Gathering Post

[londoncallingmods]

The best thing about London was that there was always something to do, no matter what your interests were. This weekend there was a jazz festival in Bloomsbury, an ale festival that would take you through a drunken train tour of the city, an African culture festival near Covent Garden, and several movie screenings, parties, and other pockets of fun.

Tourists were flooding in from all over, and many Londoners were slipping off to, or coming back from, their latest trips to Barcelona, Paris, or Ibiza. The weather was warm, and it had been fairly dry and sunny lately- Really, it was the perfect place to be right now. ...At least that's what anyone who wasn't heading off to some tropical wonderland would tell you at least.

As day faded into evening, bars came alive and shop windows lit up, inviting in tourists and locals alike. The city buzzed well into the night, calming only briefly in the morning, before bursting back into life again.

(Have your pup be anywhere in the city you like. This GP is intended to take place over the course of Sat and Sun, but will be open all week long! Remember to add your pup's tag after you tag in!)

Comments

[hollow_moon]

"Well my cousin owns a shop in London, she gifts me all sorts. Let me brew you something rich and flavourful. I might yet win your tastebuds over," Val grinned as he unlocked the gate and led them inside the house.

[jageskro]

Jag laughed, unwinding his arm from Val's waist so walking in would be less awkward, but staying close by just in case. "Sure, why not. But I can brew it. You just sit down and tell me where to find that wonderful tea."

[hollow_moon]

"No, please, I can manage," Val insisted. "The kettle's electric, and I've got strainers for the tea. Please, just sit at the counter, make yourself at home, Jag."

[jageskro]

"Mate, no offense, but you look like death warmed over," Jag pointed out, but still settled at the counter, leaning an elbow on it. If Val wanted to do it, he'd let him. But still... "Bet I'm faster than your kettle, though," he couldn't help but add, smirking a little.

[hollow_moon]

Val chuckled a bit, then smirked.

"Alright then, show off. Let's see it then," he said, filling two mugs with water, then setting them in front of Jag as he scooped rich and spicy black tea into two colourful silicone infusers that were shaped like tea bags.

[jageskro]

Jag chuckled, shaking his head. "And in ceramic. Sure, I can do this." Fire had already curled around the two mugs, licking at the side of them and over their rim, heating up the water from every direction. The water began to boil in, honestly, about the same time it would have taken an efficient electric kettle. But ceramic made it harder, so Jag was calling it a win.

[hollow_moon]

Val carefully dunked the infusers into the mugs, then fetched the cream and sugar before sitting down.

"Impressive," he replied with a grin.

[jageskro]

"I do what I can," Jag replied with a smirk, the fire now slipping snake-like between his fingers; he didn't want to dismiss it just yet.

[hollow_moon]

"Do you feel it at all?" Val asked curiously. "Is it hot for you? Does it feel nice, or..."

[jageskro]

"Nah, it's not nice," Jag answered, looking down at the fire before smiling up at Val, the serpentine flame still winding its way between his fingers. "It's a lot better than nice. I don't feel it on my skin, I won't let it burn me, but I always feel it in my chest. It's hot and wild and - right."

[hollow_moon]

"You find comfort in it then?" Val asked, since that's how it sounded to him, and he smiled as he stirred some sugar into his tea.

[jageskro]

"Maybe?" Jag agreed, snuffing it out in the palm of his hand. He didn't need the gesture, but he was a showman. "Mostly when I need comfort I drink a lot and look for a fight." The fire was just... a part of him. One that rang particularly true. "I'm quite dysfunctional," he added with a small smile, not sounding in the least as if he minded admitting it. He liked the way he functioned - or dysfunctioned, as it was.

[hollow_moon]

"Isn't everyone, just a bit?" Val suggested with a playful smile. "I like a bit of dysfunction in my friends, honestly. Keeps things interesting."

[jageskro]

Friends. Val kept bandying that word about, like it didn't mean anything. Jag had had few enough friends, in his life, that he couldn't have used it for anyone quite that quickly. But that was his issue, and he didn't mind it. He liked seeing that smile on Val's face, despite the tiredness etched into his features. "Interesting," he agreed, reaching out to pull Val closer, hands on his hips. "That's one word for it."

The tea was still steeping, after all.

[hollow_moon]

Val let himself be pulled in, leaning into Jag as if he didn't trust his feet fully to keep him upright.

"I just mean... Growing up, I was so often surrounded by what passes for normal- Or some perceived notion of normal anyway. At school I was surrounded by boys who wanted to be just like their fathers, who never put a toe out of line, and could have never understood or accepted what I am. ...So I treasure any quirk, large or small, I find in others."

[jageskro]

"Shit, you're going to love me," Jag stated with an amused grin. There wasn't much about his life, or him, that was conventional. He pressed a few soft kisses along the line of Val's jaw. "Where d'you wanna curl up?"

[hollow_moon]

"I'd say the bedroom, but I'm not certain I'm steady enough for stairs. ...There's a chaise in the living room that seats two," he suggested.

[jageskro]

"Let's do that," Jag agreed, and turned to drop a little sugar in his tea. He'd stir it later. For now he just picked it up and slid an arm around Val's waist again. "Want me to get your tea?" He could probably pull off holding both mugs in one hand, by their handles.

[hollow_moon]

"I can manage," Val insisted, picking up his cup as they headed for the living room.

It was styled in dark rich woods and leathers, one wall lines in filled bookshelves, another dominated by a fairly large telly and other media equipment.

"We could put a movie on, if you'd like," he offered.

[jageskro]

"Whatever," Jag answered honestly. "I'm not planning on focusing on much beside you."

[hollow_moon]

"Hardly worth your attention today," Val chuckled, putting his cup down, then gingerly lowering himself into the chair. "Just a broken mess of a man today, Jag."

[jageskro]

"I'm still holding out hope for a decent snog," Jag warned him teasingly, setting his mug down beside his and having zero compunction about pulling off his loosely laced boots to join Val on the chair, without worrying about damaging it. It looked, like everything else in here, pricy.

He settled beside Val, his body angled towards him, and laid a hand on his forearm, searching his eyes. "Let me decide, yeah? What's worth my attention." Or he wouldn't be here. And yeah, part of it was about all that fucked up shit about Val's father. But maybe not all of it.

[hollow_moon]

"Alright," Val agreed, settling in close and resting his head against Jag's shoulder as he sighed softly and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I just know I'm no fun like this."

And wasn't that the only thing most people wanted from him? A bit of fun and a laugh?

[jageskro]

Jag's arm wrapped warmly around Val, and his other hand wound up cradling the side of his face. His lips brushed a kiss on his forehead, and his voice was warm and quietly playful as he answered, "Well, you're still very pretty to look at."

[hollow_moon]

"Glad to hear I've still got something going for me," Val laughed, smiling faintly as his hand came to rest on Jag's hip.

"Tell me how you've been, what you've been up to," he nudged gently, feeling as if he'd spent far to much time blabbering on about himself today.