Room 406, evening

[izzyalienqueen]

As always, Monday's workshops were entertaining. Afterwards, Isabel hauled her stuff back to the dorms, responded to an email from Parker, and then finally went down to Jack's room to retrieve the TV and DVD player he'd told her she could have. And that's when she found the letter.

Currently Isabel was attempting to rearrange furniture to accomadate the TV but she was occasionally distracted by the paper lying folded on her desk.

The door was open.

Comments

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I live alone," she told him. "Somehow I've been lucky enough to avoid a roommate since Xander moved out last year."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Oh. I have a roommate, which is something I'm not used to," he said. "She seems very nice." Even if it was very odd to be sharing a room with a girl. "Are you well, Isabel?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Oh? Who is it?" Isabel asked, giving the bed one more shove and then sitting on it to check out the view. "Anyone I know?"

There was another question?

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Aravis Tarkheena," he answered, looking at her curiously because he noticed she had not answered his second question. "She is highborn, which," he shook his head, "when I first arrived I thought it very strange that they would place a highborn with me, not to mention one who was a girl." He gave a faint smile. "But I am learning that neither of those are of great importance here."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Oh she's nice," Isabel smiled. "I was showing her how to use the computer in Stupid People last week. Which was much more fun then today's class."

She got to her feet, adjusted the angle of the TV and then returned to the bed. "That's better. And no, they're not. Who or what you were doesn't matter. This place gives you a second chance if you want it. Some people don't. Some do."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Yes. I am learning that here I am able to just be me, which is a great relief." And that was a massive understatement, but he smiled again and didn't explain any further. "But you didn't tell me, are you well?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"What were you before you came here?" she asked. "And you can sit down. Please make yourself comfortable."

"I'm fine. One of the benefits of being made the way we were is that we don't get sick."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal ducked his head and nodded, taking a seat on the other bed, smoothing his robes down as he thought about how to answer her question. "I was many things, most of which I never wanted to be and none of which I was ready for. But there was no one else to do them, and so they fell to me," he finally said, voice light, which he knew was an answer without an answer. "I only ever wanted to be a Scholar-Priest. Life," and Vkandis, and Solaris, "has a way of interfering. But truly, you never get sick? Ever? That is quite a gift."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure you did the best you could," Isabel said. "Which I'm willing to be means you did wonderfully."

"We can get...out of balance," she told him, remembering how sick Michael had gotten that one time. "Fortunately that's only happened once. It shouldn't happen again."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

He blushed and looked at his hands. "Yes, well, thank you," he said, giving her a quick smile. He had his doubts, but it was kind of her to say that. "Out of balance," he repeated. "That would be very frightening, I would imagine, if it is something that is not supposed to happen. Are you immune from emotional hurts as well, or only from the physical?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"It was," she nodded. "We almost lost Michael but with some help from our friends we were able to save him." Isabel looked down, watching as Annie poked her head out from under the bed. "No, not immune unfortunately."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal followed her gaze and smiled when he saw the cat. "Hello," he said softly and leaned down, wriggling his fingers to try and attract its attention. "Are you an ordinary cat?" He looked back up at Isabel. "Michael is your brother?" he asked. "I am very glad your friends were able to help him."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"As far as I know, she's perfectly ordinary," Isabel told him, smiling as Annie batted at his fingers. "Max is my brother. Michael might as well be a brother. Before all this, he was supposed to be my husband. But things are different this time around."

She reached for a picture that showed them in Roswell before Alex died. "That's them. About two years ago."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"As much as any cat is ever ordinary." He wrestled with her briefly, pushing against her paws, then moved so he could see the picture. "An arranged marriage, this was part of their plan for you?" he asked. "You all look very happy."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"It was. Plans changed." Not that they liked hearing that when they finally got back to Antar. "That was back when things were simplier."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Does that mean you're not happy now?" he asked, frowning a little as he danced his fingers across the carpet for Annie.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'm happy," Isabel said automatically. "Why wouldn't I be?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," he said evenly, looking at her closely. It had been an idle question, but now he was unable to shake the feeling that she wasn't happy. "Just, the way you said the picture in which you look happy was taken when things were simpler, it made me wonder if perhaps you were not happy now."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Well stuff's happened since then," she shrugged. "Alex died, we went back to our planet, Michael and Max are still there. It's complicated."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"And does that mean that there is nothing left which makes you happy?" he asked quietly, leaning down to scratch Annie behind the ears, attention seemingly on the cat while he studied Isabel unobtrusively, watching for her reaction. "Or is it just that they are not enough to outweigh the unhappiness?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"No, not at all," Isabel said, wondering how it was that Karal was able to get her to talk like this. "I'm here, I've got good friends, my parents finally know the truth. What more could I want?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I don't know, Isabel. For things to be simple again?" he suggested gently, disentangling Annie from the sleeve of his robe. "It's something I find myself wishing for more than I should."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," she said, reaching for Annie. "In some ways I wish I could go back in time. I'd love to go back to last summer. It was so perfect."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal pushed Annie into Isabel's hands and crossed his legs, resting his chin in his hand as he smiled at her. "Tell me about last summer? I'd like to hear what made it so perfect, if you'd like to tell me."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Do you charge by the hour?" Isabel asked, oddly reminded of the one session with the psychiatrist she'd gone to with Max. "Or is listening part of the priest thing?"