Diamond Bright

"Okay, I'm not sure what just happened here," Kaidan called from upstairs.

Usually a good sign, on this island.

"But I think someone let my mom talk to the island."

He was downstairs a bare moment later, wearing a very garish sweater. It had a moose on it.

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Jack rubbed his eyes a few times. That was ... wow.

"I would like to point out," he observed loftily, "that there is no such thing as a novelty Hanukkah sweater."

Go ahead. Prove him wrong, you bacon-taunters.

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"Kaidan," Emma said slowly, staring at the sweater. "You know how Americans joke about Canadians and moose is supposed to be a joke, yes? Your mother is not a moose."

Hopefully not an ugly sweater moose, to boot.

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Kaidan pulled on the edges of the sweater. "No," he said meditatively, "But she really likes sweaters."

Joking, but the way he said it, you'd be excused for missing that.

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"She just doesn't want you to be cold," Jack teased.

But it was a bit chilly to just be wearing pajamas, and he went over to the cupboard to find a sweatshirt. He pulled it on and looked down at his chest in dismay.

"I think I just proved myself wrong about two things at once," he noted. "The island's mad, and there are Hanukkah sweaters. Efficient of me."

Edited Date: 2012-12-12 07:00 pm (UTC)

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"I think I'll refrain from opening my bag and seeing if I've been magically afflicted," Emma said, trying not to laugh at the happy dreidels. "Maybe the island's not mad, and Mrs. Alenko is just trying to mother both of you and make sure you stay warm?"

The apprehensive glance she cast at her own duffle bag most likely gave lie to whether or not she believed that.

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Kaidan snorted softly. "My mom isn't really a, uh, menorah kind of woman," he offered.

Biotic metabolism kicked in at the worst of times, though, and now that he was dressed, he'd hurry past Jack and Emma to the table full of food.

"So how long are you planning to stay around, Emma?"

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"It's the week before finals, so I'm not missing anything besides review," which she already knew. "My portal back - hoping it works - is Monday morning, so I can make my afternoon test for business ethics."

Yes, you can laugh at Emma taking ethics. She thinks the concept of business ethics is rather stupid too.

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"That gives us my birthday and a few days after," Jack told her as he went for his second donut, dripping jam onto the cartoon sweatshirt dreidel. "I was going to have a few people over on Saturday. I'm glad we have a bit."

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"I'll make sure to get out of your hair," Kaidan promised, sliding into a seat and heaping on the food.

Somehow he didn't automatically leap to the conclusion he'd be invited to what he expected would be a party full of twenty-year-olds.

"You feeling good about this test?"

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"Telepath," Emma sang, tapping her head with a grin. "Which isn't to say I'm going to cheat, although that would be hilarious. I memorized the textbook instead, and I know what the professor wants to hear."

Emma, that probably wasn't reassuring to anyone. Ever.

"I'm not worried about child psych, either, or international accounting. The only one I'm going to study for while I'm here is Bio358. 'Evolution of Sex and Sexes,' not nearly as entertaining or salacious as the class title suggests."

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"You could stick around during the party if you wanted," Jack told Kaidan, first. It had never occurred to him not to invite his housemate. "And stop bragging, Ems. I still have an economics final myself and I'm not a telepath. Nothing as entertaining as a sex class."

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"I'll see," Kaidan said. He couldn't quite keep some surprise from seeping into his voice.

Okay, maybe he wasn't used to being invited to parties in general, shut it.

"And sorry that your biology class turned out to be a biology class," he tacked on to Emma, five seconds later.

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Emma just stuck her tongue out at Kaidan. Maturely. "Well I knew it was a biology class, I was just hoping that the professor would have a bit more of a sense of humor, given what he titled it," she informed him. "We all have to wear name-tags and I don't think he's looked up from his notes once."

"And don't be a goose, of course you're coming to the party. We're not going to be swinging from chandeliers or anything."

Please Fandom, no swinging from chandeliers.

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Jack pouted. "What if I demand to be allowed to swing from a chandelier?" he asked. "I am only turning 21 once. There should be something special about it."

Edited Date: 2012-12-12 08:07 pm (UTC)

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"You can drink alcohol," Kaidan offered automatically.

Or maybe that was another deadpan moment.

Edited Date: 2012-12-12 08:21 pm (UTC)

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"And it'll be much more exciting since I waited this long for it," Jack deadpanned back at him.

Stupid American laws.

