Room 502, Tuesday Night

[withoutverona]

Romeo was done putting together his bag for his trip to Verona, and now he was sitting on his bed, frowning at the rest of his room a bit.

He was seeing it clearly, now; the room was all but brimming with sixteen months worth of books and papers and clothes and the odd bit of rubbish that had never quite made it into a bin. When Teyla lived there, he'd been neater about his things, but now that she didn't he only had to be tidy enough that Dojima wouldn't flee screaming when she visited.

And, soon enough, it would all need to be boxed up and discarded, sent home to Verona, or shipped off to Tokyo.

He thought about doing some of the organizing tonight, but, ultimately, settled in with his journal. There were things on his mind.

[OOC: Open door -- I just felt like posting him]

Comments

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen knocked lightly on the door jamb. "So... you will be leaving soon after graduation?"

[withoutverona]

"Helen," Romeo said, glancing up from his pages with a smile. "Perhaps, but it's not altogether decided yet. I have the shop in town, so I may stay until that's settled. Why do you ask?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She shrugged. "Just... I will miss you when you go even though we don't talk much."

[withoutverona]

"It's kind of you to say so," Romeo said, blinking a little and setting his journal aside. "We can talk now, if you'd like. How are you?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "I'm well. Still not quite... easy here, but better."

[withoutverona]

"You've been here some time, I thought," Romeo mused, leaning against his headboard. "What do you mean by 'easy here'?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Almost a year now," Helen admitted. "But... I don't find it easy to make friends or interact with others. I can be very abrasive."

"I do better with horses," she offered.

[withoutverona]

"I'm not much for horses," Romeo shrugged. "But why are you abrasive? Is it hard to be gentler?"

Making friends had never been hard for Romeo, once he got past a few language hurdles in Fandom, so he had a hard time identifying despite his sympathy.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She shrugged. "It seems so. I try, but when I relax and try to be myself... Well, I'm rather harsh. and I don't seem able to quite stop myself from saying things I shouldn't."

[withoutverona]

"Helen," Romeo asked with an edge to his mild tone, "do you often start conversations by explaining how you aren't good with people?"

It seemed less than productive.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"No," she said with a slight quirk to her lips. "Sometimes I start by insulting them."

"Usually," she corrected herself. "Usually I seem to start by insulting them."

[withoutverona]

"Well, you haven't insulted me in the last two minutes," Romeo offered. "We could build on that and talk abut something else. How go your finals?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "They're going quite well. The requirements were much harsher back home. Here... it's quite enjoyable. And you?"

[the_merriest]

"I hate packing," Rikku announced, lounging in his doorway. "Especially this kind, where everything has to go back with you."

[withoutverona]

"I'm trying to convince myself to pack some things to carry back to Verona with me as luggage, but I'm failing at it," Romeo admitted. "How did I get so many things in sixteen months?"

[the_merriest]

"I've got an extra twelve on you," Rikku laughed. "I might have to set some things on fire. Oooh, maybe we could auction off some of the junk we'd rather get rid of than take home with us?"

[withoutverona]

"We should do that some morning during graduation weekend," Romeo said, perking up. "Like a garage sale, for the seniors."

[the_merriest]

"The Friday before, or the Sunday after?" Rikku grinned. "You know, I bet we could take over one of the common rooms. Put signs up. Invite other people to drop off their stuff. I mean, we can't be the only ones needing to unload, right?"

[withoutverona]

"Definitely not," Romeo said firmly. "We've all been here a year, at least. Things accumulate, and I like thinking of them going to a good home."

[the_merriest]

"Any home is fine with me, so long as it's not mine," she said easily, claiming a seat on the nearest chair. "So, what are the odds that one of you is gonna call me for bail in the next few days?"

[withoutverona]

"Low, I think," Romeo said, flashing a smile. "Though I understand Yurika's decided we're my cousin's responsibility, if the worst does happen. I'll do my best to get your Turk back to you in one piece."

[the_merriest]

Rikku laughed. "I trust you, on that one. And if you did end up in jail or worse, it'd probably be his fault anyway."

[withoutverona]

"I already told him not to say anything if he didn't know what it meant," Romeo said. "He has some manners, when he bothers, and he's a guest. Do you think I should worry more?"

He was getting genuinely concerned.

[the_merriest]

"Not really," Rikku said. "He's with you on a mission, right? I mean, if he was just going to goof off, I'd be worried, but if he's in Turk Mode -- he'll behave."

It was a Thing.

[withoutverona]

"Midway between a mission and a pleasure trip," Romeo said. "My father is trying to convince me not to go to Tokyo, and I owe it to him to listen in person."