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fic_ception2018-04-24 06:42 pm
chlorhexidine) wrote in fic_ception2018-04-24 06:42 pm
Universe - Introductions
Over the next few days the dormitory slowly filled with students. There were two more girls to their number; one a severe blonde by the name of Annie who endeavoured to look down her nose at the world in disdain despite being shorter in stature than almost everybody else, and the other a dark haired Liverpudlian who gave her name as Apache.
The other two were boys. Bert was almost of a height with Gladio, though his build was more akin to Ignis's own, and his slightly musical accent was difficult to discern behind his reclusive nature and tendency to clam up when spoken to. The final one was Yylfordt, whose twin had moved in to the dormitory above. Blond hair and just an inch taller than Ignis, he was broad shouldered, green eyed, and far too confident for Ignis's taste.
Ignis had spent his second day trailing around the local town taking applications for weekend jobs, and cleaning one of the two ovens while Levi tackled the other. On his third day he'd filled out as many applications as he could. He'd started out perched at the desk in his room, but when he'd left to furnish himself with a cup of coffee he'd run into Levi who was in the process of making himself tea.
“Do you only drink coffee?” he'd asked, and Ignis heard the note of disapproving judgement.
Ignis had glanced at his well used carafe and mug, and then over at the porcelain teacup Levi was preparing to use before he'd answered, “I can't say I've ever taken to tea.” He felt the second Levi's eyes landed on him, peering at him out of the corner of his vision, and judging him accordingly. “It tasted rather like the leftover water after steaming vegetables when I tried it.”
“Then you haven't tried good tea,” Levi said.
Ignis flashed Levi a brief smile before he retorted, “I can't say I was in a hurry to try it a second time.”
“I'll make you some,” Levi said, bluntly, stating a fact rather than making an offer. “Sit down.”
“That isn't necessary,” Ignis began to protest.
“Sit down.”
Ignis sighed. Clearly Levi was hell-bent on proving a point, that point apparently being that the only reason someone might dislike tea was because they'd only had bad tea. Ignis tended to feel the same way about coffee, but he also recognised that while he enjoyed the mix of bitter and smooth flavours, and the dark aroma of a well brewed coffee, other people's preferences varied. He drank his coffee strong, black, and unsweetened, a fact which put him at odds with the majority of his generation who held a fondness for Starbucks and their speciality line of vaguely coffee flavoured drinkable desserts.
It wasn't that it wasn't coffee, necessarily, it was just that when you added things to a simple coffee to make it into a caramel mochaccino you were left barely able to taste the coffee at all. It was coffee for those that didn't really like coffee.
Still, he sat, since at worst Levi was about to inflict upon him stewed leaf juice, and at best Ignis might at last find an appreciation for the drink of his countrymen. He watched as Levi worked, scalding the pot before he set the leaves to brew. It wasn't a teabag, Ignis noted. Levi used an actual diffuser, and the pot, which looked to be plain ceramic, was pristine white.
“Did you purchase these especially?” he asked, as Levi made his way over to the dining table with his teapot and cup.
“The teapot was mine anyway,” he said, setting it down carefully. “The cup was a gift.”
Ignis couldn't help the rise of his eyebrow. “From whom?”
“My boss,” Levi answered, without bothering to look up and catch sight of Ignis's surprise. “I worked in a teashop during my A levels.” That, Ignis thought, explained the love of tea. “It was my leaving gift.”
And that explained why the teapot looked plain and rather standard, and yet the cup Levi clearly favoured was of a porcelain so fine that the light glowed softly through it. “You must have been a popular employee,” he said.
“I was good at what I did,” Levi answered.
“Modest, too,” Ignis pointed out, with a faint smirk. “Perhaps you can give me some pointers?” he ventured, giving Levi another look. “I have a couple of applications to complete for coffee shops. What are they looking for that one wouldn't assume?”
Punctuality, flexibility, enthusiasm for the product, that all went without saying. Obviously in a cash handling position one had to be trustworthy, and you also had to be quick with figures and at taking orders, but these roles would be in high demand with the rapidly increasing student population, and anything that would give Ignis an edge over the other applications would be helpful.
Levi didn't answer at first, instead intent upon pouring the brewed tea, first into Ignis's mug, and then into his own cup. He set the pot down before he said, “Customers are shitheads. You need to be able to handle all of them with a smile and not let the bigger shitheads get to you.”
Ignis tried to picture Levi smiling. Somehow, between his small, weary eyes, and permanently flat expression, he couldn't conjure it. Levi didn't come across as a natural smiler. “And you were able to do that?”
