3rd Floor Common Room - Friday after classes - 7/30

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir was baking.

More than that, he was baking out of necessity, the cloying chocolate hazelnut scent the only thing that seemed to be able to keep the memories of last night away. Lulu, Miss Lulu... while on the surface, he knew, the actions he'd taken had seemed kind, even gentlemanly, he had been inside that mind, he had seen why that creature was doing what it was doing.

He'd been sick in the bathroom when he woke up this morning.

And now the cookies, her cookies, the first sweet treats he'd learned to make with her. The scent practically summoned her presence into the room, kept away the nightmare, reminded him that she was well and whole and real and fine and that he had done no such thing to her. Tray upon tray upon tray of hazelnut chocolate cookies; Makejoy sat, as always, just outside the kitchen watching, but it was obvious the dog was concerned. And she was right to be.

[open as a common room]

Comments

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

Joan smelled the cookies and wandered down the hall to investigate. She had heard the radio announcement this morning and was concerned about her friends.

"Liir! How are you feeling?" she asked.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He lied.

"I'm just fine," he said as he put another tray of the cookies on the cooling rack.

"And yourself?"

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

Considering she had heard radio and talked to him at length yesterday about his dreams? Yeah, so not buying that.

"I'm not the one who has been having the dreams," she said. "Don't lie to me. Did you hear the radio announcement this morning?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He shook his head. He'd been far too busy puking to notice, unfortunately.

"I'm as well as can be expected," he corrected himself.

"And it doesn't help me any to have you worried."

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"Well, I'm going to worry whether you like it or not," she said. "But, listen, the mayor was on the radio. He said people are falling asleep today and not waking up and that it might have something to do with an alternate universe. They want people to come to Town Hall."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"And you think I should go to Town Hall as I've been having these dreams?" he asked, not looking particularly enthused with the idea.

"If you like. Just... I've another batch in. As soon as I get it cooling."

They were best when they were warm.

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"Cookies? Seriously?" Joan sighed. "Fine. We can wait. And I'll go with you."

In the meantime, she snagged a cookie from one of the racks and nibbled on it.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"What do you have against cookies?" he snapped, somewhat defensively. Yes, he was on edge. Yes, he was being completely irrational. But he didn't have Miss Lulu here with him; all he had was a recipe and the faint notes of her tea that he could dredge up from his subconscious.

Makejoy whined.

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"Nothing," she said. "But I would like it if you didn't, you know, die before we get a chance to go out on a real date."

Um... okay, she hadn't meant to say that.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I'm not going to die," he said back, and he was about to say more before--

"...you'd like to go on a date? With me?"

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"I... yeah, I would," Joan said, looking faintly embarrassed by her outburst. "I like spending time with you."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"You--"

And the universe was kind enough to let him get the cookies on the cooling rack and the tray on the top of the oven even if it didn't let him finish his sentence before he crumpled to the ground dead asleep.

Makejoy howled and pounded forward, sniffing and licking at him mournfully.

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"Liir!" Joan shouted, running over and crouching next to him.

Way to give a girl a complex.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He'd apologize if he was conscious. Well, conscious in this dimension. For now, though, he dreamed (http://community.livejournal.com/fh_wishverse/4048.html?thread=1752272#t1752272).

...Makejoy looked about as pleased though.

[vanillajello]

"Hey Joan," Kate waved at the other girl after seating herself on one of the sofas – and dragging her name from some corner of her not-quite-yet-awake mind.

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"Hey... Kate," Joan said, pausing for a moment to recall the other girl's name. "Are you having those weird dreams?"

[vanillajello]

"No," she answered. "Doesn't mean I haven't been affected by it, though. Just not that personally. You?"

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"I haven't been either," she said. "But a lot of my friends seem to be."

[vanillajello]

"My friends... haven't." Because Kate pretty much only had one, around here at least. "But I had a guy fall asleep while he was talking to me, last night."

The thought seemed to finally wake her up. "That wasn't good."

