Arms Hotel Lobby, Wednesday

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

When Jeff entered the lobby that morning, he found that Gunther had something to say to him.

"Jeffrey," Gunther started. He didn't finish. Jeff grabbed him by the arm and shoved him into a cupboard, shutting the door behind them.

"Don't move," he warned, "Don't say a word."

"What is the meaning of this?!" the German chef raged, and probably added a few more colourful ways of saying just that as well.

"It's almost graduation," Jeff hissed, "She could be here at any time! I've tried to avoid it by not telling her, but she knows things, Gunther! She knows things."

"Please tell me this isn't about your mother again," Gunther started.

His sentence again went unfinished, as Jeff clamped his hand over Gunther's mouth. "Maybe that haughty blonde fellow from radio'll help us build a barricade," he mused, "We'll need a line to the outside world!"

It was just another day at the Arms Hotel. Jeff's almost-last-day, at that. All trembled.

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[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Sure, there were a lot of Things on Turtle's mind lately, but that was all the more reason why, like yesterday, she found comfort in tradition. She just made sure the sandwiches she brought today for lunch were especially good and...sandwich-y.

"Jeff!"

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

The "Turtle!" she got in reply was... slightly muffled in a way that was, by now, probably familiar.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Very, very familiar. Turtle couldn't help wondering if she'd miss it greatly when she drifted over to open the door.

"Hi. I brought sandwiches."

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"Quality awesome," Jeff decided. He was still not sure whether he wanted to stop hiding or not, but his decision was made for him as Gunther shoved him harshly out of the cupboard, cursed, and stalked away towards the kitchen.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle blinked a little after Gunther as he stalked off, and then blinked at Jeff.

"Should I...?" she asked, knowing she didn't need to even finish her question about whether or not to question the details.

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"Mother," Jeff said, briskly, and straightened his shirt.

If he'd been conscious of such a thing, he'd be able to note that Turtle was entirely to blame for the fact that that brisk tone was in his arsenal to begin with.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

And Turtle would have shouldered that blame proudly.

Presently, she eyed Jeff a little, trying to determine exactly how to read the tone in question. There wasn't sheer, utter, uncontrollable panic in his eyes, though, which was a significant improvement and a hopeful thing for her next question:

"Is she coming?"

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," Jeff returned, equally brisk.

He'd found it worked better than hyperventilating. "I figured I'd take precautions."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"By hiding in the cupboard again," noted Turtle, with a slight sigh.

"You know people don't even start showing up until tomorrow, right?"

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"I'm just testing it," Jeff argued, and to give his point some force, petted the door to the cupboard. Yes. "I phoned Steve, he's going to come over and help me prepare!" Steve, of course, had not been informed that 'preparing' meant 'helping Jeff barricade himself into a cupboard'.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Mm." Turtle, in just one hum, sounded very doubtful that Steve could be much help in the matter, really. Still, to be congenial, she offered, "Well, that's good."

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"Right," Jeff enthused, "And if everything fails, I think with the new bits added to the island, there's got to be a warehouse or something she hasn't seen yet." Pause. "I also still haven't told her I'm graduating!"

Because that would help, Jeff.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Um, I think she might already have a pretty good idea of it, though, Jeff," Turtle offered, although she could see where Mrs. Murdock might be a little doubtful on that fact.

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"We're in the American school system here, Turtle," Jeff said, seriously. As if she didn't know that. "She might have gotten confused and checked the English timetables."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Which wasn't too bad of an argument, really, especially since Jeff covered why his mother might have forgotten all about the American thing, which was pretty hard to miss.

Turtle sighed a bit, and reached over to rap her fist on the cupboard. "Knock on wood, right?" she said, and then gave Jeff a little peck on the cheek, on that made her feel a little twisting in her chest as she realized that now was not the time to talk, but that the time to talk would have to come really, really soon.

She wondered if she was bad for thinking it could wait until Steve got here. Steve was Jeff's friend. He might need friends...

...heck, she was going to need one, too.

"Other than hiding, though, how's the day so far, Jeff?"

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

Jeff grinned briefly at the peck. He was still in the repression stage. He was really good at that. "I hadn't actually thought about that yet," he admitted, "I was a bit busy," shoving Gunther into a cupboard, "Preparing. I suppose it's all right." Beat. "I don't want to pack." Beat. "Nana's got hair all over everything, you can't pack dog hair."

Okay, the repression was starting to slide a little at the edges.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Well," said Turtle, who had a bit of a firmer grip on the repression game, "you can, you just probably shouldn't. She's got enough hair going with her already."

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"I can't take Nana," Jeff said, plaintatively, "She won't fit on the plane." Oh, god. Don't think about planes. Don't think about-- "Although the new ones do have a really impressive wingspan," he blurted, "D'you think it's going to be a bit closer to that in 1991?"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Probably," Turtle said weakly, too distracted by something else in what Jeff said. "If you're not taking Nana, than what are you doing with her?"

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"...I don't know yet," Jeff admitted, deflating a little. "Maybe I'll give her to Dor or something, he seems like he needs a good-- walking tank."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Dor was still here.

But Dor was not her.

"Dor's a great idea, Jeff!"

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"I thought so," Jeff said, with a nod. "It's taken him a bit to adjust." To porn. "Nana might help stabilise him." Or traumatise him for life in the proud tradition of Jeffrey Murdock.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Plus," Turtle offered, reasonably, as she tried remembering which floor Dor lived on, so she could avoid it, "she's not an inanimate object, so he won't have to worry about her talking to him."

[scary-jeff.livejournal.com]

"Right," Jeff said, nodding along, "It'd be like an early birthday present for him."

Of course, Jeff.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Do you even know when his birthday is?" Turtle couldn't help wondering.