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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2016 8:58 pm
On a whim, Horace had decided to take a self-guided tour of Rider-Waite. He'd been there before, after all... once or twice, and he was thinking of attending. A college degree would certainly help him to feel like more of an asset at his job rather than a pity case. He grimaced. Horace had his GED now, but nothing further - it had been deemed unnecessary. Regardless of his reasons for visiting Rider-Waite now, it was becoming more and more plain that Horace was hopelessly lost. He'd been up three flights of stairs and down two others, openes more empty classrooms than he could count, and managed to accidentally break the lock on one door while trying to open it. He'd left that door alone, hoping no one would notice for a while. Sucking in a breath, he opened the next door. Brooms and a vacuum cleaner greeted his eyes. A rack with cleaner, some rags, a mop bucket... Horace's great location skills had located him a janitor's closet. Another one. Exhaling his pent-up breath noisily, Horace closed the door with a loud thunk. He tried to remember the ways he'd turned coming here and came up blank. This is what he got for not looking at a school map - if he'd just looked, memorized, he wouldn't be in this situation. He let his head fall forward, thumping against the door. There was, of course, the temptation to just beat his head on the door a bit but he refrained. It wouldn't do to bleed all over school property. He was just going to stay here for a bit. Y'know, until he remembered where to go... or went to go ask someone.
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2016 9:12 pm
"I assume you're not looking for the janitorial closet," said a voice behind Horace. "I mean, judging by the part where you're banging your head against the door, anyway. Need a hand?"
The owner of the voice was tallish, skinny, strawberry-blonde, and regarding Horace with sympathetic amusement. He wore jeans and a vest over a white v-neck shirt, and carried a backpack slung over one shoulder, pretty clearly a student.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 12:09 pm
Horace was startled by the sudden voice nearby. He tensed completely, an involuntary reaction, and turned around quickly. Someone had clearly seen him and his lost state. At least it wasn't a professor. The other man seemed to be a student: backpack, leggy, though a bit shorter than Horace. "You mean banging my head on the door isn't how I get it to open?" He waved his hand, resisting the urge to pull on the hem of his orange tank top or tug on his belt loops. "You caught me: I was looking for a tour and... got... lost. You go here?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 12:39 pm
"I mean, if you do it long enough the door might take pity and open for you, but I wouldn't recommend the method. I've never gotten it to work." Jordan grinned. "Yeah, I'm a student. I haven't heard any tour groups go by today, but I might've just missed it. This is the languages building. You looking for somewhere specific?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 7:26 pm
"I don't think doors are prone to the pity party tactic, sadly." Horace had relaxed even more in the brief time they'd been talking. Jordan was just kind of... oddly soothing. He shrugged. "Nothing specific and, sorry, I meant a self-guided tour. Which....ended up with me in the closet." Horace clicked his tongue piercing against his teeth. "There anywhere cool on the campus I should be going?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 7:33 pm
"Probably a good thing, on the whole," Jordan said solemnly. "It'd wreak havoc on the lock industry." "Oh, that explains it, then." Jordan considered the question, mentally scanning the campus map. "You seen the library yet?" he asked. "Or the student lounge? Is there a subject you're particularly interested in? I can show you where the various buildings are."
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 5:42 pm
"Nah, haven't seen either. I got lost pretty quick." He shrugged at the major question. It was something he should seriously consider, but he wasn't really particularly skilled at any one thing. If Horace got hold of a map, he could remember it easily. And he could memorize stuff... that was it. He shrugged again. "Maybe business administration. I work at a funeral home now, but maybe it would help them out?" Horace paused, then grinned at Jordan. "I'd appreciate you showing me around though. I'm Horace. What're you in for?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 7:53 pm
"It's not too much of a maze once you get to know it a little. Business administration sounds very practical." It was said cheerfully, without any of the distaste someone else might have put on practical; Jordan seemed sincere about the comment, at least. "I think those classes are in the social sciences building, across the way." "I'm in for psychology, once I declare a major," he said. "Probably, anyway. I'd be happy to show you around - you already found the janitorial supplies, so we won't have to cover that," and he grinned back, lightly teasing.
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2016 7:13 pm
"Library science would probably be cool, too, but I heard the job market is awful." He shrugged. "Psychology seems useful. Are you a freshman? And I mean, if you're free... a tour would be great." Jordan's teasing was met with a good-natured grimace. "Janitorial closets are the Most Important, clearly. Take the lead, Mr. Saves-From-Closets."
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2016 7:30 pm
"A lot of job markets are awful at the moment," Jordan said, sobering briefly. "I'm hoping to teach eventually. But that's a long way away. I'm a sophomore." He nodded. "I just got done with Latin, and I haven't got anything else for a few hours." He made a shallow bow, laughing. "Okay. Come on this way, then, I'll show you around. Social sciences building first? It's pretty close." He turned to start down the hall.
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 6:47 pm
At least he'd met a nice guy, Horace thought. He began to follow Jordan before pausing. "You know, as much as I'd love to go off down long corridors with strange men, do you think I could get the name of my knight in shining armor?" Horace's tone was teasing, but he also wasn't going anywhere without introductions.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 11:40 am
Jordan stopped and smiled a little sheepishly. "Sorry. Where's my manners, huh? I'm Jordan Miller. Nice to meet you," he said, and offered his hand for a handshake.
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 8:59 pm
The smile on his face fell a little at Jordan's outstretched hand. Horace inhaled sharply though his nostrils, reached his hand out and shook Jordan's. It was probably simultaneously the most limp and shortest handshake ever. Just enough for pleasantries, maybe. He then immediately stuck his hand into his pocket, curling it into a fist. Horace didn't like touching people, but he could do it if he needed to. It wasn't fun, and he never wanted to examine exactly why. The black thoughts swimming up out of him just needed to be squashed back down again and again. "Anyway, Jordan, nice name. Wonder what it means - maybe saves-from-closets?" His smile broadened once again at his own stupid quip. "Someone told me there's a ghost that haunts the top level of the library, something Lovecraftian - you seen it yet?" A complete lie, but it gave him something to talk about.
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 6:58 pm
The short, rather tepid handshake surprised Jordan a little, but he didn't comment. He didn't think he'd done anything weird; maybe this guy just didn't do handshakes much. "It means river," he said helpfully. "Do I get to know your name in return, or should I just call you the Man of Mystery?" He raised an eyebrow. "I heard about the ghost in the basement, but not the top level. Some kind of eldritch horror? I wouldn't be overly surprised if there was a copy of the Necronomicon somewhere in the building, though," he went on, thoughtfully. "Lord knows there's plenty of weird books stashed away."
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 11:34 pm
"Head must be too full of book-learning." He wrinkled his nose at Jordan. "I'm Horace, said earlier, but my manly, mysterious charms must have distracted you. It's okay, I understand." He grinned, but immediately regretted the quip, feeling a twinge of... guilt? Whatever it was, he quashed it down forecefully. Horace didn't need any more of that sneaking it's way back into his life. His hand uncurled in his pocket. "Weird books - have you found anything good? Or like... please tell me someone's done an overnight ghost hunt at the library." Because that would be absolutely the coolest thing ever, even if nothing happened.
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