fandomhighdorms | The Roof, Monday Early Evening

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The Roof, Monday Early Evening

Ino sat dangerously close to the edge of the roof, legs dangling off the side and every now and then she'd lean over just to stare down at the drop. She wished it was higher. The Eiffel Tower had a much better view, obviously, than the roof of the dorms.

She kinda missed that.

Most of the time though she just kicked her legs idly out in front of her and tried not to think too hard about anything. Except maybe her garden. Thinking about her garden was comforting. Untouched by the last week--except for her resolution to never have any statues in the garden ever. Comforting was good.

[Open as a roof is, yes!]

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"I don't think there was much to be pleased with for most people," she said softly, "at least it's over and the ghost can't displease you again."

"He's gone on to whatever peace is found in death," he said.

He shrugged.

"I don't really care," he admitted. "Other than that you and Andrew and everyone else is back."

Her arms snaked behind her to hug him rather awkwardly since she couldn't really turn around while on a broom. She still made the attempt though.

"I took care of Andrew a bit while you weren't there," she said, "made sure he had food and shelter."

"Then I'll never be able to thank you enough," he said with a faint smile.

"How did you do it, if you don't mind me asking?"

He was familiar enough with ending up in a giant unfamiliar city without anything but the clothes on your back.

Ino wiggled her fingers in the air. "How do you think, silly?"

He rolled his eyes.

"I assumed, but I didn't want to say. I wouldn't dare accuse my saintly sister of such things."

Innocence. Personified.

She laughed brightly, just for him. "I," she said loftily, "am an excellent thief. All that ninja-training, you know."

"I have no doubt," he said with a smile. "Probably much better than I was. I always went for food."

"Nonono," Ino said, grinning up at him and nudging him with her shoulder as if to say silently that she'd never let him have to do that again, "what you do, is go for gems and jewels--then resell them and use that money to get food. Or you just steal money in the first place, though that requires a deft hand."

He nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind for when I'm in the Emerald City next," he said firmly.

"Not a chance," she informed him, "because a) I'm totally coming with you and will deal with that sort of thing and b) you'll be better off anyway the next time you go."

"We'll have to see," he said. "I don't intend on going back to my world until I can help Princess Nastoya because otherwise, there's really no point. I'm only going to finish what needs finishing and then I'll make my way elsewhere.

"I don't like Oz. The O.Z. is fine, but not Oz. I wouldn't want to bring anyone there."

She patted his arm lightly then pointed to herself. "Clever little sister," Ino said, then pointed at him, "doting older brother. In this scenario I totally would get my way. Or else I'd come after you, on my own, and you'd probably rather that a whole lot less than me being with you all the way."

"...I'd really rather not have to get a sister out of Southstairs," he agreed with a sigh.

"Totally win," she said smugly, then glanced at him, "what's Southstairs?" Had he told her before and seven months had just wiped her memory of him telling her? Or was it something new?

"It's a prison, a whole city beneath the Emerald City.

"It's the most horrible thing I've ever seen in my life."

He smiled at her cheerfully.

"Not anything you'll ever have to deal."

She squinted at him; unconvinced. "Do I want to know why you were seeing it?"

"Because I was looking for someone. They'd been sent there.

"And she would have found her. So it seemed the thing to do."

The subject of Nor was especially strange to speak of to Ino, which wasn't to say he wasn't going to.

Ino considered that. "Who were you looking for? And who would've found her that it would've been so bad?"

"I was looking for a girl I grew up with, a girl named Nor," he said, looking out on the campus. Not at Ino. He couldn't.

"I grew up with her. She was the daughter of the Arjiki prince Fiyero who'd been killed years before. The Wizard took the whole family from Kiamo Ko, but she was the only one who'd survived. She was sent to Southstairs.

"She managed to get out a scarce month before I went down. I don't know where she is now."

There was a short pause.

"And the one who would have found her was the Witch. She tried her hardest to save them."

"Did you love her, this girl, Nor?" Ino wanted to know, wondering why he'd gone looking for her, blue eyes staring up at him. "And the Witch, why would it have been bad if she'd found her--if she was trying to save them wouldn't it be a good thing?"

"She was..."

She might have been my half-sister.

But he couldn't say that.

"She deserved better," he finally said. "And I knew her and I didn't have anything better to do. And she was somewhat kind to me, of those in the keep. She let me have the tail of her gingerbread mouse at Lurlinemas when no one'd thought to make me one or leave me a basket."

He looked down at Ino.

"And it would have been good, if the Witch had found her. Which is why, after the Witch died, I decided to try and find her."

Ino frowned a little, mostly just around her eyes, and rested her head against him without saying anything. Just... thinking.

He looked down at Ino for a moment before.

"If certain sources are to be believed, she might be my half-sister."

She nodded, tucking the funny feeling, the not very pleasant feeling, that that idea gave her away in the deep recesses of her mind.

"You didn't want to tell me?" Quietly.

The Roof, Monday Early Evening

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