laundry.

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

Characters: Ganymede & OPEN
Time: October 9th, around 11AM.
Rating: TBD
Warnings: Ganymede. :P
Summary: Ganymede can't find the laundry room, and has nothing to wear. Well, sort of.



Ganymede had ventured out of his room, his thin arms wrapped around a basket of clothing and sheets, stacked just a little too high for him, but not high enough as so he couldn't peek over them and maneuver his way around. There had to be someplace to wash these things, otherwise, the only clean clothes he had were the ones left on his body, which, honestly consisted of a pair of...almost unmentionably short boxer shorts and a tank top that was a little too big for him, hanging off of his frame in a floating, fleeting sort of way.

But where to go? He tried his floor, first. There were plenty of interesting places, but no laundry room that he could observe (and if there was, it wasn't entirely out of the question that he had perhaps, missed it. He was a little caught up in the massiveness of the place. He hoped, for a minute, that he would find someone perhaps a little more familiar, or at least someone who'd washed their clothes here before, and for a little bit of guidance. Or, alternatively, someone who could at least carry the basket for him, as it started getting a little too heavy in his arms.

With Lethe having jumped into the basket, he sighed a little, and carried her as well.

Comments

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

Help came in the form of a tall man cheerfully whistling a jaunty tune.
"Hey, you look a little lost," Ogma said, "Need a hand with something?"

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

"Oh, that's nice of you..." The kitten settled herself in the basket, and Ganymede gave a little giggle, her black fur lying in a small circle amidst the white and washed-out colors of his wardrobe.

"I'm just trying to find the laundry room. But this place is kind of big. Do you know where it is?"

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"Actually, I do. It's in the basement. Come on, I'll show you," he offered.

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

Ganymede beamed, earnestly. His smile was always a genuine one, and he had a lot of reasons to smile...being helped by someone handsome, and older than him? Totally smile-worthy.

"Thanks. I'm sure I would have been lost for a while." he giggled, tagging close behind the man. "Hm. You're Ogma, right? I don't think I've met you in person yet, but it's nice to."

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"That's me. Ogma. Or, Alan, if you'd rather. Of course, my students usually call me Coach or Mr. C.," he mused with a grin. "And it's nice to meet you too. Tanner, wasn't it? Or do you prefer Ganymede?"

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

"Oh, well, I can call you whatever you'd like, really." he hadn't meant for that to slip out with the near-suggestive tone it did, but Ganymede just brushed it off.

"I guess I like either. People...around here usually call me Ganymede, though. I kind of like it."

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

Ogma chuckled.
"Ganymede it is, then. Anyway, the laundry's this way..." he said, heading for the stairs that led down into the basement.

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

Ganymede carefully carried the basket with him, kitten and all. Lethe had fallen asleep, and Ganymede couldn't help but sigh a little, realizing that the cat probably adored his laundry more than she adored him.

But it was unlike him not to at least try to make small talk, anyway. He smiled, and tried to say something that wouldn't come off as too awkward or overeager.

"So- are you doing well? Here, I mean. I've been a little...turned around by everything, I think." he shrugged.

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"It could be worse, certainly. It's a nice place. But..." Ogma sighed. "I'm worried about my kids."

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

"Aww. Have you heard from them? I'm sure they're curious about where you are..."

Lethe stood up, and her weight shifted, making Ganymede give an unsteady wobble on the stairs. Oh, this wouldn't do. He hesitated, before taking another step. It was hard enough already without Lethe wiggling around in his basket.

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"I have. They're worried. My son, Devin, he's a senior in high school, good kid, responsible... But he shouldn't be in this position right now, taking care of his little sister like that. It bothers me that I can't get back to them."

Ogma looked at Ganymede struggling with the basket.
"Here, let me," he offered, taking it for him.

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

"Oh." Ganymede's voice was genuinely worried. It was hard not to feel bad. "You're right. My parents...haven't tried to contact me yet." he shrugged. "I'm not sure if they know I'm gone, actually. It's okay, though." Ganymede smiled, and let Ogma take the basket from him, kitten and all.

"Danke." he chimed, giving him something of a half-hug, not meaning anything by it. After all, it was sort of what Ganymede did.

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"Wilkommen," he said cheerfully.

"Do you live with your folks?" Ogma asked, "Or do they check in with you regularly?"

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

Ganymede bit his lip, but smiled regardless. "That works, I think. You could have also said something like Bitteschön."

He paused, and thought for a moment. "As for my parents, they...check in with me regularly. They kind of- kicked me out when I was 18. I mean, they made sure I had a place to stay, but my dad thought it would help me out somehow. Kind of weird, I guess."

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"Sorry, my German is a bit rusty," he said with a shrug.

He paused for a moment.
"You have someone looking out for you, then?"

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

"Don't even worry about it." Ganymede chimed, happily. "My English used to be...really bad for a while. It's- a little better now, though."

The question caught the little cupbearer off guard. Did he? Well, his parents called an awful lot, and he'd had Apollo over to visit...

"I usually have someone...looking out for me. Sometimes my parents call, and sometimes I- well, I can usually find guys to help me out if I need it. So, I don't think I am doing too badly on my own."

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"You speak very well," Ogma said with a nod.

"And good to hear. You seem like a good kid. New York can be a tough town. It's good if someone's got your back."

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

"Oh, thank you. Sometimes my accent-" he paused, and laughed a little bit at the way he sounded. "it bothers me a little. And I know there are some words I don't put together right..." he shrugged, and looked around a moment, wondering silently if they were close. He did want to remember this route if he had to do it again, after all.

"Oh...no, I don't think I'm very good at all. But you're right. It is pretty...tough, sometimes."

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"Nothing practice and time won't fix," Ogma assured him. "So.. what makes you think you aren't good?"

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

"Sure, sure." Ganymede nodded, a light smile still on his face.

"Oh, people tell me I'm not, sometimes. I'd probably agree with them...the things I like, some of the things I do, well, they're not very good at all." he looked down a little, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"How do you mean?" Ogma asked.

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

Ganymede just gave him a bit of a smile, and reached out to catch his kitten before she could jump from the basket.

"I have a way with men." he shrugged, cat purring in his arms. A straightforward answer for a simple question.

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"That doesn't make you a bad person," Ogma said, rounding a corner in the basement.

"Ah, and here's the laundry."

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

Ganymede only smiled at him, and took the basket back from him, finding himself a washing machine and starting to set things up for himself.

"Maybe not. Some people...think it's my fault, though. Or that maybe I should be ashamed that I enjoy it. But.." he shrugged. He bit his lip for a moment, and realized he was holding onto a pair of pink boxer shorts, before tossing them quickly in with the rest of the wash.

"I don't really think too much of myself, sometimes."

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

"Well, there's the problem. It's like I tell my kids and students: a lot of how the world sees you depends on how you see yourself."

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

Ganymede's permanent smile had fallen a bit.

"I don't really know about that. People usually only see what I look like, and then they make judgements from there." he shyed away, as he finished up getting his laundry properly stowed and figured out how to work the machine.

"I...also don't think I'm anyone worth thinking very highly of. I never really have been."

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

Ogma looked puzzled.
"I can't see why," he admitted, "You seem like a fine young man."

[ganymedon.insanejournal.com]

Ganymede smiled, slightly, and decided it would be best to just drop the topic altogether.

"I'm glad you think so. And I'm glad you were around to help me." he chimed, and reached up to give Ogma a hug. It just felt good to be around someone willing to actually talk to him.

[inked-oak.insanejournal.com]

Ogma chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"Sure thing, kid. You need anything, you just come ask Coach C, ok?"