all rise

[self_composed]

No plea bargain is struck. The jury is picked, and Lucinda asks a few random ones whether they have accepted bribes and sees who looks nervous: no one, as it turns out, so she strikes people who are too young to have children and one fellow who looks like he hates the entire world for her picks. Paul strikes a grandmotherly type and someone who admits when asked that they don't think much of rich people.

"All rise," comes the command as Judge Roberts walks in.

Comments

[self_composed]

[I suppose. You'll still be off the grid. After a certain age landlords expect you to have renting history. I'm going to live on campus for at least the first couple of years in college - for the social life; I don't think I can network as effectively from farther away, I might even have to join a sorority. But after that you could be my roommate-on-paper, I guess.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[That'd be fun. I mean, I doubt I'll ever care, but it'd be fun.]

[self_composed]

[So you'll never take it into your head to have a flat of live chicks delivered to your door just so you can make weird remarks that make the delivery person wonder what in God's name you're liable to do with them?] Bella inquires.

[edgeofyourseat]

...He cracks up.

[self_composed]

[Well, it seems like the kind of thing that might amuse you, and requires an address.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[It totally would! Maybe I'll have some delivered to you.]

[self_composed]

[No sending weird purchases to my dorm,] Bella says. [I have no use for a few dozen baby chickens.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[What if I do it while you're not there and then I take them away and clean up after them?]

[self_composed]

[Then my roommate or my sorority sisters or the RA or whoever will wonder why you are skulking about my room with infant birds, Alice, and then I have to explain you.]

[edgeofyourseat]

He cracks up again.

[This is looking more hilarious the more I think about it.]

[self_composed]

[I'd really rather you didn't make me explain you too much. You're kind of inexplicable. If you're just around sometimes I can say "he's my friend from high school who visits a lot, he visited me when I was recuperating from being hit by a car, y'know" but if you're trying to use my room as a base of operations for on-grid pranks that's a slightly different matter.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[I am very inexplicable,] he says happily. [But okay.] No baby bird deliveries to Bella's doorstep.

[self_composed]

[Very inexplicable indeed,] Bella says fondly. Pet pet pet.

[edgeofyourseat]

Awwwwww. Alice leans against the edge of her bed and indulges in some snuggly happy feelings.

[self_composed]

It's been enough of a long day that Bella goes ahead and dives into that tempting feedback loop.

Tomorrow there will be more things to do.

[edgeofyourseat]

Yes. For today, there are feeeeeeeeeeeelings.