Room 308. Tuesday Morning

[bitten_notshy]

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!]

Comments

[bitten_notshy]

Jack had no compunctions about snickering, in part in relief. "No looks," he promised. "That's just hysterical. Did you dress him up and take pictures?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"Pictures, yes, dressing up, no," she said, laughing now. "Every time I got near him with a ribbon or something, he tried to bite me. He owes me a bunch of new clothes too. Kept chewing through all my jeans and nested in my hoodies."

[bitten_notshy]

"So he was a violent tiny adorable bear," Jack observed, also with a laugh. "I'm sad you didn't get to keep him as a pet a little longer. I'm sure he isn't."

... karma might just bite Jack on this at some point.

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"Just you wait," Rose teased, echoing narrative unconsciously. "You'll get to be a tiny adorable something one day." She shook her head though. "I'm glad he's back as himself. It was gonna get weird if it went on much longer. Also T&C would run out of hunny."

[bitten_notshy]

"I'll never be a tiny adorable anything," Jack insisted. Ah, now he was just begging the island for trouble. "How much honey can a bear cub eat? I was never sure if that was just in stories or not."

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"Just you wait. And more than it's probably good to give him," Rose admitted. "I should make Dimitri go to the dentist. I don't think anyone's teeth are supposed to marinate in that much sugar."

[bitten_notshy]

"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?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

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

[bitten_notshy]

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.

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

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

It was just a given, yes.

[bitten_notshy]

"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."

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"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."

[bitten_notshy]

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.

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

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

[bitten_notshy]

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

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

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."

[bitten_notshy]

"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.

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"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."

[bitten_notshy]

"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?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"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."

[bitten_notshy]

"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."

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

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

[bitten_notshy]

"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?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"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?"

[bitten_notshy]

"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."