Fiona stared at the thread between her fingers, watched it grow and change to the strange golden thread that meant she was looking at her own life, and continued to focus beyond. Beyond what was hard to say, since she didn't even quite know what she was doing other than that she was doing it, but more threads sprang up, threads in different colors, different materials, different thicknesses and lengths. Some seemed slick and smooth, others harsh and rough. She tried to follow one of them when she felt one of her feet cramp up.

Dammit.

Fiona tossed the thread off the side of her bed, growled, and flopped back on her bed. She considered pulling out a book, but her desire to pull out something to research with had her folding her hands on her stomach. Calling Eliot was the second thought, but sharing frustration just meant that she'd be chewing over her failure and brother or not, she didn't have the patience for it.

Eventually, she picked up a catalogue she'd gotten in the mail the other day and started paging through it. Mindless, thoughtless 'window' shopping. Yes, that was right up her alley right now.

[open for roommate, or others! Lookit me, all active again!]

Having had a few things fall on my head at once, I'm not going on hiatus, but don't be surprised if I'm a little less present than I have been of late.

...I totally feel pretentious putting up an announcement about this on a journal, but I figure forewarned is better than 'where did she go, George?'

I'll still kind of be around, and my availability hasn't changed if you need me for anything, but my brain needs a little cool off time. This effects Geoffrey, Abby Irene, Derek, Fiona, Liir, and Nick. Sorry for being failboat.

So... I'm a giant dork and I totally forgot to mention that I'd be away in Virginia this weekend. That means I'm working from the tiny computer (Frobisher is a good boy) and mostly borrowed internet (but he lacks an aircard). So I'll be kind of spotty.

Much love to all and I'll be back by late Monday.

Anyone whose been given permission needs to mod my kids, feel free to.

After a trip to T&C, the girls headed out to the Causeway to pick up a taxi. That brought them to the mall, which the cabbie informed them was only a open for another couple of hours.

That was why Fiona pulled Dinah in quickly.

"Shoes or clothes first?"

[for the girl, obviously ^_^]

Fiona was something of a deep sleeper. She always had been; it was one of those delightful constants that hadn't been changed by everything during her last birthday, or what had come after. Perhaps it took her longer to drop off to sleep with such worries wandering through her head, but once she was there, she was out.

Out, naked, and curled up next to Griff in his bed. That hadn't been much of a problem when she was a kitten, after all, but in human shape? As a girl with... girl parts? Being a girl? Curled up next to a boy? In his room? With her naked? And neither of them expecting this change?

...yeah, this was going to end well.

[220 and griff used with permission!][for the one she's in bed with plz?]

So I'm back! All moved in, can't feel my arms, keeping myself awake by blasting Commentary! The Musical, and now staring at my IC FL and SPAAAAAZING.

^_^

Yes! So the kids who're animals will be transforming back today (Joan-mun, Liir thread? Griff-mun, WE MUST FIGURE OUT HOW AWKWARD THIS CAN BE! Also, there seems to be a naked guy in the church? Cas?) and there's the performance tomorrow (must make poster image, post up, and anyone interested in dying on stage for two nights as emergency!stand in?) but yeah. So. BACK.

I missed you all!

So! As my roommate will be heading back to VA within a week and a half, and I have absolutely nothing prepared for the move back to my parents, you can imagine that RP is going to have to take a back seat from now to the end of the month.

Joan will have godding rights to a very small, adorable Liir!kitty. She's also welcome to hand him off to Ino for whatever reason.

Griff has godding rights to a similarly small Fiona!kitty. Tara, of course, has godding rights over Nyx as her mommy is off being a kitty as well.

Castiel has godding rights for a sable shepherd!type Morgan and if Reid could feed Clooney? Much appreciated.

Geoffrey will be staying on as the play is coming up and I'm not that cruel, Abby Irene will be finishing things up this week so that should be fine, and Rimmer's gone after tomorrow so they're just them.

OMG I will miss you all!

Fiona didn't have much to do on Mondays but be confused by her class (her thankfully finished class) which was why, of course, she ended up calling her brother. It took a few tries before he picked up, at which point the growly, grumpy mutter of Eliot's voice started in with--

"Not everyone has such a light course load as you, you know."

( Wherein Fiona talks to Eliot again. )

They continued like that for a while before Eliot had to go. But he had one last thing he wanted from his sister.

"Send me pictures of your cat?"

That she agreed to easily enough before hanging up to start taking those pictures. The thing about kitties were that they were far too adorable for words or even pictures, but trying to get them to stay still to show it off was a completely different matter.

[open! feel free to wander into the kitty photoshoot ^_^]

Fiona might have been told not to act the hostess with Griff coming over, even if it was just down the hall, but that didn't mean that his words could reverse the way she'd been raised. Cee had taught her well and Gr--Mother had made sure they knew what was appropriate for hosting, so while she didn't have any food out, the room itself was spic and span, the cat box cleaned out, and the kitties' water and food tucked up where they could reach but hopefully a visitor wouldn't trip over them.

'Tara', such as she was, was placed on her dresser, watered carefully and still in the sun. Mr. Moxy was asleep on her roommate's pillow, as he had been most of the time, and Nyx was in her habitual place on Fiona's shoulder chewing on her hair only a little more often than her human did.

Right. Good. Room was clean, kittens were cute, plant was cared for, she was ready.

[for one, plz]

She made sure that her side of the room was clean and even brought in some cookies and a drink for Maron for when she came. She wasn't exactly very good at hosting, but she wanted to do the best to help her friend feel better after the mess that was last week.

