recolle | YOU'RE A DRAMA QUEEN IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

WHO: James and YOU!
WHERE: Literally anywhere. School, the library, the laundromat, literally. anywhere.
WHEN: throughout the month
WHAT: FIGHT ME, MEET ME IN THE PIT. Or celebrate James's birthday, that too. AKA, November catch-all!
WARNINGS: uh. wanton violence?

fite me.
[ It doesn't matter where you are, or what you're doing, or what James himself is doing. Though he's returned to his more standard attire of band sweaters and pants with copious chains on them, he still has a nasty look in his eye for anyone who dares even look in his direction. He's fine, he'll claim to anyone who asks, but he's really just a powder keg waiting to blow.

So, interact with him at your own risk. Or don't, really--even the quickest of glances or pointing to something in his general vicinity will set him off or whispering something to a friend nearby is all it will take to set him off. ]

hap birf.
[ Come November 13th, James is officially turning 17. Of course, it's the furthest thing from his mind right now and he doesn't bother mentioning it at all, intending to be a grumpy gus on his lonesome all day. But your character, should they find out about his birthday from another source like his sister, perhaps, may want to ambush him and force him into a celebration of sorts...

It's up to you, though, because left to his own devices, he'll scowl his way through the school day and angrily walk his way home from school. ]

(alt) wildcard.
[ I'm setting up a bunch of private top-level stuff for other threads, but if I forgot to write up a prompt for something we talked about then, uh, my bad--please hit up this post with it anyway! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It was my first paying gig. -Kasen didn't bother looking at the menu, knowing precisely what he wanted. The usual.

James would be happy to learn they indeed had pancakes. The all-you-can-eat variety, even.-

You painted this? The whole place?!

[ Suddenly James is distracted from the food. ]

I was desperate for a way out of the hole I was in. I was depressed, frustrated, angry at myself and the rest of the world... I had a lot of energy, and I turned that into creating.

I'm not... saying that's what you should do. It's just what I did. And I know it's not right of me to expect you to walk the same paths I did. I've... wanted to apologize for coming off as over-bearing.

[ Well this took a turn. He doesn't ever really expect to get apologies for anything. Usually adults scold him and tell him it's his fault and that he has a bad attitude, and he's the one who has to apologize. He's never really had the script flipped on him like this before--he's not even sure what to say. ]

Oh. Uh...thanks?

...How's this. If you pay for my food I'll call it even.

Consider it a deal... That being said, I still believe in you, and your art. But we can take it at *your* pace. How's that sound?

[ He leans back in the booth and looks away. His music is still a sore point for him, enough that he doesn't even really want to think about it right now. It's a dead end and the more he talks about it, the more he feels like he's going nowhere fast.

But at least "his own pace" means he can set it aside for now. ]

Okay, fine. Sure.

[ He gives the menu another quick glance. ]

I want the all-you-can-eat pancakes. With all the toppings.

Excellent choice. I think I'll stick with some coffee and a short stack, myself.

They don't kid around here with those pancakes, by the way, you're going to love them.

We'll see about that.

[ YOU DON'T GET TO TELL HIM WHAT PANCAKES HE WILL OR WON'T LIKE, KASEN!!! He's gonna shovel an infinite pile of them straight into his gaping mouth and decide for HIMSELF. ]

-The waitress took their orders and headed back to the kitchen.-

Well now, besides sticking it to the man, what else have you been up to lately?

[ He shrugs. ]

School. Football. Yelling at the school to let me stay on the football team. [ Beating the tar out of people. ] The usual.

Now I admittedly know very little about American football, but all you need to be able to do is run and catch, right?

[ He scoffs skeptically. "Run and catch." How simplistic. ]

Yeah, if you wanna call music just screaming and hitting things.

There's strategy, first off. And different people do different things for 'em. I'm a linebacker, so I don't do a lot of the "catching" bit. Mostly I just tackle people. And get tackled.

-Look, even if he wasn't completely up-his-own-ass pretentious about art, he was born and raised in Japan. He's a baseball fan.-

That sounds even less like something you should be prohibited from, to be entirely honest.

Exactly! Thank you!

But nooooooooo, the school thinks that because I've got an arm missing now, I'm too fragile to play. Like somehow if I get tackled again I'm gonna lose the other arm too.

I mean... Do you need someone to speak to the faculty on your behalf?

If you want, but my dad's already gonna go talk some sense into them. I think he's gonna pull rank on 'em.

[ Not that Mr. Barnes actually has any position of power over the school. But people have a hard time saying no to a colonel, especially when in uniform. ]

That's a relief, at least... I don't want to imagine the strain of losing an outlet like that... -Kasen leaned back in his seat, the coffee being placed on the table as he did so.-

They'll have to rip football from my cold, dead hand.

[ He lightly bangs his fist on the table for emphasis. ]

And I'm not talking about the other one that got ripped off.

-He couldn't help but notice how much more James was willing to fight for football. Best not to comment on it, though, as he poured his coffee.-

How is your manual dexterity right now?

In what hand? This one? [ he raises his right. ] It's the same as ever. But this one? [ He points to the left arm, laying on the table. ] Nothing. Nada. Wasn't built for it anyway.

[ He slumps in his seat a little. ]

I'm supposed to get one with a functioning hand soon, like next week. They're doing some final checks on the fit and making sure I know how to use all the software for it before they give it to me.

That's good, at least.

... It may sound silly, but I'd like to meet with you after that hand is in place. I want to see what instruments it can handle. It's not... recovery, so to speak, but I think it's important you keep music in your life, regardless.

But only if you want to.

[ He sighs heavily, almost pouting. ]

Okay, fine. But I'm not working on anything new there. This is just for your test, or whatever.

-Despite James' pout, just the fact he's willing to try brings a noticeable light to Kasen's smile.-

O-of course, I won't pressure you into anything else, I promise! Think of it as... physical therapy?

[ Framing it that way is rather interesting. He skipped the whole physical therapy stage of his recovery because, well, the way his injury was already fully healed, there was nothing for them to physically therapize.

To use the same name for just playing around with instruments is...well, it's certainly not what he expected. He huffs a little. ]

Yeah, yeah, okay. Physical therapy. Sure.

You're gonna regret this though, you know, when you hear me start wailing on whatever instruments you've got.

YOU'RE A DRAMA QUEEN IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

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