Room 406, early afternoon

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander? Totally flopped on his bed with a bag of pretzels, poking the internet for stuff about alternate universes for his incredibly vaguely planned final project in Magical Theory. Not randomly flipping back to his e-mail tab at all. That'd be stupid, since he's got a New Mail popup set.

__

{Open for teh roomie, at the moment}

Comments

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

After talking to Bel Isabel took a long walk around town trying to get her thoughts in order. She believed him when he said he didn't do it. But still, she wondered about his demon.

Eventually her walk brought her past JGob and the Perk, she made quick stops in each, and then headed back to the room with cookies and mochas.

"Oh good, you're here," she said as she came through the door.

[soldtoarmenians]

He looked up and smiled. "Hey. Yeah, I am much with the hereness. Due mostly to the nothing going on anywhere elseness and the too lazy to go look for it even if there wasness."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"And now you really don't have to go anywhere." Isabel grinned and held up the coffees and bag of cookies, "For I bring caffeine and cookie goodness."

"So how have you been?" she asked as she handed over a mocha and the bag of cookies. She put her mocha down, shrugged off her coat and tossed it aside, and then took a seat at the foot of Xander's bed. "Anything interesting happen?"

[soldtoarmenians]

"With the addition of caffeine? 150% better than before, which still qualified for 'not bad, can't complain.' Best. Roomie. Ever."

He took a sip of his coffee and, pondering the second question, totally didn't glance at his e-mail tab. Instead, he... glanced at the radio. "Though, um. John's completely flipped his lid?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I want a t-shirt that says that for my birthday," Isabel smiled. "I think there's still enough time."

She followed his gaze to the radio. "Gremlin bite maybe?" But if Aeryn's interest in her ability to dreamwalk was any indication, it was definitely something more then that.

"And I'm going to be completely nosy now. But I think that's allowed in small doses. I'm pretty sure, it's written in the fine print of the roomie contract," she laughed. "But have you talked to Bridge?"

[soldtoarmenians]

"You want a t-shirt that says John's Flipped His Lid for your birthday?" Xander asked with a straight face. "Actually... I could possibly market those. I'm sure Aeryn would wear one. After somebody explained the slang."

This time he did glance down at his computer. And stayed downward-glancing, so... possibly not so much 'glance' and more 'stare.'

"And... you could say that, yeah."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"She'd kick your ass," Isabel said firmly. "And that would be bad. So no t-shirts mocking John are not acceptable as birthday gifts."

She tried to peer over the top of the laptop to see what was holding his attention. "Spill! Now! Otherwise I'm willing to beat you with pillows until you do."

[soldtoarmenians]

"...kinky?"

He ducked.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

But not fast enough.

Isabel reached out and thwapped him upside the head. "Spill or I take the cookies back."

[soldtoarmenians]

"Nooooo!" He clutched the bag to him. "Not the cookies!"

It wasn't like he was really planning on not saying anything; given that the Library Aides Of Terror all already knew and were presumably on their way back, the cat was pretty much out of any proverbial bag it might have been trapped in.

Though it could be hiding in the cookie bag; maybe he should look in there. Even if there was just chocolate chip and no cat, it would still give him someplace to be hiding his face when he muttered, "SookayIkindofaskedhimout."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"You did?" Isabel squeed. And then she pounced on him with a hug. "Oh that is so great. Because he said yes right?"

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander stoically bore up under the weight of hug and squee, grinning slightly, if awkwardly.

Some things, awkwardness aside, are too hard to resist, though. "Actually, sadly, he apparently has to wash his uniform that night. Every night. Forever. Woe."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Being up close and personal-like meant it was very easy to poke Xander in the ribs when necessary. Like now.

[soldtoarmenians]

"Hey, roomie abuse!" He ducked away and brought up a pillow to protect himself, crumpling the cookie bag rather badly in the process. "You're so totally not getting that t-shirt now."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

It was wrong and very much a low blow, but Isabel figured it might be the only effective tool she had left against Xander's stubborness. She pouted.

[soldtoarmenians]

"Okay, that's just unfair. I think it's even specifically ixnayed in the Geneva Convention." Xander shook his head.

And reached for a slightly crumbly cookie.

"Yes, he said yes. Or sent yes, technically."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

There was more squee. But this time Isabel managed to keep it confined to bouncing happily. "That's great. I'm really, really happy for you."

She stopped bouncing and grinned, "Should I grill you about what you're going to do or should I just sit here and eat cookies?"

[soldtoarmenians]

"Well, the cookie-eating would be more productive; the grilling would just get you a flame-broiled roomie, since, ah, plans haven't actually progressed as far as...being plans. Little complex for text-messaging, kinda."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Text messaging?" Her eyebrow might be reaching new heights on her forehead.

[soldtoarmenians]

"He's off on some kind of road trip that turned into a plane trip with Parker and the other library girls."

Xander peered into the cookie bag again. Peer, peer, peer...

"I, um, kinda tried the in-person approach beforehand, but that didn't work out so hot."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Really? I wonder what that was about," she wondered.

"Oh no, what happened?" she asked. And then blushed, "Feel free to tell me to be quiet whenever I get too nosy."

[soldtoarmenians]

"Got me." Xander shrugged. "Parker wanted him to use his nifty handwavey psychic powers to help her find something, dunno what."

He shrugged again, sitting up against the head of his bed and reaching for another cookie. "And... nothing happened, really. Which was kind of the problem. There was tongue-trippage, mostly. Thus the text thing."

Xander snickered, though it was only half funny, really. "Which leaves me wondering what happens when, you know, we're actually in the same room. Maybe we both carry around pagers and beep each other? Or just agree in advance to a 115-character limit on anything we say."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel smiled at his explanation of tongue-trippage. "Well if the texting worked then good for you. You've gotten past step one, the asking out part. It's only going to get easier."

"And when you do finally get to see each other in person, just be you. And it'll be fine."

[soldtoarmenians]

"See, you say this because you've never had the unfortunate experience of being me." But he grinned. And surreptitiously checked to make sure all the windows on his screen were fully maximized to hide any new desktop background that might or might not be there.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"It'll be fine," Isabel assured him. And then stole the cookie bag to see if anything was left.