Room 223, Wednesday Morning

[life_inshadow]

Curtains drawn so she wouldn't have to look at the grey, foggy landscape outside, Tara sat cross-legged on her floor, bedroom door cracked open and R.E.M. softly playing on her stereo. She occasionally munched a cookie from the batch she'd made last night as she read.

It was a casual pose, but the studying she was doing was anything but casual. After class and talking to Kennedy yesterday, she wanted to see if she could find anything in her books on magic about lifting a fog, or detecting demons, or fear spells or -- anything, really.

The problem wasn't that she wasn't finding anything; it was that she was finding too much, and a lot of it contradicted itself. Taking a brief break, she absently stroked Moxy as he wandered by. "Bet you miss your friend," she murmured, glancing to Fiona's empty side of the room. She'd gone home to take care of family business. While Tara missed her, she was almost grateful there was one fewer person to worry about on the island until the fog lifted.

[OOC: Cracked door, open post!]

Comments

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy had cut the run out of her morning routine today; it seemed like a good idea, after hearing about other incidents on radio last night (and seriously, Katchoo could bite her). That, unfortunately, left her feeling restless and more thinky than she wanted to be. Class later today was something to look forward to, sort of, but Kennedy didn't feel like being alone right now.

She headed down the two flights of stairs from her room after a post-gym shower and knocked lightly on Tara's door. "Hey, babe? You busy?"

[life_inshadow]

Tara glanced up, momentarily startled, before relaxing when she saw it was just Kennedy. "Not really," she said, then cast her eye over all of the books. "Um. Kind of. Is reading a bunch of stuff that doesn't help the same thing as being busy?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Better than staring at the walls?" Kennedy suggested, leaning against the doorframe. "I talked to Constance this morning, too. She couldn't come up with anything either."

[life_inshadow]

Tara gestured for Kennedy to come in as she thought about what the girl had said. "Yeah," she nodded. "And it's not that there's nothing like this? It's -- it could be a whole lot of things, and none of them are really easy to solve. I dunno. Maybe if we have magic reserves today somebody'll have a better idea."

She sighed. "Are you still going to patrol?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy found a patch of floor she could half-sprawl on, surveying the pile of research with a soft whistle. "That's pretty much what Constance said, only she was a lot more British about it. So basically, a whole lot of not helpful."

Propping her chin on her hands, she looked thoughtfully at Tara. "I still think I should. You gonna talk me out of it again?"

[life_inshadow]

"Not helpful, all around," Tara said, and leaned back on her hands as she tried to pick her words. "See, if you put it that way, I feel like I can't. It's part of who you are, right?"

Which didn't mean she was happy about it.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Not if you ask Constance," Kennedy replied, annoyance creeping into the words. "She thinks I need to park my ass in the dorms where it's safe, because one stupid escapade was more than enough. I could be doing so much more, though."

[life_inshadow]

"Maybe?" Tara said, easing a thumbnail into her mouth. "Just -- you could m-maybe help, but you could also m-maybe get hurt. Really bad. W-we don't know how to protect against this and I just feel" --

She screwed up her face. Stupid stutter.

"I don't want you hurt."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"It happens sometimes," Kennedy said, and that cavalier tone probably wasn't doing anything at all to reassure Tara, was it? "Comes with the job."

The one that still wasn't technically hers, and no amount of trying to prove she deserved it was going to change that, but she was going to keep trying anyway.

"I get that. I do," she added, inching a little closer. "But people are out there attacking each other because something's messing with their heads, and I can't just sit around if there's something I can do about it. You get that, right?"

[life_inshadow]

Tara knew it wasn't really Kennedy's job -- not yet, maybe not ever -- and it was only a large amount of might-as-well-call-it-love-in-narration that kept her from pointing that out.

"I get it," she confirmed. "I do. I know there's nothing more important than protecting people to you. But" -- she faltered, trying to get the words right, and groped for Kennedy's hand while she thought. "It's messing with your mind, too, baby. Raven was okay, but what if the next person you run into isn't?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

And Kennedy felt bad enough-- despite the lingering she's-a-demon wiggins-- about that attack. She curled her fingers around Tara's hand and nodded, frowning like she was trying to calm herself down. Possibly because she was.

"Then I'd have to come smack myself down, wouldn't I? That would suck," she half-joked. "Okay, I'll stay in-- except to go to class-- for now. Because it matters to you, and that kinda matters to me. But if we end up with anything more to go by, like an actual plan? I am gonna help with that."

