me and this guitar are going swinging blind into the unknown...

[nextinline]

Jay: Leech is, for once, already in his classroom when the students for his advanced guitar class begin trickling in. Kellen is there, too, which might explain Leech's punctuality; Leech is perched on the piano stool, picking at the keys in a half-absent way while he listens to Kellen, seated next to him but facing the other way. Their conversation naturally breaks off when others start to come in. Leech looks up at receives a silent nod of greeting from Hollywood, and returns it, as the lanky boy moves to occupy his usual seat.



Jackie: Having bumped into Jesse in their dorm room, both boys having returned to snag their instruments, Tim strides into the music classroom with his guitar strapped around his back, one hand wrapped around the strap as it's drawn across his chest. Jesse is a few steps a head of him, his guitar in its case and grasped in one hand, while the other is moving around animatedly. "All I'm saying is that, hypothetically speaking, you could probably adopt Mike's kid when you move back to California. It's like, legal and stuff." And to this, Tim rolls his eyes and laughs, ducking his head down to hide that amusement because the subject matter is so fucked up.



Jay: Leech eyes the next pair of boys that come in as well, but pointedly looks away when he understands what their conversation is about, instead focusing on the keyboard in front of him and playing a more coherent melody. Kellen gives Leech a brief look, probably unreadable to most everyone else, but when the look isn't returned he stands up and moves towards his roommate. He slings both arms over Jesse's shoulders and more or less goes limp, necessitating Jesse to pull him along.

Michael follows in shortly behind Tim and Jesse, but is too distracted by his own concerns to notice their conversation, thankfully. But he does flash a brief Nessy smile at his own roommate as he reaches his chair.



Jackie: As they continue to make their way to their assigned seats, Tim's able to wipe any amusement from his face when he looks up to spot both Kellen and Leech - and his eyes linger a little longer on the latter. Jesse, still walking ahead of Timothy, doesn't notice that look - and again gets distracted by Kellen's flimsy form slothing all over him. He giggles a bit and accommodates the lanky limbs, and moves at a slower pace as they get to their seating. "I'm serious! People do that these days, you know." Peering down at Kellen, he shifts a bit to wiggle the boy into paying attention and agreeing with him. "Right, Kel?"

Now at their seats, Tim plops down into his after he removes the guitar from his back, and he works to gently put it on the floor. When he looks up to negate Jesse's words, he's interrupted by Michael's presence, and he actually smiles a real smile at the boy and nods. "Hey."



Jay: Kellen finally gives up his limpet act when they reach their chairs, dropping into his own bonelessly. "Do what? Oh-- yeh, they do. Actually, I'm thinkin' I might put myself up for adoption. Any takers?" He looks curiously over the small assembly of boys, raising his eyebrows enticingly.

Tim's own smile naturally makes Ness' linger longer, keeping his gaze on the other boy for just an unnecessary moment or two before leaning down to unzip his guitar case. "Hey, Pookie. You guys adopting someone?"



Jackie: Settling more into his seat, Jesse smiles brightly for Kellen's words, and reaches over to ruffle the boy's hair. "You could join in on the Ness clan! And that would mean that...Tim would be your...step dad. Oh my god!" The look on his face is equal parts terror and joy - like this is possibly the best worst idea ever.

Tim, on the other hand, is looking at his way too pretty room mate to argue the other conversation. He tries to cover up the conversation topic in favor of not being embarrassed. "No, Jesse's just making shit up--" But again, he's interrupted by Jesse's other flailing arm. The younger boy actually sounds offended: "Hey! That's my name for Tim. Get your own. Call him your girlfriend or something."



Jay: Kellen can't help cackling for that, but knowing that Leech is probably listening, despite the man's pretense of disinterest - he seems rather deeply involved in the Pathetique right now - he only agrees mildly. "Ahh, sure. I'd love to have Tim for family, step-dad, step-brother, brother-in-law, whatever."

Michael doesn't look too surprised that Jesse's making shit up, but as the younger boy goes on, it becomes apparent just what sort of shit he's making up, and it makes the amusement in Mike's eyes burn brighter. "A thousand aologies; it's just such a good one, I couldn't resist. Where are you gonna fit into this new family, then?"



Jackie: Jesse actually, legitimately giggles for Kellen's response, beaming brightly in his seat in that very Jesse way of his. He doesn't think too much over those words (however, Tim may - he goes a little still when Kellen speaks, but it's not very noticeable) and instead turns to focus more on his room mate. "Maybe Lars could adopt you! It'd be kind of cute."

Thankful that Michael seems to understand Jesse a little bit better than he did last semester, Tim smiles for the boy's response and works on getting his guitar into his lap, ignoring Tony when the boy slinks in just before the bell, looking smug as hell despite his mouth being bruised from Ness' earlier hit. Keeping silent, Tim instead focuses on his instrument as Jesse turns his head to look at Michael with a very serious face. "Me fit in? I was there first! Or, I mean, I guess technically Lars was...but whatever. I'm like the prodigal son!"



Jay: Kellen tilts his head thoughtfully for that suggestion, narrowing his eyes. "I dunno...is it still incest, if yer adopted?" He seems like he's actually going to philosophize over this matter and research it, though knowing it's probably an entirely vain hope - at least, it is for about three more years until he's not total jail-bait.

