[Well if she's going to light up like that of course he's going to want to hear more, because her lunchroom rants aside, he does like listening to her talk when she's excited about something.
And truthfully: he likes the lunchroom rants as often as not, because at least she's got an opinion on things. He smiles in return, can't help it, really] I can't promise I'll understand any of it, but I'll definitely listen.
[ They dimple at each other, Eddie's brown eyes practically twinkling as she stares into Chris', and with a squeeze of their clasped hands she launches into a story that, despite being pretty meandering and requiring her to — very reluctantly — let go of Chris so she can shove the guitar into his lap to go scramble across to the cassette player on her desk so she can play the song she's currently talking about, manages to be both comprehensive and simple enough for the layperson to follow.
Eddie's got practice summarizing her stories for the uninitiated, first with Wayne and then with Steve and Nancy and Robin, but it's hard to rein herself in right now. She wants Chris to think she's smart. She wants him to think she's not wasting her time.
[He's a little surprised by having a guitar foisted onto him, but he holds onto it all the same, leaning back on his other hand to watch her move.
As predicted, he doesn't actually understand a lot of it, but he can pick up more via context clues than he thought he was going to be able to, which is definitely down to her skill as a storyteller as much as it is his being able to figure things out.
Finally he just shakes his head] How long does it take to plan something like that out? Or play it?
Oh man. [ She rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, standing in the middle of her room looking like she just crashed back to earth, a little awkward in her uncle's low-slung sweatpants and threadbare shirt. Not that she's uncomfortable in her clothes, or anything, but more like she forgot who and where she was for a moment and suddenly she's back in her body and the edges are a little stiff still. ]
Weeks to plan, definitely. Maybe weeks to play, depending on how often we can meet. And things never go exactly according to plan, y'know, that's half the fun. I can control the world the players go through, but they decide where to go and what to do in it. If I wanted complete control I'd just write novels or something.
You could, you know, write novels. There's good money in that, so they say. [His brow furrows then, actually considering that] Unless the unpredictability is the part you like, in which case definitely don't let me tell you what to do.
[A laugh and a shake of his head follow] I say, as if you'd let me do that anyway.
[ She huffs out a self-deprecating laugh, using the hand on her neck to fluff her hair a little. ] I don't think there's good money in the kind of novels I'd write, [ she admits, then immediately tries to change the subject before Chris asks for clarification. He knows she's a nerd, that's become abundantly clear, but he doesn't need to know how much of a nerd.
Chris beats her to the punch, though, and she winds up looking at him with a funny little smile on her face, her hand drawing a piece of her hair forward as if to hide her mouth. ] I dunno. I might.
[All he knows is that there seem to be at least as many fantasy novels as serial romance novels out there these days, and that westerns and science fiction are always going to be around, not that he thinks she'd write either of those, but some of the adventure she'd just been relating could have very easily been cowboys and railroads instead of magicians and monsters, it's all a matter of perspective.
His brows both arch a little at the rest, head tilting, a twitch of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth in turn] Yeah? What are the circumstances?
[ Eddie knows that the athletes at school all tend to have a bit of a reputation, the girls and boys both. There's really not much to do in a town like theirs, and when a bunch of kids all get together, stuff is bound to happen. Not everyone can be a well-known Lothario like Steve Harrington was in his heyday, but it's pretty inevitable that people make the rounds.
Now, she's somewhat out of the gossip loop — it's not like people are lining up to tell her their secrets — but people at parties have loose lips, made all the looser by alcohol and whatever drugs she's selling at the time, so Eddie hears things. She's heard plenty about Jason Carver, but surprisingly next to nothing about Chris. It's entirely possible that he really is taking the religious route and waiting for marriage, but that always seemed like a crock of shit to Eddie, and apparently to everyone who proclaimed to believe it, considering the exploits she's heard about.
She wants to make a sex joke, is what she's getting at, and if she weren't starting to sober up she actually might have, but in the end she just winks at him. ] You're going to have to wait to find out.
[The thing of it is, there's not much to tell, but because of the fact that he's only rarely seen at parties, people are absolutely going to come up with their own theories, and with no confirmation any one is as good as any other.
It's entirely likely that he'd have taken it well if she had made a sex joke, and it's just as likely that she'd get to see him turn the same color as his hair, but as she doesn't he just sighs at the response, shaking his head] Okay fine.
[A brief pause, head tilting] But what is it I'll have to wait for? Is this a birthday present kind of thing, or some kind of moon phase deal?
[ One of the reasons she likes Chris so much isn't just because she thinks he's good-looking, but mostly it's that he's so tolerant of all her bullshit. He doesn't scoff at her, or roll his eyes at her, or tell her she's being fucking weird, he just rises to meet her where she's at and laughs at her jokes.
