bitten_notshy | Room 308. Tuesday Morning

Jack had every reason to be happy as he made it back to his room after a quick trip into town to buy coffee and pick up his mail. It was a lovely spring day, and there were no children -- his own, or shrunken versions of his classmates and teachers -- about. He was profoundly grateful for this; children were fine, but he'd gotten his fill of babysitting.

He was mildly curious as to why the change had passed him by, but mostly he was simply thankful for that. No one needed to see the silent, wounded boy he had been. Besides, he hadn't spoken English as a small child, and he doubted he would have been able to find anyone to explain things to him in Czech or Yiddish.

But that was not at the top of his head as he returned to his room, not when the mail had brought good news for him. Sebastien had already telegraphed that he'd be at graduation on Saturday; now he had a letter from Rivka as well, confirming she'd asked for and received the time off to visit him. (And, she wrote, no, Jan, don't send money for a coach.) He'd have to talk to both of them about his final plans to stay in this time -- he'd been dancing around the subject -- but he was optimistic enough to believe that wouldn't go too badly. (He'd badger Sebastien into coming with him. He had to.)

He was grinning as he flopped onto his bed with a novel, door open so he could watch the traffic in the hall.

[OOC: Open room post!]

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"He was a grouchy small bear," Jack said. "You were doing your best keeping him from going after the flamingos at the pond."

A pause. "Do bears eat flamingos?"

"...well, now I'm wondering too," she admitted. "Maybe he'll turn into one again and I'll find out."

Jack made large, sad and completely full of hooey eyes at her. "Film it if you do, would you?"

He didn't have anything against Dimitri; it was jut the concept of bear vs. flamingo that had him intrigued.

"Fuck yes," Rose said instantly. "That would go on YouTube immediately. Dimitri would win though."

It was just a given, yes.

"Not even a question," Jack agreed, in a matter-of-fact way. "He'd have claws, flamingos have beaks. Bears are predators, birds are prey."

"Hard to see it as a contest."

"He'd be like seven inches tall, they're about as tall as me," Rose agreed. "I could see it."

She made a face. "Not that I want more classes or anything, but this week feels like such a waste."

Jack followed the change in subject easily. "It does. You could pack if you were going anywhere right after graduation, but I'm not."

There was a question there, in a way.

"Me neither," Rose said, leaning back against the wall. "I'm here til August so no point in packing."

Pleased by that, he reached over and put a hand lazily, lightly atop hers. "So what are we going to do with ourselves?"

She smiled at the touch, turning her hand up under his. "Spend a lot of time outside in the sun," she decided. "And at the beach. You won't get any sun once you're in freakin' England."

"That sounds nice," Jack observed, "even if you say it like it doesn't snow ten months out of the year in Montana."

He occasionally deigned to read about places his friends were from. Once in a while.

"We won't be in Montana after graduation hopefully," Rose admitted. "Don't know where Lissa's going to college." She grinned over at him. "It's not ten months. More like eight. And a half."

"Oh, well, if it's only eight and a half I'll plan my next vacation there," Jack said airily, and smiled. "Do you know where Lissa wants to go? Or is it not up to her at all?"

"It's pretty," she said easily. "And there's tons of space. We could go mountain climbing." Cause Jack was going to love that. "No idea. She's such a geek. She wants to go to a good prestigious school, but the protected ones are usually pretty tiny. We'll see, I guess."

"Do I look like a mountain climber to you?" Jack asked, amused as he tested the notion out in his head. "I've always been in cities. Space is strange."

"Yep!" Rose squeezed his hand lightly. "We'll get you special boots and ropes and everything. Space is awesome."

"Yeah?" Jack asked idly, trying to picture it. "I'll come visit, wherever you end up." And that was getting dangerously close to being maudlin, so he squared his shoulders and changed the subject.

"So, other than chasing a baby bear and getting throw in the pond, what have you been up to?"

"I'd like it," she admitted, but the subject change was a good idea before they got sappy. Rose made a little face at the question. "Training, being happy exams are done, looking forward to mocking everyone if they have crazy people come to graduation. You?"

"Figuring out which of my crazy people are coming to graduation," Jack said. "Sebastien and my sister both say they're coming. Mock Sebastien if you want, he'd probably like it."

Rose looked up curiously then asked lightly. "That a warning off mocking your sister, Jack?"

"No." Yes.

Jack rationalized: "She's going to feel out of place enough."

She reached over to nudge him lightly. "I know it's surprising, but I can totally be polite."

Jack nudged her back. "I didn't say you couldn't be."

It was just ... 1900 polite and Rose polite were different things, and he was still getting comfortable with Rivka, and and and ...

No worrying, Jack. "It'll be fine. You just always get nervous when you're bringing worlds together."

"I get it," she agreed. "And it'll totally be fine. If I got nervous," yes, she did "I'd be nervous too if anyone was coming."

A slight smile touched Jack's lips at her first "if." "Your mother isn't taking time off?" he asked, then considered. "... I'm not sure that's a bad thing."

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