[PRP] pleasant conversation (Jordan, Horace)

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I haven't been swimming in forever - do your muscles ever just.. forget?" Despite living in Florida, he hadn't done much there, and the last time he'd been in a lake had been back in Oklahoma. He grimaced.

But he was here, now. Ashdown. "I like that it's kind of odd here, you know? Guess it's just that small town feel despite being a college town. You could be a ...college counselor... is that a thing?" It would be too weird if he said it'd be nice if Jordan stayed, wouldn't it?

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[prolixity]

"Nah. I don't think so. But you'd probably want to swim in a pool instead of the ocean for a refresher. Ocean's too cold much of the year to swim comfortably without a wetsuit, anyway, around here." Jordan gestured with his fork. "You sure wouldn't want to try now, anyway." He laughed.

"Yeah, or if I could land a job at the school clinic, I could do that. I haven't decided yet. I have a couple more years to make up my mind." Going home was appealing in some ways, but making his own way was another thing he could do. "It'd be harder to visit family, but I guess that's part of adulting, right?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Yeah, you're right. I... think the school has a pool, but I'm honestly not real sure. And maybe I like things on the too chilly side. Skinny dipping in a frozen lake side." He grinned. Horace has seen videos of people in Alaska jumping from hot tubs to snow and he would probably shrivel up and die if he tried that.

Horace speared a piece of tofu with his fork just as the waiter arrived with their entrees. He took a moment just to breathe in the smells. "Adulting sucks, let me tell you. Are you close to your family?"

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[prolixity]

"It does. ... Brr, that's a little too chilly for my taste," Jordan laughed. "I'm no polar bear." He'd seen the kind of videos Horace was referring to, and he was not in the least interested in trying the experiment. "I'm more like some kind of lizard, I like warm sun and sand."

He paused to let the waiter put the plate in front of him and appreciate the look and smell of the noodles.. "Yeah, pretty close," he answered. "I've got a little brother, we've always been good buddies. I mean, we bug each other and all, but that's just sibling stuff, you know? And I like my aunt and cousins."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Yess," he sighed out. "Sometimes I think just a day on a hot beach sounds like heaven. Of course, I chose to live up here instead..." He shrugged then pushed his food around on his plate a bit.

"Really? Having extended family always seemed kind of weird to me - prob'bly just because I've not got any. Only child here." Her jerked a thumb at himself. "You should make your brother visit you here."

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[prolixity]

"Well, summer will come back. Eventually." Jordan took a bite of his dinner, made an appreciative sound. "You were right, this is really good."

"No siblings? Who did you bother as a kid then?" he joked. "I'll get Andy out here eventually. He's pretty busy right now though, doing his mechanic's apprenticeship." He sounded proud.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"It feels like summer is never coming," he groused. Horace liked living in tank tops and the climate here did not allow for that in the winter. "I love this place - good food, fast, nearby, the trifecta." He stirred his curry around a bit.

"Mmm, I bothered my grandma? Didn't have anyone else. I mean I had friends," he corrected quickly. More or less. His time in Oklahoma was mostly lonely until high school and then it was worse. Florida wasn't any better. "But I mostly read a lot. Like, a lot." He sheepishly smiled at Jordan. "I was a pretty boring kid."

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[prolixity]

"Well, unless the Earth's axial tilt has altered," Jordan said, and managed a straight face for all of three seconds before the smile broke back through.

"I was a bit of a wild kid when I was younger," he admitted. "I got more boring later, though. Discovered the appeal of books pretty early too." He took a bite of his noodles. "They're always good company."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He snorted. "Gotta have the winter to appreciate the summer, I guess." He sounded entirely disgruntled by it. He liked snow well enough, but everything was so cold. Some of his fondest childhood memories were of lying on sun-warmed concrete and just soaking up the rays of light.

"Well, boring is something I never would've pegged you as." Horace might have colored slightly while giving the compliment. It felt kind of weird, but he meant it. "Oh, did I tell you I've been, uh, dreaming? Some old lady told me it was a kind of magical puberty..." He trailed off, looking vaguely uncomfortable.

prolixity

 

[prolixity]

"I'll still be glad when it warms back up. Looking forward to spring." Jordan smiled. "Until then, plenty of blankets on the bed and more coffee and tea than is probably good for me."

"Thanks," he said sincerely. "Oh, really? I guess you leveled up, huh? Are you dreaming about the other side?" He kept his voice quiet enough to not be overheard, even though it might not be necessary to be so discreet any more.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Ugh, yess, coffee," he groaned. "Though I wish I had like a pet or something to keep me warm too. Maybe one day." He swirled his food around, almost too caught up in talking to remember to eat.

"Leveled up, yeah. Might even say I gained a prestige class, or is that too fancy for me, yet?" He took a drink and lowered his voice a bit as well. "Yeah, and well - I think I'd have to tell you about stuff someone less public, maybe?" Horace shrugged. Magic was still not well received.

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[prolixity]

"One of these days I'll have somewhere where I can have a dog," Jordan said wistfully. He took another bite of his noodles, enjoying the food.

"What class did you spec into?" he joked. "Sure - we could have a walk after dinner?"  

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Dog person?" Horace liked every animal, with no great preference. Unfortunately, that meant he waffled a lot when thinking about what he could possibly get.

For the next question, he pretend to think very hard. "Hmm, a geomancer, or something cool like a deepwood sniper." He pointed finger guns at Jordan and pewpew'd him to no effect.  

[prolixity]

"Yeah, I've always liked dogs. My aunt has three little poms. I kinda miss them sometimes." Jordan sounded fond. "Little beasts."

He pretended to be struck dramatically, clapping a hand to his chest and slumping over in the chair.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

"No, Jordan, what have I done? Who will pay for the food?!" Jordan's slump was hilarious and he reacted in dramatic tones as well. The waiter, who was about to swing by, instead gave them a funny look and walked away. Horace snorted in amusement.