Room 227, Early Friday Afternoon

[whenshewasnice]

This was it, wasn't it?

The room was all packed up. Everything neatly in boxes and bags, headed for various destinations. (Well, just two, really.) The walls has been stripped off photographs and alternative universe weekend collages and all personal mementos. The dresser and the closet and the desk drawers had been all emptied out. Comfortable clothes and anime figurines and old textbooks all packed away. The furniture that was to remain behind had all been put back in their original places. The way they'd been before Jace had broken in and moved everything, and before Sam had been there to necessitate making the two beds into a single big one. It was just another dorm room again.

To Natalie, standing close to the doorway, surveying the room, it was starting to look like she'd never even been here. It was a weird feeling.

She hated letting go of things.

[ooc: *cries* Open door/post, for one last time!]

Comments

[pursuedthestars]

"Wow, looks like no one's ever lived here," Jim said, standing in the doorway and looking around. "Creepy."

[whenshewasnice]

"I clean up spaces nicely," Natalie quipped, sounding a little bit subdued. Things felt a little on the surreal side. She glanced at him. "Hey."

[pursuedthestars]

"Hey," Jim said, giving her a wave. "Heading out pretty soon?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Pretty soon," she confirmed with a slight nod. "Couple of days in Canada, then off to Haiti."

[pursuedthestars]

"You ready?" he asked, crossing his arms.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie looked down at the floor. Everything was packed so technically she was ready at least in one sense of the word. Just not all. She looked back up at him.

"No."

But she wasn't sure she'd ever feel ready, so the point was moot.

[pursuedthestars]

"Gotta take the step despite that though, huh?" he figured. "You'll do fine."

[whenshewasnice]

"I guess."

It was still like an itch right underneath her skin. Thankfully she was too mild to freak out, and too smart to think it meant she shouldn't go through with things. It was just a natural reaction.

But still. Things felt weird.

[pursuedthestars]

"As soon as you're off the island, you'll forget any nerves you might have," Jim told her with a little smile. "You'll be ready for the next steps."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie shrugged one shoulder. He was probably right. She saw no reason to confirm that in words.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

[pursuedthestars]

"No, but I didn't want to immediately barge in when I know this isn't the easiest thing to do," Jim said, stepping into her room.

[whenshewasnice]

"I won't be here much longer to be barged in on," Natalie retorted, although it came out with more than a touch of wryness, and a little fond, too. "Come in."

Which he already had. But it was good to be polite, wasn't it?

[pursuedthestars]

"Guess with you leaving I might have to get to know my other neighbors," he quipped as he came to stand in front of her. "What a hardship."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade was heading back up to his room from his trip to Naboo when he noticed the obvious: "You're leaving."

[whenshewasnice]

"Astute observation, Cade," Natalie noted as she turned to look towards the doorway. "It's what people tend to do when they've graduated and summer's over."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"What happens if you don't graduate?" he asked, leaning in the doorway. "I'm asking for a friend."

[whenshewasnice]

"I wouldn't know about that." Seeing as the concept of not graduating was an exceedingly foreign one to her. "I'd imagine they'd still kick you out eventually."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"That seems much more likely," Cade admitted, "but I'm not exactly cut out for squatting in the warehouse district. Where are you going?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Haiti," she said. "About to start working for your... great uncle? I think that's right."

Sigh, timelines.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade snorted. "He's paying you, right? Get that in writing."

[whenshewasnice]

"I'm not really doing it for the money," Natalie replied, dryly. As you do. "Some of us have other motivations."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Please don't tell me you want to sleep with him," Cade said, making a face.

[whenshewasnice]

"Too late." That was for the face, Cade. You enjoy that now. "And no. He's doing something useful. I want to help."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"You want to help rule the world too?" Cade asked. "Also: gross."

[whenshewasnice]

"It was lovely, thank you," Natalie drawled, giving him a mild look. "And it's politics. It interests me."

Not as much as just watching Peter work interested her, but still.