Post-Boys'-Club-meets-Cal, and after Cal and Atlas have gotten into not one but two physical altercations, Jasper decides to attempt peacemaking via dinner party. Fun with Caroline, Lee, and Sam IM RP ensues.




Jas: *opens the door for Cal* Cheers, come on up, he's already here.
Cal: *about to embrace, as usual, but stops, looks suspicious* Who? You didn't invite Mont again, did you?
Jas: No, not Mont.
Jas: Hurry up, the soup will be cold. *tugs him up the stairs
Cal: ... Dorian? *follows*
Cal: .... /Atlas/. *death glare*
Jas: Mhh..*they reach the dining room
Jas: I thought it would do you both good to meet under....civil circumstances.
Atlas: *looks up, frowns looks at jasper* Think your cute do you?
Cal: He does.
Jas: I am.
Cal: *starts to turn around to leave*
Jas: *grabs him by the arm and steers him to a chair* Sit down, there's lobster.
Atlas: Yup, fresh from under the floor boards.
Cal: I thought you had Vietnam-esque flashbacks in response to lobster. *pointedly ignores Atlas*
Jas: Atlas brought them over. If you're lucky I'll chuck one into the fireplace by the end of the night.
Jas: I'm going to get the soup, why don't you two try to be nice to one another? Who knows, you might have fun.
Atlas: I have severe doubts as to the truth of that statement.
Atlas: Still, could be worse, you could be trying to set me up again. *looks pointedly at Jasper*
Cal: *folds arms, glares* ... what?
Cal: Unsuccessfully, I imagine. You...
Jas: *returns with soup* She was a lovely girl, Atlas. I can't help it that you thought she was a cleverly disguised Gorgon.
Cal: *snorts into his napkin*
Jas: *takes napkin and flicks it at his face* Nice, Ferox. Be nice.
Atlas: Oh, is he house trained as well?
Atlas: Follows simple commands?
Jas: You too, Caedmon.
Atlas: Invoking the last name. Very well then. Cal, *flexes wrist* hows the wrist?
Cal: I hate you.
Jas: Now, I think you two have some...unresolved tension.
Jas: Cal seems to be expressing that sentiment, anyhow.
Cal: It's /fine/. You hardly managed to do real damage. How's the face?
Cal: Apart from 'hideous.'
Atlas: *at jasper, ignoring cal* are you playing at being a mediator?
Jas: Well, it's that or hear about your biweekly scuffles.
Cal: *attempts to stab his soup with a spoon; fails*
Atlas: *at cal* Tattle tale
Cal: Are you serious, Caedmon?
Jas: Hey! I stole that china from Holyrood, be careful.
Atlas: I could try and make them more entertaining Jasper, do something with swords maybe?
Cal: Who's this Rood fellow?
Cal: I've taken fencing lessons. I approve.
Jas: *sighs* It's a castle in Sco-- that's entirely beside the point.
Jas: And I don't have any swords.
Atlas: I do
Cal: Atlas-- right.
Jas: *mutters* Like children....
Cal: And apparently the lobster bandits are a thing of the past?
Atlas: Never, like the roaches of the wizarding word. you think you have them, then they pop round and steal your notes
Jas: See, there you go. Bond over vermin.
Jas: Cal, you can tell him about Pinkie Pie.
Cal: I'm sure Rudolph has told him all about the creature.
Atlas: *sips soup* not in so many words...very limited words actually. Though he did ask my to get him a saddle....
Jas: Somehow I doubt Rudoplh conveys the finer points. His verbal acuity leaves much to be desired...
Cal: He's hardly had an apt tutor.
Cal: Incidentally, he was riding the Pink Menace the other night, Jasper. I shut the curtains.
Jas; *pointed look of disapproval* Oh?
Atlas: It was a play date, he needs to make friends out of the house. And Arty won't let him come round anymore
Atlas: Something about feminine modesty
Jas: Shame, they seemed to have such a lovely time at dinner...*smirks*
Atlas; til he offered his finger as a fondue rod
Jas: Ohh...I think she tried to tell me about that, but it just came out as this incoherent gargle of rage, so I left."
Cal: It sounds like a thrilling date.
Jas: I've been on stranger, sadly.
Atlas: *watches cal* You should ask him about them sometime cal
Cal: You should try not to bait people sometime, Caedmon.
Jas: *shrugs* Sometimes one has to do...unusual things in the name of stealing priceless artifacts.
Atlas: Its the little things in life that please me Cal.
Cal: Sadist.
