open up your eyes and // wake up wake up sleepy face

[overimpulsive]

WHO: Bart Allen and Griffith Albion
LOCATION: Hallways of Hogwarts (starts in the Great Hall, but they'll end up all over the place)
WEEK: 72
TIME: all day; backdated to sometime before the narration event
WHAT: Bart decides that Griffith needs a grand tour of Hogwarts since so much (ie, NOTHING) has changed since his biffle was last in town. So,

Comments

[i_sacrifice]

For the past couple years, Griffith's waking thoughts were occupied by battle strategy and an uncomfortable awareness of the growing number of casualties under his command. While he had remained cheerful off the battlefield to keep the spirits of his men high, the moments he felt truly relaxed were scarce (though cherished). This morning however was completely free of such daunting matters and Griffith remained in bed a bit longer than usual after he had woken to enjoy the luxury of peace

[overimpulsive]

Still gobbling another toast, Bart hurriedly swallowed it as he caught sight of his friend. Waving back, Bart grinned, "Morning! Did you sleep well?" (Well, if he made it to the Great Hall without problems, maybe he didn't need a tour. But Bart wouldn't think of such things right now.)

"And uh, I bet you haven't eaten either, so I'll let you grab some food. The toast's better than usual."

[i_sacrifice]

"Perhaps too well, I slept in a bit later than usual," Griffith admitted, looking slightly embarrassed for the briefest of moments before slapping Bart on the shoulder with a friendly smile. "You haven't been waiting too long for me, have you?" Griffith asked cheerfully. While Griffith was rarely in a rush, Bart always seemed wound up and ready to go at a moment's notice.

"Ah, yes," Griffith nodded as if just remembering his hunger, peeking into the crowded dining area before suggesting, "I can eat while you show me around."

[overimpulsive]

"Nah, not really!" Bart dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "I've kept myself entertained." This could mean a number of things, all equally ridiculous. (Last time Bart and entertained were in the same sentence, it probably involved something exploding.)

"If you want. Or I could wait while you eat and give you the 411 on everything that's happened."

Again, not much really happened - not at Hogwarts, anyway - but Bart didn't seem like he minded waiting. He could do it, just this once! If only for the sake of an old friend.

[i_sacrifice]

"I expect you've already eaten, then?"

Not waiting for a reply or checking to see if Bart would follow, Griffith slipped past a group of stampeding third years and into the Great Hall. There were still plenty of students finishing up their meals but more than enough room at the slowly clearing benches to take a seat. Finding a comfortable spot at the end of the Gryffindor table, not paying any mind that he was not a member of the house, Griffith helped himself to an apple.

[overimpulsive]

Effortlessly weaving through the third years, Bart nodded, "Yeah." Come on! He was a big eater! He could chomp through another two meals in this amount of time! And his friend... was only eating an apple. Go figure.

Plopping down next to him, Bart rested his elbows on the table, "You're gonna eat more than that, right?" Almost as if he'd thought of something, he leaned in and took another piece of French toast. He gobbled it up in mere seconds.

"Cause, uh, this tour's gonna be epic."

[i_sacrifice]

Delicately polishing the apple with the edge of his sleeve, Griffith watched Bart with amused fascination as he devoured the french toast without even seeming to take a breath. "One day you're going to choke." Shaking his head, Griffith took the first bite of the fruit and made a point to chew slowly. Very very slowly.

"You keep promising that," Griffith commented with a tone of doubt at the mention of the tour, "I better not be disappointed." The mock threat was ruined by Griffith's inability to keep a straight face.

[overimpulsive]

Griffith sure knew how to keep Bart moaning. "Not cool," Bart whimpered, taking another two pieces of French toast. "My grandma eats faster." (Was that supposed to be a valid insult, Bart? Because it technically wasn't - Bart's grandmother was only in her late 40's.)

Managing a sheepish smile, Bart responded, "You won't! I just, uh. I didn't know what else to say..." Because really, what do you ask a friend who's been away at war for the past two years? 'Tell me how that went?' Please. Bart knew better than to ask about something so depressing.

