Post by Kira & Lee Norris on Dec 20, 2007 18:06:08 GMT
ooc: Sorry, this is set straight after 'Magic' lol...
"Y'all don't know me, do ya?"
Lee jumped, startled. A tall-ish boy; lean and muscular in build stood behind him, arms folded and an almost teasing grin playing about his features. His eyes were pale blue; almost grey but despite being this pale they were sharp and striking. His hair was halfway between short-ish and long-ish, a light-ish brown and sort of artfully messy- but whether this was on purpose or not, Lee couldn't tell.
Funny, Lee could see and knew all these details about this boy- but did he know him?
"No, sorry," Lee smiled weakly.
"Just checking y'all weren't having us all on," the boy grinned, and then happily hopped around and over to sit beside Lee. "Gawd, you'd have been screwed if ya' were."
"Why would I joke about memory loss?"
"For the sake of being a goddam son of a pregnant dog," the boy said, still cheerful. "You'd be surprised."
Lee frowned at him. "Sorry, who are you?"
"I'm Jude," smiled Jude, shaking Lee's hand. "Sorry. Shoulda' said straight off. We're friends. Were." The last word came after a slight pause- delicate- and Lee got the feeling Jude was being deliberately careful. It was odd. He wouldn't have noticed otherwise. The guy was doing a good job of being relaxed- even flippant.
"Cool," Lee smiled. "Um... Texan?"
"Texas I am," Jude smiled. "Funny how everyone seems to know..."
"Accent's a bit of a giveaway."
"Says the young Irish lad."
Lee grinned. "Is it true then? That all Americans love the Irish?"
Jude raised an eyebrow. "How is it y'all can remember stuff like that, but you can't even remember my name?"
Lee laughed. He couldn't help it. "Stereotypes stick. Facts stick. It's just the personal memories."
Jude nodded slowly. "Yeah. Okay. Gotcha. And yeah."
"Yeah what?"
"We love the Irish," Jude laughed, punching Lee's shoulder lightly. "Look at you! What's not to love?"
Lee smiled. "We're not all ginger though. Nor do we come from a land of rainbows, and we haven't got leprechauns, and probably aren't as much fun drunk as you think."
"So what?" Jude laughed. "Do you always see me wandering around in cowboy gear... oh. Never mind."
Lee laughed again. "Cowboy hat?"
"That's a Stetson," Jude grinned. "And I wear it at every opportunity. Don't you have a leprechaun's hat?"
"No..."
"Shame!" Then, suddenly, a sly grin spread over Jude's face. "But you are a riot when you get drunk."
Lee's eyebrows shot up. "I haven't...?"
"Tons of times," Jude's grin widened. "We go to the pub all the time!"
"We're what? 16?"
"And...?" Jude laughed. "You looked shocked, Mr. Norris."
Lee stared at him, unsure of whether or not to take him seriously. "Guiness?"
"Much worse," Jude's voice lowered to a mere whisper; a few syllables caught on a breath. "Gingerbeer."
Lee, who'd been leaning forward in spite of himself, snorted suddenly, and any mystery Jude had managed to capture disappeared in his laughter.
"Much worse, yeah!"
Jude laughed. "Way. You've no idea how high we get on that stuff. Come on- I'll prove it to you. We'll go now."
He jumped up. Lee stared at him, unsure once more.
Jude tilted his head, his smile softening. "Y'all can stay, if you like. I don't mind."
"No," Lee said, standing up, and smiling again properly. "Yeah. I'd... I'd like that. It just feels weird. Like it shouldn't be this easy."
"What shouldn't?" Jude asked happily, leading the way as he began to weave his way across the Dining Hall, Lee in hot pursuit.
"Making friends."
Jude paused at the door, smiling strangely at him. "You'd be surprised how easy things get when you just let 'em happen."
Lee smiled, and wondered...
... because he had the strangest feeling that the first time he'd ever met Jude, their friendship had been started in the exact same way...