“Better than you think,” Levi replied, as if he was reading Ignis's mind. “You can be planning fifty ways to kill someone, including jumping over the counter and force feeding him your apron until he chokes, so long as you don't let it show.”
Ignis frowned into his mug, watching the swirling pattern of light on the water's surface. The tea was more of a deep red than a brown, and it smelled rich and slightly fruity. “Is it really that bad?” he asked, suddenly unsure of how he'd manage to maintain a job if he loathed it, but needed it as he did.
Levi shrugged. “I enjoyed it,” he admitted, “but some customers can eat shit. Be ready for it and you'll be fine.”
Ignis hummed thoughtfully. “Thank you,” he said. He'd have to consider how to apply his experiences to conflict resolution, and maintaining a public facade. “That's actually helpful.”
“Now try the tea,” Levi said.
Ignis did, and found it didn't really taste as it smelled. There was a distinct aroma, and it was more palatable than the first time he'd tried tea. It certainly wasn't the stewed leaf leftovers he'd tried last time. It was not, however, going to replace his fondness for coffee.
That weekend, true to their promise, Gladio and Nel conspired to draw the dormitory together for a small party. Ignis debated whether he should wear something nice, having not been to any kind of party since he was very young. Back then he'd been dressed in a bow-tie and short trousers, with shined shoes, and his hair combed back.
He doubted that Gladio or Nel intended on that sort of formal tone. Pizzas and drinks they'd said; certainly nothing that would warrant a tie, so Ignis changed his shirt and brushed his hair before putting in an appearance.
He'd met the others of the dormitory individually, either as they'd moved in or through chance encounters soon thereafter. It was the first time he'd seen them all together. Someone had music playing through their phone, a steady thrum of guitars and vocals that Ignis didn't recognise but that wasn't so loud as to be a hindrance to conversation. There were four pizza boxes laid out on the table, and, Ignis was glad to see, paper plates next to them. There were also two cases of beer, one of them opened. Gladio, wearing a vest top that showed his highly muscled arms, was leaning back in one of the lounge chairs, eating a slice of pizza with one hand. Nel was perched on another of the chairs, drinking from a bottle of beer with a plate and a couple of slices of pizza balanced on her lap. She was talking animatedly to Apache, who was replying around a mouthful of pizza.
Yylfordt was leaning over Annie, a beer in one hand. It looked, to Ignis, although he'd admit that he wasn't an expert in the matter, as if he was very interested in her. Annie, conversely, looked as if she'd rather be chatted up by a slug. Her arms were folded across her chest, and there was a defiant streak to her stance that suggested backing up, and soon, was in Yylfordt's best interests.
“Hey, Iggy,” Gladio said, waving his drink in greeting. “Help yourself.”
Iggy. Ignis had never had a nickname, certainly not once you considered that 'speccy-four-eyes' didn't count. He wasn't sure he wanted one now, either, but correcting Gladio in front of everyone might be rude, especially when he wasn't sure who had paid for the pizza and drinks. “Thank you,” he said, avoiding the beer to claim for himself a slice of pizza. The toppings slid as he pulled at the slice, and the cheese stretched, so he transferred it onto a plate before taking it to the lounge area. “No one's ever called me that before,” he said, when he got nearer Gladio.
“Really?” Gladio asked, watching Ignis as he pulled one of the dining chairs over so he could take a seat. “What do people call you then?”
“Ignis, usually,” Ignis replied. Nerd and four eyes were also options, but he wasn't about to admit to those here and now.
“Huh,” Gladio replied, looking momentarily thoughtful. Then he gestured ahead of himself with his bottle. “You met?”
Ignis looked at Bert, who looked, with his plate of pizza and his bottle of beer, as if he'd rather be in his room. “Briefly,” he answered.
Bert looked up at him, a look that was something akin to a deer in headlights mixed with terminal embarrassment. “Yeah,” he said, “you were cooking.”
Ignis flashed Bert a smile. He'd been quiet when Ignis had met him, content to give Ignis his space while he was busy, and not make conversation. Ignis had taken a liking to him instantly as a result. “I apologise if I seemed to be ignoring you,” he said, “I tend to get absorbed when I cook.”
“What were you making?” Gladio asked, looking up at Ignis. The light caught his eyes, making the deep brown look almost amber for a moment.
“Galette jambon oeuf,” Ignis answered, with a smile.
“I know enough French to know that's something with ham and egg,” Gladio said. “What's galette?”
“A savoury crepe,” Ignis answered, unable to help his smile widening. Gladio was a personable sort, and he seemed to take a genuine interest in what he asked about.
“It looked good,” Bert supplied, his small smile flashing at Ignis.
