Office Hours, Tuesday

[on_her_korhal]

Sarah Kerrigan was hunched back in her chair, feet to the floor, making little circles. Circling, circling...

It wouldn't be much longer, now. Home. Christ.

Funny how you can prepare something for months and still find yourself completely jarred by it. She ran a hand through her hair, then sat a little forward again. Finals week...

[ open! ]

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[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River stopped by in the morning. The memories from her weekend visit in Oxford were still vivid in her mind, although she tried not to force these on Kerrigan as she entered the room quietly.

Morning. She headed stright for the coffee maker, prepared to make two cups.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Morning," Kerrigan replied, sitting up a little. Some of the images flitted by her mind-- "What've you been up to?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River waited for the coffee to brew. "Visited Parker in Oxford over the weekend. Dancing, boating." She smiled. "Mostly a good weekend."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan smiled back-- still a little rueful, but it was hard to stay that way in face of River's cheer about the whole thing. "You had fun, huh?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

She turned serious for a moment. "Had to beat someone up. But apart from that, fun. Good to see Parker again." There was that thought in the back of her mind that it might have been for the last time.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Did they deserve it?" Kerrigan asked, a little dryly, her back tilting back into her chair. It won't be.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Yes." There was a mental flash of anger over spiked drinks and plans of worse things. She held out a cup of coffee towards Kerrigan. Not so sure anymore.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan took the coffee gladly. She took a sip. You've still got all the options--

"...What is this?"

She stared at the cup. Her eyes narrowed.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River raised an eyebrow. She had made the coffee the way she always did.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan frowned harder, then pulled away from the desk.

With an eerily predator-like sense of purpose, she stalked towards the coffee maker, bent down, and squinted at the--

"Decaf."

She stared.

"I'm going to kill Stinson."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River had no objection to Kerrigan killing Stinson. "Tink too?" she asked. She sniffed the contents of her own cup and frowned.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Tink's been on the list for a long time," Kerrigan muttered, pulling away from the coffee maker. "I'm going to have to go out and get new coffee. Great."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Can help," River offered. It wasn't completely clear whether she meant killing or getting new coffee.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"It's appreciated," Kerrigan replied, and also left that part very much in the middle. She stomped back to her seat. "Well, that's a perfectly good day wasted."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River put her own cup down and took a seat on the desk. "I could make cookies."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan raised an eyebrow at her. "Could you bake caffeine into them?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"If I had caffeine, yes." River looked a little more cheerful.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"I bet we could find some in Stinson's office," she muttered. "I should call Harriet. She'd be up for it."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River clearly approved of the idea. "Will help," she repeated.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"When he least expects it."

She dropped backwards into her chair.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River leaned back on the desk, only replying with a smile. She continued: "And your weekend?"

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan shoved the cup a little further away from her. "My cat tries to eat the chair. Damn Mustang. Both of them."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"You need the chair?" River was used to pets eating things.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"It's nice to be able to sit on something while I'm at home," she snorted. "I'm just waiting for him to tackle the couch, next."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps he needs a toy." River shrugged. "He's a kitten."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, yeah..."

She stared at the cup.

"Why are you so convinced you've got no options?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

She shook her head. "Not what I meant. I made a choice. Might have consequences that disables other options."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

She tilted her head. "What did you do, River?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Made a choice. Am going to Osiris to see what I can find out." Just going there might be risky for her, but she would be undercover. Looking into the activities of the Academy wasn't safe for anyone though.

But words might not quite explain why she felt that it meant choosing a direction that led away from fandom, back into her past, and how she still couldn't see a way beyond.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan set her mouth firmly shut. And nodded. Very, very slowly. "When?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Soon. No date set yet. Need a magical device to be finished before I go." She looked nervously at Kerrigan.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan, for her part, only let the incredulous flit past her face for a few seconds. "A magical device?"

She could even say it without laughing, now.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River nodded. "One that will make me look like someone else. Safer." Which didn't equal safe.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan's upper lip curled. "Maybe I should just snag you a Ghost suit when I'm back home."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Might be useful, but I might need to talk, not just listen." Still, it was a good offer, and Kerrigan's concern always made her feel oddly safe.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Stealth always helps," Kerrigan replied, with a shrug. Fake casual, really. "...Be careful."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Will be." She paused. "Will ask for help if I need it." But only then.