Lunchtime Shenanigans

[jimmydalad]

((Bailey Williams: Sandbox Start))

Bailey's notebook and pencil were out as she surveyed the scene before her, drawing inspiration from the school cafeteria. From the back of the room, she was able to get the view of the whole cafeteria while remaining inconspicuous to those who did not seek her. Though she did frequently enjoy engaging in cards, she also liked to spend some time drawing. Though not as strong a passion for Bailey as cards, she still took delight in re-imagining the world around her.

She looked at the old tables, the uncomfortable chairs and the dirty tables that littered the landscape before her. She saw the faces of many a student, weary from their agonizing day of school. Though Bailey did feel like drawing, she felt that she had not perfected the art of drawing large sceneries. Instead, she liked to focus on little things. It felt more comfortable for her to draw.

Choosing no table in particular, Bailey put her pencil on paper and started to draw. Her eyes glinted as she drifted in between the table and her notebook as she began to draw the outlines of the image, making sure she got every detail correct. She was hoping that they wouldn't notice her. Then again, she was quite popular in the school, if not enigmatic.

However, the more she drew, the less and less inspired she became. After a while, she looked down at the what she had done. All she had managed to do was the outlines of the table and the people on it. Bailey's face turned to a frown as she let out a sigh as she put away her art supplies, not really feeling it anymore. Recently, she had been suffering from lack of drive to draw, which was really bugging her.

Taking out her cards, she began to mindlessly shuffle them, hoping that someone would come to her table and sate her boredom. She always enjoyed a game of cards and she hadn't played one in some time. Maybe a game would help her muse.

[Pippi]

((Jonathan Roberts: Pregame START!)

Lunchtime was generally the best part of school in Jonathan’s mind. Although he did enjoy the majority of his lessons, and he worked hard in them, a break from all the work was never a bad thing. Although the school lunches weren’t such a good thing, which was why he always brought his own food for lunch.

Then again, time is an allusion, and lunchtime doubly so…

Jonathan simultaneously smiled and mentally chastised himself for the reference as he made his way into the school cafeteria. He stood just aside of the door, scanning the room for somewhere to sit. He didn’t want to sit with a group of unknowns, but aside from that, he wasn’t exactly picky. The first table he saw had a single figure sitting at it, but it was also someone Jonathan knew; Bailey Williams. The two weren’t super close best friends, but they got along amicably enough. Besides, it was an opportunity to get to know her slightly better.

Jonathan made his way over to Bailey’s table. She had a pad of paper, and other art supplies out, but as he drew closer, she put them into her bag, and replaced them with a deck of cards. Jonathan coughed slightly when he drew close to gain Bailey’s attention.

“Hey, Bailey!” Jonathan said, smiling. “What’s up?” Jonathan sat down at the table as he waited for a reply. He didn’t really see the need in asking; as far as he saw it, lunch tables were a first come, first serve deal. Besides, if Bailey wanted him to move, then he’d do so without question.

[jimmydalad]

At the sound of the cough, Bailey's head whipped towards the direction of the sound, her hands catching the cards and putting them back together to form a single pack again. At the sight of Jonathan, Bailey smiled and waved at him, indicating to him that he should probably sit at her table. Jonathan was a nice guy and a very good person to be around. He also was English, which Bailey didn't mind at all, but it did gain the ire of many a student in the school.

"Why hello there Jonathan." Bailey said happily as he eventually reached her table and sat down. "I'm ok, just suffering a bit from a lack of muse from drawing." Bailey then uttered, sighing a little as she thought about her little dilemma. She didn't know how long this lack of inspiration would last, nor did she enjoy it. What would she do if she wasn't able to draw? Especially for Art?

"I don't know why, I just can't seem to really find any inspiration for my drawings. I don't know why, but I just can't seem to keep my attention for long enough to draw a decent drawing." Bailey admitted rather bitterly. She didn't know why she was telling Jonathan this. They weren't particularly close, just casual friends. Maybe she just needed to talk to someone about it.

"Maybe it's because I haven't played a card game with someone in some time." Bailey said to herself as she thought back to the last time she played a card game, which was probably the last Bloody Spades meeting. She always enjoyed those sessions. The conversations, the card games and the gambling all added up to a very fun experience for her. She wished that they had it every weekend, but alas, that was not possible.