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"We can take you to Devil's Nest and pout at Eric until he pours it for you, since you'll be legal?" Emma suggested. "Or we can see about getting the office moose to do an interpretive dance for you..."

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"Or you can have your first boring party to prove you're an adult," Kaidan added.

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Jack snickered. "I think I'll stick to complaining about my joints and teasing Emma for still being a teenager," he decided. "Though even a boring party sounds fine, considering I fill out paperwork for a living."

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"I'll be twenty by the end of the month!" Emma sniffed. "So laugh it up while you can, darling. You're old and I'm young and beautiful."

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"Don't worry," Kaidan said, between pancake bites. "Sometimes things do get better with age."

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"Like what?" Jack asked sincerely. "No sarcasm intended -- I'm curious how things have changed for you."

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"Stability," Kaidan said. "And I don't necessarily mean the house and a white picket fence kind-- I mean, look at me. But you calm down. You learn from your mistakes, you get better at it. Hormones take a dive down, too."

This was promptly followed by the devouring of a pancake. "These are really good, Emma."

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"Getting neutered does not sound like a perk," Emma managed, practically swallowing half a waffle so she could talk without her mouth full. "Hormones aren't a problem if you aren't an idiot in the first place."

She piled another two waffles on to her plate. "Aren't they? I had about three helpings of French toast during my layover, and that's when I decided I had to bring food for you too."

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"Please don't make me tell you that it's easier for a woman to say that," Jack requested.

Not that he was looking forward to that side of it. But learning from his mistakes, calming down -- those weren't terrible. He could take some slight neutering in exchange.

By way of changing the subject, he claimed a waffle. "I think I need to move wherever you had the layover," he decided.

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Kaidan - the insufferably monogamous practically celibate guy that he was - might've had something to say to that, but it wasn't important enough that he wasn't willing to let it go in favor of pancakes.

"Careful what you wish for," he said. "Most of these Portalocity destinations... they look kind of crazy, and I've only seen the brochure."

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"Can't help it if women are superior," Emma practically sang. "It was France. A France. I think. No idea when or where but they spoke French and they understood when I ordered in French, so that's close enough for me. Then again, I was only at the Portalocity office and the lovely restaurant across the street."

"I wouldn't mind Cancun over the holidays, or Rome, or somewhere nice and warm." It wasn't going to happen, but a girl could dream.

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"Oh, Portalocity's terrifying, but they do sometimes drop you someplace good," Jack told Kaidan pragmatically. "And a vacation sounds fantastic. Maybe next year we'll be in Rome."

The year before, he'd spent the holidays en route to Paris. Anything would be an improvement.

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Kaidan shrugged lightly. "I'll take your word for it," he said, equally pragmatic. "Most of what I do is back and forth to Vancouver and Arcturus Station back home. Direct portals, for whatever reason."

Probably an Alliance thing.

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"Military efficiency and your tax dollars at work," Emma quipped, getting up to refill her mug. "Of course they don't send you anywhere fun."

Except, well, space. But they paid him to do that.

"Either of you need more coffee?"

Edited Date: 2012-12-13 06:15 pm (UTC)

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"Always," Jack said, offering her his mug.

More pensively, he added, "I think the last time I traveled anywhere special was the trip to Russia."

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Last time Kaidan traveled anywhere special was probably...

Well. Right before Shepard died.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he knew it did Emma's; but he'd ignore it and moved on. Nobody needed him being... well, a downer.

"What'd you do in Russia?" he asked.

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"Solved mysteries, and I got ridiculously drunk with an old friend of Jack's, which means confidential girl-gossip and I'm not telling," Emma said, winking at Kaidan impishly. "Which, I don't think Jack has fully considered the consequences of letting me tag along on that one."

Yes, she'd heard it. But Emma was a very good Secret Keeper when it came to people she liked - more or less - so she'd just file it away and not push.

...until he needed pushing, but, well, that was Emma being Emma.

"Irina and I got on fabulously."

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"It was right after I got bitten," Jack said, to elucidate a bit more. "Irina was in a position to help Sebastien more than I could just then, and so we went. Though" -- and now his tone lightened --"if I'd known Emma was going to view it as an opportunity to learn scandalous new stories, I might not have brought her."

He totally would have brought her.

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Kaidan snorted a little. "I've only known Emma for a couple of months," he said, "But, uh... you can't tell me you didn't see that one coming."

And now he felt terribly teenage in a way that almost had him longing back to spending time with Vega of all people.

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