► five → video/action。

[feigns]

[Will is in Xanadu, and currently lazing about beneath a tree, an apple in hand — green, for the record, rather than gold. He looks, it has to be said, exceptionally comfortable and contented.

He's also full of complete and utter crap.]

When I awoke this morning, I had the strongest urge to travel to the north, perhaps to the coast, or at least to a cliff. There, I imagined I would face a dragon with a hundred heads, and an array of beautiful, young women, dancing and singing.

Alas, nothing went quite as I expected — although I dare say that viewed from the right angle and considering his temper, the gentleman — in as much as he can be considered as such; I consider the description to be erring on the side of exceptional kindness — I happened upon could very well be viewed as in the same mould. Of course, perhaps if I hadn’t got lost it would have been a different story entirely — he might have still been sleeping. And I’d hardly describe the women, pretty as they were, as nymphs.

But then, as I recall, disappointment did nothing but await him, either. [A beat, and Will eyes the apple in his hand for a moment.] Or a sense of futility, at any rate. Fortunately, I suppose, Athena’s yet to make any claim on the apples, and I can continue feeling both like Hercules and Eurystheus.

—I suppose it’s a curse, and I can’t say I have any intention of complaining. I could have felt a burning desire to clean stables.

(ooc: anyone’s free to assume that Will nicked the apples from them, or come across him in the park or. anything.)

Comments

[synanthrope]

You saw nymphs.

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

I believe my point was that I did not.

[synanthrope]

Cleaning stables might be better. I've heard that nymphs aren't so kind to meet.

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

Not if it requires the destruction of walls or the changing of river paths — and there are many that aren't kind to meet; that's hardly a deterrent.

[synanthrope]

Don't get covered in filth.

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

Or? But don't worry, I shan't.

[synanthrope]

I don't like dirt.

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

It washes off.

[synanthrope]

That's the hope.

[shall-yield-us.livejournal.com]

And yet here you are, and they style me mad, and opiates, was it? What tumbled down your tongue and wrestled with your teeth, until Athena graced the stage and Hercules descended?

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

I didn't mention opiates. In fact, I make a habit of avoiding them — I once had an experience I'd rather not repeat.

[shall-yield-us.livejournal.com]

Oh? Oh, indeed?

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

I believed myself to be a ferret.

[shall-yield-us.livejournal.com]

An amazing bouncing ferret?

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

Sadly not; I imagined myself to be an entirely normal ferret, although I don't seem to recall any desire to hide in a pair of stranger's trousers.

[shall-yield-us.livejournal.com]

I reckon and expect and suppose it must take quite the choice moody prompt for that.

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

Or the right mix of drinks.

→ action

[7thborn.livejournal.com]

[Ginny's having a grand time flying along through Xanadu on her broom; she simply intends to keep drifting along with her toes of her shoes skimming the treetops, but her communicator slips from her pocket when she avoids a branch. She circles back sharply, dropping into a steep dive to catch the damn thing, and though she doesn't like Seeking nearly as much as Chasing, she's not half bad at it. She pulls up slowly, looking at her device with mild irritation, then glances around to see if there is anyone around to see her, and—oh.

She knows that one.]

Having a picnic?

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

[He glances up with a start at the voice, recognising it immediately. He doesn't respond though, not at first, his expression instead shifting quickly into wide-eyed, silent surprise. After a moment, though, he seems to remember himself, and he redirects his attention to the apples.]

I haven't got a large enough spread of food, for that — some pastries would be good, and some wine, and I'd need a blanket to sit on and a bit of company, and then, I think, there'd possibly be a need for ice cream.

[He pauses, as if considering.] I don't believe I've ever arranged a successful picnic, so I could be mistaken, of course.

[He glances back at her, gaze resting not-so-subtly on the broom (he hates being taken by surprise, and being utterly taken aback by what's in front of him—) and he frowns for a moment.]

I suppose it makes a change to walking.

[7thborn.livejournal.com]

Well, it sounds like you know what ought to go into a successful picnic. Then again, I don't believe I've ever had one, so I could be wrong.

[She grins, partially to show she's teasing and partially to ease what she knows is a rather awkward situation. She usually likes to keep the broomstick flying relatively secret unless someone wants to learn. True enough many of her friends know she wants to do this for a living, but springing it on someone like this isn't exactly ideal. Ginny catches the shift in his gaze, gently bringing the broom back down so that she's barely hovering above the grass, and his comment earns a sheepish shrug.]

Walking's slower.

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

Walking was never intended to be very fast.

[He watches her guide the broom and he can't deny that he's impressed — inwardly, at least. He imagines his expression reflects it to some degree, but it's not something he's entirely sure of how to comment on — so he doesn't; instead, he shoots her a look of mock horror.]

You've never been on a picnic. Why, Miss Weasley, I'm both shocked and disappointed. [A pause, and he shrugs.] Knowing and doing are two very different things, although I suppose I could always blame it on the company rather than the food. I suspect it's more accurate, anyhow.

[7thborn.livejournal.com]

[Right, so the plan for the moment is to ignore how the witch is a walking—rather, flying—cliché. Good. She can tell he's thinking about it (but what about it, she isn't sure), but they're not going to talk about it now, are they? No? Excellent. Ginny dismounts the broom and swings it over her shoulder, back on solid ground and looking for all the world like she meant to come along and sweep leaves off Xanadu's grass. Those sodding devices, she thinks, shoving hers into her pocket; it's like they're meant to create unplanned encounters.

She raises an eyebrow.]

So what brings you to Xanadu if not an unsuccessful picnic?

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

[His lips quirk into a slight smirk at her movements — it's comical, he thinks, even if she doesn't appreciate it.]

I fancied a stroll, and it was on the way. [It was pretty, he'd give it that much. For as much as he spoke of loving London, liking the manner in which it was, for all intents and purposes, a very dirty city, he'd never been entirely certain whether he'd come to that opinion as a result of claiming as such — a lie turning into reality, as it were. It was easy to enjoy the countryside and to admire its beauty; London didn't have much of that. There was Hyde Park, of course, a vast expanse of greenery around which houses and shops had sprouted, but there wasn't a great deal to admire — and naturally, he'd claimed he liked that.

But he'd always, always preferred the countryside, be it out of nostalgia or a genuine appreciation for it.]

You must have missed my tale of adventure and daring devilry as I freed these apples from captivity.

[7thborn.livejournal.com]

[It's part of the reason Ginny takes the time to fly through Xanadu or the forest or the beach. The first two more out of nostalgia than anything else, a girl whose childhood was spent in an orchard and the hills around Ottery St Catchpole and then the mountains around Hogwarts. London was only ever a place to visit and she's never fancied living in the heart of it, though it's always a sort of adventure to explore. The City's the same way for her, even if she lives in an apartment building; spending time in a cabin in the forest with her brothers is the highlight of it all. It's quieter, calmer, more like home.

She raises both eyebrows at Will, curious and vaguely amused.]

I must have, yeah. Do I get to hear it, then, or it is some secret thing I've got to imagine on my own?

[bitesvampires.livejournal.com]

[He sits up and crosses his legs, regarding her for a moment before dropping the apple in his hands.]

I don't suppose you're familiar with Hercules? It was simply that I woke up feeling rather like him this morning — perhaps not physically, but in aim and purpose.