Room 318, Saturday Afternoon

[lockestheway]

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[whenshewasnice]

Natalie had much more mundane business to attend to. There was a pillow under her arm, because she was much like a school teacher in some ways - you threw stuff around her, she took it away from you only to be returned once she saw fit.

Guess that time had come. She knocked on the door.

[lockestheway]

Peter's head jerked up towards the door. "Who is it?" he yelled.

[whenshewasnice]

"Me."

So, not anyone come to kick his door down.

[lockestheway]

"Come in," Peter called.

He was terse for a reason.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie had her guesses as to why, however wrong they may have been.

She slipped into the room, closing the door behind herself, pillow still under one arm. Moxy had gnawed on one of the corners, but nothing too bad.

[lockestheway]

Peter cracked his knuckles. "It's done," he said. "It's out there. And everything's falling out as I expected."

He wasn't sure whether to feel on top of the world or terrified beyond measure.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie's reaction was predictably mild. "Huh," she said, as she wandered over to dump the pillow on the bed. "And how do you feel?"

Of course she'd ask that.

[lockestheway]

"I really am probably going to be Hegemon," Peter said. Because of course that's how he'd see it - or at least that's what he was comfortable sharing.

[whenshewasnice]

"Then I really am probably going to be the girl who stole the Hegemon's pillow," she replied, lightly, coming closer to look at the screen. "Interesting days ahead."

[lockestheway]

Peter ran his fingers through his hair. It was getting a little long. He should have it cut, he thought stupidly, or he'd look ridiculous in front of the cameras.

"Bean's going to be airlifting Petra out of Achilles's hands within the next few hours," he said. "That'll be another load off my back."

[whenshewasnice]

"Good for them." Natalie meant that genuinely. They were strangers, sure, but also some of the very few people she knew of by name in this game. She leaned over his shoulder, looking at the screen. "And then?"

[lockestheway]

"And then I wait for someone to approach me about doing a bid for the Hegemony," Peter said, stretching his arms for no other reason than that he couldn't sit still. "There'll probably be a lot of meetings."

[whenshewasnice]

"Think you'll need a haircut for that."

Yes, she focused on the practical side of things.

[lockestheway]

Peter pulled his face. "I do, don't I?" he complained, tugging on his hair. "Or I could put it in a ponytail-- no, that'd be a terrible idea."

[whenshewasnice]

"Not necessarily, but it's probably not the kind of image you should be going for." Yes, shut up, she understood how style worked, she just didn't care enough about it in her personal life.

Yet.

"Save that for when you're an established figure and suddenly need to emphasize youthfulness."

[lockestheway]

Peter shot her a look. "Are you sure I can't talk you into working for me?"