forum Pheasant Brook School for Academically Gifted Boys // OxO // CLOSED

Started December 08, 2019 by @GoblinKing

tune

(It's all good! I'm just assuming Kalen comes back into the common room, because that opens up a few more options for me.)

Claude sat in his regular spot, thumbing through a book. Quincy had left a short while ago, leaving Claude with the nearly empty room and not much else to do but read. He was dead silent as he set the book face-down onto his lap, taking a moment to let his hair down. He ran his fingers through it a few times for good measure, making sure that it at least looked a little presentable.

Kalen managed to find his way back to the common room, after finishing the book, and the colouring of his cheeks gave away that he'd been somewhere cold. "Oh, Claude!" he smiled upon seeing the tall boy. "I've finished this book, it was very interesting." he sat on the floor by the fire, crossing his legs like a young schoolboy. "What are you reading?"

"'Evening. I'm just reading some fables, if I'm to be honest. My mother sent them for me to look over. She says that I should include more references to them in my papers and debates, that it'll help my cases look more refined. This one is a collection of Aesop's fables. They're not bad, I should've been reading them earlier. I can already see how they'll assist me." Claude chuckled, slipping a bookmark into the pages and setting them in his lap. "You look cold. Were you outside?"

"Oh I've read those, I find the one about the Lion and the Mouse particularly interesting. All of his fables have such a clever meaning behind them, and most people in today's society are completely unaware that the phrases they use to teach someone a lesson actually derive from someone who was once a slave!" Kalen's hand flew over his mouth and his face flushed a brighter pink. He hadn't meant to gush like that, and felt rather embarrassed that he had done so. "Yes, I was outside." he whispered, averting his eyes from Claude.

"Was he? I didn't know that. That's interesting." Claude raised his eyebrows, head tilting. "You're cold, aren't you? The weather outside is brutal today, especially now that it's getting dark out." He tucked stray hair behind his ear, attempting to get it out of his face.

"I'm not that cold." Kalen waved a hand dismissively, his usual bright smile plastered on his lips. "I'm from the north, remember? I'm used to the cold." Kalen noticed how Claude's hair was down, and only now realised that he was actually quite good looking. He hadn't taken a moment to take in Claude's features until now, and he found his smile forming an expression that could be called awe.

"True, I suppose." Claude leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees. His lower lip caught in between his teeth for a short moment as he looked at Kalen. God, that smile is cute. The boy cocked his head slightly, noticing Kalen's expression. "What is it?"

"Oh nothing," The bright smile was back, along with a slight pinkness of Kalen's cheeks. He propped one elbow on his knee and leaned his chin into his hand with a happy sigh. "I think having your hair down suits you."

"Yeah? It's a lot more comfortable, too. Having it up all day is painful." Claude was back to his normal, matter-of-fact tone. "God, having this fireplace is a lifesaver." He exhaled a sigh of contentment, drawing slightly into his sweater.

"I suppose it is." Though Kalen was feeling a little too warm. He shuffled away from the fire, leaning his back against the wall, facing Claude. "What are your plans for the rest of the evening then?"

"Nothing, really. I have my case for the debate tournament finished, but I might look over it again." Claude shrugged, drumming his fingers on his book. "What about you?"

"I don't really have any." Other than the homework he needed to get done for Philosophy, which was probably going to take the entire night because he hadn't a single clue what he was doing. "There's a debate tournament?" Kalen chuckled. "Now why do I picture you as the exact sort of person who would be into that kind of thing?"

"It's next month." He shrugged, smiling a bit at Kalen's quip. "Maybe because I am, yeah? I like to think of myself as the ideal debater. But if it's something you're interested in watching, I can tell you the exact date." Claude tugged at the collar of his sweater, loosening his necktie. He checked his watch.

"Debates have never really been my thing, but it would be amusing watching you debate with someone." Kalen raised an eyebrow, smirking devilishly—or as devilishly as a supposed innocent bean could. He tilted his head a little at Claude's gestures. "Why are you checking the time?"

"I suppose that makes sense." Claude glanced back up at Kalen. "No real reason, I'm just checking it. I want to see how long I have until I need to get to work, is all."

"Work?" Kalen didn't know if he was being stupid or whether he was missing something. "Get to work on what, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Huh? Oh, just looking over a couple papers. A few people want me to edit their final papers for a few classes. Shouldn't take too long, but I want to make sure I have enough time, you know?" Claude stretched, listening to the fire crackle in the hearth.

"Oh I see." Kalen nodded slowly. He wasn't as smart or as clever as Claude, hence why he was probably going to fail Philosophy, but he would never tell Claude that. "I could give you a hand if you wanted?"

"I wouldn't mind. Some of the things these kids hand in to me is ridiculously awful. Hell, some of the students here don't even indent when they start a new paragraph. Most of these are done by hand, but if we're lucky we'll get the ones written on a typewriter. I managed to get my hands on colored ink for my pen, which is good." Claude stood up. "I'm just going to duck into my room for a minute, get the papers together."

"Sounds good. I'm going to make myself at home in a more comfortable seat." Kalen wheezed, picking himself up from the floor with a creak. His body wasn't made for sitting on such a hard surface, and his legs were on the verge of becoming so numb that he wouldn't be able to stand up. "I'm assuming you wish to sit at a table to do this"?

"It's preferable. The coffee table should work." Claude beckoned to the table in front of the fireplace, the one stacked high with books. "I'll be right back." He walked off, making his way into his room.