Mike raises both eyebrows, obviously amused with Jesse's reasoning, but doing a good job acting like he's taking this all seriously. "Another son. Excellent. How many do I have, then?"

With the bell ringing, Leech leaves off his playing and turns around on the bench, folding his legs up beneath him and looking over the small class. It doesn't take long to figure out what is missing. "...where's Puget? The new kid?"



Jackie: Making a face for that innuendo, Jesse reaches out to shove to Kellen's shoulder, not at all liking that shift in subject matter - being the asexual creature that he is. That, and he's still a little confused about their New Years Eve kiss. "Pretty sure it'd still be incest, yeah." And then, when he's called back to his conversation with Mike, he beams all brightly and innocently. "Two! Two very wonderful sons and a sexy mistress." He waggles his eyebrows in Lint's direction, purposefully.

Tim's only drawn away when Leech speaks, but he catches the last of Jesse's suggestive eying and returns it with a mild glare - a warning. He peers around the room for the new kid, but doesn't spot him. Annoyingly so, Tony speaks up from his seat. "I saw him in third hour. Kid is probably skipping this stupid class."



Jay: Kellen naturally quiets down when Leech turns to address the class, but he leans over to nudge Jesse affectionately with his shoulder. Michael also falls silent with a grin towards Jesse, but the expression falls as he snorts at Tony's words.

Likewise, Leech isn't too impressed with that response. "How unfortunate for everyone that you didn't join him." He barely glances in Tony's direction as he speaks, a cutting blank glare. Standing, he moves across the room to his desk and plucks up a small box sitting on it. "Arrite, this is how this will work. You each draw a number - there's only three - an' once everyone's got one, you find the other person with the same number. There'll be three of ya in the third group, since we've got uneven numbers. Between yourselves, you find two er three songs to play." As he returns to the group, he passes the box to Kellen, who takes out a folded scrap of paper then passes the box on to Jesse.



Jackie: Once Leech starts talking, Jesse immediately shuts his trap, and sits up a little straighter while obediently looking at his teacher. Even though he loosened up a bit around the parasite over break, there's still a part of him that is mildly terrified of the boy. Tony, on the other hand, looks bored and useless - even when Leech is talking to him - and the backhanded remark makes Tim snort, and he lowers his head to shake the amusement away. This is surprising for Tony, since Timothy doesn't ever really partake in any attack on him, and he doesn't look to happy in the fact that Tim's amused by it.

After the plan is explained, Jesse shifts around anxiously in his seat while he waits for the box to be handed over. He looks over at Kellen excitedly, because he's totally hoping for luck that they'll get placed together, and he digs around in the box for a good fifteen seconds before selecting a small slip of paper. He opens it immediately. "Three! Group three. Which one are you?" Directed at Kellen, of course.

Handing the box over, Tim grabs it and very easily takes out his own slip of paper, only wishing that he isn't paired with Lovato. He doesn't open it right away, and instead hands the box to Mike and waits to watch him draw out a piece of paper.



Jay: As the box is passed around, Leech returns to his post on the piano bench, again folding up. Kellen also unfolds his paper immediately, on the verge of speaking when Jesse addresses him. He frowns exaggeratedly before lifting his own paper to show his roommate the number 1 printed on it. "One. The fates are against us."

Michael takes his own, handing the box off to Hollywood; he scowls a little when he unfolds the paper - it's a two, neither Jesse nor Kellen are in his group, and with his luck he's surely dreading being stuck with Tony as well. Hollywood continues the pattern, more throwing the box - with only two more folded numbers inside it - at Tony than handing it off.



Jackie: All hope and happiness drains from Jesse's face when he reads Kellen's slip of paper, and it's absolutely pathetic how quickly all of the life is drained from him. "This is going to be the worst semester ever. Leech! Can we redo?" He maybe isn't entirely serious, but it's worth a shot.

Tim peers down at his slip of paper as Ness hands the box off, and he sees a number two scratched on it in black ink. He can't tell what his room mate has, but he does peer over at him while holding his own up for display. He's a little quieter than maybe he would be, probably because of Leech's presence over on that stool, but there's definitely a little tinge of hopefulness in his voice. "...Two?"

Ruffling a bit for how that box was delivered, Tony glares at Hollywood for it and snags one of the last two remaining slips of paper. He looks down at it and groans, because it's a one - and so far, he can't tell whether or not he's with Tim, but it's for sure he's with Kellen.



Jay: Leech gives Jesse his usual blank look, though it's nowhere near as malicious as the one he gave to Tony, but it is obvious that he doesn't think much of the idea of redrawing. Once Tony has retrieved his number, Leech reaches expectantly for the box, figuring that the last remaining number will be for Jade - if he bothers to show up again, at all. "Michaels, what number'd you get?"

The scowl magically melts from Michael's face when Tim holds up his slip of paper, and he mirrors the action to show that his own is the same. He's not outright grinning, but there is a suggestion of satisfaction in the set of his mouth.



