Room 223, Tuesday Evening

[life_inshadow]

Tara had managed a phone call to her mother that morning, and they'd agreed it wasn't a good idea for Tara to try to come home for Thanksgiving.

Which was a relief on the one hand -- no trying to be normal with her father -- and a disappointment on the other, since she still missed her mother.

She put it to the back of her mind and settled cross-legged on her bed with a book on enchantments, stroking Mr. Moxy with one hand as she contemplated a spell that would make anything attacking turn into bunnies. It didn't strike her as the most useful idea, but it made her laugh.

[OOC: Cracked door, open post.]

Comments

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Here's where I admit I'm not sorry about that," Kennedy told her, breezing in like she was fully intent on flopping across the end of the bed. "There was this whole plan where I was going to take these up to my room in case you dropped by, but funny thing, your room's between the bakery and mine."

[life_inshadow]

Tara would actually have been faintly disappointed if Kennedy hadn't flopped on her bed. She followed close behind, pausing only to release the cat.

"Weird coincidence," she said. "Almost like I l-live on a lower floor, or something."

She seemed touched. "You were going to keep food in your room for me?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Chocolate croissants? I did say I would," Kennedy replied, making herself comfortable. (Silly entitled girl.) "Hey, Mr. Moxy," she added to the cat, wiggling her fingers in a quick wave.

"Two whole floors is a long way." She held the bag out with an impish smile. "They could've gone bad between here and there. Can't have that."

[life_inshadow]

Tara lazily reached her fingers out and took a croissant. "Yeah," she agreed. "It'd be a tragedy if I asked you for a croissant and they were all stale. Might scare me off."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Total tragedy." Kennedy might've tried to reach out and brush Tara's fingers in the process there. "Scaring you off's one of the last things I want to do. Speaking of doing things, up to anything interesting today?"

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"Not really." Tara was distracted by the finger-touching thing. "Oh! I called my mom. I'm staying here for Thanksgiving, are you?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

That was kind of her intent, after all. "Yeah. I might duck out for a bit over the weekend to check in with Constance, but otherwise? Dad's in Hong Kong, still, and the idea of dinner with just my stepmom and the kid sister doesn't really make me wanna jump at the chance." Kennedy frowned slightly and took a croissant for herself. "Company's way better here."

[life_inshadow]

"Hardly worth the travel," Tara had to agree, scrunching her nose. "And company here w-will definitely be a lot better than it would be at home."

She glanced over at Kennedy. "What about you? Didi you do anything cool today?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Just reserves. Nothing major. The guys--" and this would be Kennedy's slightly distasteful grimace over why the reserves leadership was entirely male-- "picked up on the show-and-tell thing your group is doing. Not really sure what to show 'em, though."

She shrugged and curled up a little, nibbling at the croissant. "None of my skills are all that special in that bunch."

And catch her admitting that to anyone else.

[life_inshadow]

"Of course it's all guys," Tara said, relaxing as she popped a bit of croissant into her mouth. "I know what you mean. Th-there's stuff I'd have to work for years on that, like, Karla thinks is basically baby magic."

Around a mouthful of croissant, she added, "H-having that much power is scary? But it would be nice to be, y'know, a little flashy."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"I saw what she can do. Kinda freaked me out," Kennedy admitted, scooting a tiny bit closer. Okay, not that tiny a bit. "Nothing's wrong with a little flashy. That sparkly thing you can do is cool. But throwing around lightning like that? I might be a little scared of you if you could."

[life_inshadow]

"This is kind of bad?" Tara said shyly. "But sometimes talking to Karla about magic makes me sort of maybe ... want to, um, beat my head into things. She just sees it really differently than we do at home and it's kinda overwhelming."

She'd decided Kennedy was from her world; it just made things simpler,
"Does that make any sense?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Sorta. The whole magic thing's still way new to me. But then, I see guys like Arthur who don't have any problem with the idea of training to kill other human beings and that..." Kennedy gave her a look that was the closest she ever came to shy, which amounted to hesitant with a side of mildly annoyed with herself for the hesitance. "That part really doesn't get along with me."

[life_inshadow]

"I really only know Arthur from radio," Tara said, scrunching her face up. He was intimidating; Tara avoided the intimidating.

"But yeah. That's like my thing in ethics. Killing a person is -- it's big. You can't be casual about it, right?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"God, no," Kennedy said vehemently. "We don't do that. In fact, I don't even know what I'd do if it came down to that. Demons are one thing, but people... so I'm glad you get it, too."