“I'll make enough to go around next time,” Ignis said. “Crepes can be tricky, I wasn't sure I'd get them right.”
The door to the kitchen opened, and Levi sauntered in. He helped himself to a beer without waiting for anyone to tell him to, popping the top off with the bottle opener lying on the table. Ignis watched him peer at the pizzas for a moment before he made his way over towards Ignis, Gladio, and Bert. Ignis felt the silent greeting in Levi making eye contact, but he gave no other outward signs that he knew anyone.
“Okay,” Nel said, moving from conversation to addressing the room, “we're all here.” She flashed a smile at Gladio, which Gladio returned. They definitely, Ignis thought, had the more forthright personalities of the group, and had slipped into the roles of leaders, at least for the day. “Time to introduce ourselves,” she said. “I'm Nel, I'm a first year doing English literature, and I like reading, obviously, and nights with the girls.”
The room went quiet, save for the music changing tracks, and it seemed to be a race to be the last volunteer to provide their own basic information. After a few seconds, the next person spoke, “Call me Apache,” she said. “I'm doing electrical engineering, and I like,” Ignis caught the slight pause as she cast around and settled on, “beer and pizza,” with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Who doesn't?” Yylfordt asked, launching a grin at Apache. He leaned away from Annie as he straightened up. “My turn,” he said, “I'm Yylfordt, I like beer and pizza, and I'm studying aeronautics.”
“Your brother lives upstairs, doesn't he?” Gladio asked, his deep voice clear but kind.
Yylfordt, however, frowned, squirming slightly. “Szayel, yeah,” he said, as if this fact caused him some embarrassment. “I'm gonna say sorry now if you run into him.”
“Why?” Ignis asked, curiosity piqued. At least one of them had to have requested the same type of dormitory as the other for them to be situated so close, and yet Yylfordt acted as if that request certainly hadn't come from him.
Yylfordt scowled down at his beer as if doing so would force it to answer for him. “You'll find out if you meet him,” he said, evasively.
“So what about you?” Nel asked, dragging the subject back on track by looking directly at Ignis.
Ignis disliked being put on the spot, but given the environment it was an inevitability he might as well get on with. “I'm studying political science,” he said. “My name's Ignis, although I believe I've met you all at least once. As for my likes,” he hesitated, trying to think of an appropriate answer, “I suppose I rather enjoy cooking.”
“Fancy French stuff, from the sound of it,” said Gladio, flashing a smile at Ignis over the rim of his beer bottle.
Ignis hoped that the feeling of his cheeks heating up was due to the warmth in the room and not because he was actually blushing. He wasn't accustomed to talking about himself, and it left him feeling exposed to every set of eyes in the room. “Not necessarily,” he defended, “I'll cook almost anything I have ingredients for.”
“You might have to show us some things,” Nel said, with a smile that sent a deeper flush through Ignis's cheeks. “Some people,” she jabbed her finger repeatedly at Gladio, “think they can survive a year on takeaway pizza and pot noodles.”
Ignis turned his attention to Gladio, unable to help the disapproving frown and downward cast of his eyebrows. Gladio sat up straighter and turned to Nel, “Hey, I can cook just fine on a barbecue, I just don't do fancy stuff.”
“Don't worry,” Nel said, soothingly enough to veer into patronising, “Ignis and I will make sure you don't die of malnutrition.”
There was a snort from somewhere to Ignis's left, and he looked over to see Apache smirking into her hand. Her shoulders shook in silence.
“You can get your own pizzas next time,” Gladio grumbled, tipping his bottle of beer towards Nel before he took a drink. “Okay, I'm Gladio, I'm here doing Business Management, and I happen to like pot noodles,” he added, giving Ignis a pointed glance before he shrugged his huge shoulders. “I go camping in summer, too.”
“In a tent, or a caravan?” Yylfordt asked, looking interested.
“It's not really camping in a caravan,” Gladio answered. Ignis could hear the faintly dismissive tone, and well reigned in judgement in the response. “I like to be out in nature.”
“And there's nothing more natural than sleeping on the floor under some canvas,” Levi intoned. Ignis glanced at him; he didn't know if Levi disapproved or not, his delivery was unreadably passionless.
“No,” Gladio said, although it sounded like he was agreeing, “sleeping under the stars, at one with nature, what's not to like?”
“Mud,” Levi answered.
“Spiders,” Nel added, with a smile.
Apache looked at Nel and said, “Earwigs.”
“I've never been camping,” Ignis admitted, “so I couldn't say.”
Gladio shook his head. “I'll take all of you camping with me sometime. You'll love it.”
