4th Floor Common Room: Tuesday Night [4-19-11]

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen needed to get out of her room. Two finals down and two to go left her feeling studied out. She'd ordered pizza, planning to get an extra couple in case people showed up, but there'd been some sort of mix-up and she'd ended up with an amazing amount of pizza, along with breadsticks and wings and some sort of dessert-type stuff.

She loaded up a plate and curled up on the couch. One of the channels was doing a mini-marathon of a crime procedural - the one with the gorgeous black man - so she settled in to eat and watch.

Comments

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

Bruce was making his way back upstairs after a run when he noticed the smell of far too many pizzas. It was enough to get him to investigate. "Did the pizza place have another one of their bizarre sales? I really don't understand their business model...."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen shrugged. "I ordered four and this is what showed up. I don't understand any of it, but well, it's here, so please enjoy."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Well on behalf of anyone in the dorms who's hungry, thank you, for all the food" Bruce said, fully entering the room.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She laughed. "You're welcome. The wings are actually surprisingly good. And for once there's something I find interesting on TV."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Bruce asked. He didn't recognize the show due to his preference for non-fiction procedural shows.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Meta for Criminal Minds - Villain's Brains?. It's interesting and smart," Helen said, somehow leaving out the bit about the handsome man. "I've only seen a few of them, but I like what I've seen."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"I can't say I've watched it at all," Bruce said. "I usually find myself nitpicking procedural shows and driving myself nuts."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Helen said curiously. "You must know a great deal about this then. I find it quite fascinating, but I don't know much about it."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"I think that's better if you want to enjoy it," Bruce said. "But policework's been an interest of mine for a while, and I've probably read a little too much about it over time."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "I can understand that. Magic is far more commonly used in maintaining order where I am. That and very large weapons. I've learned a great deal about that and I can see where seeing someone doing it wrong could quite diminish my enjoyment of a show."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"So you're pretty familiar with the magic and big weapons of your world?" Bruce asked.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen nodded. "The priests mostly control everything and I was raised by them since I was a child. I'm a cleric and a magic user."

She looked a bit uncomfortable. "I'm the Hand of Uquar - the one destined to bring back the Wider Times - so I was taught as much about, well, everything, as was possible."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

Seeing that Helen looked uncomfortable, Bruce decided not to press for more information on whatever Uquar or the Wider Times were for the moment. "And you end up at a high school where goofy things happen. But isn't that always the case?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

It was more the uncertainty of not knowing whether or not she still was the Hand of Uquar than anything else.

She managed a wry grin for him. "Well, once you've helped save the worlds, where else is there to go, right?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"In my experience, this is definitely as good a place as any," Bruce said. "Not that I've spent much time saving worlds. Well, as far as I know."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"I've definitely learned a great deal here," Helen admitted. "Not just in the classes, but about myself and how to get along with others. I'll miss it when I'm gone."

She looked at him curiously. "As far as you know?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"In chaos theory, a butterfly flapping its wings can cause air currents that eventually lead to a hurricane across the globe. For all I know, my doing well on an exam here or there did actually help save the world," Bruce said.

Yes, he was studying philosophy on his own time again.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She considered that and nodded. "Or perhaps had resonances throughout many worlds."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Entirely possible," Bruce said. "And who knows what kind of influence this amount of pizza in one room has had across the multiverse?"

"Probably not much," Bruce admitted. "Except for continuing to suggest that Pizza Planet's business plan seems to involve blackmail or black magic. I can't decide which yet."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps the pizza part is only a cover," Helen suggested a bit whimsically. "To hide their true operation. And they figure the best way to keep students ordering is to do things like this."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"If it were still the beginning of the semester, I'd probably try to see if I could get a sting operation going to find out what was really going on," Bruce said. "Unfortunately, finals take precedent."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Two down and two to go," Helen said with a sigh. "You?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"One more on Thursday," Bruce said. "So I'm nearly done."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Tomorrow and Thursday," Helen said. "Then, well, I graduate."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"That's a big moment. How long have you been in Fandom?" Bruce asked.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Three years," she said. "I came in the summer before my sophomore year."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"That's a long time," Bruce said. "Are you going to miss here?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen nodded. "I will. Despite all the craziness here, it's become another home. And since I don't know yet if the priests will allow me to return to my world..." She shrugged again.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"I didn't realize that was in question," Bruce noted.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Well, you know," she said with forced lightness. "What do you do with the destined one once she's already saved the world? And I did develop a bit of a reputation as being rather... difficult there. Deservedly so. Still... I miss home."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"No chance a promise to be less... difficult would help matters?" Bruce asked.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"We'll see," Helen said. "Anything's possible."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"For your sake, I hope it works out," Bruce said kindly.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Thank you," Helen said sincerely. "If nothing else, it's forced me to look at other options. I could always attempt some sort of schooling in this world and James has offered me refuge in his if I wish."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Really? Do you have any idea what you'd major in if you went to college here, or do you think you'd be undeclared for a while?" Bruce asked.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But something to do with animals most likely."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"That seems like a bit of a change of pace from saving worlds," Bruce mused. "Think you could handle the simple life of working with animals?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"Working with the horses makes me happy," she said simply.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"You work over at the stables, right?" Bruce said. "I think I've picked that up on radio broadcasts."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"I do," Helen said with a smile. "I love it."