OOM: Set The Stage

[merryeccentricities]

Someday Joly will actually invite Autor for a visit, but the Cherub Room is not a kind thing to spring on someone who's just getting to know him. Instead Joly leaves a note for Autor at the Bar-- I'll be in the Infirmary studying, come by if you want to go theater-hunting-- or rathers, asks Bar to leave a note, so it's actually legible. Then he really does head to the Infirmary, figuring on studying the machines for a while.

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[herr_bookman]

Luckily for Joly, a note is the perfect way to get Autor's attention. He comes in from home and receives it, then heads down to the infirmary immediately, coding his books and music and essays into his sylladex on the way.

"Joly?" Autor asks, knocking on the door's trim. "Are you here?"

[merryeccentricities]

"Hello, Autor!" Joly's voice is cheerful,and he's smiling-- but he's regarding the coffee machine with a slight frown. "Your timing is excellent, I think I need a break from the mysteries of the infirmary. Assuming you aren't in need of its services today!"

[herr_bookman]

"Greetings," Autor responds, just as cheerful. "I am not, thankfully. There have been no accidents in over six days, and the last was simply a paper cut. Shall we take that break, then, and search for a theater upstairs?"

[merryeccentricities]

"I am glad to hear it. It would be good for doctors to be able to treat every ailment they encounter, but it would be better if we never met any." He straightens up a few bits of equipment around the place on his way out. He holds his arm out, bent, for Autor to take if he wants, before they start walking-- an automatic gesture. "What have you been up to, then, for the last six of your days?"

[herr_bookman]

Autor takes the arm just as automatically; he's never taken anyone else's arm before, especially not a man's, but this is Joly, who is the exception to every rule.

"Ah, let's see, what did I do?" Autor asks himself. "I cooked with Rae Seddon, found a ransom note for Santa Claus, spoke with Bossuet, did some knitting, picked herbs, peeked into a nightclub of the future where one of the attendees swears they were dancing, but honestly they were just pressed against one another, and met Bahorel--who is wonderful."

The boy grins. He didn't realize his days were so busy. "How have your days been treating you? Have you about familiarized yourself with the infirmary?"

[merryeccentricities]

Joly blinks, then laughs. "When do you ever find time to sleep Autor?"

"I...do not know if I shall ever feel familiar with the infirmary. There is so much there that seems..." He waves his cane in the air. "It is so smooth, and so polished; I keep looking for a visible means of operation and of course there cannot be; the computers that run these things are necessarily miniscule! But it is how I expect things to be." He laughs at himself. "I feel suddenly as if I've become an old man, complaining about progress. I am delighted by it, of course! But that is a different matter than familiarity."

He bites his lip for a moment. "I know it will pass, I have been a new student before, but at the moment I feel-- quite overwhelmed by it all, really."

He grins at Autor. "I shall try to follow your fine example, and keep myself too busy to dwell on it. I am glad you've met Bahorel. Was anything on fire after the conversation?"

[herr_bookman]

"I don't, remember? That's why I get overtired and fall off the carpet and apparently make you lose bets," Autor teases. He nods, however, at Joly's description of the infirmary.

"I understand. It seems like such a culture shock; even sticking plasters are such an improvement over anything we have at home that a computer which can spit out diagnoses with a sample of sputum is overwhelming," the boy says, rather sympathetically.

He barks out a laugh about Bahorel. "Our hearts, maybe. He is a thoroughly zealous and encouraging soul, and complimented me far too much--which I blame you for entirely."

[merryeccentricities]

Joly smiles, but looks confused. "Zealous and encouraging, yes, an apt description. And he will be terribly satisfied to be told he sets hearts ablaze." Horribly smug, too. Perhaps Joly just won't say anything.

"But I said nothing to flatter you. I only told him of your studies and profession, and that you have solid political ideas--well, you can understand that is very important for any of us to know! Oh,and showed him your very helpful guide, of course. These are simple truths about you, though I do hope you take pride in them. I would not have you take me for an idle flatter." His smile turns into a grin. "I could try, if it was for a dare, I suppose."

There is woefully little he won't try on a friendly dare.

[herr_bookman]

Autor blushes a little and rubs his cheek, much the same as he did with Barhorel. And, also the same as then, he's smiling a little. "I'm just not used to this manner of compliment, that's all. And I appreciate your perspective."

He clears his throat, matching that grin of Joly's with one of his own. "Oh? Really? I shall have to figure out an appropriately challenging dare for you. And also a bet, with the winner doing something to or for Bossuet. Waiting on him hand and foot for a day, or some such silly idleness."