Over a gingerbeer.
"Y'all don't know me, do ya?"
Lee jumped, startled. A tall-ish boy; lean and muscular in build stood behind him, arms folded and an almost teasing grin playing about his features. His eyes were pale blue; almost grey but despite being this pale they were sharp and striking. His hair was halfway between short-ish and long-ish, a light-ish brown and sort of artfully messy- but whether this was on purpose or not, Lee couldn't tell.
Funny, Lee could see and knew all these details about this boy- but did he know him?
"No, sorry," Lee smiled weakly.
"Just checking y'all weren't having us all on," the boy grinned, and then happily hopped around and over to sit beside Lee. "Gawd, you'd have been screwed if ya' were."
"Why would I joke about memory loss?"
"For the sake of being a goddam son of a pregnant dog," the boy said, still cheerful. "You'd be surprised."
Lee frowned at him. "Sorry, who are you?"
"I'm Jude," smiled Jude, shaking Lee's hand. "Sorry. Shoulda' said straight off. We're friends. Were." The last word came after a slight pause- delicate- and Lee got the feeling Jude was being deliberately careful. It was odd. He wouldn't have noticed otherwise. The guy was doing a good job of being relaxed- even flippant.
"Cool," Lee smiled. "Um... Texan?"
"Texas I am," Jude smiled. "Funny how everyone seems to know..."
"Accent's a bit of a giveaway."
"Says the young Irish lad."
Lee grinned. "Is it true then? That all Americans love the Irish?"
Jude raised an eyebrow. "How is it y'all can remember stuff like that, but you can't even remember my name?"
Lee laughed. He couldn't help it. "Stereotypes stick. Facts stick. It's just the personal memories."
Jude nodded slowly. "Yeah. Okay. Gotcha. And yeah."
"Yeah what?"
"We love the Irish," Jude laughed, punching Lee's shoulder lightly. "Look at you! What's not to love?"
Lee smiled. "We're not all ginger though. Nor do we come from a land of rainbows, and we haven't got leprechauns, and probably aren't as much fun drunk as you think."
"So what?" Jude laughed. "Do you always see me wandering around in cowboy gear... oh. Never mind."
Lee laughed again. "Cowboy hat?"
"That's a Stetson," Jude grinned. "And I wear it at every opportunity. Don't you have a leprechaun's hat?"
"No..."
"Shame!" Then, suddenly, a sly grin spread over Jude's face. "But you are a riot when you get drunk."
Lee's eyebrows shot up. "I haven't...?"
"Tons of times," Jude's grin widened. "We go to the pub all the time!"
"We're what? 16?"
"And...?" Jude laughed. "You looked shocked, Mr. Norris."
Lee stared at him, unsure of whether or not to take him seriously. "Guiness?"
"Much worse," Jude's voice lowered to a mere whisper; a few syllables caught on a breath. "Gingerbeer."
Lee, who'd been leaning forward in spite of himself, snorted suddenly, and any mystery Jude had managed to capture disappeared in his laughter.
"Much worse, yeah!"
Jude laughed. "Way. You've no idea how high we get on that stuff. Come on- I'll prove it to you. We'll go now."
He jumped up. Lee stared at him, unsure once more.
Jude tilted his head, his smile softening. "Y'all can stay, if you like. I don't mind."
"No," Lee said, standing up, and smiling again properly. "Yeah. I'd... I'd like that. It just feels weird. Like it shouldn't be this easy."
"What shouldn't?" Jude asked happily, leading the way as he began to weave his way across the Dining Hall, Lee in hot pursuit.
"Making friends."
Jude paused at the door, smiling strangely at him. "You'd be surprised how easy things get when you just let 'em happen."
Lee smiled, and wondered...
... because he had the strangest feeling that the first time he'd ever met Jude, their friendship had been started in the exact same way...
Over a gingerbeer.
