LOG oo1; Jasper and Crysta...wherever they happen to be.

[feelingthirsty]

Who: Jasper and Crysta
What: discussing Beowulf in class
When: ...you know, I'm not actually sure
Where: a university classroom in Chicago
Info: In which Crysta is nearly late to class and, Jasper is a grumpbucket, but he could be worse.

Who: Jasper, Crysta, and a very foolish mugger
What: a mugger has a very bad night
When: later that night,

Comments

[feelingthirsty]

Well, this might be interesting. Now that such a classic tale had been stripped of all its inherent magnificence and degraded down to nothing more than a low-brow computer action movie, some of the children in the class might actually know something about it.

Closing his book and setting it aside, Jasper settled back into his seat to listen to the lesson. The professor was old and slowed by his arthritis, the physical pain of which Jasper was oblivious to, but the discomfort continually, distractingly, clouding the back of the man's thoughts. Jasper crossed his arms and eased a bit of it from him--not much, but some. He was rewarded by the old man's smile when he turned back to face the class. Usually, Jasper avoided trying to alleviate any of the endless little grievances that plagued the human race. But then again, usually he avoided small, closed setting like this in which he was ever prompted to care enough in the first place.

The girl was all but forgotten now, amongst the rest of the students and the muted rustle-click of opening laptops and unfolding notebooks. Jasper didn't bother; one of the greatest curses of his kind was also considered to be one of their greatest gifts, the ability to see something, to hear it just once, and remember it forever. The last time he'd taken a course that had mentioned Beowulf had been in the early 70s, and he'd hardly been of any right mind then to care for it, having still been adjusting to a new and...unnatural diet. Now, however, he felt fine. As long as he found a big animal every few days, he only needed a human every few weeks, and that was tolerable, if not exactly pleasant.

His eyes flicked around the class, and he found himself taking in the collective aura of the students there, curious to see what they thought of such an old story. He'd formed his opinions years ago, but it was always interesting to hear a fresh take on things.

[crystamaye]

Crysta, like she always did, paid close attention, scratching down anything that was interesting or seemed valuable to know in to her notebook. Beowulf was the epic of all epic's, at least that's what she had gathered so far. So it interested her, but not as much as other things they studied in class. It seemed too much...man is strong, fight and gore. Wasn't exactly her preferred cup of tea.

"...we will be doing something a bit different today. Beowulf is a very old tale and has managed to survive all these years. I want you to find someone in the room and sit down and discuss why you think this is. Take down notes of the other persons thoughts."

Crysta blinked. This certainly was new. What in the world possessed the professor to come up with such a wild idea? She chanced a peek around her, everyone seeming to either be skeptical as well or already partnering up. She didn't exactly know anyone in the class, so before she knew it, everyone had shifted to sit with a partner and that left her alone. At least she thought it was just her alone.

[feelingthirsty]

Although the professor didn't notice it, Jasper sent him a very pointedly annoyed look, before sighing and settling back in his char again to wait and partner up with whoever else was left out odd in the group. It turned out to be the redhead. Which was just as well, really. She would, he hoped, prove to be more insightful than the messy-haired skater boy who had sat to his left.

The desks around hers were empty and filled nearer to him, so Jasper hefted himself up to his feet and grabbed up his book so that he could settle into the one right in front of her. She smelled good. They all smelled good. Jasper swallowed his reaction to it and twisted around sideways in his seat so that he could talk to her.

"Jasper." He extended a hand. Not exactly common anymore, with kids today, but old habits died hard.

[crystamaye]

Crysta blinked, surprised as he sat in front of her. She hadn't...been expecting him. Or maybe she had. She never understood her mind. Her hand slipped out to his easily enough at the offer, grasping it and shaking back. His hand was cool to the touch, must be because he was closer to the air conditioning in the back of the room.

"Crysta." She replied. As she stared at him for a moment an odd feeling swept through her. Something about him made her want to be nervous and yet something about him made her feel..comfortable. It was a contradiction if there ever was one. She realized she was staring as she tried to work out the puzzle in her head and flushed, drawing her hand back to herself.

