Third Floor Common Room, Saturday Evening

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Wesley felt a little silly, entertaining his bratty child in the common room with board games that she seemed irrationally talented at. Honestly, what nine-year-old could beat a trained and experienced Watcher at Scrabble? He was positive that she was making the words up, but every time he consulted a dictionary, all he saw was Eloise's smug little face smirking at -- sure enough -- the word in question printed right there on the page.

Smug brat.

[[common room is open!]]

Comments

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"Anything interesting happening in here?" Terry asked after making his way down from the sixth floor ball pit, which he had been transported to for trying to punch that little jerk Brooker in Caritas.

After that, his definition of 'interesting' had jumped up a bit. After all, he TRIED TO PUNCH A KID and was MAGICALLY TRANSPORTED to a BALL PIT.

[daventry-vamp.livejournal.com]

"No," Malaxandra said from her spot on the couch. "Are you also someone who gets kidnapped?"

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"Not so far. I might run away, but I've never been kidnapped," Terry said.

[daventry-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I don't know if you can come in then..."

Malaxandra, don't be mean.

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"You can't stop me," Terry said with supreme confidence.

Look this is the kid who would someday say, "Sure, that old guy is richer than I could imagine if you gave me five hours and a calculator, and he might have been Batman, but screw that, I'm taking that suit to get some crap done." A girl would never scare him out of a room.

Except for maybe his mother.

[daventry-vamp.livejournal.com]

Hey now. Hey. Malaxandra could kick his ass. And then go have a nice soda.

And braid her hair.

SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL, DAMN IT.

"Fine, but you're not allowed on the couch."

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"You gonna stop me?" Terry asked. He hadn't had any urge to sit on the couch, but if this girl was going to be that way about it, he wanted a seat on it so bad.

[daventry-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I will!" She will kick you in the ham and eggs! Don't make her!

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

Look at Terry, walking toward the couch. "I'm going to sit on it," Terry said.

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

Well, some people were being mean, and Daddy was losing at Scrabble.

"Not really," Eloise said, swinging her arms as she ambled over. "What's your name?"

Huh. Surprisingly nice!

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"Terry McGinnis. You know, you're already nicer than that other girl," Terry said.

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

Being nice was not something Eloise was usually accused of, but okay.

"That blond girl who thinks she's a princess?" she sniffed. "Yes. She's grouchy."

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

Everything was relative. "I've noticed. But she's not the boss of me. What's your name?"

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

"I'm Eloise Morgan-Pryce," she said, holding out a hand for him to shake. Yep, she was one of those kids.

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

Terry was pretty sure that was two last names and not just her giving her middle name, too. He generally felt that if someone with two last names offered a hand to shake, you should probably shake it and not high five it or lick his hand and then high five or something. So he shook it.

"Nice to meet you," Terry said. "So what's happening that's so not interesting?"

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

Eloise shrugged. "Boring people," she answered shortly. "Look." She then took Terry on a pointing tour of the room, indicating people as she described them. "That girl, well, she thinks she's a princess. That girl's mean and she has the same daddy as me. Those kids are twins and they told me I'm rude. That boy's weird and I convinced him there's a pizza monster. And that guy's a teenager and not even grown-up yet, but he talks like a doctor." A pause, then one more point. "And that's my daddy."

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"Is your dad nice?" Terry asked.

[liliceflakes.livejournal.com]

"We're getting pizza!" Henry yelled as he ran over. Pizza was very, very exciting when you were five. "That's inneresting!"

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"Okay, I can stick around for that," Terry said. Pizza was a winner.

[liliceflakes.livejournal.com]

"Were you gonna leave otherwise?" he asked sadly.

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"Probably not," Terry said. "Not unless you were ordering salads."

[liliceflakes.livejournal.com]

"Ew," Henry declared, wrinkling his nose. "I don't like lettuce. I'm not a bunny."

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"You and me both, buddy," Terry said. "I'm Terry. Human being."

[liliceflakes.livejournal.com]

"I'm Henry," he said, fidgeting a little about whether he should say he was a human, too, or tell the truth. But they were supposed to be secret about mutants and fairies and stuff, so he just went on, instead. "How old are you? I'm five. Is your mom here? Or your dad? My daddy is over there but my mama is lying down 'cause she's got a headache."

[willbeschway.livejournal.com]

"My parents are at home. I snuck out while I was grounded," Terry said with pride.