“It's all right if you've got a decent tent,” Yylfordt said, “but it sucks if it rains.”
Bert shifted, and Ignis felt the room fall quiet as it waited for him to speak up. “We used to go camping when I was little,” he said, his eyes downcast so that he wasn't addressing anyone in particular. “It's not that bad.”
Gladio flashed Bert a smile that could have lit the room. “See,” he said, “someone agrees with me.” Bert shrank in on himself a little bit, an impressive feat for someone well over six feet tall, and gave Gladio a soft smile in response. “So,” Gladio prompted, “what are you studying?”
Bert's cheeks coloured as he was put on the spot, and Ignis suddenly realised that his own shyness wasn't anywhere near as bad as this. “Architecture,” he answered, after a few awkward seconds. “I like reading, too,” he added. “You can call me Bert. Everyone does.”
“What do you read?” Gladio asked, resting one elbow up on the back of his chair and taking another drink from his bottle.
Bert shifted slightly in his chair. “Anything,” he admitted, quietly. “I just like to read.”
Gladio gave him another one of those grins that brightened the room and told him, “If you like historical fiction, I've got some you can borrow.”
Bert's face flushed pink as he stammered out a, “Thank you.”
Apache strode around the collection of seats and made her way to the pizza and drinks. Ignis watched her drain the last of her beer before setting the empty bottle down on the table and picking up a fresh one. Instead of picking up the bottle opener she rested the ridge of the cap on the edge of the table and then gave it a smack. There was a metallic clink as the bottle top flew off and landed on the floor, and Apache took another drink before she helped herself to another slice of pizza.
On the other side of Ignis, Nel was asking Annie to give her introductions. Annie stood, further away from Yylfordt now, her arms still folded across her chest, leaning back against a wall. “It's Annie,” she said. “I'm studying Anthropology, and I do Muay Thai in my spare time.”
“Ooh,” Nel said, her interest obviously piqued. “Have you been doing it long?”
Annie remained impassive as she answered, “Since I was a kid.”
“Pick that up,” Levi said, his attention fixed on Apache.
Apache looked at him like she'd stepped in something unexpected. She was shorter than Levi, Ignis realised, but it was only a couple of inches difference. “Why?”
“We all have to live here,” Levi answered, flatly, “the least you could do is pick up your own mess.”
“The place is gonna be messier than this by the end of the night,” Apache replied, ignoring Levi and making her way back to reclaim her chair. She took a bite of pizza, and added, “Relax,” around the mouthful.
Ignis glanced at Levi and saw him winding up for a comment. If they started arguing this early in their time together, it didn't bode well for group harmony over the rest of the year. Which was why Ignis got up and moved over to the table. He spotted the bottle cap on the floor, where it had rolled underneath, and he bent to retrieve it. “It's fine,” he said, addressing the comment to Levi as he dropped it in the box containing the bottles. When they were empty it would be discarded with them.
“Are you going to pick up after her all year?” Levi asked, his voice still flat but there was a harder edge to his tone and the look in his eyes.
“It's a bottle top,” Apache pointed out, her voice rising. “Speccy moved it. What's the problem?”
Speccy? Ignis frowned. First Iggy, and now Speccy; he'd gained two unwanted nicknames in a day. “Levi does have a point,” Ignis answered, “we should be showing due consideration to each other while we share living quarters.”
Apache huffed, but was cut off before she could reply by Gladio.
“They're right,” he said. “Let's not trash the place, we all have to live here.”
Apache gave a more dramatic huff and rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said, endeavouring to be dismissive.
“Ground rules are a good idea,” Annie said, her budding conversation with Nel having been brought to a halt by the rising tension in the room. “The rest of us won't pick up after one or two people.”
“One or two people shouldn't pick up after the rest,” Levi said, his mouth turned in a faint scowl.
“So we all agree to keep the place tidy,” Nel chipped in, “and clean up after ourselves?”
“Fine with me,” Yylfordt said. Bert nodded his head in agreement, but didn't speak up.
“Fine,” Apache said, sounding like a scolded child. “I'll fucking pick it up next time.”
“Which just leaves Levi,” Nel said, changing the subject back to the introductions with a smile and a cheery voice.
Levi scowled, but said, “I'm doing Physics.” Ignis tried not to react with surprise at that information. Levi didn't look like what you pictured when you imagined a physicist, but then, none of them looked much like the stereotypes of their subjects. He felt Levi glance at him before he said, “I like cooking as well, and tea.”
Ignis smiled at that, his teeth showing. “We have rather more in common than it seems,” he said, looking back at Levi.