Maybe he would have been okay with a sex joke. Maybe one day she'll be brave enough to try it.
She laughs, and takes a few steps forward so she can flop down on her bed beside him, bouncing a little as she lies back and drapes her arms up and out. Why yes, she does wind up with her hand basically on his knee. That's a total coincidence. ]
I can't just tell you, [ she protests with a grin. ] That'll ruin all my mystique and then you'll get bored of me. It's a surprise. You'll have to wait.
[He tells himself it's reflex, or just some kind of curiosity that has him poking the center of her palm gently with a fingertip to see if her fingers will curl the way the neighbor's cat's paw does when he does the same thing] Dee, I'm pretty sure 'bored of you' isn't the kind of thing that can happen.
[Which is mostly because whenever he thinks he's got her angle figured out there's something else there, and that fascinates him more than he should probably let on.
That's beside the fact that he likes her face and would maybe like to kiss it, but he definitely knows better than to say that one out loud.]
[ Her fingers do curl and flex when he pokes her palm, the callouses on her fingertips brushing against his knuckles before he has a chance to pull his hand away. It's fine. They're not really holding hands. She's not about ten seconds away from blushing like she's thirteen again at the prospect of a cute boy sitting in her room, smiling at her, touching her. It's fine. ]
You say the sweetest things, sunshine. [ She's aiming for vaguely sarcastic, or at least vaguely aloof, but she's pretty sure it just comes out a little breathless and a lot affected.
She's not some friendless weirdo. It's not like she never gets complimented. But it's different coming from Dave or Gareth. It doesn't stick under her sternum like a fishing hook, tugging uncomfortably, making her want to get closer to ease the strain. ]
[He grins at the movement, can't help it really, partly because it's fucking adorable but partly because theory confirmed. Which is probably why the first thing out of his mouth is:] Kitty.
[He shakes his head when he realizes what he's said and that it probably makes him sound just a little insane] Neighbor cat does that when you poke her too, and I don't think I expected that you actually would.
[He shrugs, expressive and even exaggerated, shoulders hunching practically all the way up to his ears] I don't know! Smack me maybe? Tell me to stop being a fucking weirdo?
[He shakes his head, smile still very much in evidence] You're unpredictable, Dee, part of why I like hanging out with you.
[ Since they're both being weird as hell and he's acting goofy on top of it, she reaches up with the hand he poked and clucks him under the chin, making a sort of kissy face at him as she laughs.
He wanted unpredictable, right? Well. He's going to get it whether he likes it or not. ]
[He smiles again, can't help it really, shaking his head either at the face or the movement, maybe both. Probably both.] Oh, right, clearly I forgot who I was talking to for a minute.
[It's a joke, or mostly a joke, some kind of gentle tease regardless.] But wait, how do royal trees work? If you're the Queen of the Weirdos, what does that make me?
[ Asking her about fantasy shit is a sure-fire way to keep her attention; not that Chris was having difficulty with that anyway, to be honest, because they could be sitting in total silence and Eddie has a feeling she'd be absolutely engrossed in something truly embarrassing like the fall of his hair or the red-gold glint of stubble on his chin. ]
I dunno, [ she replies, feigning nonchalance as she drops her hand back to the mattress, the edges of her knuckles brushing his knee again. ] A prince from a neighboring kingdom?
[ Loath as she is to admit it, Jason is probably the Jock King now that Harrington's graduated — not that his grip on his crown was all that secure by the end of it all, thanks to fucking Hargrove — but Chris is definitely up there with the rest of his buddies. Not quite a loyal lackey, Jason clearly respects him too much for that, but still treated as something lesser than top dog. She has a feeling Chris prefers it that way, really. ]
[It's absolutely how he prefers it, there's less to worry about being some kind of loyal royal advisor than there is to being a full part of the royal court. Besides, the Hawkins High Royal Court is the guys on the basketball team and the swim team anyway. Track team is a distant third as far as legitimate sports, apparently, but that's part of what Chris likes about it, too.
The answer does make him smile, however] Yeah, that's probably closer to accurate than either of us should really be comfortable with.
[He shrugs, leaning back on his hands] I still am, though, for the record.
Nothing wrong with having friendly relations with your neighbors, [ she protests lightly, pointedly not thinking about what relations she could have with Chris. Who is not, by any real stretch of the imagination, her neighbor. She's pretty sure he doesn't live in Loch Nora like Harrington, but even if he lives in the regular, quiet little neighborhood that Dustin and the Sinclairs do, he's still a world away from the trailer park where Eddie's spent most of her life.