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"Definitely not good," Joan agreed.

[vanillajello]

"Has there been any info on it today? I just woke up, like, 10 minutes ago."

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"They want all the people having the dreams to come to town hall," Joan said. "I told Liir I'd walk down with him after he's done with his cookies."

[vanillajello]

"That's probably best," she nodded. "...This is really serious."

[vanillajello]

Kate wandered into the common room, looking sleepy and wary.

Sleepy, since she had, in fact, just woken up – yes, she'd slept way into the afternoon. Wary, because of the whole incident with Jack in the common room the night before. She really didn't want that to happen again.

"'Orning," she muttered, stepping through the door.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome to some," he said without much in the way of greeting. Be helpful, be useful, make people smile if just a little.

It was necessary today.

[vanillajello]

"Yay," she said with a smile that was soon interrupted by a yawn.

She flung herself on one of the sofas. "Mm, cookies." Such fine conversation today.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Take as many as you like," he said quickly.

Really, he was a little nervous around her, considering the dreams he'd had, but he didn't want to say that.

[vanillajello]

"Thanks," she answered, flashing him a quick smile while trying to locate the remote.

She couldn't pick up on anything. She didn't know it, but she was lucky to be sleepy. Kept her from being as jumpy as the night before.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"You're certainly welcome."

Then, he turned to take out the last tray of cookies.

[vanillajello]

Kate was immersed in the search for the remote for a while, and only looked up again when she heard Joan shout.

"Liir?"

[trigons_child]

Raven's dreams had been particularly troubled that night, and she went in search of Liir to make sure he was all right (despite the lingering awkwardness between them). She walked into the common room just in time to see Liir fall. "Liir!" she called, hurrying over to his side.

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

Joan looked over. "Rachel. We need to get you and Liir both down to town hall now."

She gave Kate a hopeful look. "Can you help?"

[vanillajello]

"Of course," Kate nodded. She had gone a bit paler, but she was in crisis mode. Be useful now, freak out later.

[trigons_child]

"He will wake soon," Raven said, though she wasn't so sure of that herself. The sleeping spells were lasting longer and longer, and today they were going on long enough to cause more alarm. She reached out with her powers, trying to see if she could help Liir. It was much as the other day with Dinah, but Liir seemed much further away.

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"No, the mayor was on the radio this morning. He said that people aren't waking up today," Joan said. "They want everyone who has been having the dreams to come to Town Hall. Liir and I were going to walk down there after he finished that batch of cookies."

Which reminded her to go and turn off the oven. The last thing they needed was to burn down the dorms.

[vanillajello]

"Not waking up?" Yeah, that was still news to Kate. She allowed herself a moment to look really shocked. Then she shook her head.

"Okay, so we really need to get him to Town Hall." She turned to Raven. "And you've been having nightmares too?"

[trigons_child]

"Yes," Raven said, nodding. "They are getting worse with time. Liir and I shared a dream as well. Neither of were quite ourselves...."

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

Makejoy was frantically licking Liir's face in an attempt to wake her master.

"Makejoy, stop," Joan said, pushing the dog out of the way. "Do you think we can carry him?"

[vanillajello]

"I didn't see others around. I think we'll have to." She looked at him, trying to figure out which would be the best way.

If it hadn't been such a serious moment she might have muttered something about why couldn't he have fallen asleep around some big strong boys instead. But now that thought didn't even cross her mind.

[trigons_child]

"There is an easier way," Raven said. She held her arms out to her sides and willed her Soul-Self to emerge. The shadow-raven form grew rapidly, enveloping herself and Joan and Liir and Kate in blackness, then transported them all to the street outside Town Hall.

Raven withdrew her Soul-Self back into herself. Then, perhaps because she had exerted herself, or just because of coincidence, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious, her mind traveling elsewhere.

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"Shit," Joan swore.

"Well, let's get them inside (http://community.livejournal.com/fandomtownies/4218356.html?thread=174050548#t174050548)."