Atlas*sidelong look* Jasper she was russian...and old enough to be your mother
Atlas: Pot Kettle Cal
Jas: Oh, you were thinking of that one....
Cal: Actually, I'm a maso--what?
Jas: Time for lobster! *disappears into kitchen*
Atlas: soo....*looks at cal* this is all very domestic
Atlas: Do you two do this often? *watching kitchen door*
Cal: *leans across the table to Atlas* Tomorrow, I'm going to rearrange your face. Very domestic.
Atlas: Promises pormises
Jas: I can hear you both.
Cal: If by 'do this' you mean 'have dinner with unwanted guests,' no.
Atlas: *points to self* invited.Lured actually....
Jas: *sits back down* Now now, you lot, play nicely or no dessert.
Cal: *quietly* If by 'do this' you mean 'have dinner, pleasantly, together...' I said unwanted, Caedmon, not uninvited.
Cal: Unless it's poptarts, I don't much care.
Jas: *acidly* It's cake.
Atlas: *Perks*
Atlas: Cal, those things will kill you, nothing but complex sugars, and antetonin for mind control.
Cal: Ah, then tell me, is it transfigured from poptarts, or from that woman's shop?
Jas: Daphne made it specially, I told her you liked chocolate and Atlas liked cake.
Cal: Better a slow death by complex sugar than....
Cal: Let me clarify. I like chocolate and privacy. *kicks Jasper under the table*
Jas: *kicks him back, significantly harder*
Atlas: *looks under table* Jasper, there are people you can talk to about this. You don't have to take the abuse
Cal: Oh, shut /up/, Caedmon.
Jas: You two are a bad influence on me, I never resorted to physical violence before this.
Cal: You of all people should start to comprehend the nuances of sadomasochism.
Cal: *blush, ducks to dismember lobster, violently*
Jas: I can't imagine why you'd say that..
Jas; *stabs a knife through his lobster*
Cal: Actually, I was talking to Atlas.
Atlas: *breaks off tail* Whatever do you mean Cal?
Cal: *rubs wrist, pointedly*
Cal: So who's this Margot creature?
Atlas: *mildly* self defense. *eats lobster*
Jas: Margot?
Atlas: *pauses, momentary panic*
Jas: Come on then, tell us.
Atlas: *at cal* to the bottom of the barrel are you? *Glance at Jasper* a buisness associate, *akward pause* Shes...staying at the house while she does some research.
Cal: 'Business associate,' that sounds familiar, doesn't it, Jas?
Jas: Business associate? That all?
Jas: I can't believe I'm incriminating myself this way, but it rather does.
Cal: I think he already knows, Jasper. *acidly*
Jas: Right, I'm still getting used to that.
Atlas: Does he pay you then? *nibbles claw*
Cal: Right. *starts out of chair*
Jas: Cal--
Cal: He's behaving hideously, Jasper, isn't it obvious?
Jas: I'd say neither of you is doing well.
Jas: And for the record Atlas, /no/.
Atlas: Noted. My apologies Cal.
Cal: *sits down, grinding jaw, muttering* Thanks.
Atlas: *Shifty look between them*
Jas: Really. No.
Cal: *lobster is in bits*
Jas: *tries to steer conversation away before Cal starts throwing bits of shell at Atlas* So, Atlas, how is, er--your research on Made in Taiwan?
Atlas: *sets down fork* Lamentably unfruitful. Apollo came in the other day claiming to have information. Her mark was upon his boot, I popped down to the shop he said he got it from. They looked at me as if I had two heads.
Jas: *secretly pleased* I'm sorry to hear that.
Cal: *snorts* Sounds useful.
Atlas: *shurg* its a slow process. It'll be worth it in the end...I did find something interesting though, about your boots Jasper
Jas: *nervously* Oh?
Atlas: Apparently during the 60s, G Harrison was a musician in London. I haven't found any of his tracks, but I'm sure if I find them and play them backwards, something will reveal itself
Atlas: *sips water*
Jas: Oh, was he? Wait, I remember something--
Cal: *buries his face in his hands*
Jas: Oh right, if you play his music, your head explodes.
Jas: It's why he enver became famous.
Atlas: *blinks* hmm...have to find another way Cal: I think Atlas should listen to some, then.
Cal: Surely he'd be immune. Shall I get the next course?
Atlas: *frowns*
Atlas: So cal...what have you been up to lately?
Jas: By all means, it's warming in the oven.
Cal: *ignores Atlas question, touches Jasper's hand on his way into the kitchen, then hides there for a good five minutes*
Atlas: *points at Jasper* Do you remeber in 3rd year? When they gave you detention because you called Molly Simms a pin head.