Jackie: Eyes wide and imploring, Jesse looks at Leech like his life's happiness depends on this decision, and he actually deflates when it appears that his request for a redo isn't approved. Sitting back in his seat, he looks down at his lap and sighs, ever so dramatic, and mumbles out like a young child who is admitting he's done something wrong. "Three." Before he can exasperate his pouting, the door opens, and Jade steps into the room with his guitar, shoulders hunched over in his permanent "I hate this existance" posture, and he goes to take a seat without so much as a tardy slip.

Tim keeps his eyes on Michael's face as he waits to hear what group the boy is in, only flickering away when they move to look at that slip of paper. Almost instantly, a smile takes over his face, one that he has to keep in check because it's dangerous to look so pleased. He nods a little bit and looks back over to the other boys, so he can save face and not look too damn happy.



Jay: Leech waits for Jesse's eventual response, then glances over the rest of the small class. "Who else got a three?"

Slouching insolently with those ridiculously long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle, Hollywood lazily lifts a hand, showing no pleasure or displeasure for the knowledge that he'll be working with Jesse. Leech nods at him, and snags a notepad off the piano bench to scrawl the pairing on it. "Arrite, Michaels and Freckleton." Though fully aware of Jade's belated appearance, Leech only gives the kid a single glance as he sits down and says nothing - it's just possible, if unlikely, that the kid got lost looking for the classroom, and in any case Leech doesn't particularly feel like calling him out on it.



Jackie: As Leech calls out to the other students, Jesse eyes the semi circle, inwardly hoping that he got paired for Lint, or at least Michael. However, the two dorm mates are looking at each other with stupidly pleased faces, and Jesse's gut churns; he looks over at Justin to see the boy raising his hand, and Jesse immediately snatches a hand out to grip Kellen's thigh tightly. He probably looks like he's watching a ghost come to life, when really he's just looking at a fellow student, and he has zero words as he slooooowly looks back to Leech.

Jade, settled in his seat, begins to work out his guitar, but stays quiet and observes - not at all wanting to partake in much of anything.



Jay: Kellen glances at Hollywood also, and feels something of a sinking in his stomach. He wouldn't wish any misfortune on Jesse, of course, but this means it's more likely that he's paired with Tony, himself. Still, he drops a hand to cover the one Jesse is using to grasp him, patting at it reassuringly and turning his gaze back to Leech. Leech meets Kellen's eyes and nods minutely for him to go ahead. With his free hand, he unfolds the piece of paper and lifts it up. "One."

Leech scribbles Kellen's name appropriately, speaking as he's looking down. "Who else got a one?"



Jackie: "...are you, like, positive we can't do a redo, Leech?" He doesn't sound like he's disgusted with his pairing, but he obviously isn't too pleased - and he snaps his eyes at Justin and is reconfirmed with the boy's creepiness level. He actually whines a little bit, and shifts in his seat, gripping Kellen's thigh a little tighter.

From the edge of the semi circle, Tony watches the exchange with that stupid smug face of his, and he rolls his eyes when Kellen shares his number. Rubbing at his own jawline, he speaks up in a very annoyed tone, and kicks out his legs to cross them at the ankle. "Me."



Jay: Meeting that look, Justin tries what he probably thinks is an amiable smile; of course, it only looks neurotic. Leech shakes his head a little. "No." Of course, he regrets this when Tony answers for Kellen, lifting his head slowly with a very carefully blank expression.

Kellen shows no such restraint, his head whipping around to look at his proposed partner, instantly bounding to his feet. "Fuck that! Leech!" He turns to look at the parasite, his eyes wide and a peculiarly steely blue, with a look of pleading that Leech has to grit his teeth for before he can manage to shake his head at the appeal. "This is bullshit! Leech, he can barely play a fucking barre chord, you can't expect me to work with that." Kellen waves a hand in disgusted motion towards the end of the row where Tony is seated.

Leech moves from teeth-gritting to chewing on the inside of his cheek and shakes his head again, having to look down at his notepad before he can make himself speak. "Mebbe you can help improve him, then." His displeasure isn't only for his brother's future suffering; this plainly means that Timothy is paired with Ness, which Leech was really, really hoping to avoid.



Jackie: Jesse's requests for a redraw pale in comparison to Kellen's outburst and the boy leans back in his seat and looks up at his room mate, who is now standing, with surprised eyes. Although things have definitely changed in recent weeks, Kellen was always the one that barely tolerated Tony - but now, it's clear that's been thrown out the window. Since Kellen is clearly not happy, Jesse feels even more unhappy, and he pouts a little bit and kind of glares at Leech, the Keeper of the Grouping Fate.

Although Tony probably would've only been happy had he been paired with Tim, he rolls his eyes for Kellen's outburst and flips a wrist out in the air dismissively. "And I can't be expected to work with the teacher's pet. I mean, really - this isn't going to work." His tone is heavy with annoyance and arrogance, and he turns his wrist inward so he can inspect his nails lazily.

Still seated next to Kellen's standing form, Jesse squirms and looks at Leech with those wide eyes again, but this time his voice sounds a little more sure of itself. "Leech, no one's happy with the pairing. Can't we just redo? We'll pretend this round was for practice."



