Tricks Up My Sleeve

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

Khalid sat a table in the back with a bit of privacy. The previous night on the ride back to campus, he texted Libby asking if she could meet him for breakfast. He had a favor to ask of her. He nursed a steaming cup of frothing espresso and watched the door. He had a little welcome back present in mind for Sina, but it would be hard to implement without a little help from someone with access to the girl's room. Even though it took awhile to figure out exactly what sort of prank he wanted to pull, getting some of the tools necessary wasn't too hard. He bought a lock picking kit in Doha without any hassle. If anyone asked, he could just say it was a precaution in case he locked himself out of his house or lost the key. He kept that in his coat pocket just in case. There was no law against carrying one, after all. His other tool was more of a bribe. He was out shopping at the Villaggio Mall in Doha and came across a very nice silver bookmark with two small pale blue pearls and a larger white one in between and a charm dangling off the chain. He planned on giving it to her regardless, but it was one more trick up his sleeve.

He drank his espresso to clear the fog from his mind. His flight from Chicago was delayed, so he didn't arrive back on campus until after midnight. He still had to wake up for morning prayers and instantly regretted it. Waking up for fajr was hard enough without being jet lagged. The flight back left before 8am Doha time and travel meant he pulled off an all nighter. He didn't arrive home until 9:30am Doha time the next day. Khalid knew he was a bit early and didn't mind waiting a few minutes for Libby to show up if she did at all. Maybe she was spending her break with family as well and wouldn't be back until the Sunday before class started.

[Elizabeth Toman]

Libby has taken as little time off campus as was socially acceptable, as she didn't want anything to get in the way of her training for the next competition and had already been back on campus for a few days. She had been intrigued when she received a message to meet Khalid at the coffee shop for breakfast, though she knew that she would need to get through training before she could get there, and then walk from campus to town... Yes, she needed to tell her parents that she needed a car for her birthday, and a licence of course.

She decided against the idea of taking a jacket with her on her walk to the town, as she would only get hot and sweaty wearing a heavy winter coat while she moved between a walk and a jog, and she ran her hand through her hair before she stepped inside the coffee shop and quickly spotted the boy she had come to see. Offering him a friendly wave, she walked up to the counter and ordered a cinnamon dolce latte, something sweet that would also wake her senses back up after a grueling training session. There were days when she was sure the coach wanted to kill them, and today had been one of them, she had the rips in her hands to prove it from climbing the rope while in a seated position.

Walking over to the table, she sat down and gave Khalid a smile. "Sorry if I'm late, Coach decided that today was a good day to do resistance training." She offered with a sign.

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

The boy offered a reciprocating wave to show that he saw her and stood as she approached. It was an odd habit in America, but he grew up learning to respect women. Without women, there would be no children. It was said that Paradise existed beneath the feet of a mother. Despite their disagreements and that Khalid thought his mother was a stuffy old traditionalist, he still respected and loved her. Maybe she thought talking to girls was sinful, but he strongly disagreed. It was impossible to get away without talking to any girl at all especially in the horse world.

"I got here early. How was gymnastics training?"

In his world, gymnastics was definitely a female pursuit and generally relegated to the expats. There was a big gymnastics academy in Doha that had affiliations with the American and British schools in the city. They probably didn't practice gender segregation, but the schools were also designed with foreigners in mind. The expats rarely shared the religious beliefs of the nationals.

"Like I mentioned in my text, I have a favor to ask you. Do you know Sina, the girl with the dog? I would like to give her a small gift for when she returns, but I can't get into the girl's floor. Would you be willing to help out? It's just replacing the contents of her shampoo and conditioner."

Khalid made sure to look up the English beforehand so he could use the right words to get his message across. Swapping back into Arabic wasn't an option. For the moment, he just wanted to replace the contents with something gross and cheap. Nothing too mean, just force her to buy new shampoo and conditioner.

