A Starlight Carol

[eternitymods]

Who: Everyone!
When: December 24th, 23:00
Where: ???????
What: Log for the Starlight Carol Event! Please check the OOC Log for more details.
Warnings/Notes: Depends on individual memories!

Comments

[rivieran]

GENTLE SNOW
Ena knew this place well. She was standing in the wide courtyard, which felt spacious despite the towering castle walls around it. But in contrast to the familiar sight, there was something about it that she rarely ever saw - the whole courtyard was covered in a fresh blanket of snow. The full moon in the clear sky lit the space, the white of the snow illuminating the courtyard in a soft glow.

"I don't remember this much snow," Ena says, frowning, and the PuPu just chuckles.

"Wait for it."

A few moments later, a quiet creaking of a door opening echoes throughout the empty space. A head pokes out from a servant's door at the far end of the castle. "The coast is clear!" comes the loud whisper of a young man, and he opens the door fully, pushing the snow that sat against it to the side. It's Aden--much younger than he was when he visited her, looking barely 20 (in human years). He bounds forward in the snow, kicking plumes of it upward and chuckling in delight when it hits himself in the face.

A younger Ena--impossibly older than ten (in human years)--appears shortly after him, closing the door gently behind her as she enters the courtyard. A thick, silvery velvet cloak hangs on her shoulders, the hood on her head just barely hiding her light pink, bobbed hair. She regards the snow quietly and cautiously at first, before pouncing right into a nearby mound. She takes a handful in her gloved hands and throws it up into the air, letting it all fall on and around her.

Present-Ena gingerly presses her hand to her lips. This was so long ago, she almost forgot about it...


REGRET
The cool of winter is suddenly interrupted by the searing heat of the Rivieran summer when PuPu whisks Ena off to the less desirable memory...not that she knows that yet, though.

She blinks, and they're on top of a mountain. They're standing perched above a magnificent-looking stone-gray door, a flat space leveling out the rest of the mountain top like a platform, a plaza, a stage. Intricate carvings--not of elven make--create a strange but beautiful flower-like pattern.

But how nice the dais looks isn't exactly the point here. What's more important are the people. There are the four people she most recently considered her companions, standing battle-ready by a charred corpse, standing off against her one and only brother, with herself floating just behind him, casting a spell.

Present-Ena brings her hand to her mouth again, but this time with force. She can feel the clench in her chest and the drop in her stomach. Of all things, this was the thing she wanted to see the least, the thing she regretted the most, and her greatest failure in life. And to see it play out again in front of her like this was the thing she wanted the least.

Bad Times

[einspine]

Papyrus isn't entirely sure what's happening. He's familiar with stumbling upon memories. But even so, he hardly expected to just waltz into one of Frisk's.

At first, he scurries up to them, intrigued at what this memory holds. Is that a friend, perhaps? But as he reaches them, his pace slows. He frowns. He turns to Frisk- the real Frisk and not the memory, and places a hand on their shoulder.

Should he say something? He's not sure. It's hard to tell what's going to happen here.

[mythmaker]

i. the good

[When the memory starts to play, Azusa is standing there, looking around for the Pupu that had just dropped off. Just like an event earlier this month, she finds herself in a television studio. Talking to a host are three girls. One has a short ponytail, and one has long brown hair, but both are younger than Azusa by five years. They’re also all wearing Christmas outfits, and that’s when Azusa’s eyes light up.]

Goodness, I remember this...this was our God’s Birthday performance. It feels so long ago now.

[She turns around to address her company. On the stage, the three girls talk about the holidays. The youngest one keeps cracking jokes, and Azusa’s talent for humor is on display as well as she walks into every joke or sets up her own. The younger girl with straight hair plays straight man to the two of them perfectly.]

What do you think? Don’t the three of us make a good team?

ii. the ugly

[This memory is different than the other one. Heavy rain crashes against the window of an office building, the lights turned off as the day waits to start. At first, Azusa is confused as to what she’s watching, but there she is. Wearing casual clothing, she hums to herself as she walks into the office. When the light switch doesn’t turn on, she sighs and moves over to the small refrigerator, looking for something to drink...she says to herself, ‘this is the toughest point...’