[for one!]

Fiona had picked out books, put them down again, placed them around the room, loaded them into a bag, unloaded them-- she was starting to think that her brother was going to yell at her (yes, Eliot, yelling) over her mistreatment of their tactical texts if she did much more. The whole thing had her nervous, though yesterday's talk with Dinah had helped quite a bit and she knew that as soon as Zack actually came, she would relax. But that didn't help now.

Finally tired of pacing, she made her way to her bed and started working on the outline of what she wanted to bring up today. A page was enough, right?

[open for anyone! and of course, Zack!]

She was there to practice the karate she'd learned, but much to her own chagrin, her mind turned from the lessons to the teacher.

Griff was... Griff. She didn't even know how to think about him half the time. He was her friend, her best friend if she was honest with herself, and then there was the other part, the part she didn't like to think about too much for all the reasons she'd told to Maron.

But today was a special day, the kind of day where those feelings couldn't be ignored, and as the gentle strains of music rose up around her, it seemed the simplest thing in the world ( to sing )

And her hands couldn't go over her mouth fast enough as she realized what she'd actually said out loud.

[for one particular person]

Since it seems to be the day for it...

( He bakes, he flies, he plans to overthrow the government... )

( He drinks, he shouts, he tells you to go get a muffin instead of strangling you... )

( She also drinks, she teaches, and Gil Grissom would weep like a bitch for some of what she can do with a wave of a wand... )

( He's dead, he's obnoxious, and he has a hard light drive just so you can throw slime on him... )

( She's a goddess, she's an heir to the Infernal realms, and she'll insult you in four or five different languages until she finds the right one... )

( He's big, he's smart, and he will tackle your ass if you try anything... )

( She's wacky, she's online a lot, and she still hasn't chosen a new mun journal... )

The thing she hated about attending classes (well, that she'd discovered she hated about attending classes because this was really the first time she'd had a situation like this pop up) was that even after a horrible morning, she was still expected to attend. She couldn't fail to show up, of course, since she had no idea how close of an eye her family was keeping on her, but she'd also been useless during class; her attempts to distract herself had failed miserably. A little voice reminded her that if she'd been at home, she would have been expected to do what her Mother wanted regardless of morning anyway, but she promptly squashed it as she slammed the door shut and dropped onto her bed. One hand reached out, grasping the pillow almost too tight before dragging it to her midsection.

She wanted her Dad. She wanted Eliot.

She wanted Griff.

She wanted Dinah or Leto or Zack or Peyton, but she couldn't actually bring herself to call them up because she was also reasonably sure that if she actually had to deal with anyone right now, she'd end up screaming and shouting and snapping at them and none of those people deserved it.

Maybe now is when I should call Mother, she mused, even the voice inside of her head dry and tired.

Eventually, she reached down and pulled up her Marcellus Masters guide for a little bit of remedial first aid education. She'd swallow figure out which passages would be useful for the support reserves and see if anywhere in town did photocopies. Yes, that was it.

[door (slammed) closed, post open]

Fiona was about to pack up her things to head for the salle to practice when she got the phonecall.

"Hey, Onchidoris bilamellata."

Her brother. But... wasn't he supposed to be in one of his million-and-three classes? The insult was the most important thing, though. Onchidoris bilamellata... that was a type of sea slug. So he was commenting on her being slow, possibly goo-brained. But why that one? It wasn't a particularly uncommon variety, after all. She went through all manner of ideas as to why he might have picked it before she remembered something.

There had been reports of uncommon behavior from that species of sea slug in Maryland something like four years ago. She was in Maryland. But why would he call her slow about being in Maryland? Unless there was a reason the location was important. Especially as it'd been in his greeting. Almost like--

"Eliot? Are you on the island?"

There was a long pause. Then: "...man, you're good. I was working on that one the whole ride here."

"Where are you? How did you get here? Why are you here? Are you in trouble? What's going on? Eliot, answer me!"

"I will if you let me talk! Come on down to, uh, I think it's called the Arms? It's the hotel here. I'll be in the big ballroom, all right?"

"But you're all right."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to surprise you." Fiona rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I'll see you around, Chrysophrys auratus."

She hung up before he could insist he wasn't a dork and stuffed the phone in her pocket, which was why she missed the text message from the other new arrival. Oh, it was going to be a weekend.

[establishy! or open for anyone who wants to find a reservist!]

Fiona really loved having a phone. It meant she could call up a cab company, meet them at the end of the causeway, and have them at the mall and ready to shop without having to wait at the dorms.

She got out first, pushing the door open a little farther so Zack wouldn't have any trouble coming out after her and hopped up onto the curb to slip the change into her purse.

[for one, nfb due to distance]

There was Fight Club to go to of course, and homework to do, and research to work on, and something she wanted to check so she could use it on Eliot, but there was also the mythology text. Door and window both open so she could enjoy the breeze through the room, she picked up another text, a different one than the one she'd started. One that, well...

Put the story of Prometheus rather earlier.

Which was why the sound of a book hitting the wall could be rather easily heard, since Fiona threw it with considerable force as soon as she could stop gaping.

Oh my... Oh my...

[door and post open]

It had been a good day so far, even with Arthur being a big jerk during Superhero Fashion, which was why she was flopped out on her bed, reading one of the books she'd gotten at the store today. It was a mythology book, one with plenty of history to go along with the stories; she wondered absently if, with this, she should try and see what matched with the copy of Mythica Improbiba Eliot had and what was different.

...hopefully someone would stop by before she got to the story of Prometheus.

[open door, open post, REALLY BORED]