[Elizabeth Toman]

A smile graced Libby's lips as he rose to his feet at her approach, it was like going to dinner with her parents when all the men there stood up as her and her mother approached the table, it was nice to know that there were actual gentlemen out there, rather than the riff-raff she had to contend with each day. She glanced down at her still raw hands at his question, but kept them hidden. "It was... taxing." She replied, searching for the right word to use without seeming like she was trying for the pity card. "Coach seems to think we need a wake-up call when we return from being away, while some of us keep our conditioning up even when not at school." There was a really good gym set-up in the basement of the apartment complex her parents lived in, and she made use of it when she was there.

She nodded her thanks as the server delivered her drink. She took the mug from the saucer and scooping nearly all of the cream from the top of it, she unceremoniously dumped it on to the saucer, infuriated with herself for not telling them to leave it off. She wasn't one of those silly girls who thought starving themselves would get them anywhere, but she also wasn't stupid about what she put into her body.

She listened intently as the boy spoke, a smile tugging at her lips as she lifted the mug and brought it to her lips. "I like the way you thing." She purred as she lowered the mug again. "I am sure that I could be of some assistance." Surely getting into another girl's room wouldn't be too hard, the receptionist couldn't possibly be able to memorise what room everyone was in, and if she happened to stroll in and said that she had misplaced her key to room oh, eight she'd even be able to get in without a possible charge of breaking and entering. "I'm sure that you'd look pretty convincing as a girl." She joked. "I'm sure that I can find a dress to fit you." Not, since the boy was close to a foot taller than her, but it brought a humourous image to mind.

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

If this was a more formal setting, Khalid would have pulled out the chair for Libby. He could be that much of a gentleman for a pretty girl. Plus, this was a total 'screw you' to his parents for trying to forbid contact with females. When in Rome, do as the Romans. Even though he couldn't completely relate to getting back into the routine of regular training, the Arab boy had a similar experience with his mother at home. She seemed to think he needed plenty of reminders on how to be a good Qatari son and a respectable Muslim. From the moment he stepped out of the family's Mercedes, it was like going through a remedial etiquette class. There was also the very quick reminder that his mother's shoes could come from anywhere at the speed of light and had deadly accuracy.

Seeing her reaction to the cream, Khalid noted to himself that he should never offer her karak. He had no idea how many calories were in it, but several tablespoons of sugar plus condensed milk probably wasn't too healthy. He was also grateful that she was willing to help out. No bribery needed. At the suggestion of him dressing up as a girl, the boy gave a small laugh. The best thing about Muslim girls was that they covered their hair. No one would know the difference, and a niqab would hide everything but his eyes.

"My mother would have a heart attack if she saw me in a dress, ashokrulillah¹ she'll never know. I was thinking of just swapping out her shampoo and conditioner with Jell-O, unless you have any better ideas. Colored dessert pudding could be fairly amusing, too."

¹ Thanks be to Allah

[Elizabeth Toman]

Libby gave a silent cheer when he laughed about her joke of him going drag, at least he had taken it as being the joke she had meant it as, and she continued to sip at her heavily caffeinated drink - something she didn't often splurge on - and returned the mug to the table as his plan unfolded. "So, ya'll need little ol' me to sneak into her room and find out what brand she uses?" She said with a heavy Southern Belle accent and a malicious smile.

She cleared her throat as she chuckled. "My dear, I am beginning to respect the way your brain works." She'd pulled enough pranks on fellow gymnasts in the past, nothing that would risk another girls' performance, but enough to create a good laugh when it happened. And what was a prank without the risk of being caught? "You might be better to go with coloured shaving foam or something, Jell-O would likely melt with the heat and condensation of a bathroom, and the outcome, while still amusing, wouldn't be as fulfilling, as she may only squeeze out a coloured water." She frowned in thought, wondering how the dog's training worked. Would the dog be able to tell if the contents of the bottles were replaced with something full of sugar?