And that’s when real Azusa knows what she’s watching.]

Ah...please! Please don’t show this to us! I beg you! [And then, with a concerned face, she looks at her company.] There’s no need to watch this, alright? Please?

[Azusa in the memory has found a box and has a strange expression on her face as she takes it outside the room and into the stairwell...]

[sassafrisk]

"Hey, Papyrus," they rasp, unable to tear their eyes away from the impending catastrophe. Something deep and dark open in the pit of their stomach. Wasn't it enough to have to live through this once?

Meanwhile, the illusory Frisk falters, whirling on Lilac. Their smile has a fake, plastic quality now. "Whaddya mean? We're almost there, we can't back out now!"

"I'm just saying!" Lilac throws up her hands defensively, and the real Frisk winces, looking away. "We, we shouldn't worry the people back at the orphanage. I'm sure they--"

The memory Frisk's expression darkens. "Like they even care!" they say, interrupting Lilac. "Fuck, they'd probably be glad if we just up and disappeared! They hate us, Lilac!"

Lilac flinches. Real Frisk flinches harder. "I know, I know! But... but I have friends, and..."

Something she said obviously hits a nerve, and there's a practically audible snap inside the illusory Frisk. "OH, SO I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND, HUH? WHAT ABOUT ME? DO I NOT MATTER?" They advance on Lilac menacingly.

The real Frisk looks away.

[sullenstallion]

the good

[This damn Pupu. Before his memory is broadcasted to any company, the first thing Dylas does is lash out at it, trying to catch it in his claws before it can fly off and do more work. He fails, and he’s left falling to the ground after his last lunge, catching himself on his hands. He glares at whoever he’s with.]

Don’t say anything—

[But then the memory starts to play. He and his company find themselves standing outside of what appears to be some sort of noble’s home. Despite the structure of the building saying ‘mansion’, the two golden crayfish statues and signs outside the doors show that it’s a restaurant. Though the windows are fogged up from the light snowfall, it’s clear that there’s not any business going on inside. That’s not even the worst part. Dylas, with his coils wound tightly and tense beneath him, spots someone familiar walking towards the restaurant.

Someone who looks exactly like him...only without the snake features. Even the scar on his face matches. The Dylas that’s approaching has a tail and furred ears instead of fifteen feet of scales. He doesn’t notice them and instead walks inside the restaurant, a cooler in one hand. The real Dylas, the Dylas that’s a snake, has gone extremely pale and is frozen, staring at the door.]

the ugly. cw: death

[The scene is vastly different, but Dylas is completely closed off after his ‘good’ memory. He’s not even watching this time. The Dylas in this dream looks different again. He stands over seven feet tall with legs and arms that are a little too long, and his antlers make him even bigger. Fortunately, he’s clothed. His skin is pale, and if one watches him long enough, they’ll notice that his body doesn’t move when he stands still. He’s not even breathing.]

Not a word about this to anyone, alright? Or you’ll regret it.

[A human with a gun speaks out first. They’re in a backroom. Even in the memory, it’s cold. Dylas looks unimpressed by the gun and by the threat and rolls his eyes. He’s the next to speak.]

I get it. Just tell me when you need me again. And bring the money.

[The gangster grins, and one of the people behind him laughs.]

Of course, of course! There are plenty of people for ya to dispose for us. I never thought hirin’ one of you freaks would save us so much trouble.

[Dylas doesn’t even react to the word freak. He keeps his gaze on the floor.

The Dylas watching the memory...or listening to it, because he doesn’t want to look, speaks up as the memory plays out.]

Don’t say anything. I don’t want to hear it. This whole place can go to hell as far as I'm concerned.

[OOC: I have a strong preference for previous CR only for this, so please ask if you haven't tagged Dylas before but want to.]

*PLOT TWIST*

[peace_through_empathy]

"We were, once."

