This Party's Better Than it Seems (IC)

[Electra]

The box Erin had been waiting for arrived with the morning mail, much to her delight. It was pretty big, too, so even better. From what she'd read on her counterpart's Facebook, things were looking up for Roger at work, so the White family's finances were not as stressed as they'd been this time last year. And even then, they had sent her a birthday package. Since Alex was busy doing something with her company on her computer that Erin couldn't begin to understand, she headed out into the common room with Oliver at her heels, sitting down at the table and picking the tape off the box carefully, just to prolong the anticipation.

[Gizmo]

After a late night patrol with her brother, Jill had faced the choice of trying to grab an hour or so of sleep before getting up for the school day anyway or simply staying up. Opting for the latter, she's arrived at Claremont significantly before her first class started. Mildly annoyed, she headed for the dormitory common room, hoping to run into Eve or at least commandeer the television to kill a little time. Knapsack slung over one shoulder, the coltish teenager was surprised enough to find a lounging cat as she entered the room that it took a moment to recognize the other occupant. "Oh, hey, ah, Erin." It was a little strange seeing Wander in a casual setting; one some level Jill was used to think of the super-strong girl as one of her brother's contemporaries, not a classmate.

[Electra]

"Hey Jill," Erin replied cordially enough, most of her attention still on the brown packing box she was meticulously peeling the tape off. "You're here kind of early today, aren't you?" She didn't pay huge amounts of attention to most of her schoolmates, but she knew Jill was a townie and spent her spare time with the Interceptors. It was rare to see her on campus outside school hours.

Oliver was interested in the new arrival as well, getting up and stretching languidly before padding over to investigate Jill's ankles. He seemed happy enough with what he found, since he then twined himself around her legs and purred to invite a petting.

[Gizmo]

"Heh, hey puss," Jill grinned lopsidedly, crouching down to scratch the orange tabby behind the ears obligingly, overlapping bangle bracelets clattering quietly against each other. "What a cutey. He's yours?" She looked up, tilting her head slightly to one side as she watched Erin's intent treatment of the package. "Ah, yeah. Not so much an early morning as a really late night, y'know?"

[Electra]

"His name's Oliver," Erin told Jill. "He's really friendly, as you might have noticed already. He'll pretty much let you pet him forever. If you want you can stretch out on the couch and catch a nap, most people don't come in here till later in the day, so it's quiet." She smiled with satisfaction as the tape came off in one long piece, then opened the box to remove several bright packages wrapped in birthday paper, lining them up neatly on the table in front of her.

[Gizmo]

Jill's smile broadened despite her typically sardonic demeanor as Oliver pressed his head into her hand, purring. "Nah, I'm alright," she told Erin as she stifled a yawn and took a seat. "All the running and jumping is new, but it's pretty much the same principle as volunteering for a graveyard shift at the ER." Noticing the conspicuous row of gifts, she raised an eyebrow. "Aw, care package? Is it your birthday?"

[Electra]

"Yeah, the big one, next week," Erin agreed. "We're going to be on some kind of field trip though, so I'm opening my presents early. Here Oliver, they sent you something too." She unwrapped the catnip pouch from its protective plastic and tossed it to the gangly orange cat. He immediately went to investigate, and began purring even louder, rolling on top of the little fabric pouch like a dog with a puddle. "What do you do at the hospital?" she asked Jill as she dug down into the bottom of the box and pulled out a birthday card in a purple envelope.

[Gizmo]

"Well, before, mostly administrative stuff, checking people in, extra set of hands," Jill explained, gesturing vaguely to illustrate her meaning. "Since I went all glowy, though, oh my goodness, I guess that broken shoulder was really just dislocated, pop, good as new, buhbye!" The teen had had to be very careful about using her powers at the hospital, given their fairly unsubtle nature, but she was getting better at it. "Happy Birthday, in case I don't see you before then."

[Electra]

"Thanks," Erin said, smiling over at Jill as she opened her card and scanned it. It was a cute card with a dog wearing a party hat and holding a noise-blower in its mouth, telling her to have a doggone good birthday. The whole family had signed it, even the double whose signature matched her own. There was a check in there that she carefully folded and put into her pocket to add to her bank account. That would mean new winter clothes, or if she was smart, savings towards not living in her truck come next summer.