They're barely even neighbors at school, really, since they have very few classes together, and Eddie always sits in the back even though she should be in the middle alphabetically. ]
You still are what? A prince? I coulda told you that.
[He blinks, brow creasing a little] What? Oh, I just meant comfortable with the accuracy, but yours works too. [The smile returns, amused as much as anything] Still shouldn't say it myself though, not supposed to be prideful and all that.
[He's biting back the full smile as he continues, giving a vague gesture with one hand] There's a whole saying about pride and falls, I'm sure you know the one.
[ She huffs a little, shaking her head in a way that just makes her hair even messier. ] Pretty sure admitting you're a prince is just, like. Factual. [ If she's Queen of the Freaks and Weirdos and Jason Carver's the new King of the school, then Chris' prince-dom is just plain fact.
She waves a dismissive hand, almost batting his out of the air. ] I think the whole thing about the deadly sins was only made up to stop people from enjoying life. People were mad that other people were having a good time so they made up these stupid rules to keep everyone in line. Same thing with the Commandments.
[This is a rant he hasn't heard before, though that's likely because they haven't really had any sort of theological discussions before. Also it hardly counts as a rant, it's just a statement of opinion, and not one he disagrees with, really.
As evidenced by the fact that he's just nodding] I don't even think you're wrong. I wouldn't go as far as saying they're to stop people from enjoying life, but definitely for enforcing codes of behavior.
[He shakes his head then] The commandments especially, there's too many of them and some overlap.
[ Eddie's barely gone to church at all ever, but she could absolutely go on many different theological rants if Chris wanted her to. As long as he found her entertaining, she'd say pretty much anything. More than once she's caught him looking at her when she's been mid-spiel in the cafeteria, standing on the table and flinging her arms wide to command even more attention than she does usually. Most of the jocks surrounding him stare at her with a mixture of disgust and derision, but Chris usually has a little smile tucked into the corner of his mouth, and she absolutely hams it up to see if that little smile will bloom.
It's way better from this close, though. ]
Well, yeah. Codes of behavior that makes you hate your life and easier to control. People in power hate the idea of their underlings having the freedom to do whatever the fuck they like.
[ She pokes at his knee, her nails catching on the seam of his jeans in a way she knows she shouldn't allow. ] What's your favorite Commandment?
lol, I've done that, and not me having to look up what the ten commandments actually are >,>
[His brow furrows a little, about to answer the initial statement but then she's asking him an actual question and it's absurd enough to make him bark a soft laugh, shaking his head.] I don't think that's the kind of thing you're supposed to have a favorite one of, Dee.
[He does seem to consider it for a moment] I mean, look 'remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy' is fine, except that usually means spending the better part of the day at church, but it's about the only one that doesn't need to be combined with one of the others, though I guess it could be combined with 'have no other Gods above me'.
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And truthfully: he likes the lunchroom rants as often as not, because at least she's got an opinion on things. He smiles in return, can't help it, really] I can't promise I'll understand any of it, but I'll definitely listen.
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Eddie's got practice summarizing her stories for the uninitiated, first with Wayne and then with Steve and Nancy and Robin, but it's hard to rein herself in right now. She wants Chris to think she's smart. She wants him to think she's not wasting her time.
She wants him to think she's impressive. ]
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As predicted, he doesn't actually understand a lot of it, but he can pick up more via context clues than he thought he was going to be able to, which is definitely down to her skill as a storyteller as much as it is his being able to figure things out.
Finally he just shakes his head] How long does it take to plan something like that out? Or play it?
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Weeks to plan, definitely. Maybe weeks to play, depending on how often we can meet. And things never go exactly according to plan, y'know, that's half the fun. I can control the world the players go through, but they decide where to go and what to do in it. If I wanted complete control I'd just write novels or something.
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[A laugh and a shake of his head follow] I say, as if you'd let me do that anyway.
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Chris beats her to the punch, though, and she winds up looking at him with a funny little smile on her face, her hand drawing a piece of her hair forward as if to hide her mouth. ] I dunno. I might.
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His brows both arch a little at the rest, head tilting, a twitch of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth in turn] Yeah? What are the circumstances?
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Now, she's somewhat out of the gossip loop — it's not like people are lining up to tell her their secrets — but people at parties have loose lips, made all the looser by alcohol and whatever drugs she's selling at the time, so Eddie hears things. She's heard plenty about Jason Carver, but surprisingly next to nothing about Chris. It's entirely possible that he really is taking the religious route and waiting for marriage, but that always seemed like a crock of shit to Eddie, and apparently to everyone who proclaimed to believe it, considering the exploits she's heard about.
