e. (epalmer) wrote in mcdermott_game, @ 2010-05-02 01:08:00 |
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Entry tags: | eric, eric/kj, kj |
Who: KJ and Eric.
What: Meeting, Eric fishing for compliments and hitting it off surprisingly well.
When: Monday, April 19th.
Where: Outside the PAC.
Rating: PG.
Status: Complete.
Lately Eric's week consisted of three things. Soccer, classes and Callas. He hadn't been dedicating enough time to his final project, and he was beginning to feel the stress of it come down. While figuring out the shooting script he hit a snag and decided to go consult with one of his professors (Eric cared about shit sometimes, okay?). The professor was always helping out with whatever play the theater kids were putting on now, so he stood in the back while the cast rehearsed a scene, waiting for it to be over so he could slip up through the stage. Footloose, he realized quickly. Huh. How quaint. Cute girls though. When he caught his moment, he found the professor and cleared some things up. By the time he was ready to leave, he realized rehearsals must have been over because everyone was peacing out. Whatever. He left to get back to his dorm, exiting through the main PAC doors and almost bumped someone who was trying to leave the place too. He glanced the person over. It was one of the cute musical girls. KJ something or other. "Go on," he said, flashing a smile. He had a girlfriend, didn't mean he was dead.
KJ was in a hurry to get out of rehearsal; the days were getting longer and the musical was sucking up more of her time. It was like she was living and breathing the musical. Not that she minded, for the most part, but Riley had called in the middle of rehearsal and she hadn't had a chance to get to talk to him for more than five minutes.
Her one-track mind could only think about that at the moment, so when she was trying to leave the PAC, she didn't notice the blond guy standing at the doorway and bumped into him. "Sorry," she offered, stopping to let him pass. When he offered to let her go first, though, she obliged; however, there was something about the way he smiled at her that, for some reason, made KJ feel... weird. It was hard to describe, but she was sensing a strange vibe from him.
"What?" she asked, turning and glancing back at the guy before she could stop herself.
Eric's eyebrows went up at that. "...What?" he repeated. So much for a little chivalry. He should have let that chick amble on behind him.
"I asked first," KJ pointed out, but the words came easily now, not so defensive. There was something about this guy that she couldn't put her finger on. Where did she know him from? It was bugging her and so she stopped for a moment, waiting for him to catch up to her so that it wasn't obvious she was staring at him. "I think I know you from somewhere," she elaborated.
He noticed the weird looks (not at all like the preferred looks of admiration ... or whatever) but shrugged. He knew he hadn't slept with the chick and not called her back or anything. But it was very possible he had offended her in some manner over the last year. "Yeah? I'm Eric," he offered.
Eric. Didn't help, really, but KJ went with it. "I'm KJ," she replied. "But yeah, no, I don't know, the name doesn't really help." KJ shrugged. "I'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure." She offered him a smile. "Since I'm nosy, and since I know you're not in the theatre department, how did the sneak peek of the musical look to you?" It was a light question, not really accusing. Besides, she wanted to know because he wasn't someone who would critique the way they danced or the choreography, unless for some strange reason he was a dance major - but he didn't look like one.
Eric didn't really feel like laying out his entire history so he just shrugged. She could figure it out if she so pleased. How to answer her question? Theatre didn't interest him even in the slightest. Actually, that was exactly the way to answer it. "Not really my thing," he said with a shrug. "The dancing and the whole ... thing."
KJ glanced sidelong at him, trying to figure him out. "So why were you there in the first place?" Yeah, she was probably being a little obnoxious, but she was curious. Why stand in an auditorium full of people rehearsing if theatre wasn't your thing?
"Don't sound so suspicious," he said with a small smirk, and he couldn't help the flirtatious lilt to his voice that was practically second nature, beat out only by his dry, sarcastic one. "I just had to talk to one of the professors. They're a technical advisor or something. You in all the plays?"
"Yeah, because I'm afraid you're going to steal all of our stuff." KJ rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips were tilted up. "Yeah, something like that... I've been in the last few productions," she told Eric. Although she liked attention, it wasn't like she really went out of her way to brag that she was a good actress. "What about you? What's your major?"
"Well, yeah," he said, completely deadpan. "Promise to teach me that one routine, will you?" At her answer, he nodded and then at the question, stuck a hand in his pocket. "Film production. So, you know. The opposite of what theatre accomplishes."
At his answer, KJ furrowed her eyebrows. "Opposite like how?" she asked, sincerely curious now.
"Well, like..." He took a second to figure out exactly what he was trying to articulate here. "Theatre is all about the live performances and the audience interaction and energy and shit. Film is all calculated and edited together. It has nothing to do with the people who watch it until it's released in theaters or something."
"Huh. I guess you have a point." That was an interesting way of putting it. KJ obviously knew that film and theatre were two very different mediums, but it was different to hear that they were opposite. She was very interested in these differences because it had everything to do with her acting career.
They had walked off a good distance away from the PAC and were now standing in the quad. "This is going to bug me, where I've seen you before," KJ muttered. "You don't happen to live in Keaton, do you?" she asked.
"Jannings," Eric corrected her. "You know Callas Devry?"
At the mention of Callas, KJ's eyes lit up. "I do," she said. "We're pretty cool." She and Callas were friends, yes, and they hung out every now and again, but they weren't what KJ would define as really good friends. There was still something to be had for that, though, right? At least, KJ thought so. "I'm taking it you know her too, then?"
"We're dating, actually," Eric said casually, although honestly, it still felt pretty weird to say that even though it had been a while.
"Oh." KJ nodded, taking in this information, thinking back to see if Callas had mentioned it. She might have, but she'd never put two and two together. "That's cool," she added, smiling. "Maybe that's where I know you from and has been bugging me," KJ told Eric, nodding. "I'm surprised I haven't met you earlier, actually."
