outofthequiver | Room 232; Late Sunday Afternoon [01/01/23].

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Room 232; Late Sunday Afternoon [01/01/23].

It had been a long, strange break week (and some change) for Libby; honestly, it had been a long, strange month, when you really got right down to it. And even though she was still a little tired from staying up until midnight with Zo and Claire at their little party, she was back at the school, back in her room, tossing her suitcase on the bed and taking to unpacking and getting settled back in. Reflecting a little, as she put away thigs both new and old (lots of new books, mostly), and thinking on some of the odd, strange, awkward things that had happened while she was away.

Especially everything with Just's friend from church, confirming Libby's dreaded suspicion by making it crystal-clear that he was intending to court her. And her having to make it crystal-clear that she had no intention of courting anyone.

(But that wasn't exactly true, was it?)

It wouldn't be so bad, either, if he'd have gotten mad about it, or upset, or even belligerent like she imagined her father would have done. But he had been nice and kind and understanding, expressing that he knew God had given her a different path than most girls, and that he actually found that admirable, and that he could wait. What was just a few more years, anyway, in the great big grand scheme of things?

Libby sighed a little, but the fact that she was already feeling how good it was to be back here told her exactly what she already knew.

[[ door and post are open! ]]

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One of the good/bad things about dorm rooms and living on the same floor just a few doors down was it was kinda hard o come and go without someone noticing. Especially when that someone was already missing the other party. And when that someone had been maybe sort of waiting. That someone might have even been getting a little nervous about what might have happened and that something was wrong. Now, who in the world could that someone be?

Kurt surely didn't know. All he knew was he had seen Libby get back to her dorm finally. So, after giving her some time to unpack and relax some, and not wanting to be a total annoying pain, Kurt made the short walk to Libby's room. Taking a deep breath, he peeked his head into the open door.

"Hey Libby," he called out, still keeping mostly outside so he could duck out quickly if she wasn't in the mood to chat. "You made it back!"

Well, this certainly did save Libby the trouble of worrying about whether or not she'd want to go find Kurt and bother him now that she was back, didn't it? She turned her head toward the door with an almost grateful smile, feeling that now all-too-familiar rush of heat to her cheeks as well.

"Hey, Kurt," she greeted back. "I just got in just a little bit ago, actually."

"Did you have a good trip? Nice visit with Zo and everyone else?" Kurt asked, still staying in the doorway. This was Libby's room. Her space. He wasn't going to just barge in uninvited, especially with Libby. "Mutti and Vatti send their love and all that mushy stuff" he said, making a small face, but the grin that cam through showed it was really just for show.

Even with the face, Libby couldn't help feeling a little bit of touched happiness at that, that Kurt's parents seemed to think well of her, even if they hadn't even met her yet, and she wished it could be that simple and easy with her own family. She gave a soft smile back. "Zo sends hers, too," she offered, since, well, she did have at least that. "And it was..." She hesitated a little, as if unsure of how truthful to be in her response, "...a lot, but it was good. It was good to see everyone again, and I had a lot of fun."

For most of it! It was...mostly true.

"I'm glad to be back, though," she added, because that was another easy truth without a lot of nuance and difficulty around it, and it was, in that moment, that she realized that Kurt was just sort of hovering by the door, and realizing that she didn't think she'd ever really had him in her room before. Which immediately made her wonder if she should, but, well, she'd been in his room before...

"Would...would you like to come in?" she offered, her head tilting, wondering if she was reading that right or if Kurt was just planning on popping his head in to say hi and be on his way.

"If... you are sure" Kurt said with a slight nod and a grin. "I know getting back into a routine after a long vacation can be a bit much."

Kurt hesitated a moment then took a step in and gave Libby a reassuring smile. As he did, he showed a small package wrapped in simple brown paper held carefully in his tail.

"I DO have something from Mutti and Vatti that they sent for you. But I can bring it by later if you want."

