Alicia has the entire floor cleared, the couch pushed to the side, chairs as well. And stretched across the floor is a huge canvas, the girl somewhere in the middle, drawing what seems to be a huge portrait of the caern.

The front door swings open, then shut again, Bernie entering in between, nose in a book and humming happily to herself. She doesn't, at first, even seem to notice that Alicia's there.

Alicia glances up and notices that Bernie is in zombie mode and calls out. "Hey! Careful, don't step on my work of art!"

Bernie's humming breaks off as she glances up, startled, and then down, to the art and artist. The little smile that was on her lips broadens into a grin, and she steps around the drawing with exaggerated caution. "Hey," she greets her friend brightly, "...nice li'l sketch y'got there."

"Lil? This thing is bigger then fucking Rhode Island. I'm finally putting my product knowledge to use. Know your territory and know it well." Smiling, she scoots back gently off the paper, then hops up to her socked feet, grinning ear to ear to her best friend. "You look real happy, whats up?"

"What's not t' be happy 'bout?" the Gnawer returns cheerfully, mirroring Alicia's smile, "you're lookin' pretty upbeat yourself. Whatcha gonna do with this thing when y'finish it?" She gestures toward the canvas, and pads couchward, setting her backpack and book down there.

"I dunno... prolly not do anything with it. Roll it up an stuff it up in the attic." The Galliard smiles, sliding down next to her on the couch. "So, how is everything? Anything new pop up?"

Bernie relaxes back into the corner cushions of the couch, and sighs contentedly. "Ev'rythin's good..." she replies, "...new things... well, lessee. Sophia's all inta th' Park, so I said she oculd help with th' Secret Plan... an' Max an' I made Jesus bleed again, an' Kaz an' I went out an' did some cattle mutilations... an' Matt an' I were gonna have th' pack over for dinner last night, but it didn' work out, so that's gonna be Sunday or somethin', not sure yet..." The pink in her cheeks rises almost imperceptibly, and... was that a slightly dreamy edge to the smile, for a second there? If so, it's gone as quickly as it arrived. "...'s new with you? Murals aside."

Alicia rubs the back of her neck slightly. "Um.... tribe mooted, talked 'bout my rite coming up. I'm ganna spend a bit more time with Andrea until they ship me off to my impending doom." Thinking, she presses her lips in thought. "Well... nothing real exciting I guess. My life has been just..slow, dull.. not seeming much of anyone. Cameron once in awhile, thats only cuz' he's like th' last cub or something."

"Oooh, 's it soon now?" Bernie asks, leaning forward slightly. "Cool! Y'know when? An' Cam's nifty... we had this lonnnnng talk th' other night, it was pretty cool, y'know?"

Alicia raises a brow up, cheeks flushing a bit. "Oh...?" She squeaks out. "What'd he tell ya?"

Bernie pauses briefly, noting the reaction. Huh. "Buncha things..." she replies, noncommitally, "...talked 'bout a buncha things. Cookin'. Art. Past, future. Friends. Love. Lotta stuff. Kina a heart-t'-heart thing. Found out some stuff I di'n' know..."

"...Oh?" Alicia asks, regaining her composure just a bit as she tries to square her emotions, leaning into the couch. "Such as..?"

"Like I said," Bernie replies, watching the Galliard. "So... when d'ya plan t' tell me 'bout what happened with you guys last week 'r so?" she asks, pushing a curl back behind her ear.

"Mmmm.... um.. us guys? As in... Cameron an I?" Alicia asks, almost hesitantly. "Oh well, ya'know..same o'.. just talking bullshit..." Trailing off, her eyes drop slightly to the ground as she rubs absently at her ear.

Bernie's eyes narrow slightly as she watches her friend; not angrily, but appraisingly. She's gotten quite a bit better at this sort of thing in the last few months. "=Speakin'= of bullshit," she replies, mildly.

"Speaking of it, looks like I gotta wait a few more weeks or so before my rite. I gotta hook up with Andrea and do some quick last touch up teachings with her." Running a hand back through her hair, Alicia leans back against the couch and recrosses her legs to a more comfortable position.

"Uh huh," Bernie replies, watching the Galliard. "'s too bad, though 'least y'oughta learn s'more good stuff. An' way t' change the subject... I feel like Deanna Troi here. Captain, I sense she's hidin' somethin'... I thought you guys got ev'rythin' sorted out, what with him an' Summer an' all..."

"Everything is -fine- Bernie. Like I said, we just bullshit around when we do come into contact with each other. I dunno.. we just did idle chit chat." Letting out a slight sigh, she curses the fact Bernie is now higher in rank, can't really talk back to her anymore.

