A Moment's Respite(Willow/Jory)

[Jory Addison]

"I'm Jory." He wasn't exactly sure how brave he was, since he had been finding any and all ways to stay away from people since he had made his decision, but he supposed that he eventually had to live up to being put in Gryffindor. "It's not like I had much choice in the matter," Jory said. "I mean, I'm not exactly the...manliest guy I've ever met."

[Willow Wenlock]

Another quote sprung to her mind in the absence of anything original to say, she did not want to offend on so sensitive a subject. All men are homosexual, some turn straight. It must be very odd to be a straight man because your sexuality is hopelessly defensive. It's like an ideal of racial purity. "A book I once read had a funny view on that, it said, all men are homosexual, some turn straight."

[Jory Addison]

Jory wrinkled his nose, "I hate that word. Homosexual. It's like, straight guys don't walk around saying I'm heterosexual. Everyone's hung up on the sex part enough as it is." Not that he hadn't thoroughly enjoyed his experiences in that department, but he didn't want to be defined because of what kind of sex he liked. Gender had a much less negative image than the sex itself.

[Willow Wenlock]

Willow couldn't validate that opinion as true or false, it was just a statistic. She for one did not think she was hung up on the sex of it, for one she couldn't formulate an opinion based on an experience she had never encountered, and secondly, not everyone thought it was about the sex. "I'm not sure that it is about the sex as much as it is about the fear. People fear change. And you," she pointed to the rings on his fingers, "aren't afraid to wear your opinions loudly."

[Jory Addison]

Jory rolled his eyes. "They fear that I'm gonna rape them in their beds or something at night. Apparently you've never been around someone that hates people like me, because I haven't heard anyone say anything about guys falling in love with guys, only about guys sticking things where they don't belong." If he was a little more bitter than he usually was, then it could easily be blamed on his lack of sleep and people to talk to. Besides, if he left his jewelry in the room the chance was higher than ever that he may just go back to all of it mysteriously missing.

[Willow Wenlock]

A small tilt of the head and Willow was thinking how best to phrase this for him, "Voyeurism runs rampant in our society, they focus on the negatives of other people, so that they can feel better about their imperfections. At least you embrace who you are, and don't mirror it to other." She shrugged, it wasn't fun or good that people suffered, but it was the cycle of history. There was always someone, usually the church that mandated that people should be in monogamous relationships. "You know that in ancient Rome, their birth rates were so low, because men believed in men falling in love with men, and women weren't thought of as equals that they essentially forced everyone into heterosexuality to preserve the species?"

[Jory Addison]

"They believed that the only true love was that of a boy and a man," Jory said. It was one of the few things from history he had actually looked up. "Like a man and his young apprentice. I believe we would call that pedophilia today. Sex wasn't involved in that kind of love at all. Having sex with another man was only okay if you were the top." Which meant he would have been screwed anyway.

[Willow Wenlock]

To some extent that was true, usually there was an older man and a younger man, but in a society that didn't live by any standards as long as they did today, who could judge pedophilia or not? "In every complex society there are vagaries and distinctions that stand apart. The norm was that, but other variations of the same act were if not approved, at least not targeted as they are now. The most important part of it being that they were more sexually at ease with themselves than we are today."

Also women were allowed even encouraged to begin procreating as early as ten and twelve, putting them by today's standards in pedophilia as well. "It's something we should take from and learn." She grinned, "even their art was more accepting than ours. I think there everyday pottery falls into the category of today's pornography."

[Jory Addison]

Jory hadn't meant to imply that it had been considered pedophilia then, or that modern people could look back and say that, but now if the same thing happened it most definitely would be. "Their pottery doesn't, most of the time," he said. Art hadn't been something he had intentionally studied, but it was impossible not to notice. "I mean, yeah, they had stuff on the walls of brothels and stuff, but they still considered that something that was supposed to be kept away. Besides, that was then and this is now and my point was that they can't get past the sex to think about anything else, and that stupid word doesn't help."

[Willow Wenlock]

Willow wanted to continue the discussion, since she did know quite a bit about the art antiquities of Ancient Greece and Rome, but the boy...Jory had changed it back to what she was hoping to avoid. "I don't have experience with sexual encounters to tell why that word would be bad or good. On an intellectual level it is just a word that is associated which gender we are. However, words can be twisted to mean something ugly. If there is a different word you'd prefer I use, I will."

She couldn't argue against or for, because the words individually had merit, but if they were used to cow or isolate an entire subset of people's then the words were being misused. "I however am not afraid that you'll rape me while I sleep." Even if he wanted to, the stairs would slide out from under him, she thought with a smile, even though she had no fear at all. He seemed a nice guy, who was quite obviously not going to be attracted to her.

[Jory Addison]

"Just use gay," Jory answered with a small shrug. He didn't know why some people insisted on using the other word, like the extended family that had visited over the holidays and attempted to be perfectly okay with it. After a few moments he let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I just never got why it was such a big deal anyway."

[Willow Wenlock]

It didn't seem like a big deal to her she thought, after all preferences were preferences, it wasn't as though other people being...gay forced her to be as well. "It doesn't really matter, it's your choice." She gestured out towards the door of the library, "people from your dormitories?" It would be worse if it was, then he wouldn't be able to get away while he slept. "If you still need to buy some time, I can keep you company."

[Jory Addison]

"They're from all the houses," Jory said, "But mine's the worst. Apparently they're, like, pissed because I'm the third Gryffindor that's come out in, like, two years or something." Like he had any kind of control over that. He couldn't help it that Ariel and Dare both had been in his house, it was like everyone thought sixth and seventh year Gryffindors were cursed. Mostly sixth, because from what he knew all three of them had showed up during their sixth year.

[Willow Wenlock]

That really wasn't a phenomenal number, Willow thought to herself. If a few hundred students graduated every year, multiplied by seven for the years and divided by four for the houses. She'd be surprised if there weren't a few more hiding out in the house, in his year. "I'm sure that there are more students in your house and year that aren't out yet. Maybe some of them are the reason that they're so adamant, because they're afraid."

Willow shrugged, those were the reasons for any bullies, because they didn't understand someone they struck out, or because they were to afraid of the similarities. Willow held her book down to her side, "come on, I'm going to put my book down with my satchel." And if he wanted to backtrack with his friends he could pretend that he was hanging out with a girl for a while. Not that she was sure it would help, but she was already itching to at least put the book in a safe place where she could read it later.

[Jory Addison]

Jory had shook his head at Willow's attempt to explain away everything. It was like she was trying to convince him he shouldn't be worried about staying in his dorm at night. If there were other guys like him in his house and year that were hiding, he wanted them to stay hidden, because he didn't know how he would react to them not doing anything. Still, he picked up his bag and nodded silently for her to start so he could follow.