Day 208 - Friday, July 17th

[papalobo]

[Ash's alarm is going off at seven, which seems entirely too early to Max, drugs worn off enough to wake with the noise, worn off enough to know the meal he prepared last night is still probably good to go with a quick reheat. There really is no reason to get up so early, is there? Unless he has things to do.

Max can't do things. Why would he know if Ash had things to do?]

Comments

[papalobo]

College'll be so easy, it's not a bad thing for you to remember what having to "git gud" at something that's not life or death, but that's still a pain in the ass, is like.

[jadedlynx]

Not every year of college will be easy.

[ His eyes go back to the painting. ]

Just the start of it. Writing up the Banana Fish research wasn't fun.

[papalobo]

"Wasn't fun" says the kid basically recreating and summarizing two heavily funded top military-slash-government scientist's life's work.

[jadedlynx]

Yeah, but it was hard.

[ He smirks over the painting, knowing how it sounds. ]

[papalobo]

You alone're gonna give some kid a complex enough to set off a school shooting. That you're gonna save the day on.

[jadedlynx]

What kind of conversations do you think I'm going to have in class?

Yeah, you think this is hard, but you should try taking down dead foreign legions?

[papalobo]

Yeah, somethin' like that. Your small talk skills ain't the best, so.

[jadedlynx]

I hang out with guys all the time. It's better than you think.

[papalobo]

Only I got the "charming" you, huh? Seemed like you being "normal" with Eiji w'n Shorter was pretty special, but...

[jadedlynx]

I get more casual with people when I know them. I'm acting differently with them than I do my men. That doesn't mean I have my guys stand in order whenever I'm around.

[papalobo]

We can theorize all day how college'll go. Main this is don't just make it a 'go to class, come home' job of it. Actually do the experience. Check out the bad art student exhibits. Go see he mediocre theater kids' plays.

[jadedlynx]

Why does it sound like kindergarten when you describe it? Should I bring home my macaroni art, too?

[papalobo]

Well, yeah. Smuggling cafeteria food back to the dorm for a midnight snack's college life 101.

[jadedlynx]

Dorm?

[ Why would Ash live in a dorm? ]

[papalobo]

Your dorm's just really, really far across campus. Like, an island away.

[jadedlynx]

And about 149,000,000 more. I like this place.

[papalobo]

I originally figured you'd get sick of living at my place and do the dorm life.

[jadedlynx]

That place wasn't bad, but it's not this place.

[ Who'd get bored here? ]

[papalobo]

I didn't plan on us owning one mansion, let alone two.

[jadedlynx]

Pretty short-sighted of you.

How's the building?

[papalobo]

If you show me yours I'll show you mine.

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash climbs off the stool. ]

I'm not painting nudes, it's not that embarrassing.

[papalobo]

Then nevermind.

[jadedlynx]

[ He turns it around, revealing a photo of the sun setting behind a bridge. It's not bad, not really, but it's not Ash's usual level of perfect. ]

[papalobo]

...You were really doing a bridge?