solo_sword | Office hours- Friday

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office hours,
rose

Office hours- Friday

Jaina had gotten back to Fandom this morning, and she blamed her parents for that. Next week was spring break, so she'd been planning to make Tino take her Caritas shift and just stay at home to work. The problem was that she had made the mistake of saying this out loud. In front of people. Sure, in her galaxy, she didn't take breaks between missions and was hardly even on her homeplanet, but that wasn't the situation in Fandom. Still, she'd apparently conditioned people so that when she said any word that sounded like or meant something similar to "vacation," they insisted she take it. So after deciding it wasn't an argument she felt like having, Jaina agreed. Fine, she'd go to Hawaii. Huge chore, really.

She was slightly on the annoyed side this morning, though, trying her best not to think about the fight with Jacen and instead figuring she'd get class finished up today so she didn't have to do it after getting back from the trip. You know, the class she'd had done last week and then had to scrap because of the kids. One of which she still missed. Even working on class seemed to not be going so well, thanks to a drawer in her desk that stuck closed. After pulling on it for a while she managed to finally get it open, and since she now really felt the need to get out some frustration, she slammed the drawer shut about a half dozen times just because she could.

"...I don't even remember why I needed this open," Jaina said, frowning at the drawer.

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"I'm going with 'because you're getting old,'" Rose decided, leaning against the door frame.

She'd stopped by the apartment first, but since Jaina wasn't to be found there, she figured she'd wander up to the school. Yeah, it was really freaking weird being back. Even weirder not being on duty.

Okay, Rose cheered up her day. "Most people would say I've already gotten old. What is with everyone's thing with leaning in my doorway?" she wondered, standing. Because oh yes, Rose was getting hugs.

Seeing Jaina was good. Hugs were even better especially when Rose realised just how much she'd missed her friend.

"Did you suddenly age another decade or something?" Rose checked. "And leaning's a good conversation piece."

"No, I think I just hang around too many people who don't appreciate that I'm aging great," said the twenty-seven-year-old, releasing her to get a good look at her. "How are you? What are you doing here?"

"Do I need to have a chat with John?" she asked. "Or is there someone else who needs to be taken to task? I'm here for the day. I could totally kick some ass while I'm here."

"I think you can take a day off from ass-kicking for a day," Jaina told her. "I sound like my mother. Sit. Unless you'd rather lean, of course."

"I think I got the leaning out of my system," Rose decided, sitting down. "God, sounding like your mother. You are getting old."

"I don't suppose you could kick your own ass..." Jaina teased, her voice dry as she took her seat again. It was nice to be able to tease. She didn't do that enough anymore.

"You can try," she offered. "Did they ever start Fight Club back up? God, I miss that - when it wasn't insane anyway."

"No, they haven't. And till now I'd completely forgotten about the prospect of Jello wrestling," she realized. At the time she'd stared, but now it kind of amused her, looking back. "So thank you for that."

Also, "What do you mean, try?"

"Hey, I had to scrub the gym after that day," she said, shaking her head a little. Rose had a soft spot for that Jello wrestling night. Mostly because she'd been able to convince Dimitri to sneak out with her, and - okay, yeah, those were not the kind of memories that were useful when she was trying to forget. She forced her attention back to the question.

"You know, try. See if you can manage it," Rose smirked. "Being old and all."

Jaina had gotten better since the last time they'd sparred, so she just smiled and said, "Okay. We'll see how that goes. After we play catchup."

On the flip side, so had Rose. "Deal," she agreed easily, lounging in her chair. "How is it going? What are you teaching this time? I was - totally worried you'd have taken off for good."

"I throw my kids in simulated bad situations and see how they get out of it," she replied. "It'll be my last semester doing it, though. I'm back home in May."

"Yeah? Stuff heating up again at home or are you just done with teaching?" Rose asked. Stupid galaxy. ~~You saw NOTHING~~

~~LIES I SAW EVERYTHING.~~ "Both? Neither? I have things I need to get back to doing, basically. I'm taking this semester to sort of make sure I'm ready for it," she said. "But I'll be visiting, and the invite to visit me is always open."

"That'd be awesome," she admitted. "I'd seriously like that." Even if she couldn't see herself being able to leave Lissa for that long again.

"Great. We'll work it out," she said. And because she was apparently always going to worry, she asked, "How about you? How are things going there?"

Rose glanced up at Jaina then shrugged a little. It was Jaina. If she was going to tell anyone...

"It's fine," she said. "I'm assigned to Lissa like we always thought. I have to go to freaking college with her. Kind of unfair."

See? The truth. Just leaving out a lot of bits.

"I seem to remember college boys being nice to look at. At least you have that," said Jaina sympathetically. "What about the other stuff?"

She figured Rose would know what 'the other stuff' meant.

Rose shrugged, giving Jaina that point. "It's -" her shoulders fell unconsciously, swamped in that wave of conflicting emotions that always came up. "Thought I'd killed him. And...I missed."

For someone who knew she might end up having to go after someone like that, it was a little scary to hear that because missing had never even crossed her mind. Yet she thought she should really expect that sort of thing from Dimitri, at least.

"I'm sorry," she said gently, not to anything specific because the whole situation sucked. "Do you know where he is now?"

She couldn't quite meet Jaina's eyes at that question. "No. Somewhere in the US. He - he writes me." Rose swallowed, trying to explain how the hell she could miss the most important stake of her life. "I thought I had him. But I staked him. He went limp like they do and fell off the bridge. And I should've known."

"No, you shouldn't have," Jaina told her. "If you stab someone and they fall off a bridge, I'd assume that was a kill. I know it probably doesn't help much, but I'd have thought the same thing."

