Reading on the Roof

[applepielover]

Lucy (she refused to call herself that awful name Mariam) laid stomach down on the roof of the schoolhouse. She had somehow gotten herself up there and forgot how. This being her first time up here, she didn''t worry about remembering the details at this very moment. Besides she was too busy reading her book. She had just started reading it yesterday and she was already sucked into the story.

Then she heard something. Hopefully it was just paranoia. Just to be safe she carefully eased her way to the edge of the roof and took a look around. Seeing nothing she slid herself back to her book and scanned the page trying to find her place.

((ooc: The title sucks, couldn't think of anything else))

[Bunny]

OOC: Oh, I think the title tells it like it is. xD Don't sweat it.

IC:

John Peters didn't think that he bothered anyone. He was a boy of simple tastes. All he asked was that people know their place, treat him with the respect usually reserved for He Who Walks Behind the Rows himself as the guy who did frickin' everything. He swore up and down that he spent eight hours a day in the fields, sixteen hours a day on his knees praying to the Lord, four hours a day scrubbing the boys Communal Home, nine hours a day making sure that the younger children were being raised correctly, and seven hours patrolling the border of Gatlin to make sure no outlanders had invaded.

Critics often said, with blatant disrespect, that it was shocking that in his forty-six hour day he was able to manage to find time for sleeping, eating, complaining, amassing a large base of friends, and courting some of the prettier girls, and, generally, spending 24 hours a day doing nothing. But, they were being disrespectful, and John Peters didn't feel the need to acknowledge them. Or the fact that there were only 24 hours in a day.

Anyways, after breaking his back subduing Malachai from the whole-assasination-plot thing (funny how Isaac awarded Damon for assistance but not John Peters. But Isaac always sided with not-John), he knew he deserved some rest.

But, lo and behold, someone was in his favorite napping spot. Reading. And they likely weren't reading the Lord's word. But he didn't bother with that, for once. Instead he just called with the respect that he felt deserving of someone like that, "So, how long you going to be doing that, you slothful infidel?"

OOC: >.> Be warned. John Peters is a bit of a jerk.

[applepielover]

Reading quietly, Lucy was barely paying attention to her surroundings. Assuming no one would come up there she fully let her guard down. Her assumptions were completely shattered when she heard someone call out.

For a split second her heart felt like it had jumped out of place nearly escaping her chest. “I,” She yelped and clumsily jumped to her feet only to fall back on her butt. She held the book against her chest with her arms covering it. She appeared to be trying to hide the book which she sort of was, but mainly she just wanted to stop her heart from beating so fast.

She glanced at the person who had caught her, but quickly looked back down. “I, uh...” Her voice cracked and she couldn't finish. She didn't have anything to finish. What could she say? She was caught.

[Bunny]

John Peters sniffed indignantly. "That's not an answer," he growled, lumbering forward a few more steps so as to better leer over the younger, still reclined, girl. He was widely agreed to be a smaller specimen then most seventeen-year-olds, so when he got the chance to throw his height around he seized it with glee. "I asked you a question. Just answer it. I'm just trying to conversate with you!"

With that bastardization of the word 'conversation' still hanging in the air, he switched tracks, curiosity now getting the better of him. "What are you reading, anyway?"

[applepielover]

Despite the pain in her tail bone Lucy slid back away from the approaching figure. She opened her mouth to say something. She searched her mind for something. There were a lot of choices, but none she would actually consider saying out loud. With her mouth still agape she drew in a sharp breath.

Now he wanted to know what she was reading? He was patronizing her this whole time (If that was even the right word). Do to fear of getting into more trouble if she didn't, she decided to answer him. She removed the book from chest just realizing she had lost her page. “Lord of the Flies... by William Golding.” She answered with a sigh.

[Bunny]

"Lord of the Flies?" John repeated deadpan. He shifted his weight to one leg, one hand falling femininely upon his hip. "Well, I guess that makes sense, what with you being the Queen of the Flies and all. Look, you never answered my first question - what's wrong with you?" He went on, not bothering to explain his superfluous insult to the recipient or even to himself. "I clearly want to use your spot, and I don't know how much clearer to make it. A normal person would have already told me how long they plan to read there, which, I might add, is an activity that you can perform anywhere."

OOC: Meh post. Sorries. My internet is being really quirky and who knows how long it will want to stay up? >.>

[applepielover]

Lucy resisted the urge to laugh at what seemed like a half hearted attempt at an insult. Still she couldn't help but grin. It only lasted less than two seconds before she went back to a straight face. “You could of just said so,” She picked herself up and shoved her book into the front pocket of her dress. “and you should know reading anything other than scripture is forbidden. It can't be done just anywhere. And I can't help but to inquire what you plan on doing here that you can't do just anywhere.”

