fandomhigh | Fandom High Welcome Picnic, Front Lawn of the School, All Day: Part II

"I've done that before," he said, stupidly proud of himself for having done that. "Well, no, actually, I tripped on a rock that was in front of the tree and I fell into the tree and my shirt got caught on a root or a branch and that was embarrassing."

"It sounds painful," Kaylee said, wincing sympathetically. "Did you get real banged up from it?"

"Not really," he assured her. "The headmistress just told me I was clumsier than a giant on ice skates and sent me to wash my shirt because I'd gotten grass stains on it. I'm not a giant. I'm just a little tall."

He was very tall. "And I've never been on ice skates either."

"You're real tall," she countered lightly. "But your headmistress don't sound too nice at all. No need to pick on someone just 'cause they're not so graceful sometimes."

"All the time," he corrected, shrugging. "You don't want to see me dance. I don't want to see me dance. I think I'd hurt people's eyes. And ears. Not that I make noise when I dance. I don't gyrate or anything. I don't dance. Never. Ever."

Kaylee raised her brows. "Not at all? Not even if someone asked?"

"Someone wants to dance with me?" He looked around, eyes scanning the crowd for someone insane enough to take on that task. "Are they insane? If they are, it's okay because I think I have a touch of the insanity too. Maybe they could dance and I could take notes?"

Edited 2008-05-09 17:57 (UTC)

"It's hypothetical-like," she explained, grinning at him. "They might be insane or they might just like dancing."

"I dance like I have lead in my feet," he whispered conspiratorially. "Um, not that I've watched myself dance or anything or danced with my dog when I was really bored before. Digby doesn't dance either. We're two guys who don't dance. At all. And have never danced together. At all."

"I don't really believe you," Kaylee decided, smiling up at him. "You've got a dog, though?"

"I do, actually," he said, actually smiling at the mention of his dog. He left out the part where he couldn't actually touch Digby anymore. "He's a Golden Retriever. Named Digby."

He frowned, then, looking thoughtful. "I think. He changes names on a daily basis. Yesterday, his name was Klaus."

Ned couldn't hold the straight face though and ended up laughing. "Just kidding." And back to the straight face. "Or am I? No, I am."

Kaylee giggled. "You're a lot better at keeping your face like that than me. Did you bring him with you?"

"He's back in my room," Ned told her, crooking a thumb towards the dorms. "Hanging out, living the large life of a dog. He's adjusting better than I am. Sometimes, I wish I was a dog."

Pause.

"That didn't come out right," he said, shaking his head. "I don't want to be a dog. I like who I am. And all that fur has to be hot."

"Yeah, but dogs get to just lie around, and enjoy stuff, and not worry 'bout things like being years and years in the past or whether they can dance right," Kaylee pointed out. "Dogs don't got it too bad."

He thought about that for a moment. "So...you're saying I should be a dog?" Ned tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "I dunno, I've just graduated to real razors so having that much hair that quick might be too much for me."

He could make a joke when he wanted to or was just off balance enough to not care about getting back on track.

"My big sister -- not my real big sister, don't got one of those, but the one the school gave me -- says that sometimes people here do turn into animals," Kaylee pointed out, smiling mischievously. "Careful there, Ned, or you're gonna jinx yourself."

Jen hadn't mentioned that one. He'd have to ask about that. No way did he want to spend time as a chinchilla or something.

"Is there anyway to stop a jinx?" he asked quickly and, unfortunately, seriously. "Turn around in circles? Kiss the ground? Cartwheels? I'd do cartwheels and, believe me, those are painful to watch."

He was kind of hilariously gullible. Not that Kaylee herself wasn't, but he was funny about it.

"I bet you could do some damage with cartwheels," she said pensively. "Might be best to just turn around in circles. And dance, of course."

"Right, circles."

After sneaking a few looks around to see who was looking, he did four circles, careful not to make himself dizzy.

And then he danced. Or tried to dance. He flailed his legs and swung his arms and bopped his head. That was dancing. Bad dancing but it was dancing.

And that would be Kaylee becoming hopelessly lost in giggles.

Because really. The dancing. He hadn't exaggerated.

Ned eventually stopped dancing once he'd realized she was laughing and not running away from the bad, bad dancing.

"Jinxes are scared of terrible dancing," he said knowingly. "And so is everyone else. Look around, I've scared everyone else but you away."

That was a lie.

"If you know so much about jinxes," she wondered, teasing, "why'd you have to ask me how to stop it?"

"Two heads are better than one?" Ned tried. "You might be smarter than me. Maybe you're a master at jinxes. Maybe...I know nothing about jinxes and just think the terrible dancing would scared anyone or anything."

"I got a confession t'make," she admitted.

Oh god, he hoped she wasn't going to confess to being made of steel or to being some undercover insane asylum operative and he was going to have to go with her and wear the snazzy white coat.

"What's that?" Ned asked.

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