FEET DON'T FAIL ME NOW, [lark]

The day was slowly but surely winding down. The afternoons were not always extremely busy, though sometimes the parents waited until the very last moment to pick up their kid to take them home. As much as Lark enjoyed making money, she also enjoyed being able to have a bit of the evening to herself without being dead tired. Going from school to work was not exactly a bowl of cherries. Only a few children remained, their source of entertainment lying with a box full of Legos on the other side of the room. She watched them with feigned interest, ensuring that they didn't beat one another over the head with the seemingly harmless plastic toys. Seemingly, because anything could be turned into a weapon if you used it right. Lark allowed her mind to drift now. Random things popped into her head, like what was she going to do for dinner? Mess hall, probably. Maybe call Ashton and see if he wanted to join her. Homework would need to happen at some point tonight too, or perhaps some time with her guitar would be better.

Off in her own world--and semi-watching the children build what looked like a fucked up castle with spikes sticking out of the sides--she almost did not hear the door to the room open. Almost. She subconsciously tuned in just in case it was a parent. Always had to be on the alert and appear to be in full-on teacher mode. When Lark turned her head and saw who it really was, a broad smile formed on her lips. "Hey there," She greeted cheerfully, watching with a hungry gleam in her eyes as Nell set the food on the table. Fortunately the kids were not fully aware of the newest presence in the room or the food she brought along with her. She laughed. "I get stuck in these chairs every single day," There was a small motion as she wiggled in the chair, not quite managing to remove herself from it. "It makes me feel fat. Then I realize that the size of my hips could probably equal two of theirs." The kids were only pre-school, so it would make sense. Though she had to admit there were some kids that could use a little less McDonald's in their diet.

"Mmm, donuts. And unhealthy things. You know me so well." With an eager smile, Lark reached forward and snatched one of the donuts out of the box, examining it for a moment before taking a bite. You simply could not go wrong with baked goods. Never. Nell had somehow managed to rub off on her and every time she was around the Earth girl her appetite seemed to increase. Maybe it was like they shared the same stomach or something. Awkward. The girl actually appeared thoughtful at the question, trying to come up with something that sounded intelligent and well thought out, but nothing seemed good enough. Instead, Lark shrugged and took a bite of her donut instead. "I have no idea, actually. They probably inject it because...baked jelly doesn't really sound all that delicious." It would probably get hard or semi-hard and that would be disgusting.

Just as she was about to take another bite, she stopped and blinked at Nell for a moment before setting the other half of her donut on a napkin that she snagged from a small stack nearby. "And what reason would that be?" Lark asked, raising an eyebrow. "It wasn't just...a random surprise visit? Not that it's not a surprise, but you know." Now curiosity was getting the better of her. She shook her head and leaned back in the small chair, ensuring that all four legs were on the floor. Last time she fell backwards and was the laughing stock of the classroom for about a week. Never again. "Nah, never too busy for you. What's up?" Fortunately food was a great distraction and kept her from staring at Nell intently. Taking another bite of the delicious donut, Lark turned her attention towards the kids to make sure they were doing alright.

Lark wiggled her butt in the seat, trying to get comfortable; they were probably the worst when it was nap time and she had nothing better to do than sit there and play on her phone or work on music. The seat was a major distraction and hurt her rear end more than it should have. Well, at least she wasn't actually fat. She made a humming noise in her throat to show she had heard Nell's question, then waited until she answered herself to respond. "That's exactly what it's like," She replied with a nod. "Only they don't sing or dance or have giant lollipops." Hand rested under chin as she emitted a sigh, looking rather forlorn about the entire ordeal. Boy, what she would give to have a large, colorful lollipop right about now. Some sweets couldn't hurt. At least I have donuts. And that was enough for now. Lark blinked, not sure what movie she was referring to at first, then smiled when Nell mentioned Elf. "Aha, that movie. I've only seen it once but I liked it." The spaghetti scene was probably her favorite, though it was really the only scene she fully remembered.

