Room 401, Wednesday Morning

[nottrivial]

Alec had spent the last few days pretty consistently upset, and today wasn't much better. Even training in the gym late last night for twice his usual time hadn't helped at all, which was probably because those sessions were good for working off anger and frustration, and Alec wasn't really angry or frustrated, just... sad.

He showered and got dressed and thought long and hard about skipping class today, and then he flung himself back into bed, thinking darkly about how utterly unimpressed his parabatai would be if he saw this pathetic display of heartsickness.

[[open post!]]

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[seveninchmotto]

"Well, by the sound of it, technically you didn't."

Because Sparkle had. Which wasn't much of a comfort, she knew, but she was almost as terrible at this as Jace. Still, she reached out to rub his arm wth her fingertips, head tilted thoughtfully to the side.

"My personal opinion is good riddance, but I know you don't feel like that."

[nottrivial]

Alec appreciated the arm-rubbing. He managed a smile that was forced, but grateful.

"What did you not like about him?" he wondered. "Other than all that. And him being a mundane."

[seveninchmotto]

"I'm actually fairly indifferent to him," Isabelle corrected him with an idle, light shrug. "Apart from the insults and the mundie stuff. I don't know him enough to dislike him like that, and I don't particularly feel like getting to know him, either."

Insults or no insults. She shrugged another time. None of it was personal. Was she the only one who knew that?

"All I ever cared about was that he doesn't hurt you."

[nottrivial]

Oh. Well. Oops.

"You're not going to hunt him down with your whip or something now, are you?" Alec asked warily.

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle gave him a dry look.

"No."

Probably not.

[nottrivial]

"Okay." Oh, Alec, you were much too trusting. "He'd just decide we are bullies and it'd be completely... dramatic and unnecessary."

Not to mention that he genuinely didn't want Sparkle to feel worse than he imagined he probably already did (did he?), but a good chunk of it was that first thing.

[seveninchmotto]

"I'm also making no promises about being nice to him if I run into him somewhere," Isabelle felt the need to point out. Lightly.

Look, it just had to be said and really, she thought it should have been obvious anyway.

[nottrivial]

"Izzy," Alec objected, but without enough force behind it to sound like he really meant it.

He sighed, putting his face in his hands. "Whose idea was it to go to school with mundanes anyway?"

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle gave his arm a squeeze. But hey, at least there was an actual answer to that question.

"Jace's."

[nottrivial]

Yeah, yeah. "Well, it was a stupid idea."

Alec knew he was being childish, but surely he had to get a free pass on maturity once in a while. For special occasions.

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle was pretty sure the stupid idea had been to get involved with mundanes, but she didn't say that out loud, out of some small semblance of sympathy.

"Well, you'll just have to take that up with him," she said. "I'm sure he'd be just thrilled to hear that."

[nottrivial]

Alec started, sitting up straighter and looking mildly alarmed. "Don't tell him about this, okay?"

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle shook her head. "I wasn't going to." And that, at least, was the truth. "It's none of his business. And also," she added, going for a mock huaghty tone to lighten the mood, "he didn't tell me any of the interesting stuff when he was here and I wasn't, either."

[nottrivial]

"Thanks." Having Jace know about the details of his romantic life was never going to be anything other than horrifying. And taking his cue from Isabelle and adopting a more relaxed tone, Alec agreed, "Yeah, all the things I've been able to surprise you with since you've gotten here should have been old news to you by now. I can't believe you didn't know about the kissing-a-demon thing."

[seveninchmotto]

"Jace is so unreliable," Isabelle sighed, flopping dramatically onto her back. "He can't be trusted as a proper news source."

[nottrivial]

"I don't think I was much better," Alec pointed out. Oh, he was worse.

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle snorted. "You were much much worse."

Obviously.

[nottrivial]

"And how are you doing as a news source?" he prodded, pretty sure of what the answer would be.

Wow, his mood was... slowly but surely improving.

[seveninchmotto]

"I'm being selective." Mostly because there were things she didn't care about, and also things she didn't need to hear Jace's opinion on when she could just as well guess it herself. "Jace's loss for moving away."

[nottrivial]

"Yeah, when I graduate, I'm not sure I'm going to call it a loss."

[seveninchmotto]

"Well, New York is going to consider it a gain either way." She shrugged, playing with a strand of her hair. "And that's what counts."

[nottrivial]

Aww. That was really, really sweet.

"Izzy..." Alec began, but he couldn't think of a response, so he just reached out and patted her awkwardly on the arm. "Same for you," he said. "By the Angel, this town is much safer with you here."

[seveninchmotto]

"Naturally," Isabelle replied, smugly but with a smile. As was her way. "And prettier."

[nottrivial]

"Naturally," Alec echoed. "It's a good thing you have another whole year and a half to keep contributing that way."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle shrugged a shoulder.

"Well, half a year, anyway."

She was still keeping her plans open after that.