Thirteen sat in a cramped desk-chair in the lecture theatre, tapping her fingernails against the cover of a book she'd brought. It wasn't a romance, or a medical text, or a bestseller--if House caught her reading it and decided to analyze her choice, she wanted to at least make his deductions interesting. The clock on the wall ticked past nine, and Thirteen shared a glance with Taub--they'd both noticed that Amber, for once, wasn't early and so softly and understandingly trying to undermine the rest of them while they waited for House. Not that Brennan, Kutler, and Cole were idiots. They must have noticed too, they just didn't care about acknowledging it.
Thirteen lowered her head, not interested in meeting anyone's eyes. They'd have a case soon. She didn't appreciate waiting just because House wanted somebody to break, but it was more likely that he'd forgotten all about them this morning--no, even more indifferent than that: he didn't care enough to call and give them something to do while he slept in. Thirteen wouldn't, if she'd had a night worth recuperating from rather than the restless one she'd had: unable to settle down to anything, constantly finding herself on her feet and rubbing her palms together, looking for anything that could hold her attention long enough to stop thinking about yesterday's patient.
I am so, so scared.
She wasn't. She'd taken on the name Thirteen like a talisman, and she was practically someone different now, with no past and no possibility being betrayed by it.
But it would be nice if House actually showed up with something to do.
Cole had followed her lead and was bent over a file, concentrating on whatever he was writing and ignoring the others. Kutner had pulled out a battered Nintendo DS and started killing space monkeys, or whatever game had hooked his attention. Thirteen had glanced over long enough to watch his eyes widening in time with the tinny music. A few minutes later, Brennan was looking over Kutner's shoulder, and then pretending to be above it all as he asked for a turn. Kutner handed over the game with a big grin, and a few minutes after that, Taub was kibbitzing from the sidelines while they took turns exploding pixels.
Thirteen turned back to her book. Much easier to hide the moment House strode in the door.
Still, she was a little taken off-guard when the next person to stride--majestically, Thirteen thought, hiding a smirk--into the theatre was Amber. She looked in equal measures pissed off and haughty enough to pull off her Queen of the World act.
Taub looked up from the boys' game long enough to consider Amber with a bland stare. "Guess House didn't tell you we were meeting somewhere else and it slipped your mind about letting us know," he said. Kutner grinned. Brennan and Cole both looked pissed off, like they hadn't even considered the possibility until that second.
Thirteen raised an eyebrow at Amber, her smile growing fractionally. "Good morning," she said, her amusement--and all the assumptions she could make about why Amber was late--obvious in her voice.
no subject
Thirteen lowered her head, not interested in meeting anyone's eyes. They'd have a case soon. She didn't appreciate waiting just because House wanted somebody to break, but it was more likely that he'd forgotten all about them this morning--no, even more indifferent than that: he didn't care enough to call and give them something to do while he slept in. Thirteen wouldn't, if she'd had a night worth recuperating from rather than the restless one she'd had: unable to settle down to anything, constantly finding herself on her feet and rubbing her palms together, looking for anything that could hold her attention long enough to stop thinking about yesterday's patient.
I am so, so scared.
She wasn't. She'd taken on the name Thirteen like a talisman, and she was practically someone different now, with no past and no possibility being betrayed by it.
But it would be nice if House actually showed up with something to do.
Cole had followed her lead and was bent over a file, concentrating on whatever he was writing and ignoring the others. Kutner had pulled out a battered Nintendo DS and started killing space monkeys, or whatever game had hooked his attention. Thirteen had glanced over long enough to watch his eyes widening in time with the tinny music. A few minutes later, Brennan was looking over Kutner's shoulder, and then pretending to be above it all as he asked for a turn. Kutner handed over the game with a big grin, and a few minutes after that, Taub was kibbitzing from the sidelines while they took turns exploding pixels.
Thirteen turned back to her book. Much easier to hide the moment House strode in the door.
Still, she was a little taken off-guard when the next person to stride--majestically, Thirteen thought, hiding a smirk--into the theatre was Amber. She looked in equal measures pissed off and haughty enough to pull off her Queen of the World act.
Taub looked up from the boys' game long enough to consider Amber with a bland stare. "Guess House didn't tell you we were meeting somewhere else and it slipped your mind about letting us know," he said. Kutner grinned. Brennan and Cole both looked pissed off, like they hadn't even considered the possibility until that second.
Thirteen raised an eyebrow at Amber, her smile growing fractionally. "Good morning," she said, her amusement--and all the assumptions she could make about why Amber was late--obvious in her voice.