Atlas: *waves hand around the room* Hes Molly Simms and I am in the 3rd circle of hell
Jas: She was an idiot. She tried to tell me Girls Aloud was a better band than the Sex Pistols.
Jas: wait, are we talking about the same person?
Atlas: *rolls eyes* Unless she had a twin...which would have been dreadful. Imagine two of them with the same face....*shudder*
Jas: Oh, God--
Jas: When Cal comes back, try to be a bit nice, okay? I know it's hard...
Cal: (in the kitchen, is pounding his head against the icebox rhythmically)
Jas: Where is he anyhow? Probably burying poptarts in the sugar again.
Atlas:*sigh*
Jas: Have you got any conspiracy theories about where those things came from? I could buy into that.
Atlas: Jasper...hes in your house. He knows where the sugar is...this is domestic.
Jas: *hunted look* He seeks places to hide them, I found them inside one of my books one time, he'd cut the pages out--
Atlas: Pop tarts? Some dimensional rift thing *splays fingers together for emphasis* they pull them out of hte void and give them to muggle children to make them dumb
Atlas: *looks toward kitchen* has a similar effect on adults
Jas: He's brilliant, you know. You two could get along if you tried.
Atlas: Which book...?
Cal: *returned with plates of steak* It was only a first-year spellbook.
Cal: I have too much respect for-- *pretends he hasn't heard any of preceding conversation*
Jas: I found the ones in Ulysses as well.
Jas: Good riddance that.
Cal: James Joyce is an abomination.
Atlas: I kicked his grave over once...
Jas: See, we can all agree on something.
Atlas: Muggle Irish authorities didn't take well to it...Jasper had to bail me out.
Jas: It was worth the five hundred pounds.
Cal: Jasper! How kind. You shouldn't have.
Cal: ... really. You shouldn't have.
Jas: Atlas has bailed me out...at least fourteen times. It was the least I could do.
Atlas: 15 and a half, *coughs* Barcelona
Jas; Oh...*shudders*
Jas: I'd tried to forget--
Atlas: We all did...especially that squid
Cal: Please recount.
Jas: I still can't eat calamari.
Cal: Seafood is problematic for you, isn't it?
Jas: I seem to have a poor track record
Cal: So you've been arrested... forty-three times? I lose track...
Jas; So've I.
Jas: I used to be much more...larcenous.
Jas: Before the shop.
Atlas: *tsk* You just liked to show off
Jas: I needed money to buy the place.
Atlas: If you didn't know will you'd be in azkaban now.
Cal: *subsides into awkward silence, feels left out, gets a bit pouty*
tlas: *looks at Jasper and sighs* So Cal
Cal: No.
Atlas: Any...relationship *swallows* with Jasper involves criminal activity....any capers to detail?
Jas: Cal displays an...alarming propensity for disarming alarms.
Cal: No. *cuts steak viciously, looks at Jasper, then sighs and looks at Atlas* ... right. Yeah. Cambridge.
Jas: That was such a fun day.
Atlas: *hands folded* Cambridge?
Cal: Though talking of arrest....
Cal: I thought Will's brother would have been more inclined to let you out, but at least he saw reason at last.
Atlas: *shock* Will has a brother?
Jas: I knew I'd get off, Will never lets me down.
Cal: *coughs violently*
Jas: You alright?
Atlas: *sarcasm*Leave him, he has to learn.
Cal: What is /that/ supposed to mean, Caedmon?
Jas: Oh, that was sad. I didn't even intend the pun.
Atlas: Roll on snare drum *mimics motion* and see cal your fine.
Atlas: How is Will? Haven't seen him since Towel Gate
Jas: He's *thinks back to previous encounter* fine.
Cal: 'Towel Gate'?
Cal: *stares at Jasper*
Atlas: I could call it your unveiling if you perfer
Cal: Jasper, please let me hit him."
Jas: Absolutely not.
Jas: If onyl because he will snap you like a twiglet, much to my chagrin
Jas: Reference your wrist.
Atlas: *sheepish shrug*
Cal: Reference his /face/. I'd broken that wrist before.
Jas; You should have told me that before I tie--
Atlas: Yes, its healed all wrong.
Jas: *violent coughing fit*
Atlas: Your wrist that is
Cal: No, that was quite all right.
Atlas: Tie....what?
Atlas: *studies Cal's wrists*
Jas: Oh dear, time for cake. *gone with unnatural speed*
Atlas: Hasty retreat....thats incriminating.