Setting the card aside, she moved to open the first present. She tossed the wrapping paper to Oliver, but he was busy having his mind expanded by the catnip and didn't seem to notice. "That's cool, working at the hospital, I mean. Is that what you want to do after you graduate?" The first present was a new sweater, soft and warm and a deep reddish brown that was sort of close to the color of her hair. Erin took a minute to admire it, running her fingers over the soft fabric and checking how to wash it. It was her new favorite already.

[Gizmo]

Jill noted the reverent way Erin examined the sweater with silent interest. The taciturn powerhouse didn't seem like much of a clotheshorse, so presumably it was the origin of the garment that made the difference. Homesick, I guess. Townie or not, it's nice to hav family nearby. Outwardly, she nodded, pleased to find the other girl so amiable. "I'm going to be a paramedic. Well, that was pre-powers. Now I'm more of a paranormal-medic, so we'll see how that goes. How about you? Big plans?"

[Electra]

"Not really," Erin told her, taking the wrapping paper off the next lumpy package. Since Oliver wasn't interested, she was careful with the wrapping paper, folding it and setting it aside so she could reuse it when she needed to. The second gift was an ivory-colored turtleneck that could match the sweater or be worn on its own. It was plain, but still pretty, and good quality. Erin took a moment to admire that one too, even as she spoke. "I'm going to try and join the Freedom League, or any superteam that'll have me and pay living expenses. I'm not really picky, but the League would be the best, I think. Otherwise I think I'll start my own one-woman moving company."

She looked over at Jill, setting the turtleneck aside. "You're from around here, right? Like for a long time? How do you like it?"

[Gizmo]

"Well, not Bayview," Jill corrected reflexively. "The West End, though, yeah, born and raised." It occurred to her belatedly that, being from out of town, Erin had probably just meant the city as a whole, but for any native Ender there was a pointed difference. "Anyway, it's where I'm from, y'know? It's not perfect, but I guess I'm, what, invested in it." The teen leaned back in her seat, absently brushing her bangs back away from her face. "Rent's a drag, though, definitely. I've practically lost track of how many scholarships I've applied to just to help with tuition."

[Electra]

"I hear that," Erin grimaced. "I've been looking for places for after I graduate, just to get an idea. The outlook isn't exactly brilliant, especially if I want a place where I can actually keep possessions safely. I never really thought about how expensive living in a city is." She shook her head and opened her next present, which was a much smaller wrapped package that opened to reveal a jewelry box. Curious, Erin opened it up, then stopped and stared into the box for a long moment, looking as though she were trying her level best not to tear up in public in front of a near-stranger.

Oliver abandoned his catnip, suddenly as stone-cold sober as a cat could be, and went back over to the table. He hopped up on the table and took a look in the box, then gave Erin a boof on the jaw and started purring.

[Gizmo]

Jill was quick enough to pick up on Erin's heightened emotions before going on about financial woes, and immediately clammed up, wincing inwardly and placing one hand on the back of her neck, bangles clattering softly. She had a good feeling about Erin in general, but it would have been a stretch to call them anything more than casual acquaintances. Should she offer some sort of comfort or sit in awkward silence? Finally the teen opted to speak, starting with practiced bedside manner, "Hey, if you want some privacy, I didn't mean to intrude..."

[Electra]

"No," Erin said quickly, "it's okay. I mean, it's nothing bad." She carefully took a necklace out of the box, an antique-looking one made of intricate silver links and jet beads. "This belonged to my grandma, who died when I was little. My mom always told me that I could have the necklace and the matching earrings and bracelet when I turned eighteen. Things got really complicated after that, and I never thought about the possibility that I would actually get any of it. It's very special to get the necklace."

With a smile, she fastened on the necklace, for all it looked a little strange with her utilitarian school clothes. Oliver put his ears forward and seemed to nod approval.

[Gizmo]

It didn't take a genius to realize that there were massive amounts of context Jill was missing out on, but she could appreciate the value of a familial connection readily enough. "That's really cool," she agreed with a smile, drawing her knees up to tuck her legs under her. "Suits you, too," she added genuinely before immediately back peddling by adding, "Probably not an everyday thing, huh?"

[Electra]

"No, definitely not," Erin said, touching the links with her fingertips. "I would be afraid to take it into training or a fight, it might get broken. But I'll wear it today, anyway." She closed up the jewelry box and folded the paper, absently stroking Oliver with one hand. "So are you going to Freedom City University, then? Maybe you could stay at home and save some money. I know it's kind of lame, but even studio apartments here are crazy. Do they have dorms there or something?"

