Metropolis University, Chloe's Dorm Room, Thursday Morning
Chloe was sitting in her room, flipping through an instruction manual, when she heard someone knock on the door. "Come in," she said without bothering to look up.
Jimmy opened the door and peeked inside, smirking at Chloe. "Are you sure that's a safe practice, to just let anyone in without asking who it is first? I could have been someone crazy and evil."
"If that were the case, I would have just reached into my desk and pulled out my taser," Chloe replied, finally looking up at him and matching his smirk. "A trick I learned from one of my roommates last year."
"Has anyone ever told you that you can be kind of scary sometimes?" Jimmy asked, coming fully into the room and closing the door behind him.
"Yes, but it's usually implied that it's a compliment." Chloe laughed. "So, what brings you by my neck of the woods?"
"Um. I just, you know, wanted to see how you were doing," he said, taking on the nervous look that Chloe had gotten used to seeing whenever she asked him something he couldn't answer without embarrassing himself. "What have you got there?" he asked, pointing to the manual.
"Oh, it's the instructions for my newest toy." Chloe grinned and picked up the gadget from her bed, showing it to Jimmy.
Jimmy glanced at it for a few moments before declaring, "It looks like a walkman."
Chloe gave him a short sigh and rolled her eyes. "It's not a walkman. It's an EMF meter, to check the room for Lana's ghost."
"You're kidding, right?" Jimmy asked, then shook his head from the look Chloe gave him. "Okay, you're not kidding."
"Hey, you would be amazed at some of the awesome things I've found on eBay. I've bought other stuff from this guy before, and it's all worked perfectly. Most of the time, at least." Chloe looked back at the manual before setting it aside. "Want to see how this one works?"
"I'm more interested in seeing if it works," Jimmy replied, laughing.
Chloe rolled her eyes. "If Lana's right, and there's some sort of ghostly presence here, all of these lights should light up," she said, pointing to the row of lights at the top of the meter.
Jimmy watched as Chloe turned the meter on and waved it around as she walked around the room. "Well, what's it say?"
"That Lana's insane," Chloe replied with a smirk, holding the meter up to show him that only one light was lit. She was about to add more when the door flew open, and Lana came charging in, rushing towards her desk. "Lana! Hi!" Chloe said in surprise. She turned to Jimmy and tossed the EMF meter to him, mouthing, "Hide that!" before glancing back towards Lana. "I thought you had class all morning?"
"I do, but I was halfway to my second class before I realized that I'd left my book and notes here," Lana replied, shuffling through papers in what looked like a bit of a desperate search. "And of course, I can't find any of them now."
Chloe gave Lana a serious look as she watched her tear her desk apart. "Hey Lana, calm down," she said.
"I'm a little too busy to be calm right now." Lana glanced up at Chloe, and then past her as she finally noticed Jimmy. "Oh. Hey Jimmy."
"Hi Lana," he said, waving with one hand as he hid the EMF meter behind his back with the other.
Chloe looked at Jimmy thankfully and turned back to Lana. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Lana sighed as she sat down on her bed in temporary defeat. "No. Did I tell you I've got a date with Lex tonight?"
"Ooh, no. I take it things are going well?" Chloe replied hopefully.
"Not exactly. That's kind of why we're having the date. We're going to a party being thrown by one of Lex's business associates. It'll be nice and formal--"
"And public," Chloe added.
Lana nodded. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I mean, deep down, I know Lex won't hurt me. He's not that kind of guy. But every once in a while, he'll get this look on his face, and for a moment, I can't help but get scared that he's possessed by Zod again, and that he's going to hurt me again. And I hate feeling helpless like that."
Before Chloe could say anything, Jimmy piped up from behind them. "Um, Chloe? Can I talk to you for a second?"
"What? I'm doing roommate consolation here, just hold on," Chloe replied. She gave Lana a sympathetic smile and sat down next to her. "That doesn't make you helpless. It just makes you...normal. It's a natural reaction, and I'm sure Lex understands."
"He does. He's been nothing but understanding. That's why I'm trying to make things work between us again, because I want things to be the way they were before, when I felt safe with him."
"Chloe..." Jimmy started, before stopping himself at Chloe's glance.
"You'll feel safe again," she said to Lana. "Things will be fine, and you'll get to go to all the best parties in town. You know I want details, right?"
Lana laughed softly. "I promise, I'll bring home all the juicy gossip I can get my hands on." She glanced down at her watch, and sighed. "I'd better go before I'm late for my class. Keep an eye out for my notes, would you?"
"Sure," Chloe replied, giving Lana a hug as they stood up. She waited for her to leave and close the door before turning on Jimmy. "Okay, what? What's wrong?"
"I was trying to get your attention. I don't think Lana's as crazy as we might have thought," he said, handing Chloe the now fully-lit EMF meter. "It started going crazy while you guys were talking."
Chloe walked around the room, watching as the lights on the meter stayed lit. Suddenly hit with an idea, she opened the door and headed out of her room. Sure enough, as she walked down the hall, the lights began to go out. But going back, she stepped quickly into her room, and watched as the meter lit up fully again.
"What do you think that means?" Jimmy asked nervously.
"That Lana was right. God, I hate when that happens," Chloe replied, sighing.
"What are you going to tell her?"
Chloe thought about that for a moment. "For right now? Nothing. I don't want her to get worried until I can figure out exactly what we're dealing with here." She glanced around the room, looking for any physical sign of a ghostly presence, but she stopped when she caught sight of the plane ticket to Washington, D.C. sticking out of her mirror.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Jimmy said, following Chloe's line of vision.
Chloe went over and plucked the ticket out of the mirror, and smiled. "I'm going to have to talk to a professional. Luckily, I think I know just the guys to go to."
