Log: Kyle, JPjnr & Laurie

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Using the wonders of the waaaaaay back machine, we take you back to Saturday May 30th, 2009.

Laurie meets her new suite mate and Kyle has a surprise for her.



Laurie gave a sigh of relief as she dropped her heavy pack on the carpet of her suite's living room. Her and Jean-Philippe's suite now, she reminded herself, and gave the pack a look of undisguised exhaustion as she thought about having to drag it to her room in order to not clutter up the communal living space.

"Honey, I'm home." she called out, as much to give Jean-Philippe warning that someone else was around, as to make the standard clichéd joke.

"Merde," Jean-Phillipe said in a conversational tone from his room. "I suppose that means I shall have to send the Chippendales home, then," he continued as he walked to his doorway and leaned in it. He cocked his head. "That is quite the backpack," he observed.

"That might be best, I'm not sure what sweaty naked men would do for my heart condition," Laurie joked, moving toward the sofa that took up the middle part of the communal living space and settling herself down on it with a happy sigh. "And it is indeed a backpack of immenseness, holder of all my worldly goods while away."

"None of them are heterosexual," Jean-Phillipe said blithely. "But I certainly would be an irresponsible roommate if I were not looking out for your heart condition."

He'd enjoyed having the whole suite to himself, and he wasn't anything like close friends with Laurie, but he had to admit that having someone around to talk to on a day to day basis would be nice.

"Really, what, all of them?" Laurie asked, giving Jean-Phillipe a surprised look. "How do you know?

"An extensive interview," he said with a raised eyebrow.

***

Returning from what had not been a fun afternoon removing something like six wheelbarrow loads full of overgrown thorny shrubs had distracted Kyle from noticing much of anything until he'd had a very hot shower and the world stopped smelling of sweat, wood and dirt. He'd stood under the hot water pretty much until he only smelled water, and until all the scratches and little cuts had healed themselves up.

He was back down the stairs and halfway to the kitchen, in clean jeans and shirt, with still wet hair when he caught the vivid and slightly pungent smell that he couldn't mistaken for anything except Laurie Collins. And unless his nose was lying, which it had never done, a tired, travel-worn and slightly smelly Laurie Collins.

She smelled like she needed a shower.

Kyle felt it was his duty as a friend to provide assistance. Not, certainly, with the shower, but with the finding and meeting of a large body of water. The lake was something like a shower. Sort of.

There was water involved anyway.

He turned and went back up the stairs, following the smell to it's destination, the suite that Laurie now shared with Jean-Phillipe. He didn't know the electrokinetic all that well, no one really did, he was snarky, aloof and, contributing to Kyle's avoidance factor by being a smoker. Tobacco smelled.

But it was rude to not say hello to someone when you walked into their suite, even if you were uninvited and largely unwanted, so Kyle gave a cheerful wave and a "Yo. 'sup?" as he breezed into the room, walked over to the sofa and in one very smooth movement, hoisted Laurie over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "Sorry, need to borrow your roomie. I'll bring her right back."

There were several times in her life that Laurie had found herself being carted about like a sack of flour. Then, as now, she recognised the futility of struggling. She wondered if Kyle knew that throwing someone over your shoulder without finding out if they'd just eaten could lead to rather violently coloured consequences. She further wondered if throwing up would get him to put her down.

On further thought, she realised it wasn't particularly something she wanted to try out. Stomach acid was never fun, and she had a feeling she wouldn't like the way the food she'd eaten would taste on a second go around.

"You're just lucky I'm wearing jeans," she muttered darkly to the man carrying her. "I would so never forgive you if you flashed my knickers at the entire mansion."

Jean-Phillipe snorted as he followed the pair out the door and shut it behind him. "The fact that you brought it up first suggests that you think about it," he observed. "Paging Dr. Freud..." He had no desire to see Laurie's knickers himself, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to get some teasing in.

"Dude, if you're gonna come along, bring a camera and take pictures." Kyle called over his shoulder, navigating the stairs easily, even with a still-wiggling Laurie and not entirely looking where he was going. He obligingly waited until Jean-Phillipe ducked into the suite and returned with a phone in hand. "Dude. Taking pictures of her laking with her own phone. That's just ... that's just wrong. I like it!"

"Just make sure you get my good angle," Laurie muttered, pressing her hands against Kyle's lower back to arch herself upward slightly. She grinned at JP and then experimentally poked Kyle in the side. "Ticklish at all?"

"Not there." Kyle answered, with a grin. "You'd have to ask Jan or Clarice where I'm ticklish. Or Jay, but he might not remember. Jay's brain cells are on vacation sometimes." He bounced Laurie up slightly higher on his shoulder, and started towards the door. "So, what'cha think, pool or lake? Lake's got ducks... but the pool might have a better audience..." The question wasn't really directed at either JP or Laurie, but both in a general sort of way.

"Firstly, you start talking like that and I'll start talking about squirrels. Secondly, lake is deeper, but it's got weeds and slime," Laurie noted, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position on Kyle's shoulder. Not that you could ever be truly comfortable being carried around like this, but there was such a thing as style. "Although, pool and you get the possibility my hair will turn green from the chlorine. I usually spray it with this special goop before I go swimming."

Her tone was if anything relaxed, as if she wasn't about to be thrown into a large body of water, or a possibly smaller one in front of all the mansions residents. It was only water in the grand scheme of things, and her dignity could hardly be that damaged.

Jean-Phillipe shook his head bemusedly and trailed along behind Kyle. They were both rather nonchalant about the concept of getting pitched into a large body of water. "Is everyone at this mansion quite mad?" he asked half-rhetorically.

"Of course, as are you," Laurie noted with a grin at her new suite mate. That she was quoting a well loved movie, she hoped was readily apparent.

The trio made their way out of the mansion and onto the back lawn. "So, have we decided on the lake or the pool?" he asked, smiling almost despite himself. Not that he would admit to a desire to be more social, but holing up in his room smoking had taken its toll on him.

"Lake, less likelihood of people around to laugh at me," Laurie noted, poking Kyle in the lower back with a well aimed finger. "No fancy stuff, I don't want to do some weird double lunge tuck roll or whatever going in."

"Dude, I didn't even bring anything to put score numbers on, so you're safe." Kyle said, laughing. Dammit though, he was going to have to remember those. Or start stashing them in places. Because that was a damn good idea. "But we really need a Russian judge so he can give you a crappy score when the American judge gives you a 9.5."