Not that she could really picture Tara being okay with that idea by any stretch of the imagination.

[life_inshadow]

"I definitely get it," Tara said, with a soft smile. "Self-defense is -- something else. I guess. But I don't want to think about that."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Good thing you have me around to think of those things then," Kennedy teased lightly. "Still, not the most fun topic of convo."

[life_inshadow]

Tara shook her head. "Doesn't really go with kittens and chocolate croissants."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"No, way too depressing." Kennedy could do without that, really. Chewing her lower lip for a moment, she lapsed into a mischievous grin and asked, "So... tell me something more interesting, instead. Something I don't know about you, maybe? Surprise me."

Segues were for people not Kennedy. As was the case with subtle.

[life_inshadow]

"Something interesting about me that you don't know?" Tara was trying to think. "Um, when I was really little I used to want to be a professional roller-skater. I was so sad when I found out it wasn't really a job."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, kind of a shame. I could get behind a job like that." Kennedy laughed and rolled onto her back, tucking one arm lazily behind her head. With an appraising glance, she decided, "You'd look cute in those helmets and kneepads."

[life_inshadow]

Tara looked like she was trying to decide whether to be surprised or not, and went with not. "I'm not so sure about the shorts," she joked. "What about you, what did you want to do?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"I don't know, the shorts might be interesting." Sorry, Tara -- Kennedy was a little shameless sometimes. "Who, me? I just wanted to be meta? Rhett Butler. Dashing and up to no good and sweeping girls off their feet. 'course, that lasted all of a year before my Watcher showed up at my house."

[life_inshadow]

"And since then it's been training," Tara said. "... and occasionally maybe sweeping a few girls off their feet?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I make time for that." Kennedy paused, raised one eyebrow, and asked, "Is it working?"

Seriously, Kennedy. Way to not be subtle at all.

[life_inshadow]

If Kennedy ever was subtle, Tara would have concluded pod people had taken her over.

"It's -- you mean" -- and then there were stuttery noises.

She decided to give up on trying to talk and lean in, willing Kennedy to close the gap and just kiss her already.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

If Kennedy ever was subtle, takeover by pod people (or, you know, possession) would be a very valid concern.

"Well, yeah. I just like to be sure about these things, you know." She could talk, but she wasn't ignoring the invitation either, propping herself up on her elbows to move closer and, yes, just kiss Tara already.

[life_inshadow]

It wasn't a long or especially deep kiss -- at least from Tara's end -- but it was more than nice.

"So ... sure now?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy hadn't been overly ambitious about that kiss either; she hadn't needed to be. It had been enough that when she pulled back, the grin on her face was impossible to miss.

"I think you make a convincing case for yourself. Been wanting to do that for a while, by the way."

[life_inshadow]

"Me too," Tara said. "I just -- I wasn't sure you did, or how to start or ... I'm glad it happened."

She was all but glowing.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Me too. Huh. Maybe I could've been more obvious," Kennedy teased, too preoccupied with just enjoying the look on Tara's face to think about congratulating herself for it. "But I have this thing where people tell me I come on too strong sometimes, and I didn't want to scare you off."

[life_inshadow]

"I would have freaked," Tara said thoughtfully, then blushed and bit her tongue. "I mean, I like you? But, uh, I'm not so much used to hot girls throwing themselves at me. Or people throwing themselves at me in general."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Their lack of eyes, their loss," Kennedy replied. It had been a pretty restrained throwing-at of herself, honestly. Sitting up slightly, she reached over for Tara's hand and said, considering, "Guess my Watcher was right about patience paying off, then."

[life_inshadow]

"Guess so," Tara said, letting Kennedy take her hand. She was allowed to be a little smug, okay? "So are you going to start listening to Constance all the time?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy laughed and ran her thumb over the back of Tara's hand. "What, all the time? Yeah, right. How not-fun would that be? Someone has to keep her on her toes, and I've got tons of experience there."

[life_inshadow]

"If you listened to her too much she'd wonder what was wrong," Tara said, giggling. "That thumb thing kind of tickles."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Being a pain in the ass is my particular brand of charm, it's true," Kennedy said, tugging lightly at her hand. "It seems to work."

And if it annoyed people in the process, she wasn't really bothered by that.

[life_inshadow]

"Works on girls like me, anyhow."

... which was a sign for Tara to try to kiss her again, yeah.

[OOC: I am good to FTb whenever you are!]

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Good enough for me," Kennedy replied, which was all she had time to say anyway, before there were more interesting things to do with her mouth.

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