"Anyone else, yeah, but he's Dimitri."

"So the alternative was what, trying to find a body?" Jaina asked.

"Getting the stake into his heart like I should have?" Rose replied. She sighed. "I'm kinda glad I didn't. There's a rumour Strigoi can be changed back."

Jaina raised her eyebrows, definitely interested in that. "Oh yeah?"

"I don't know. It still sounds like a fairytale, but this guy I met in Russia said he knew someone who'd done it," Rose said.

"Is it an option?" she asked slowly. Personally she'd go the 'kill them before they hurt again' route, but she didn't know how possible this was.

Since he'd probably hurt again in the past month of so, that wasn't so much an option.

"I don't know," she repeated. "I'm kinda thinking I need to find out."

"If you need any help, let me know," she offered. "Or at least let me know how things go?"

Rose glanced up sheepishly. "You mean not disappear for the next 3 months?"

"That, too," she said with a little smile. Since she'd brought it up and all.

"Yeah, but you sould expect me to be an idiot by now," she pointed out, smiling a little back. "Miss 'I went away for five years.'"

"That was not planned," Jaina reminded her. "Also totally not my fault."

"It could've been," Rose snarked. "We can't know."

"I think I have some very reliable sources who will tell you that speeding up time is not a Jedi power." Maybe Jacen could, who knew.

"Yeah, but they're all related to you," she pointed out. She shrugged. "Yeah...I know. Just - seemed easier to see if I could forget everything."

"Didn't work, huh?" Seeing as how Rose was, you know, here.

"Yeah well, I missed you people," Rose said, making a face.

"You better have. I know I definitely missed you," Jaina admitted. "The earlier hug might have said that, too."

"Something like that," she agreed. "I mean, I'm not the one who's good at languages or anything, but I think I can translate that much."

Jaina smiled and said, "I'm glad you decided to stop missing us today rather than next week. If I'd missed you, I would have been pissed." No, seriously. That would not be fair.

"Going home next week?" Rose asked. "Cause seriously, that would have blown."

"Next week's spring break. I just got back from home, pretty much literally. I landed about an hour ago," Jaina told her. "So great timing!"

"Yeah, well, timing's a strong point," she joked. "You gonna go on the school trip? Gonna be a chaaperone?"

"Looks like. I told my parents and they started talking like this was my last chance at a vacation ever. Which... okay, it might be," she admitted.

"Not as long as I'm around," Rose promised. "If I get time off, you're getting a call and dragged out."

"Good to know," Jaina said with a lopsided grin. "How often do you get time off?"

Rose paused then laughed. "No idea. I mean, we technically get vacation, but I haven't actually asked."

"Ask. It's good to know," Jaina advised. "Just in case you ever decide you need to be in New York or something right this second and can't because you need paperwork approval."

"I'll keep it in mind," she agreed laughingly. "But now I wanna know why I'd need to be in New York..."

She shrugged. "Who knows? I once went to New York on an impromptu trip to visit Chuck. Things like this happen."

"Damn, I miss Chuck," Rose admitted. "Have you talked to him recently? He helped me out a lot right after the - attack at St Vlad's."

"I talked to him some at New Year's," she said. "He's surprisingly helpful sometimes."

She nodded. "How's he doing with the whole multimillion dollar company thing?"

"I've only heard bits and pieces, but his hotel's nice. Oh, and he owns an illegal speakeasy now," she said, like that was totally normal.

"Of course he does," Rose agreed, figuring from Chuck she'd take that as totally normal. "I'd worry more if he didn't."

"Yeah, it just makes sense," she nodded. "You should see if you can get the day back here next time there's an alumni event, you might get to see him in person."

"Graduation," she said quickly. "I'll be here for graduation no matter what."

"That was quick," Jaina noticed. Not that she was arguing against her coming. Just the opposite.

"Shit, Kyle and Alex and Emma are all graduating," Rose said. "Plus getting to see everyone who's left? I'm not dumb enough to skip."

"Yeah, one of the pluses to me staying was knowing I would be far less likely to be off on a mission when Tahiri and Tiny Mom graduated," she admitted.

"See, if my mom was here, I think I'd be doing everything possible to get away," she pondered.

"I think I've gotten a little more attached to family in recent years," Jaina said thoughtfully. "Besides, she doesn't interfere in anything I'm doing, and I haven't heard about her dating anyone that would make my head explode lately, so it works out."

She paused. "Though I understand my situation's not normal and trying to get away is probably the sane thing to do."

"Last time I saw my mom, she was flirting with my dad," Rose admitted. "That was freaky enough. I'm totally feeling more sympathetic to your head exploding thing."

"...That's not normal?" Of course, Jaina's parents were getting to the point of overshare since she was an adult, and guess what, that was never okay.

"I didn't know who my dad was until I was in Russia," she explained. "And my mom...she doesn't flirt with anyone ever. She's, like, the perfect guardian." Dimitri being the other version, yes. "And now...they're flirting cause they both showed up for my trials. Yeah, it's weird."

"Wow." It did definitely sound weird. "So how are things with your dad, now that you know?"

"...he's like a Russian mobster or something," Rose said, obviously a bit thrown by this. "He has weird influence everywhere and wears funky scarves. Seriously, they call him the snake. And he's got a pirate earring. It's weird."

"I know the type." It actually sounded like he'd fit in great where she was from, but uh. "I would not have expected that. Sounds like you didn't either."

"He's better than I expected," Rose agreed. "But so not what I thought my mom would go for. I'm pretty sure if I ever date someone again, he'll threaten to disembowel the guy."

"It's a father's right, no matter when they come into your life," Jaina confirmed. "Or so I'm told. Repeatedly."

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Office hours- Friday

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