"What a shame," Eric said, clucking his tongue with a slight smirk. "I'm in firm belief that everyone should meet me. I guess you were just a little late to the party."
"Damn," KJ said, snapping her fingers. "I hate being late to parties. Oh well, it's not really a party 'til I'm there anyway," she said, laughing. The truth was that KJ was the farthest thing from a party girl that any girl could be; she'd only been to her first real parties once she'd gotten here, and even then, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable (at least until she hit the alcohol - then she made it her mission to make friends with everyone there whether they liked it or not). "You make it sound like my world hasn't been complete without you," she commented. "Care to tell me why?"
"Well, because I'm awesome," Eric said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, defaulting to his charming grin that he had down to a science. "I could list all my good traits, but I think they speak for themselves."
KJ just had to laugh. She'd known so many guys like this in high school, who thought they were awesome just because they'd said so. But unlike then, it was just amusing to her now, in almost a sad way. Maybe it was because back then, she'd always wondered what it would be like to have someone care about her, to like her, and she was desperate enough to try and listen. Now? She didn't really believe it at face value, but there wasn't much to prove otherwise. It didn't bother her as much now as it used to. Maybe that was a good thing.
"Oh, yes," she added, dryly. "I don't think I could spend another day of my life without seeing how very blond your hair is. Or how nice your smile is." They were nice, and maybe she was feeding into his ego a little, but it didn't mean that she really meant it. It was a compliment. But she didn't want it to go to his head, so she told him so. "But just don't let it go to your head too much," KJ added, smiling easily. "Too much ego ruins the strut." Her smile wasn't harsh or fake, though, and she hoped Eric could see that she was only half-joking.
She had lost the slight haughtiness she'd been harboring at the beginning of their conversation, which was good. Eric could be a dick who either wanted to fuck you or fuck around with you, but he was also capable of just chilling, so no need for raises defenses. Lately, at least. Having a girlfriend was turning him fucking boring, wasn't?
"Not go to my head?" he repeated with a lop-sided smile. "Sorry, too late. You think my hair is pretty and I have a nice smile and I'm gonna remember it forever. Sucks for you."
"Blond, not pretty," KJ corrected him. "I didn't think guys took pride in their hair being pretty. Unless you're gay or something." She looked at him again, appraising him. "But since you have a girlfriend and all, I highly doubt that." She smiled again. "I only know of these two so-called 'good traits,' though, so that's all I have to go on."
"Well, now you're just stereotyping." He pulled a face. "And here I thought you were more sophisticated than that." But there was no edge to his voice, he was still just teasing. "Well then, allow me to fill you in. Unless you'd rather just figure it out yourself." He was certainly flirting at this point, but it was the harmless sort of flirting. He wasn't trying to make it go anywhere, it was just fun. He was involved, not dead, after all.
"I'm always up for a challenge," KJ told him. She had had enough experience, now, to know when there was flirting going on; in the back of her mind she knew that maybe this wasn't a good idea, especially since he apparently was dating her friend Callas, but KJ wasn't interested, not in the least; she just enjoyed banter, and guys were good at giving her that. "Let me see. Wait - are we going for purely physical or do I have to add your very humble personality in?" she asked him, smirking at him.
"Oh?" He was surprised, actually. He had actually sort of expected her to back down and get all haughty at that. Guess he had underestimated her ... huh. That was interesting. He cracked a smile. "Physical works, but I do accept compliments in all forms."
Rolling her eyes, KJ shifted her bag on her shoulder and appraised Eric. "Well, I wouldn't want to add to your ego too much here," she told him, "but I have to say you can come off as charming." She laughed. "Which I'm sure you know is not a bad thing." She was trying to find the balance between playful, joking, and being serious. Truth was, Eric was a good-looking guy. But KJ wasn't looking. She had gleaned enough to know that he wouldn't be someone she'd want to date anyway. That was a moot point, though, because both of them were in relationships. She didn't know if it mattered enough to Eric, but it mattered to her, both because she was friends with his girlfriend, and it was already difficult enough not being around Riley all the time without adding random flirting with a half-stranger to the picture.
Eric shuffled his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets, feigning bashfulness. "Aw, shucks. You sure know how to make a guy blush," he said with a chuckle. "Well, thank you, KJ. Although you definitely added to my ego."
"Oh well. It was bound to happen," she told Eric, easily. "But I think that's all I got for now. I guess I'm going to have to run into you and hang out more often if I want to add to that list."
He had kind of missed this, he had to admit. Flirting with someone new, that was. He had no intentions of anything else, he truly did care about Callas. But he had a fucking pulse, after all. And she was pretty hot. "Consider it done. Am I supposed to just run into you at random intervals, or are you gonna hit me with a number?"
KJ glanced at him with a 'Duh' look on her face. "Come on, Eric. Do I look like the kind of girl that's going to give out my number just because I think your hair is pretty?" she said, trying to keep a straight face; she couldn't help the little bit of smirk that came through, though. "Besides. Random intervals keeps you on your feet, you know?"
"Yes, yes you do," he replied deadpan, keeping his face equally straight before rolling his eyes lightly. "All right, you drive a hard bargain. You'll miss me, though. And you'll be kicking yourself for not getting my number." He nodded in the other direction, since he should probably move on eventually. "See you randomly, then?"
"I'm sure my boyfriend would have something to say about me giving out my number to random guys," KJ told Eric. "But yes, I will be eagerly awaiting the next time I see that lovely hair of yours. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself until then." She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I will see you randomly. Until next time, I guess." KJ gave him a little wave and made her way towards the Keaton entrance.