Room 508, Sunday afternoon

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo had started the day by grabbing a box of donuts right as JGOB opened and taking them out to the causeway. She'd sat there for hours, slowly eating her way through the box, some tiny part of her hoping that two particular people would come walking up and share the pastries with her. No one had, though. Besides, even if one or both of them

Comments

[rebelseekspizza]

This was the second time in just a few days that Dante had found this door sitting open - and don't ask him why he kept wandering by here, please - though this time he had a good idea of who he'd find.

He pressed his shoulder against the doorway again, and sighed.

Loudly.

Serious to fuck, Ringo. What was your problem?

[soniaroadsqueen]

Well, Ringo knew that sigh without needing to pull her head out of the closet, but she did so anyway. "Last day in here," she told Dante without preamble, leaning back against the wall next to the closet door.

She didn't ask him if he wanted to help.

And while her eyes slid over the envelope on the bed, Ringo didn't say anything about it yet. She wasn't sure if she should. Dante just wanted this to go away, after all, and probably didn't want yet another reminder of Kathy. It made her wonder if she should just, you know, put it in the boxes with the rest of the stuff, and if Kathy ever came back, she could delivery it directly.

But Ringo also wanted to be a good kohai To finish up the things that Kathy couldn't anymore.

She didn't know what to do, so for the moment that envelope sat there, uncommented upon.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante'd been looking at her, but she was looking elsewhere. He couldn't help himself; his eyes darted that way quick, drinking in the detail like he usually did (but never admitted to).

He was pretty sure that was his name.

"Sure," he said. "Better be."

If they were lucky, the school'd move someone else in here by next week.

[soniaroadsqueen]

She eyed him thoughtfully, trying to buy time to make a decision. "You here to help?"

That comment about what would be "lucky" did not deserve a response.

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka had maybe been wandering by to see if Kathy was back, since she didn't really know how long Kathy was going to be sick for, so it was possible she was back and--

The door was open!

Alluka bounced over to it, clutching Mr. Bubbles, and all ready to fling herself at Kathy and--

"Ringo?" Alluka said, her smile fading and her expression going anxious as she took in what was going on. "What, what are you doing to Kathy's stuff?"

Normally, she liked seeing Ringo very much. But this was weird, wasn't it? She didn't know if she was supposed to be happy to see Ringo when she was doing this.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo turned, a smile on her face. But not her usual smile. This one was sort of melancholy.

"Hi, Alluka." Funny, her voice was subdued, too.

"I'm packing up Kathy and Raven's stuff." Obviously. "I'd rather do it myself than let whoever the school would send just, you know, throw it away or something."

[that_oldsaying]

There was nothing obvious about it, to Alluka.

"But why?" she asked. Poor Mr. Bubbles was getting squeezed even tighter. "Kathy's coming back. And, and Raven too."

Weren't they?

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo's expression was somber. "Maybe," she allowed. Deep down she wasn't willing to let go of that possibility herself.

"But we don't know when. And if it's long enough, the school will probably need to let someone else use the room."

[not_every_mage]

Anders wasn't sure what he was even looking for, wandering up to Kathy and Raven's room like this. Some kind of message from her, maybe, or even the comfort of smelling her clothes.

Seeing Ringo there snapped him out of that particular reverie.

"You're already clearing it out," he observed, sounding dismayed. He understood someone would have to sometime, but it had barely been a week since the last message. "What's your hurry?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Oh, hey." Ringo turned, half-surprised to see Anders, even though she really shouldn't have been.

"I just," she paused, looking around awkwardly. "I just didn't want the school to do it, with the new term coming up. I, um, I didn't know what they'd do with it all." And she didn't want anything getting thrown away.

[not_every_mage]

"I guess that makes sense," Anders said grudgingly. "You'd think the school has enough empty rooms without stealing this one right away, but still. It's better to be safe."

He circled closer to the pile of boxes, brushing one with his fingertips. "Where will you put it all?"

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Some of it is--" Ringo paused, glancing over at Anders and taking a deep breath. "Some of it is for people. Presents and stuff, I guess. The rest?" She looked over the boxes. "Mister Spencer said that we could put them in his attic."

So they'd be there. Ready and waiting. If anyone ever came looking for them.