. Traditional can be nice, right?" Jordan laughed. "Yeah, I don't know when that elevator was installed. I mean, after the kind with the folding grates, but it's sure not very modern. I wonder what kind of ghosts would be in that sort of elevator. Maybe not an elevator attendant, that'd be anachronistic. Hapless delivery guy of some sort? Doomed to spend eternity never finding the right floor?"

When they reached the third floor, he held the door open again, then continued on down the hall to the fourth doorway on the left, where he unlocked the door and pushed it open with a dramatic gesture. "Welcome to my palace."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"The pizza delivery ghost of your apartment. Makes you suddenly smell pizza when you least expect it." A pretty lame ghost, but amusing. "Died while hoping for a good tip." He took the stairs quickly, long legs eating them up. Horace liked making up random ghost stories and what ifs about haunted places that weren't actually haunted. It was a strange hobby, but fun to speculate about.

When Jordan swung the door open, Horace grinned. "Oh my. Age before beauty I suppose." He stepped through and everything changed. The lighting grew bleaker, the furnishings more worn... There was a strange familiarity overall.

"s**t.... okay. Jordan?" He turned back around, both hoping and not that Jordan had been dumped here, too.

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"Hey, I always give the pizza delivery guy a good tip," Jordan started as he stepped through the door, but his voice trailed off as he realized that something had happened. This was his apartment, but it was worn, dusty, the furnishings ancient and abandoned and most of his familiar possessions nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, s**t," he agreed, and gave Horace a rueful look. "Uh ... I guess we're having an adventure instead of studying today?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I hope your apartment's not this shitty normally." He grinned, even while knowing they were stuck in that alternate world. "This happens to me a lot - like, while trying to study." A lot equaled twice now, but that was two hundred times more than zero.

He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and looked around. "Wanna go wandering, then?"

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[prolixity]

"Nah. I'm a college student, but I do have some standards." Jordan wandered over to the bedroom door and peeked inside, then closed it again, shaking his head. "Would not sleep on that bed, it looks like it'd collapse if you breathed on it. This has happened to you before while trying to study? Does the universe have something against you studying?" he inquired lightly.

"Sure. Better than sitting in here, anyway. I can't make coffee to sustain our braining without a machine." He pointed at the kitchenette's dilapidated counter, indicating its distinct lack of appliances.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I think the universe believes I'm just not meant to study." Horace sighed dramatically. "It helps that I've got a photographic memory, so studying only does no much, anyway." He shrugged, unashamedly trying to peer into the bedroom as well. Jordan was too quick with the door, however.

At the mention of coffee, he shifted his bag on his shoulders. "I know it's blasphemy, but I do have some instant coffee on me. Though I wouldn't trust the water here, either...." Horace made a face. "Wanna go see if my house is as shitty?"

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"That's cool. Is it like having a cheat sheet every test, even if you don't have an actual cheat sheet?" Jordan asked, interested.

He made a face at the half-hearted suggestion. "Blasphemy," he agreed. "Not sure the pipes here even work, and I have no idea when the mugs were washed last, if they're even here, so yeah, that can wait. Sure, let's see if your place is any better than mine." He absently pushed one of the skewed, ratty-looking chairs in to the table. It was a little tidier, at least. Maybe.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I never thought 'bout it like that, but I guess so." The idea made him smile. "It still takes a while to shift through - like I don't remember the answer, but I remember the page it's on so I have to go over the whole page - does that even make sense?"

He looked around the apartment before pulling the door open. "Yeah, I don't trust the water in this place - someone told me the food here can be edible but incredibly bland." Horace started down the hall towards the stairs. "I bet the elevator really is haunted here, though."

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