Third Floor Common Room, Saturday Afternoon

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

Elsa had woken up today knowing straightaway that her powers appeared to have gone into some sort of... remission or something. There was no frost in her bedsheets, there was no need for her usual 'conceal, don't feel,' mantra. And, in a fit of daring, she'd left her gloves on her nightstand before making her way out into the common room. If it was safe to be social today, she was going to make the most of it.

By some miracle, she'd figured out how to work the kettle (the fact that the plug looked about the right size to fit into the outlet had been a good hint), and she'd made herself some tea. She hadn't quite worked her way up to the point of turning on the television yet, but she had found a ball of yarn and a crochet hook, and while she'd never really tried crochet before, she seemed to be a good way along in making the first of a pair of long lace gloves. It was remarkable what a person could do with their hands when they weren't wearing thick gloves over them all of the time, apparently.

As she crocheted, she hummed a little to herself. Today was shaping up to be a pleasant day, and she'd worry about what was going on with her powers later.

[OOC: That moment when two people post the same common room at the same time. Changed to afternoon, and open!]

Comments

[notacokeperson.livejournal.com]

Karina didn't really have an excuse for checking out the third floor common room except for the fact that, well, why not?

And spotting someone she knew was a nice thing too!

"Pretty," Karina complimented brightly, peering over Elsa's shoulder to see. "You're good at that. Hi, Elsa."

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"Karina," Elsa greeted, smiling warmly as she looked up from her crocheting. "Good afternoon! Would you believe I've never tried doing this in my life? But there was a hook and some yarn in one of the kitchen drawers, so I thought... maybe I'd try."

She held up the glove to show off her progress.

"I'm still waiting for it to fall apart on me. So far, it hasn't happened."

[notacokeperson.livejournal.com]

"Let's hope it keeps on not happening," Karina replied, grinning a bit. "And no, wow, it looks like you've been doing that a lot longer. Not to mention gloves are pretty ambitious for a first project."

Weren't you supposed to start with, like, squares or scarves or something?

"I'm impressed."

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"Honestly, so am I, a little." Really. Not just gloves, but lace. "I just kind of started playing with the yarn, and this is what I've got as a result."

Seriously ambitious.

"How are you this afternoon, Karina?"

[notacokeperson.livejournal.com]

Karina could appreciate that sort of ambition! It was great.

"My afternoon?" she shrugged slightly. "It's not too bad. I was home for a few hours this morning," stopping a bank robbery, then doing an interview, "and I was just sort of wandering around now."

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"Wandering into the common room? Is that something you do often? I... might have to start. I really only come in here when I'm hungry, generally."

Well. When she was hungry and didn't feel like making a trek to the cafeteria. The food there was...

... Food. Ish.

[pasunereveuse.livejournal.com]

Celia was in a panic by the time she came out to the common room, Saturday afternoon. Her hair was tied low, since she could manage to do that with her fingers, but the ribbon was lopsided, as was the sash at her waist.

"Have you noticed anything...odd?" Celia greeted Elsa, not wanting to alarm the other girl. Perhaps she was sick? Celia had never been ill like this before, not magically, but maybe it was something indigenous to the island.

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"Odd?" Elsa looked up at the other girl, took in just how distressed she looked, and then pulled in a bit of a breath, holding it for a moment before speaking. "How odd?"

She couldn't say she hadn't. She didn't have it in her to blatantly lie to the other girl when she was in such a state of disarray.

[pasunereveuse.livejournal.com]

"I can't do magic," Celia said, biting her lower lip. "I -- normally I can, and today I can't do anything. It's...upsetting."

And more than a little freeing. But right now she felt as though she'd woken up without hands.

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"Upsetting? I--" Elsa caught herself before she could say something especially damning, looking down at her own bare hands and the piece of lace that she was making. "I'm... sorry to hear that. I... woke up this morning knowing how to crochet, quite out of nowhere. I imagine there might actually be more to this than me being a crafting prodigy, though."

