Room 406, evening

[soldtoarmenians]

There was a towel tossed across Xander's desk chair, and Bitterwoman, season 2, on pause on the laptop. It'd been on pause most of the day, not that you'd know that if you walked in. Not that you'd be walking in, because the door was locked, The Highwaymen were not on pause, Xander was flopped on his bed with a book in front of him but staring at nothing, pretty much like he had been all day, and if you knocked, he probably wouldn't answer.

Of course if you had a key...

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[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

A key would open the lock easily enough. But when you're tired and carrying a suitcase, laptop bag and purse, sometimes it's just easier to use that special alien magic and open the door just by placing your hand on the knob and visualizing the lock opening.

Isabel opened the door and stepped into the room, dragging her bags behind her. "Hey stranger. Miss me?"

[soldtoarmenians]

"Isabel!" A face that hadn't been smiling a second ago bore a genuine one now, as he scrambled up to offer her a hug.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

She was only too glad to return his hug, it made being back in Fandom more real. "I'll take that as a yes, then. Well, I missed you to."

[soldtoarmenians]

"Well, I was fine; Jeremiah wasn't dealing real well. Kept me up til all hours with the whining and the bitching and the croaking--" Xander's mouth twitched. "No, seriously, I missed you."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel laughed for the first time in what felt like forever. "I'll have to make it up to him somehow."

"So did I Xander, you have no idea how much." She set her bags down next to the bed and sat down. "Unfortunately I didn't bring any presents back with me this time. But maybe next time? So what did I miss? How did the play go?"

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander reached over to the cd player and paused the Music of Pain evidence if anyone needed it that he was in fact a complete geek, then sat down on the edge of his own bed.

"Play... heh. Except for the part where we were all taken over by fairies? Play went pretty damn well, actually. Well, and the lighting soffit caught on fire and the power went out." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Also there were leather pants, which I mention only because I know somebody or other got pictures."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Taken over by fairies? You're kidding me." She grinned, because it was just so Fandom and it really proved that she was back. "Leather pants? OMG Icon love! I do need to see those pictures. I'm sorry I missed it all."

[soldtoarmenians]

"I have no idea who has those pictures, and refuse to try to track them down. I'm just sayin'... somebody does. Because Murphy's Law was written for Fandom High." He smiled and pointed at Jeremiah. "In non-fashion-related news, we had a contest where people balanced animals on their heads."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'm going to track down those pictures," Isabel said slyly. "And make up a poster for the wall."

"Animal balancing? Who won?"

[soldtoarmenians]

"I think by the end it was anybody still standing won. The concept here was definitely 'who can be the most doofy.'"

He smiled lightly. "Which I know, you'd think I was a shoe-in, but actually I'd have to give my vote to Angel on that one."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"He's doing okay? Thank you for calling me by the way. It was good to get some good news at the point."

Isabel got to her feet and started to the door. "I have to stop by and see some people. But I'll be back later on, okay?"

[soldtoarmenians]

"He was doing okay enough to show up in the Common Room in a Hawaiian shirt and a goofy hat, calling himself Herb," Xander said. "Either he was sneaking out against doctor's orders or they've been giving him the really really good drugs."

He nodded at her as she headed out the door. "You might stop by to see Parker if you weren't going to already - she said to come by if you wanted to talk, and she'd probably be glad to know you're back."

[soldtoarmenians]

When she was gone, Xander smiled for a moment, and glanced over at Jeremiah. "Happy now? Good."

Then he reached over to turn the music back on again, picked up his Art History textbook, and started to read. He managed at least half a page before he was staring into space again, which was, well, some sort of progress. Probably.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Knock. Or, you know. Not." Parker's hair was wet, and she was wearing silking lounging clothes and her gold kimono, but she still somehow managed to look uncomfortable. "I can come back later, if you're busy...."

[soldtoarmenians]

Oh yeah. He hadn't locked the door again behind his roomie. Xander shut the book he wasn't reading and looked up. And then avoided facepalming as he switched off 'This Is The Last Cowboy Song.

"No, it's fine. You just missed Isabel, though; she's just got in and went off to track some people down and let them know."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I'll have to go looking for her, soon." Parker looked away, then squared her shoulders and met his eyes. "I think I might owe you an apology for the Queen of Airheads and Darkness. And those leather pants, under the circumstances."

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander blinked at her, oddly relieved at the topic of conversation, since it was hardly the one he'd locked the door against the chance of anybody showing up and mentioning. "Why would you owe me an apology for that? Well, the pants, yeah, but I think I'll survive."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"She was all over you. And okay, maybe fun, on some level. But still." Parker swallowed. "I don't know, I just wouldn't treat you like that. We joke around, but-- you know that, right?"

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander frowned - not that, she was right, he'd really minded it in theory - just the fact that it was Parker and yet not, and him-and-yet-not, which dude, sooner or later, awk.ward.