"Really?" asked Libby, blinking a little in surprise, even with the evidence right there in Kurt's very own tail. That feeling and her blush went straight into overdrive, too, as she told herself she shouldn't be so surprised. Kurt's parents sounded like some of the most loving and generous people, after all, but still...

"That's so kind of them," she said. "They didn't...of course I can take it now, you've already brought it over. You'll have to tell them thank you, that's....I don't have anything for them..."

"They said you might be worried about," Kurt said with a small laugh. "They said, and I quote," Kurt said, shifting his voice to a slightly mocking tone though the grin was still on his face, "Tell Libby that shes has given us a great gift already in being such a good friend to you." Ya know, all that silly parent stuff."

Kurt felt his face go hot though, despite his best efforts to downplay it a bit.

"Anyways, hope you like it" he said as he handed over the package. Inside was a handmade leather bound journal with a 100% modable design on it.

Just when Libby was pretty sure her face couldn't be any more red...

"Well," she breathed out, head ducking as if that could do anything to tamper down the grin on her face, "that shouldn't even count. I like being your friend, Kurt. If anyone's getting a gift out of that, it's me."

And after that, she was grateful for the package in her hands now, so that she could focus on it instead of the words she'd just said, and, really, once she opened it, it was hard to focus on anything but the present.

"Oh," she said, quietly at first, and then again, more emphatically, as she turned the journal over in her hands, ran a thumb along the edge of the pages, "Oh, wow. This is....this is..."

So many words came to mind that she had trouble finding one to even get out.

"Incredible, Kurt." Her surprise-widened eyes lifted up toward him. "You have to tell them thank you for me. No. Better yet. I'll tell them myself, I'll write them a very nice thank-you card for the gift, and you can give me their address so I can send it to them."

And it was a good thing Libby was a bit distracted with her own roller coaster of feelings and then the gift so she didn't see the goofy grin spread over Kurt's face at those words. He liked being Libby's friend too, and it was good to know, though he already really did know, that the feeling was mutual.

He watched Libby inspect the journal, the grin on his face growing as he saw her reaction.

"I told them you loved to read and all but they didn't know what sort of book you might like. And most of the books we read and all back home are in German anyway," Kurt said with a small chuckle. "We used to make journals and scrap books all the time when I was little. My folks love making books and such, so they wanted to make something special for you."

He went quiet for a moment and looked at Libby with a timid grin. "I'm glad you like it. The embossing design was my idea. Vati has always loved leather working and Muti and I have made our own paper many times," he revealed.

"I love it," said Libby, simply and sincerely, holding it closely against her chest as she looked back up at Kurt. "I think it's probably one of the nicest things I've ever been given, really. I'm almost too afraid to ruin it by actually using it!"

Almost being a very key word there, although it would be difficult deciding just what exactly to write in it. She already had a few ideas popping up into her head, though, as she dropped her eyes again, holding the journal out to admire it all over again.

While Libby was busy admiring the gift, Kurt finally made it into the room far enough to sit down in the chair by the door. The smile on his face more than conveyed how happy he was that Libby liked her gift. It made him think about the other books and journals they had made over the years. Though the accuracy of whether or not he had his own journal was something that was going to have to wait for another time to be revealed, thank you very much!

"I am sure you will figure it out" Kurt said with a smirk.

"I'm sure I will, too," Libby agreed, taking just one more moment of appreciation for the journal before she sat down, as well, on her bed, but she kept it in her lap as she beamed over at Kurt.

"So," she said eagerly, "tell me about your break! Did anything exciting happen? Were you able to keep out of trouble? Did you make it back in time for the welcome picnic?"

"The trip back was great!" Kurt said excitedly. I spent half the time with the folks and the other half visiting the team. I even got to go on my first live training missions!" Kurt gushed with a big grin. "It wasn't anything too terribly huge, but it was the first time in the field and not in the training simulator or sparring with Logan or Scott or someone else. It was really cool though, and I got to help be guard detail with Logan for a political guy back home. One of the few that actually wants us Mutants around."