Sneaking into the other girl's room would also give her a chance to look around, get some idea of the kinds of make-up the girl wore, if she wore any, and other things like that.

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

Even though Khalid and Libby didn't share classes together, he was glad they were in the same house and saw one another on a somewhat regular basis. And besides, next to the Qatari girls he almost never saw, Libby was a like an angel sent down from heaven. He quietly slipped a hand into his pocket to make sure the little box was still safe and sound.

Growing up, Khalid's experience with pranks came in the form of brothers. The three brothers could always find something to bicker about and make one another's lives just a little bit harder. However, they tended towards more masculine pranks such as water-dumping rigs, fart noises at inappropriate times, and changing the alarm clocks. Changing the clock so that it would go off after fajr was a classic and watching their mother chew out the offender was pure gold.

The boy nodded quietly at her ammendment to his original idea. He really hadn't thought of the Jell-O melting from heat and humidity. He had to admit, he didn't expect Libby to be an expert on practical jokes. Naturally, any costs he could cover. His father neither knew nor cared how his youngest son spent the thousand dollar allowance.

"I'm curious, how does hair dye work? And before I forget, I got you something when I was back in Doha."

He pulled out the long black box with the company's name printed in gold. The bookmark itself was set into a piece of black foam to keep it from getting damaged. He passed it across the table with honest good intentions. He expected nothing in return, and his opinion of her was mostly a potential partner in crime and friend.

[Elizabeth Toman]

As she sipped her drink, the thought of what the cost helping Khalid might be did come to mind. And she wasn't talking money here, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind wondered if there was any chance of her getting in serious trouble for this. Could she face expulsion? She wasn't too worried about the getting expelled part, the part she was worried about was losing her sponsors, without them, her gymnastics career was gone, as they were the ones who paid for all her gym clothes.

She smirked at the question and pulled a lose strand of hair down in front of her eyes. "Do I look like I use hair dye?" She asked, doing her best to sound offended. She accepted the box with wide eyes and opened it. "Oh Kalid! It's beautiful!" She pressed her lips together as she ducked her head and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Thank you so much! I'm sorry that I don't have anything for you." And getting him something, would be, and come off as, exactly that. She'd be getting him something just because he'd given her a gift. She ran her finger over the bookmark, she knew exactly what book it was going in too: Finding our Balance, by Lauren Hopkins.

She placed the box on the table between them, she didn't want to put it beside her and accidentally knock it, or have someone walk past and swipe it. "Now, pretty much the gist of hair dye is that you apply it to the hair, let it sit for however long the box says and then rinse it out." She shrugged. "At least that's what happens with mom when we go to the spa." She shuddered dramatically. "I'd shave my head before I ever needed to dye it." Of course, she still had a fair few decades before she had to worry about the chance of going grey.

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

He wasn't considering any of the consequences of his scheming. Then again, "accidentally" turning his brother's ghutra into "green paper" via the kitchen blender didn't come with much regard for the firestorm that followed either. Hey, Ali was being annoying and needed to be brought down a peg. Besides, that look on his face made it all worth it. Extra chores? Psht, he just did the bare minimum anyway. What could anyone do? The fabric was destroyed, and there was no choice but to buy a new one.

The boy as glad that he made the right decision. No doubt Libby had a ton of gymnastics stuff already, but he couldn't pass it up. It really was just one more show of spite towards his parents' insistence that he not talk to girls. He waved his hand dismissively as she apologized for not having anything in return.

"Think nothing of it. I'm just glad you like it."

That much was the truth. He couldn't ask her for anything, and it wasn't like his monthly allowance couldn't cover his expenses. Even that new helmet was only a drop in the bucket for someone who very nearly was born royalty. The hair dye sounded pretty appealing depending on how long it had to sit. Of course, quantity might win out. No one ever said it had to look pretty or natural. Khalid grinned when Libby mentioned a preference to shaving her hair over dyeing it. He was of much the same mind.