Bernie eyes Alicia a moment, and shakes her head. "Whatever," she replies, obviously unconvinced. And apparently less than happy, too; possibly hurt? Hard to say. But the joyousness that was there on her entry has flown, for now. She pushes up without another word, heading toward the kitchen.

With a sigh, Alicia glances after her. "Geez Bernie, sorry if I don't pour my guts out about every conversation that I have with Cameron, I'm allowed to have 'some' thoughts of my own you know. I don't get into your biz'ness with Matt."

Bernie opens the fridge, looking into it at the various beverages for longer than strictly neccesary. "'s not th' same thing," she replies, tapping on a few of the cans, "...unless it is, I guess, in which case 's a big thing not t' tell me but it'd 'splain why you both keep actin' like there's some huge massive secret conspiracy goin' on."

"Yah, well, I'd like to keep something of me, inside of me instead of always talking 'bout it. Its not like I tell Adam everything that goes in my head. I always tell you the important stuff Bernie, but you know.. there are just some things that...shouldn't be let out. Thats all." Alicia sighs and stands up, smoothing down her jeans.

"Whatever," comes again, and the Ragabash shuts the fridge door again with some force, without having taken a drink. She heads toward the pantry instead.

Alicia rubs at her temples and sighs softly. "Sorry Bernie-Rhya, didn't mean to upset you."

Bernie emerges, unopened Guinness in hand. "Don't call me rhya," she replies, flatly. "I =thought= our friendship was diff'rent than you an' Adam, but I guess not, 'parently. You =don't= tell me th' 'mportant stuff, not 'less there isn't any. You barely talk t' me at all anymore. Y'don't even know what my Rite was like; y'fell asleep when =Cam'ron= wan'ed t' know. 's one thing that I hafta be th' one to come find you when I wanna see you alla time; can't help that, with you still r'stricted over here. But then it's like I'm just anyone. All you tell me's th' same as you'd tell Adam, 'cept it's all studyin' an' shit that he'd already know y'were doin'." She shakes her head, picking up and sliding on her backpack before she pops the can open. "Whatever."

Alicia continues to rub her temples as the Gnawer comes down hard upon her, one last sigh passing her lips. "God Bernie, just tear into me will'ya. I'm sorry I fell asleep during your story, I was dead exhausted at the time and I was imagining your words inside my head like a story and I just went poof, I didn't mean to. And its not my fault we don't talk as much. You are well... a cliath now, and you got responsiblities and duties and Matt, and its not like we -can- see each other every day. I dunno....sorry ok? Geez.. I don't prod you for every bit of information that goes on in your life, I -respect- your need for privacy. For all I know, you and Matt could be doing the horizontal lambada with each other, breaking the litany and stepping on thin ice, but I don't ask, cuz its not my biz'ness. Its your life, this is mine, I don't think any less of you, you are like my sis an all that, but still... " She sighs and heads to the front door at a quick pace. "Sorry.. maybe I'll tell you later, when I'm not feeling so fucked up over it."

"Yeah, well, we're not," Bernie replies, taking a sip of the beer, "...and you don't? What was that in th' barn th' other day? Seemed kinda asky t' me. Not that you stuck 'round long enough t' talk 'bout it. Maybe I'd wanna talk 'bout it with someone. Maybe I don't have anyone else t' talk to, who I c'n trust, an' shit. I don't prod for ev'ry bita information in your life, just =some= that isn't on th' approved PR sheet. An' lately you barely pay any attention t' anya mine, let alone prod. I dunno." She sighs, and runs a hand through her curls. Again, but much softer, more forlorn, "...whatever."

"Maybe some stuff just shouldn't be talked about Bernie, period, end of statement." Her voice grows a bit more on edge, trying to bite back the first things that jump to mind, paying her the respect of her station. "I'm not the same Alicia I was a few months ago ok? I'm not the babbling, flirty lil garou newbie that was looking at the world with big o' bright eyes. You know what they say, I let the -man- get me down. Thats just life. So, if you want, I can pretend to be someone I'm not anymore, or you can just let me be me and know that I love you a whole hell of a lot. When I'm ready to open up to you about some stuff, then I will. But.. I just feel uncomfortable 'bout topics concerning Cameron, and I'd rather just talk about something else. I'm just going to go." She sighs. "I'm sorry I wasted your time today, maybe it'd be best we all just wait for me to rite before we start kicking it again. I dunno.. g'night."

Bernie watches the door close, and bursts into tears, hurling the can -- since she happens to be holding it -- across the room with all her might. Being mostly full, it splatters quite a bit. She cries on the couch for a while before cleaning up the mess and leaving the house.