[merryeccentricities]

If it weren't for the cane, Joly would fall over. He stares at Autor open-mouthed for a moment and then starts giggling helplessly."He--he would be so confused! Poor Bossuet-- no, no, it serves him right for making me risk myself with that flyer! Hah, but can you handle service to such a tyrant if you forfeit? He makes such dread demands, like "Close that window while you're up" and "perhaps we should have a drink".

[herr_bookman]

"It should only be for a day, so I'd be fine," Autor says, grinning at Joly's reaction. He beckons him close and whispers. "But do you know what would be even funnier? If we didn't even tell him."

[merryeccentricities]

Joly sighs and shakes his head. "It would be very funny, but I'm afraid I can't keep anything from Bossuet." He holds up a hand to forestall protest. "Not won't, mind, I have tried! But I can't. We all arranged a surprise party for him one year and the others made the mistake of telling me, and it was awful." He shudders at the memory. "I am of course prepared for subterfuge! But not against Lesgle."

Joly looks around the inn's hallways. "You've been here longer than me; have you any rooms in mind?"

[herr_bookman]

"Ah, all right," Autor says, inclining his head. "I'll keep that in mind."

His gaze follows Joly's around. "Hmm. To be perfectly frank, I haven't explored the inn portion of the bar as much as you have. We could always ask the rats."

[merryeccentricities]

Joly grins. "Yes, I have explored the inn a bit, when we were looking for our room. And there were some I couldn't believe Bar was suggesting as a habitable space but--" he taps the pocket where he keeps his notebook "--I remembered them. And today I got the key."

He leads Autor down a couple of odd halls, and to a door that looks like all the others-- except for the paint looking as if it was perhaps put on over plaster. "Do feel free to say exactly what you think."


The door opens on ...a cave. There's really no other way to describe it, because it is a cave. A large, indeed cavernous, rock room, with opening to other smaller rooms branching off.

There is odd, clashing, horrible upholstered furniture in various colors of eye-sear, and candles guttering along the wall, and a small waterfall on the far side of the cavern.

Joly laughs, looking at it; he'd begun to think he had only imagined the place. "It is, I was thinking...roomy?"

[herr_bookman]

"Joly," Autor says, his stomach dropping as he lays eyes on the room. "Would you like a waterfall in your movie theater?"

His grin is slow in coming, but bright and boyish. "Because I think this is a brilliant idea."

The boy cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, "hello!" to test the acoustics. The word bounces merrily off the walls and echoes back to them, and Autor laughs--which also echoes. "Oh, this is perfect! We should christen it with a proper, pretentious name. The Cave of Wonders seems about as ridiculous as it is."

[merryeccentricities]

Joly joins in with Autor's laughter, enjoying the echoes. "An excellent name! I don't know what a movie theater is, exactly, but I think no theater of any kind in Paris could boast a waterfall!" He starts walking off towards the other rooms. "Maybe the players could use this for a changing room? And Rae was saying she might want to serve food here, if she does she could have that room...ah, I think. Did you have any friends that might want to help plan this out?"

[herr_bookman]

"A movie theater is exactly as it sounds--a theater that plays movies," Autor says, "but we should work on plays first."

Autor follows him, clasping his hands behind his back, and amused with the way his steps echo on the rocks. "We should make sure that room is clean for her. And, ah, I could ask around; I haven't been as vigilant as I should be, my apologies. But think of it, Joly! We could set the stage out in the main room, and chairs, and blankets if people were cold, given the lack of insulation--oh, it's wonderful."

[merryeccentricities]

Joly laughs again. "What's a movie?" He puts an arm around Autor's shoulders for a moment. "It'll be fine, of course. We've spoken to a few people, after all. And Bahorel's here now, he'll help for certain-- he'd hang me out a window if we didn't let him get involved. Oh, I like the idea of blankets, and lots of pillows! We have so many people of all sorts of shapes, regular chairs would be a problem. Oh, think what we can do for lights here, with the technology we have!" He presses Autor's shoulder in excitement before splashing over to look at the waterfall. "We could make this glow!"

He doesn't know why they would, but they could!

[herr_bookman]

"Yes, and change colors on a timer!" Autor says, leaning into Joly's arm, and wrapping his arm around his friend's shoulders as well--before letting him go to look at the waterfall. He grins, thoroughly excited with all the possibilities. "Yes, we absolutely have to get Bahorel involved."

He curls his hand around his hip. "A movie is a moving picture, with sounds--it's like a play on a screen, with music and costumes and settings and props, and then you can pause it at any moment, and start from the beginning," the boy explains, and turns to the cave floor. "We should get a nice carpet in here for people to sit on, to pad the rocks."