"Care to play a card game with me? It might help me gain back my muse?" Bailey asked Jonathan, her face lighting up a little as she put the cards on the table. What could she play with him? Blackjack, Poker, Cribbage? The possibilities were endless.

[Pippi]

Thankfully, Bailey was indeed okay with Jonathan sitting at her table. In fact, she seemed quite glad to have someone to talk to. Apparently, she was lacking a muse for her art. Jonathan felt rather glad that nothing he did required a muse as much. Sure playing the piano required a certain degree of desire to play, but once he’d found a piece he enjoyed, he’d be completely set. If you wanted to write or paint something, and you had no idea what, you were stuck.

Jonathan nodded as Bailey spoke, pulling a plastic bottle full of orange juice from his bag. He wished he could help out in some way, but there wasn’t really any way possible. He didn’t know what her style of drawing was, or what she enjoyed drawing most. Even that wouldn’t help if she simply had a lack of inspiration.

As Jonathan took a sip from the bottle, Bailey wondered aloud whether he lack of muse was due to a lack of playing cards. Oh, yeah, Bailey does play cards a lot. And… gambling too, maybe? I dunno. Probably rude to ask.

Jonathan could guess what might be coming up next, and sure enough, Bailey then asked Jonathan whether he wanted to play a game of cards with her. A small smile appeared on Jonathan’s face as Bailey placed her cards back on the table.

“Yeah, okay.” Jonathan said, before taking another sip from the bottle. When he put it down, his smile had become rather sheepish. “You’ll, uh… have to excuse me if I make any mistakes. I don’t really play many card games. More of a chess guy myself.”

[jimmydalad]

Her eyes sparkled a little as Jonathan accepted her proposition. She liked it when people weren't hesitant to play with her. It meant it took less convincing for them to play with her. Anyways, card games were always fun for everyone. That's the mentality she had about card games. Then again, she wasn't the most objective person in the world when it came to card games.

"Awesome! It doesn't matter, you'll pick it up as we go along. Normally, I like playing card games such as Blackjack or Poker, but owing to the fact that there are only two people as well as there being nothing to bet with, we're probably not going to play those games." Bailey began to say with much enthusiasm as she picked up her cards and began shuffling them, more out of habit than anything else.

As she started to shuffle them, she sat up and another student behind her that was walking right past her accidentally collided into her. This caused Bailey's body to jerk forward and all the cards in her hands were thrown forward and flew all over the table and the floor around the table. Some of the cards landed in front of Jonathan while others decided to deposit themselves on the floor. Bailey's eyes flew open and she let out an audible gasp.

"Jonathan, can you help me with my cards please?" Bailey quickly demanded as she began scurrying around the table collecting all of the cards, not even hearing the other student's apology. A worried look appeared on her face as she began to pick up her cards. She needed her cards. They were her shield, they helped her keep up her facade as well as keep her in check. Never had Bailey ever been separate from her cards and she needed them fast. All of them.

[Pippi]

Jonathan quietly sat by, watching Bailey shuffling her cards, and going on a bit about what card games she normally played. He couldn’t help himself from grinning, and took another drink of orange juice to disguise it. He’d never played Poker or Blackjack, but he definitely knew about them and the general outline of their rules; they were probably the most famous of card games, after all. Jonathan kind of wished there was some way of turning them into two-player games, so he’d have some knowledge of what he was doing, however slim. Then again, he didn’t exactly fancy the idea of gambling or betting anything, which was fortunate.

And hey, Bailey said I’d pick it up as I go along. She is the card master, or something, after all.

Suddenly, as Bailey was shuffling the cards, another student walking past collided with her, scattering the cards and sending them all flying. Jonathan could only watch in shock as the cards landed, on the table, on the floor, pretty much everywhere in the immediate vicinity. Once they had all landed, Jonathan finally spoke up.

“Oooh, blimey. That’s not cool.”

Bailey was instantly scrabbling around the table, collecting as many cards as she could, requesting Jonathan’s help. Jonathan quickly uttered a “Sure”, before sliding out of his chair, and crouching down in order to grab the cards on the floor. Thankfully, most of them were fairly close together, around his and Bailey’s chairs. There were one or two, however, further underneath the table that required Jonathan to reach out full stretch, and a few more that had somehow made their way into his bag.

