::Open RP: House of Cards::

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

Still stinging from that tense... was it really an argument, or something else?... with Matt an Mello, Near had wandered down to the library with the intent of studying.

He gave up the seventeenth time he caught himself reading the table of contents of Wilson's Apotropaics.

But he had thought to put several decks of cards (tarot cards, at that!) into his pockets, and what better way to calm his mind than to build a house of cards?

He made his way to the Great Hall and found an empty corner away from any doors, and started stacking.

Comments

[woocha.livejournal.com]

Wishbone was in the Great Hall for no reason at all. Absolutely none. He certainly wasn't there to sneak into the kitchen and steal some food.

But it was no fun, really, the house elves let him get away with it.

So he managed to make off with some steak, which he ate down to the bone. She's about to start to gnaw on the bone, but he smelled a familiar scent.

He carefully picked up the bone and followed his nose to Near.

Ah! Sir Wishbone is on duty, sir! he exclaimed on seeing Near building card buildings. He jumped on the nearest bench and started lookout.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

Cards didn't fail him. The careful motions of balancing helped clear away all the unwanted, distracting thoughts, helped bring at least a temporary peace.

Then he heard the muted click of dog toenails on the floor.

Ah, yes. Near smiled, remembering his talk with Wishbone at his sorting.

"The valiant Sir Wishbone, I see! Your able assistance is much appreciated. But I fear I have no beef jerky on me, although I could fetch some from a house elf. Unless you'd prefer bacon?"

[woocha.livejournal.com]

Bacon is good! But it's all right, I did just eat. Wishbone nudged the bone near his feet.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"I will procure you some bacon later, then. I would hate to make you overfull and sick." Carefully, he balanced the Two of Swords against the Fool. "I haven't seen you since my sorting. I trust you have been well?"

[woocha.livejournal.com]

I have! I've been sniffing around. I found a pair of keys! But this red headed person tried to take them from me. I made him trip in dirt before I let him have the keys, though.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"That sounds a bit impolite," Near said, without any trace of actual scolding in his tone. He was less than kindly disposed towards redheads at the moment. "What were they the keys to? Did you need in very badly?"

[woocha.livejournal.com]

I don't know, but they were very shiny. The redhead used it to go into this cabin. He was very mean and wouldn't let me in.

[otakukonata.livejournal.com]

"Huh. Cool!" Konata was reading about the Polyjuice potion. It had given her ideas about cosplaying and disguises and what not....now if she could find a victim test subject...

She heard voices over in one corner, and noticed white hair peeking out from there. She crept over there.

Hey, it's Near! But...hey, what's with the not-white shirt?

"That's out of character for you!" Konata yelled, making Wishbone turn and growl at her.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"What?" He looked up, baffled. "Out of character?"

He recognized her vaguely from his sorting. He'd given her the L finger puppet, hadn't he? And she'd wanted to take his picture.

Thankfully, he hadn't noticed that it had been her taking pictures at Mello's sorting.

"Ah... you're the one who was pleased about being of drinking age here."

[otakukonata.livejournal.com]

Good times. Really good times.

"Yeah I am. So where DID you get that shirt? And what are you doing?" she asked as she began petting Wishbone, who was enjoying it, but still kept on his guard so she didn't knock over cards.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"It, ah. It's Mello's shirt." He hoped he wasn't blushing, but feared that he was. "I've been wearing it lately. And I'm balancing cards. There's something almost zen about building a tower of cards. It occupies the hands and calms the mind."

[otakukonata.livejournal.com]

Konata was grinning like the cat who ate the canary. Mello, huh? "Oh, I get it." Hehehe.

"Needing to think, then?"

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

She 'got it'?

Oh, no. She must have been at Mello's sorting when... he was definitely blushing now.

"It's always good to think. I've been studying the magic around here, lately, and making plans for an experiment."

[drlisacuddy.livejournal.com]

Cuddy was fine with anything that took her attention away for a little while. Anything at all, it didn't make any sort of difference to her at this point. So the cards, their climbing stack and apparent order, were something to detain her for the time being.

Not moving too quickly so as to avoid upsetting the delicate balance, she took a position a few feet away and watched. It was careful construction, really .. more careful than she'd seen anyone be in awhile.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

Knight of Swords against Temperance and... A moving shadow crossed the edge of his vision. He barely glanced up before laying down another card.

"We haven't met, have we?"

[drlisacuddy.livejournal.com]

"No," Cuddy said, shaking her head once. "We haven't." Hopefully, he didn't mind her stopping to watch, but it was too .. beautiful, really, to pass up.

"I'm Lisa Cuddy."

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"I'm Near." Card against card... it was soothing, really. "Have you been here long? Hogwarts, I mean, not watching me."

[drlisacuddy.livejournal.com]

"For awhile," Cuddy said, nodding her agreement. "I'm a doctor, so most of my time is spent like that. What about you?"

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"Oh? What is your doctorate in?" He looked up at her fully. "I'm... something of a dilettante, you might say. I do what my interests move me to, and I like solving puzzles. I'm putting together what might be the first in a series of experiments just now."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

So he'd played Metal Gear for as long as he could, but... yeah, still feeling too restless for it. Matt then thought it might be an idea to go looking for a computer lab - wandering around at least got him moving - and since computers labs tended to be located near libraries, that's where he was headed.

He was preoccupied enough to barely even notice the card tower until it was right in front of him.

Ah.

"I'll just... yeah," he said, backing up. There was probably some other way to the library anyway.

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

At the familiar voice, Near glanced up sharply.

"Matt." His voice was soft, perhaps even sad. "I never realized you hated me that much."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

That made him pause.

"Hate you?" he repeated. "I never said that. I don't hate you."

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"You don't?" There was a hint of defensiveness in the tilt of my chin. "I don't even know if I have a room to go back to, now."

[gamerspy.livejournal.com]

"There are free rooms all over the place. And no, I don't."

[cardarchitect.livejournal.com]

"Other rooms don't don't have Mello in them." Was his voice quavering? God, what was happening to him? "Don't you have enough of him?"