"Then someone pretty worth protecting," Libby noted, with a soft, sad sort of smile, because she'd never understand why so many people would have so much hate in their hearts for others just because they were different, even when some of those people were her very own kin. "I take it that it was pretty uneventful, though? Or are you just building up the suspense by holding back the exciting details?"

"Aye, pretty uneventful. There had been some threats made by the group known as the Purifiers because he had signed some laws to protect Mutants in some areas," Kurt explained. "Us being there was kind of both a show that he was serious about standing with us and that we are committed to helping him and keeping him safe."

Ya know, can't get much more evident on the whole Mutant thing than someone who looked like a furry blue demon child so, it was a fairly effective tactic when combined with the likes of Professor Xavier, Logan, Storm, and Scott.

"I think it's terrible, though," said Libby, with a frown, "that someone would even need protecting in the first place, just for something like that.."

Which she knew Kurt didn't need her or anyone telling him as much, but she still felt the need to put a voice to her feelings on the matter.

"It is, and I hate that there are people like that in so many places" Kurt said with a somber nod. But then he turned to look at Libby, and a soft, genuine smile spread across his face. "But as long as there are people who care and who can see us for who we are, like you, I think we will get to a better place soon."

Because really, Libby was the first non-mutant to have ever looked at him with something other than fear or loathing, and that was something that would forever affect Kurt in a powerful way.

"Hopefully much sooner, rather than later," said Libby, her own soft smile a bit apologetic, and she shook her her head a little. "I'm sorry. Here you are, all excited about getting out on a field mission, and I turn it into kind of a downer. But I'm glad you finally got the chance to get out there, Kurt. And I guess it's probably actually a pretty good things that it turned out to be as uneventful as it was."

Kurt shook his head to let Libby know it was ok and he smiled. "Yeah, it's one of those cases where it was kinda boring but that was a much preferable outcome. Someday I hope to be able to make an actual difference for people who are in need."

Kurt fell silent for a moment then, not wanting the entire conversation to be about him and what all he had done over the holiday break, he gave a nod towards Libby.

"What about you? Any daring adventures for you and Zo while you were away? Anything exciting happen while visiting?"

He had gotten the few ~~handwaved~~ texts and photos from Libby but it had gone a little quiet towards the end of the trip. Kurt was very interested in what all Libby had been up to. And that was a fairly innocent and safe question to ask after a holiday break. Right?

"Staying up until midnight last night was a lot harder than I thought it would be," Libby admitted with a wan sort of smile, after taking a moment to think about how to best answer that question, and what to focus on, because she definitely wasn't about to mention anything about the courtship business if she could help it. "But it was fun, the small party Zo and her girlfriend and some of their friends from school had. Nothing wild or anything, I even stuck with sparkling juice. Was there any parties or anything for it here?"

"Yeah, they had a party at the bar. It was open to everyone, but I just hung out in the dorms" Kurt said with a shrug. "It was mostly adults there anyway, according to Radio" he said, sticking his tongue out in an 'ewww grown ups' sort of way. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the person he would have wanted to spend the evening with wasn't on the island then, and that if they had, it would have led to even more awkwardness when midnight rolled around.... It was just a good choice all around, really.

Edited 2023-01-01 20:34 (UTC)

"I kind of wish I'd have been here for it," Libby admitted, a little reluctantly, a little shyly. "Obviously, I love spending time with Zo and Claire is really great, too, but I didn't really know anyone else but them, and it just sort of made me miss everyone here, you know?"

Some more than others, but she wasn't going to mention that part...

"I missed seeing everyone too," Kurt said with the faintest of nods in Libby's direction since he had a feeling he would have been included in her list but didn't want to make things awkward by calling her out specifically. "I'm glad you got to go see Zo and have a good time. We have plenty of time to make up for the missed hanging out and lunches and all, right?"

"Hey, Libs." Oh, look, Libby's roomie was actually around ~~instead of hanging at Steph's like she been for most of break~~ it was a holiday miracle! "Good break?"

