Fourth Floor Common Room | Evening | 1/17

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

Hayley had come up with a secret plan to fight inflation to get things warmer.

No, she wasn't setting the common room on fire. Though she'd admit to the thought crossing her mind.

She was, in fact, piling as many cushions and blankets into a giant fort. She was exercising her inner five year old.

She'd gladly welcome help. Or company.

[ooc: Open!]

Comments

[she-sheds.livejournal.com]

It was a very cold and very grouchy alien girl who made her way into the common room Sunday evening, wrapped in her warmest blanket. Hey, if you had this hair and hadn't been able to wash it for two days because you wouldn't be able to dry it afterwards you'd be grouchy too. The cold certainly didn't help.

"What are you doing with those blankets?"

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"I'm making a fort," Hayley said, grinning ear to ear. "It's going to be extra warm."

[she-sheds.livejournal.com]

"I see. It doesn't seem to be structurally sound," Joolushko pointed out. "Although I suppose it would be warmer inside it. Even if it did fall on your head you would still be under all the blankets." She was a fan of warmer. She had been hoping for warmer when she headed in here. She hadn't planned on a pillow fort though. Probably because she'd never made one as a child.

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"Well, I ain't an architect," Hayley admitted. "My main building principle is... more equals warmer. And more people in it means warmer, too."

[she-sheds.livejournal.com]

"That does make sense," Joolushko admitted, pulling her own blanket tighter around her shoulders and taking a few steps closer to the fireplace. "How much room do you have?"

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

Hayley grinned. "Plenty," she said. And then she got a better look at Jool. "Oh golly, that hair is gorgeous."

[she-sheds.livejournal.com]

We'll see how you feel about the hair when you notice how much of it sheds all over your fort, Hayley.

"Thank you," Joolushko said. "It's better when it's been washed properly," she added with a sigh, "but I'm certainly not going to walk around this freezing building with wet hair. Is some sort of drying appliance too much to ask? Well, power for one at least?"

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"Apparently," Hayley said. "And drying it by the fire would be real dangerous, I bet. I'm lucky. I can dry mine with a towel. Benefit of keepin' it short."

[she-sheds.livejournal.com]

"If this lack of power continues I may have to do something drastic," Joolushko said. She wouldn't really. She loved her hair. Even when it was slightly grungy. "Hopefully it won't come to that."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"Hopefully not," Hayley said, holding up one of the blankets. "Care to join me?"

[she-sheds.livejournal.com]

Well, the other girl seemed all right. For a human. And she did have an absurd number of blankets and it would probably be warmer inside the so-called fort than out here. And she could always leave. Going in probably couldn't hurt.

"Yes. I think I will. Thank you."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"Yay!" Hayley said, crawling into the fort herself. She'd been smart and had an electric lamp in there, so it wasn't entirely dark.

Admittedly, she'd been playing at kid games like the fort building because it helped her feel more innocent. Helped her feel like she didn't have to worry about growing up or graduating.

She sat down and smiled. "Thanks for joinin' me."

[she-sheds.livejournal.com]

Joolushko, still wrapped in her own blanket, followed Hayley into the fort, trying not to think just how silly she felt. The cold outweighed the silly.

"It is warmer in here," Joolushko said after a moment. "So I should probably thank you."

[onlysmokesnics.livejournal.com]

"Well, all donations are accepted," Hayley joked, nodding her head. "I'm mostly just grateful not to be here alone. Guess other people are off doin' their own things."