Second Floor Common Room; Late Tuesday Morning [08/30].

[outofthequiver]

Yesterday had been a lot for Libby, but it had also reminded her that she had a lot of friends and a lot of support here, and, even with all the things she struggled to push past all spelled out as clear as day for nearly everyone to see, they were still there for her. And she was there for them, too, because even though yesterday reminded Libby that she'd been through a lot, it also reminded her that, well....so had most people, here. They'd all had their baggage, but it didn't matter, because they also had each other, and that was...incredibly, necessarily heartening.

And it was her conversation with Charlie in particular that had her swinging by the store after her morning class, with the whole rest of her day free and clear, and set to work at putting together some breakfast. Or probably brunch, at this point, but she liked cooking, and she especially liked cooking for other people, and she really hadn't done it nearly enough lately, and clearly set out to do just that.

So it wouldn't be long at all before the telltale aromas of a good old breakfast casserole started to fill the room, while Libby took to making some fresh squeezed orange juice to go with it while it was baking and, even though she didn't drink it herself, she got some coffee going in the coffee maker, too.

And it just felt nice. It felt good. And she certainly felt a lot lighter than she had yesterday, and she was determined to keep it that way.

[[ might be slow due to work, but open common room is open! ]]

Comments

[outofthequiver]

And, boy, that made her glad she'd made coffee that morning, even if she herself wasn't drinking it.

"It's Libby," she offered. "Er, well, actually, it's Liberty, but mostly everyone just calls me Libby."

A small moment of hesitation before she added, "It's nice to meet you."

It sounded more like a hopeful question rather than a statement, though.

[scarlet_and_indigo]

"I'm Talia Josephine, hence the 'TJ'," she answered as she poured herself some coffee and started fixing it.

"It's nice to meet you, too. You cook and share, so you can't be too bad." TJ sighed. "Look, just don't treat me like an extension of my...of Kurt, and we'll get along fine."

[outofthequiver]

"I was trying not to," Libby found herself pointing out, because, believe her, TJ, the last thing she wanted to do was think about the boy she was desperately trying to not have a crush on having a daughter.

And once that was out of her, her chin lifted slightly, and she really hoped she didn't regret this, but...

"But you're the one who was being so curt about it," she said, softly, but firmly, with the tactical use of a pun that would have even Graham hanging up his cap. "I didn't even mention his name."

[scarlet_and_indigo]

TJ rolled her eyes. "Nice pun. Look, my point is, you knew who I was before I even had a chance to introduce myself. I can't help the way I look, and he was here first, I get it. I just get tired of the expectations and comparisons."

[outofthequiver]

"And my point," Libby volleyed back, "is that I can't help that Kurt was here first, either, now, can I? It seems a bit unfair of you to hold that against me, just like it's be unfair of me to judge you based on him."

And now it was Libby's turn to sigh.

"I'm sorry," she then offered, softening considerably, but still sounds frustrated and a little hurt in there, too, if she was entirely honest. "I can't even begin to imagine how frustrating this situation is for you, and, truly, the last thing I'd want to do is make it worse. So let's..."

She hesitated, again.

"...let's just start this all over again."

She cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders, like an actor preparing to start a scene.

"Oh! Hello! You must be one of the new students! My name's Libby....well, actually, it's Liberty, but everyone just calls me Libby. What's your name?"

And then those shoulders sunk a little as she looked back over at TJ, because if she still decided she was going go be that way about it, well, at least no one could say Libby didn't try.

Although she might need to have a talking-to to someone about raising their kids a bit better!

[scarlet_and_indigo]

TJ smiled and held up one hand in a wave. "Hi, Libby. I'm Talia Josephine, but everyone calls me TJ. Nice to meet you."