The roof, Saturday afternoon

[future_sandworm]

Once he had got used to it, being a desert mouse hadn't been too bad. As Fandom wasn't a desert, food had been abundant, although it was a little too damp for comfort. Leto hadn't paid much attention to what had been going on at the school as he had been busy exploring the world from the perspective of a desert mouse.

That had included making his way up to the roof, where he had fallen asleep in the morning, When he woke up he was his human self again, without clothes or crysknife. Leto pushed himself up to sitting, and looked over the edge of the roof.

[Leto is no longer a desert mouse. I am no longer on holiday. It's an open roof]

Comments

[vanillajello]

The weather was okay, and Kate felt like getting some fresh air, but didn't want to go out into town, so up to the roof she came.

She hadn't been expecting to find what she found.

"... I'm gonna guess you haven't been boy-shaped for a long time yet," she remarked, slight amusement in her voice.

[future_sandworm]

At least it was Kate, and even if she was going to tease him he didn't mind. Leto got to his feet. "I haven't," he said, giving her an amused look.

She'd seen him naked before, and he was not particularly embarrassed.

[vanillajello]

"For a second there I thought you might be a nudist and just hadn't told me," she smirked. "Would you like something to wear?"

Not that she had a lot to give, right now, but she did have both her leather jacket and a hoodie on, so she could easily spare either of those.

[future_sandworm]

"If you can find something, yes, please," Leto replied. "I'm getting cold."

[vanillajello]

Kate shrugged her jacket off, then took off her hoodie and handed it to him. "That should do for first aid, and I can go grab something from your room if you'd like?"

[future_sandworm]

He tied the hoodie around his hips. "I'll manage," he said with a laugh. "But I think I'd like to get back to my room and warm up a bit."

[vanillajello]

"Well, the stairs are that way," she noted, nodding towards where she'd come from. "Freezing would definitely be pretty stupid."

[future_sandworm]

He set off towards the stairs, expecting Kate to join him. "How was your weekend?"

[vanillajello]

Kate hesitated – although not more than a few seconds – before following him. "Last weekend?" she asked. "Not sure you want to know."

[future_sandworm]

"Why?" He looked at her as they reached the stairs.

[vanillajello]

"Full-on Fandom weirdness hit again," she replied, shaking her head slightly. "Kind of unpleasant in places."

[future_sandworm]

He stopped and reached out to place his hand on her arm. "So, I was lucky in a way?"

[vanillajello]

She glanced at him. "I'd even say you were very lucky."

[future_sandworm]

"Do you want to talk about it?" Leto asked.

[vanillajello]

"Not really," she said honestly, "although maybe I should, because I think you might end up hearing about it, anyway."

[future_sandworm]

"What happened?"

[vanillajello]

"People tranformed into other people," she told him. "Like, some people actually physically transformed, and some looked the same but thought they were someone else... Or thought they were another version of themselves."

[future_sandworm]

"And not only in an amusing way, I take it." Leto squeezed her hand.

[vanillajello]

"No, it was actually pretty tiring," she said, giving him a faint half-smile. "For me, at least."

[future_sandworm]

"You were yourself? Or someone else?" he asked.

[vanillajello]

"I was me, and I'm glad I was, but it was kinda exhausting to have to deal with everyone acting crazy."

Vaguely edging closer to a point, now.

[future_sandworm]

"What did they do?" Leto wasn't sure if he'd get a clear answer.

[vanillajello]

"Hit on me, mostly." There was a slight snort at that. But then she looked hesitant again.

[future_sandworm]

"Was that bad?" He said, trying to lighten things. "Anything else?" Because clearly there was something.

[night!]

[vanillajello]

"It was weird and wrong. I don't mind being hit on, but it was kind of odd not to know who I was actually talking to."

Or, in some cases, knowing exactly who she was talking to, and that was why it was especially weird.

"But there was other stuff too. Like, someone who isn't supposed to know me, knew me."

[future_sandworm]

"Who?" he asked.

[vanillajello]

Kate took a deep breath, and let it out, before answering.

"Alice."

[future_sandworm]

Leto stayed calm and didn't let his emotions show. Of all the things that could happen a conflict between the women in his life would be among the worst.

"Not in a good way, I take it?"

[vanillajello]

"Not really-- Well, she thought we were like, best friends or something but..."

Kate hesitated, and brought a hand up to rub at the back of her neck.

"But whatever world that version of her was from, it wasn't a nice place. She wasn't nice there, and apparently neither was I."

[future_sandworm]

"No?"

[vanillajello]

"She wanted me to go play and hunt with her," she told him. "Seemed pretty upset about how I was all wrong and not myself, and that I was breathing. I think she wanted to fix me. It was... intense."

[future_sandworm]

"Breathing? She wanted you not to?" Leto asked, frowning.

[vanillajello]

"That's the impression I got."

And what that seemed to imply... Yeah, Kate had been blocking it out of her mind pretty forcefully.

[future_sandworm]

"Like if you were dead?"

[night!]

[vanillajello]

"Dead. Undead. Something like that."

[future_sandworm]

"Like the vampires?" he asked carefully, remembering how Kate had reacted that first time they met.

[vanillajello]

"...Yeah, that's what I figured."

She was calm but obviously uncomfortable. Vampires were a trickier thing now than they had been back then.

[future_sandworm]

"It was just temporary," Leto said. "Neither of you are vampires and you know that." He meant to be comforting.

[vanillajello]

He got... slightly annoyed, in return. "Yes, Leto, I know that."

[future_sandworm]

"I'm sorry it upset you," he continued, ignoring the annoyance.

[vanillajello]

"Well, at least I wasn't the one thinking she was a vampire. If that even is what she was," she replied, sighing and wrapping her arms around herself. "Felt kinda rude to ask, so I didn't."

[future_sandworm]

"That wasn't the important part, though, was it? Exactly what she was?" He paused. "Have you met Alice before?"

[vanillajello]

"Not really. But we had Creative Writing together." Pause. "Before."

Before she had even met him, she meant.

[future_sandworm]

"Before?" he asked.

[vanillajello]

"Before any of... this," she said, gesturing at him and at herself. "Before the vampires and me falling apart over you."