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."

[whenshewasnice]

"You'll do fine," she replied, watching him, as if there was any doubt when it came to that. "Not that I spent any significant amount of time with any of our other neighbours."

[pursuedthestars]

"I'm always fine," Jim told her, shrugging. "But, it'll be weird that you're not across the hall."

[whenshewasnice]

"Sweet of you to say." She half smiled at him. "It'll be weird not to be anywhere close to the hall in the first place."

[pursuedthestars]

"Yeah, but you'll have a cushy apartment all to yourself," he pointed out. "Sweet."

[whenshewasnice]

"Mm, all the amenities and a market around the corner, or so I hear," she told him lightly, shrugging. "Cushy living to go with demanding work."

[pursuedthestars]

"You'll do fine," he told her again, nodding. "You're made for demanding work, Natalie."

[whenshewasnice]

"I thought I was made for always taking the easy way."

No, she didn't. You didn't choose the route she'd chosen for herself if you did.

Slowly, idly, she held a hand out for him. "To not put too much strain on my brain."

[pursuedthestars]

"Hardly anything you do is easy," he said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'm pretty sure if your brain wasn't strained, you'd just be bored."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie gave his hand a squeeze back. "It's possible," she allowed. "I don't like being bored."

[pursuedthestars]

"I think you've picked the right thing to do then," he replied with a nod. "Don't go missing me too much. I can't be taking trips down there every weekend now."

[whenshewasnice]

"I won't have time to welcome visitors every weekend, anyway," Natalie retorted, even as she gave his hand another squeeze, then moved to lace her fingers with his. She was going to be getting quite enough of non-friendly handshakes in the not too distant future. Better get everything she could while she was still here. "Important person and all."

[pursuedthestars]

"Well, remember to take some time for yourself," he told her with a nod. "Wouldn't want you turning into some robot who only works and sleeps."