Eventually, Jonathan had grabbed as many cards as he could see, and after a quick scan of the floor, he popped back up, sitting back down on his chair.

“Here we go; I think that’s all of them.” Jonathan said, handing the cards back to Bailey. “Sorry they’re not neat or anything, I just wanted to get them as quickly as possible.”

[jimmydalad]

Bailey quickly grabbed the cards from Jonathan, not speaking or expressing her thanks. Her body was tense and her eyes were focused as she flicked through all of her cards and began counting them individually. She seemed to lose sight of the world around her as she checked every single card to make sure that not a single one was missing. She hated decks that were missing cards and the last thing she wanted was her deck missing any card at all. She couldn't play with an incomplete deck.

Luckily, she and Jonathan had collected all of her cards and she let out a sigh of relief. Bailey's body visibly relaxed and she looked up from them and flashed him a friendly smile. He did appreciate how he didn't ask her questions and just picked up her cards with no questions asked. It was a relief and made the clean-up job much easier. Bailey could only be thankful that none of the cards got wet.

"Thanks for that. I don't what I would do without my cards." Bailey acknowledged happily, secretly relieved that she had all of her cards back. Once again, she went back to shuffling her cards, thinking about what to play with him. Or maybe she should just talk?

"So what have you been up to lately?" Bailey asked him as she instinctively shuffled her cards. She might come up with something to play, but for now, conversation was good. She didn't know much about Jonathan. It would be a nice learning experience, for the both of them.

[Pippi]

Jonathan leaned back in his chair as Bailey continued to shuffle her cards, pondering her question. Really, quite a bit of stuff had happened in the past week or so, stuff that he hoped Bailey would, at the very least, be slightly interested in. On the other hand, he didn’t want to spend so long talking that Bailey didn’t get a chance, or make their game shorter. In the end, Jonathan just decided to say what was on his mind.

“Quite a lot of stuff, as it happens.” Jonathan said, taking a drink of orange juice before continuing. “Both bad and good. We had to put one of our guinea pigs down at the weekend. She’d, like, got some sort of illness that made it harder and harder to see, so in the end me and Samuel decided it’d be kinder to… yeah.”

Jonathan looked down at the table for a few seconds, wondering whether he should vocalise the thoughts currently on his mind. There was a little voice in the back of his mind telling him that if his dad had been here, then he could have saved the guinea pig. Jonathan didn’t know whether it was true or not, didn’t know whether the illness was incurable. But the voice just increased his drive and desire to learn, to prevent things like that happening in the future.

“Sorry,” Jonathan said, deciding to just move on from that topic. “That was kinda depressing, huh? On the bright side, the soccer team I play for outside school got through to the semi finals of this cup we’re competing in. Even if Hayden, our winger, decided to go and get a red card for throwing the ball at someone.” Jonathan laughed slightly bitterly and shook his head, before turning to look at Bailey.

“I dunno how much of that you understood. Not doing too well for myself here, huh?” A wry grin appeared on Jonathan’s face. “So, how about you?”

[jimmydalad]

When Jonathan mentioned the putting down of one of his guinea pigs, Bailey stopped shuffling. Setting her cards down, she looked at him in the eyes and made it clear to him that she had his attention. Maybe she should play cards another time. The coming weekend was the time when she could truly play with the Bloody Spades. Maybe conversation was the best course of action for now.

"I give my condolences Jonathan. Nobody should go through something like that." Bailey muttered sadly. As she looked at Jonathan, she couldn't help but withdraw a slight frown. Though she couldn't say that she had ever experienced anything like that nor would she ever have an experience like that, Bailey could only really give her condolences for the putting down of one of his guinea pigs. She could only imagine how sad it was to do so.

She hid her frown quickly and returned her face to a natural state as Jonathan continued to talk to her, not wanting to betray her emotions. Bailey quietly laughed with him as well, but noticed the slight bitterness that was hidden within the laugh. Guessed he didn't like the fact that the winger got a red card. Not that she really understood how the rules of football worked, she could only guess that getting a red card wasn't a good thing.

