InsaneJournal

CECILIA. Cecilia had a few problems. She knew now that she would not be able to travel back home for Christmas. She had been living on a steady diet of Ramen and RC cola for the past week. Hours were getting cut for the receptionists at the Urgent Care Clinic; she hadn't finished her Christmas shopping. But most of all-- the most bothersome by far, was the disappearance of Moira. She'd gone from seeing this woman nearly everyday, building some sort of tentative friendship and now that's gone. It sucked, because she liked Moira. The lady was a friggin' genius. That along with the fact that Moira knew a secret about Cecilia... well, that little bit was enough to cause some anxiety on Cecilia's end.

No one was really telling Cecilia ANYTHING about Moira as of late. Cecilia felt like a superspy, showing up at Paradise Hotel to ask a few questions. She hoped she'd find someone who knew what was going on. Someone knowledgeable and well-spoken! But really, what are the odds? Loitering in the lobby, wrenching a notepad from her purse, Cecilia started on her half-assed quest.


JUBILEE. Knowledgeable! Well-spoken! ...Loitering! One out of three wasn't bad. Jubilee, perched on the back of the couch -- yes, the back of the couch, much like some kind of untrained capuchin monkey -- eyes fixed on her shiny new Nintendo DS, didn't notice Cecilia's entrance at first. Or much of anything, really. She couldn't be a ninja 24/7 after all, especially when important things like Chrono Trigger were calling her name. But the lobby was quiet, quiet enough that after a few moments of standing around, Cecilia's presence abruptly made itself known to Jubilee's minimal attention.

In one surprisingly fluid motion, she slipped off the back of the couch, turned around, and crouched down into the couch cushions, only her eyes (and furrowed brow) visible over the top of the couch. One eyebrow went up, the other went down, and then they alternated several times as Cecilia pulled out her pad. Then, louder and more suspiciously than was entirely necessarily,

"I SEE YOU THERE."

CECILIA. Oh! Cecilia even jumped a little at the girl's outburst. The girl... who was using the couch as her own personal foxhole. Cecilia is too polite to comment on this, despite how obviously uncomfortable she suddenly was. Still, the look on her face was a definite 'ohmygawd you're weird' stare. "Aaaaand I see you." Good, they see each other! "Can you help me out?"

She took a few steps forward and started to dig in her purse for a pen.


JUBILEE. Jubilee ducked a few inches further into the safety of the couch, until she was squinting between the cushions to get a glimpse at what Cecilia was doing. Not the best vantage point for black ninja spy ops, but she was being taken unawares. She had to improvise.

"That depends, INTERLOPER." She had read that word in a James Bond book once, and liked the way it sounded. She was pretty sure it meant 'spy' or 'trespasser' or something, but it sounded so much cooler. WHO SAID INTERLOPER THESE DAYS ANYWAY? Jubilation Lee did. And James Bond. That was enough. "What do you want? MORE IMPORTANTLY -- well."

She paused, now standing up on the seat of the couch, her fists on her hips in a Peter Pan-esque fashion. Her arms fell, then crossed over her chest, then fell again. "Do you know where you are?"


CECILIA. This chick means serious business. Cecilia cocked and eyebrow and returned the pose-- hand on her hip, she waved the notebook to gesture, "This place?" Get sassy! She surely will respect such a thing! "Moira mentioned this place to me before." She tried to give a meaningful look to Jubilee. It might just appear that she had something in her eye. If Moira mentioned this place to Cecilia... right, right?

"I haven't seen her for awhile, so I was wonderin' if she was hiding out here." Not too sassy. "I'm worried about her."


JUBILEE. Something in Jubilee's head reacted instinctively to Cecilia snapping back, in a distinctive, somewhat impressed mental "Ohhhhhh snap." She pressed a hand into the back of the couch and flipped her legs over, sitting and dangling them over the edge. They were depressingly far off the ground. "Oh, Moira! Yeah, she's totally FIERCE." Qualifications for awesome: Moira has met them. But at least Jubilee had some sense, and managed not to divulge anything else besides their knowing Moira. Cecilia, while sassy, didn't look like a reporter (notebook aside) or someone liable to turn them into the authorities. For all she knew, this was just a run-down place a bunch of weird kids hung out. Like a clubhouse! Jubilee wanted a clubhouse so bad, so this plan was perfect.

"So what, did you like, work with her or something? ARE YOU A CANDY STRIPER?"

