4th Floor Corridor - Sunday Night

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Edmund was determined never to have children, even if being part of the royal family meant he was supposed to. The reason wasn't that Michael and Louisa were hellions (well, no more than he'd been at that age) or that they were too much to handle. The reason was that he didn't want to be this exhausted every night for years on end.

Despite the exhaustion, one that he hadn't even felt after a battle, he wasn't asleep in his bed. He'd taken responsibility for both children tonight and had stupidly given them pie and ice cream and soft drink, leading to several hours of hyperactivity and very loud songs being sung over and over and over.

Edmund sat in the 4th floor corridor outside his room with two small children asleep beside him. Lou was to his left, her head in his lap, and Michael was tucked up beside him on his right. He wasn't sure how they were able to sleep out here, but they'd bickered and refused to sleep in the room, and Edmund was inclined to give them what they wanted so long as they were quiet.

It didn't take long for the sugar high to plummet and both kids were in a deep sleep. Unfortunately for Edmund, moving them wasn't an option just yet, so he sat, feet outstretched across the corridor and tried not to move too much.

[OOC: Open for anyone who might be awake at this late hour, or in a real timezone.]

Comments

[notahostage]

Carrying Weechee in a sling and leading a yawning Clarence by one hand, Wendy slid down to sit against the opposite wall as Ed. "Hey."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"Good evening," Edmund replied. After a moment, he laughed (quietly, of course). "Why is it we only ever seem to meet out of class when something truly bizarre is going on?"

[notahostage]

"I blame Jan leaving," Wendy said as Clarence mumbled his way through a greeting to Edmund and curled up against her. "Things were much less weird with him around."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Edmund nodded at the very tired Clarence. "Yes, because everyone knows that unicorns keep weirdness away." Even in Narnia, where unicorns were more normal than here.

[notahostage]

"Or the weirdness happens only to them and keeps it away from the rest of us."

She was thinking of the drunken skunk right now.

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"I'll have to take your word for it," Ed said, freezing in place as Michael readjusted himself into a tighter ball at his side. "I didn't know Jan very well, only in Care of Magical Creatures class."

[notahostage]

"I didn't hang with him that often," Wendy said. "But he seemed like a cool guy."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"If he was here, I wonder if we'd have unicorn foals prancing about."

[notahostage]

"Awwww," Wendy said, tilting her head to one side. "That'd be cute."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

He paused a moment. "It would." Moment of weakness for unicorns gone, he shifted slightly against the wall. "I'm guessing he's yours?" Ed asked, nodding towards Clarence.

[notahostage]

"Yeah," Wendy replied. "That was a surprise and a half."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Edmund glanced down at the two sleeping children. "To say the least." He looked back up. "With anyone here?"

[notahostage]

"Oh, no. My boss. From back home." And Wendy still had no clue how that ever managed to happen. "How about yours?"

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

He sighed. That was pretty much the standard reaction to that question, even when he asked it of himself. "He's with Molly. I don't know if you know her. And she's with my brother's wife." That's all that needed to be said really. Dinner conversation at Cair Paravel was going to be interesting the next time he was home.

[notahostage]

Wendy winced sympathetically. "If it makes you feel better, apparently where Clarence comes from I'm still with my boyfriend from back home as well as my boss."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Edmund was silent in thought for a few long moments. "I was going to say 'you win' but I'm not sure that's entirely appropriate."

[notahostage]

"You lose slightly less than I do?" Wendy suggested.

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"But I have two to your one, so maybe we're equal."

[notahostage]

"Equal losers," Wendy agreed, laughing softly. "Still beats a gremlin bite though."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I thought we'd agreed never to speak of that again. Sabrina."

[notahostage]

"Speak about what Bosley?" Wendy asked innocently, then flicked her hair.

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

He couldn't help but laugh, but it was quickly stifled as Lou whined in her sleep as he moved. Ed silenced himself quickly, and Lou settled, but he grinned at Wendy. "I wonder how Gwen and Jo went going to class like that."

[notahostage]

"Probably hid up the back of class and hoped they didn't have to jump too much," Wendy replied, grinning. "I think the dog was the only one who came out of that with his dignity."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Ed was still under the impression that the dog's name was Charlie. Thankfully, Jo wasn't around to correct him. "The pup probably thought we were all mad." He thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, he was right if he did. I still have no idea where it all came from, and I still have no idea who Bosley is."

[notahostage]

"Someone who really likes costumes and high heels apparently," Wendy said. "Jo and Gwen's hair was right out of the seventies though."

Wendy was so glad she'd been outside her room when she'd gotten bitten.

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Edmund was incredibly grateful he would never have to deal with the 70s. "I don't even want to know what I would have done with my hair. At least I can say I'm well and truly a Fandom High student now."

[notahostage]

Wendy grinned and started quietly chanting "One of us, one of us."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

He grinned again, then shook his head. "I could do without the sudden surprises. I had plans this weekend." Granted, they involved doing very little for a change, but that was a plan.

[notahostage]

"At least you didn't manage to sleep through a zombie invasion," Wendy said. "I can't believe I did that."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"I missed it too," Edmund replied, looking disappointed. "I was in the Preserve. Not a zombie in sight. But really? You slept through it? The low groans and bloodcurdling screams didn't set you off?"

[notahostage]

"I was watching zombie movies on my laptop when I fell asleep," Wendy explained. "It all kind of blended together."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"That's special," was all Edmund had to say about that. But then, ghost wolf, so it's not like he could talk much. After a moment of staring blankly, he spoke again. "I don't remember ever being this tired. If this is what having children is like, I think I'll pass."

[notahostage]

Wendy grinned and rubbed her eyes. "I think I'll stick to herding Lacey," she said, then explained. "She's my best friend back home. She's great but sometimes she's a bit...Lacey."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"Full of good ideas, not so great at executing them without trouble?"

[notahostage]

Wendy nodded. "She's a confrontational spoken-word performance artist," she said. "Who believes deeply in her right to protest wrongdoing. Often without clothing."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Edmund's eyebrows went up. "Well, er," he started. "Good...for...her?" He was trying to be polite, but his curiosity got the better of him. "Doesn't she get cold?"

[notahostage]

"Yeah, but she says comfort's besides the point when you're protesting."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"That's very admirable of her," Edmund said, not entirely believing it.

[notahostage]

"Right up until the moment someone has to bail her out of a public indecency charge."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"This happens a lot, doesn't it?"

[notahostage]

"More times than I'd like to admit."

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

"You lead a very strange life even without him, don't you?"

[notahostage]

Wendy smiled and stroked Clarence's hair. "Trust me, you don't know the half of it."