"Jasper?" She asked out loud rather than muse to herself. "I like that name. Unique."

[feelingthirsty]

"Old," Jasper corrected. Still in use, though, which made situations like this one easier. Somewhat. At least he was used to people staring.

He drew back his hand before she could think too closely about the way it felt and tucked it beneath his elbow, draped over the back of his chair. Beowulf. It had survived for so long only because of its age. A familiar story. But he couldn't say that aloud, so he tried to recall some other commonly conceived opinion, and instead recalled the film, and the way Emmett's amusement had enveloped him like a warm, weightless blanket when they'd watched together. Swords and dragons and women. It was kind of amusing, sometimes, to see how little human interests had changed after so many years.

"So?" The question came out as a prompt, as Jasper flicked his eyes up to Crysta's briefly. He knew better than to hold anyone's gaze; they couldn't quite settle on the unusual color of his eyes if they couldn't quite see them, and he had gotten very good at looking elsewhere. "I assume you've read the story. Tell me what you think."

[crystamaye]

"Oh, well." Crysta had been trying not to study his face and flicked her gaze down to her open notebook when he asked her her opinion, pretending to look over her notes. "Beowulf is a basic story. Good vs Evil. And I think that is perhaps why it has been told and lasted over the years like it has. It was a tale told by Anglo-Saxons, who back then didn’t exactly value romances and fables with moral endings or intentions. I mean, there was no value for women back the, so I doubt like in the horrible movie they would have had someone like Angelina Jolie pictured as Grendel's Mother." She gave a small snort, still looking over her looped written words, though not reading them. "The story was meant to be told out loud, word of mouth. Of course it has been altered and changed from the original, but when it was finally written down it was still basically the same story. So, I believe it has lasted so long because it’s a tale from that time that was just so...simple."

She felt like she ended that lamely and chanced a peek up at him, worried he may think that she didn't even know what she was talking about. His eyes were downcast, hard for her to make out his thoughts.

[feelingthirsty]

Jasper felt his lips twitch up at Crysta's offhand criticism of the film. Such changes in the movie, based on such an old story, was, of course, only a reflection of the way human interests had changed. Which was interesting in and of itself, but not the point of their lesson today.

"It was the first epic to be written down," Jasper reminded her, assuming, by her answer, that she knew that much at least. "That we know of. Oral tales like that were meant to change with the changing age. This one was preserved. A literary relic. Not many exist."

He shrugged. An old hero's tale told to inspire young warriors in a warring society that honored strength over intelligence, before the written word was common. But that wasn't an opinion, it was a fact. He flicked his eyes up to Crysta's again, vaguely curious.

"Do you like it?"

[crystamaye]

She looked up again, this time looking into his eyes. They were an odd color, but it suited him somehow. She also noted the slight tilt to his words as he spoke. A southern accent as well. "I appreciate it for what it is." She started, shrugging though. "But it isn't exactly part of my usual reading list. I don't really like...all the fighting. That was really the whole story in fact. It makes it easier for me to lose interest fast if it is all the same."

She was doodling now on the corner of her page, small, meaningless swirling shapes. "Do you like it?" She asked back after a moment, curious to his answer.

[feelingthirsty]

"That was the story because that was the life." Again, Jasper shrugged. Beowulf was a classic, but he couldn't begrudge the modern generation for their lack of appreciation for it. They didn't have to fight. There was no way for them to understand the importance of such a powerful warrior hero figure. And that was a good thing, in its own way.

Instead of saying yes automatically, however, Jasper hesitated and thought through his answer. It wouldn't hurt to openly discuss an ancient work of literature with a student in a college class. This wasn't something he needed to keep quiet about. But he had to remind himself of that, every day. Speaking to strange people didn't feel very natural anymore.

"I like to read about a time that doesn't exist anymore," he said carefully. "The fighting is metaphorical. Grendel is still alive and well today." another shrug, but this time Jasper leaned back a little so that he could regard Crysta. Her emotions weren't completely hidden from him, but even and unspiked like this, they may as well have been. It was odd, speaking to someone he couldn't feel. He actually had to look at her to see her reactions. "Do you read very much?"