She wants to make a sex joke, is what she's getting at, and if she weren't starting to sober up she actually might have, but in the end she just winks at him. ] You're going to have to wait to find out.
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It's entirely likely that he'd have taken it well if she had made a sex joke, and it's just as likely that she'd get to see him turn the same color as his hair, but as she doesn't he just sighs at the response, shaking his head] Okay fine.
[A brief pause, head tilting] But what is it I'll have to wait for? Is this a birthday present kind of thing, or some kind of moon phase deal?
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Maybe he would have been okay with a sex joke. Maybe one day she'll be brave enough to try it.
She laughs, and takes a few steps forward so she can flop down on her bed beside him, bouncing a little as she lies back and drapes her arms up and out. Why yes, she does wind up with her hand basically on his knee. That's a total coincidence. ]
I can't just tell you, [ she protests with a grin. ] That'll ruin all my mystique and then you'll get bored of me. It's a surprise. You'll have to wait.
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[Which is mostly because whenever he thinks he's got her angle figured out there's something else there, and that fascinates him more than he should probably let on.
That's beside the fact that he likes her face and would maybe like to kiss it, but he definitely knows better than to say that one out loud.]
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You say the sweetest things, sunshine. [ She's aiming for vaguely sarcastic, or at least vaguely aloof, but she's pretty sure it just comes out a little breathless and a lot affected.
She's not some friendless weirdo. It's not like she never gets complimented. But it's different coming from Dave or Gareth. It doesn't stick under her sternum like a fishing hook, tugging uncomfortably, making her want to get closer to ease the strain. ]
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[He shakes his head when he realizes what he's said and that it probably makes him sound just a little insane] Neighbor cat does that when you poke her too, and I don't think I expected that you actually would.
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She blinks at him when he bestows on her a new nickname, a little confused but more than a little charmed, and barks out a laugh at his explanation. ]
What did you think I'd do instead?
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[He shakes his head, smile still very much in evidence] You're unpredictable, Dee, part of why I like hanging out with you.
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[ Since they're both being weird as hell and he's acting goofy on top of it, she reaches up with the hand he poked and clucks him under the chin, making a sort of kissy face at him as she laughs.
He wanted unpredictable, right? Well. He's going to get it whether he likes it or not. ]
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[It's a joke, or mostly a joke, some kind of gentle tease regardless.] But wait, how do royal trees work? If you're the Queen of the Weirdos, what does that make me?
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I dunno, [ she replies, feigning nonchalance as she drops her hand back to the mattress, the edges of her knuckles brushing his knee again. ] A prince from a neighboring kingdom?
[ Loath as she is to admit it, Jason is probably the Jock King now that Harrington's graduated — not that his grip on his crown was all that secure by the end of it all, thanks to fucking Hargrove — but Chris is definitely up there with the rest of his buddies. Not quite a loyal lackey, Jason clearly respects him too much for that, but still treated as something lesser than top dog. She has a feeling Chris prefers it that way, really. ]
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The answer does make him smile, however] Yeah, that's probably closer to accurate than either of us should really be comfortable with.
[He shrugs, leaning back on his hands] I still am, though, for the record.
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They're barely even neighbors at school, really, since they have very few classes together, and Eddie always sits in the back even though she should be in the middle alphabetically. ]
You still are what? A prince? I coulda told you that.
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[He's biting back the full smile as he continues, giving a vague gesture with one hand] There's a whole saying about pride and falls, I'm sure you know the one.
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She waves a dismissive hand, almost batting his out of the air. ] I think the whole thing about the deadly sins was only made up to stop people from enjoying life. People were mad that other people were having a good time so they made up these stupid rules to keep everyone in line. Same thing with the Commandments.
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As evidenced by the fact that he's just nodding] I don't even think you're wrong. I wouldn't go as far as saying they're to stop people from enjoying life, but definitely for enforcing codes of behavior.
[He shakes his head then] The commandments especially, there's too many of them and some overlap.
wtf i definitely replied to this!!
It's way better from this close, though. ]
Well, yeah. Codes of behavior that makes you hate your life and easier to control. People in power hate the idea of their underlings having the freedom to do whatever the fuck they like.
[ She pokes at his knee, her nails catching on the seam of his jeans in a way she knows she shouldn't allow. ] What's your favorite Commandment?
lol, I've done that, and not me having to look up what the ten commandments actually are >,>
[He does seem to consider it for a moment] I mean, look 'remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy' is fine, except that usually means spending the better part of the day at church, but it's about the only one that doesn't need to be combined with one of the others, though I guess it could be combined with 'have no other Gods above me'.
lol same
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