"Hey Psylocke, can you give me a hand with these?"
	"Sure."
	Moving in wasn't so bad.  Psylocke wished that she had help
moving some of her boxes when she moved in.  The furniture was handled by
professionals, but most everything else had to be sent via IPS.  She
always had faith in her own strength to move the boxes on her own,
perhaps too much.  Jennifer wasn't like Psylocke though, in strength
or build, so she took pity upon the girl.
	She gave Jennifer the spare bedroom.  It wasn't as big as her
own, but it would suffice nicely for its purpose.  When all the boxes
were finally in the apartment, Psylocke went into the kitchen and poured
herself a glass of water.  She took several gulps from him before
stopping for air.  Nearby, she could hear a faint jingle.  Then George
came trotting into the kitchen.  Psylocke smiles as the kitten butted her
head against her shin, then wove around her legs.  Psylocke dipped her
hand into her water and splashed her face.  Each droplet feeling cool and
soothing on her skin.  She poured the rest of the water into the sink and
picked George up.
	"You are so irresistibly cute, you know that?  Is that some kind
of Jedi mind trick?"
	Jennifer came into the kitchen, just as hot and tired.  "I'm
glad that's over.  Phew!"  She filed through the cabinets and found a
glass.  "Next comes the unpacking."  She then took some ice out of the
freezer, then poured herself a glass of water.  "That'll be fun," she
added with an eye roll.
	"When do you have to go back to work?"  Psylocke asked, petting
her cat's head.
	"Tomorrow morning.  I'm opening.  I hate opening, but that
means that I get done by the afternoon."
	"Always a plus."
	Jennifer took a sip of her drink.  "Hey, you never told me where
you work."	
	Psylocke froze for a second in a slight panic.  Her room mate was
a civilian.  She hadn't even taken that into consideration.  "I work
for the government."
	"Ooh!  Like the CIA?"
	Psylocke bit her tongue then replied, "No, not quite like that."

	Twenty minutes had passed.  Five earlier, Psylocke had started
cooking dinner.  When is that girl going to get out of the shower? When
the water on the stove started to boil, she cracked some spaghetti over
the pot and dropped it in.  Then, she picked up a wooden spoon and
stirred the sauce.
	Cooking had been a hobby of hers for a while.  Few people knew
she could do it.  She had grown accustomed to the job when she was young,
cooking and cleaning for her legal guardian Master Annan.  She wanted to
show her appreciation for him back in those days.  After all, he had
raised her on his own and taught her the art of Kagura.  An art that had
taken her far in life.  But later on, cooking had become an outlet when
she couldn't practice martial arts.  She could cook anything from a
recipe, and had gradually added her own touches.
	Fifteen minutes later, the pasta was soft and the sauce was hot.
By that time, Psylocke heard the blow-drier humming in Jennifer's
room.  She turned off the stove and poured the pasta into a colander in
the sink, sending steam high into the air.  Using two forks, she scooped
some onto a plate, then covered it with some of the sauce.  She set it
down on the table, then did the same with a second plate.
	She had just finished pouring the second glass of water when
Jennifer emerged at one end of the kitchen.  Her hair was fluffy and she
was fully accessarized, right down to a lilac cardigan sweater.
	Psylocke regarded her with surprise.  "Wow, I swear I have the
exact same sweater."
	Jennifer grimaced.  "Actually...it is your sweater."
	Psylocke raised her eyebrows unconsciously.
	"I figured you wouldn't mind, seeing that most of my stuff is
still packed away.  It's just for tonight."
	She had to bite the inside of her cheeks and count to five to
keep her temper from flaring.  "No, I don't mind.  Just ask next time,
okay?"
	"Sure.  I'm sorry."
	"I made dinner."
	She grimaced again.  "Oh, I told my friend Troy that I was going
to meet him for dinner.  That's why I got dressed up."  She noticed
Psylocke's happy disposition fading.  "Why dont you wrap up the
plate and put it in the fridge for me.  I'll eat it tomorrow for lunch
when I get home from work."
	At least she's making an effort, Psylocke thought.  "Okay
then.  Have a nice time."
	Jennifer opened the front door.  "Thanks.  I'll see you later.
She turned and waved to George in the living room.  "Bye George!"
	After the door closed behind her, Psylocke sighed.  She picked up
the plate from the table and placed it onto the counter next to the
fridge.  "Hey George, do you like pasta?" she called.  She got no
response.  "Oh well."


THUMP!  THUMP!  THUMP!
	Psylocke sprang awake in her bed, her heart pounding.
	THUMP!  THUMP!  THUMP!  THUMP!  THUMP!
	She glanced at the clock next to her bed.  It was nearly two
o'clock in the morning.  She growled and got up from her bed.  She
trudged to the door in her white pajamas.  Better not be those kids
again, she thought.  She leaned against the door and peeked out.
Standing there, with a big goofy smile was Jennifer.
	She opened the door.  "What are you doing?"
	"I forgot my keys," she replied, ducking around her and into the
apartment.
	"You couldn't have called earlier and told me?"
	"I didn't realize until just now."
	She has a point.  Shut up!  Psylocke refrained from rolling her
eyes.  Because she didn't, they instead fell upon the
sweater...actually a large purple spot on it.
	"What did you get on that?" she demanded.
	"Oh, just some olive oil that I dipped my bread in.  I'll wash
it."
	Psylocke gulped back her response, then stormed off back to her
bedroom.
	Jennifer watched as she left.  Then she strolled over to the
couch where George laid curled up.  She picked up the cat and sat down.
George meowed at the intrusion.  Jennifer placed the cat on her lap and
held her there.  "I think Psylocke's cranky, don't you?"
	George tried to stand up, but she held her down to her lap.  She
meowed again and gently pushed Jennifer's arm away.  She jumped off
the woman's lap then settled down on the floor a few feet away.
Jennifer got down on her knees and followed.  She petted her on the head
and stroked her fur.  After a few seconds, George stood, stretched out
her back, and started to walk away again.  Jennifer then swept her up and
cradled her in her arms.
	"No don't you be a cranky puss, like your mummy Psylocke.
Auntie Jen will take good care of you."
	George meowed again and arched her back, reaching for the floor.
She turned over and jumped out of Jennifer's arms.  She scampered to
Psylocke's bedroom door with Jennifer behind it.  The kitten scratched
at it several times before Jennifer picked her up again.
	"Your mommy doesn't want you in her room tonight, sweetie.  But
you can sleep on my bed!"  With that, Jennifer carried her into her
bedroom, dropped her on the bed, and closed the door.


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