Fifth floor common room, Friday night

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter was watching the Food Network.

Really.

At least his eyes were turned toward the Food Network on the television. The active part behind the eyes was conducting a silent argument about using the GPS tracker Nadia had given him to go find her and sling her little fasting body over his shoulder and drag her back to the dorms.

It was an ugly argument.

But there's a common room and food being prepared on the television.

['Tis a room, and common. Open.]

Comments

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

Walter's cel phone, if he has it with him, starts to ring.

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

And lo, he had it.

"Hello?"

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"Hi Walter! It's Pippi!"

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Tell me you're carrying Nadia in from the woods."

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm in San Diego with the rest of the cheer squad as we have a competition tomorrow." she said. "Tell me you're NOT in the woods stalking Nadia through the gps tracker she gave you."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"I'm not in the woods stalking Nadia," Walter said resignedly. "I'm in the common room... watching... someone doing something with food."

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm very proud of you Walter."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Were you calling just to make sure I wasn't stalking her?"

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"Why my dearest buddy, bosom pal, and life-long friend. Do you not suspect I simply miss you?"

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Because you've never phoned me when you were off-island before?"

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm usually with you when I'm off-island for more then a few hours." Pippi pointed out.

Even though the totally called him to make sure he wasn't stalking Nadia through the woods.

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Right." Clearly he believed that. Only probably not. "Are you facing tough competition tomorrow?"

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"Rancho Carne Torros... Apparently they've been national champs a couple of years running... So, I guess they're good."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"They don't get their training dodging gremlins. I expect you all to come back to tell us about winning."

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"I suppose that is a bit of an unfair advantage on our part."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"You'll be back tomorrow night or Sunday? Should I keep Mr. Neilson company?"

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"He'd like that ya." Pippi said. "Old Man might like to go out for a run if you feel like it...

Take him to the park."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter raised an eyebrow at her emphasis on the last word. "Something in particular about the park?"

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"Nadia isn't in the park on a vision quest."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Ha. Ha."

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm concerned about her being out there too Walter. But if she's willing to go out at this time of year, then she's really serious about it. And if we don't let her decide for herself when she's done then we'll never hear the end of it."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Why do you think I'm sitting on this couch?" He made a face at his snappish tone and took a deep breath before continuing. "You're not saying anything I haven't already told myself."

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

If Pippi was there she'd give him a hug.

"I know. But I thought it might be helpful to have somebody else say it out loud. And I'm having trouble coming up with something to say that isn't 'get out there, shoot her with a trank gun, and leave her to finish her vision quest in the Danger Shop or something where she won't catch her death of cold... Because doing that would be a mistake for a number of reasons."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Look. I've always told people that I like Nadia because she can take care of herself." Which, to be frank, wasn't always true.

"She has a plan, she has cold weather gear, and she thinks this is the only way to make her sleep problems stop. If I pull her out of there before Sunday, she will never forgive me. So I gues you could say this is a test for both of us."

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"She'll be fine, you'll be fine... I miss you guys. It's kinda dull here. I think I'm gonna go bother the boys."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Go ahead. I'll make sure Old Man and Mr. Neilson are properly looked after."

[strongestgirl.livejournal.com]

"Okay. We'll be back Sunday."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge wanders up to the fifth floor... for no real reason, actually. Because he felt like it.

"Hey, Walter," he says with a wave, dropping on to a couch.

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Hey." Walter looked away from not watching the Food Network and gave Bridge a wave. "What brings you to the good floor?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Felt like wandering," Bridge shrugs. "You look... focused," he decides, after thinking for a minute on what word to use.

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," he admitted. "I'm trying to keep myself from pissing off Nadia. "

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Pissing her off?" Bridge raises an eyebrow.

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. She decided to go on some vision quest thing after talking to you." Slight emphasis on you. "And she's out alone in the preserve unarmed and fasting, hoping for some spiritual guidance to help her with her sleeping problem."

He made a face. "And I'm trying to keep from going out there to bring her back here."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Um." Bridge looks very, very sheepish. "She said she was gonna try and figure out some way to get it to 'chill out'. I... was not expecting this to involve a vision quest outside in midwinter."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. And she hates the cold." Which was one of the reasons he had let her go, oddly enough. It just showed how serious she was about it if she was willing to go out in the cold voluntarily.

"I don't suppose you have some special way you can tell me if she's alright out there?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I can try," Bridge says, taking off a glove and holding his hand up to his temple, closing his eyes and searching out Nadia's aura.

"She's fine," he says after a moment. "A little tired and cold, and her left foot's kinda falling asleep, but fine."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter gave Bridge a Look. "You're having me on. Her left foot is falling asleep?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I am completely serious, dude," Bridge says solemnly.

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

After giving Bridge as thorough a scrutiny as the youth had likely received, Walter nodded and relaxed slightly.

"Good. Thanks. Useful talent that."