A Pink Corner House, Bristol, Saturday Morning

[vanillajello]

Kate was still in Bristol. Still dealing. She thought she was doing okay, actually. She hadn't forgotten about Wednesday because that was impossible and she had the nightmares to prove it, but... At least some things seemed to be kinda righting themselves now. At least Mitchell was talking to her again. She'd missed that more than she would have cared to admit.

And she'd gotten to go shopping for clothes since she hadn't exactly packed for staying this long. That had been fun, because even after all the trauma lately she was still a slightly shallow girl of seventeen.

She wasn't doing anything quite that productive right now, though. Nope, she had coffee, and was hogging the couch in front of the TV. There was some random show on, where a really tall, really gay Chinese guy was helping a middleaged former biker chick pick out an outfit for the Queen's garden party.

It was random and very British, in Kate's opinion, but she wasn't really watching too intently. It wasn't catching her attention quite like that one show had the other night, the one where the geeky guy suddenly turned out to be smoking hot. Kate thought she'd have to catch up on that once she got back to her computer and could download stuff.

But right now it was just this.

[ooc: NFB, open for phonecalls and messages and people in Bristol! Now I want to watch something with Gok Wan in it too. ...Or that other show mentioned there, mmmm.]

Comments

[bitten_notshy]

Jack waited until Emma had taken herself shopping before he called. He wasn't worried, exactly, but checking in still seemed like a minimal thing to do.

Ring, ring, ring

[OOC: Weekend SP warning in effect!]

[vanillajello]

Kate took a sip of coffee before lazily picking up the call, after checking who it was. "Morning, Mr. Priest."

[bitten_notshy]

"The same to you, Miss Gregson," Jack answered. "What are you up to? I'm supposed to be studying."

Which he wasn't, because the words on the page weren't quite making sense, but it would do.

[vanillajello]

"I," Kate drawled, "am drinking coffee and watching some random but kinda awesome gay Chinese dude dress some lady up for a party with the Queen."

So, nothing much.

[bitten_notshy]

"What's he dressing her in?"

It was the obvious question!

[vanillajello]

"Some pretty cute flowy number, right now," she reported. "But I don't think she likes it. She used to be a biker chick, apparently."

[bitten_notshy]

"But I thought you said she was meeting the Queen."

Apparently Jack was a snob.

[vanillajello]

"At some garden party," Kate clarified, shrugging. "The English are weird."

[bitten_notshy]

"Everyone's weird," Jack shrugged. "It sounds better than those American shows about women who think they have tumors and then suddenly give birth."

[vanillajello]

"I didn't say it was bad," she pointed out. "It's better than anything else that's on, anyway. What were you supposed to be reading?"

[bitten_notshy]

Jack had to look at the book to get the title. "Principles of British Common Law, as Established pre-1500," he reported. "Almost as exciting as it sounds. I miss Fandom classes."

[vanillajello]

"Mm, yes, there's something to be said for classes like Food Appreciation," Kate agreed, leaning back on the sofa. "Doesn't really require much academic effort or anything."

[bitten_notshy]

"I should have taken more things like Food Appreciation while I had the chance," Jack said, flopping against his pillows. "... are you applying to colleges?"

[vanillajello]

"That's... not really something I've thought much about," she admitted after a pause. "My parents think I'm going to?"

That was almost like applying, right?

[bitten_notshy]

"I didn't until the last minute," Jack said, remembering that at this time the year before he'd still been halfheartedly considering dropping out and going home to Sebastien as soon as he was eighteen. "I'm glad I did -- I like having something that's just mine -- so I think you should, if you want to."

"But," he finished dryly, "I can understand having other things on your mind."

[vanillajello]

"Like staying sane and alive until graduation?" Kate asked about as dryly as she slouched down on the sofa some more, careful not to dump any coffee on herself.

"I could take a year off," she mused then. "I mean, my parents would probably hate it, but two years in Fandom is like ten years somewhere else."

[bitten_notshy]

"And making sure your friends stay sane and alive," Jack agreed. "For example."

He frowned as he turned on his TV, muting it. "You could travel," he suggested. "Isn't that educational?"

[vanillajello]

"I think I could claim it was, at least," she shrugged, then smiled the tiniest bit, wryly amused. "Though I think I'd probably just end up in New York mooching off Hannibal or something."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack laughed lightly. "Come to London too, and make it the Kate Gregson mooching world tour," he suggested. "Besides, New York's a good city to be in."

[vanillajello]

"It does seem to, from what I've seen."

Of course, the very first day on her very first trip to NYC she'd ended up locking herself into a bathroom to bawl her eyes out, but even that trip had gotten better later.

"And I could probably go to Santa Cruz to hang out with Priestly, too. One benefit of going to Fandom High, I guess."

[bitten_notshy]

"I haven't seen Priestly since graduation," Jack observed. "But that is the best part of it -- knowing people from all kinds of places."

Which reminded him he hadn't heard from Rose since Homecoming. Hmmm.

[vanillajello]

"Mm, like Bristol," Kate replied, wryly. "I haven't seen Priestly since he graduated, either, actually. Should probably call him or something, before he forgets about me and I lose my right to visit."

[bitten_notshy]

"Don't tell Mitchell this, but I'm still not sure why anyone would be in Bristol if he had other choices," Jack said. "California sounds better. Would you believe I've never been?"

[vanillajello]

"I haven't been west of Kansas much, either," Kate shrugged. "But I don't know, I kinda like Bristol." She paused, wrinkled her nose a bit. "When it's not... totally traumatic, obviously."

[bitten_notshy]

"Maybe I need to spend more time there when it's not being traumatic," Jack mused. "I seem to plan my visits badly."