❉ Baggage ❉
"I need to reclaim a little of what I've lost in order to move forward."
Not a moment after turning to address the barren state of her room, Lydia realized she'd forgotten something of grave importance. It was enough to leave the poor girl fighting off a round of tears as she looked back towards the door, unsure if she should call Quinn back so they could go back through the mirror together. She didn't really
want to go alone, it was hard enough having gone with the girl there for emotional support, but she also didn't want bother Quinn again, not after asking to be alone. She'd already done so much for her in the last few weeks, and just now with helping her break into her old room. No, she could do this herself.
Throat tight, Lydia pulled her henshin pen from her pocket and held it before her pressed between both hands. "Navi power, Make up." She said it quietly, hoping the girl down the hall wouldn't hear or sense the transformation, then stepped swiftly through the mirror and into mirrorspace, not even pausing before hurrying through another mirror and back into her old room.
It was harder the second time around, specially without Quinn there to hold her emotionally hand. There would be no lingering this time around, Navi couldn't bare it. So quick as she could she crossed to the still open doors of her closet, pulling free the case of her cello. It was crazy that she'd forgotten it in the first place, but considering all that had been going on and the fragile state of her mind, could one really blame her for having over looked a thing or two? Certainly not. She checked to make sure the instrument was snug inside, then shut the case up tight and brought it back through the mirrors and into her new room to prop it fondly against the end of the bed.
"Much better," she mused to herself, offering the case a soft pat. She hadn't been practicing lately, obviously, and she was tempted to pull it out right then and there to see just how rusty her skills may have gotten, but she resisted. There were more important things to worry about, she could always play later.
With a sigh she turned back to the bags on the floor and powered down. After a moments internal debate she grabbed the backpack with her clothes and moved off towards the dresser and the closet beside it. The dresses were hung up, along with any blouses or other garment that required it, and though the closet was still more then half empty, just seeing her own clothing again made her feel a little better. Filling the drawers had a very similar effect. There wasn't much to put away in the form of attire, but the action of it was cathartic.
It was very quiet though, distractingly so, and Lydia pulled the iPhone free from her bra and looked down at it thoughtfully. Surely the batteries were dead after so many weeks of not being used. So she set it aside, and instead moved to the computer bag still laying on the floor.
The laptop was set on the empty desk, along with her speakers, mouse, and mouse pad, and she quick;y set about plugging everything in accordingly before seeking an outlet. When she was finished the screen came to life with a familiar glow, and Lydia could have swooned when the Windows logo gave way to her desk top. Everything was exactly as she'd left it, including her music. She clicked an icon and iTunes popped up almost immediately, asking for her to sign in, which she did eagerly. When it had finished working itself out she picked a song at random and hit play, filling the room with the mellow sound of James Blunt. It was a little melancholy, but mild enough to make nice background music while she worked. Lastly she dug the white power cord from the depths of the bag and plugged it into the side of her laptop, then into her phone. It could charge while she worked, then she'd see if she still had service. Somehow she doubted it, but that was a problem for later.
With the issue of quietness worked out she finally set about the task of unpacking the mammoth duffel bag that contained the majority of her pilfered possessions. She left the books alone for now, knowing full well they'd probably take the most time in putting away, and instead pulled the bag across the room towards the tv Quinn had carried for her. She'd set it on a table across from the foot of the bed, and Lydia took a moment to wonder if she should bother moving it, but finally settled against it. It was fine where it was, and the angle would make it idle for watching movies or tv from bed. She found the cable she'd swiped from the other room and screwed that into the wall and the back of the tv, then plugged it in. A quick test showed it worked and she seemed to have nice variety of channels. Not exactly a huge concern right that moment, but she'd appreciate it later.
The Xbox was next on the long list of things to unpack and set up. She set it on it's side in the cubby beneath the table, then crawled around to the side to begin plugging everything in, tackling the playstation cables while she was at it. Feeding the lot of them through the slots in the back of the table before hooking everything up properly. The controllers were set beside either council, and she plugged all four of them into their respective machines so they too could charge for a while. They were probably just as dead as he phone had been, if not more so considering she hadn't played either system for a week or so before disappearing.
