[OPEN] unexpected finds

[marmoron]

Who: Keith & YOU!
What: Various shenanigans involving a space doggo
Where: All over Daybreak
When: Early June
Warnings: None expected!


A. On a mountain trail
[If anyone's feeling particularly adventurous and out exploring the mountain terrain, they may or may not come across a clearing that's smoldering a little. Thankfully the fire's under control and there's just what looks like it might've been a large exoskeleton still sending up smoke.

However, that is all besides the point. A puppy sized good boy is found tentatively approaching Keith who is holding out his hand towards it.

It's clearly some kind of Outland creature, and seeing as this one doesn't seem hostile, it means diplomatic attempts must be made. Witness the mastery. Or you know. Help.]

Bon...jour?

[For the record, Keith's French accent is atrocious.]

B. Around Dorms
[Well, now that he's decided he's keeping the doggo, it's time to very stealthily sneak him into his dorm room. And when I say "very sneakily" I mean, he's shoved the space woof under his shirt and is furtively trying to get to his room while pretending there is no wriggling lump under his shirt.

It's honestly not at all suspicious. Especially not suspicious when he just kinda goes super tense if anyone approaches and leans forward like he's got a stomachache.]

Uh, hi.

C. Marketplace
[In the afternoons after class, Keith's heading towards the marketplace on campus groun with the pupper in tow. He's spending a lot of time by, wouldn't you guess it, the weapons dealer stall, eyeing several daggers and knives with various runic inscriptions. Heavily preoccupied, he probably won't notice if someone's sly about approaching, but they'll hear him mutter under his breath:]

None of these match.

D. WILDCARD!
[Come at me!]

Comments

[marmoron]

Leave a carton of rotten eggs outside your buddy Ernest's room, I don't know.

[That gets a half shrug.]

[onebetter]

Aaaand, here it is, you found the one good idea that I'd actually consider.

[ He's kidding and it's obvious by the levity in his tone. ]

By the way, are you going to prom?

[marmoron]

[There's a half smile in return at that, though it fades somewhat quickly into slight incredulity.]

No?

[He doesn't say it, but his eyebrow is going up and up like he wants to asl if he LOOKS like the type that'd be going to prom of all things. James will instead get a more toned down:]

...why?

[onebetter]

[ That is what James was expecting and it'd seemed a bit lonely to think of, with prom coming closer. The matter of fact is that, when it comes down to it, Keith is his closest friend at Daybreak Academy. Everyone else is nice but superficially so. And the idea of going to prom without anyone he truly connects with...? Weird, after all his years being center stage.

Which means that Keith's wolf deal has presented a good solution. ]

Well, you should come along with me. As the favor.

[marmoron]

[The next string of words that come out of James' mouth may as well have just been an alien tongue as far as Keith is concerned.]

...pardon?

[onebetter]

Prom's fun. You should go. We can hang out.

[ James repeats patiently, not really grasping what misunderstandings might be occurring here....... ]

[marmoron]

[....Right. So he definitely didn't mishear the initial statement. Unfortunately, having this repeated and slightly elaborated on doesn't really put a dent in the sheer amount of 'wtf' it causes. Unable to stop staring at James who's maintaining a ridiculous level of composure, he concludes that he has to be misunderstanding something.

And in fairness, that wouldn't exactly surprise him. It's not like he attended any of their middle school or high school dances or social gatherings, much less bothered with making friends, so.....

So. He takes a breath before asking for clarification.]

...As your prom date...?

[onebetter]

[ As soon as the word 'date' leaves Keith's mouth, James freezes in his position completely and red rises to his cheeks and ears at record speed.

Date.

Him and Keith.

Date.

The idea hadn't even been on the forefront of his imagination, so far removed from being an option that he'd genuinely not seen the misunderstanding coming. In hindsight, he knows that was stupid. It's not like there aren't a bunch of boys bringing other boys to prom at their school. It's not like it's actually unthinkable. It was only James who'd banned it from his idea of the real possibilities.

Oh god. ]

I wasn't--- I wasn't really planning on a date-date with anyone, I just figured it'd be nicer to go together than alone? With you, I mean.

[marmoron]

[Keith can only stare with increasing incredulity as James flushes red, stomach twisting in uncomfortable knots for reasons he hasn't unpacked before it's already come to his turn to speak.]