[life_inshadow]

Tara half-smiled, largely from relief. "Yeah, and then I'd have to make you feel better about smacking yourself down, and it'd be all screwed up," she kidded. "Thanks. And if there's a plan, if people figure out something mostly safe to do, I would never, ever stop you from going out."

Worry like hell until she came back, yes. But that went without saying.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"That could get really confusing. I'm maxed out on confusing as it is," Kennedy mused, then frowned. "Hey... are you gonna go to work tomorrow, if this doesn't clear up?"

[life_inshadow]

"I hadn't thought that far," Tara admitted, brushing her hair away from her face. "Would I sound like a huge wuss if I said probably not?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Not even," Kennedy told her. "I'd go with you, if you did, but funny thing? Kinda need you safe, too. And really don't want to end up flipping out on you."

[life_inshadow]

Tara shook her head. "Right, if i tried and I flipped out and things went bad? I wouldn't have helped anybody. I have books here and I think there's some stuff in the school library, anyhow. The shop can stay closed."

It just ... made her a little sad to think of it all lonely.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Guess we'll just have to settle in and get comfy for now." Kennedy wouldn't mind that too much, honestly, though she might have snuck a glance toward the cookies in there. "Maybe Defense Against the Dark Arts will come up with something?"

[life_inshadow]

Tara noticed the glance and scooted the plate of cookies toward Kennedy before snuggling in at her shoulder. "Maybe," she said. "Tell me if they do?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"You know I will." Kennedy leaned her head against Tara's as she took a cookie and nibbled at it thoughtfully. "Mind if I stick around until class? I could use the distraction."

[life_inshadow]

"Not even," Tara said, shoving some of the books out of her way with her foot so they had more room to stretch out. "Room feels all lonely these days anyhow. Company's good."

A pause. "Especially when it's you."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Best company I could ask for," Kennedy agreed, getting comfortable, but that was a cue to look across the room. "Huh. Fiona's not around?"

[life_inshadow]

"Yeah," Tara said. "She had some kind of family thing and took off. She's been kind of -- absorbed in her own stuff lately anyhow." She shrugged. "I'm not going to complain about a single for a while, I just hope everything's okay."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"And here I was going to offer to help you with that loneliness thing," Kennedy half teased, though with a mildly sober note. She actually kind of liked Fiona, from the few times they'd talked, even if she found Tara's roommate had a bit of an unsettling effect on her sometimes. "She'll be okay." That was more Kennedy's usual confidence than an informed statement, but she could be Reassurance Girl.

[life_inshadow]

"Probably," Tara nodded. She liked Fiona too, but she wasn't spending too much time worrying. "You could hang out here if you wanted? Just to get away from Worf and his dog."

Tara still had never met Worf, which might have been for the best all around.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy pretended to consider that for a while then, possibly predictably, drawled, "Well, your bed is a little more comfortable than mine. And I kinda like not getting drooled on."

She liked her roommate, but... yeah. Probably for the best.

[life_inshadow]

Tara giggled. "See, I was totally going to drool on you next time I kissed you, but if you don't like it..."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy let her mouth drop open in a completely unconvincing shocked look, then burst out laughing. "Aw, I don't know. If I get a kiss out of it, I think I can stand a little drool."

Wow, Kennedy. That sounded so romantic.

[life_inshadow]

Still laughing, Tara opened her mouth wide and pushed a stream of spittle out between her lips.

"C'mere," she said, as much as she could without closing her mouth. It was kind of a random mood change, but it was better than moping about stupid fog.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Tara, gross," Kennedy protested, laughing, but she was totally too badass to be put off by that and leaned in anyway.

Um. Just ignore that tiny, tiny split second of hesitation, okay?

[life_inshadow]

Tara was already laughing way too hard to kiss anyhow, wiping her mouth on the heel of her hands as she pulled back a fraction. "You -- you really would have gone for it?"

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"So would," Kennedy tried to insist, but she couldn't even get through two words without cracking up. "God, don't ever stop being such a dork, okay?"

[life_inshadow]

Tara snickered. "I think I'm stuck with the dork thing."

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Good." Kennedy pulled back to give her a lazy, and dare one say it almost schmoopy grin. "'cause that's one of my favorite things about you."

[life_inshadow]

And that schmoopy grin pretty much demanded Tara lean in and try to kiss Kennedy, whose tolerance for Tara's awesome dorkosity was one for Tara's favorite things about her.

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Hey, if the narrative was going to be admitting things they weren't about to say yet, Kennedy was pretty much in love with said awesome dorkosity.

Which she might not be saying, but she was certainly kissing Tara like that was exactly the case. Because it was.

...shh.