The electronics were handled, or at least as handled as they were going to get for the evening. Any fine tuning and trouble shooting could wait for another day, one where there wasn't still loads to unpack and find places for. She set the remote aside, and got back to her feet to look around the room. It was still stark in color and relatively empty, but the presence of a few familiar items was incredibly comforting. It brought a weak little smile to the young woman's lips as she reached for the strap of the duffel bag again, pulling it up and over her shoulder so she could carry it across the room to the book shelf. It wasn't very wide, but it didn't need to be. She had only packed away about half of her book, maybe a little more, and when combined with the DVDs and video games they would feel nearly three fourths of the thing.
Humming along thoughtfully with the music playing over her laptop, Lydia grabbed the chair beside the desk and wheeled it over beside the book shelf so she could perch on the edge of it, pulling the bag between her feet.
The music had faded off, and another song started in to follow. A slightly more up beat tune then the last, though still nicely mild. It brought a delicate little smile to her lips as she began removing books one by one, and she couldn't help but sing along with the lyrics, voice soft of a whisper.
"Are they calling for our last dance?
I see it, in your eyes. In your Eyes.
Same old moves for a new romance,
I could use the same old lies.
But I'l sing.."She ran her fingers along the spine of one of her oldest books, a first edition copy of Oliver twist she'd found in a second hand book store. It was in rough shape, but the binding still held. She slid it into place beside a less worn copy of Pride and Prejudice, then moved onto the next.
"Shine on, just shine on.
Close your eyes and they'll all be gone.
They can scream and shout that they've been sold out,
But it paid for the cloud that we're dancing on."Book after book was slide into place on the shelf, and soon enough she had the whole of her collection in place, leaving only the games and movies left to organize and put away. They had to be alphabetical, too. No other order would do.
"So shine on. Just shine on!
With your smile just as bright as the sun."She couldn't help but smile brightly herself at this line. The song always did have a way of easing her nerves so she could be happy again, even in only temporary.
"'Cause they're all just slaves to the gods they made
But you and I just shone.
Just shone." Methodically the girl moved through the titles of her movie collection, sliding them into place on the shelf, starting with the A's and moving through the alphabet. Lingering on one colorful case to admire the birds that lay on the face of it. Rio, her newest purchase, and one she hadn't seen yet. Perhaps Quinn would like to watch it with her later, after she finished the last of her unpacking. She was close to the end by now, and was half surprised by how much better of a mood she was in because of it. Just as she'd assumed, the presence of some of her most precious possessions and few creature comforts made even the white room seem a lot more homey.
"And when silence greets my last goodbye,
The words I need are in your eyes, and I'll sing."She finished off the last of the DVDs and moved onto the games, giving them the same sort of treatment. They were sorted by title, and then further by part of the same series before being placed on the the next shelf down.
"Shine On, just, shine on!
Close your eyes and they'll all be gone.
They can scream and shout that they've been sold out,
But it paid for the cloud that we're dancing on."There! Much better. The duffel bag was empty, and the shelf was now mostly filled and nicely colorful. She stood, taking a step back to admire it, then wheeled her computer chair back up against the desk. The little splashes of color did wonders for the decor.
"So shine on. Just shine on!
With your smile just as bright as the sun.
'Cause they're all just slaves to the gods they made,
But you and I just shone.
Just shone."With the end of the song came the end of her unpacking, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she admired the state of her room. It was still a little sparse, but that would change in time.
With a happy grin she let herself fall back against the bed, reaching automatically out to grab the pillow and stuffed turtle she'd grabbed from her old room, pulling them both close so she could bury her face against the combined softness of the pair. They smelled like home, and Lydia couldn't help but draw a long, deep breath, drawing in that familiar scent with a content sigh. It would fade in time, she knew that, but by then perhaps this place would feel more like home, and less like a hotel. For a few moments she didn't move, happy to lay there and let her worries fade away for a bit as another song played softly in teh background. At it's close though she slipped from the bed, and tucking her pillow beneath an arm, grabbed the movie and headed back out towards the living room to find Quinn.
(Word count: 2042)
