"Claudia, Claudia, Claudia!"
The voice sing-songed through the closed door, and had the light from inside not been seeping out underneath, and were there reasonable enough doubt as to Claudia's presence in the room, she would have ignored it altogether. The only person who would call her name with that much confidence would be the RA – someone whose job description necessitated contact with her.
Claudia dragged her feet across the room, and rather suddenly flung open the door, pinning it to the wall so it stayed propped open. The girl on the other side, however, did not startle. In their albeit brief interactions, the RA was a person Claudia had not yet managed to send running the opposite direction. The RA had a manner of dress that implied effortlessness on her part – natural, vibrant, and cohesive, yet despite all her visual distinction (a distinction that overlapped her character) it did not force itself on one's eyes, nor did it convey any kind of vanity. Her appearance and her demeanor instead gave her a way of greeting a person on their level, quietly conversing with them, and fluently connecting with them. She met Claudia's gaze and she beamed with calm reassurance.
"May I come in?"
Claudia half-smiled, her mouth unexercised at this, and motioned toward the edge of her bed. The RA sat, and absorbed the décor.
"I realize that you would rather keep to yourself, and that's fine," she began, "I respect your space, and I expect others on this floor to do the same. Please let me know if you encounter any problems with people compromising your privacy, or making you uncomfortable in any way."
Something caught in Claudia's throat. This was not typical RA-speak. Though, the "Get involved! Meet new people!" speech might yet be forthcoming.
"That said,"
Ah, here it is. Nothing less from the bubbly do-gooder. A smirk slipped across Claudia's lips.
The RA paused. Or rather, she waited. Claudia cocked her head to one side, as the RA almost simultaneously made the same motion. They stared, both girls frozen, directly into each other's eyes, and a brief vision of some fanatic curiosity flashed across the RA's features. It immediately vanished, heads resumed natural vertical orientation, and she continued. Claudia shivered visibly.
"That said, I want to encourage everyone to leave their doors open at the beginning of this year."
"Ah." Claudia's gaze turned to some small imperfection on her fingertips, and she picked idly at the skin.
"It's not an issue of forcing you to make friends, I really wouldn't require that of anyone. It's a safety issue, in that we need folks to know who lives on this floor, whom they should expect to see around here, especially at night."
Folks. Quaint.
"At the very least, you should have a memory for faces. Names are less important, but if you see someone around who's unfamiliar, lock your door, and let me know asap. I'm in 401. Don't be a stranger."