Jay: After finishing scrawling Tim's and Ness' names on his notebook - the pen perhaps unintentionally tearing the paper as he writes out the latter name - Leech tosses it aside and draws himself back to his feet. He looks from Kellen, who has resumed his seat but has his arms crossed and his jaw set, to Lovato. The blonde boy's words make Leech's eyes narrow dangerously, but he manages to keep his voice even - just that unusual enunciation showing his displeasure. "You will work with who I tell you to work with, or you will leave this class. I promise nobody in this room would be more pleased to be paired with you, Lovato, and working with my 'pet' is probably the only way you're going to pass."

His gaze slides to Jesse and loses a bit of its venom, though not all - Leech just can't fake complacency in this situation. "No one's gonna be happy unless I let you pick yer own partners, and if I do that, nothing will get accomplished."

Kellen draws in a sharp, audible breath, but doesn't protest aloud again. Glaring around once to make sure all protests are silenced - and possibly avoiding looking at Timothy - he nods brusquely. "Puget, you'll work with Kellen and Lovato, since we got uneven numbers." Actually, the only number left over was another 3 - but Leech figures Kellen needs the help much more than Jesse does. "Group up with yer partners and do some brainstorming. Two or three songs, each of you plays lead on one, and try to challenge yerselves. By Friday, I want yer song choices submitted for approval." He looks them all over again, then jerks his hand impatiently, dismissing them to group up.



Jackie: When Jesse speaks up again, Tim's eyes drift over to the boy - but it's covert, and he stays silent, because he certainly is happy with his pairing. But that's dangerous water to tread, so ducks his head down and looks at his feet, because he can't really look at anyone, at the moment. The only time he looks up at Leech is when he says the word 'pet', since he's a bit trained to that term, but when it's clear it's referenced back to Kellen, Tim's unease lessens and he goes back to distracting himself.

Tony continues to inspect his nails and only snorts for Leech's words, not even bothering with addressing his teacher as the commands are given. He just rolls his eyes when they're dismissed to their groups and doesn't get to his feet, expecting Kellen to come to him and Jade since they're seated near one another. Jade, catching onto this, nods when he's assigned but doesn't angle in towards his partners yet - instead, he's working to get his guitar out of the case.

Taking a long, exaggerated breath, Jesse reluctantly gets to his feet and paces over towards Justin, guitar in hand. He looks at the boy like he's ready for him to start spitting out blood, but when he doesn't, Jesse pulls up a chair and takes a seat. "Hey. It's not you. It's me." Meaning, of course, that Jesse's upset with the pairing because he's not with his friend, not because he's paired with Hollywood, specifically.



Jay: Likewise, Michael stays silent - knowing well enough that Leech is liable to attack at any provocation, in his current mood - and waits until Leech has traversed a good section of the room before turning towards his partner with a little wry smile hovering around the corners of his mouth. "I'm not sure who to feel most sorry for." He nods with his head towards the rest of the class in indication.

Hollywood digs a notebook out of his backpack - which may or may not be covered with Satanic symbols and runes - looking up as Jesse joins him. He can't miss the way Jesse looks like he's approaching the gallows, but keeps his amusement toned down; the kid's words only get a raised eyebrow in response at first. Once he's straightened up and placed that notebook in his lap, he blinks a couple times. "...you can't break up with me yet. We haven't even had our first date yet."

Kellen also keeps his seat, refusing to approach Tony, but once it becomes clear that the idiot isn't going to come nearer, Kellen finally throws himself out of his chair - but to follow Leech's path across the room, to the teacher's desk. Once he's close enough, he hisses at Leech quietly. "This is fucking bullshit, Leech. I can't accomplish anything working with that retard."

Leech has reached the desk and, at Kellen's approach, drops into his seat, but he doesn't make any attempt to keep his own response from being heard by the rest of the class. "I'm sorry, Kellen, but someone's gotta do it. Jus' cuz you're my favorite doesn' mean I can indulge in favoritism. Puget seems a decent musician, work somethin' out with him an' try not to let Lovato make ya lose your temper."



Jackie: Once Leech's back is turned, Tim's able to lift his eyes and look over at Michael, being met with the boy looking back at him. Immediately, a small smile crawls across Tim's face, and he doesn't even have to look around the room to know who needs the most sympathy. "Kellen. One hundred percent." Although he does feel bad for Jesse, at least Justin is humorously strange. Turning to face his room mate a bit more, Tim works his guitar into his lap and starts fiddling with the tuning.

Sitting at the edge of his seat, Jesse eyes that notepad suspiciously and then scans his eyes over Justin's form; the boy is lanky and not at all proportionate, which really only adds to his overall presence of oddity. That joke is one that registers fully with the younger boy, and he actually giggles and looks to Justin's face, still a bit on guard because there's definitely some horned animal sketch creeping out from one of the pages of that notebook. "...fair enough. I'll wait a few more dates, and send you a really awkward text message."

Tim watches Kellen's path back to Leech's desk, having expected that; briefly, he thinks it might've been better for Jesse to be paired with Tony, if only because there isn't nearly as much bad blood. He actively draws himself away from those boys and instead focuses on the pretty one seated next to him, and tilts his head curiously. "Any songs in mind?"



Jay: Michael seems to consider that for a moment, then eventually gives a resigned nod. "Well, I think he's the only one who hasn't clocked Tony yet. He had to get a turn sometime." Michael doesn't bother to retrieve his guitar yet, but does turn some to face Tim, folding an arm over the back of his chair and resting his chin on it. "Oh, I don't know...we could follow Jesse's example and try to write our own."

