Kerrigan's Office, Wednesday

[on_her_korhal]

Her office hadn't changed much. Something to be said for small favors, but Kerrigan wasn't really sure whether this was one or not. Her coffee maker still rested on a shelf in the corner, her computer still stood untouched, and, as she found to her profound relief, there was still a little box of painkillers in the desk.

Kerrigan grabbed a glass of water, sat down, and took two. The headaches were starting to get much worse than they used to, and she was starting to get ready to throttle someone if they didn't go away.

[ open office hours are open ]

Comments

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River stopped by in the morning, and smiled at Kerrigan as she entered the room.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan was sitting in her chair. Or, for the most part, attempting to. Sitting down was still a little... difficult, even after practice. But she was getting there.

"Hey, assistant," she said, with her best attempt at a smile plastered across her face.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Morning." River walked up to the coffee maker, preparing two cups. She hummed to herself.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"We're back in the office," she said, dryly, waiting for her coffee. "Like nothing's changed."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"One change doesn't necessarily demand another," River observed, placing a cup in front of Kerrigan. I'm going to Osiris this weekend.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes you just think it would, though," Kerrigan said, taking her cup with care. What are you going to do?

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River laughed. "Mistake." Gather intel.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

She made a carefully neutral kind of noise, lifted her cup to her mouth, and took a sip. You have any plans?

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River mirrored the movement. Find Academy employee. Take what I need from his mind.

There wasn't really much of a plan. She had just felt that Kerrigan should know where she was going.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

She nodded slowly. "You know where to find me."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Sokka poked his head in the door and knocked. "Didja miss me?"

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"...Sokka," Kerrigan said, raising an amused eyebrow at the doorway, "I thought I'd sensed a lack of people asking a thousand questions in my class."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Sokka grinned. "Awwwww... You DID miss me! Don't worry; you're still one of my favorite teachers."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"And yet you're depriving me of the joy of watching a bunch of Hydralisks chase your butt around a sim," Kerrigan said, wryly, "What are you up to?"

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"Hey, gimme a gun and I can take down Hydralisks no problem," Sokka insisted. "...Unless there's a lot of them. Me? I'm tormenting all sorts of OTHER teachers this term, you know, spreading the Sokka around. The green looks good on you, by the way."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure it does," she said, neutrally, flicking a paper ball into the wastebin with flawless coordination. "Am I going to have to go out and warn people?"

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Sokka asked. "Ooh, wow! I thought only Jamie got that kind of honor."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Never met him," Kerrigan said, brushing the whole thing off. "You're still underneath Adama on the list."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"You know, it's not fair to discriminate based on how hot someone's arms are," Sokka admonished.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"He's more annoying than you are," she said, shooting him a look. "That's not an incentive to try harder, by the way."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"Maybe you didn't mean it to be one," Sokka replied with a grin. "Still. You need any Zergs squashed, gimme a call -- I'm your man."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Okay.

She leaned across the desk, carefully. "Sokka," Kerrigan said, frankly, "You see any Zergs, you run like hell, okay?"

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"Sorry, no can do, Lieutenant," Sokka told her. "But I DO promise I won't be stupid and get my butt killed."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Listen to me," she said, with an edge of harshness to her voice, "Do not fight, do not hide, run. Wait until you're thirty before you get suicidal."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"I'm NOT suicidal," Sokka insisted. "I can fight, so I've sort of got a duty to protect... hang on." He blinked at her. "You dialed them down, didn't you? In the sim. You made the Zergs go easy on us."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Her eyes sparked off some light on the next Look she gave Sokka. "Turns out it was more than I thought I had, at the time."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Sokka jumped back a half-step and peered at Kerrigan more closely, things suddenly making a little more sense. "They did this to you," he whispered. "The Zergs. They... Are you all right?"

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"I died, Sokka," she snapped.

Why the hell was she having this conversation with a student when Roy and Harriet had been aching to have it? Kerrigan had no clue; she just knew she was angry. "Or I might as well have. So next time you decide to declare your intentions to march into a goddamn Zerg hive, you use the brains God gave you and don't."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"I didn't say I'd...!" Sokka protested, but he shut himself up.

"Will do," he told her firmly. "If I see any Zergs, I'll stay safe, I'll keep other people safe, and I'll let you know so you can get revenge."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

The Zerg weren't the only bastards itching for payback. She came damn close to saying it; but instead, she brushed a hand over her forehead, pinched the bridge of her nose as carefully as she could, and said, "Alright. Good."

She took a breath of air. It didn't shake. "I'd like to think I taught you kids something."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Sokka nodded, and bowed respectfully. "You have. You've taught us a lot."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

She pinched the bridge of her nose again, forcing down the irrational wave of anger that didn't seem to quite want to go away. Not going back there. Not dealing with them again.

"Well," Kerrigan said, shifting her focus to Sokka as best she could, "For a loudmouth, you were never too bad a student anyway."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"Hey, it's tactics," Sokka replied with a grin. "I have a gift." Then he narrowed his eyes at Kerrigan worriedly. "Uh... that's not one of your the-island-is-about-to-be-attacked-again headaches, is it?"

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"No," she said, breaking off the pinching for a good rub of her forehead, "Just something that won't go away. It happens." Like drums on her goddamn skull. "Good seeing you again, Sokka."

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"You too," he replied, with another nod and bow, before he left.