[PRP] Paper Boats (Jordan & Horace)

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Yeah, I just become a kind of... grey wall, I guess? Sometimes it's not entirely voluntary." His laugh turned markedly embarrassed as Jordan complimented him. Or he thought that was a compliment.

"I think you need glasses, dude. And this - is my h-" His words dropped off. Half of the house was ******** missing. It looked as though a smaller Godzilla had decided ******** that wall in particular. He fumbled with his keys, trying to inset them in the lock. He then threw open the door. Sunlight streamed into the house from the giant, gaping hole.

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The embarrassed laugh just got a remarkably sweet smile. "Nah. Twenty-twenty vision, I've been tested ... " Jordan blinked at the half-destroyed house, his eyebrows going up, as Horace fumbled with the keys and unlocked the door.

"Whoa, dude," he said. "I hope it's got more walls than this on the other side."  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Later on, Horace would remember Jordan's words and smile, then proceed to pick them apart to find hidden meanings, but right now, he was concerned that half his house was missing. Although, he did feel his ears heat up a bit.

"I, uh. Well." He ran his hand through his hair, accidentally dislodging his ponytail holder. It plopped into the hood of his jacket. "Normally, it's got a bit more walls to it." Horace stepped inside and frowned. The wall had giant claw marks all over them and rubble littered the floor.

"I guess we can't get coffee here, either."

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Jordan followed Horace inside, looking around at what was left of the house and what wasn't. "Wow. Looks like Godzilla paid you a visit. Good thing you weren't home at the time. I wonder how long it's been like this," he mused. "I mean, it could have been busted forever and you wouldn't know - unless you've been by before and it wasn't, I mean."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace groaned. "Well, there goes my plans of a fun, weird Ashdown sleepover. And nah, I haven't been here before. I usually get dumped in the middle of the town." He looked around. His stupid ******** house; he couldn't believe it.

"You should torch it. It's half dead anyway," he said dramatically.

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"Well, my apartment's still intact. The couch might be sleepable if we're still here by then." Jordan prodded curiously at the claw marks on the wall, stretching his fingers out to try to fit his hand to the marks. They were bigger than his hand.

He thought about that for a moment. "Nah. I'd feel weird trying to burn your place. And even aside the possibility that it might affect things over there, what if it attracted something?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"We shouldn't have to stay overnight. Plus, that couch looked rank, no offense. Ways out look a bit different than regular, uh, doors and stuff, so I've been able to muddle my way back home." He looked around his ruined home and sighed. Again.

"Well, the only thing I'd wanna attract is right here, so maybe we should try to head back?"

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"None taken, as it's not my housekeeping under question over here. I'd camp if I had proper camping equipment, though. Wonder if the stars are the same?" Jordan mused.

"We're on the same page there," Jordan said, with a bright and somewhat mischievous smile. "Lead on. I'll follow you."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Actually, I have a tent back home. Wanna go when it gets warmer? We could even just tent it out in here.... There's enough of the sky showing, probably." He frowns over the ruined edges of his wall. Horace's ears turned red and he moved to the door. Was... was he being flirted with?

After opening the door, he glanced back towards Jordan and smiled. That wasn't bad, really. "Wanna go right or left?"

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"Sure. I'll bring the marshmallows and the stupid-sounding fire spells to roast them," Jordan said cheerfully, and stuck his hands in his pockets. "We'll make it a date."

"Left," he said immediately. "That's how you solve labyrinths, right? Always go left and follow the wall and eventually you'll get through. Well -- maybe this isn't a labyrinth, but still. Always go left."

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[The Semblance of Unity]

"I guess that leaves it to me to bring the sparks for mood lighting." He'd tried to make a joke, but been so suddenly antsy about the word 'date' that he'd nearly tripped over his tongue. Luckily, his words came out mostly okay. Date? Him? Horace was practically undateable. Of course, there was a part of him that loved romance still, but... ********, he was over-thinking again.

There were outside and he was going somewhere. Right. No, left. Horace turned left, trying to keep an eye out for weird doors. "I hope this isn't a labyrinth; I hear they've got minotaurs. And I know one would just find me delicious."

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"You can really make those sparks fly," Jordan said, and gave Horace a bright sideways grin. Horace looked slightly flustered, but he hadn't reacted badly to the comment; it had been phrased carefully so that he could laugh it off if he needed to, but that was promising.

Jordan followed along, watching for possible doors. Maybe they'd find one, or maybe they'd just fall back into the other side of the world. He wondered if it could be done more deliberately. "Would a minotaur count as ... beefcake?" he asked.

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[The Semblance of Unity]

"Oh my god, you are so cheesy!" But he was flushing. Sparks.

Stop thinking about it, he told himself. "Well, unfortunately for Mr. Minotaur, I'm not into those crazily muscle-bound beefcakes." Horace was relatively well-built himself, not beef-cake status, but he had some muscles. Needed to go back to the gym to keep them, he reminded himself.

"I like guys with style. What about you?"

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"It's a talent," Jordan laughed.

"Yeah, no minotaur types for me. Bull-headedness is a turnoff." The puns, once encouraged, were unstoppable. "I don't think I have a type, per se. Sense of humor's a huge plus, though. And glasses help." He looked a little embarrassed to admit the final point.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He groaned good-naturedly at the pun. "That was awful, too. With your punny self, I think you'd have to find someone with a sense of humor to appreciate them." Horace wasn't necessarily the quickest with a pun, but when he saw the opportunity, he took it by the horns. Dammit, that was a pun.

Without conscious thought, he pushed his red glasses up on his nose. "Glasses? Do you like the sexy librarian thing or the hot professor thing?" Horace teased. "I tend to like blondes. You've got a bit of red though; I like it." He shrugged, then froze. "Oh. uh, you know what I mean."

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