Relaxing slightly when Jesse laughs, subdued as it is, a quick grin flashes across Hollywood's face. "Great. Then I can unfriend you on facebook, and then all my friends can unfriend you, but we can still make scathing passive-aggressive public posts for everyone's general amusement." Flipping to a blank page, he uncaps his pen and focuses back on Jesse. "So. What do you play?"

"Lose my temper?! You broke his fingers!" Leech twitches a shoulder at this protest of Kellen's dismissively, muttering 'it was only one finger' but Kellen's not listening for a response anyway, steamrollering over it. "Can't you break something else? Pass him by default again, just please, please don't make me play with him." Leech looks up at Kellen, sighing soundlessly. He doesn't need to see the current dark blue of Kellen's eyes - a shade that doesn't often show up - to know that the boy is truly upset, rather than carried away with making a fuss, but he can't go back on his words, either. Reaching over the desk, the parasite lays a consoling hand atop one of those Kellen has pressed into the wood as he leans over it desperately. "I'm really very sorry, Kellen. Jus' do the best you can, an' I'll make it up to you." Kellen remains where he is for a moment, searching Leech's face intently, but eventually makes a violent noise of resignation and pushes himself away from the desk.



Jackie: Tim snorts for that, amused, because it's kind of true - Lars has even hit the kid before Kellen has - but he doesn't mention Jesse, who he's pretty sure is incapable of physical violence. Instead, he focuses back on the task at hands, and plucks at a few strings to work out their tuning, blinking up at Michael when he's able to fiddle away on his instrument blindly. "We could. I don't know-- haven't really been writing much, lately." Liar - he just has things he wishes not to share, little self conscious bastard. "Unless you've got stuff, of course."

The more Hollywood continues on with the joke, the more Jesse runs with it, amusement spreading out across his features. "And then I'll write lyrics from sad emo songs all over my binders and dorm, and my life will be a big, dark room." Showing that amusement more, Jesse laughs a little and plucks quietly at his guitar. "Parcheesi, mostly. And checkers."

While Kellen is off still fighting the assignment with Leech, Tony turns to talk to Jade, who isn't really talking back. The blonde glares over at Kellen as he approaches, and nods his head towards their teacher while speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "What, your boyfriend not allow you to change groups?"



Jay: Of course, Jesse's restraint doesn't count to Mike's mind; the kid's obviously a pacifist. His gaze flicks down to watch Tim's hands on the frets with an unusual intensity, the look in his eyes suggesting that he's thinking about other places those hands have recently been. He doesn't move his eyes as he answers. "Oh, I got a few things. Don't know if they're impressive enough to please the tyrant, though." Meaning Leech, presumably. Finally raising his gaze to Tim's face - because he'll lose all train of thought if he keeps watching those hands - he cocks an eyebrow. "Well then. You're pretty big on Dylan, aren't you?"

Hollywood doesn't attempt to stifle his amusement for Jesse's words and the Beetlejuice reference, grinning more lastingly. "Right, and I'll post vaguely threatening metal lyrics. Starting with Type O Negative, maybe; they've got a lot to say about infidelity and broken hearts." The kid's following answer makes Justin roll his eyes, but he doesn't seem displeased - at least he's paired with someone who has a sense of humor. "Seriously. That song you wrote last year, that was good. Is that your usual style?"

Kellen makes his way across the room, stalking more than walking, the expression on his face pointing up his resemblance to Leech with unusual intensity. Reaching Tony and Jade, he hooks a chair with his boot and drags it over to face Jade, like he's trying to block Tony out from the conversation before it starts. However, he does give Tony a flat look for that question. "No, but he did promise that if I fly into a rage and disable you, he won't dock points from my grade." Turning his eyes resolutely to his other partner, Kellen takes a deep, supposed-to-be-calming breath. "Yer Jade, right? I'm Kellen. I think we share an English class, too."



Jackie: Not at all catching Michael's intense observation, Tim continues to work those strings into tune, and then fiddles around a bit with some chords once he's satisfied. It's lazy playing, quiet and without much to it, but it does wonders in easing Tim's back muscles - he hadn't touched his guitar much over break, and is remembering how much he enjoys the feel and sound of it. "Yeh? You should play me something. I'd like to hear it." Finally fixing his attention more fully on Michael, Tim's eyes probably give away some of his affection, but he does a good job of keeping to himself. "Yeah, love him. One of his songs could be really good. Or a Stones song."

Jesse's fiddling eventually winds up into one of his poppy, ska-influenced riffs that he repeats over and over and over again, just to keep his hands busy, and he's probably subconsciously thankful for Justin's paired sense of humor. He's no Kellen, but it's already proving to not be as bad as he had thought. Blinking over at the boy, since he wasn't expecting a compliment on his song from the boy who has ritualistic symbols etched onto his notepage, Jesse breaks out a bit of a grin. "Oh, yeah....hey, thanks. I guess that's sort of my style, yeah. I like, love ska. Like two tone ska, and dancehall. But I really like punk, too." And then his eyes drop back to that notepad, and he words out a little more slowly. "...what do you...like?"