"My guy wasn't exactly playing the 'gimme no lines and keep your hands to yourself' game either," he said. "So sorry back atcha if you really buy that we could've done anything about it. But I've been possessed before, and--" he winced. "--had worse happen than that, or almost happen. Comparatively speaking? Walk in the fake Shakespearian park."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Parker relaxed a bit, and smiled tentatively. "I thought being Nice over Homecoming was bad enough. This wasn't any picnic either. Although I have more to apologize to Lee for, I think. I'm not sure he surfaced the whole night, judging by the radio broadcast. He might want to know what he almost did at some point." She shoved her fingers through her hair. "I don't want to know what the worse was, do I?"

[soldtoarmenians]

"Let's just say hyenas tend not to speak in iambic pentameter and leave it at that." He gave her a concerned look of his own. "So Lee was an almost did? My guy was pretty sure your royal highness was dragging King Kilt-for-Brains off for some backstage insert-an-Elizabethan-euphemism here. He said they wouldn't do anything you didn't want, but--"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Her Goddamn Majesty kept to the letter of the law, and then skipped town." Parker turned bright red, but smiled ruefully. "Got me hot, bothered, and ready, and then left me standing there and Lee passed out while they did something in the shadows that I couldn't see, then jumped back into our bodies all happy and orgasmed out. Meanwhile I was just---" She made a face. "Not. Okay?"

[soldtoarmenians]

Aaaaaand TMI to the power of he could actually feel his face getting warmer, though Xander couldn't deny he'd sort of set himself up for it.

"Er. Ouch?" He swiped a hand over his face. "If it, um, makes you feel any better, her boytoy was pretty much in the same Not boat. And kinda pissed about it."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker looked at him, then grinned, her own blush receding. "It does, actually. Sorry about you being left in the same shape, though. But at least someone didn't have fun in that crew." She sighed, rubbing her face. "Jarod wants to go after them. I could kick him."

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander blinked, then decided that yes, his face could get redder, but only when it was apparently trying to match the shade of somebody's uniform tunic.

"I. Um. didn't mean it quite that literally. Like 'I think we need a bigger boat' yes, but 'I think we need bigger pants,' not so much. And wow, somehow my mouth thought those words would be helpful. My mouth is stupid."

Xander shook his head. "Annnd moving on, your friend Jarod wants to what exactly? Track down a bunch of creepy, powerful things that can disappear into thin air, and kick their creepy, powerful and possibly intangible asses?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

It would be utterly wrong to laugh at Xander when his bibbling was making her more relaxed and happy, but somehow seeing him so-- Xander-- was enough to wipe the last of her discomfort. "There's a boat?" she asked, gleeful.

"And, yes, exactly that. Did I mention that he might have an ego problem?" Parker rubbed her eyes. "It goes with being a genius. You actually think, 'okay, the Queen of Faerie hurt my friend, all I have to do is find her, and then work out how to kick her ass, and it's all good.'"

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander rolled his eyes. "There was a boat, and it has sailed. Wave bye bye to the boat."

He shook his head. "I... yeah, actually kinda know people like that. Maybe not the genius part, but Buffy would do the asskicking thing without really caring whose ass it was, if something hurt one of her friends. She's got handy-dandy Chosen One asskicking powers, though, which I'm guessing your friend Jarod is a little lacking in."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Bye, boat. Was it an ocean liner?" Since she was already going to Hell....

"Hell, I get the hurt-my-friends schtick, it's just I know when to quit. Titanium and the Boring One are gone and aren't coming back, and Jarod wants to go find them?" She sighed. "No superpowers. Just very, very, frighteningly smart and focused. Which again, I get, but...."

[soldtoarmenians]

"But smart people can be really really dumb," Xander finished with a nod. "Been there, done that, fought the demon robot. Remind me not to tell you about the time Willow dated the internet so I don't get killinated."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker chortled. "And suddenly, my dating choices seem so sane." She grinned. "So, yeah. If you see him at Caritas? Tell him you walked away sane. I don't hold out hope of talking him out of this, but you never know." She sighed. "And, uh. Thanks. For not being Niall. At all."

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander nodded ruefully. "Guy wasn't as awful as he could've been? But if that's the best you can get as a character reference, it might be time to re-think your social strategies."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker snickered, and patted his arm. "Miles better than the Kilted One, though. I don't know what the hell Titania sees in that guy." She smiled a little. "And just for the record, you looked really great in the leather, no matter who was driving the body." Yawning, she stretched. "I should get going."

[soldtoarmenians]

Ok, you have seen Lee, right? And Xander kinda really, really hated his brain for having that answer so quickly to hand, even if the words thankfully didn't make it out of his mouth.

He shook his head, which probably looked like he was answering about the leather. Which also worked. "Crack, Parker. Designer caviar crack. But at least it was crack that stopped creaking by the end of the play."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Heeeee." Parker gave him one last smugly cheerful smile, and said, "You should wear eyeliner more often, you know?" Before heading toward the door.

[soldtoarmenians]

"Uh huh. Hope every thousand years works for you."

Xander closed the door behind her, shaking his head, and remembered to lock it this time. He reached out to hit the PLAY button on the way back to his bed, and returned to not reading about Caspar David Friedrich.