"It's ok Jonathan. I can guess that getting a red card isn't a good thing. Sometimes you need to vent your emotions." Bailey replied understandingly, keeping up her calm face while conversing with Jonathan. Bailey very rarely lost control of her emotions and she didn't often talk about her emotions to her friends, let alone anyone else.

"Me? Apart from lack of muse, things are ok with me. I've got plans for the weekend, which I am looking forward to. Apart from that, nothing interesting is happening in my life. Just waiting for my mum to get back from her years of service." Bailey commented in a bored tone. She had to admit, her life wasn't as dramatic as other people's lives. She didn't mind having not having a dramatic life. It meant less stress for her.

"Let's talk Jonathan." Bailey interjected as she slipped her cards back into her satchel. "I can play cards another time. Right now would probably be a good time to talk. So, anything you want to talk about Jonathan, or is there a nickname you normally go by?" She asked him. Maybe she should get to know him. It may have been fate that he joined her table this lifetime. Only time could tell.

[Pippi]

Jonathan drank some more of his orange juice as he listened to Bailey speak. He could feel his stomach growl, and he remembered that lunch time was generally the time for having lunch. He’d been kind of engrossed in his conversation with Bailey, as well as the whole cards fiasco, and had pretty much forgotten about his lunch. Still, he didn’t want to hold off on eating until the very end of lunch, when it was too late.

Bailey said that, aside from the lack of muse which had already been covered, things were going fine with her; same old, same old. Apparently, one of her parents was currently doing a period of service as well, although it was Bailey’s mother rather than father. Jonathan didn’t exactly consider his life hugely stressful most of the time, but compared to Bailey’s, it did seem a lot more… dramatic.

Suddenly, Bailey packed up her cards, slipping them back inside her bag. Apparently, she wanted to talk instead. Jonathan definitely hadn’t been expecting that; the main thing he’d known about Bailey beforehand was her love of playing cards and gambling. He had to admit, he’d been kind of looking forward to their card game, but he was perfectly happy with just talking.

“Jonathan’s fine, but people sometimes call me Johnny or Jonah.” Jonathan said, smiling. He paused for a brief moment, thinking of something to say and to start a conversation with. It wasn’t too tricky, as he quickly recalled what Bailey had said a few moments prior.

“You said your mum’s doing her years of service right now?” Jonathan continued. “So’s my dad. He only left a year ago, but I still miss him. He’s a vet, you know?” Jonathan stared slightly into space for a couple of seconds, a wistful smile on his face.

“It’s always been my dream to follow in his footsteps and become a vet myself.” Jonathan said, looking back at Bailey. “Hopefully when he returns I’ll be able to get back on track for that. So, uh… you got any dreams or aspirations, things like that?”

[jimmydalad]

"Jonah sounds good to me." Bailey informed Jonathan as she waited for him to come up with some conversation. She wondered about what he could talk about with him. She didn't know him very well and had only briefly chatted to each other. She rested her head on her arm as she continued to look at Jonathan, her fingers tapping the table lightly.

"A vet eh? That's a nice job. Shame he's out of the country, like my mother." Bailey commented as she thought about her father, her face neutral throughout. He was a CEO for some company whose name Bailey couldn't pinpoint at the moment. She didn't really care too much about her father's job as she wasn't planning on going into his line of work. She wanted to do something she loved to do and whatever her father's work was, she doubted that she would enjoy it at all.

"That's a nice dream. I hope you someday are able to achieve it." Bailey said kindly, the corners of her lips moving up a little to from a tiny smile. She was glad to meet people with dreams for the future. But it was ultimately up to fate as to whether they would come true or they would just crumble away. Bailey certainly wished that fate would be kind to Jonathan. He seemed to be a genuinely nice guy.

"Dreams? Well, I do have plans for the future." Bailey began as she tilted her head a little trying to find a comfortable position. "If I am able to use my father's money, I would love to open up a casino somewhere. That would be my dream. But if I can't, I would always love to be a dealer. What can I say, cards are my passion." She admitted to him, her mouth forming a little smile as she thought about her prospects for the future. Though she would love to live that way in the future, Bailey couldn't predict how it would happen. All she could do is let fate take it's course.