"This might be a little rough, but do you think adding hair dye to her shampoo will work? A nice, bright color to lighten the winter blues. It's not like she'll ever know who did it."

[Elizabeth Toman]

In the scheme of things, literally in this case, Libby decided that she actually missed playing pranks on her fellow gymnasts and maybe it was time to shake things up a little in the studio. Surely their coach couldn't watch every part of the studio all the time; adding a little glue to the water in the spray bottles so that it gave the chalk a little more stick, adding some white sand to the chalk bins (add a little more texture to things). Of course, she wouldn't do anything that would actually injure anyone, like the chalk bins and spray bottles she'd target would be on the vault not the bars, but enough to loosen the place up a little. She sipped her drink and thought on it a little more.

She looked at the box that held the bookmark and wondered what she could possibly get the boy opposite her that would even come close to what he had given her. While her sponsors paid for her education and training, she didn't exactly have a lot of money on the side and her parents, while both in very influential and well-paid jobs, didn't give her a lot of allowance. Something about teaching her about money. Though she would think of something, even a flashy browband for his horse maybe?

She giggled at the thought of adding a little colour to Sina's hair. "We might be better with putting it into her conditioner." She said with a grin. "At least I know most products tell you to leave the conditioner for a few minutes before washing it out, which would give the colour a chance to stick, where shampoo is pretty straight on and off." Though the problem with that plan was that the dye would stick to the girl's hands as well, though that brought another giggle. "I'm thinking Smurf blue? Though we should probably lead up to doing that."

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

What was with girls and vanity? He could be vain, certainly, but his vanity came more in the form of wearing expensive clothes and having luxury accessories. Still, he was willing to take her advice on the matter when it came to messing with girls' hair products. Come to think of it, Khalid wasn't even sure when he last read the directions on his shampoo.

The boy took another sip of his espresso until there was only a dark ring around the bottom. He considered getting another cup, but the dining hall was allegedly open. He could try and grab more coffee there if he didn't want to sleep off the jet lag.

"I'll take your word for it."

As for color choice, something strikingly bright would make quite the impact. Like a neon green or orange. But in reality, this was a prank, not a professional dye job. And it wasn't like he could turn her hair glow-in-the-dark. Purple was pretty and feminine, and while the opposite of bright, black was always a color with a statement. He thought maroon or darker green would be too obvious coming from a Qatari Muslim. The point was to not get caught, after all.

"Blue's a good color. I was thinking a neon pink, but that might be too much. And what did you have in mind?"

Most of his pranks were a little mean and rather boyish. Girls had their own style of pranking that didn't involve destruction of property or expensive repairs. It also didn't help that Khalid's brothers were just as quick to play pranks on him with equal lack of regard for consequences. Though Muhammad was usually the first to pull out of a prank war.

[Elizabeth Toman]

She looked into her cup, shocked to find that it was empty, she was sure she hadn't been drinking it that quickly, but indeed it seemed she had. She smiled when it seemed that her word was all he needed to believe things that had to do with the feminine side of things.

She shrugged. "The dye, in general, will alter the colour of the conditioner, so we would need to know what the colour of the one she uses, just so there are no alarms set off before our plan can actually work, and for that to happen, means that I might even need to befriend the devil herself." Yes, there was the option of sneaking into the other girl's room and doing it that way, but befriending Sina might remove eyes from her when it all came down. She smirked at that idea, after all, why would she do anything that would hurt her new friend?

"This will take a lot of planning, which would also probably mean that you and I can not be seen talking outside of classes." She tapped her finger against her lips in thought, them not conversing on campus would make planning a little harder, but notes in lockers could help with that. A smile curved her lips, yes, she was going to become Sina's new best friend, and the thing that would help with that was their mutual dislike of the cheer captain, as it wasn't hard to miss that there was no love lost between the captain and cheerleader, and Libby planned to use that to her advantage.