“All right,” Nel said, now that their parts had all been spoken. “Everyone grab a drink, we're going to play Never Have I Ever.”
The other two were boys. Bert was almost of a height with Gladio, though his build was more akin to Ignis's own, and his slightly musical accent was difficult to discern behind his reclusive nature and tendency to clam up when spoken to. The final one was Yylfordt, whose twin had moved in to the dormitory above. Blond hair and just an inch taller than Ignis, he was broad shouldered, green eyed, and far too confident for Ignis's taste.
Ignis had spent his second day trailing around the local town taking applications for weekend jobs, and cleaning one of the two ovens while Levi tackled the other. On his third day he'd filled out as many applications as he could. He'd started out perched at the desk in his room, but when he'd left to furnish himself with a cup of coffee he'd run into Levi who was in the process of making himself tea.
“Do you only drink coffee?” he'd asked, and Ignis heard the note of disapproving judgement.
Ignis had glanced at his well used carafe and mug, and then over at the porcelain teacup Levi was preparing to use before he'd answered, “I can't say I've ever taken to tea.” He felt the second Levi's eyes landed on him, peering at him out of the corner of his vision, and judging him accordingly. “It tasted rather like the leftover water after steaming vegetables when I tried it.”
“Then you haven't tried good tea,” Levi said.
Ignis flashed Levi a brief smile before he retorted, “I can't say I was in a hurry to try it a second time.”
“I'll make you some,” Levi said, bluntly, stating a fact rather than making an offer. “Sit down.”
“That isn't necessary,” Ignis began to protest.
“Sit down.”
Ignis sighed. Clearly Levi was hell-bent on proving a point, that point apparently being that the only reason someone might dislike tea was because they'd only had bad tea. Ignis tended to feel the same way about coffee, but he also recognised that while he enjoyed the mix of bitter and smooth flavours, and the dark aroma of a well brewed coffee, other people's preferences varied. He drank his coffee strong, black, and unsweetened, a fact which put him at odds with the majority of his generation who held a fondness for Starbucks and their speciality line of vaguely coffee flavoured drinkable desserts.
It wasn't that it wasn't coffee, necessarily, it was just that when you added things to a simple coffee to make it into a caramel mochaccino you were left barely able to taste the coffee at all. It was coffee for those that didn't really like coffee.
Still, he sat, since at worst Levi was about to inflict upon him stewed leaf juice, and at best Ignis might at last find an appreciation for the drink of his countrymen. He watched as Levi worked, scalding the pot before he set the leaves to brew. It wasn't a teabag, Ignis noted. Levi used an actual diffuser, and the pot, which looked to be plain ceramic, was pristine white.
“Did you purchase these especially?” he asked, as Levi made his way over to the dining table with his teapot and cup.
“The teapot was mine anyway,” he said, setting it down carefully. “The cup was a gift.”
Ignis couldn't help the rise of his eyebrow. “From whom?”
“My boss,” Levi answered, without bothering to look up and catch sight of Ignis's surprise. “I worked in a teashop during my A levels.” That, Ignis thought, explained the love of tea. “It was my leaving gift.”
And that explained why the teapot looked plain and rather standard, and yet the cup Levi clearly favoured was of a porcelain so fine that the light glowed softly through it. “You must have been a popular employee,” he said.
“I was good at what I did,” Levi answered.
“Modest, too,” Ignis pointed out, with a faint smirk. “Perhaps you can give me some pointers?” he ventured, giving Levi another look. “I have a couple of applications to complete for coffee shops. What are they looking for that one wouldn't assume?”
Punctuality, flexibility, enthusiasm for the product, that all went without saying. Obviously in a cash handling position one had to be trustworthy, and you also had to be quick with figures and at taking orders, but these roles would be in high demand with the rapidly increasing student population, and anything that would give Ignis an edge over the other applications would be helpful.
Levi didn't answer at first, instead intent upon pouring the brewed tea, first into Ignis's mug, and then into his own cup. He set the pot down before he said, “Customers are shitheads. You need to be able to handle all of them with a smile and not let the bigger shitheads get to you.”
Ignis tried to picture Levi smiling. Somehow, between his small, weary eyes, and permanently flat expression, he couldn't conjure it. Levi didn't come across as a natural smiler. “And you were able to do that?”
“Better than you think,” Levi replied, as if he was reading Ignis's mind. “You can be planning fifty ways to kill someone, including jumping over the counter and force feeding him your apron until he chokes, so long as you don't let it show.”
Ignis frowned into his mug, watching the swirling pattern of light on the water's surface. The tea was more of a deep red than a brown, and it smelled rich and slightly fruity. “Is it really that bad?” he asked, suddenly unsure of how he'd manage to maintain a job if he loathed it, but needed it as he did.
