Kaitlyn and Utena rose, showered, dressed, and headed
downstairs in time to start setting up for a good, hearty group
breakfast for the Castle-dwellers, a gesture of solidarity before
plunging headlong into their junior year of high school here on this
lovely blue moon... but when they got to the kitchen, they found
somebody already at work there.
"Aunt Urd?!" Utena blurted. "What the hell are YOU doing
here?"
Urd Snowmane, Norn of Yesterday and self-proclaimed favorite
aunt of Corwin Ravenhair (though she knew full well that Bell was his
favorite - Bell was EVERYONE's favorite, and Urd had long since gotten
over that), turned around at the range and grinned at Utena.
"Is that any way to talk to your House Guide?" she inquired
with a cheery wink.
"House Guide?" said Utena, still confused.
Urd shook her head and tutted with mock disapproval, wagging a
finger at Utena. "You didn't read your new Student Handbook, did
you?"
"Only to make sure they didn't fix the uniform rule on me,"
Utena admitted sheepishly.
"Well, if you -had-," Urd informed her, "you would know that
one of the changes here at DSM is that all residence halls will have,
in addition to student Resident Advisors - "
"We don't have an RA here," Utena interjected. "Dean
Montaigne decided that since we're mainly a club residence, the
officers could - "
"Don't interrupt me!" Urd cut in, then recomposed herself and
went on as though she hadn't been interrupted, "All residence halls
will have, in addition to student Resident Advisors OR THEIR
EQUIVALENT - " (with a pointed smirk) " - an adult House Guide, to
whom students will be expected to take any problems too serious for a
peer to handle, including but not limited to inter-roommate violence,
sexual harassment, serious injury, suicide threats, or other major
crimes, and concerns over drinking, drug use, cybernetic interface
addiction, or unplanned pregnancy."
"... You memorized that part of the Handbook," said Utena,
giving Urd a half-lidded, skeptical look.
"Of course I did," Urd replied, drawing herself up
importantly. "I'm your House Guide!"
"They made -you- a House Guide?!"
Urd did her best to look offended, though she knew Utena was
teasing her. They'd become fairly good friends over the course of the
summer, with a special understanding cemented during Utena's brief,
unplanned vacation in Asgard a few weeks before.
"That they did, and I intend to do a bang-up job at it, too,
so you'd better just watch yourself, Missy!" Urd declared. "Now have
a seat - the pancakes will be - "
"B-burned," Kate observed, thoughtfully sniffing at the air.
"What?!" Urd whirled. "Oh, dammit! Bell makes this look so
-easy-... "
Utena chuckled, dropping her attitude of mock antagonism.
"Here... let me," she said, and nudged the goddess out of the way.
"Why don't -you- have a seat," she went on, starting to clean up the
mess Urd had made, "and -I'll- make the pancakes."
--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.