No business like show business (for Blaine)

David is finding a rhythm with his lectures and his readings and his essays. He thinks. So he decides it would be safe enough to get involved in some sort of society. Scripps has been asking him about what he does outside of school, and he wants to have an answer other than, "Revising."

There's a theatrical society at Magdalen, and they're having a recruitment meeting for anyone interested in joining. He'd thought about trying to get Akthar to come with, but then he decided that Blaine would be better for that, so he asked the other boy to join him. And now he's knocking on Blaine's door to see if he's ready to head out to the meeting.

On the green (for Wylie)

In their last year at Oxford, as their exams once again start to creep up on them, the Cutlers' boys have had to make more of an effort to stay in touch.

Well, most of them. David hasn't spoken to Dakin since running into him at a Sainsbury's back in Sheffield over the summer. Scripps and Akthar, though, he still keeps in touch with. (And they all still seem to fall back on surnames when they're together. David becomes Posner again, or Pos. Scripps and Akthar are Scripps and Akthar rather than Don or Adil.)

But they do make the effort, which is the important part. Today, they've been out doing their holiday shopping. Or Scripps is doing his holiday shopping. David and Akthar are going along for the ride. David does look a bit for Hanukkah presents for his parents and his uncle, but he's finished most of his shopping for them already.

When they've finished, they stop by a coffee shop for drinks and then David suggests a walk by the river, which is how they end up in the park, not exactly feeding the ducks, but occasionally throwing them bits of scone or muffin.