Libby honestly was a little surprised to see Vi, but it was definitely a good surprise.

"Hey, Vi," she said, smiling over at her. "It was, thank you. It was nice to see everyone again."

Even Just and Patience, although Libby felt that she was being a little generous with that.

"It'a good to be back, though. How were things here?"

Vi might have tried to argue she only spent most of her free time with Steph, but, well, at least Libby was never going to get sexiled?

"Good," Vi said. "Family can be complicated, so that's good."

She shrugged. "Pretty quiet, apart from some holiday stuff, but it's kinda weird when it's not something you're used to celebrating."

The huff of a laugh and slight dodge of Libby's eyes at that first part seemed to indicate that Vi had no idea just how complicated family had been, this last year and change, and she tried to push past that constant twist of guilt in her stomach over the fact that it wouldn't have been that way if not for her.

But also, she couldn't bring herself to ever believe that it was actually better this way, anyway.

"Yeah," she agreed quietly. "This was actually my first time really celebrating Christmas, too. And New Years, actually, but I bet that one's a little easier for people from different places to relate to."

Vi noticed that eye dodge, but given that Libby and Steph were the only people who had any idea just how complicated Vi's situation was, she wasn't gonna push Libby if she didn't want to talk about it.

"Something like that." Another shrug. "When I asked Steph about it, she said even people who do celebrate it can have mixed feelings, so we mostly just did gifts."

"What did you guys get for eachother?" Libby asked, not even from just a curious standpoint, but almost an educational one, because she didn't really know what people typically got for each other, especially for people they cared about, with a few exceptions, so she'd appreciate a perspective that might give her a better understanding when it came to her own gifts to give. "If you don't mind me, asking."

She'd definitely respect if they were a bit more private and personal. Or, well, given the nature of their relationship...Libby felt her face going red even thinking about thinking about it!

"Nothing huge." Because everything else aside, Vi still wasn't quite used to the idea of having the money to buy people gifts. "She got me these dice with different exercises on them and this massage gun for my shoulder. For, uh, actual massages not 'massages'."

Because, yes, Vi's mind had gone there when she'd opened the box.

"And I found this place that makes these little custom minis, really detailed ones, and got one done of us."

"What other massages would there be?" asked Libby, as a confused look flit across her face and she didn't even know to think that she might regret asking that question. But try as she might, she couldn't even fathom why that might need a clarification. Maybe sort of a medical versus recreational? Like needing one just because it felt nice and not because of actual muscle tension in a physical therapy kind of way?

But she also figured it didn't matter, so she shook her head a little and considered the parts of the gifts she did understand.

"Those sound nice, though," she said, with a nod of approval. "Very 'you.'"

Well, it wasn't like Libby's narrative was entirely wrong...

"The kind that two people might give each other," was Vi's attempt at delicately leading Libby towards an answer, because ignorance was no one's friend.

"Yeah," Vi said with a small smile, before turning to rummage through her desk. "Oh, the mini place actually lets you pay for someone else to do a mini," Also known as gift cards, Vi. "-so I figured you and the rest of the group might like those."

Libby still felt like she might have been missing something there, especially since, well, most massages were more effective if someone else was giving them; it was just really difficult to give yourself an actually effective massage, but she figured it wasn't really that important, maybe something to just ask the nurses about later that week...

Besides, she was far more interested in all this mini stuff. "Really?" she asked, another tilt of her head as Vi went rummaging. "You mean, for like our characters, or something?"

"Yeah," Vi said, pulling out an envelope with Libby's name on it in neat writing and a pink Tabaxi mini. "Like, the store stocks some great ones, but you're still relying on what other people come up with, and I mean, this isn't perfect, but it's still closer to Wind than anything else I've seen."

Libby drifted over so she could take a closer look, and was almost instantly delighted, even without all that close of a look.

"Oh!" she gushed out. "There's even a little drum!"

Vi nodded with a grin. "I figured everyone else might enjoy making their characters too."

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Room 232; Late Sunday Afternoon [01/01/23].

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