Room 414, Wednesday Afternoon

[solarhippie]

Karolina was finally back from LA. She'd been called in last Monday afternoon, and the week had been busy, between the gang looking for their parents' secret hideout and fighting random criminals who seemed to have been flocking to the city now that he Pride was gone. But at least they had a new Hostel now, underneath the La Brea tar pits. Goodbye venice Beach and being cramped inside Leapfrog all night, even if it was... admittedly a bit creepy to hang out in your evil, dead parents' old lair.

It had been good to be in LA, but it was nice to be back in Fandom now too (and not just because there was a date thing that had been rudely postponed by various factors, although that was pretty good too). Karolina hadn't taken much personal stuff with her, mostly food and whatever else her friends needed, so she didn't have a whole lot of unpacking to do now that she was back.

And having done that, she flopped down on her bed with a magazine. Fifteen minutes, or maybe a half hour all to herself seemed reasonable.

[ooc: Open door, open post, some SP likely while I have a Skype meeting, la la la.]

Comments

[fewer_explosions]

If Liara had known that Karolina meant to find time for herself, she wouldn't have chosen now to show up. Or she would have apologized profusely for doing so, at the very least.

But she did not, so she wound up in Karolina's doorway. "You're back," she said. "I'm glad."

[solarhippie]

Well, Karolina wasn't that attached to her private time, really. Or maybe that was just because it was Liara.

Whatever it was, she didn't look too heartbroken as she looked up. "Hi! Yeah, I, um, kind of got called back home on short notice, I meant to send you a message or something but... busy."

[fewer_explosions]

"It's all right," Liara said quickly. "You... would not have enjoyed being here last week." A pause. "May I enter?"

Yeah, she was going to keep asking that forever.

[solarhippie]

Karolina smiled as she sat up. Just laying around didn't seem like the best thing when you had company, and she was polite. "You don't have to ask that." Yeah, like that'd help. "Did something happen while I was in LA?"

[fewer_explosions]

"Most of the island's population was displaced to an underground complex of some kind," Liara said, strolling into the room. (Okay, one day she would start wandering into people's rooms when she liked, but that day was about sixty years into the future, so...)

"I was relieved to find out you weren't there."

[solarhippie]

"Oh." That was not really all that good at all, and Karolina immediately looked a little worried, despite knowing that it was all obviously over already. "Oh, I'm sorry."

[fewer_explosions]

"It is hardly your fault," Liara pointed out, slightly puzzled. "We all made it out alive. That's what is most important."

She had been fine, for the most part, so that clearly didn't explain why she wanted to give Karolina a hug.

[solarhippie]

"No, I know it's not my fault," Karolina replied with a quick shake of her head, because even her guilt issues weren't that far reaching. "I just... I don't like that that had to happen to you. Or anyone else."

[fewer_explosions]

Liara hesitated.

"Can I sit down?" she asked finally. "Next to you, I mean."

[solarhippie]

Cue a little bit of slightly nervous fidgeting with her hair from Karolina. But, she also patted the bed next to her.

"Yeah, of course."

[fewer_explosions]

Liara slid into place next to her. And... well, maybe if it had been That Week, she would have stepped over her natural reservation more quickly to hug Karolina-- but not today.

"Where did you go?" she asked, quietly curious.

[solarhippie]

"Oh, home," Karolina said. And then reconsidered, because that didn't feel accurate, did it? "Well, LA. My friends needed my help with some bad people in town."

[fewer_explosions]

"Ah," Liara said, her brow knotting up with concern. "Is everyone all right?"

[solarhippie]

"Yeah," Karolina assured her with a nod. "And we've got a new place to call our... well, our home."

More or less.

"So, that's good too."

[fewer_explosions]

"At least something good came out of last week," Liara sighed. "It seems circumstances conspired to keep us from dinner."

Subtle broaching of important topic: accomplished.

[solarhippie]

And with only a minimal amount of internal flailing on Karolina's part. Nicely done. "Oh. Right." She smiled a bit. "So... You still want to go?"

Just checking!

[fewer_explosions]

"Of course," Liara said quickly. Because it would be a crime if Karolina thought that she didn't want to. "I... was going to ask if you would like to reschedule. To... tomorrow, perhaps."

[solarhippie]

"... Tomorrow?"

That hesitation was only because she hadn't expected it to happen that soon. As evident from her ensuing smile.

"Sure!"

[fewer_explosions]

Liara nodded to herself, as if confirming to herself that this was actually happening now. "Do you have a restaurant preference?" she asked. "...I hope you aren't allergic to anything--"

[solarhippie]

Karolina shook her head. "Um, no, no allergies." Even her penicillin allergy was fake! "I don't really have a restaurant preference either because... Well, I haven't been to any of them. But I'm a vegetarian?"

[fewer_explosions]

"I... am not sure which type of human cuisine caters to that," Liara said uncertainly. "Sorry. I hope that doesn't offend you."

One day, she'd stop flailing. One glorious day.

[solarhippie]

"Of course it doesn't," Karolina replied, with a little smile. "It just means I don't eat meat. And I think pretty much all the restaurants that aren't, you know, a steakhouse will have some veggie options."

[fewer_explosions]

"Then how about we meet at the entrance to the dorms," Liara said finally, "And we can make our pick as we walk?"

How did dates work?

[solarhippie]

Don't ask Karolina, she had no clue. Except from what she'd learned through having been wrapped up in pop culture all her life. Real life was still a little different.

"That works for me," she said, because she didn't kow why it wouldn't. Also, it'd give her time to research the restaurants in town beforehand. Like a nerd. "Yes, let's do that."

[arsenicmauls]

Hey, check it out, another visitor! This one was making herself known by rapping lightly on the doorframe with her knuckles.

"Hey, Kar. You alive?"

[solarhippie]

"I am," Karolina replied, with a little less cheer than she might have had she not heard the news about the latest island crazy. "I was in LA all last week."

[arsenicmauls]

"Okay, good," Gert said, leaning in the doorway. Liara asked permission to enter; Gert avoided that whole thing by leaning against the doorframe like this was her room. "Victor and I were kind of hoping you skipped this one. The past week sucked."

Waaaait. Hold on a second.

"...What were you doing in LA? I thought you didn't want to go back."

[solarhippie]

"I never said that." No, Gert had just thought that. And it still made Karolina feel vaguely guilty. "I already went back to find the rest of you about a month ago."

[arsenicmauls]

Gert was almost positive that Karolina had said that, but... well, Gert.

"You did?" That was very real surprise on her face. "Was everyone okay? Chase and... everyone?"

Ahem.

[solarhippie]

Karolina nodded. "Everyone's fine. We, um, even found Old Lace. The... well, you, at home, she didn't get her back until now."