Room 415, Saturday Afternoon

[brat_inslayage]

She had packing to do, and as usual it involved a ridiculous amount of luggage. But talking to Rose yesterday had somehow pushed Kennedy's thoughts in the direction of what the hell she was going to do with her life if being the Slayer wasn't ever going to happen, and her workout earlier today hadn't done much to clear her head. (That was ironic; usually hitting things made things simpler.)

Going to college still sounded boring, and she still didn't want to do it, but somehow she found herself taking breaks from cramming clothes and shoes into her suitcases to look over the brochures Constance had sent her, spread over her desk in haphazard style. It'd be something, right? Maybe she could find a major that wouldn't be too much of a pain. Maybe she could--

Screw it, she still didn't know. She didn't really want to think about doing anything else, and the fact that this was probably the one thing in her life that she'd never be able to get by talking someone into it or getting Dad to wave a check? That was frustrating, and nearly impossible for her to understand. A week in Hawaii sounded like a way better thing to focus on.

Back to packing it was, then, and she'd just crank up the Old Man Markley album she'd picked up off iTunes on a whim this morning while she did. It was... a lot more fun than she'd be expecting it to be. Huh.

[[mmm, punk bluegrass from a local band. yeah, i have a new musical obsession. this was a totally gratuitous attempt to shoehorn in a link to that video somewhere, but the door and post are open, why not?]]

Comments

[life_inshadow]

Tara had left a message late the night before -- your standard hi, not dead, need sleep, love you kind of thing -- so she didn't feel too guilty that it took most of the day for her to feel awake and refreshed enough to go find Kennedy.

"I like this music," she said from the doorway. "... and I missed you. Hi."

[brat_inslayage]

"It's not so much my usual thing, but I like it," Kennedy answered, grinning at her. She'd pretty much given up on choosing between swimsuits in favor of tossing them all into her suitcase instead, but she'd abandon the decision either way, since bounding over to the doorway was more fun. "Missed you too. Everything go okay?"

[life_inshadow]

"As things like that go?" Tara asked, raising an eyebrow the tiniest bit at Kennedy's familiar packing method. "I ... guess, yeah. We got Squall's sister out okay. I un-brainwashed somebody."

A pause. "Jono blew up a building, but not in a way that hurt anybody. Else."

[brat_inslayage]

"So, good trip all around," Kennedy decided before that last bit caught up to her. "Wow, remind me never to piss him off... you un-brainwashed someone? Seriously? Damn, I knew you were good, but damn."

Congratulations, Tara; she rarely looked that impressed.

[life_inshadow]

"Yeah," Tara said, sounding as impressed as Kennedy was -- not a surprise, since she hadn't expected to be able to do it either. "It was ... I could see the spell, kind of? So it was like ... peeling it. Like taking the skin off a banana."

Confidingly, she added, "He was still kind of a jerk, but it sounded like that was just the way he was."

[brat_inslayage]

"That shouldn't make me want a sundae," Kennedy said wryly. "Actually I think we can put that off until we're on a beach somewhere."

She reached out to pull Tara into a quick hug. "Long as he wasn't a jerk to you, and-- everybody else got out okay, right?"

[life_inshadow]

"We should have the sundae off the beach," Tara said. "I don't want sand in my ice cream."

She surrendered to the hug as she put forth that very important plan.

"Everybody got out okay," she added. "We're all tired, but that's about it. Nothing lying on a beach won't cure, honest."

[brat_inslayage]

"Poor baby. You're gonna be sleeping from now until we have to leave, huh?" There was a distinct note of affection in Kennedy's voice as she brought a hand up to run it lightly over Tara's hair. "Sounds like you kinda earned it, though."

How had they gotten to the point where one or the other of them running off to help save a world had become almost routine? She didn't know, but it was pretty cool. Also something she'd miss a lot after Fandom, if the future shook out the way she thought it would.

"So sand-free sundaes, check, and I think I might be good for a nice long backrub on the beach."

[life_inshadow]

"And then sleep some more on the plane," Tara said, smiling softly against Kennedy's shoulder. "Mmmm. I think I might actually be ready to think about classes again, after a week of sleep and backrubs on the beach. It's been ... a lot, last few months. Not bad, just ... a lot has happened."

[longislandiceme]

Somewhere in a New York a few universes away, aboard a spaceship currently parked near the banks of the Hudson river, there was a group of kids with a phone that... very much did not belong to them.

Which was why Kennedy was about to get a very coherent text message that consisted of the following:

kjjjjjsssssmmmmsmmmm@@@@

[brat_inslayage]

Ooooooooooooookay then.

Why is your butt texting me, Boy Scout? came the reply. Never mind, I don't want to know.

[longislandiceme]

It wasn't his butt! It was just that the pair of hands that had first grabbed ahold of the phone did not belong to someone who knew how to read.

Sorry bout that. R u the girlfriend?

Yeah, still not Bobby.

[brat_inslayage]

...

No offense, Bobby, but--

OH, HELL NO.

[longislandiceme]

U DONT THINK HE'S CUTE????

Say hello to Boom-Boom, Kennedy. She's a bit of a fangirl.

[brat_inslayage]

And hello to you, Boom-Boom. Sorry about the response.

Guy, so no. Not so much.

[longislandiceme]

U dont like guys??? & y Boy Scout???

[brat_inslayage]

Long story. Too long for thumb typing.

There was a quick delay before the next text:

The boy Scout part. Also, hi, lesbian.

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Okay, that music? Kind of impossible to ignore. Wesley poked his head in from the hall, too intrigued to not find out whose room this was.

Wow. Um, okay.

"Interesting choice of music," he remarked.

[brat_inslayage]

"Just trying something new," Kennedy admitted, not exactly self-conscious about the inexplicable bout of twanginess. "I'm pretty sure it's not a sign I've gone evil, promise. Hey, Wes. You heading to Hawaii too?"

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"I am," he agreed. Then, puffing up just a tiny bit -- "Tomorrow's my birthday, so given the choice of whether to spend it in wildly inconsistent weather or beach temperatures, I had to pick the latter."

But not the beach. He was a complex guy. Mainly he just wanted to drop the "birthday" part in.

"I suppose you and Tara are going as well?"

[brat_inslayage]

"Wait, tomorrow's your birthday? Sure, make it all last-minute so I can't plan something," Kennedy complained. "Wait, is this like a test? Do I have to, like, improvise on the fly now?"

Beat.

"...that'd be a yes, B.T.W. We're going."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Wes laughed. "No, no, that's not necessary," he hastened to say. Yeah, he'd pass on the extravagant Kennedy party, thanks. Sorry, Kennedy.

"It sounds like quite a trip, though," he added. "I don't have much experience with American high schools, but do they all go on such elaborate trips?"

That'd be a no. Some people got to have senior trip in New Jersey, Wes. New Jersey.

[brat_inslayage]

Fine, Wes, be that way.

"I can definitely tell you none of the other schools I've ever been to have done this the way Fandom does, and I've gone to some pretty fancy-ass schools," Kennedy told him. "Last spring break was the Bahamas, and we had a week in some Maine resort last fall."

[[i am running out for dinner for a bit, but sp yay?]]

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"And Vail, too," he mused thoughtfully. "Well. The Watchers' Academy certainly didn't go on trips as nice as this. Although we did go to Cleveland once."

And that belonged in that category why?

[[for sure!]]

[brat_inslayage]

"What the hell," asked Kennedy, thoroughly unaware of how apt her word choice was, "would anyone be doing taking a field trip to Cleveland? Although, Watchers' Academy, so that goes along with the boring..."