xp_logs | [Marie, Shinobi] If he do not dote on her upon this...

Marie fails to resist Shinobi's plaintive request for moral support on Saturday night and is bribed with books and bookshelves for her services. Also talk of living arrangements and trust.

Marie reads over the staff posts and blinks. -What on earth?- She determines to find Shinobi, and quickly. Evidently no one took her seriously about never leaving the house again.

She finds Shinobi bent over a stack of papers in the West Commons and she takes a seat opposite him and taps the page under his nose.

"S? What's Emma's post all about?"

Blinking once as the page he's currently grading is tapped, Shinobi looks up from his work, blinking again when he sees who his visitor is. "Hi, Em," he says after a moment, briefly looking a bit confused before his mind catches up with him. "Oh! The party thing? Ah, yeah, that's.. my doing, sort of.."

"I said I wasn't leaving the house," Marie says with no small hint of stubbornness. She puts her chin in her hands and gives Shinobi a level look. "So. I can't go."

"Please?" With a quiet sigh, Shinobi sets down his pen, rubbing his face for a moment before meeting Marie's look, though his is a bit more along the lines of plaintive. "It's.. kind of a huge thing, and the moral support would be really, really nice.. besides, you're one of my closest friends. I'd like you there." He hesitates a moment before adding, "My father's going to be there, and I'm fine now, but once I see him, I'm probably going to be moderately terrified, whether Sarah and Emma are there to watch my back or not."

Marie's will crumbles visibly. "...I'm not cut out for these things, S. I'm just some little girl from the south who knows how to kick the crap out of people. I mean... " she falters in the face of Shinobi's rather pleading look.

"And Emma's just a girl from Boston," Shinobi observes, cracking a little smile. "Honestly, Em, they aren't all *that* bad. If Sarah thinks she can survive it, you'd do *fine*, I promise."

"But Sarah's Sarah," Marie says in a small voice, sitting back in her seat and looking barely eighteen all of a sudden. "I don't know, S. You know I'll go it you need me."

"If you'd really, really prefer not to, I won't make you come," Shinobi replies, taking his turn to prop his chin up in a hand and smiling tiredly. "Look at it this way, though.. it's an air-tight excuse to spend even more of my money. I'm pretty sure Emma'd let you bring a date along, too, so you'd have somebody to hide behind if you needed it."

Marie rolls her eyes. "Well, I'll have to be creative. There are some unspoken rules in my relationship with Logan and one of them is that places like that are not on the list of where we go together. ...and... well." She looks pensive.

"Don't mention that rule to Sarah, she might try to adopt it." Shinobi grins, straightening up in his seat so he can tilt his head curiously to one side. "Honestly, luv, if you want to sit it out, you can. I'll just have to hide behind Jake and Sarah, if I need to."

"No, I'll go," Marie says after some thought. "I just have to figure out who to bring."

He can't help but perk, quite visibly relieved. "Really? Brilliant!" Shinobi's grin is downright radiant. "Well, in the absence of Logan.. got any close friends who could use the time out of the house? Maybe somebody used to a little glitz?"

Marie bites her lip and frowns. "Hm. Can I bring Ali?"

"I can't think of any reason why not," Shinobi replies thoughtfully, scratching the back of his head. "Double-check with Emma to make sure? I don't think she'd say no, though."

"I can hide behind her fine," Marie says firmly. "She's taller than I am."

"Well, there you are, then," Shinobi grins, inclining his head. "If she needs convincing, tell her I'll buy her chocolate or something."

"I'm only doing this for you." Marie gives Shinobi a stern look. "Because, you know, roommates and all. And the sticking together. And you being sweet and making me have fun."

"I'm a heartless bastard, I know," Shinobi chuckles, holding up his hands apologetically. "I'll make it up to you once the rollercoasters are running, and maybe with some more book purchases." He pauses, adding, "And maybe another bookshelf, to put them on.. is there room for one?"

"Yes, there is. I didn't really move much of anything into that room. I didn't live in it for quite a while, even."

"And a bookshelf, then." He nods once, hunting for a scrap of clean paper so he can write himself a note. "I, uh.. if it's okay, can I move my stuff in there before Friday?"

"Any time," Marie says, smiling at him. "I'll get you a key from Cain today, if you want. It's weird. I think I'm ready for company now. I'm looking forward to this. ...I am going to have to get a place to dry things in my room now, though."

"I'll try not to constantly be in 'cheer Em up' mode, unless you'd like me to be," Shinobi replies, mirroring the smile. "If all else fails, I can try to bribe Sarah upstairs so we can play poker or something."

"I'll let you know if I need cheering up," Marie assures him. "Sometimes, it's not me who's the problem. It's just that... whoever it is is getting the better of me. And cheering up isn't the solution."

Shinobi nods in understanding, scribbling himself a quick shopping list before returning his chin to its perch in his hand. "I know the feeling. It's why I picked up smoking, actually.. it shuts my head up."

Marie pulls her knees up, resting her chin on them. "I read. Or meditate. Or exercise. Sometimes nothing helps, though, and then... well, I cry a lot, honestly. But, it's better than the alternative."

"That's true enough," Shinobi replies after a moment, offering Marie a gentle smile. "My shoulder's very sturdy, if you find yourself in need of one to cry on. Or anything else, really.. I should find out just how sturdy I am, and I trust you implicitly."

"Why?" Marie frowns at him.

"You've never given me any reason to do otherwise, try as you might." He grins a bit. "You'll never be able to convince me otherwise, either. If I can trust Sarah as much as I do, I can trust you just as much easy."

Marie nods slowly, looking at Shinobi serious. "That means a lot to me," she says at last. "Thank you."

"The thanks goes both ways," Shinobi smiles, giving his head a slow shake. "But you're welcome, just the same."

"You too. I'd better go find Ali and then get that key for you from Cain or Scott, whichever one I find first," Marie says, getting to her feet. "I'll bring it by when I have it."

"I'll be here for a while yet, so no rush," Shinobi nods, straightening in his chair as she stans. "Thanks, Em."

Marie frowns, not quite knowing what for. "...sure. Any time," she says as she leaves.