Oh.

[He can feel heat creeping up to dust his cheeks with pink, and for the life of him he hates having a fucking face right now. He ducks his head, bringing a hand up to his forehead as he glares at the floor.]

... does it have to be prom? I don't... do shit like that.

[onebetter]

[ James wishes he could disappear, but instead he sits here with his face looking like the boiled crab he once accused Keith of being. Even with the misunderstanding out of the way, the heat in his cheeks shows no hints of subsiding. ]

I'd like it to be prom, yeah. Do you really not want to give it a try?

[marmoron]

[Keith glances up, then glances away just as quickly.]

Not really? I mean -- [God why is this happening to him.] ..formal wear. Dancing. Fancy crap. I don't.. [And why is he struggling with words right now? Growing increasingly frustrated with himself, he runs his palm down his face and stars over.[

Look. It's just not my scene. If you want to go, fine. I'll go with you. But only cuz I owe you that favor.

[onebetter]

[ James stares over at Keith, trying to gauge how much Keith would regret this decision of James really went through with asking him. That much is at least a fine distraction from the way his heart is beating at the thought of a date, still. ]

You don't need to wear a tux, you can just put on a nice shirt. And you don't need to go if you really don't want to, but I'd be glad if you came along.

[marmoron]

[DOES HE EVEN OWN A NICE SHIRT.

Keith tries to quash this growing sense of despair, though he's never really been the best at keeping his emotions off his face.]

....I get to leave early if it sucks, right?

[onebetter]

[ That's a good compromise. James breathes a sigh of relief. ]

Yeah. Absolutely. Thank you, Keith.

[marmoron]

[Somehow being thanked for grudgingly agreeing to go after all just makes the whole thing even weirder, and Keith has half a mind to just pick up Cosmo and go barreling straight through the door.

Much more maturely, he grumps:]

It's fine. Just let me know if you decide to go with an actial date instead so I don't have to go buy a shirt.

[onebetter]

I'm not going to get a date.

[ There's nobody here who he'd want to go with that way and by now he's pretty sure that even if somebody asked, he'd reject it. He wants to go with Keith. Now there is something he should probably unpack but direly refuses to. ]

And I can lend you a shirt.

[marmoron]

[Raising an eyebrow.]

Okay. And if someone asks you?

[onebetter]

I'll say no?

[ LOOK, it's not rocket science. ]

[marmoron]

...why?

[onebetter]

I don't want a date, obviously? Going to prom with you sounds fun. Much more fun than going out with somebody I'm not into for just the sake of it.

[ Even at home, he'd not brought a date to their last prom, after he and Janice broke up. That'd not been a big deal though, since James had been liked and popular and the night had been full of laughter and dances anyway.

And yet it feels like Daybreak's been shifting his priorities even further. ]

[marmoron]

[Okay.

So he's not going to point out that James is likely going to have a ton more fun with someone who actually wants to be at prom. Not going to point out that, in his eyes, a lot of James hanging out with his huge circle of friends had been just for the sake of it. But he is going to think both of these things as he looks unconvinced.]

....and if this person wants to go with you as a friend?

[onebetter]

Then I'll see them there, I guess. I'm already going with you.

[ He sighs and scoots a little closer, though it's only to be able to brush over Cosmo's fluffy back to distract himself. ]

You're really desperate to get out of this, huh...

[marmoron]

No, I just think....

[And cue unexpected physical proximity as James' hand reaches out to pet the comfortably snoozing pupper lying on his lap. Keith tenses immediately. It's not particularly lewd or anything, but that's still a hand hovering around his upper thight. Awkward.]

...Um.

[onebetter]

[ James doesn't immediately register what the 'uhm' is directed at and looks at Keith questioningly, but when it snaps a second later he immediately takes his hand back. This is... a horrible no good conversation actually. ]

You think what?

[ Absolutely desperate to just get on with the conversation before he dies right here on the spot. ]

[marmoron]

[Face threatening to burn up all over again, Keith turns his attention to Cosmo whose nose is twitching in a semi competently distracting way.]

... that it's weird that you'd rather go to this thing with someone who hates social gatherings than someone who's genuinely excited about this stuff?