Room 222, Friday Midday

[bitten_notshy]

Despite the party and the interlude with Emma, Jack was mostly grateful the break week was over. Tomorrow there would be a new little sibling, new friends, perhaps even someone who would make him forget all the goodbyes in the last few weeks. And then next week there would be new classes and the play performance.

Today, there was his room and ... not much else. He flopped onto his bed with an apple and a paperback book of Greek myths he'd borrowed from the shelves in the common room, but in truth he wasn't paying much attention to his reading.

[OOC: For Rose, but the door is knockable.]

Comments

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

It had been a long, long week for Rose too, and while being back seemed mostly okay - minus the hot minder and arguing with Alex last night.

She hadn't seen Jack yet though, and she stopped by his door, tapping softly in case she was bothering.

[bitten_notshy]

Well, at least a knock would give him something to do. "In a second," he called as he put a marker in the book, then trotted over to the door and opened it a crack.

"Rose?" he was clearly surprised. Not displeased, just -- surprised. She'd sounded like she thought she was going home for good. "Welcome back."

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"Or you can call me Penny," Rose said wryly. She made a face. "Cause look at me turning up."

[bitten_notshy]

"I thought that was only supposed to happen with the bad ones," Jack said lightly.

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

Rose shrugged. "Details. I'm sure I can find someone to vouch for that."

[bitten_notshy]

That answer was unsettling. Jack gestured her in, taking a seat on his bed and motioning for her to do the same. "Well, I'm glad of it, either way. How was the trip?"

Are you all right? seemed an unkind question, somehow.

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

She gave him a smile for the comment and found a seat on the bed. She wasn't hurt anymore, but she was still moving awkwardly.

"Interesting," she admitted. "They sent me back here." Which was probably obvious, yeah.

[bitten_notshy]

"I noticed," Jack said, a spark of concern in his eyes at the awkward motion. "For the year, do you think?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, until May," Rose said. She pulled a quick face. "So that means I'll be saying bye to you after your birthday, huh."

[bitten_notshy]

Oh, now there was an interesting concept, especially since Sebastien's most recent word on the subject was that he preferred Jack stay in school for the year, absent disaster.

"I might be being too optimistic with that," Jack admitted. "Not -- optimistic is the wrong word. I might stay to graduate, is what I mean."

He tried a reassuring smile. "We'll both be Class of 2010, is that it?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

The reassuring smile was sent back towards him.

"They'd miss us too much if we left completely, that's it," Rose said flippantly, tossing her hair back over her shoulders without a thought. "Good thing we're staying for the rest of the school."

[bitten_notshy]

"Really, I don't know how it would manage without us," Jack said solemnly, and reached up a hand to catch the end of her hair, just because it was pretty. "Did you get any time with Lissa?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"The whole island would be sad," she agreed, equally serious. She grinned at the playing with her hair though and nodded. "Not as much as I'd like. They kept me busy. She's - I wish she could be here too."

[bitten_notshy]

"I know," Jack said, and kept petting her. "What else happened?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

Rose moved closer to him, seeking a little bit of physical reassurance from someone she was pretty much completely comfortable with.

"You gonna laugh if I say that I broke my ankle being a dumbass, Lissa was kidnapped and tortured, we staged a rescue mission, and then one of Liss' friends turned Strigoi to try to save the asshole who kidnapped Lissa?" she asked, with just enough lightness in her tone that she could deny all of it if she needed to.

[bitten_notshy]

The hand on her hair slowed almost to a stop as Jack processed the story. "... nothing like that sounds much worth laughing about," he said. "It happened?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"That's what they tell me," Rose said, making a face. "It was a long week."

[bitten_notshy]

"I'm gathering that," Jack said. "Sounds confusing, too."

He hesitated. "What happened to the fiend who took Lissa?"

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

Rose tensed. "He's in prison again. The Queen's guardians took him away."

[bitten_notshy]

"And that's not a good thing?" The tension was hard to miss.

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"He tortured Lissa," Rose said quietly. "And he talked his daughter into turning Strigoi to free him. He doesn't deserve prison and a trial."

[bitten_notshy]

"I don't disagree."

And that was just going to make Jack angry.

"You always want to believe they'll pay ... somehow, somewhere."

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

"Don't get me wrong," she said. "I wouldn't want to hang out in a Moroi prison. But god, I'd take care of him jsut fine."

[bitten_notshy]

"I know you would," Jack said, and leaned back a little. "Once someone tried to expose Sebastien, and hurt him with sunlight. I would have torn him apart with my bare hands if it had been more than a burn."

[guardianborn.livejournal.com]

Rose nodded, unable not to remember how it felt as that Moroi had tortured Lissa. She should've been able to do more to stop it, and instead she'd been fighting with Lissa like they were little girls and then off kissing Dimitri and getting thrown around by Natalie. She should've been able to do a lot more.

"He blocked our bond," she admitted. "Spelled me to not hear her."