That would be incredibly awkward, having Nell be a stalker. Yet, in some weird twisted way it was flattering? Maybe. The Earth girl was one of her closer friends so it could be way worse. A stranger certainly had less room to stalk her movements than a friend. "So you were the one who was outside my window last night," Lark mused rather quietly, tapping her finger to her chin. "Just...don't put those pictures up on the internet or anything. I'll be glad to pay you for them." With the nervousness of someone who actually might have done something questionable in their bedroom, she shifted her eyes back and forth for a moment before catching Nell's eye and smiling. She shrugged and took the tea, examining the cup before taking a sip. "Mmm...that's not too bad. All I've had is water all day so it's nice." Water was thirst quenching but had no flavor. Tea was a nice change. She patted her friend on the arm. "No one will judge you for believing that it's magic."

She smiled, eyes lighting up slightly at the prospect of balloons and cakes and parties. Birthdays in the past were never really all that memorable, save for last year, but her childhood did not really hold fond memories in that aspect. Then, her smile dimmed considerably when the conversation altered to something a bit more serious, and Lark took a moment to channel her focus onto her friend. Probably a bad idea considering the children in the room but they would be fine. What was the worst that could happen? Her friends were important to her and anything Nell had to say was a big deal.

"Well it's good that you're not working with Jane--" Her sentence somewhat halted mid-way through, eyes widening in shock at the news of Nell finding someone in her trunk. What sort of sick, twisted person would do something like that? Jane, of course. The bitch locked her in a closet for no reason what-so-ever, so this should not have come as a surprise. Then again, going from a closet to a trunk was a rather large leap. "She...did what now? What on earth would she do something like that? That crazy.." No no, there was no need to go any further. There were children present and anything else she had to say would not be meant for their ears. Her angry train of thought was distracted by what Nell had to say next; it was impossible to miss Lark's nostrils flaring out as she tried to keep herself under control. Damn, if she were not at work this would be easier. A small wave of anxiety flipped in her stomach but Lark did not make this obvious. She lowered her voice when she said, "Got them on your back? Like...is this one of those true blue mafia things where they actually hunt people down and try to 'take them out'?" Because that was a scary thought and no one wanted to imagine being chased down by the mob.

Well, wasn't that just the loveliest bit of news. And the question left her thinking. Lark was not quite sure how to absorb all of this just yet, so instead of saying anything right away she stared at the half-eaten donut in her hand. Contemplating the jelly issue seemed much more appealing at this point. "I think..." What did she think? Going to CSIS would be the best option, really, but knowing why Nell wanted to go there was bothersome. Lark sighed and glanced over at the kids for a moment to ensure they were okay before turning back to her friend. "I mean, that's probably a good idea. What do you think they'll be able to do, do you think? Witness protection or something?" She did not know all of the fine details, nor did she really want to, but if Nell was willing to go to CSIS then the situation was definitely not rainbows and butterflies.

She considered Nell's words for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Are you up for making that tradition then?" Lark asked with a slightly hopeful edge to her voice. "Maybe watch it a few days before Christmas or something. Assuming you aren't doing anything else." She added a shrug to say that she would not be offended if Nell turned it down. Her experiences with the winter holidays had never been extremely positive. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that a lot of her potential family time was practically non-existent. Hell, previous Christmas had been spent with Samson and Beatrice. Not that it was not memorable, but still. Invading his family time made her feel guilty.

"Clearly. But that's okay you're still loved, even if your sleuthing ability is sub-par." Lark nodded at her friend, offering a split-second pout before retracting it again. That was probably for the best anyway, if someone did decide to go stalk her. Not knowing someone was following you around was a bit creepy. At least her life was boring and average. That saved her from too much curiosity from others. "Oho, you drive a hard deal..." She took in a bit of air through her teeth. "But you had me at 'nice dinner', so I think we can manage this." Food sounded really nice right about now, actually. What she would give for a hamburger or something. Unfortunately there was still the matter of waiting for her shift to end, and then driving back to school. The mess hall was her best bet. Her eyes lit up a little. "Oh yeah I've seen those. Maybe I should get some later when I go to the store." They normally encouraged water in the classroom in case it spills, or in case the kids got a hold of it. Who wanted a bunch of little kids hyped up on caffeine or sugar? No one. At least not stuck in this room.

