RA Gilbert's Room

"She tried. Didn't work."

Gilbert threw the beer bottle into a blue bin for recycling. He stood and walked over to a box labeled "random sh*t" (litterally with the star), bent and began to rummage through the diverse collection of weird trinkets. Pulling out a white elephant statue and a small image which looked like both a South American design mixed with an odd Russia flare. He placed both on the modest desk, leavinga space for a computer.

"Don't say a word brother. It isn't your room, I can decorate it how I please."





(Martial arts btw...basket)

"Not a word." Of course, Ludwig wasn't above straightening crooked photos/posters on the wall. Sometimes just messing around with Gilbert's things to screw with him. Gilbert did it often enough to him.

He stretched his legs out. "Have you gotten to see any of the campus yet? We're still trying to find a place to store Roderich's suitcase." He'd nearly forgotten about the beast sitting in the middle of their room.

Roderich smiled back at Ludwig after his trombone comment, still petting Gilbird. 'I'll play anything you like, as long as it's not brass. Don't want any more accidents...'

'Visual arts, Gilbert? What would that entail, then?' He wasn't overly familiar with the subject. He watched Gilbert unpack his strange ornaments curiously, absently stroking the bird.

Ludwig's comment made him remember the suitcase, too. 'Damn, I forgot about that. I expect I'll have to use it as a coffee table after all...'

"We should be able to find some plexi glass to put on top of it. That way it won't be ruined and we actually have a table in the room." He stood and glanced at Gilbert. "I think I may roam around a bit. Did either of you want to come with? I'd understand, Gilbert, if you wanted to arrange your tchotchkes a little bit more."

He looked to Roderich. "You wanted to inspect the showers, didn't you?"

Oh... he hoped that didn't sound like a come-on. Considering he was blushing a bit after saying it, if it hadn't, it seemed like one now.

'Oh, yes. The showers. ...I suppose I'll have to, I need one. Are you going to, as well? Because honestly I'd rather not go alone.' He considered the implications of this statement, then dismissed them; he'd rather sound weird than brave the awful place by himself. 'But I'll need to get a towel and things first.'

Jumping right in, Gilbert said "Oh yes I'll join you. I need to spend more time with my baby brother after all."

He looked to Roderich and his face grew a bit more pink. "Visual arts can be anything from a painting to animation." His lips grew tight at the subject, seeminly visually cutting the subject matter off.

"Do you play the claranet, Roddy?"

'Sounds interesting. I like art myself.' Roderich left it at that; Gilbert seemed reluctant to talk about it. He frowned at the clarinet question, half-suspecting some joke or other at his expense.

'I play clarinet, yes. Most wind and stringed instruments, actually. Why?'

"You like art? heh..." Gilbert scratches his head. "That's cool. Uh yeah I just like the clarinet. It is lovely."

Gilbert grabs his bird and plunks him into the cage. "Sorry buddy. I don't want them knowing about you yet."

He seems to regain some of his bravado as he bear hugs his brother. "I love this guy...so showers?"

And the crooked grin was back.

Ludwig tried to brush off the bear hug as he headed out of the door. "He probably is considering starting up a band, knowing Gilbert. What was that frightening idea you had for a children's music band last year?" Ludwig didn't remember the name. Just that it was a little... wrong. "Though I am guessing he'd be moving on to more adult genres."

He glanced down the hallway and made his way to a strange poster on the wall, not even yet to the showers, at the end of the hallway.

((wanna go to the gentlemen's club?))

"The Barney Buggers? Is that what I called it?"

Gilbert followed his brother, grabbing Roderich's hand to pull him along. The older male waved to his pet as he left--who looked miffed for being stuck in his cage. He exits the room and locks it behind him and Roddy, letting go of the Austrian's hand.

"Brother? Perhaps I just like the clarinet."

Roderich allowed himself to be pulled out of the room, too surprised to resist. 'I'll play for you sometime, if you like, but I'm not sure about a band...orchestra maybe,' he said, turning to look at the poster Ludwig was staring at. 'What is it, Ludwig?'

(I'm game for the club.)

Gilbert suddenly remembers that he needs to get other things done.

Dropping Roderich's hand, he groans. "Sorry sweethearts. I forgot I have an RA meeting to get to. I'll catch up with you two later."