Levi shrugged. “I enjoyed it,” he admitted, “but some customers can eat shit. Be ready for it and you'll be fine.”
Ignis hummed thoughtfully. “Thank you,” he said. He'd have to consider how to apply his experiences to conflict resolution, and maintaining a public facade. “That's actually helpful.”
“Now try the tea,” Levi said.
Ignis did, and found it didn't really taste as it smelled. There was a distinct aroma, and it was more palatable than the first time he'd tried tea. It certainly wasn't the stewed leaf leftovers he'd tried last time. It was not, however, going to replace his fondness for coffee.
That weekend, true to their promise, Gladio and Nel conspired to draw the dormitory together for a small party. Ignis debated whether he should wear something nice, having not been to any kind of party since he was very young. Back then he'd been dressed in a bow-tie and short trousers, with shined shoes, and his hair combed back.
He doubted that Gladio or Nel intended on that sort of formal tone. Pizzas and drinks they'd said; certainly nothing that would warrant a tie, so Ignis changed his shirt and brushed his hair before putting in an appearance.
He'd met the others of the dormitory individually, either as they'd moved in or through chance encounters soon thereafter. It was the first time he'd seen them all together. Someone had music playing through their phone, a steady thrum of guitars and vocals that Ignis didn't recognise but that wasn't so loud as to be a hindrance to conversation. There were four pizza boxes laid out on the table, and, Ignis was glad to see, paper plates next to them. There were also two cases of beer, one of them opened. Gladio, wearing a vest top that showed his highly muscled arms, was leaning back in one of the lounge chairs, eating a slice of pizza with one hand. Nel was perched on another of the chairs, drinking from a bottle of beer with a plate and a couple of slices of pizza balanced on her lap. She was talking animatedly to Apache, who was replying around a mouthful of pizza.
Yylfordt was leaning over Annie, a beer in one hand. It looked, to Ignis, although he'd admit that he wasn't an expert in the matter, as if he was very interested in her. Annie, conversely, looked as if she'd rather be chatted up by a slug. Her arms were folded across her chest, and there was a defiant streak to her stance that suggested backing up, and soon, was in Yylfordt's best interests.
“Hey, Iggy,” Gladio said, waving his drink in greeting. “Help yourself.”
Iggy. Ignis had never had a nickname, certainly not once you considered that 'speccy-four-eyes' didn't count. He wasn't sure he wanted one now, either, but correcting Gladio in front of everyone might be rude, especially when he wasn't sure who had paid for the pizza and drinks. “Thank you,” he said, avoiding the beer to claim for himself a slice of pizza. The toppings slid as he pulled at the slice, and the cheese stretched, so he transferred it onto a plate before taking it to the lounge area. “No one's ever called me that before,” he said, when he got nearer Gladio.
“Really?” Gladio asked, watching Ignis as he pulled one of the dining chairs over so he could take a seat. “What do people call you then?”
“Ignis, usually,” Ignis replied. Nerd and four eyes were also options, but he wasn't about to admit to those here and now.
“Huh,” Gladio replied, looking momentarily thoughtful. Then he gestured ahead of himself with his bottle. “You met?”
Ignis looked at Bert, who looked, with his plate of pizza and his bottle of beer, as if he'd rather be in his room. “Briefly,” he answered.
Bert looked up at him, a look that was something akin to a deer in headlights mixed with terminal embarrassment. “Yeah,” he said, “you were cooking.”
Ignis flashed Bert a smile. He'd been quiet when Ignis had met him, content to give Ignis his space while he was busy, and not make conversation. Ignis had taken a liking to him instantly as a result. “I apologise if I seemed to be ignoring you,” he said, “I tend to get absorbed when I cook.”
“What were you making?” Gladio asked, looking up at Ignis. The light caught his eyes, making the deep brown look almost amber for a moment.
“Galette jambon oeuf,” Ignis answered, with a smile.
“I know enough French to know that's something with ham and egg,” Gladio said. “What's galette?”
“A savoury crepe,” Ignis answered, unable to help his smile widening. Gladio was a personable sort, and he seemed to take a genuine interest in what he asked about.
“It looked good,” Bert supplied, his small smile flashing at Ignis.
“I'll make enough to go around next time,” Ignis said. “Crepes can be tricky, I wasn't sure I'd get them right.”
The door to the kitchen opened, and Levi sauntered in. He helped himself to a beer without waiting for anyone to tell him to, popping the top off with the bottle opener lying on the table. Ignis watched him peer at the pizzas for a moment before he made his way over towards Ignis, Gladio, and Bert. Ignis felt the silent greeting in Levi making eye contact, but he gave no other outward signs that he knew anyone.
