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River had been happily reading on the couch with her fox on her lap. She was reading a real book too! Just because she was a little more enthusiastic and energetic than everyone else didn't mean that she wasn't smart! She may say stupid-sounding things on a regular basis, but she read a lot. Hell, if she hadn't been such an awful student in high school, she probably would have gotten decent grades. Granted, she was reading a book on the secret romances of samurai that probably had zero historical accuracy, but it was still reading!

Anyway, she was reading on the couch, Jaeja curled up on her lap, when someone knocked on the front door. She looked up for a moment before moving--was Alex back so soon? No, he wouldn't have knocked. He always brought his key, and even if by some freak accident he had forgotten it, he wouldn't have knocked so politely. He would have yelled for someone. He was good at that, yelling. So it wasn't Alex. She looked at Jaeja. "Who could it be?" she asked the little fox, who simply let out a yawn and stretched its front paws out in response to its owner's movements. Satisfied with this "reply", River quickly relocated Jaeja to the back of the couch and stood up, hurrying over to the door. Without bothering to check to see who it was, she swung the door wide open and stared up at Zhi. For a split second, she was startled, but it quickly gave way for her typical grin.

"Zhi!" she exclaimed cheerily. "What are you doing here? Did Elliot invite you?" River asked as she glanced towards the stairs. Elliot normally would warn her of guests, not that she got many of them.

River looked at Zhi blankly for a moment. Finals? Oh that's right, they still had those. She had never really paid attention to finals when she was in school, so she always forgot it was a normal thing. "Well, then, come in, come in!" she replied with a bright smile, waving the younger girl into the house. Closing the door behind her, she looked Zhi over, her eyes lingering at the bag. Oh, how exciting, a real sleepover. "Elliot didn't tell me there were finals. Must be rough." Again, not that she knew first-hand. But she remembered the nerds they used to harass always looked extra stressed around finals time. She paused for a moment before turning to face the stairs. "Elliot...! Zhi's here!" she called upstairs. There was a long silence, and then the sound of a door opening.

"She'll be down in a minute. Would you like anything to eat or drink?" River smiled at Zhi. Her mother always used to say that when she brought friends over, and it tickled to recite it herself. She was getting to play hostess again, it was so exciting~

Elliot stepped silently down the stairs, her eyes fixed onto Zhi the entire time. "...Hello, Zhi."

River smiled at Zhi as she spoke. Really! They prepared for weeks? How odd! She wasn't sure why it was such a foreign concept, studying for a big test. Afterall, she had graduated from high school. But she had never paid much attention to final exams for some reason. And her high school was all too happy to have her gone, so they probably had overlooked some missing credits.

Elliot stared at Zhi at the mention of a 'sleepover'. "...Ah... yes... the sleepover," she nodded slowly. This was honestly the first time she had heard of anything, but she wasn't the type to get offended because Zhi hadn't warned her. In fact, she was pretty excited to have her over! Even if she didn't show it. At all.

River clapped her hands together happily. So it was true! Not that she had doubted Zhi, it was just if Elliot had confirmed it, it meant that something great was happening! "I can take your things, Zhi," she offered, holding out her hand.

River was a little disappointed that Zhi had declined her offer, but knowing herself, she probably would have gotten overly excited and would run off with the bag. And then what would they study with? Her slight slump didn't last long, however, as she cheered up almost instantly at the mention of movies. "Sure! I'd love to! That is, if you don't mind me intruding," she added, to be polite. But really, she would have invited herself either way.

Elliot followed Zhi up the stairs as she called for her to follow, while River smiled up at them. "I'll go call Alex and tell him you're here," she said before disappearing into the kitchen.

Elliot stared at the back of Zhi's head, trying to figure out why she was there. She wondered if she was really just there to study, but couldn't figure out how to ask. When they reached the top of the stairs, Elliot passed by and led her to own room. Bokonon was in its cage on the floor, and aside from that, it was surprisingly bare. Or not, considering her nature. Elliot was quiet for a moment before she looked at Zhi. "Studying?" she asked, which was her (unsuccessful) attempt to ask why Zhi was really there.

Ahh, that made more sense. Elliot nodded in agreement with what Zhi was staying. There was really no way they would do well unless they did perfectly, and Elliot didn't feel like trying that hard. She had managed to fall under the radar of the principal up until that point, and she didn't really want to gain her attention, even if it was because she had aced the test. She was happy being ignored.

"Disney?" Elliot looked down at the DVDs that Zhi had spread out on her floor. "You like Disney, Zhi?" she wouldn't have thought her the type to like cartoons. "Uhm... Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood, The Rescuers, Mulan..." she listed, pointing to the DVDs as she went through. River liked anthropomorphic animals and action. "Why River, though? Why not what you like?" Elliot asked after a moment of thought. Zhi was acting a little odd, she thought.

...Polite. Elliot tilted her head to the side slightly. Was it really that important to be polite? They weren't strangers. They had spoken on several occasions, so did they need to be formal? She didn't understand. Maybe she couldn't understand. Probably first she'd need to figure out why Zhi liked River so much. She loved her sister, don't get her wrong, but River wasn't Zhi's sister. It didn't make much sense!

"But she wouldn't mind. She's not picky," Elliot continued to push the issue, but not for longer. For whatever reason, Zhi wanted to be on River's good side, and she wouldn't get in the way.


As if right on cue, River' footsteps came hurrying up the stairs, down the hall, and then the woman herself appeared in the doorway. "Hey, I called Alex, and he'll be out late tonight. Since you won't have to worry about bothering him, do you two want to move downstairs?" When Alex talked about staying out late, it meant he was pulling an all-nighter and staying at work. River glanced down and noticed the DVDs. "Oh, Disney movies?"

River's face lit up at Zhi's proposal. It was almost like she was being invited to the sleepover, too! She had never been to a real sleepover. Sleepovers for her as a teenager consisted mainly of her and her friends loitering around places. "Yes, yes, yes! Studying can wait~" Well, there went hostess-River. She was saying some reckless things; it was good that Zhi and Elliot were older, otherwise she'd be afraid of them copying her attitude. Of course, not now, but later in her life, when she was wiser and more considerate.

"You guys can go head on downstairs. I'll go get some pillows and blankets and snacks. Elliot, you know how to use the DVD player, right?" Elliot nodded, then gestured for Zhi to follow as she made her way downstairs to the living room. "Which one do you want to watch, Zhi?" she asked, once they were away from River.