Third floor common room, Tuesday night

[solo_sword]

Jaina seemed to be making it into the common rooms more often lately for some reason. Today it was because sitting in her room and trying to get work done had gotten boring, and she needed a change of scenery. So she'd brought her datapad with her and curled up in a chair, because she was a fun workaholic that way. She'd ordered pizza, but it was still sitting on the table untouched, and she'd left a random Spanish channel on for noise.

Sometimes you got bored hearing the same language all the time. Don't judge.


[SO. BORED.]

Comments

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

Hurley wandered into this common room... mainly because of hearing the Spanish.

"Oh, hey," he said. "I didn't know you knew Spanish."

[solo_sword]

"I don't understand a word they're saying," Jaina replied easily, looking up.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"I could translate, if you like," Hurley said. "Though it doesn't look like you're really paying too much attention."

[solo_sword]

"I needed some noise. And Basic got boring," she explained. "Sometimes you've just got to change things up a little."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Si," Hurley said with a smile. "Working on something big?"

[solo_sword]

"Reports from home," Jaina answered. She couldn't get specific, but vague was good. "Apparently not being yourself all weekend makes you miss some important stuff. Who knew, huh?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Hurley said. "I'm just glad my mom didn't call while I was a strange man."

[solo_sword]

"Might've been a good story for this week," she suggested. "That doesn't sound like you had much fun."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Well, it wasn't too bad, actually," Hurley said. "I just... dude with a freaking huge mustache and an ego to match."

[solo_sword]

"Huh. Sounds like half the men back home, actually," Jaina said thoughtfully.

Which was an exaggeration. It was only like a third.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"I'm just glad he kept striking out with the ladies," Hurley said. He shuddered gently for a second.

[solo_sword]

"Think that was the mustache's fault, or the ego's?" she asked, one corner of her mouth tipping upwards.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

Hurley busted out with a laugh. "Probably both."

[solo_sword]

"And it's over. Which is the best part of weekends like this: they end."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"You get stuck as anyone weird?" Hurley asked.

[solo_sword]

Jaina frowned at her datapad like she was hoping something was going to jump out in time to stop her from having to answer that. "An alien superhero. With a missing monkey. It was really strange."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"...dude, that's kinda awesome," Hurley said. "You ever find the monkey?"

[solo_sword]

"No. But apparently I could change into one so I don't think it mattered," she sighed.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Dude, you could change into a monkey?" Hurley said, just sort of staring. "That is, like, the coolest thing I have ever heard."

[solo_sword]

"Zayne turned into forms of water. It's definitely cooler," she said, also making an unintentional pun while trying to foist off any weekend embarrassment on someone who wasn't present.

[Omg. That's seriously only like the second time I've done that.]

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"...forms of water?" Hurley said. "Okay, that's... Poor guy." Hurley shook his head. "You got the better deal."

[solo_sword]

"If this happens again, I'd prefer to stay myself," she decided.

Oh, Jaina. You totally won't.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, me too," Hurley said. "But hey, it coulda been worse. I think we got off pretty easy, considered."

[solo_sword]

Jaina thought about it, and shook her head. "No. Did I mention the monkey part? Because I thought I did."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"...there's something wrong with monkeys?" Hurley said. That seemed like a bonus, to him.

[solo_sword]

"When you become them, yes. Very wrong."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"But you'd get to... swing on stuff and eat bananas," Hurley said.

"Wait... yeah, that actually doesn't sound like much fun."

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Prince Oscar Pedro and Chad were hungry, so they went to the common room hoping to find anything that wasn't bratwurst. And pizza was definitely not bratwurst.

"Any extra?" he asked when he spotted Brooke on the couch, pointed toward the box.

He also, of course, took note of what was on TV.

"This is a good one."

[solo_sword]

Jaina looked up, having almost forgotten about the food. "Help yourself," she said, and nodded toward the TV. "You understand it?"

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Chad nodded. "Yeah," he said, "it's one of my first languages. Prince Oscar Pedro," he scratched behind the ears of the cat on his shoulder, "knows Spanish, too."

No, Chad. No he didn't.

He grabbed a piece of pizza, nearly finishing half of it in one impressive bite.

[solo_sword]

"Your... cat?" she guessed. "Knows Spanish?" She wasn't the animal fan in her family, she was amazed she was able to make that leap.

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

"And Japanese."

No, he didn't.

"I didn't teach him French, though."

[solo_sword]

"Why not? You don't want your pet to be an underachiever." No, she didn't believe it.

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

"Well I'm still a little iffy on French, myself," Chad admitted. "It's only my fourth language."

[solo_sword]

Jaina's eyebrows raised. "You're just collecting languages at this point, aren't you?"

She had a Threepio for that sort of thing.

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

"I'm working on Italian, next."

Someone should really tell Chad that knowing Armani, Gucci, and Versage did not count as knowing Italian.

[solo_sword]

It was bad for her to start asking people questions like she was trying to get to know them. She did it anyway. "So what's with the interest? A lot of travel? Or you just like to sound impressive at parties?"

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

"I've known three practically all my life," Chad explained. "Japanese, Spanish, and English; it was important to learn them all, my parents and, later, my abuello told me. The French just seemed something cool to learn, and by then..."

He trailed off, shrugging his massive shoulders (and surprisingly managing not to dislodge Prince Oscar Pedro from them) as if to say why not?

[solo_sword]

The cat's staying power impressed her. "And then you got to be impressive at parties," she finished.

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

"I never thought of it like that," Chad admitted. "That's good, though. I'll need to be."

And Chad wasn't stupid; he knew that, once the height gimmick got old, impressive was a little difficult for him.