structural instability
Toby was leaning on his pool cue and eyeing CJ with far more eagle-eyed attention than was strictly necessary. Or conducive, to an easy shot. "Remember," he started, quietly clearing his throat, "When I said I would play you for money, if it had any value here? I'll pay you to make this shot. Or any shot. Make a shot, CJ."
She made a face, countering, "Remember when we discussed how our money had more use as rolling paper here?" CJ didn't finish the thought; she leaned over the pool table, lined up the cue, and shot. The cue ball went wild, missing her intended mark by a long shot...and knocked one of Toby's right into the corner pocket. "Dammit!"
Toby smiled at her. "See? That wasn't hard."
"Toby, I will beat you with this pool cue."
"What did violence ever solve?" Toby tutted, moving around her and sinking his next shot with a sharp, easy strike of the cue. "You should curb your temper, CJ. Relax a little. Take a vacation."
"Uh-huh," she said flatly. "Take your next shot and put my out of my misery, please, or I'll start researching an answer."
"Well, since you asked so nicely," he positively snarked, and did, and then lifted his eyebrows at her. "How's that research going? Run out of funding yet?"
CJ sighed dramatically and flopped into a nearby armchair to wait out his winning streak. After a few moments, she asked, "Where did you learn to play pool?"
"New York," he answered, brushing chalk off of his fingers. "City of cities. Many pool halls. Many buildings in general. All of them concrete. Well, they used to be brick. When I was a kid they were brick, or sandstone. That was the good stuff." He set the pool cue down.
CJ stood and picked up the 8-ball, rolling it into the left side pocket. "Nothing at all like this substandard Island construction," she said, humoring him.
He frowned a little at that. "Sub-standard, but by whose standards? This building's alright. Josh and Sam's....pile of sticks, on the other hand...."
"Oh, did they give you the grand tour?" CJ smirked a little.
"You mean did they point at it and I gave them the crazy eye and then I walked away? As a matter of fact, they did."
She shook her head. "They're like boyscouts. Really unprepared boyscouts. I'm continually surprised the whole thing hasn't blown over in one of the rainstorms."
"...CJ...." Toby crossed his arms. "Exactly what kind of boyscout is an unprepared boyscout? And did you check to see?" CJ shook her head, laughing a little.
And so it was that twenty minutes later, they were standing in front of the shelter in Green Arrow Estates. Sam and Josh, it seemed, were not in. At first, they gazed at it in silence--a silence light with amusement and disapproval. "They expected me to live in this," CJ said at last.
"They didn't," Toby murmured, then frowned over at CJ. "They did? The idiots. I'm surprised it's still standing after the snow. And when you're impressed that snowflakes didn't knock something over? Not a good sign."
"You know, in the sense that they couldn't fathom why anyone wouldn't want to live here," she replied, kicking at the doorframe for punctuation. The whole hut wobbled.
Toby stilled. "...That...was not promising."
"Toby..." CJ frowned thoughtfully. "Do you ever feel like hurrying the inevitable?" She looked over at him, one devious eyebrow raised.
"...Inevitable in the Sylvia Plath sense of the word?" he asked loftily. He knew it wasn't. But was death preferable to being roommates with Josh and Sam?
CJ smacked him on the arm. "No, Toby...well," she grinned. "Just for this sad excuse for a living space." She surveyed the shelter with a critical eye and then nodded to herself. "Maybe if we kick this beam out--" which she did. The roof groaned and then collapsed into the hut. "Oh."
"...Well. You da man, on this one," he said, staring.
[ooc: by notplaying & ladyjackal. yes, CJ's just wrecked Sam and Josh's hut. yes, she'll say it was Toby's idea. posting order will be Toby, CJ, and then whoever else. ♥]
She made a face, countering, "Remember when we discussed how our money had more use as rolling paper here?" CJ didn't finish the thought; she leaned over the pool table, lined up the cue, and shot. The cue ball went wild, missing her intended mark by a long shot...and knocked one of Toby's right into the corner pocket. "Dammit!"
Toby smiled at her. "See? That wasn't hard."
"Toby, I will beat you with this pool cue."
"What did violence ever solve?" Toby tutted, moving around her and sinking his next shot with a sharp, easy strike of the cue. "You should curb your temper, CJ. Relax a little. Take a vacation."
"Uh-huh," she said flatly. "Take your next shot and put my out of my misery, please, or I'll start researching an answer."
"Well, since you asked so nicely," he positively snarked, and did, and then lifted his eyebrows at her. "How's that research going? Run out of funding yet?"
CJ sighed dramatically and flopped into a nearby armchair to wait out his winning streak. After a few moments, she asked, "Where did you learn to play pool?"
"New York," he answered, brushing chalk off of his fingers. "City of cities. Many pool halls. Many buildings in general. All of them concrete. Well, they used to be brick. When I was a kid they were brick, or sandstone. That was the good stuff." He set the pool cue down.
CJ stood and picked up the 8-ball, rolling it into the left side pocket. "Nothing at all like this substandard Island construction," she said, humoring him.
He frowned a little at that. "Sub-standard, but by whose standards? This building's alright. Josh and Sam's....pile of sticks, on the other hand...."
"Oh, did they give you the grand tour?" CJ smirked a little.
"You mean did they point at it and I gave them the crazy eye and then I walked away? As a matter of fact, they did."
She shook her head. "They're like boyscouts. Really unprepared boyscouts. I'm continually surprised the whole thing hasn't blown over in one of the rainstorms."
"...CJ...." Toby crossed his arms. "Exactly what kind of boyscout is an unprepared boyscout? And did you check to see?" CJ shook her head, laughing a little.
And so it was that twenty minutes later, they were standing in front of the shelter in Green Arrow Estates. Sam and Josh, it seemed, were not in. At first, they gazed at it in silence--a silence light with amusement and disapproval. "They expected me to live in this," CJ said at last.
"They didn't," Toby murmured, then frowned over at CJ. "They did? The idiots. I'm surprised it's still standing after the snow. And when you're impressed that snowflakes didn't knock something over? Not a good sign."
"You know, in the sense that they couldn't fathom why anyone wouldn't want to live here," she replied, kicking at the doorframe for punctuation. The whole hut wobbled.
Toby stilled. "...That...was not promising."
"Toby..." CJ frowned thoughtfully. "Do you ever feel like hurrying the inevitable?" She looked over at him, one devious eyebrow raised.
"...Inevitable in the Sylvia Plath sense of the word?" he asked loftily. He knew it wasn't. But was death preferable to being roommates with Josh and Sam?
CJ smacked him on the arm. "No, Toby...well," she grinned. "Just for this sad excuse for a living space." She surveyed the shelter with a critical eye and then nodded to herself. "Maybe if we kick this beam out--" which she did. The roof groaned and then collapsed into the hut. "Oh."
"...Well. You da man, on this one," he said, staring.
[ooc: by notplaying & ladyjackal. yes, CJ's just wrecked Sam and Josh's hut. yes, she'll say it was Toby's idea. posting order will be Toby, CJ, and then whoever else. ♥]