“Okay,” Nel said, moving from conversation to addressing the room, “we're all here.” She flashed a smile at Gladio, which Gladio returned. They definitely, Ignis thought, had the more forthright personalities of the group, and had slipped into the roles of leaders, at least for the day. “Time to introduce ourselves,” she said. “I'm Nel, I'm a first year doing English literature, and I like reading, obviously, and nights with the girls.”
The room went quiet, save for the music changing tracks, and it seemed to be a race to be the last volunteer to provide their own basic information. After a few seconds, the next person spoke, “Call me Apache,” she said. “I'm doing electrical engineering, and I like,” Ignis caught the slight pause as she cast around and settled on, “beer and pizza,” with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Who doesn't?” Yylfordt asked, launching a grin at Apache. He leaned away from Annie as he straightened up. “My turn,” he said, “I'm Yylfordt, I like beer and pizza, and I'm studying aeronautics.”
“Your brother lives upstairs, doesn't he?” Gladio asked, his deep voice clear but kind.
Yylfordt, however, frowned, squirming slightly. “Szayel, yeah,” he said, as if this fact caused him some embarrassment. “I'm gonna say sorry now if you run into him.”
“Why?” Ignis asked, curiosity piqued. At least one of them had to have requested the same type of dormitory as the other for them to be situated so close, and yet Yylfordt acted as if that request certainly hadn't come from him.
Yylfordt scowled down at his beer as if doing so would force it to answer for him. “You'll find out if you meet him,” he said, evasively.
“So what about you?” Nel asked, dragging the subject back on track by looking directly at Ignis.
Ignis disliked being put on the spot, but given the environment it was an inevitability he might as well get on with. “I'm studying political science,” he said. “My name's Ignis, although I believe I've met you all at least once. As for my likes,” he hesitated, trying to think of an appropriate answer, “I suppose I rather enjoy cooking.”
“Fancy French stuff, from the sound of it,” said Gladio, flashing a smile at Ignis over the rim of his beer bottle.
Ignis hoped that the feeling of his cheeks heating up was due to the warmth in the room and not because he was actually blushing. He wasn't accustomed to talking about himself, and it left him feeling exposed to every set of eyes in the room. “Not necessarily,” he defended, “I'll cook almost anything I have ingredients for.”
“You might have to show us some things,” Nel said, with a smile that sent a deeper flush through Ignis's cheeks. “Some people,” she jabbed her finger repeatedly at Gladio, “think they can survive a year on takeaway pizza and pot noodles.”
Ignis turned his attention to Gladio, unable to help the disapproving frown and downward cast of his eyebrows. Gladio sat up straighter and turned to Nel, “Hey, I can cook just fine on a barbecue, I just don't do fancy stuff.”
“Don't worry,” Nel said, soothingly enough to veer into patronising, “Ignis and I will make sure you don't die of malnutrition.”
There was a snort from somewhere to Ignis's left, and he looked over to see Apache smirking into her hand. Her shoulders shook in silence.
“You can get your own pizzas next time,” Gladio grumbled, tipping his bottle of beer towards Nel before he took a drink. “Okay, I'm Gladio, I'm here doing Business Management, and I happen to like pot noodles,” he added, giving Ignis a pointed glance before he shrugged his huge shoulders. “I go camping in summer, too.”
“In a tent, or a caravan?” Yylfordt asked, looking interested.
“It's not really camping in a caravan,” Gladio answered. Ignis could hear the faintly dismissive tone, and well reigned in judgement in the response. “I like to be out in nature.”
“And there's nothing more natural than sleeping on the floor under some canvas,” Levi intoned. Ignis glanced at him; he didn't know if Levi disapproved or not, his delivery was unreadably passionless.
“No,” Gladio said, although it sounded like he was agreeing, “sleeping under the stars, at one with nature, what's not to like?”
“Mud,” Levi answered.
“Spiders,” Nel added, with a smile.
Apache looked at Nel and said, “Earwigs.”
“I've never been camping,” Ignis admitted, “so I couldn't say.”
Gladio shook his head. “I'll take all of you camping with me sometime. You'll love it.”
“It's all right if you've got a decent tent,” Yylfordt said, “but it sucks if it rains.”
Bert shifted, and Ignis felt the room fall quiet as it waited for him to speak up. “We used to go camping when I was little,” he said, his eyes downcast so that he wasn't addressing anyone in particular. “It's not that bad.”