Cal: He's embarrassed. You aren't making this pleasant.
Jas: *returns* Not at all, I didn't want the icing to get soft and I'd left it under the light.
Atlas:*looks between the cake and jasper* Are you flustered?
Jas: Of course not, I'm never flustered.
Atlas: Of course not...cake looks delicious....Tie what?
Cal: Shut up, Atlas. The cake looks fantastic, Jas, do you want me to cut it?
Jas: No, I don't trust you with knives right now.
Atlas: Do you ever?
Jas: *turns to Atlas* And I just don't trust you with knives, mate.
Atlas: I can't argue with you on that one.
Jas: Remember that time with the girl who looked like Shir--
Jas: Will got you out of that one too.
Cal: You should have invited him over, instead.
Cal: You know. Like we were going to invite Dorian.
Atlas: *hands clenched* I'm telling you that was her! She used a time shift to try and come back to get me while my defenses were low...though Will was very helpful talking to those nice people from the mental ward.
Jas: I don't think WIll would--respond in quite hte same fashion.
Atlas: Something tells me a dinner with Will would be even more akward than this....
Atlas: Considerably more puppey eyes for one thing.
Atlas: Dorian?
Cal: A friend.
Jas: Let's...not speculate. About Will.
Jas: Indeed.
Atlas: What is there to speculate about?
Cal: Are you obtuse, Caedmon, or only wilfully oblivious?
Jas: Nothing. Exactly. *looks supremely uneasy, eats cake with undue concentration*
Atlas: *momentarily serious* I was a crap way for him to find out Jasper.
Jas: It was. We've spoken.
Atlas: *Looks at Jasper, then at Cal* A bit of both really.
Atlas: Its the only way to live.
Jas: How's the cake, I promised Daphne I'd report back.
Cal: I've always found it unpleasant. The cake, however, is excellent.
Atlas: *muches* Its perfect. the things that woman can do.
Jas: And she's so /happy./
Atlas: *nods*She caught me going through her trash and didn't even call the police. Offered me a muffin...I think she thought I was homeless.
Atlas: Shes perky to the point where I suspected it was an act...but I've since changed my mind
Cal: Ugh. However, her pastries are quite good.
Jas: I got those danish there, the other morning. I believe I heard "better than poptarts" at some point.
Atlas: No, are you sure thats Cal? *indicates with fork* Could be a body snatcher
Cal: I believe it was "I'd say these were better than poptarts, but that's only because you've thrown all of those away."
Cal: But not to worry, I"ve hidden more. Jas, do you think it's really me? I don't know. Maybe he's right.
Jas: No, there was no corollary.
Atlas:Ah, so it was a qualified statement
Jas: It was simply "better than poptarts:
Jas: Admittedly you may not have been yourself, because I woke you before dusk.
Atlas: Jasper is good at putting people back together. *pointedly ignores waking comment*
Jas: I'd...rather not, in this case.
Cal: I'd prefer not.
Cal: Unless, somehow, electricity...
Atlas: *glances over*
Jas: No. No.
Atlas: Were you one of those people who hurt small animals as a child cal?
Cal: Yeah--sorry-- *attends to cake*
Jas: i feel this has been less productive than my hopes for the evening predicted.
Cal: No, I save that for large shop owners.
Cal: ... sorry, Jas.
Atlas: Careful now.
Jas: Niceness, people. Embrace it.
Atlas: We're both intact. its progress. Peace treaties don't get sighned in a day.
Jas: And God, I'm giving that advice, so you really must be bastards.
Atlas: Its funny, you never cared if I liked the other ones.
Jas: The other what?
Atlas: Conquests, or what have you.
Cal: *attempts to hide behind his own shoulders*
Jas: You never met them, unless you were skulking around in my bedroom more than I remember.
Atlas: But thats the point isn't it?
Jas: I told you-- what I told you at Boy's club is the truth.
Jas: I'm not justifying your suspicions--and I know you have them, because you're Atlas-- by saying any more.
Atlas: *waves hand* Yes yes. I'm just saying theres something to be taken from all this effort on your part.
Cal: There's nothing, all right?
Atlas: *sidelong look*
Cal: I mean--I don't see why to discuss this.
Jas: Unless you'd like to hear about the sex in excrutiating detail.
Jas: But I think you'd rather have your fingernails pulled out with pliers, wouldn't you?
Cal: *mutters* I would.
Atlas: *looks uncomfortable*
Jas: Exactly.
Cal: His, anyway.
Atlas: Like to watch people suffer do you?
Cal: Mostly you.
Jas: We all have our idiosyncracies.