why is it you always get to sit in the shade

[blackstarred]

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[jockwitch]

( Lizzie has since graduated past pretending she doesn't like nerdier things, so her eyes do brighten at that. )

I want a Tardis closet.

( But, she does have a roommate coming. )

I don't want to worry about what Alice Earp would think, she sounds like she comes from cowboy country. Isn't there a way we can personally spell it to me? Like, I get my Tardis closet when it's me and if anyone looks inside, it's overstuffed and what they expect. Is that possible?

[undermyfeet]

[He sighs, but his willpower is quickly crumbling. Lizzie is having that effect on him and he's not sure if it's good or bad.]

Do you have a necklace or bracelet? Something you can hang on the doorknob?

[jockwitch]

( You know what, she does, she digs into one of her smaller bags, holding out the spelled metal she'd made herself sophomore year. )

I once spelled it to stop me from being -- let's just call it difficult. But, it's not anymore. Could it work?

[undermyfeet]

It'll do.

[He takes it from her, curling his fingers around it and closing his eyes to draw on his magic. It's a simple enough spell - shouldn't take long.]

My mum liked to use this one when we went on vacation. Less expensive than checking bags for all of us.

[He murmurs the chant under his breath, waiting for the magic to settle, before he opens his eyes and heads over to the closet. He closes the door, looping the bracelet over the knob. Then, he opens the door again to reveal a much larger closet.]

[jockwitch]

Convenient.

( And a no-brainer if you ask her.

When he reveals his handiwork, she doesn't bother hiding her smile, stepping inside. )

Now this is more like it. ( She turns back to face him. ) So, is this like an actual closet somewhere?

[undermyfeet]

Kind of? Think of it more like a bag of holding.

[Because they're talking nerd now.]

A pocket of a pocket world.

[jockwitch]

No way.

( You get so many points, Danny. )

This is exactly what I thought having a closet like this would be like. And all I have to do is put that bracelet on any door handle? Like any?

( She could finally have her Serena Van Der Woodsen fashion moments on vacation. No. Limits. )

[undermyfeet]

You can put it on anything, but you'll only be able to find things that you've stored in that object.

[Because there are limits to this sort of thing.]

So you still have to pack the suitcase but you could use it to make your suitcase bigger.

[jockwitch]

Well, that's -- a clause.

( But still a gift horse she won't look in the mouth. )

Thank you.

( She reaches out to grab his hand, defenses down. )

[undermyfeet]

[He will let himself be pulled closer, smiling himself.]

Happy to help. Especially if it saves me some closet space.

[He teases.]

[jockwitch]

Hey, you have a whole closet, now.

( To himself. Tiny. But enough for his guy clothes. It works this way!

Anyway, she gets busy first, because, look, this is more romantic than gaslighting, but then she gets to unpacking, and when she's finished, she removes the bracelet and puts it on, opening the door to reveal Danny's space for himself. )

Closet a la Danny.

[undermyfeet]

[He does smile at that, but tips his head to the side.]

As sweet as that is, it would make it a little hard to get dressed in the morning.

[Given that this is her dorm, and he's got a room far from here. Even if he probably will be sleeping here sometimes anyway.]

[jockwitch]

Why not show my new roommate everything she has to be jealous of? Hot. Check. Accent. Check. Just the right amount of damage that fits against mine. Check. Check. Check.

( Supernaturally on the run - technically. ... Check. )

Fine, but I reserve the right to brag about you. That's my final offer.

[undermyfeet]

Oh, brag away.

[He would be disappointed if she didn't. He shifts closer, getting ready to lean in to kiss her, when there's a crash somewhere in the hallway. Followed by:

"Oh, fuck me."]

[jockwitch]

( Well if they both don't turn toward the open doorway, then they haven't been in a supernatural romantic comedy for the past few months. Their moment ended, Lizzie makes a face waiting for who or what will appear in the doorway.

Sounds like they're having a day. )

[eredite]

[The slim, dark haired woman eventually comes into view, dragging behind her what looks like a very heavy trunk. She probably should have waited for her aunt to get said trunk down the hallway, but in true Earp fashion she did not and may have caused some damage to one of the walls.

She stops in front of the open door, checking the door number, then the piece of paper in her hand, then back up at the two people inside.]

Hi.

[She awkwardly leans against the doorframe with a smile.]

Is this like condo rules? Like everything from the doors in is our responsibility, or are we just paying for everything?

[jockwitch]

Doors in, I think, if they can't prove you did outside damage.

( And leave it to Lizzie to push past Alice, or brush past anyway, to check out said damage. She turns back and points her thumb behind her. )

Looks like Salvatore School caliber damage. ( Maybe she'll fit in after all. ) You're Alice Earp?

[eredite]

That's what it says on my birth certificate.

[A beat.]

Actually, it doesn't, it says Alice Gibson. It's kind of a long story.

[Another beat.]

That's not important. I'm Alice. You must be Lizzie.

[She glances over at Danny.]

Unless you're Lizzie. But that would be weird, having a coed dorm room, so I'm just going to ... shut my mouth now. Hi.

[jockwitch]

( It isn't often when Lizzie isn't the longest story in the room. One thing Salvatore School never got, co-ed rooms. Better off, really. Hope and the Hobbit would've been inseparable. When he wasn't missing or dead. Still. Poor Landon?

Eh. )

I'm Lizzie. Saltzman. Not as long a story, my father's last name is Saltzman. That's Danny. Did you change your last name?

( Lizzie remembers going through that phase. She could be Lizzie Laughlin, really ride out the alliteration. Give Josie the space she needed to be her own person. Get away from her father doting on Hope Mikaelson. But, they've all grown out of that. )

[eredite]

Yeah. Well, not by choice. I was an infant. But I was living with my aunt for a while, so they figured it would be easier if I was Gibson.

[She pauses, dragging her trunk in the rest of the way to the room.]

But when I moved back to Purgatory, there was no getting around that I was an Earp, so I switched back.

[jockwitch]

I like a little identity cleanse. Reclaiming your mantle. I approve. Where's Purgatory?

( Tell her it's not Limbo. Tell her Alice hasn't climbed out of Landon's final "resting" place. That is, the guy who provides the tickets to ride.

Look, super sore subject for all Salvatore students. )

[eredite]

Canada. But also a little in Montana. We call it Montanada.

[Because they're the most creative.]

It's kind of in the middle of nowhere. What about you guys? Are you from the city?

[jockwitch]

( What a quaint combination of very boring places. )

Danny's from England and I'm from a small town in Virginia. But you'd be right in thinking I have a worldly sensibility.

( Say what you want about the Saltzmans, but trips to Switzerland and South America have shaped them. Yes, they always returned to school, but eventually it stopped being home. Especially when Josie transferred to Mystic Falls. And her dad laid in a hospital bed on the verge of death. It's funny what friends can get through when the stakes are that life or death. )

[eredite]

My ...

[There's a brief pause as she trips up on what exactly to call Rebekah, but in the end she just goes with:]

My dad's wife is also from a small Virginia town. Well ... I think she's kind of from everywhere. Her family traveled a lot. But that's where she originated.

[She shrugs.]

But there are probably a lot of small towns in Virginia, right?

[jockwitch]

There are, but none are like Mystic Falls.

( And she's speaking from experience, Alice. )

Interesting coincidence. ( Boring one, but she and Danny deserve boring, right? Not that Alice is boring. She's -- frenetic and clumsy and kind of reminds her of a cross between Landon and MG (but from freshman year). ) So is your dad and the rest of your family back in Montanada?

( She makes a face. She tried. She hates the combo name. 0/5 stars. )