I Lose All Sense Of Reason [open post]

[summerdude]

Magnus is walking down the front steps of the Mansion, freshly-loaded bag of food in tow, ruminating on a few of his most recent and devastatingly embarrassing conversations, when he hears footsteps behind him.

Well. He did tell Galahad he'd ask everyone. Might as well start now. "Can you explain the birds and the bees -- I mean, sex -- to me?" he demands, even before he sees who it is.

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[summerdude]

"What?!" Magnus stares for a second, then tries for a joke. "That definitely sounds worse than being homeless."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"So much worse," Janet says in a total deadpan. "Yeah, sorry. Lawyer parents. Rich bitch."

[summerdude]

"My condolences," Magnus says, solemnly.

[sorrowandsorrow]

Honestly, there are about a million things Janet could say about her parents. Especially her father. But she's got a margarita in her hand and zero inclination to get into any of that, so she pulls out a chair at the kitchen table and sits instead. "Thanks for your sympathy," she says dryly.

[summerdude]

Magnus raises his margarita in a silent cheers to her, and takes another cautious sip. He thinks he's starting to figure out the flavor of it, now; the sharpness of the lime with the alcohol is no longer making the back of his throat feel like it's curdling with the flavor. He finds a seat, too. "So how have you been, Janet?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"I might finally be in the acceptance stage," she says, "but that kind of makes me want to circle right back around to the anger stage." She huffs a slightly insincere laugh. "How about you?"

[summerdude]

"About being here, you mean?" Magnus asks, just to make sure.

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Yeah. There was a lot of important stuff I wanted to do back in Fillory. And then, poof."

[summerdude]

"That sucks," Magnus says, emphatically. "I get that."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"It does suck." Janet glares down into her margarita, then has to relax and take another sip. "I'm not the best at magical theory, but I've torn apart every textbook I can find trying to figure this place out. Zilch."

[summerdude]

Magnus leans forward. "What about this place are you trying to figure out?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Everything." She shrugs. "Why we're here. How we got here. Who the hell is keeping us here and how to get out. If it's a magician, it's a magician with power like nothing I've ever seen. And I know a guy who made an entire world from scratch."

[summerdude]

"Whoa," Magnus says, blinking. "A whole world? That's pretty cool." He studies the slowly-melting blended ice in his drink and takes another tiny sip. "Sometimes I kinda hope this place is, like, inescapable," he admits.

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Inescapable? You don't want to leave... ever?" Janet asks this with an incredibly healthy dose of incredulity.

[summerdude]

"I don't really think it matters what I want," matter-of-fact. "My sword is going to be instrumental in the end of the world, someday, and so if he's stuck here, I figure maybe the world doesn't end."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Gee." Janet eyes him over the rim of her margarita glass. "That's a lot of pressure."

[summerdude]

Magnus shrugs. It's no more pressure than anything Frey has ever told him about his role in Ragnarok. "My girlfriend was here when we all got our visitors. She's an einherji, too, and like, really smart. We talked about it... she hated the idea, but thought it would probably work."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Huh. I guess." It's pretty noble of him, not that she's going to say so in as many words. "I assume the girlfriend visit is what made you go insane about sex. You said committed relationship."

[summerdude]

"Six and a half years," Magnus says, because the alternative is I'm worried I'll never see her again, and that's not the kind of thing you say to someone who isn't your best friend. And then, lest there be any misunderstandings: "Sometimes he's my boyfriend."

[sorrowandsorrow]

His girlfriend is sometimes his -- oh, okay, got it. "Okay," Janet says. "One committed relationship, one boyfriend slash girlfriend, six and a half years. Hey, finish that before it melts."

[summerdude]

Magnus knows exactly what to do when a girl (well, woman, this time) with an air of authority tells him to do something: he obeys, taking a larger gulp this time. He gives her a little salute as he raises the glass.

[sorrowandsorrow]

Janet gives him a semi-mocking, semi-sincere salute in answer. She tips her glass toward him and takes a good long sip. It's so important to model good behavior for youths. Even when those youths aren't that much younger than you.