Magic Box, Monday

[existencemisspent]

Eliot had been fairly certain, in Fillory, that being an actual grown-up was deeply overrated.

Here in Fandom, it was also deeply overrated, but in the exact opposite direction. Whereas in Fillory, he'd been stressed and responsible for too many things and facing down impending fatherhood along with the fate of an entire magical kingdom, here he was facing down -- nothing.

Literally nothing.

He didn't even have grades to pretend to worry about.

(He could be pretending to worry about, you know, his job, but . . . eh.)

He was so deeply bored. "Beautiful nothing" held no more appeal for him. So he was sprawled on the floor of the Magic Box, chain smoking suspiciously spicy-smelling cigarettes, and waiting for something to happen.

(He'd regret this so much in the next few days. . . .)

[open!]

Comments

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Did Jon dropping by with coffee count as something? He hadn't done it nearly often enough lately.

He blinked at Eliot. "Um. I'm wondering if there's a reason you're on the floor."

[existencemisspent]

“Because I can be, Jonathan.” Eliot peered at him upside down. “And how are you?”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Er...well, I suppose. If far too hot lately. I hope you've been well." He held out Eliot's coffee to him. "I wasn't sure if you preferred iced or not."

[existencemisspent]

“Either way, it’s free,” Eliot said, holding up a hand. “Thank you.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"You're welcome." Jon passed it to him. "I take it nothing new has happened lately." He looked around for some place to sit to talk, then gave up and sat on the floor nearby.

[existencemisspent]

“Nothing new ever happens here, it seems.”

Eliot, you fool.

“I suppose you have been having adventures?”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Er...I suppose that depends upon how you define them. Not...not anything for fun, anyway."

[existencemisspent]

“You haven’t eaten anyone, have you?”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"What? No! I...well, I mean, I haven't taken any statements or anything. Not giving anyone nightmares."

[existencemisspent]

Eliot's eyebrows went up. "There's an interesting qualifier. What have you been up to, then?"

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I, um. Well, I...I found a way to get fear. Without, um. Well, it's a sort of historical disaster tourism, I suppose."

He was still disgusted with himself for it, but it wasn't as though he could make things much worse.

[existencemisspent]

“. . . Elaborate, please.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"It was...well, um. The Titanic. And Pompeii. The, um. The Antioch earthquake. The...some of the French revolution was quite goo...um, useful."

Jon shrugged awkwardly.

[existencemisspent]

“You’re eating . . . history books?”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"No, um. Portals. They go...they go most places and times."

[existencemisspent]

“I’m not sure I wanted to know this. You’re going to historic disasters and making them worse.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"No, I don't!" Jon protested. "I just...just stand there, really." He watched. It was what he did.