Please Baby Jesus, let her be a candy striper. Any position with candy in its name HAD to be made of goodness and light. Plus. Candy. Speaking of, Jubilee rummaged in her pocket, momentarily forgetting Cecilia, until she pulled out a wad of Twizzlers. She shoved two in her mouth at either cheek, much like a walrus, and offered one to Cecilia.


CECILIA. "I go to school at UCLA, I'm a nursing student. I talked to her pretty regularly..." Cecilia trailed off, watching the girl in her natural habitat. With the notebook and her other hand, she gestured with one above the other, "I'm one step up from a Candy Striper at the moment." The notebook was then stashed in purse as she took a few tentative steps forward. Reaching out for the Twizzler, "Have you ever tried the chocolate Twizzlers?"

Apparently, it wouldn't be easy to get information out of this kid.

JUBILEE. Chocolate.

Twizzlers.

What now?

Jubilee's eyes went wide, and she nearly fell off the couch. Nothing else Cecilia was saying mattered at that moment. It would be very difficult to get information out of her, simply because Jubilee couldn't think that long to give information. Her voice reached decibels only achieved by silent dog whistles. "Chocolate...twizzlers...OMIGOD."


CECILIA. Cecilia's chewing slowed until it completely stopped. "You okay there, buddy?" She pointed at Jubilee with what was left of her Twizzler, "You're spazzing out. Is this good or bad? Do you think they sound heavenly or like, an abomination?" Well, clearly they sound good to Jubilee, but Cecilia laid the bait out nice and proper.

JUBILEE. Jubilee's trembling hand rose to her mouth, comically shocked. "That...sounds...like the divine ambrosia. DO YOU HAVE SOME DO YOU HAVE SOME?"


CECILIA. Ahh, Cecilia finds Jubilee adorable. It was almost too much. With a smirk, "I think they have them at the local Seven-Eleven. If I bring you some, will you help me out?"


JUBILEE. "AW HALE YES." Jubilee flung herself off the couch, tugging a battered old sidekick out of her voluminous pocket and dashing in a quick message ("o hai warrenbb taking new hotel friend to 711 brb~") at inhuman speeds. Mutant ability: lightning fast texting? It was very possible.

Into her satchel went a great deal of things that had been laying innocuously on the couch: a book broken nearly in half at the spine, three bags of skittles, mismatched mittens, a scarf that looked about three times Jubilee's entire height, a bottle of Mountain Dew, and a can of mace. All the while she nattered onto Cecilia in the unceasing chatter of small children. "So who are you? What do you do? Are you from around here? I have friends that go to the colleges in the area, do you know any of them? I don't go to college because school is for squares. UNLESS YOU REALLY LIKE IT, THEN IT'S TOTALLY FINE."

And finally, she paused -- not for breath, but a thought occurring to her admist the wild static. "Wait, what are you doing here again?"


CECILIA. Cecilia didn't realize she had just invited this kid along with her. But hey, it's not like she had a whole lot to do. She'd freed up time to find out some info on Moira... and this wasn't exactly what she had in mind, but whatever worked. She was able to answer the questions as quickly as they came at her. She ticked them off on her fingers as she went.

"I'm Cecilia, what's your name? What do I do? Uh, I kick ass." Said with a shrug, because. Well. Not really. Just seems like the thing to say. "Not for a living, though. I go to school and answer phones. I'm from New York. I like school, but you're right, it is for squares-- I'm here for some information on Moira? You said you know her, right? Or just ... info general. What is this place? Is it cheaper than living on campus?" And why are there tiny sugared up chicks just hanging around?

JUBILEE. Jubilee paused and gave Cecilia her best scrutinizing look. It lasted a full, uncomfortable minute, and then she straightened and slung her bag over her shoulder. "My name's Jubilation -- " and then, conspiratorially -- "'cause every day with me is like a celebration." Catch phrases, she has them. Jubilee pointedly ignored all of Cecilia's questions (or perhaps not so pointedly, and merely forgot to answer them), and slung an arm through the other girl's, like they had a history of skipping through fields of daisies. "COME ON, SAM." Cecilia, but whatever. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

And without waiting, she hauled Cecilia bodily out the front door. Somewhere along the line, surely, Cecilia's questions would be answered; but for the moment, they would have to wait until her hostess got her sugar fix (and let Warren know what was going on, of course. After all, she was hyperactive, not retarded).