Miranda's Dorm

[Aria Nyx]

Aria steps into the room out of nowhere, or rather, straight from Sam and Nailah's apartment. After looking around she lets herself fall onto the bed with an exasperated sigh.

"Man, I don't even remember this place." she mumbles to herself, apparently having forgotten that she's still wearing Will.

[Will Stanton]

"Mmmf?"

[Aria Nyx]

"Ah fuck!" She props herself up on her elbows. "You didn't hear that."

[Will Stanton]

"Mmmmf?"

[Aria Nyx]

"Oh right." She reaches into her pocket and unzips Will's mouth.

[Will Stanton]

"Are you...alright?"

[Aria Nyx]

" 'Course I am. Why shouldn't I be. Everything's awesome all the time." she sighs.

[Will Stanton]

"Man, I hope that doesn't work on future me."

[Aria Nyx]

"How stupid do you think you are?" she jokes weakly.

[Will Stanton]

"On a scale of 1 to 10? Enough."

[Aria Nyx]

"You ever had one of those moments where you write a number down and it's wrong so you try to turn that 4 into a 7 somehow but it doesn't really work and instead it just ends up a complete mess? There's probably, like, a German word for it. I should ask Mom about that..."

[Will Stanton]

"I can't say I have, no. So, the family reunion didn't help?"

[Aria Nyx]

"I can see bits and pieces but it's all wrong. It's the wrong time, things are happening too early, everything is out of order now."

[Will Stanton]

"Do you think it's...broken beyond repair?"

[Aria Nyx]

"I don't know, man... I can see the right path but no matter what it's swallowed up by darkness. And she's walking right into it somehow but that's so vague it's worse than useless to warn them about. Besides, they'd put two and two together eventually. I can hide my thoughts from Mum but Mom gets one of her moments and it'll be like a fucking glowing red line to her and then everything's gonna collapse for real."

[Will Stanton]

"Red line to WHO?"

[Aria Nyx]

"Mom." she repeats as if that makes it clear before adding a "Nailah?"

[Will Stanton]

"No, who is walking right into what, is what I mean. You're trying to warn someone of something, but you're pulling that vague thing you probably get from both of your parents."

[Aria Nyx]

"No, see, I don't know what to warn them about! Only that there's something and it's keeping things from going the right way and it means on top of me not getting home I screwed things up for m--Miranda now too. As if the whole 'no eyes' thing wasn't bad enough already."

[Will Stanton]

"Wait, are you saying your presence here hurt Miranda? How?"

[Aria Nyx]

"She wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me. Though I still maintain that would be worse overall. I have it on good authority she prefers existing over not existing!"

[Will Stanton]

"...What connection do you have with Black Air, Aria." Will accused.

[Aria Nyx]

"I don't know what you're talking about. Those guys are nothing but assholes. Giant, lieing assholes."

[Will Stanton]

"Logic. You said she wouldn't be here if not for you. They're responsible for her being here. Ergo..."

[Aria Nyx]

"Oh yeah? Shut up! I'm not gonna be talked back to by my jacket."

[Will Stanton]

"Aria, I think it's time you came clean."

[Aria Nyx]

"And I think it's time for you to shut up before you force me to ruin my first Christmas." she slips up while reaching for Will's mouth-zipper.

[Will Stanton]

"Wait, what you mean your first Chrismmmf?"

[Aria Nyx]

"Oh whoops, looks like you got zipped." she says, shrugging out of the jacket and stepping out of the room and straight to the top of the lighthouse.

"I'm sure someone's gonna find you eventually. I just need some more time to sort this out." she says as she ties the arms of the jacket to the railing of the observation platform with several knots.

[Will Stanton]

Will started flapping in the wind some, seemingly unable to undo the knots. A side-effect of the zipper?