Gilbert grabbed his brother into a bear hug with a very wet smooch on the check, just to be an ass. He then turned to Roderich and touched his cheek with the back of his fore finger and middle. "Here's lookin' and you, kid."

With that he ran down the hall to the elevator.


(I might see you two later...have fun!)

Roderich watched Gilbert leave, blinking. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but he felt distinctly warm all of a sudden. Rubbing his cheek absently, he turned to Ludwig. 'Your brother is...quite something.'

Ludwig stopped to read the sign a moment. "Gentlemen's club..." He saw his brother leave, almost grateful and looked to Roderich. "You're telling me. Living with him was like living with only the manic half of a bipolar person." He glanced at the poster. "I wonder what kind of gentlemen's club this is."

'Either something ridiculously old fashioned or something seedy.' Roderich looked past Ludwig's shoulder at the poster. 'I'd put money on the latter.'

Ludwig nodded. "Any interest in it at all?" He was at least a little curious. And if it wasn't the latter, it would look good on a resume. If it was, it might make for an interesting time, at least.

'Well...' Roderich thought about it. Since when had seedy bothered him, anyway? 'I suppose it's worth a look. Ha, if nothing else it might be good for meeting people. It says something about calling to enquire, does it?'

Ludwig nodded and pulled out his phone to call the XXX number at the bottom of the poster.

(should I move this over to that thread now?)

(Yeah, go ahead.)

Gilbert returned to his room and flopped onto his bed just after opening Gilbird's cage. The small yellow bird peeped and leapt out of his home and onto his human's chest. The older teen ran his fingertips down the bird's head and back, listening as he chirped happily. He lazily looked at people passing buy outside of his window.

He probably screwed up with his brother today. He didn't mean to, but he had a tendency to push it past the line before he even knew where it was. We'll he'd make it up to Ludwig, as he always did.

He scratched under the bird's beak and Gilbird leaned into it like a kitten. Gilbert snorted at the thought, but kept it to himself. He knew how Gilbird hated being compared to felines.

After a bit, the boy stood and walked to his newly set up computer desk and turned on his laptop. He had an idea for possible income, and didn't want it to get away from him.

Roderich remained silent as they reached Gilbert's door. He was feeling strangely pleased, and even more strangely, he couldn't think of much to say. He stood and waited for Ludwig to knock on his brother's door, absently fiddling with a cross hanging around his neck. It wasn't like him to fidget, but he hardly noticed he was doing it.

"Oh," Ludwig said, glancing at Roderich's fidgeting hands. "The chain is twisted." He reached up, not really thinking at first as he did and took either side of the chain between his pointer finger and thumb to smooth it out. Of course, this made him realize just how close they were standing, and brought a blush to his cheeks, replacing the one that had been fading. He patted the cross once the chain was straight. "There you are. Um, sorry about that. Type A personality and all that."

He looked down at Roderich a moment, his hand hovering just an inch or so from his brother's door, not yet knocking.

Roderich blinked down at Ludwig's hands, inches from his neck, and then up at his face; this was awkward. But not in a bad way. He paused, then cleared his throat. 'Thank you. It's alright.' The words came out a lot softer than he'd intended.

'...He might be asleep in there, you know.' Roderich caught Ludwig's eye briefly, before focusing on his hovering hand. He wasn't at all sure why he'd said that, but his quickening pulse was keeping him from thinking straight. This was definitely going to get him in trouble.

He was so close to Roderich right now, he could nearly kiss him if he wanted to. "So... maybe we shouldn't disturb him and just go back to our room instead?" That had come out a bit huskier than he'd wanted. Which made the implications seem even worse than the idea of kissing the other boy.

He let his hand rest at his side again and bit at his bottom lip a bit. "We could get you unpacked, then I can check on Gilbert later. I'm sure he's fine." And if he wasn't, Ludwig didn't think he was much in the mood to see his brother, with his mind so obviously elsewhere.

It struck him he should move back, but he didn't really want to. What did that say about him?

'...Sounds like a proposition, Ludwig,' Roderich replied quietly, unable to resist a slight grin as he regarded the other man over his glasses. 'Yes, I think your brother could probably use his rest. We'd be better off going back for now...to unpack.'

Ludwig may have been inexperienced, but Roderich was not, and he knew where the situation was likely to end up. He inwardly berated himself- on the first day, really, Roderich- but he wasn't about to stop. Still, he would make sure not to let it get too far out of hand. He was a gentleman, after all.