(Untitled)

[jim_halpert]

Jim knew he couldn't put it off forever. He was always pretty good at not dealing with things, though, and keeping things quiet kept seeming like such an easier option. Thing was, he wasn't stupid, and neither were Veronica and River. They'd catch on eventually, and he was pretty sure he'd rather they find out earlier than figure it out that way

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[neptune_sleuth]

Though Veronica had no liking for snow, there'd been no point in waiting any longer. She'd moved house just in time to discover that her new lodgings were now made of wood and felt, and she wasn't about to go back to the Compound. It wasn't so bad, really. She liked the privacy. It was nice to have a real door again. When she heard a knock, she moved quickly to open it, head tipping to the side when she spotted Jim. "Sorry, no solicitors please," she said, starting to close the door again, though not fully.

[jim_halpert]

Jim didn't hesitate to put his foot in the door, though he knew Veronica wouldn't close it all the way.

"But this product will change your life," he quipped, in his now very unused salesman-sort of tone. "Come on, you wouldn't lock out a poor, weary paper salesman out in the cold, would you?"

[neptune_sleuth]

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Veronica asked, brow raised as she choked back a laugh, like he ought to know better than that by now. If there had been door-to-door salesmen in the place, she would have been a lot slower to open the door. This, she supposed, was one of the perks of not having an economy. As she spoke, though, she stepped back, swinging the door and ushering him hurriedly in. "Alright, I guess I have a couple minutes to hear the spiel."

[jim_halpert]

Jim went in, and, despite the awkward reason for going to visit her, he was glad to be inside. Despite coming from a colder climate, years of being on the island apparently had made him used to the tropical weather, since he was feeling it more than he used to.

"You're too good to me," he replied, as he took his gloves off as well, stuffing them into his coat pockets. He glanced around the hut, then looked over at Veronica. "I'm definitely getting you a homewarming plant when the plants come back, you know."

[crazyspacegirl]

Simon Chicago's bark for an approaching friend was much different than the one he had for an actual trespasser to the area around Serenity that he considered his territory. The friend bark was used a lot less often than the other, so River could have made a decent guess as to who was visiting before she even looked out the airlock door.

"Hi," she called to Jim. "Come inside, it's cold."

[jim_halpert]

The walk had left Jim feeling pretty cold, so he was almost grateful as he headed inside, petting Simon Chicago's head as he went. He'd managed to convince himself it wouldn't be so bad on the way over, but suddenly he wasn't so sure again. He knew it was a subject that could be a little hard to deal with.

"Thanks," he replied, taking off his hat once he was inside. "It feels like it's getting a little colder every day. I'm not used to this anymore."

Almost a year of tropical weather between each snowfall probably was the cause of that.

[crazyspacegirl]

"By the time you get used to it, it'll probably be warm again. So enjoy it while it lasts." River stopped Simon Chicago before he got too far into the ship so that she could wipe his wet feet with an old towel. The dog gave Jim a plaintive look, as though wondering what he had done to deserve such treatment and then followed River back to the kitchen, herding Jim like he'd seen other dogs do to the goats.

"Everyone else is away right now, but I'm making dinner." She tossed the dog a treat and washed her hands before picking up a spoon to poke at what looked like it was trying to be a stew. "You're welcome to stay but I won't make you. You aren't married to me, so you don't even have to try to eat what I cook." River was pretty cheerful about it, considering she was going to have to eat it, too. At least there was bread, taken from the compound and made by someone who knew what they were doing, so they wouldn't starve. "Where's Sammy?"

[jim_halpert]

Jim had had some interesting food made by River before. He'd stomached some truly bad things at work, though, so he had a feeling anything she tossed at him, he could manage.

"I'll have a little bit, maybe," he said, sitting at the table. It couldn't be that bad. "She's with Pam, actually. They're probably off playing in the snow. If it wasn't for us taking her in, I really think she'd want to stay out all day."

It was easier to talk about Sam, even if he was just prolonging the inevitable. He'd bring it up, just when he felt the time was right to do so.