the pajama game {Kyle/Lucinda}

[Rose Macallis]

sneaky, sneaky spies

Rose prided herself on her ability to never break rules, aside from maybe the occasional ripping of a music file that didn't strictly belong to her or putting soda in a water cup. She was very strict on her policy of adhering to what the higher-ups said and she even felt a little twitchy whenever she even thought about doing something that might get her in trouble. So really, she was not a very prime candidate for sneaking into places, whether it was someplace high tech and secure or someplace as menial as the college she would be attending as soon as she graduated.

Somehow, though, she found herself alone and hiding behind a rather skimpy tree outside of the Marcus Weatherby School of Occunomics, wearing pajamas and fuzzy slippers. She was not sure how long she would be alone, since it was supposed to be a joint venture between herself and Lucinda, but Lucinda had insisted on going back to retrieve the sandwiches they had made, even though Rose had been fine about only walking in quickly just to prove they could and then booking it back to get the sandwiches. Lucinda, however, was convinced that they needed to have a picnic if they were going to bother sneaking in there.

While it had been Rose's idea initially, she had convinced herself that this was false, since all of the flowerifications of The Plan could be attributed to Lucinda and it was those flowery details that made Rose itchy. To make amends with her additions, Rose had done every bit of research she could, to make sure that she knew every inch of at least the front of the school and all of the customs that, had she forgotten them, might have indicated instantly to any passerby that she did not belong there. And all she needed was for that passerby to be a teacher.

Her research was the only explanation for her current outfit; something she wouldn't even have actually worn to sleep in. Maybe at separate times, but it wasn't like she always slept in a beret or a sweatshirt. Aiden had been very specific about the fact, though, that a lot of people at the occunomics school went around in lazy clothes, like pajamas, because it was such a chill atmosphere. Rose had yet to see anyone in anything other than what could have been considered normal, but she consoled herself by both the fact that there were not many people and that one of them had been wearing shoes like hers. The shoes, while strange, were Rose's own addition to the plan, since walking in them was nearly silent. And silence, she decided, was a good backup if she didn't blend in.

She'd been behind her tree, contemplating whether or not she blended in, for the better part of the past fifteen minutes. Only two people had walked by and both had been so absorbed in their own activities that they hadn't even noticed her. After another minute of no activity--there must have been something going on somewhere--Rose decided to buck up and go for it. After looking around one last time to make sure she wasn't about to be surprised, she darted out from behind the tree and to the doors. She froze there for a second, looking around to make sure no one had appeared. It was easier for her to sneak than for her to look natural, since what she was doing was wrong in so many ways, so she went for being observant.

But she couldn't exactly see through the door, so when she opened it, it would be complete chance. Holding her breath and pressing her lips together, she slowly turned the knob, expecting resistance. When there was none, her breath left in a whoosh and she slowly pulled the door open, slipping inside. She gave the room a quick scan and, seeing nothing, sagged against the doorframe, a triumphant grin twitching at the corners of her mouth.

[Kyle Ehrlich]

Wearing this unbuttoned

Kyle was perched in a tree on the outskirts of the Occunomics campus. All things considered, he probably shouldn’t have been hanging off a tree limb but Kyle was in an odd mood and what he should and shouldn’t be doing was the last thing on his mind. He absently picked at the gauze wrapped around his upper left arm. This was the cause of Kyle’s contemplative mood.

Earlier in the day, he had received a small cut on his arm (minor flesh wound above the bicep muscle, scratch causing tissue damage only, approximately five centimeters in length, minor blood loss) thanks to an unlucky dodge and a dueling blade. At the time, Kyle had ignored the wound and finished the duel. It wasn’t until later, when he could convince one of the other nurses on duty to watch over him, that he tried to heal the wound.

It was a stupid idea, he knew it was. That knowledge didn’t stop him from trying of course. As expected, the scratch turned into a full blown flesh wound. The nurse was able to prevent it from becoming serious, but, again, as expected, was unable to fully heal it. At least the bleeding had slowed…Kyle stopped picking at the bandage when he noticed a small red spot appear.

Kyle looked at the sun, gauging what time it was. His break was probably half over. He may as well head back to the infirmary and re-bandage his arm. At least it would be hidden once he put his lab coat back on. Kyle sighed and jumped off the tree branch, landing in a half crouch at the base of the tree.

As he approached the entryway to the Occunomics building, he noticed something odd. A girl appeared to having problems opening the door. Kyle was about to raise his voice and suggest she try pulling rather than pushing the door when she did just that. Kyle’s attention moved on and he pulled open a door a little further down. He walked halfway across the entryway when his curious mind returned to the girl.

Something was odd about the way she had been acting. He mentally sighed and turned around. For some reason the girl was still standing in the doorway. Odd indeed. Maybe she was lost. Maybe she was sneaking into the building. Maybe it was none of Kyle’s business. Whatever the case, he walked back over to the girl.

“One of these days, someone is going to have to explain the appeal of wearing one’s pajamas in public. I can almost understand the comfort factor but it always struck me as saying ‘I’m to lazy to do laundry so I’m just going to wear what I woke up in.’” Kyle shrugged, still somewhat distracted by his thoughts. He gave the girl a sarcastic smile, asking, “Are you going to come in or just admire the lobby for a tad?”

[Rose Macallis]

Rose would never have advised to savor one's triumph halfway through. For one, things could go terribly wrong in the second half and thus spoil the triumph or, for another, someone who normally would have overlooked her would then see that she was triumphant about something and might see right through her disguise. Not that it was much of a disguise--she was just trying to look as if she had graduated, which she would be doing soon enough anyway. And, you know, that she completely belonged in the lobby of the Occunomics building entryway. Although, there were discrepancies in her disguise that were causing little blips of anxiety to shoot through her brain. For one, had she been wearing her pajamas, she would normally have worn flip flops with them. Wearing her giant fuzzy slippers was just for the spying venture, and she hoped that only she would have realized this.

Since no one had come into the lobby yet, Rose was somehow convinced to let her guard down, a decision she regretted almost instantly when she heard a voice. She jumped and shrank against the wall, as if this would hide her from someone who had clearly already spotted her, and pressed a hand to her fluttering heart. Of course she should have left and gone back to hiding behind her tree the second she knew she could get in. She could have rendezvoused with Lucinda there and then shown her that she had found the secret-one needed merely to be magical to get inside. But she had failed and was now going to have to explain things to this bandaged man.

A bandage which, she noticed, looked a little bloody. But she tried not to notice, since he clearly had that under control and it was none of her business. It could have been the work of a really large syringe, which would have made her nauseous anyway. Instead, she focused on something she could understand and relate to--his sarcasm. It made her feel a little bit better about being caught, at least. And if she focused on that, she could ignore his last question.

"These are only pajama pants," she said, folding her arms and trying to remain looking as though she belonged. She was going to kill Aiden--this stranger was wearing completely normal clothes. Completely. "This sweatshirt also works with jeans and so does this hat. It's really an allpurpose outfit."