Open RP in the Great Hall!

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

Matt looked at the plate in front of him.

A thick, succulent, home-made burger lay in front of him. It was laid reverently between two slices of freshly-baked bread roll and garnished with a perfect combination of sauces and vegetables. The plate was also covered in thick, crispy and golden looking potato fries. There was even a little silver server with ketchup, barbeque sauce, a glass vinegar cellar, an antique pepper grinder...

Which was fair enough, but all Matt had asked for was directions to the nearest McDonald's. His junk-food cravings were apparently going to go unanswered for some time.

Sighing - and perhaps a little wary - he picked up the masterpiece of a burger and took a bite.

Comments

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

Matt shrugged. "I wasn't asking for money. I just don't want to do something boring."

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

Looking around to be sure they wouldn't be overheard, Near lowered his voice. "We're researching virgins... well, the legend of unicorns and virgins. We're testing to see what unicorns consider virginity to be."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Unicorns and virgins?" Matt repeated, keeping his voice completely normal and definitely overhearable. For the lulz. He considered, taking another fry and twirling it between two fingers.

"Right... and you want me to do the number-crunching?"

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"Our subjects aren't supposed to know, Matt. Don't compromise our data." He looked at Matt's plate, considered stealing a fry, and decided against it. "Yes, if you're willing to. Research projects work best with a team, right?"

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Okay, okay, don't have a fit. And sure, why not... there's not much else to do here." Matt had stayed the hell away from anything even resembling a research project since he was twelve years old. They really shouldn't have stocked Ender's Game in the Wammy's House library; Matt sometimes wondered if he'd have turned out differently if he hadn't read it.

Of course, some of the kids were probably fucked-up enough to think of it as something they would have wanted.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"Thanks. It's not as structured as it could be, but if nothing else, it should help us acclimate, learn more about this place." It was a relief, Near realized, that Matt was willing to work with them... with him. He hadn't known it would bother him so much that Matt disapproved of his involvement with Mello. "If the results are interesting, it can be an ongoing study."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Sit down, for god's sake," Matt said, gesturing to the bench. "If one of those elves pass by, grab them. The food here's incredible."

"So... magic and unicorns and... is this shit actually for real?"

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

Slouching on the bench next to him, Near nodded. "As good as that smells, I don't doubt it." He laid a hand on the table, feeling the smooth surface of the wood. "The person I spoke to in the library... Dr. Hodgins, the one I'm doing the study with... well one of the people, now that you and Mello have agreed to help... says there is a professor specifically for teaching about magical creatures. And I've been doing some research, reading textbooks and reference texts. You should see the library here, Matt, it's astonishing."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Heh. Just tell me there's a computer lab and I'll be happy." Matt was already pretty sure there wasn't one, judging from the complete confusion on the house-elf's face when he'd asked.

"I think I saw a sign-up sheet for that class... are you going to go to it? Be pretty weird... never thought there'd be a class out there that you couldn't teach. Certainly not now you're twenty-two." He took another bite of burger; his disappointment in the lack of junk-food goodness was fading. "I'll need to meet this Hodgins guy, then, I guess."

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"I have no idea if there's a computer lab or not," said Near, who honestly hadn't given the matter any though. "If there isn't, perhaps you could arrange for one. And yes, I signed up for it. I'm certainly not qualified to teach anything magical! Not until I've studied it far more thoroughly." He kicked one leg in the air. "He seemed pleasant enough, Dr. Hodgins, that is. Intelligent enough, certainly. He's one of our housemates."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Hodgins." Matt snickered slightly. "God, that's such a math-teacher name. No offense to the guy, obviously I've never met him..."

Matt turned his attention back to his dinner, briefly. Not trying to ignore Near, but this food... was actually pretty damn good. It almost made up for his junk cravings.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"Well, he is a doctor of some sort. I don't think he's a mathematician, but I could be mistaken." He shrugged.

God, Matt's food smelled good. Near flagged down the first house elf he saw. "Would you bring me some onion rings?"

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Bet you anything it's something mathsy. Anything."

"... you ever played a DS?"

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"If it is, the two of you can geek out about it." He half-hoped that would be the case. It would probably be good for Matt. "I haven't... that's a game system, isn't it?"

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

Matt snickered. "I'm more a... computer-and-games geek. Maybe even a conventions geek. Math-geeking is a bit too intellectual for me." This was sort of bullshit - it's difficult to be 'too intellectual' for a Wammy's kid, let alone one of the top three - but the pretense had worked for Matt for a long time now and he didn't want to mess with it.

"Yeah. You said you sucked at hand-eye stuff that was too far away, but the DS is a handheld..."

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"You can't be a serious computer geek without some math-geekery," Near pointed out. He knew that whatever Matt said, he had a flair for numbers.

And he wanted Matt to help with the study... wanted to be on good terms with him.

"I might do better with a handheld," Near admitted. "I still won't have had any practice."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Well, yeah. But I'd rather geek out about other stuff. And I think that's a record for the number of times the word 'geek' was used in a single exchange," he laughed.

"I'll lend it to you sometime. You might like Transformers, if you're still into robots... I've got the Decepticons game and the Autobots one, let me know whether you prefer Optimus or Megs."

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"It could have been a conversation about circus sideshows," Near pointed out. "Be glad I wasn't accusing you of biting the heads off of chickens. And... not as much as I used to be, but sort of. Optimus Prime all the way."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

Matt snickered. "Okay, you get the Autobots game. I'd have figured you for an Ultra Magnus fan... heh." For some reason he found this more amusing than he probably should have, and couldn't stop himself from grinning. If Near was Ultra Magnus, L would be Optimus Prime... would that make Mello Hot Rod?

The comparison didn't really work - Hot Rod became Rodimus Prime, Optimus came back, and Ultra Magnus was a pussy as far as Matt was concerned - but still. It was kinda funny.

"Jesus I'm a nerd," he said out loud.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"Of course you are. I don't think it's possible to come out of Wammy's and not be nerdy about at least some things."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Nerdy, or incurably and overbearingly intellectual," Matt agreed with a laugh.

"Incidentally, I hope to god you've either let the SPK or whoever know that you're alive. Or at least chosen a definite successor. I'm getting horrible visions of the worst parts of my adolescence happening all over again."

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"I've sent them a message," Near said curtly. He didn't want to touch on his growing distrust of the whole setup.

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"Well, thank fuck for that." He gave Near a curious glance. "Do you have a successor picked out?"

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"There isn't anyone who really stand out yet." Which was true... but not yet the whole truth. "And I really don't like the thought of doing to anyone... well, what was done to me."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"... what, you mean holding off actual decision and sparking off a whole stupid grudgewar that got a couple of bright young things killed?" He jabbed a fry in the air as he spoke. "Dude, they're already at Wammy's. It's getting done to them no matter what."

He was aware he was kind of being a dick, but fuck it. He wasn't saying anything that wasn't true.