Heading Home (Jory/Keith-Lawns)

[Keith Evans]

It was afternoon before Keith headed home from Lyric's after their outing the night before.  He didn't stay in Hogsmeade every time they went out, but since they were official and letting Lyric visit him was iffy, he didn't feel bad about staying the night relatively often.  Other than the short hang up seeing Jory, the night had gone well and they'd been able to meet up with the others later on, so he hadn't felt completely isolated.  He walked with his head bent against the cool wind, hands deep in his pockets. 

[Jory Addison]

Considering how cold it had been in the middle of the night when he'd taken Astra out, Jory thought the air outside was quite pleasant when he took Astra out some time in the afternoon. He pulled at the leash when Astra tried to strain forward, a bad habit he was trying to break her of. When he glanced forward, he saw what she was after, though who it was he couldn't immediately tell. Once he realized it was Keith, he abruptly turned to the side to try to avoid the man.

[Keith Evans]

Keith nearly missed the dog against the snow, but he couldn't miss the figure walking along with it. It would have been almost impossible not to recognize Jory and, after a moment's quick debate with himself, he made the decision to try talking to the guy. If they were going to be in the same group, much less working together, it wouldn't do to be unable to talk normally.

[Jory Addison]

Astra parked herself, facing the newcomer. Maybe she sensed something about Keith or maybe she was just reacting to the tension in Jory, but her tail swung slower and her head lowered slightly as the man came closer, ignoring any gentle tugs at her leash. Jory sighed and turned back to her. It didn't look like he was going to be able to get out of talking to Keith this time.

[Keith Evans]

"Hey," Keith said when he was close enough. "I didn't know you had a dog." The castle was going to be overrun with the things if everyone kept getting dogs. Even Matthew had jumped on the bandwagon. Of course, this one didn't seem too happy to see him. "What's his name?" The other new ones were males, and he tended to assume dogs were male, anyway.

[Jory Addison]

"Her name's Astra," Jory said. Astra looked over her shoulder at him briefly before returning to her stiff watch of Keith. Jory wasn't entirely sure she knew her name yet, but he thought she had some idea. He didn't want to talk to Keith about her. "If you're coming from Lyric's you might want to get inside, it's cold out here."

[Keith Evans]

Keith eyed the dog. Yeah, cold. "I thought we should talk," he said. "I've thought about paying you a visit since you joined the staff and I just haven't gotten around to it." He knew there was some history between Jory and Lyric, though he'd never asked for details. Had Jory always been so distant? Keith remembered the guy being a bubbly, happy student.

[Jory Addison]

"We don't really have anything to talk about," Jory said. Astra shifted anxiously in place, but didn't take her eyes from Keith. The only time he ever saw Keith was at the staff table, where the guy attempted lame conversation with Rowan or talked excitedly with Dare. He had no urge to talk to his ex's current boyfriend.

[Keith Evans]

"We work together," Keith pointed out. "And if you're going to start hanging out with the group we should be on talking terms, at least." It could really throw a kink in the surprisingly easy-going group if there was suddenly tension and drama introduced. He didn't want any part in messing up the politics in his circle of friends.

[Jory Addison]

"Just because we have the same boss doesn't mean I have to be friends with you," Jory said. "The group's no big deal, we just won't hang out with them at the same time. I don't know what you're expecting from me." If Keith was hoping Jory would just forget what had happened the last time he'd seen Lyric in the castle, he was mistaken.

[Keith Evans]

Keith took a deep breath and let it out in an annoyed sigh. "I get that you and Lyric have some kind of past going on, but it shouldn't be enough to stop me and you from being okay." They didn't need to be best friends, they just needed to be able to tolerate one another enough to make the rest of the group comfortable. Lyric and Jory would eventually need to be friendly, too.

[Jory Addison]

"You don't know what me and Lyric went through," Jory said, his eyebrows narrowing. "It was years of trying to be friends or date and it was all full of lying. When we finally started working he dumped me for no good reason, then the last time I saw him he attacked me. I don't have to be friends with him or you." Astra yipped, bringing to Jory's attention the tension that had invaded his body. He tried to unclench his gloved hands.

[Keith Evans]

"People have bad relationships, it happens. Trust me, I know," Keith said, eying Astra warily. Why did he feel like she was willing to pounce at any time? "But come on, he's a good guy, it couldn't have been that bad. Besides, I'm not saying we have to be great friends, there's just no reason for us to not be able to have fun around one another."

[Jory Addison]

"I'm not doing this, just leave me alone. I've tried being civil to Lyric. He lied to me so much and I stayed his friend. I was a horrible boyfriend, okay? Whatever, but I tried. I tried so hard to be a good friend and it didn't work. I tried to go say thanks again after he'd broken up with me for getting Emilian off my back you know what I got for it? He yelled at me, then slung me up against a wall. If you wanna hop in bed with him, go ahead, but I don't have to like either of you." Well, this had certainly ruined his Jai-induced good mood.

[Keith Evans]

Keith wanted to argue, but he'd seen Lyric in a mood and it wasn't pretty. "It's not going to do you any good to stay pissed off, you know," he said. "I've had the sh~y boyfriend before, I moved on." Of course, he wasn't sure how well he would have been able to move on if he'd been constantly faced with the guy. He hadn't done a very good job of it, anyway.