Room 223, Friday Afternoon

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie was not intending to leave her room today. Nope. Yesterday had been... a lot of things she didn't really feel like dealing with right now. And the way to not deal was to stay in her room. There was nothing cowardly about it. She just wasn't going to leave. Just for today.

Maybe the weekend.

Unable to really concentrate on any of her school stuff, she took a seat by her keyboard, intent on forcing herself to focus on something. Immersing herself into practice seemed to be a thing for that. And she was sticking to strictly classical pieces.

No pop. And no singing.

[ooc: Door closed, post open!]

Comments

[necroslacker]

Sam wasn't really sure if Natalie was back to normal or not but he felt like he had to at least check. So, after taking a deep breath, he knocked on that closed door and waited.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie did not stop playing, though she may have missed a note or two, startled by the knock. She raised her voice just enough that she knew she'd be heard, even through the door.

"What?"

Wow, that was ever so welcoming, Nat.

[necroslacker]

Yeah, that was totally enough to make him want to turn around and wait till she didn't sound like she'd punch him in the nose.

"Uh." Yeah, good start. "It's Sam."

[whenshewasnice]

It didn't get much better, either. Natalie stopped playing, only to get up and – after some hesitation – walk to the door, which she opened, but not all the way. Enough to stand there and give him one of those unreadable looks.

She looked tired and a little tense, and the expression of her face was almost expectant. And she didn't say anything.

Mostly because she was seeing what he'd say now, and whether she was going to have to shut the door in his face to get herself more time to not deal.

[necroslacker]

"Uh."

He was really good at that word, wasn't he?

"Hi." He gave her a little wave and something close to a smile. "How's it going today?"

She didn't look chipper anymore.

[whenshewasnice]

"I've been better," Natalie said without a beat, nor a blink. 'Humiliated' was the word that skirted closest to the truth but she wasn't going to use that one.

[necroslacker]

The lack of blinking was something that could really throw him off sometimes. And sometimes was right now because he had no idea what she was thinking.

"Yeah, I guessed that," Sam said, nodding. He paused before speaking again. "Anything I can do?"

[whenshewasnice]

And Natalie was still years away from perfecting her utter ice queen stare! Not to say it didn't serve its purpose right now.

"Depends."

Ominous.

[necroslacker]

Very.

"Depends on...?"

Well, it seemed like he had to prompt her there.

[whenshewasnice]

"On how much of a smartass you're planning to be."

Her patience was not going to be infinite today. It seemed like a fair warning to her.

[necroslacker]

"Hey, am I ever a smartass?" Sam asked, perhaps not answering in the best of ways right now. He couldn't really help it. "I haven't even mentioned cheese."

Go Sam go.

[whenshewasnice]

Trust him to be dumb about it.

Natalie's eyes narrowed. That was generally not a good thing.

[necroslacker]

"This is not that big a deal," Sam told her, shaking his head. "It's just a -- a thing. Just a weird thing."

[whenshewasnice]

He should tell that to the parts of her that felt embarrassed and wouldn't take no for an answer. It was a bigger deal to her than she would've liked it to be. It was unsettling.

She raised an eyebrow. She hadn't seen him prancing about, acting crazy, hmm?

[necroslacker]

Sam raised an eyebrow right back at her because he wasn't just going to wilt under her unblinking stare.

"You do remember that we all went nuts a few months ago, right?" Sam wondered curiously. "It was ridiculous but we got over it."

And that day had started...a lot of things.

[whenshewasnice]

"That doesn't mean I have to like this," Natalie replied evenly. Mostly because any other tone would have ended up defensive, she was sure. Yeah, she remembered that time, too, but she was going to insist this was different.

[necroslacker]

No, it didn't but Sam wondered why she was being stubborn about this and trying to see it as something bigger than it was.

He nodded. "Okay, so you're pissed." He could get that.

So, of course he said, "The fries you gave me yesterday were good, at least."

[whenshewasnice]

He'd probably be left wondering that for a while.

"Well, I didn't spit in them," Natalie said. Because that was just charming. "Congrats."

[necroslacker]

"I think it's a little late for me to be scared of your spit," Sam said, proving himself the master of being eloquent. But, it was true. They'd made out enough for him to not really care.

"So, thanks," Sam said, matching her sarcasm with some of his own. "Do I get your number now?"

[whenshewasnice]

"I believe you should already have it," Natalie retorted. "Even if you give out yours to random waitresses."

She didn't mean that one seriously (since that waitress had been her), but it was kind of patently hard to tell with her expressions, or lack of them.

[necroslacker]

"Oh yeah, you've really got me pegged, Natalie," Sam said, laying on that sarcasm now. "You know who else has my number? The girl at the pizza place. Oh, and I gave it to the delivery girl from the Chinese place the other day because she gave me extra duck sauce."

Okay, it was safe to say he hadn't liked that one and just reacted since he couldn't tell what she was implying.

[whenshewasnice]

"I feel so jealous." So... deadpan. "Do all these others have my face, too?"

She was probably really not helping things.

[necroslacker]

Not really helping things at all. Sam's lips thinned and a muscle tensed in his cheek. He didn't get easily irritated and he didn't think he was there now but it was safe to say he wasn't too happy.

"Nope," he quipped, shaking his head. "That a requirement for me spreading myself around? I hadn't gotten the memo."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie ought to have been given some sort of an award for how quickly she'd dragged his mood down to 'not great' along with hers. It was a special skill.

"Well, you were probably busy ordering food while it was going around," she quipped, dryly, before deciding to drop that topic. "Did it really take you as long as it seemed to figure out something was wrong?"

[necroslacker]

"Oh, are done thinking I'm the scum of the earth now?" Sam asked, unable to just let her let that go that fast. Not a chance. "Sorry, missed that memo too."

Sure, it wasn't a great comeback but he didn't care. "I got that something was wrong. That help you out?"