Third Floor Common Room [Tuesday afternoon]

[likes-ducklings.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel had spent so much time in her tower doing certain activities that she almost didn't want to do some of them anymore, instead just picking and choosing her favorites -- the things she'd do even if she wasn't incredibly bored and lonely.

Like cooking. Or working on her mural, which was now nearly finished (though she'd probably start on the ceiling as soon as her wall space was up, if Anders didn't actually tell her she couldn't or something.) She'd spent almost no time whatsoever working on candle-making or pottery, partially due to lack of supplies, but mostly due to lack of interest.

Today, though, when she'd ventured out in search of something to do, she'd managed to get her hands on a puzzle. And as dorky as she knew it was (because Mother was more than happy to tell her, and often), Rapunzel loved puzzles.

So Tuesday afternoon found her on the common room floor, the pieces spread out in front of her and her hair wound in a neat circle around the room.

"That's a middle piece, Pascal, we're looking for the edges still, silly." Pascal, who was helpfully offering pieces up to Rapunzel periodically, was on the verge of a fit of pique, seriously. Rapunzel was going to end up with a chameleon hiding amongst puzzle pieces if she wasn't careful.

[open due to unexpected boredom (that supposed madness this afternoon was actually canceled!) but with usual SP-at-work caveats! mostly i just wanted to use this icon, idk.]

Comments

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Barry was on his way back out to the docks to do some work on the sub when he noticed Rapunzel in the common room.

"Oh! Hey Rapunzel," Barry said changing course. "I finally got something working for you."

He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a pink baseball cap with a Fandom High logo.

"Ready to give this fucker a spin?"

[likes-ducklings.livejournal.com]

"Yes!" Rapunzel almost spilled puzzle pieces everywhere in her excitement. She made actual grabby hands at the hat before remembering her manners. "I mean...if it's ready."

He wouldn't be offering if it wasn't, Rapunzel.

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Barry laughed and tossed the hat at her. "Oh, it's ready. I've finished testing and your hair is absolutely safe," he said as he flopped on the couch. "But if you start hearing munching sounds take it off immediately."

His tone clearly indicates he's joking.

[likes-ducklings.livejournal.com]

"No going in this hat unless you want to go to another dimension," she told Pascal seriously. He, for his part, looked about as nervous as a chameleon could at that prospect. Rapunzel carefully began feeding her hair into the hat, watching as it disappeared. "Barry, I can go anywhere with this! Thank you!"

[poison-princess.livejournal.com]

"Hey," Evie said, giving the guy a nod. Cute, but not gorgeous, enough to rate a friendly smile, but not enough to really turn up the flirtation.

Granted, she still had Brand, which meant there wouldn't be any major flirting anyway, but she was used to being the most popular girl in school. Which meant smiling at boys and lightly flirting from time to time. "What's up?"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Hey! Screw you Evie! Barry is effing hawt! Hawwwwwwwt!

Barry of course had no idea who Evie was. "Nothing. Just avoiding going to fucking work. You one of the noobs this semester? Has Fandom fucking broken your brain yet?"

[not_every_mage]

"Hi, Barry," Anders said,giving him a Significant look in recognition of their shared mission. "So you aren't still holed up finalizing things for the weekend?"

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

"Nah. The thing I'm working on is pretty much wrapped up," Barry said returning the significant look...

Hopefully the squirrels won't think the significant looks are lovey dovey looks. Awkward.

"I'm taking Joker out tomorrow to make sure we're all good for the weekend."

[poison-princess.livejournal.com]

After a long weekend back in Sterling where she'd once again failed to convince her mother to let her come back, Evie was back in Fandom. And while she could go back to hiding from everyone and desperately living through her phone and texting Melissa, it wasn't helping her feel less lonely or bored.

And so, reasoning that she couldn't literally be the only sane person in this school, she wandered into a common room to see if there was anyone even sort of normal she could talk to.

Tripping over--was that a rolled up rug?--something on her way in was not the way she'd hoped to make an entrance, but at least it gave her an easy in to the conversation.

"Is this one of yours?" she asked, holding up a puzzle piece that she'd found with her knee.

[likes-ducklings.livejournal.com]

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" It was, indeed, her puzzle piece, but Rapunzel was much more worried that the girl had gotten hurt than about puzzle completion, just now.

[poison-princess.livejournal.com]

"I'm okay," Evie said, trying to smile. "Normally not that clumsy, I just tripped over something."

Something like, oh, maybe Rapunzel's hair that Evie was now noticing? All yards and yards of it?

Excuse Evie for a second while she stared. "Holy crap," she breathed. "That can't be real."

[not_every_mage]

"Hi there," Anders said easily, smiling at the pretty new girl. (Pretty girls were always easy to smile at.) "I don't think I've met you yet.I'm Anders. I live with Rapunzel -- and all her hair."

[poison-princess.livejournal.com]

"That's...a lot of hair," Evie said carefully. She gave him a smile back, with significantly more flirt than she'd offered Barry. "Evangeline. But I go by Evie when I'm not in trouble."

[doesnotkneel]

The weekend had been odd. Very odd. So strange, in fact, that Edward had insisted on ignoring any of it after limping away from Anders at some point... he didn't know when.

"Rapunzel!" he called ebulliently - that was the repression talking. "What's going on here, then?"

[likes-ducklings.livejournal.com]

"It's a puzzle!" Rapunzel explained helpfully, because she was very literal and also he might legitimately not know about puzzles! She wouldn't be shocked. "Wanna help?"

[doesnotkneel]

"A puzzle," Edward echoed, squatting down by her side. "That'd depend. Are you in distress?"

[poison-princess.livejournal.com]

Evie wondered the odds of this guy working at some nearby Renn Faire, as opposed to just dressing like that for fun.

She was pretty sure the odds were not in her favor. Not at all.

"What's up?" she asked, working up a smile that she hoped didn't look too forced. "Her name really is Rapunzel, then?"

[doesnotkneel]

"Aye," Edward said, shooting her a mildly confused look. "If she's got another, she's never felt the need to use it, at any rate."

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Barry saw Edward and took a deep breath. He had promised Rapunzel after all.

"Edward," he said politely. "How are you doing today?"

[doesnotkneel]

Edward squinted at him, but if Barry was going to be polite, well, who was he to make an issue out of it?

"Well, thank you," he said. "How about you, then?"

[not_every_mage]

Anders eyed Edward oddly, then gave him an embarrassed wave.

He would act like nothing had happened if Edward would do the same.

[doesnotkneel]

Acting like nothing had happened seemed like a splendid idea. So Edward waved back. "You know anything about these kinds of puzzles, mate?"

[not_every_mage]

"You do jigsaws?" Anders -- who would let Rapunzel cover the entire room if asked -- asked idly as he stopped into get a snack. "What's that one of?"

[likes-ducklings.livejournal.com]

"It's a garden," Rapunzel said, brandishing the box at him so he could see the picture. "I haven't done one of these since I left my tower, but I found this one today and, y'know. I hear if you find a puzzle and don't complete it in the same day it's bad luck."

She nodded solemnly, even though that was something she had literally just made up right then.

[not_every_mage]

"Really?" Anders asked, plopping on the floor cross-legged beside her. "Even if it's the thousand-piece kind? Or one of the tricky ones that has a picture on the back, too?"