"Why do you want to be a vet? Or should I be more specific Jonah, and say why do you want to follow in your father's footsteps?" She asked Jonathan after a moment's pause. Does he really want to be a vet or does he just want to be like his father? Bailey was curious to hear his reply.

[Pippi]

Jonathan tilted his head slightly and smiled when Bailey said that she hoped that, someday, he’d be able to achieve his dream. Other people had asked him what his dream was, or what he wanted to do when he left school. Some people had responded with an “oh that’s nice”, without really meaning it, whilst others had responded much more negatively, saying how boring or difficult it sounded. Bailey, on the other hand, genuinely seemed to mean her words.

“Heh, thanks. It’ll be tough, but I’m pretty sure I can achieve it if I work hard enough.” Jonathan said, before leaning back in his chair to listen to Bailey. He laughed slightly when she mentioned that her main dream would be to run a casino. Man, Bailey really does love cards, eh? Sounds like a fun job, though. I’m sure she’d be good at it.

“Yeah, both of those jobs sound perfect for you.” Jonathan said, taking another pause to drink his juice. “It’d be pretty cool if you could achieve that casino thing. Hey, maybe then we could have that card game!” Jonathan chuckled a little, before Bailey asked whether his dream was self-inspired, or whether he just wanted to be like his dad.

Jonathan placed his chin in the crook of his thumb and index finger, and tapped his cheek, thinking. After a few seconds, during which he opened his mouth as if to say something before closing it again, Jonathan responded.

“I… guess I’d have to say a little of column A, little of column B.” Jonathan said, still thinking as he spoke. “I’ve always looked up to my dad, so I guess as a kid my only thoughts for what I wanted when I grew up were to be like him. On the other hand, we’ve always had a lot of animals in our house; cats, guinea pigs, fish, and so on. Being surrounded by them for most of my life meant I got attached to them, I guess. A couple of times, I’ve found birds with broken wings in our garden, and I’ve taken it upon myself to nurse them back to full health, so there’s that as well.”

Jonathan took another drink of orange juice, before speaking again. “That was basically a really long winded way of saying ‘I haven’t a clue’.” He said, grinning. “So, Bailey, what about you? Where’d your passion for cards and such come from?”

[jimmydalad]

Bailey laughed a little at Jonah's statement. Yeah, working in a casino sounded like a perfect job for her. She couldn't really imagine herself doing anything else. Well, she could be an artist. She did like drawing. Maybe she should consider drawing as a future endeavor. Then again, she needed to get her muse back in order to do so.

"Who says that we won't play a card game in between that time?" She questioned jokingly, raising her right eyebrow in a sarcastic look. It was odd how he thought she wouldn't suggest to play a card game again anytime soon. At the moment, she just didn't feel like it. Maybe they would play some other time.

She listened intently to what Jonah had to say, nodding occasionally in order to signify that he had her attention. She found it interesting to listen to him talk about the animals and his reasons for being a vet. It provided an insight into the world from his eyes and his convictions. What he was talking about was something that thoroughly interested her. She liked making friends and getting to know people.

At Jonah's question, she paused for a while. She tapped the side of her head with one of her fingers as she tried to figure out an answer. She didn't remember how she got so into games. Her father introduced them to her and from there, she just fell in love with them. They also functioned as a coping mechanism. When playing cards, she was able to forget the pressures on her. It helped keep her sane. But she'd rather not disclose that information.

"Well Jonah. Since you've so kindly answered my queries, it is only common courtesy to answer yours." Bailey began, continuing to look at him as she continued to speak. "It all really began when I was 6. My father introduced me to card games. He let me watch some of his games with some friends from the years of service. I found them interesting. From 7 onwards, he taught me how to play them and I grew to fell in love with them. I have many fond memories of playing cards with him. It's in my blood." Bailey explained to him happily, her grin spreading wider as she talked about her experiences with cards. It was times like these when her true emotions shone through. The happiness in her face was apparent as she talked about cards and the memories associated with them.

"In any case..." She then quickly said, realizing that she was letting slip her emotions. Bailey quickly readjusted her face so that she once again was sporting her o so famous poker face. She didn't like expressing her true emotions as she felt it was a sign of weakness. She needed to be confident.