The way Kellen so easily retorts back to Tony makes the blonde snort and look away, not at all amused. That quick wit is so much more amusing when it's not being used to make him look like an idiot. So Tony just grumbles and crosses his arms over his chest, not bothering with adding into the conversation. Of course, this is all too amusing to Jade, and he's sitting there with a bit of a grin on his face. He watches Kellen for a long moment before nodding, and scratches at the side of his neck as he talks. "Yeah, we do. This is going to be fun, hmm?"



Jay: Michael's just incapable of not grinning for Tim's words, but he keeps it as toned down as he can - even if Kellen and Jesse seem otherwise occupied, he still doesn't want them noticing and starting up their campaign to get him into Tim's pants again. To that end, he lowers his voice some in his own reply. "Sure, kitten, anytime." He meets Tim's gaze as he says it, his own eyes showing considerably more than just affection. "Maybe one of each. I know lots of Stones."

Distractedly, Hollywood starts scribbling on his notebook, doodling, smirking faintly as Jesse starts playing for some reason. He nods distractedly for Jesse's words. "Ska can be fun. More fun if you have a bass. I guess Leech would probably be okay with one of us playing bass for a song." The hesitant nature of the following question makes Hollywood raise his oddly pale eyes to Jesse, plainly amused. "Oh, whatever. I'm pretty pan-romantic when it comes to music. But I think it will be better if I try to match your style, than you trying to match mine - no offense meant."

Kellen actually does manage to breathe a little easier once Jade answers him. Maybe this won't be as horrible as it could be. Maybe this kid will be a saving grace. Maybe this kid will help him hide Tony's body after he inevitably bludgeons him to death with his own stupid pink guitar. "Oodles." He pointedly keeps his eyes away from Tony, falling back into silence for a long moment and gnawing on his own lower lip. "I can't...think of anything to play, right now."

Finishing with whatever he was doing at his desk, Leech stands and ambles to an opposite corner of the room to pick up his own acoustic guitar - glancing over the class along the way to make sure no blood is being shed yet, but glancing away just as swiftly when he notices the warmth in the gazes Tim and Ness are exchanging. Picking up his guitar, he settles atop an amp and folds his legs indian-style, starting to pick out a slow, slightly sad melody, which changes to a more regular rhythm after a moment.


Jackie: Toned as that grin is, Tim still feels a little flutter in his chest for it, and he forces himself to look down at his feet and shake his head and let out a quiet snort of amusement. This continues as those suggestive words come pouring out, and with them comes a faint blush that creeps up under Lint's jaw. With his head lowered, he raises his eyes after taking a moment to compose himself, and he nods, fingers slowly meddling into a slower paced Dylan rendition - one not meant to be continued, but just to keep his fingers busy. "Do you have a preferred Stones song?"

As Jesse's fingers pick up more movement along that fretboard, his muscles conversely relax and he shrugs off any offense that he doesn't feel in the first place. "None taken. But I mean, we have....a few songs that we have to do. We can always do one I like, one you like...and...maybe we can use the Ouija board to ask the spirits for the third song." Because this is totally plausible.

Jade snorts for Kellen's remark and looks over at Tony for validation; the stupid blonde is toying with his ugly fucking pink guitar and that's enough for Jade to roll his eyes and reach for his own instrument. Before Jade can pipe in with a reasonable suggestion, Tony speaks. "I've got an original song I think we should do. It'd be so good."

While he's distracted by his room mate enough that he isn't eyeing over at Jesse every few moments to make sure he's alive, Tim does notice when Leech takes his perch atop that amp. But he doesn't let his eyes linger, and instead focuses back on his guitar for safe keeping.


Jay: If Timothy thinks those words are suggestive, he clearly hasn't been spending enough time around Ness. He can do much better than that. Michael shrugs lightly for that question, eyeing the faint blush that appears on Tim's face with something like satisfaction. "Not off the top of my head. Have to think about it - make sure we don't pick anything that'll offend the headmaster." At these words, a more natural grin forms; surely he's remembering Mangum's reaction to Justin's song at the last recital. "How about, I pick a Stones song, and you pick one of Dylans?"

Hollywood's continued his doodling, absently, during the conversation, but Jesse's suggestion makes him stop abruptly and he glances up at the kid through his hair. He waits a long moment for a smile to break out or some other sign that Jesse's joking, or making fun of him (albeit not maliciously). But that sign never comes, so Hollywood blinks a couple of times, then nods. "Sure, that sounds good...but where are we to find a Ouija board here? Pretty sure the Church looks on that as witchcraft."

Kellen quite pointedly keeps his gaze on Jade, convinced that the kid is about to break his awesomer-than-thou front to actually engage in conversation, but Tony kills it. Kellen's mouth twitches unintentionally, but he keeps his voice even, lacking inflection, and therefore, naturally, somewhat leechlike. "Yeh? What key is it in?" Still, of course, not looking at Tony.


Jackie: Surely Ness can do much better, and most certainly will at some point, but Tim's still a little shy around the boy if only because he feels all the more vulnerable having been intimate with him. He lets out a little laugh for that and nods, having remembered Justin's last recital song, and he lifts his face more fully to look at Michael and nod, amusement evident in that smile and his eyes. "Yeah, all right. Unless you've got a Dylan song you really want to play." Showing a bit of that unwillingness to make a decision, of course.