[Not open for interaction due to time and space, duh. *g* Just establishing some things!]
Jimmy opened the door and peeked inside, smirking at Chloe. "Are you sure that's a safe practice, to just let anyone in without asking who it is first? I could have been someone crazy and evil."
"If that were the case, I would have just reached into my desk and pulled out my taser," Chloe replied, finally looking up at him and matching his smirk. "A trick I learned from one of my roommates last year."
"Has anyone ever told you that you can be kind of scary sometimes?" Jimmy asked, coming fully into the room and closing the door behind him.
"Yes, but it's usually implied that it's a compliment." Chloe laughed. "So, what brings you by my neck of the woods?"
"Um. I just, you know, wanted to see how you were doing," he said, taking on the nervous look that Chloe had gotten used to seeing whenever she asked him something he couldn't answer without embarrassing himself. "What have you got there?" he asked, pointing to the manual.
"Oh, it's the instructions for my newest toy." Chloe grinned and picked up the gadget from her bed, showing it to Jimmy.
Jimmy glanced at it for a few moments before declaring, "It looks like a walkman."
Chloe gave him a short sigh and rolled her eyes. "It's not a walkman. It's an EMF meter, to check the room for Lana's ghost."
"You're kidding, right?" Jimmy asked, then shook his head from the look Chloe gave him. "Okay, you're not kidding."
"Hey, you would be amazed at some of the awesome things I've found on eBay. I've bought other stuff from this guy before, and it's all worked perfectly. Most of the time, at least." Chloe looked back at the manual before setting it aside. "Want to see how this one works?"
"I'm more interested in seeing if it works," Jimmy replied, laughing.
Chloe rolled her eyes. "If Lana's right, and there's some sort of ghostly presence here, all of these lights should light up," she said, pointing to the row of lights at the top of the meter.
Jimmy watched as Chloe turned the meter on and waved it around as she walked around the room. "Well, what's it say?"
"That Lana's insane," Chloe replied with a smirk, holding the meter up to show him that only one light was lit. She was about to add more when the door flew open, and Lana came charging in, rushing towards her desk. "Lana! Hi!" Chloe said in surprise. She turned to Jimmy and tossed the EMF meter to him, mouthing, "Hide that!" before glancing back towards Lana. "I thought you had class all morning?"
"I do, but I was halfway to my second class before I realized that I'd left my book and notes here," Lana replied, shuffling through papers in what looked like a bit of a desperate search. "And of course, I can't find any of them now."
Chloe gave Lana a serious look as she watched her tear her desk apart. "Hey Lana, calm down," she said.
"I'm a little too busy to be calm right now." Lana glanced up at Chloe, and then past her as she finally noticed Jimmy. "Oh. Hey Jimmy."
"Hi Lana," he said, waving with one hand as he hid the EMF meter behind his back with the other.
Chloe looked at Jimmy thankfully and turned back to Lana. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Lana sighed as she sat down on her bed in temporary defeat. "No. Did I tell you I've got a date with Lex tonight?"
"Ooh, no. I take it things are going well?" Chloe replied hopefully.
"Not exactly. That's kind of why we're having the date. We're going to a party being thrown by one of Lex's business associates. It'll be nice and formal--"
"And public," Chloe added.
Lana nodded. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I mean, deep down, I know Lex won't hurt me. He's not that kind of guy. But every once in a while, he'll get this look on his face, and for a moment, I can't help but get scared that he's possessed by Zod again, and that he's going to hurt me again. And I hate feeling helpless like that."
Before Chloe could say anything, Jimmy piped up from behind them. "Um, Chloe? Can I talk to you for a second?"
"What? I'm doing roommate consolation here, just hold on," Chloe replied. She gave Lana a sympathetic smile and sat down next to her. "That doesn't make you helpless. It just makes you...normal. It's a natural reaction, and I'm sure Lex understands."
"He does. He's been nothing but understanding. That's why I'm trying to make things work between us again, because I want things to be the way they were before, when I felt safe with him."
"Chloe..." Jimmy started, before stopping himself at Chloe's glance.
"You'll feel safe again," she said to Lana. "Things will be fine, and you'll get to go to all the best parties in town. You know I want details, right?"
Lana laughed softly. "I promise, I'll bring home all the juicy gossip I can get my hands on." She glanced down at her watch, and sighed. "I'd better go before I'm late for my class. Keep an eye out for my notes, would you?"
"Sure," Chloe replied, giving Lana a hug as they stood up. She waited for her to leave and close the door before turning on Jimmy. "Okay, what? What's wrong?"
"I was trying to get your attention. I don't think Lana's as crazy as we might have thought," he said, handing Chloe the now fully-lit EMF meter. "It started going crazy while you guys were talking."
Chloe walked around the room, watching as the lights on the meter stayed lit. Suddenly hit with an idea, she opened the door and headed out of her room. Sure enough, as she walked down the hall, the lights began to go out. But going back, she stepped quickly into her room, and watched as the meter lit up fully again.
"What do you think that means?" Jimmy asked nervously.
"That Lana was right. God, I hate when that happens," Chloe replied, sighing.
"What are you going to tell her?"
Chloe thought about that for a moment. "For right now? Nothing. I don't want her to get worried until I can figure out exactly what we're dealing with here." She glanced around the room, looking for any physical sign of a ghostly presence, but she stopped when she caught sight of the plane ticket to Washington, D.C. sticking out of her mirror.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Jimmy said, following Chloe's line of vision.
Chloe went over and plucked the ticket out of the mirror, and smiled. "I'm going to have to talk to a professional. Luckily, I think I know just the guys to go to."
[Not open for interaction due to time and space, duh. *g* Just establishing some things!]