It was obvious by the stolid expression on Lark's face that she was angry and disturbed by this news, not quite sure what to do. She wanted to rant and call the woman an assortment of beautiful names but knew it would come back to bite her in the ass. If this had been switched and Nell had been in that trunk, Lark would not have given any sort of thought to the children present. All hell would break loose. She snorted and crossed her arms. "Wow, so the bast--" Lark stopped and exhaled. This was so damn difficult. "So they actually have some morals, do they? That's not exactly something I was expecting." Her voice was clipped and seething, just loud enough for only Nell to hear. She wore a very deep and intimidating scowl. "I don't think you understand," The tightness in her shoulders was beginning to throb. "A threat is just as bad as anything else. It still proves what she's capable of and if she does anything to you..." No. No Lark was not even going to dwell on it. Maybe later in the confines of her own room or away from work but right now was not exactly opportune.

Despite the graveness of the situation, Lark had to refrain from finding herself mildly amused by the image of Nell farming peanuts. Then it faded when she realized that witness protection was a serious thing. "Let's hope it doesn't come to something like that." If it did, then she was not quite sure what would happen. Nell would have to change everything. She sighed a little and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. This was one big fucked up mess. The anger still roiled in side of her. "Well if you can manage doing that then more power to you. I know for a fact that I couldn't even talk to her." There would be fists first, words later. That was how Lark wanted to do it if she had the opportunity. She contemplated over Nell's question now, trying to decide if she should encourage this or not. On one hand it would probably help get rid of Jane for good, but on the other it could potentially place her friend in harms way. Did Josh know about this? What would he have said to Nell? I really don't know. She drew an unfortunate blank. "I mean, I guess so. I just don't want to see this make any unexpected turns." Because that would be bad and Lark did not want to be witness to anything the mafia could--and probably would--be capable of doing to anyone who crossed their path the wrong way.

Lark clapped her hands together once and nodded eagerly, glad that Nell was interested in starting up this little tradition. It might have sounded a bit cheesy to some, but for someone who never had much of anything that was consistent during the holidays this was cherished. This would be the first Christmas where everything was calm and relaxed and she had plenty of people to share it with. Ashton, Josh, Nell, Gale, Pacey, and numerous others that she could visit or buy gifts for and spend time with. Sounded like a good deal to her.

For some reason, the image of Nell stalking her was highly amusing. Not because she was not capable, but because it was Nell. She simply did not seem like the type of person to do that to anyone, at least in a malicious way. Was there a non-malicious way to stalk someone? Hell if she knew. "Good, and then I can burn them and they'll never be seen again." She shifted her eyes back and forth a little, feigning anxiety. If anything, Lark's home life--or now, dorm life--was a bit mundane and there was nothing worth hiding. It was not like she had crazy sex escapades with Ashton or did a bunch of heavy drugs or sold ecstasy to her friends. Nothing like being the ultimate juvenile delinquent. "Do they have a lot of flavors? I mean, I'm sure they have the generic lemonade, and iced tea, and stuff...but what other ones do they have?" If Nell was well-versed in the ways of these little powder packets, might as well ask.

She should have not been as upset as Nell as she was for being so calm and collected about the whole ordeal, but it was mostly due to the situation in general. She's threatening you. She is trying to cause problems and you sound like it's nothing. That's where the two differed in personality. Lark would not hesitate to beat the shit out of Jane right then and there, but unfortunately time and place was not exactly in accordance with that. "How can you possibly make a promise like that?" Her voice was still clipped, eyes hard. "I don't trust Jane, so I don't trust that she won't try something." The woman shoved someone into Nell's trunk and locked her in a closet for no reason. Who was to say she was not past outing her own niece for whatever reason she deemed fit? All of this made her hands shake with rage; the only thing keeping her from slamming her fist against the table in fury was the children. When she got out of here though, if she had not found a means of calming down before then, you could be sure she would let it all out somehow.