As Hollywood thinks over Jesse's words, the younger boy goes back to his guitar playing, picking up a riff that he stole from Lint and tapping his foot along with it. When his partner doesn't immediately respond, he glances over at him, eyebrow arched, because he was totally being serious. His eyes go a little wide for the question, and he leans in and lowers his voice, glancing at Leech before making sure no one of importance can hear. "I've got one. But you have to swear you won't tell anyone. It's contraband, you know."

Jade stops his playing as soon as Tony makes that suggestion, and the poor kid actually looks like he's going to be physically ill. Tony ignores this in favor or looking at Kellen, and rolls his eyes because of course Kellen doesn't know this amazing song. Instead of answering the question, he starts strumming his guitar, and then starts singing the chorus in a really obnoxious tone that he thinks is right on key. "I'd do aaaaany-thiiiiiing just to hold you in my arms--"


Jay: Michael shakes his head for that question, waving a hand dismissively. "Nah, not really. It'll be hard enough picking one Stones song, out of all of them." He turns his head to glance at the clock, appeased with seeing that the class will soon be over. As he turns back, he spots Kellen sitting tensely in his chair, looking moderately explosive, and Mike smirks for it, muttering under his breath. "Poor kid."

It's impossible not to grin at Jesse's reply, and how seriously it's delivered, but Hollywood only lets the grin flash across his face before nodding with equal earnestness. "I won't say a word. We'll have to find somewhere covert to perform the seance, too." With this, he seems to sort of space out in thought, starting up his doodling again without seeming to notice it.

When Tony starts playing, Kellen actually deigns to look at him, but it isn't a nice look; he whips his head around to the side, glaring venomously, and raising his voice over Tony's. "That's a fucking question you can answer with one word. One letter, even. Stop playing, stop fucking singing, it's bound to be some pathetic serenade to Lint, and no one wants to hear it - especially not Lint! I swear to God, you are--"

Leech lifts his head as he hears Kellen start to raise his voice, and although it's always amusing to see Tony get told off, he figures he ought to put a stop to it before it escalates. So he stands, setting his guitar aside and interrupting Kellen mid-tirade. "Bell's about to ring; go ahead an' pack up." Kellen watches Leech, disgruntled, but straightens in his chair and starts to obediently return his own guitar to its case - not having used it at all - as the teacher goes on. "Bring some possibilities to class tomorrow. If ya need help figuring out how to play any of em, I can do that." Crossing back to his desk, the parasite starts to pack up his own bag.



Jackie: Tim doesn't necessarily deflate from that answer, but he doesn't relax into it either - perhaps having wanting to be told what to play - but he nods his head and makes a little noise of understanding before wrinkling his nose and racking over the various Dylan tunes to choose from. He only gets pulled away from his thoughts when Mike speaks up again, and Tim glances over at the boys in time to see the exact moment Tony starts to sing - and Tim makes a face like he's actually disgusted. "...seriously. Poor new kid, too. The future is bleak."

Trying very, very hard not to smile because he's so happy to be taken somewhat seriously, Jesse nods his head curtly and keeps his voice low. "The bell tower." Said like he's obviously thought this over countless times before. Because he has. In detail.

Although Jade doesn't immediately react to Tony's singing in such a disgusted manner, he does look at the boy like he's a dirty animal inside of a Gucci store, and even scans his eyes up and down his form to gauge if the kid is actually being serious, right now. Tony only shuts up when Kellen tries to speak over him, and he huffs loudly and puts his guitar off to the side of his lap and scold Kellen. "I was just trying to get us a leg up in the process. But I guess you'd rather just rely on getting lucky with the teacher, rather than being able to actually play a tune, huh? Typical." And with that, he moves to pack up his guitar.


Jay: Michael glances back over as Kellen starts to yell, smirking faintly for the boy's words - particularly the last part, about Lint. He nods sadly in agreement, but takes the opportunity of everyone being thus distracted to reach over and fold his hand over Tim's, squeezing lightly and stroking his thumb over the back of it. "Their future is."

Hollywood somewhat snaps back into focus at Jesse's words, nodding slowly. Leech starts speaking before he can reply directly, so he looks up to watch the diminutive instructor walk across the room and takes in his words, then looks back to his partner. "That would work..." He's grinning a little, just for the idea of performing a diabolical ceremony in part of a church. Stuffing his notebook away, he adds more casually: "I heard a priest hung himself in that bell tower, like fifty years ago. Not sure if it's true, though." Little does he suspect the research Jesse and Kellen have done on the subject.


Jay: ...


Jay: Gritting his teeth for Tony's pathetic rejoinder, Kellen cuts his eyes back in the irritating boy's direction. "I can rely on my talent, whereas you only passed because you didn't have a chance to perform." Standing, Kellen swings his backpack over a shoulder and lifts his guitar case, but can't resist adding: "An' yer just jealous that my secret lover is sexier than your imaginary one." Walking towards the back of the class, he stows his guitar case in its usual spot, then turns and heads back - towards Jesse, this time - fuming quietly.


