stacyexperiment | Room 415- Tuesday evening

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Room 415- Tuesday evening

So the black walls had been a mistake. It was dark and depressing and Gwen didn't want to get a bunch of black lights and feel like she was living in a rave. That meant that after class she went and got some more paint, a more muted gray that she could dress up however she wanted, and started painting the walls again.

The next lesson she was learning was that when covering up black paint, you were gonna need primer. She only found that out when she googled it to find out why it wasn't working, and then there'd been another trip to the store and waiting for the paint she'd already used to dry before starting over with the primer and ugh. She wanted to get this done before Parents Weekend but right now it felt like she'd finish right around a quarter after never.

Anyone who didn't want to be dragged into helping should probably avoid this hall. So should anyone who didn't mind her begging to let her sleep in their room tonight because of paint fumes.

[Open, why not!]

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"We're allowed to paint our walls?"

Travis had been on his way up to the roof to enjoy the cooler temperatures but the smells of paint had led him down the hall and to the doorway where it was emanating from.

"Huh." Not a great greeting but he was surprised, okay.

"No idea," Gwen admitted. "I just did it."

And kept having to do it, god.

"Ah." Well hey, that was probably the best way to go about it. You could always claim you didn't know you weren't allowed to if it was against the rules. "It looks...very dark. What kind of look are you going for?"

He'd tried to think of something other than 'dark' but couldn't really get anywhere else but that.

"I thought it'd look cool and Gothy, and it felt more like a bottomless pit, so I'm fixing it," she said. "There's an extra roller right there, by the way."

Hint, hint.

"You need some help?" Travis asked, not commenting on that very obvious hint there. "What color are you going for now? Something sunshiney that'll make you think of puppies an rainbows?"

He didn't really think that.

"Yes, help is good," Gwen nodded. "I'm doing gray. Not too dark and I can dress it up. But first I have to do the primer which is something they should write on the can or whatever."

Travis stepped inside after a moment and looked around. The fumes were pretty strong but he figured he'd just pass out before he admitted weakness to that.

"Have you been painting all day?" he wondered, picking up the roller. "I'm actually impressed that there's not more pain on floors, in the hallway and on your things."

"I'm the master of the drop cloth," she explained. She was no longer new at this. "I've been doing this all afternoon. Well, this, or going to get more paint. Primer, whatever. It's been a frustrating day."

"Yeah, I bet," Travis said, picking up the roller and giving it a look over. "Surprised the fumes haven't gotten to you if you've been doing this all afternoon. Developing a tolerance to it what with all your time spent getting to know the dark shades of paint?"

"I've had a headache for two hours," Gwen said mock-brightly, getting some more paint on her roller. "I think I'm gonna sleep in the hall."

"You wouldn't even make it to the couches in the common room?" he wondered, snickering. "The paint sickness would be that bad? I mean, I'd offer to drag you down there but that might do more harm than good if you're sleeping on the floor."

The hall was so much more dramatic! Everyone could step over her and ask if she needed anything and she'd say she was fine.

"I'll be fine," she said. "No dragging necessary, I promise."

"Well, if I drop a blanket on you, don't get mad," he told her, shrugging. "It's getting colder and you could build a little fort out of it if things got too hard."

"If I built a fort I'm pretty sure people would want to come inside." And then she'd have to be around people, ew.

"Not a people person?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow. "What if they brought snacks? Or something else of equal or higher value?"

"I hate people," Gwen said easily. "But I can possibly be bribed. Like what kind of higher value are we talking here?"

"I actually don't know what might be higher than snacks," Travis said thoughtfully. "Maybe money? Favors that can be called in whenever you want? Muffins?"

One of those things wasn't like the other.

"Money and favors are good. Favors would be written and signed by both parties, though," she decided. "I've seen the People's Court."

"And, if anything, you could always bar people from finding their way into your fort," Travis pointed out. "Just because people want to come in doesn't mean you have to let them. Tell them to go get their own freaking fort. Or to finish painting your room so your fort won't be some magnetic attraction to them."

"Ooh, having them finish painting is a good idea. Because this might come as a shock but I am reaaaally tired of making W's with paint rollers." She didn't even know why people did that, she just knew that's how they did it in paint commercials.

"Can't really blame you for that one," he said, glancing around the room. "You've made a lot of progress, at least. Hey, maybe the squirrels will do it for you? They seem to like doing a lot of other ridiculous things in your favor."

"Those little rodent bastards like screwing me over," Gwen protested. "There's a difference."

"Is there a reason for this grudge?" Travis wondered. "Did you ever withhold Doritos from them or something?"

Not that he knew squirrels like Doritos or anything. Of course not.

"No! They just dragged me into the radio statin one day. And then started signing me up for crap."

And they would continue doing so for anything that Gwen wouldn't normally sign up for. She was lucky they couldn't vote for homecoming court!

"Maybe I'll just set rum outside my room for a while and see if they back off."

"Makes me think that if you ever did set up a fort, they'd find a way in," Travis said thoughtfully. "They seem to really like you."

For some reason.

"Maybe there's a prophecy or something with you where they're concerned," he added but wasn't that serious. "Maybe you're their queen and they're grooming you?"

"Oh god, don't say that out loud, it'll just give them ideas," she said quickly.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm helping, not hurting," he said, holding up the hand that wasn't holding the roller. "I'll take the blame for that one if something happens. They can turn their ire from you to me."

He glanced around her room. "If you guys are listening, how about coming and bothering me? Give her a break. I can take one for the team."

"Are you doing this to get in the fort?" Gwen asked, half-joking.

"Nah," Travis said, shaking his head. "Fort's yours. I'm fine with camping out in the common room if I ever can't make it back to my bed. Just be careful with painting the fort's walls. Might pass out."

"I'll be good," she promised. "Ventilation is my bff. Oh god, pretend I didn't just say 'bff' even jokingly. That felt wrong."

Travis laughed and glanced over at her.

"Secret's safe with me," he snickered, shaking his head. "I didn't think anyone else but the people at my old school used that word. Or abbreviation. Or whatever it is. But Gwen, I've gotta tell you something..."

He trailed off and then oh so seriously, "You can find a better bff. I promise."

"Dork," Gwen said, but she was laughing.

"It's not the first time I've been called that," he said, shrugging. "I'll take it. Better than some other things I've been called."

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Room 415- Tuesday evening

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