"So she's a Water elemental then," The girl deadpanned, voice low but murderous. "I want to throttle her but I'm not that stupid." Anger issues aside, Lark knew better than to rush headlong into a fight with an adult Water elemental. Powers might have peaked at twenty-five but the strength would still be unmatchable for her. Lark snorted again. "I can't take her in any dose." Nell was certainly better than she was at dealing with people, which was good in this situation. If the roles had been reversed, the Fire would have probably been fucked. She was no where near as calm and collected about things like her friend was. Not if they stepped on her toes and threatened her. It was like backing a wolf into a corner. "Everyone in the mafia has more power than they should. So you better be careful because I will lose it if something bad happens." She could not guarantee how she would respond if anything went wrong. You could only gauge your reactions to things to a certain extent before there were too many variables to make anything precise. Lark dropped her shoulders and appeared collected on the outside, but inside was a rage of emotions.

Fortunately a couple of the parents had come in to pick up their children, and only one was left. "After he gets picked up, we should go and grab some dinner or something. Even if we do have donuts." Change of subject, that was always good. And it dealt with food, which she knew Nell liked so it could be used as a distraction from the most recent news.

Although Lark was glad that Nell had come to her about this problem and was willing to reveal the issues she was having with Jane, she wished that this visit had been a bit more pleasant. The first thing she wanted to do was strangle Jane, but kept these murderous type thoughts to herself. They would do no good and no matter how angry she was Lark was not willing to end up in prison for the rest of her life. The girl sat back a little and examined her friend, trying to decide whether or not she should take this and believe without any further questions or doubtful words. "Okay," She replied, pulling her gaze away for the time being. Nell was one of her closest friends; her loyalty was fighting with fear at this point but she needed to trust. Her expression still looked perturbed and angry. "You had better be sure," Lark warned quietly, casting a small glance in Nell's direction, "Because if things go sour I--" There was nothing she could come up with, no reasonable solution for any negative outcome. She wondered if Josh knew about this, but decided it was not her business to ask.

There was no need for her to know what Jane had done to Josh or Nell in the past for there to be a deep, unyielding hatred for the woman. Lark was the type of person that, if you were not her friend or at least a good acquaintance, if you do her wrong she does not hesitate to dislike or hate you. Jane found herself on that list immediately. She was a bit shocked to hear Nell say something like that, but she did agree whole heartedly. "I'm sure if they met her and she pulled everything she's done, they would be more than happy to." They were vindictive people, held their grudges did not mind displaying their disdain. She could be the same but she could not match them. "Small group? You gotta be kidding me, Nells. Jane? Be liked? Please." Not having witnessed enough of the woman to get a good feel for how she could be towards others, and how she treated Lark after first meeting, she could not see past what she knew and accept what was possible. Then again, she made me feel comfortable when I first met her. Maybe she was a two faced bitch to everyone.

"I hope so," Was the distant, quiet answer she gave her friend. The anger was still evident in her voice but Lark was trying to find a means to calm down. "What will you do if this doesn't work?" She had to know. What if Jane could not be convicted and put behind bars? What if she managed to slip away and leave Nell vulnerable and in danger, not to mention her and Josh and any others she was close to? That was a frightening thought.

Although the donut had been delicious, and the tea was really good, it was probably best if they found an actual meal soon. Sugar on an empty stomach could potentially be bad. "Well it's settled then," She said, placing her hand down on the table with conviction. "We are gonna go and get some real food. And we will eat like queens." Timmie's was good but sometimes it was nice to go out to a restaurant, sit down, and enjoy a full blown meal. They had already eaten Mexican, probably a diner or two, but something else would be a good change. "Hm. Do you like Italian? Or Chinese?" Those two sounded the most appetizing at this point and would be really filling. The last parent came in and, after talking with them for a moment and bidding the kid farewell, grabbed her things and offered an arm to Nell. "Let's get outta here and go stuff our faces, shall we? Do you wanna take my car or yours?" Even if the car was in Frank's name, it felt good to say my car. A means of transportation was such a beautiful thing.