Jackie: In contrast to Mike's apparent amusement of Kellen's words, Tim tenses slightly and looks over his shoulder at his dorm mate to glare and determine why he's being brought up in the conversation (not having listened intently earlier). But he's quickly drawn away when Michael reaches out to squeeze his hand, and it's a complete shock to Timothy; he drops his eyes to look at that hand, then at Mike's face, momentarily at a loss for words. So he just sort of snorts - not cruelly, but more like he's agreeing with him - and then nods and stretches a foot out to kick at Mike's gently.

Jesse is drawn away from his scrunched down position when he hears Kellen start to yell, and he perks up like a prairie dog to see what's going on. But it's mostly over before it can get any bigger, and with Leech not facing him, Jesse sticks out his tongue at Tony after Kellen's done telling him off. Once taken care of, he looks back at Hollywood and nods slowly. "Yes, it was Father Vincent...Von Maur, I think. Apparently, you can still hear his prayer service on nights of a full moon. Yet to be confirmed, of course." Mostly due to the fact that they haven't had a full moon since he and Kellen dug up the old articles just before they went on holiday break.

Sitting back to glare at Kellen, Tony actually laughs loudly for that response and flips a wrist out in the air. "God, you really are dumb as shit if you're willing to say that out loud. Wonder what the headmaster would think?" By now, he's packed up his things enough that he gets to his feet and hauls up his guitar, not at all for sticking around when he's obviously outnumbered.

As Kellen approaches, Jesse perks up a little more and smiles brightly at him, if only to help take the edge off of Tony's existence. "Hey. Justin likes ghost stuff, too!"


Jay: Meeting Tim's eyes, Mike lets a more charming grin imbue his own, squeezing Tim's hand once more before retracting his own and starting to pack up his belongings. Still tuned into the conversation going forward between Kellen and Tony, he snorts his amusement for Kellen's reply; naturally, he's long suspected something going on between his dorm mate and Leech, but unlike Tony, Mike finds that Kellen's retort makes it seem less likely that that's actually true. "How many class periods you think they'll get through before Kellen decks him?"

Hollywood raises his eyebrows as he sits back up, interest sharpening. "Really? Maybe we should figure out the next full moon, and do our seance then. That's a prayer service that might be worth hearing."

On his return, Kellen rolls his eyes some, looking back at Tony again. "Me, too! Maybe you ought to go tell him; fuck knows you spend hours weekly whining to him about everything else." Presumably, referencing the fact that Leech was forced to pass Tony - and that he complained to Snider after Tim hit him - and that Leech almost got in trouble for breaking the kid's finger. Reaching Jesse, Kellen drops straight into the smaller boy's lap, looking completely exhausted and taking a big breath of relief. He catches Jesse's excited words, but isn't quite ready to be soothed out of his temper yet. "Oh yeh?" Glancing at Justin, Kellen widens his eyes. "Ya wanna help me make a ghost?"


Jackie: Catching that grin, Tim momentarily freezes, as something deep within his chest spasms; that smile on that face is definitely something Timothy could wake up to every morning. But he doesn't allow for that feeling to surface, not entirely at least, and he begins to work on getting his guitar back into its nearby case while still glancing over at his room mate every few moments. If they were alone, he'd be seeking out some physical affection beyond hand squeezing. Pulled away from those thoughts by that question, Tim cranes his neck to look over at Kellen - who is now on Jesse's lap - and shrugs a lazy shoulder. "Well, this class isn't technically over, yet. I'd be surprised if it was more than one."

When Kellen drops onto his lap like a pile of broken bones, Jesse quickly stuffs his guitar under his seat to save the instrument from being squashed. But it's all done in mere seconds, and then he lazily wraps both arms around Kellen's torso and nods enthusiastically, smiling at Justin. "Yeah! And he just came up with a really great idea about being a seance at the next full moon to bring out Father Vincent. We should start planning."

Deflating from Kellen's retort, Tony only snorts and grabs his instrument, making sure it's secure and then sulking in his seat as he waits for the bell. Jade, having grabbed his instrument, is already heading out of the door - not bothering to wait for the official end time.


Jay: Ignoring how Tim has been waking up to it every morning - at least, the last four or five since he returned from break. Michael probably notices the other boy's reaction, bordering on panic, but he doesn't press his advantage just now. He tilts his head to the side and cocks an eyebrow, considering. "Mm...maybe. I think he's got more patience than it seems though; and he might hold back just for Leech's sake. I say he might make it a whole week."

Hollywood only grins deviantly for Kellen's attempted subtle suggestion, but makes no commitment. Luckily, Kellen is diverted some by Jesse's words. "Dude. Fucking awesome idea! Also, the anniversary of his death is next week. I don't think it's a full moon, but we oughta stake it out, anyway. We can camp out up there." Being somewhat aware of Jesse's fear of heights, Kellen isn't sure how much his roommate will actually enjoy the venture, but surely enough whisky will overcome it.



Jay: Leech finishes his own preparations and turns to lean back against his desk, arms crossed. He notices Jade leaving, of course, tracks the kid with his gaze, but again, doesn't seem to care enough to say anything about it. He doesn't really feel like dealing with any troublemakers' punishments tonight, so he's not about to create any.