[pasunereveuse.livejournal.com]

"Crochet?" Celia now was looking over at what Elsa was actually doing. "...you've never done it before? That's impressive for a first time, I think."

She was also not really one for crochet.

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

Elsa held up the glove she was half-finished making, showing off the delicate lacework that had clearly been put together with a skilled hand.

"I don't even have a manual. I'm not usually this clever with yarn, though." She'd never had to be. Though there was a sort of appeal to creating clothing where there hadn't been any before. "The two... could be related?"

They most likely were, since her own magic seemed to be gone. But she wasn't volunteering that, straight off the bat.

[notacokeperson.livejournal.com]

The question was not directed at her, but that had never particularly stopped Karina from answering.

"Not me," she said, looking up from fiddling with the remote. "I'm guessing you have though? You okay?"

[pasunereveuse.livejournal.com]

"I'm -- disoriented," Celia said, for lack of a better word. "I can usually do magic, and today I can't. At all. It doesn't work any longer."

[notacokeperson.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Karina said, frowning a little. "That's... strange. Are you feeling alright? Maybe you're coming down with a cold?"

Did that have anything to do with the ability to do magic?

"Or maybe the island is playing around," she suggested. "It... does that, sometimes."

[pasunereveuse.livejournal.com]

"Playing around?" Celia repeated, then sighed, actually looking a bit relieved. "Is this like the boy-for-a-weekend thing, then?"

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

All right, something odd seemed to be going on, here. It wasn't just her, who was missing her powers, and worse, she had less tact than usual when speaking about it. Perhaps she ought to go sit in her room, instead of inflicting herself on people?

But her room felt lonely, and she couldn't stand feeling confined today. Doors could be locked. She could no longer teleport to the other side. Her room wasn't safe.

At least Elsa seemed to be in a good mood.

"Good afternoon," she said, cautiously. Afraid of using more words. That was when things got unfortunate.

(If it's not too late to jump in!)

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

[Neverrrr!]

"Good afternoon, Eleanor," Elsa greeted, offering her a warm smile that faltered only after she looked up and realized just how tentative that greeting had been. "... It... is a good afternoon, isn't it?"

She was starting to realize that maybe there was a bit of a trend here.

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"It might be for you," Eleanor said. "It doesn't seem to be, for me."

She covered her forehead with one hand. "That was rude. I didn't mean it like that," she added, hastily. "I keep saying things in the worst possible manner today."

It was as though she was forced to place her foot into her mouth each time she spoke.

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

Elsa bit her lip for a moment, and then she nodded a little, setting down her crocheting. Her heart wasn't entirely into it, anymore. Not the way it had been earlier.

"It was honest, though. Did you wake up with... things a little different for you, too?"

Things! You know, just, like, whatever!

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

Eleanor was nodding, quickly. "It seems to be several of us," she said. "I've lost my powers and instead, I keep saying tactless things. Not that I was terribly good with tact before."

At least before, she'd been trying, if awkward. Today it was like language was conspiring against her.

"Are your powers gone, as well?" she asked, before sighing. "Not that you have them, necessarily, or would have to tell me, if you did. You said 'too' and I assumed -- although you might have just meant -- don't answer that."

[notacokeperson.livejournal.com]

"Hi," Karina said easily, looking up from the TV. "Want some spaghetti? We've got extra."

It wasn't gourmet or anything, but the noodles were cooked right and the sauce turned out okay for a bottled sauce.

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"No, thank you," Eleanor said. That was promising: she still had some manners, despite her odd bluntness today. "I appreciate the offer. I don't believe we've met, have we?"

[notacokeperson.livejournal.com]

"Probably not," Karina said, smiling at the other girl. "I'm Karina, it's nice to meet you. Are you one of the kids who got here just a few weeks back?"

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"I am," Eleanor said. "Is this island truly small enough that it's easy to spot new people?"

She frowned. "Does that sound rude? I keep saying rude things, today. I haven't the least idea why."

Usually, they were worse.