"Sorry, man. I guess I'm being kinda insensitive by not asking more... legit stuff."

[i_sacrifice]

Not having the decency to even look half a bit ashamed when called out on his blatant taunting, Griffith smiled around the bite of apple before finally swallowing. "I surrender, I surrender!"

Contemplating the shift in tone, Griffith studied Bart with slight puzzlement. "Insensitive?" Maybe it was nothing, but the apology seemed a bit inconsistent with what he remembered of Bart's demeanor. It had been a few years after all, people changed and matured and maybe his own impression of the other boy had been skewed as well. Still, he couldn't help but feel as if something were off that he couldn't quite place.

"Is something bothering you?" he hesitantly questioned after a short pause, apple forgotten.

[overimpulsive]

Heh, success! Bart couldn't help that smile as he watched his friend.

"Huh?" Bart blinked, hastily swallowing a piece of French toast. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" He insisted, his eyes darting back towards the apple. It hadn't even been, what, a couple of days and Griffith was already figuring out the little things? It was going to be a good day, dangit. Not one of those Lifetime movies. (Not that they'd actually fare well in an actual Lifetime movie-- they were boys, AKA the scum of the Earth.)

"Just... you know, practicing some of that good Southern hospitality Aunt Helen says I'm always forgetting." He laughed. "It's kinda hard to remember it, though, when you don't actually live in the South for most of the year."

[i_sacrifice]

"That's a strange form of hospitality, apologizing when there's no need." Though not fully convinced, Griffith refrained from pushing the issue, sure if there was something bothering the other boy it wasn't his place to pry when it was clear he wasn't willing to talk. It was best to allow those things to come naturally.

"I was probably imagining things," he dismissed with a light shove against Bart's shoulder with his own. "Let's get going then, shall we?"

[overimpulsive]

Thank god he didn't! Bart didn't know if he could lie like that-- and once Griffith mentioned leaving, Bart blinked. "You're gonna leave without eating anything else? At least take the French toast and the chocolate croissants and--" Mid-sentence, he picked up another croissant. "--anything portable."

Oh, right. Not everyone ate like Bart, so. "... Or you could bring nothing. I'm just saying, I'd get hungry."

[i_sacrifice]

Grabbing an extra croissant for himself at Bart's suggestion, Griffith stood up from the bench and stretched his arms over his head with an exaggerated sigh. "Well... I wouldn't want to worry you," he laughed, shoving the pastry in his mouth. After everything he'd gone through, a lack of breakfast was the least of his concerns.

[overimpulsive]

"Of course you don't," Bart grinned, getting up and leading the way towards the first set of classrooms. "You never want to insult the person in charge of your day!" (The technical term was, "don't insult the person who's driving you," but the same logic applied.)

He'd made up an informal map - mostly scribbles of "I hate this painting 8| THANK GOD IT GOT REPLACED" or "this room moved two floors down last Tuesday" - and thus brought it out as they started walking along.

"First change!" Bart said, pretending to study the map. "The second floor got two new paints of coat. Now it looks exactly like the second floor in the right wing. How bothersome."

[i_sacrifice]

Though not knowing the phrase either way, Griffith was fully aware of the basic principle... which really didn't apply in this situation anyway. Luckily he had neither desire nor motivation to insult his enthusiastic tour guide. Especially not over his need for an extra pastry.

"Two coats, you say?" he asked curiously, "Without your keen insight, I would have never noticed." Resting a hand on Bart's shoulder to peek over the map, Griffith squinted to decipher the scribbled notes.

[overimpulsive]

"Exactly why you need me," Bart grinned, missing any hints of sarcasm whatsoever. His face flushed once he realized Griffith was trying to read it, so... he just promptly handed it over. "Here, you'll probably need this more than I do."

Gesturing to a tall painting, he then explained, "this painting was moved from the east wing. Mainly because its subject kept eating too many grapes from the still life next to it," He said with emphasis, glaring at the painting... which was only too happy to glare back at Bart.

(Hmph. See if Bart ever gave her grapes again!) "Let's see... there's not much else to say about this floor. We got a couple of new teachers, but you've probably met 'em already."