[Gizmo]

Jill nodded her head to one side ruefully. "Yeah, tuition and a dorm is not happening." With the money her brother had managed to put away over the past few years and a few scholarships she felt good about, her education was fairly secure, but she wasn't about to go out splurging anytime soon, either. "The med school at FCU is pretty good, and I need to stay close to home anyway. Jack's not around the house much anymore, so." She left the thought unfinished and looked away, a little uncomfortable.

[Electra]

"So you get to steal his room?" Erin joked. "I hear college dorms aren't that good anyway, some of them are worse than what we've got here in high school. You're probably better off staying at home and letting your mom cook for you and do your laundry and stuff. And then if you end up going on any skeezy dates, you can come home and have your dad chase them off with a shotgun. Seems like a good deal."

She opened the next package, another small one, while Oliver walked over in Jill's direction and hopped into her lap without waiting for an invitation. It was a USB stick, which puzzled Erin a bit. She used the computers in the lab when she had to type something up, or borrowed Alex's sometimes, but she didn't really know what she'd need one of those for.

[Gizmo]

Jill was distracted in the middle of a broad wince as Oliver jumped into her lap suddenly. Reflexively petting the orange cat, she sighed. "Yeeeaaah... um. It's more like my mom's in a wheelchair, which my powers couldn't fix. She can take care of herself fine, but it's still super inconvenient, so it's good if one of us is there just in case." She scratched Oliver under the chin and shrugged with her unoccupied shoulder. "My dad's not around. Actually, funny story, he left before I was born but he showed up again just recently for this huge throwdown thing with, well, evil wizards, basically, which is how I ended up with powers at all. Then he skipped town again, so, y'know, not funny 'haha' so much as funny 'odd'." Almost as an afterthought, she added, "Aaand I haven't had a date since, what, jeez, last October? Wow." She blinked a few times, then placed a hand over her eyes, cheeks colouring. "That was way TMI, wasn't it? I never know when to stop talking; it's deeply genetic."

[Electra]

"Oh." Erin flushed, the color quite obvious with her fair skin. She should be used to that sort of gaffe, but honestly, she was almost never on this side of it. "I guess I jumped to conclusions. Sorry." She ran a hand through her hair and tried to regroup conversationally. "It's a good reason to live at home, though. And even if you guys cook for each other, you only end up having to cook half as often. I hear dorm food sucks." Oliver curled up contentedly in Jill's lap, purring loudly enough to hear across the room.

[Gizmo]

Seeing Erin blush only deepened Jill's own flush, darkening enough to show even on her darker complexion. "Hey, no, that was a ridiculous info-dump there, sorry." She absently continued to pet the cat curled up in her lap and smiled in spite of herself. "Heh, what a sweetheart. Anyway, don't worry about it; the ol' home life is actually pretty good, evil wizards not withstanding. I'm just super lousy at meeting new people." Her smile widened into a lopsided grin framed by the dark bangs which refused to stay tucked behind her ears. "I've actually been paper bagging it so far, but I heard the caf here isn't too bad. True?"

[Electra]

"It's good," Erin agreed. "It gets a little boring when you always eat there for every meal, but the food isn't like normal school cafeteria food, it's more like a restaurant where the menu is mostly the same options from week to week. I shouldn't complain though, it's free food, and that's the best kind. I'm going over when I'm done opening my presents, you can come if you want," she offered. "Today's waffle bar, but there's cereal and fruit and eggs if you want those instead." She turned the last present, another flat rectangular box over in her hands before opening it, preferring to draw out the suspense for a few more minutes before opening it.

[Gizmo]

Jill felt her stomach rumble against the purring cat in her lap. "Dios, I could murder a waffle with fruit on it right now," she admitted with a short, brassy chuckle. "I like to think I'm in pretty good shape, but all this running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop all night is a bit insane." She'd always been fairly athletic, but she hadn't fully appreciated the level of pure endurance her brother had developed until she started joining him on patrol.

[Electra]

"Yeah, it can get to you after awhile," Erin agreed, mostly for the sake of politeness. "Let me open this last one and put it all away, and we'll go." Carefully, she unwrapped the last package, pulling off the paper in one intact piece before looking at what it concealed. "Oh wow," she blurted out, grinning broadly. "Really wow. Look, Oliver, check this out," she crowed, "they sent me a netbook! Now I can type stuff in my room, or anywhere really, and I don't have to write everything out longhand. Look!" she told Jill, including her belatedly. Erin looked as happy as a little kid on Christmas, a strange look on the normally solemn girl. "This is the best birthday since... in a really long time," she decided.