"That's enough about me. My life isn't really that interesting anyways. May I ask what ethnicity you are?" Bailey inquired shamelessly, wondering how Jonah would react to the question. While he was Caucasian, Bailey wanted to know specifics. Information could come in handy in the future so she liked knowing things about people. She normally coerced things out of people when playing cards. It was a great time to catch them unawares.

"Don't worry, I'm not like some other students here. I really don't care, I would just like to know." She then informed him, not wanting make him feel too uncomfortable if he did turn out to be a minority. If he did, she might warn him to stay clear of Callison. Or at the very least not tell him of his ethnicity.

[Pippi]

Jonathan listened to Bailey, intrigued at what her answers would be. He’d never really known anyone else who was really into cards; or, for that matter, anyone who was this into anything at all. He was also intrigued by her decision to call him Jonah. Out of the three names he was known by, it was the least common, but probably Jonathan’s favourite.

It turned out that, like with Jonathan, Bailey’s passion was also inspired from her dad. Jonathan guessed that her family was… what was the right word? Less overprotective? More morally ambiguous? No, definitely not, they could both be considered pretty offensive. Jonathan just knew that his parents would never have let him play or even watch any card games aside from snap at that young an age.

Jonathan noticed that Bailey was sounding more and more cheerful as she spoke, with a broad grin appearing on her face. The grin was infectious, and Jonathan felt himself smiling as well, which turned into a laugh as Bailey realised her poker face had slipped. He took another drink of juice to stop himself, still smiling.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Bailey went and asked Jonathan what ethnicity he was, blunt as you like. Jonathan’s eyes widened, and in surprise, he felt himself choking slightly on the juice, coughing a couple of times into his hand. Well, blimey, that came completely out of nowhere, didn’t it?

“Wh-huh, me? Well, uh, Caucasian, obviously, and, uh, one hundred percent American! Y-yeah, that’s all!” Jonathan said, overly hastily. He realised as soon as he spoke just how transparent his lie was. He had never been asked anything like that before. Most people were content to believe he was completely American, thanks to his accent and colour. Jonathan sighed deeply. Well, guess I’d better tell her, then. Hopefully Bailey’s as honest as she lets on…

“… Well, slightly less than a hundred percent. Part English. It’s from a long way back, no one in my family has an accent, but… yeah, still. Part English.” Jonathan scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, and gave a short, hollow laugh.

“Just keep that under wraps, won’t you? I know most people won’t care, especially as it’s hardly even noticeable, but… you know what some people are like…”

[jimmydalad]

Watching Jonah cough and splutter in reply to her question made Bailey laugh. She enjoyed Jonah's presence. He was a funny guy and his presence made Bailey feel happy inside. He must've been surprised by how blunt she asked him and his reply made it clear to her that he was lying. It was quite a pathetic attempt truth be told.

"Sorry about that Jonah. I probably shouldn't of asked so bluntly." Bailey apologized, feeling a little guilty for making Jonah react like that. Bailey was now starting to think that she was probably asking questions that were way too personal, especially in a place like America.

As she was about to tell him he didn't need to answer her question, Jonah confessed in her that he was also part British. She was surprised at that and looked at him oddly for a moment, trying to get it to sink in that he was technically a foreigner. After that, her features relaxed and she gave him a warm smile. It must've been a hard thing to tell, especially to her. She felt touched that he would actually confide this truth in her and now she decided to let her poker face go away as a gesture that she was not going to keep secrets from him. It would be hard, but she felt that it was appropriate.

"Thank you for telling me Jonah. I promise I will keep this secret to the grave, if you so wish it." Bailey reassured Jonah kindly as she leaned on one of her arms again in an attempt to get comfortable.

"I really like you Jonah and I really don't want to betray your trust. I guess fate planned for all of this to happen after all. I must say, I didn't see this coming at all." Bailey confided in her friend, laughing quietly as she thought about how odd the situation was. It was then that another thought came to her.

"If I were you though. I wouldn't tell Brian about your Englishness. The last thing you want is him on your back, especially since he is the student council president." She informed Jonah, visibly frowning at the thought. She didn't really like Brian too much. She was nice to him, but she wouldn't consider him a friend. He was just too much of an extreme patriot. That type of thing turned her off him. Plus, he was a bit of a pompous jerk.