Second Floor Common Room, Tuesday evening

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

Sure it was cold outside due to the whole Antarctica thing. But the joy of climate controlled dorms was that Dick could put on shorts and a Hawaiian shirt and drag a patio umbrella along with some beach chairs (don't ask where he got them) into the common room to pretend it was still nice and warm.

He was also drinking soda out of a coconut-shaped mug. He was committed to the lie.

[OOC: Open. Especially open if you have a limbo stick.]

Comments

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

Someone had thrown out the extra packages of tofu in the fourth floor common room fridge, so Hoshi was checking the other common rooms for ingredients she could improvise with.

She stared for a moment after entering the second floor common room. "What are you doing?" she asked.

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"I'm enjoying summer," Dick said. "Even if we're in the wrong hemisphere for that. And we're next to a giant block of ice."

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"You know that the pool's not on this floor, right?" asked Hoshi, walking over the the fridge and opening the door.

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but I'm not dragging all this stuff down there," Dick said. "I'm committed to the idea just enough to bring it in here. Come on, grab a seat. Enjoy climate control summer."

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"It's a shame I didn't wear my new bikini," said Hoshi, taking one last look in the fridge, then claiming a beach chair for herself.

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Hey, if you want to go back and get it, I'll be more than happy to save your seat," Dick said.

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"You'd better. I really don't want to lose this spot," said Hoshi with a smirk.

She ran upstairs, then returned a few minutes later in her bikini.

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Welcome back. A couple kids tried to take your seat, but I chased them off," Dick said.

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," said Hoshi, getting comfortable in her beach chair. "So, are you new around here? I don't remember seeing you around."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"G-Good evening, Hoshi-san," Hinata said, with a smile.

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"Hi!" said Hoshi. "I was heading back upstairs, but I found the set-up too good to pass up."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"It's c-certainly a change f-from the norm," Hinata conceded. "I t-think it's a nice one though."

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"It's always good to get around to other common rooms," said Hoshi. "You just meet more people that way."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I've b-been trying," she said quietly, but with confidence. "I-I'm not doing so b-badly."

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"You're doing very well so far," said Hoshi with an encouraging smile. "And you made it through the first half of the summer."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I h-have," she nodded, and offered a smile. "I-If not so w-well as to please my Father." That was rueful. "F-Father wants m-me to get a j-job so I c-can meet p-people there as well."

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"A job might be a really good idea," said Hoshi. "I got one right away just because my parents didn't know to send me any money, but it helped. Right after I started working at the hotel, the other employees started a union and getting to join them in their strike was kind of fun."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata was, really, just passing by on her way up the stairs but she had to stop and blink.

"W-Why is there a patio u-umbrella in the c-common room?" she asked tentatively.

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Hi, Hinata," Dick said. "It's helping us think warm thoughts."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That got a soft laugh. "A-Are you so against the cold then?" Granted, it was quite a bit different from the Fire Country but the seals had been cute...

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"I don't usually have a problem with it," Dick said. "But I prefer my summer to be warm."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata looked around the room consideringly. "And this r-really helps y-you to pretend?"

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"It's all about setting the right mood. This stuff helps you think warm, and if you can think warm, you should be able to feel warm," Dick said. "And having the heat on in the room helps, too."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"T-There's no pool though," she noted, smilingly. "Which makes at l-least some of the s-setting r-rather useless."

[laidanegg.livejournal.com]

"Everyone's stuck on the pool..." Dick said, shaking his head with a grin. "Think of it this way: if I set up in the pool, I wouldn't have the company that I have right now. Unless you were going to the pool for some reason."