this girl is taking bets; [for Jim]

[neptune_sleuth]

Veronica walked out of the Council meeting, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. It wasn't working as well as she might have hoped. They had a plan and that was good, that was something, she was going to focus on that

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[jim_halpert]

Jim was one of the last to leave the office, feeling worn out. There was so much to do and all he wanted to do was find someplace to sit and wait until it was all over.

He spotted Veronica as he left, and while he assumed she'd go to her room and then come out to do what he was going to do - council things - she instead was going an entirely different direction. The brief flash of the expression on her face, coupled with the fact she was going down the hallway towards where she could conceivably head toward the exit made him inexplicably nervous.

"Veronica," he called out, jogging to catch up with her.

[neptune_sleuth]

Veronica turned and looked at him over her shoulder, knowing that the two pigtails she'd pulled her hair into that morning before the meeting was called made her look about twelve years old. That wasn't going to help, but there wasn't much she could do for it right now. "Jim," she said, a hint too brightly.

[jim_halpert]

He raised a brow, watching the expression he had been sure he had seen disappear from her face. Something was off, and he wasn't sure why yet.

"So, what are you going to do now?" he asked.

[neptune_sleuth]

"I... thought I'd go sign up with Vimes," she said, smiling like nothing was wrong. "Maybe he'll put me and Sam on the same team. That'd be romantic, right? I was going to go see them with Nancy Drew, but she's just gonna have to wait. I don't think she can fight dinosaurs, she's kind of scrawny."

Right. The truth hadn't been what she'd meant to say, but she couldn't lie to Jim.