Room 234/236 : Saturday night, very very late
After Caritas, Parker went back to her room, changed into pajamas, and started working on new T-shirt and poster designs, as well as listening to the tape of the night's performance. When the phone rang, she was too distracted to think to check the Caller I.D.
Mistake. "Parker."
"Hello, Parker. Sydney here."
Parker stopped what she was doing, and rolled her eyes. "You're up late."
"As are you. I was expecting to get your voicemail, not you yourself." The voice on the other end was chiding but resigned. "I wanted to tell you I would be coming to next week's Parent's Weekend."
"I guessed as much. The Russian place closed, by the way." She curled up on her bedspread, drawing one knee up under her chin. "But I have someplace better in mind."
"Really? I look forward to trying it." A pause, and then, very carefully, "Has your father said whether he will be attending?"
"He hasn't. He wants to, but the negotiations in Berlin are tricky at the moment. It's fine, either way." Never mind that she hadn't seen her father since the 4th of July weekend. Or spoken to him more than twice since then. "It might be simpler if he doesn't attend."
Sydney's sigh was just audible over the connection, and Parker's eyes narrowed. "I hope I'll see both of you there next Friday, then. How are your studies progressing?"
"Sydney, why are you really calling?" She toed her laptop shut, and turned back to watch M stalk one of her slippers. "Because this feels like an attempted-therapy call, not an R.S.V.P."
A cautious pause, and then, "Jarod contacted me."
Parker smirked. "I knew it. So you wanted to see if I needed my hand held? Get a grip, Syd."
"That would be over-stating the case by a rather large margin... but it's not unprecedented for me to be concerned about you, Miss Parker."
"'Concerned.' Is that a nice way of wondering if I'll kill him, the next time I see him?" She got up to pace. "What did he tell you?"
"That's not germane. And I was asking about you, not Jarod," Sydney said, sounding worried. "Are you all right?"
Parker stood in the middle of the room, thoughts whirling, and for once didn't know how to answer that. Sydney had a habit of seeing too much that she really could have lived without. She settled for, "I'm fine. Just fine. Not that it would matter if I wasn't." Sydney's worry had her off-balance, defensive for too many reasons. "I am not talking about this with you. You're on his side, and you two lied to me," she burst out. "Why didn't you tell me that you've been lying to the Centre since last November? Either of you, damnit!"
"...ah." Sydney's voice became even wearier and more resigned. "I had wondered, if--"
"Damn right you wondered. Goddamnit, Syd, they were going to terminate him....
"....And they'll do the same to you, if they figure out what's going on!" Parker snarled and the tempo of her pacing kicked up a notch.
M nudged open the door to Parker's room; she quickly crossed to pick up the cat and deposit her on the bed, ignoring the open door. "Did you think of that at all? Or what he would've done, if that had happened? You should have told me long before this."
"Perhaps we should have this discussion when it isn't quite so late. And neither one of us is tired," Sydney said. "Just know, that whatever I have done, I did what I thought was for the best." A sound on the other end, and then, "My car is here. Can we speak again later, Parker? When it's a better time for both of us?"
"Coward." Parker stood there fuming, then said, "Fine. But don't think you're getting out of this, Syd."
"I would never be so foolish." Parker could hear the smile, and it made her want to strangle a few people. "Good night, Parker. Sleep well."
Parker didn't return the greeting, just clicked off the phone, then threw it at her bed.
[ooc: open for time_agent, but others can stop by before him]
Mistake. "Parker."
"Hello, Parker. Sydney here."
Parker stopped what she was doing, and rolled her eyes. "You're up late."
"As are you. I was expecting to get your voicemail, not you yourself." The voice on the other end was chiding but resigned. "I wanted to tell you I would be coming to next week's Parent's Weekend."
"I guessed as much. The Russian place closed, by the way." She curled up on her bedspread, drawing one knee up under her chin. "But I have someplace better in mind."
"Really? I look forward to trying it." A pause, and then, very carefully, "Has your father said whether he will be attending?"
"He hasn't. He wants to, but the negotiations in Berlin are tricky at the moment. It's fine, either way." Never mind that she hadn't seen her father since the 4th of July weekend. Or spoken to him more than twice since then. "It might be simpler if he doesn't attend."
Sydney's sigh was just audible over the connection, and Parker's eyes narrowed. "I hope I'll see both of you there next Friday, then. How are your studies progressing?"
"Sydney, why are you really calling?" She toed her laptop shut, and turned back to watch M stalk one of her slippers. "Because this feels like an attempted-therapy call, not an R.S.V.P."
A cautious pause, and then, "Jarod contacted me."
Parker smirked. "I knew it. So you wanted to see if I needed my hand held? Get a grip, Syd."
"That would be over-stating the case by a rather large margin... but it's not unprecedented for me to be concerned about you, Miss Parker."
"'Concerned.' Is that a nice way of wondering if I'll kill him, the next time I see him?" She got up to pace. "What did he tell you?"
"That's not germane. And I was asking about you, not Jarod," Sydney said, sounding worried. "Are you all right?"
Parker stood in the middle of the room, thoughts whirling, and for once didn't know how to answer that. Sydney had a habit of seeing too much that she really could have lived without. She settled for, "I'm fine. Just fine. Not that it would matter if I wasn't." Sydney's worry had her off-balance, defensive for too many reasons. "I am not talking about this with you. You're on his side, and you two lied to me," she burst out. "Why didn't you tell me that you've been lying to the Centre since last November? Either of you, damnit!"
"...ah." Sydney's voice became even wearier and more resigned. "I had wondered, if--"
"Damn right you wondered. Goddamnit, Syd, they were going to terminate him....
"....And they'll do the same to you, if they figure out what's going on!" Parker snarled and the tempo of her pacing kicked up a notch.
M nudged open the door to Parker's room; she quickly crossed to pick up the cat and deposit her on the bed, ignoring the open door. "Did you think of that at all? Or what he would've done, if that had happened? You should have told me long before this."
"Perhaps we should have this discussion when it isn't quite so late. And neither one of us is tired," Sydney said. "Just know, that whatever I have done, I did what I thought was for the best." A sound on the other end, and then, "My car is here. Can we speak again later, Parker? When it's a better time for both of us?"
"Coward." Parker stood there fuming, then said, "Fine. But don't think you're getting out of this, Syd."
"I would never be so foolish." Parker could hear the smile, and it made her want to strangle a few people. "Good night, Parker. Sleep well."
Parker didn't return the greeting, just clicked off the phone, then threw it at her bed.
[ooc: open for time_agent, but others can stop by before him]