Room 406, after work

[izzyalienqueen]

The store had been quiet so Isabel was able to finish writing her Christmas cards. They were stacked up on her desk, waiting to be mailed once she'd gotten Christmas stamps.

For now she was busy wrapping Xander's birthday present and thinking about the past week. Mostly realizing that it was nice to finally have things back to normal and to be able to spend time with friends without drama or holiday chaos.

The door was open.

[ooc: Expecting a call but otherwise open. Slowplay till about 7:30.]

Comments

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"No! They were great, aquamarine and sapphire, and why would you be sending me coal?" Jarod wondered, then grinned at Parker. "Oh, right. But I've been good this year, you know."

Parker snorted.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"No news for six months," she pointed out. "Not good."

"Of course a nice Christmas gift would go a long way towards making up for that."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Really," Jarod drawled, amused. "It's always possible I already bought it. And wrapped it."

"And left it in my closet," Parker said, leaning forward to speak into the phone. "Because he had too much time on his hands this week, when he wasn't causing mayhem."

"You don't know I was causing mayhem."

"Yes, I do."

Jarod cleared his throat, making a show of ignoring Parker as Nourhane giggled. "So things are going okay? Parker says you have a new boyfriend."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Well Christmas shopping is an admirable way to pass time," said the girl who started planning her gift list in August. "And I vote for mayhem."

"Things are wondeful. Wyatt's awesome, I've got college applications in. Life is pretty damn good," Isabel told him. "I assume Parker told you about what happened with Antar?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Yes, she did." Jarod looked up at Parker, and shook his head at her cocked eyebrow, not wanting to get into details in front of Nourhane and Stella. "I'm sorry about what happened. But I'm glad you're staying here." His eyebrows lowered. "And you and Wyatt are happy? He's a good guy? Parker said something about seeing him naked--" A pillow may have whapped him over the head. "Hey!"

"Don't answer that, Isabel! Don't encourage him!"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"You heard her, I can't say anything. Sorry," she laughed. "But yes, we're happy."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Good. I only wanted to know that he was treating her right," he said to Parker, matching her glare for glare. "And if he's ever a problem-- I'll be in better touch, this coming year. I promise."

"Tell her about Saturday."

Jarod squirmed as Stella gave him an inquiring glance. "She doesn't want to hear about that."

"Tell her anyway!"

"So, where are you going for college?" Jarod asked, shoving Parker off the couch.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Good. It'll be good to hear from you more often," Isabel nodded, gathering Xander's gifts together. "I don't know where yet. Acceptances don't get sent out till mid-February. Maybe Cornell, maybe UNLV."

"What about Saturday?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the background noise

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Parker's making a big deal over nothing," Jarod said, then quickly added over Parker's squawks, "I didn't even threaten anyone. And good, I'll definitely check in to find out where you finally decided to go then."

"Gimme the phone back," Parker demanded.

"I think I'm going to have to go, Isabel." Jarod got up and held it way over Parker's head, grinning the whole time.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'll get the details from her later," Isabel told him, laughing as she visualized the scene in Oxford. "And you'd better check in. I'll be waiting. It was good to talk to you Jarod. Take care of yourself."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker had managed to grab the phone back by dint of standing on the couch and strong-arming Jarod, then climbed over the back of it saying, "It's me again, Isabel. I'm going into my bedroom."

"Bye, Isabel!" Stella and Nourhane called with Jarod.

Parker shut her door and said, "So, yeah, he showed up for my date with Lukas. And he says he's sticking around to meet Ronan. Remind me why I'm not killing him?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"He crashed your date?" That sounded like Jarod, she realized with a snicker. "And you didn't kill him? I'm impressed."

Ronan visiting Parker. Huh... "I was hanging out with Ronan last night. He was extremely cheerful."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"He eeled his way out of there before I could do anything more than slap his wrist, and just kept talking and ducking the next time I saw him," Parker said. "He did get kicked though. The brat. God. He couldn't be leaving tomorrow afternoon, instead of Saturday morning?" She grimaced, then smiled. "Really? How's he doing? Ready for his vacation?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Typical Jarod. Typical Parker. Isabel would have loved to have been sitting at the next table.

"He was incredibly cheerful after his date on Tuesday night." She snickered realizing Parker would never suspect who the date was with. "Apparently it went well."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Ohhhh?" Parker asked, intrigued. "Cool. Who's he seeing? Just tell me it's not Johnny. 'Cause that's supposed to be over now."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"No, not Johnny," Isabel laughed. "Peter."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Peter-- wait, wait. Petrelli? He's the only one who's single. Seriously?" Parker asked, starting to laugh. "The irony there is pretty damn thick."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Tell me about it." Isabel had reached the point she was more amused then flaily about it.

"But Peter was there when Ronan got sick and collapsed. He's the one that got him to the clinic, then he stayed with him that night and was checking up on him all week," she explained quietly, frowning at the memory. "It was cute in that scary life or death way."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Hunh. Hmmm." Parker frowned, not liking to think of Ronan coming so close to dying. "Are they... I don't know. How serious do you think it is?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

She knew why Parker was asking. "I haven't talked to Peter yet, but Ronan seems kind of giddy. Sorry."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Well, damn." Parker kicked the corner of her bed and pouted. "I mean, I'm glad for him, and I certainly didn't want anything serious. But still. So much for some of my plans for this weekend."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

As some one who'd only recently ended a dry spell of her own, Isabel could understand that. "Get him to cook for you. In some ways? It's better then sex."

A beat...

"Okay, not really. But he is a very good cook."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I probably will, since I'm not getting other kinds of physical fun." Parker grimaced and flopped back on her bed. "I've been fine with Lukas all semester, but after meeting Jarod, he started asking a few too many pointed questions, and... well. I think he wanted to get more serious than I did anyway, so. I don't anticipate still having him as a sex buddy next semester. Damnit. I don't have *time* to find another guy. I have school!"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Which is way more important," Isabel agreed. "You'll survive. I did after all." Of course she'd also been making up for lost time in the last two weeks.

"We really need to found a rent-a-guy service. Although I suppose that's a bit tacky."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Extremely. And I'm not going to MySpace or e-Harmony. I suppose it's back to letting cute geeks buy me beer at the Bird & Baby." Parker may have sounded amused by this. "I think Jarod hopes I just won't date. He does not get that this is my hobby. It's how I relax. When it works and the guys don't get romantic, anyway."