Gladio flashed Bert a smile that could have lit the room. “See,” he said, “someone agrees with me.” Bert shrank in on himself a little bit, an impressive feat for someone well over six feet tall, and gave Gladio a soft smile in response. “So,” Gladio prompted, “what are you studying?”
Bert's cheeks coloured as he was put on the spot, and Ignis suddenly realised that his own shyness wasn't anywhere near as bad as this. “Architecture,” he answered, after a few awkward seconds. “I like reading, too,” he added. “You can call me Bert. Everyone does.”
“What do you read?” Gladio asked, resting one elbow up on the back of his chair and taking another drink from his bottle.
Bert shifted slightly in his chair. “Anything,” he admitted, quietly. “I just like to read.”
Gladio gave him another one of those grins that brightened the room and told him, “If you like historical fiction, I've got some you can borrow.”
Bert's face flushed pink as he stammered out a, “Thank you.”
Apache strode around the collection of seats and made her way to the pizza and drinks. Ignis watched her drain the last of her beer before setting the empty bottle down on the table and picking up a fresh one. Instead of picking up the bottle opener she rested the ridge of the cap on the edge of the table and then gave it a smack. There was a metallic clink as the bottle top flew off and landed on the floor, and Apache took another drink before she helped herself to another slice of pizza.
On the other side of Ignis, Nel was asking Annie to give her introductions. Annie stood, further away from Yylfordt now, her arms still folded across her chest, leaning back against a wall. “It's Annie,” she said. “I'm studying Anthropology, and I do Muay Thai in my spare time.”
“Ooh,” Nel said, her interest obviously piqued. “Have you been doing it long?”
Annie remained impassive as she answered, “Since I was a kid.”
“Pick that up,” Levi said, his attention fixed on Apache.
Apache looked at him like she'd stepped in something unexpected. She was shorter than Levi, Ignis realised, but it was only a couple of inches difference. “Why?”
“We all have to live here,” Levi answered, flatly, “the least you could do is pick up your own mess.”
“The place is gonna be messier than this by the end of the night,” Apache replied, ignoring Levi and making her way back to reclaim her chair. She took a bite of pizza, and added, “Relax,” around the mouthful.
Ignis glanced at Levi and saw him winding up for a comment. If they started arguing this early in their time together, it didn't bode well for group harmony over the rest of the year. Which was why Ignis got up and moved over to the table. He spotted the bottle cap on the floor, where it had rolled underneath, and he bent to retrieve it. “It's fine,” he said, addressing the comment to Levi as he dropped it in the box containing the bottles. When they were empty it would be discarded with them.
“Are you going to pick up after her all year?” Levi asked, his voice still flat but there was a harder edge to his tone and the look in his eyes.
“It's a bottle top,” Apache pointed out, her voice rising. “Speccy moved it. What's the problem?”
Speccy? Ignis frowned. First Iggy, and now Speccy; he'd gained two unwanted nicknames in a day. “Levi does have a point,” Ignis answered, “we should be showing due consideration to each other while we share living quarters.”
Apache huffed, but was cut off before she could reply by Gladio.
“They're right,” he said. “Let's not trash the place, we all have to live here.”
Apache gave a more dramatic huff and rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said, endeavouring to be dismissive.
“Ground rules are a good idea,” Annie said, her budding conversation with Nel having been brought to a halt by the rising tension in the room. “The rest of us won't pick up after one or two people.”
“One or two people shouldn't pick up after the rest,” Levi said, his mouth turned in a faint scowl.
“So we all agree to keep the place tidy,” Nel chipped in, “and clean up after ourselves?”
“Fine with me,” Yylfordt said. Bert nodded his head in agreement, but didn't speak up.
“Fine,” Apache said, sounding like a scolded child. “I'll fucking pick it up next time.”
“Which just leaves Levi,” Nel said, changing the subject back to the introductions with a smile and a cheery voice.
Levi scowled, but said, “I'm doing Physics.” Ignis tried not to react with surprise at that information. Levi didn't look like what you pictured when you imagined a physicist, but then, none of them looked much like the stereotypes of their subjects. He felt Levi glance at him before he said, “I like cooking as well, and tea.”
Ignis smiled at that, his teeth showing. “We have rather more in common than it seems,” he said, looking back at Levi.
“All right,” Nel said, now that their parts had all been spoken. “Everyone grab a drink, we're going to play Never Have I Ever.”
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Glad to see Levi getting in there and shouting at people about mess early. XD At least Nel's a good mediator.
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I hope Annie punches Yylfordt. 8D And I hope someone becomes quiet friends with Bertie, poor bab.
Also please write the Never Have I Ever game omg