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There was a body on the bench near the fountain on the south side of campus. While not huge, it was sprawling and long-legged, clearly in a state of comfort despite the hardness of the bench and the chill of early spring twilight. Near the body, at the foot of the bench, there was a bouquet of flowers with a note, a second note in an envelope, complete with wax seal. There was a small, well worn book, the title on the cover indecipherable. There was a cup of a change, and a small, hand-written sign that said: Acting, do not disturb.

Someone had thoughtfully laid a hoodie on the body, and another had tucked a flower into the body's lustrous black curls. Someone else had put a long stick in that same hair, with a torn notebook paper flag, boldly stating: I SUCK! There was a cheerful purple bat plushie wedged under that head of curls.

The sky darkened, the air cooled.

All in all, Malory, who'd intended to work on his play a beautiful corpse abilities, would wake to find himself amidst a very different aesthetic than he'd envisioned.

At the poke, Mal slowly opened his eyes to look at the girl above him, eyes soft and dazed as she spoke. He stayed quiet for almost too long, but then he shifted up on his elbows, and answered, voice quiet and husky with sleep. "A beautiful corpse, sleeping beauty, a doll left alone after play."

His gaze gradually became clearer, and he took her in, tall and with the sliver of sunlight glinting in her hair. Not a friend or a classmate or an ex, an unfamiliar face. A smile slowly spread across Mal's features and he asked, "Was I good?"

There was a flash of teeth, a little smug, at the positive audience feedback. When he took her hand, Jaina would find that she really did have to haul him up for all the effort he contributed to it. At least he was pretty light.

"Please do," he sounded petulant, as if he had suffered some great grievance. "It's terrible not be woken with a kiss." Lifting a hand to comb through his mussed up hair, he stopped to pluck out the rough little I SUCK! flag. Giving it a small wave, he said, "I'm Malory, but you can call me Mal."

He pulled out the flower from his hair and absently handed it to Jaina, then bent down to pick up the bouquet with its note and the second envelope, recognizing the writing as belonging to his extremely attentive dog walker. The cup of change was inspected and then placed back down on the bench for whoever else wanted it. It was less a decision based on generosity and one much more based on a dislike of carrying coins around. Picking up the hoodie, he sniffed it, and, finding the lingering cologne to be comfortably familiar, put it on.

"There's a small cafe off campus," he glanced up at Jaina as he spoke, liking this kind of straightforward request and motivation. "It's open late." With a bit more care than the flowers, he picked up the book and the plush and then his arms were full. Standing across from her, he looked like some late echo of Valentine's Day.

She wouldn't see his smile deepen at sleeping beauty, but it was there. "Mostly sandwiches, soups, and baked goods. They're all absolutely over-priced," Mal assured her as they walked, as if their bagel being too cheap was something people worried about.

"It's connected to a late night book store. I imagine they'd like to keep the grease to a minimum." Turning his head to get a better measure of her next to him, taller than his first impression, clearly friendly but not flattering. Alone. She'd likely been studying alone the whole time by the fountain, hadn't she?

"So what's your major?" The most typical question he could ask, boring and harmless.

"Only about two months left for calculus left," Mal hummed, considering and curious about the life changes that would leave her seeming so...lost. Jaina seemed like someone who should have friends, easily and constantly at hand. "No friends and struggling to learn what you don't even like sounds boring at best." Depressing as hell at worst.

They were nearing the edge of the campus grounds. He shifted his load to nestle in one arm, and with his free hand pushed the bat plush playfully at her face. "You should join us in the drama department instead. Even if it's not what you want to do forever at least we're fun." And if her brother was loaded, why bother stressing over degree requirements for some boring career that required that sort of thing?

What was the point of having money if not to just, do whatever you liked without worry?

Mal didn't comment when she decided to push past not having spoken much to anyone outside her family, just letting his expression soften a bit in the sort of sympathetic understanding that he usually reserved for specific sort of role. It was a good look, natural and well-practiced. It was even, just a little bit, sincere.

"You can keep it, but only if you give it a really cool name," his smile brightened into a grin. "Try acting anyway, and if you don't like it, drama is a lot more than actors. It's writers and designers, people at controls handling lighting and sound. Directors coaxing out their own visions and other people's talent to embody them."

They crossed a street. moving toward a small, warmly lit building, the smell of coffee distinct even outside the doors.

"Only if it's with a kiss, Miss Charming," Mal gave a small laugh and opened the door for her.