[I know, I'm horrible. XD Yeah... DUDE. HIS WEAPON IS A HARP ON A FUCKING STICK. It doesn't GET cooler than that.]

He hadn't really noticed Lain yelling at him- exactly as the other had said, he was eerily unfocused. But he was brought back quickly when a hand touched his back. He yelped at the pressure against his fresh wounds and without pause had whirled around, eyes wide, switchblade in hand and pressed to Lain's throat, though the blade was not yet out. He stared for a few moments, then tried to regain his lost composure. "You should know better than to startle people at this school, Lain."

Of course, the name alone- never did he deign to speak to Lain as an equal- should have rung giant warning bells, but then, the knife probably already had. Brushing his hair back from his face, James reluctantly slid the sheathed blade back into his pocket, hands trembling slightly. He wasn't sure if it was more the shock or the pain that had done it.

(( lol, yus xD And he bashes shadows with it, or strums out a magical attack :OOO ))

Well, in a word: Wow. Two words: Holy shit. Lain reflexively rubbed his neck a little after having it almost cut open, then sighed. Oh, and James had actually called him by name. Whether that was a good or bad thing, he had no idea. He glanced around a bit, then folded his arms.

"So you do know my name. The hell is up with you--you alright?" He asked not so much out of concern, but more of curiosity--at least thats what he thought. Lain had barely moved and the guy went and pulled out a knife.. or something sharp. He wasn't really paying attention to what it actually was. Freaking psycho.

"Sit down, calm down. Fuck, you almost slit my throat!!"

[*nodnod* Still like Lamia better, tho. *flapflap* *POOF*]

James turned to face Lain, composure regained but teetering on the edge of a very high precipice. Looking at him relatively coolly, he managed a shaky smirk, though the smugness didn't reach his eyes. "I did not almost slit your throat- the blade was not out, therefore I didn't even come close." His mistake, that could have gotten him killed in a different situation. He glowered at Lain, but then, surprisingly, obeyed the command, plopping gracelessly down in the grass, cross-legged.

"And I am perfectly fine, thank you very much. I should be asking what your problem is, putting yourself at risk by coming up behind me without warning." His tone was as defensive as it could be without being screamingly hostile. "Of course I know your name- I learned it, therefore I remember it. Simple enough, Neon."

(( Ah, I never used her much, so.. xD;; ))

"Ah." Lain could have sworn he felt cold metal against his skin, but apparently he was just being crazy again. Or something. Speaking of crazy... Lain took another couple of glances around their surroundings before sighing.

"Calm down, wouldja? Christ." He stood near James, arms folded, eyebrow raised. "And for the record, I was like right next to ya." This guy was so annoying, and definitely not alright. "Like hell you are." Lain shook his head in irritation then flopped onto the grass, placing his arms under his head. Letting out another exasperated sigh, he closed his eyes.

"If you know it, then call me it. James. Now, tell me what the hell's got you so uptight so we can get this work over with."

[She's the only one I use for Agi skills any more.]

James remained sitting up even when Lain laid back. He stared out blankly at the field, the normally perfect posture invaded now by a slouch, shoulders slumped, head hanging so that loose strands of hair concealed his closed eyes. He considered actually telling for a moment... but no, he wasn't some weepy woman who needed everyone to know the hell he had gone through.

So he snorted, glancing back at Lain. "As you wish, Lain. And, as I previously stated, there is no problem." Standing, he placed on hand on his side briefly as his pain flared in his ribs, but kept the arm moving to make it look entirely natural. "Now, if you'll get up, we can get this over with and you can stop complaining."

He moved over towards the hurdles, starting to collect them. Luckily the storage shed wasn't too far away. Tucking two hurdles under his right arm and one under his left [had to carry something with his left or it'd seem suspicious], he headed off towards the shed. "You would think you'd actually work instead of lazing around, for all the complaining you do."