Fourth Floor Common Room [Wednesday night]

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela was normally pretty aware of her surroundings, and usually that would mean that she knew that something was up with Raven. But normally Triela wasn't staring furiously at a piece of paper in her hand.

She'd actually been pacing back and forth in her room most of the evening, but there hadn't been enough room to get proper inertia going. So she'd moved out into the common room to pace furiously back and forth. Her left fist was balled at her side, and her right fist was half-crumpling the letter in her hand.

"Find a date," she muttered angrily, "go to a dance." That was bad enough. "Take pictures." That last part was pure Alessandro. Hilshire may have written the letter, but he'd never demand pictures.

To be fair, Alessandro was doing it as part of his job, but that only made it worse. Because it meant she'd be getting criticism on them. She could imagine it now: you look to severe, smile more, your make-up is too muted, get some brighter colors, show a bit more skin.

She ground her teeth and paced faster, muttering under her breath.

Comments

[heromaniac]

Momoko popped her head into the common room and grinned. Yay, Triela!

"Yay, Triela!" She bounced the rest of the way into the room and up to her friend wearing a big smile and saluting. "Permission to hug, sir?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela was just working up a good indignant glare when Momoko showed up. And it was hard to be indignant with Momoko around. She smiled (just a bit) almost in spite of herself.

"Just a little one," she decided.

[heromaniac]

"Yay! Hi, Triela!" And with that, there was a pounce. "I haven't talked to you outside of class in forever!!"

Momoko made sure to throw in an extra squeeze before adding, "Ah! And you never did fully tell me about your new look and did Dinah tell you we got some new clothes for you? It's been a while now, but they're clean, and I didn't get you much pink, I promise!"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I didn't, she did, and I'm glad." Triela still wasn't into the whole pink thing.

[heromaniac]

But it would totally go with her complexion!

"It would totally go with your new complexion, though." Momoko took a step back and examined her for a moment, then shrugged. What's done is done! "Oh well. So! Why were you all frowny just a moment ago? You'll get wrinkles, you know!"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela snorted. "I don't get wrinkles," she countered. "And I'm scowling over this." She held up the offending piece of paper as if it were obvious why it was offensive.

[heromaniac]

"You will if you keep making that face!" Momoko scrunched her own forehead by making an exaggerated frown. "You'll look just like Worf, only with prettier hair!"

She cleared her face and reached a hand for the paper. "What's the paper? You can't be getting bad grades or anything, right? Oh! I know! It's a love letter! Why are you scowling over a love letter?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"It's not a love letter," Triela scowled. "It's orders." She made it sound like a dirty word.

[heromaniac]

"Can I see? I thought you liked orders? The challenge of getting in and finding what you're looking for and the danger and the shooting and the winning, and all. What's wrong with these?" She raised an eyebrow and grinned. "The mission's not too hard is it?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

What a coincidence, Leda was also in a teeth grinding, muttering type of mood. Stupid parents.

She didn't care that this wasn't her floor, she wanted something, anything to take the edge off and she didn't feel like going back to her room. So she came looking for chocolate or caffeine or something.

She stopped and did a double take however.

"Triela?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Yes?" Triela ground out, teeth obviously gritted, as she spun around.

"Oh," she blinked. "Hi, Leda."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Somehow Leda had completely missed running into her friend so far this semester. And now she was even more sorry than she would have been otherwise. "Wow, you look different."

Sorry I'm so late in pinging back. RL got hold of me for a bit.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Triela agreed with an unhappy scowl. It hadn't been her idea, after all.

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda knew all about things being done to her without her permission. And she guessed from Triela's tone that it hadn't been her idea, or that she was just in a lousy mood. That Leda could also identify with.

"Hey is Girls with Guns still on?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

That was a much better topic for discussion. Triela nodded once, smiling ever so slightly. "It is. Elena's helping run it this semester." The scowl flickered across her face quickly again. Stupid orders.

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Good cause I need to know how to use one even more than I did before."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" Triela's eyes narrowed in concern for her friend. "What's up?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"I don't have any magic anymore. So I've got to learn to defend myself without it."

[heromaniac]

"Hi Leda!" Momoko waved happily.

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Hi Momoko." Leda waved back. There wasn't a lot of enthussaism, but that was just her mood. And somehow turning into a cat had completely healed her Gremlin wounds. "How've you been?"

[heromaniac]

"I'm fine!"

Momoko was up and hovering over her as she heard the tone in Leda's voice, though.

"But you don't sound good; are you feeling bad? Is it because of the gremlin wounds? Are they hurting still? We can totally go to the clinic again, or maybe just go see if Ino has something you can take?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Actually my gremlin wounds are all gone." Leda shrugged. "I turned into a cat, and that somehow healed it all."

[heromaniac]

"And I missed it?" Momoko pouted. Leda would have totally been a cute kitty. "You could have come played with my Moshi!"

"So, if you're not hurt, why are you sounding so down?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

She'd tell Jack about that just in case it happened again.

"I think Jack got pictures." Why was she sounding so down? Was there an easy way to answer that? "Oh, I guess it's life in general. Being disowned by my parents, Raven getting attacked, all sorts of stuff."

She unconsciously rubbed one wrist.

[heromaniac]

Momoko stared at her, unsure where to start.

"You got disowned?! Why?" She could only think of a few reasons why parents would disown their child, and Momoko doubted Leda had done any of them.

She'd get back to the part about Raven in a bit.