"Do you have a horse in Red Willow?" She asked as another plan began to form.

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

The idea of Libby befriending Sina didn't exactly earn any favors. Most of his spite towards her came from her sudden reaction to his fear of dogs. Frankly, the four legged beasts never did look at him right. Hers was no exception. And she seemed like a nice enough girl in general. Get rid of her dog and maybe they could have gotten along. He agreed that it would take planning. Everything took planning. Even pranking his brothers took a good amount of planning beforehand. The more elaborate the prank, the more time it took to organize. Though, at this rate, it could be months before he ever saw Sina's hair some bright color.

"I don't care much for Sina or her dog, but if it'll ensure success, then do what you have to do. As for communication, we're in the same barn. It should be easy enough to swap notes. And as far as everyone else is concerned, we've never met."

He half wished that the horses were sorted by barn name. Then both Nasr and Sarab would be in Red Willow. But alas, they both had show names at the front of the alphabet--Cosmopolitan and Alhamdulillah Al-Shaqab respectively. Liana's horse was in White Oak as well. He couldn't remember where Reni's horse lived, but there was one person he knew for sure had a horse in Red Willow.

"No, but Finn does. I've got three classes with him, so it wouldn't be odd if I went looking for him in the tack room. Besides, I seriously doubt any of the barn hands pay attention to what house every student is in. They've got better things to do."

Not that he expected any of the barn hands or students would question his presence. And if anyone did get to snooping, he could just say that Finn wasn't in his room, they were going to work on homework together or a project, and he didn't think gymnastics practice was happening. Khalid doubted he would be the first or last student to go hunting the barns for another student.

[Elizabeth Toman]

Libby's nose curled, she wasn't a huge fan of the idea of becoming a cheerleader's new best friend either, but if she made sure to keep her own arse covered than there would be less chance of everything turning pear-shaped and her becoming the first suspect when the pranks stared.

She was pleased that her and Khalid at least shared a barn, so talking in passing wouldn't be seen as such a strange thing, especially if they happened to be tacking up at the same time, as it would be seen as strange if they didn't engage in conversation, as then people would talk about the two of them, and she didn't want that.

Her lips curved in a smile, she had forgotten about her fellow gymnast, though him being in the other barn was quite advantageous. "There is a wonderful grooming tool called Quicksilver, it's purple in colour but brings out the white in horses wonderfully. It would be slightly amusing if someone happened to add purple hair dye into it and turned that horse she rides purple and brown." She smirked. "Of course, the dye will eventually wash out, but it'll be funny while it lasts."

She sat back in her chair and bit back a yawn, only now realising how exhausted she was after training that morning. "I guess we just need to bide our time before we put these plans into action." She all but purred.

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

It was hard to not feel a bit smug knowing that he was going to get the last laugh in when it came to Sina. The weather was even nice enough so that a bath wouldn't be completely out of the question. It wasn't like there were too many people in the barn to begin with especially with it still technically being break. They could plan all sorts of pranks on the poor girl. Nothing really dangerous, just enough to give everyone else in the school a little something to talk about. And really, who was going to suspect him and Libby of being the culprits?

"Well, most people are still on vacation, so I doubt many people will be in the barns. And I'm sure her horse will appreciate a spa day before classes start. If she owns Quicksilver herself, it might be more amusing if she was the one to turn her horse purple. Now that would be priceless."

He was seriously ready to consider turning her mounted games pony a lovely shade of violet. It could be a matched set of purple pinto ponies! And even he wasn't so stupid as to let himself get caught. Thanks to scheduling around daily prayers, Khalid was no stranger to riding at somewhat unusual hours. Worst case scenario, he could give the horses a bath early in the morning before the barnhands came down for morning feed.

"I'll keep you informed if I can think of any more little schemes. You look like you could do with some sleep."

For that matter, so could he. Jet lag was a pain even in the best of circumstances.