[crystamaye]

The way Jasper talked, she felt like it would be easy to talk back to him. She had to admit, she didn't have many friends. Well, ones she could talk to easily. "I enjoy reading about different times as well." She bit the inside of her cheek in thought. "Wonder about how I would be if I lived during different periods, if I would be different, think different."

A smile touched her lips and her head lifted a bit, hair falling across her eye. "You could say that. Well, I used to anyways. Haven't had much time to lately though..." She trailed off sadly, she hardly had time to herself these days.

From the corner of her eyes she could spot people beginning to pack up and she glanced at the time. Class would be over soon.

[feelingthirsty]

Ironic. Jasper smiled, small and wry, when Crysta spoke. Of course she would be different. Everything was different, in every way. People not only spoke and acted differently, but they thought in different ways, valued different things, even changed their morals to fit different lifestyles, those ones always assumed to be timeless and infallible. The world had changed a dozen times since his own, and the people with it. Books were, truthfully, one of the few things left today that managed to express that, and express it accurately.

"Is college filling your time?" Jasper supposed it would be much more difficult to manage his course load if he had to sleep at least a quarter of each day away, but honestly, he couldn't remember that kind of thing.

He was aware of the impatience slowly filling the room around them, rising right alongside the shuffling of notes and bookbags, but he made no move to get up yet. He was in no hurry, and he preferred to slip out either before or after the rest of the students. The less accidental contact with them, the better.

[crystamaye]

Crysta noted the way his lips turned when he smiled, how one corner lifted higher than the other. Somehow while they were talking she had forgotten than the man before her was in fact extremely good looking. Usually put in a situation like this she would have been quiet, closed. Again, it was something about him that put her at ease.

"College, my jobs, finding time to sleep." She flipped her notebook closed with a sigh. "All I ever do anymore is study and work. But that's the price of higher learning I suppose." She gave a tiny smile as she slipped her things back into her bag.

[feelingthirsty]

When Crysta was busy packing her things, Jasper felt much more at liberty to watch her. Her hair was very pretty. She was very pretty. It was a pity she was human.

"You're parents don't help out?" he asked her casually, remaining where he was. With nothing to pack and nowhere to go, he was in no rush, and feeling genial enough not to disappear at the first opportunity.

[crystamaye]

When Crysta sat straight again, she tossed her hair over one shoulder, slipping the strap of her bag over the other. She shook her head. "My parents aren't..very well off. I couldn't ask that of them, though I'm sure they would give all they had if I asked. I have two jobs right now. Thinking of finding a third." Reluctantly she had to admit. Thinking of having a third job...already gave her a migraine.

Besides, why was she telling him all this? She highly doubted he was interested in her life story, just making small talk as he sat stuck with her till class was over.

[feelingthirsty]

Jasper regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. Most students, he'd noticed, floated through college on their parents' dime, and therefore never realized its true value. This Crysta seemed to be on the opposite end of the spectrum, which could be nearly as bad.

"Stick with what you've got," he advised. "Enjoy your time here. You have the rest of your life to work once you graduate."

As a boy who had insisted on growing up far too early, Jasper felt he had the authority to advise someone else against the same. He grabbed his book off the desk and glanced at the clock on the wall, then at the students beginning to slip out of the back of the class, and then back to Crysta with a small, friendly smile. He'd certainly had worse conversations with humans before. This one seemed decent enough not to play the part of the aloof jerk to--which had always been Edward's specialty, anyway.

"You can get going, if you'd like. Time's close enough to the hour."

[crystamaye]

His words echoed in her ears and she was compelled to listen to him. She watched with interest as he stood before her and smiled down at her. Her heart gave a odd beat and she bit her lip.

Crysta shifted her eyes to the time when he told her she could go. He was right. She stood up and tucked her hair behind her ear. She turned to walk out, but paused, turning to look back at him. "It was nice talking to you Jasper." She said sincerely, looking into his eyes with a warm smile. Then she turned and hightailed it out of there before she had to go to her next class.