((ooc: Eh it's fine. I've had problems with my internet too. It seems fine at the moment though))

[Bunny]

The women-folk, particularly the youngest women-folk, were getting very uppity recently. First Zipporah, then Joan, and now Mariam. John Peters clenched his teeth and snarled, "That's not of your business. Why do you have such an attitude? I asked you what you were doing with respect and dignity, and you don't even have the decency to return it." Or rather, John Peters had asked her with all the respect that he had thought that she deserved. And. being that not only was she was girl but a young, lazy one at that, and therefore by definition his inferior, he frankly didn't think that she deserved much.

[applepielover]

Now she was sure Isaac would be told about this incident. John Peters didn't seem like the type to do favors or keep secrets. “I gave what I was given.” She felt like screaming various indecent words and phrases, but settled for being snide. “I'm not sure what your definition of respect is, but I bet it's wrong.” She began looking over the edges of the roof. “Instead of politely asking me for this spot you rudely tried to scare me off and don't deny it.” Lucy was getting a bit too bold. She wasn't good at holding her tongue which is why she was better off away from everyone else. “Then there was that intended insult, which might I add was hilariously unachieved.”

[Bunny]

John Peters visibly flinched at the Mariam's sharp tongue. He hadn't actually expected the little nit to prove to be such a firecracker - or rather, notice his poorly executed insult.

She had warned him not to deny it. But frankly, he wasn't about to admit wrongdoing. If he did, the little thing would actually have a grain of truth to tell Isaac when she went crying to him. And she would. They always did. And Isaac would side with her, like he sided with all the younger children.

Actually, Isaac sided with anyone who wasn't John. He knew it, he just didn't have any proof. But why else would the boy preacher never sympathize with him? Obviously it meant that the kid was biased. After all, John was always right. How infallible could the kid be if he couldn't even recognize that?

"Insult?" His hands dropped to his side and he straightened as though gravely insulted. "I didn't insult you. You're just perceiving things that aren't there. Like you perceive my rudeness." He rolled his eyes. Everyone always claimed that he was rude, just to get him in trouble. "I was perfectly polite. Choose your battles. Just go." He waved her away, but then stopped, his hand still in the air. "I guess you have to go run off and cry to Isaac that John was mean to you, eh?" A little reverse psychology never hurt anyone. And John Peters had once, before the purging, skimmed a page of a psychology book. As far as he was concerned, that made him an expert.

[applepielover]

Lucy saw a wooden crate against the side of the schoolhouse. It was far down, but she was sure she could lower herself and land on it. She sat at the edge with her legs dangling over. “I must be off now, but if you care to explain how 'Queen of the Flies' wasn't indented as an insult then go on. I'll stay and listen, for a laugh on my way back.”

John Peters was officially dubbed crazy in her book, but he was also entertaining to her. It was amazing how fast she had gone from being scared to having fun playing a 'game'. She purposely left out whether she was going to tell Isaac anything. Truthfully this small incident wasn't worth bothering him with. She just wanted to see if John would go crazy (or crazier) not knowing if he was in trouble or not.

[Bunny]

John Peters' response was quick, defensive, and, by any rational person's measurements, insane. "Damn, you're stupid!" he gasped, widening his eyes for emphasis. "I called you a queen. How could calling a girl a queen be considered wrong?" He crossed his arms in a satisfied way. He certainly wanted her gone so that he could claim his nap, but he needed to cover all of his bases. Isaac was in a foul mood today, what with all the Hemingford Heists and the assassination attempts, and the blue-woman's invasion. The boy-preacher was probably on a hair-trigger. He didn't need little Mariam to go and squeeze it.

[applepielover]

That response caused Lucy to burst with laughter. The shrill noise could break glass. She was laughing so hard she nearly slipped over the roof's edge. She saw that explanation coming from a mile away. She had hoped for something a tad more clever, but this was John Peters she was talking to.

Her laughter died down, but she giggled through her next statement. “Of course I just perceived it wrong.” She rolled herself on her stomach and eased her way down until only her hands were left holding onto the roof. Then she let go and landed on the crate. All this was done with a smile on her face. She had invented a new game for herself. The John Peters' game. He was now her 'friend'. “Bye, Johnny. Expect another visit soon.” She said to confirm to him that they were now 'friends' whether he liked it or not. And with that she leaped off the crate and ran to wherever it was she was going to next.

[Bunny]

"Hey, don't run away when someone is --- " John Peters broke off from his entirely 'justified' reprimand when he saw that the other girl had fled the scene. He shook his head with disdain before flopping himself down onto the nook that he had just quarreled for. He muttered some inventive profanity and made some derogatory remarks over the young girl's looks and intelligence as he laced his hands across his stomach and settled in for the nap he deserved.

Whatever. Rude or not, at least the girl had finally left and got him what he wanted.