5th Floor Common Room: Thursday night [7-31-08]

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen was in a particularly good mood after her Escape Artistry class. She'd made up far more chicken and rice than she could ever eat and now was busily making notes of all the different creatures she'd shown an ability to control.

This was probably the happiest anyone was likely to see her.

[Open with plenty of food for all!]

Comments

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

Lion-o followed his nose upstairs to the fifth floor. He was a growing cub and even though Snarf had fed him already, he was hungry again. "Whatever you're making smells really, really good!" he said.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Chicken and rice," Helen said absently. "Help yourself."

Then she looked up and saw the... lion? "Wait, what?"

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

"Ooh, thanks!" said Lion-o, grinning.

"New student, huh?" asked Lion-o, with the air of someone who had been in Fandom a lot longer than Lion-o had been.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Helen said cautiously. "And you? Are you a... student as well?"

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

"Yup! My name's Lion-o and I'm from the third floor," he said. "I've been here for a little while. It's a pretty neat school." Granted, Lion-o had only been there from the beginning of the summer...

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Ah... all right then," Helen replied, still watching him cautiously.

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

The way she was watching him was making Lion-o a little nervous, but he tried to fake a sense of confidence as he kept talking. "So, what's your name? And this is probably your floor, right?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"My name is Helen Haras-Uquara," she said formally, "and yes, this is my floor. I... have never seen anyone quite like you before."

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

Lion-o shrugged. "I'd heard of humans, but I'd never seen one before coming here," he said. "I'm from a planet called from Thundera. Most of the people on my planet look like this."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen nodded. "I see. Well... enjoy the chicken and rice."

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

"Thanks!" said Lion-o, moving to fix himself a plate. "I can't wait to dig in. This smells yummy!"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Thank you," Helen said, watching him as he moved. "I do enjoy cooking. When I don't have to."

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

Lion-o tried to ask something, but it came out all mumbled because his mouth was full. He chewed, swallowed, and then asked again, "Do people expect you to cook and you don't like it?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"There are a lot of things people expect me to do that I don't like," Helen said darkly.

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

"Like what?" asked Lion-o before scooping another spoonful of rice into his mouth.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Coming here for one."

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

"Oh," said Lion-o. "I was excited about coming here at first, but then the first couple of weeks were so scary that I wanted to go home. Now I'm okay with it."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen shrugged. "I don't entirely hate it. I certainly don't find it scary."

No, she wasn't the nicest person.

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

"I thought it was scary enough," said Lion-o, pouting just a little bit. "Everyone was so much older than me -- I just turned 14 last week. And then there were so many human kids and I didn't seen anyone else who could have come from my world."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen rolled her eyes. "Please. Try having your first experience with a new world be being captured by cannibals with no way to escape. I was barely 14."

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

"Oh," said Lion-o, looking at Helen with wide eyes. "That sounds a lot worse."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She shrugged. "It was what it was. We survived."

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

"I'm glad you made it out of there."

He was glad about a lot of other things, actually, when Lion-o thought about it. Like the fact that he'd lived a very secure lifestyle as a little prince on Thundera and hadn't faced anything really difficult.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Why?" Helen asked bluntly. "You've barely known me for five minutes. Why would you care?"

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

"You're a person, just like me. So even if I don't know you, I still care," said Lion-o. "My father said that when we stop caring about others, even the ones we don't know personally, then we can't be truly benevolent leaders. He's the Lord of the Thundercats and I want to be just like him one day."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Okay, yes, she actually agreed with what his father said for the most part, but she wasn't feeling the need to let this kid know it. As if that two year difference mattered much.

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

Lion-o had been pretty heartfelt in his little speech. He was a bit upset that Helen pretty much dismissed what he said, but then again, he could only imagine what life had been like for her without people who cared.

"Well, thank you for the food. It was delicious," said Lion-o. "I should go back downstairs before my snarf wakes up and wonders where I've disappeared to."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Helen was like that. Probably explained her difficulty in making and keeping friends.

"You're welcome," she said. Then, "Snarf?"

[lordofthecats.livejournal.com]

Lion-o tried to think of the simplest explanation. "He's kind of like my nanny, except he has four legs, a tail, and lots of fur."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Your nanny. Of course," Helen said more than a bit condescendingly, then softened a little. "Feel free to bring him back some food if you want."