Second floor common room- Saturday afternoon

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

So this had happened again, and while Maddie wasn't happy about it, she was resigned to dealing with this for a while. It just meant putting on non-girl's clothes and trying not to look too sulky when she went into the common room, hoping to see that this had happened to more people besides her. When no one was in there at first, she just turned on the TV and ordered some pizza, hoping to lure people out of hiding to commiserate.

By the time the pizza showed up, she'd found the crocodile movie marathon on Syfy. Now those were two things that went together.


[Open!]

Comments

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"New guy," Cade said, flopping onto a sofa with a nod and helping himself to some people. He glanced at the screen. "That girl is so getting eaten."

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, she is," Maddie said with a sigh. "I'm normally a girl, by the way."

Maybe she should have a name tag.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade gave her a long look. "Huh."

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, one of those days," she said, frowning at her pizza.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Don't zip yourself into your pants," Cade said sagely. "Best advice I can give you."

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"I..." Wow. Break her brain there. "Wasn't planning on it?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"No one really does, but one minute of distraction in the bathroom and there you go," Cade said.

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

Maddie shuddered a little, because ow. So much ow. "Got it. Total concentration in the bathroom."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"It's really the best way to go for amateurs," Cade said, nodding. "Are there any Cocoa Puffs around?"

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"Maybe in the cabinet," Maddie said, not sure if she should be glad he was so unfazed by this or not. "You can have some pizza if you want."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Think there's beer too?"

No, Cade, there's no beer in the fridge.

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"In the dorms? Probably not," she said. "People are probably worried it'd get stolen."

For some reason.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'd totally steal it," Cade said, nodding.

For some reason.

[voiceoverdue]

The smell of pizza brought Cecil drifting down to the common room. He waved at Cade, who he knew from Space! class, and the boy he hadn't met before.

"Hi! Is the pizza for sharing?"

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

Maddie nodded, reaching for another slice. Because she was allowed to pig out if she wanted to this weekend, dammit. "Yep. Take as much as you want."

[voiceoverdue]

"Thanks!" Cecil flopped down next to him and snitched a piece. He cocked his head at the TV. "Alligators are dangerous." More than he'd known even, apparently.

[mummyspromdate.livejournal.com]

"It's just a Syfy movie. They play it up a lot with bad CGI," Maddie told him.

[voiceoverdue]

"Oh, okay. That should be pretty fun, then." He watched as he munched on a piece. "I should've known; if it was a PSA, the acting would be better."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade waved back after he woke up. "Guy from class."

[voiceoverdue]

"You are," Cecil agreed.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"You are too," Cade noted.

He was amazingly astute on Saturdays.

"Why do you care about space?"

[voiceoverdue]

Cecil shrugged. "It seemed like a science-y class. I'm very into science these days. What about you?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'm from space," Cade said. "Thought it would an easy class to do."

Cade: not an academic.

[voiceoverdue]

"Is it?" Cecil asked curiously. "Do you know a lot about the void between the stars?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"It's boring as kark to travel through it," Cade offered. "And don't try to step out into it without the right equipment on."

[voiceoverdue]

"Right." Cecil nodded. "I'll remember that. Does it give you a sense of your own insignificance and the ephemeral nature of existence even when you're in it?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade looked shifty. "Of course not."

[voiceoverdue]

Cecil eyed him. "That's odd. Do you feel like a part of all infinity, then?" Surely there was some experience to be had in the void?

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade tilted his head. "Not really. We've had space travel for a long, long time. Do you feel like contemplating the infinite on long car rides?"

[voiceoverdue]

"I'm not sure. I might." Cecil shrugged. "I don't go on very many, though. And I suppose if I were driving, it wouldn't really be safe."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"I don't normally get to pilot," Cade admitted, "at least not these days, but I normally have plenty to keep me busy between planets."

Up until recently, it involved going over the logistics of pulling other ships out of hyperspace and taking all of their stuff.

[voiceoverdue]

"What kinds of things do you do?" Cecil asked curiously. "Scream into the void?" What? It was a logical question - after all, there was plenty of void there!

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade grinned. "Only the once."

[voiceoverdue]

Cecil grinned back and perked up. He was beginning to think nobody had any normal hobbies around here. "It's fun, though, isn't it?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"It is," Cade admitted. "Have you done it?"

[voiceoverdue]

"Oh, yes! It's sort of a regular thing." Oh, lord, Cade, you got him started. "Screaming back at the universe in the face of your own insignificance. I bet it's great when you're surrounded by void, though. I've never done it like that before."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Maybe we can have a field trip," Cade said. "You should ask."

[voiceoverdue]

"That would be wonderful!" Cecil beamed at Cade. Cade really hated Kaidan, didn't he? "I'll definitely do that. I can't wait to see just how different it is."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Kaidan wouldn't let Cade keep his perfectly legitimately stolen live camel in Turkey! That bastard.

"He'll love to help."