Megatron-the real Megatron, not the one from Minimus' memory-is approaching them. His expression is somber. "And I hope we can be again. Hello, Tyzias...Minimus. I'm sorry for intruding, but it seems this-" He gestures to the scene in front of them. "-is my good memory as well." He watches for a moment. "Then again, how could it not be?" He asks, mostly to himself. "It's the only one."

[bladeofconquest]

Corrin lowers herself to the ground as Tyzias sinks down, her arms still wrapped around the other girl. This was...horrifying. She thought Nohr had been bad under Garon, but what she had just seen...no wonder Tyzias was in shock. So she doesn't let go.

"Tyzias, this wasn't your fault." She says softly. "There wasn't anything you could have done to save them." She knows that's a very cold comfort, but that doesn't make it any less true. "I know how much it hurt...believe me, I know. You couldn't have stopped it, but it's still such a weight crushing down on you." Corrin knows because it happened to her, all to often, when she tried to save lives from the madness of the war, and it almost crushed her too. "But you refused to let it, didn't you? You grieved, and then you picked yourself up and tried to make sure it wouldn't ever happen again. You and your friends. You knew the danger and you kept going anyway because it was the right thing to do."

"Because you're stronger than you know, Tyzias."

[legalcy]

Minimus crosses his arms and moves a degree on an angle away from Megatron, vying to watch the scenery as it shifts to them carrying more field amplifiers to the main room, where the green conical generator sits in the center. Only good memory, of course Megatron would come up with an exaggeration such as that.

"'Buddies'," he coughs out the word as if it is beneath him "implies something more casual than with which I am more comfortable. Megatron and I were professional partners. We respected one another and ran the ship."

His grip tightens.

cw for bad prompt: some body horror and parallels to substance abuse?

[einspine]

Ho Ho Ho...? (Good)

When the PuPu whisks Papyrus away, he's immediately taken aback. His jaw drops. Those googly eyes pop into full view. Snow crunches beneath his boots. Trees span far into the distance, and ahead he spots... himself. A very small, skeletal child, with a metal bowl on his head and a mixing spoon in hand. He's clad in a short-sleeved short with bone-shaped stripes, a striped orange scarf, and brown snow pants to go with his little red boots.

The younger Papyrus sniffles and cries, prompting his present self to frown and sigh. If only he could reach out a supporting hand.

But this is a memory of a time long passed. And perhaps, in time, a friendly face will lift his spirits.

Those listening closely may already hear the distant, "Dum de dum~" from a deep, baritone voice.

Everything is... Not Fine (Bad);

It's dark. So very, very dark. The distant hum of machinery echoes off the walls, a dark, almost grotesque sort of teal. Footsteps, like the humming, echo off the walls. Not that Papyrus moves- at first, anyway. Having landed here, in the True Lab, he hesitates. This is... a memory like the last, but. When? Just what awaits him if he wanders down the hallway?

As if to answer him, there's a sharp, pained, "NO!!!!!"

He flinches. But despite it all, his feet propel him forward- at least until his past self zooms by.

He's a bit shorter. His labcoat's baggier than before. Rather than his battle body, he wears baggy tan pants and an orange shirt that reads WIZ KID. Not that it's easy to make out in the dark.

With no other choice, Papyrus follows his past self into a room, lit only by the faintest glow of a skull-shaped monstrosity attached to the wall, adorned with spikes. The shadow of a taller monster stands before the machine's ominous figure, hunched over and... dripping?

There's. A trail of something sticky on the floor. A labcoat tossed aside.

Syringes, too.

The past Papyrus speaks. "UNDYNE! WHAT'S GOING ON?"

But his present self is stunned silent.

[bladeofconquest]

Movement to one side catches Corrin's eye and she looks over to see someone else-someone who wasn't here when this actually happened-watching the gathering. She vaguely recognizes him; he was around the Curti Center when she lived there. Were they also in some of the same missions before but different groups? There are so many people on those...regardless, his presence does nothing to dampen Corrin's mood. She simply waves him over with a smile.

"It's okay, I don't mind sharing. Come over here, the view is better."

Her family is seated around the fire, everyone that is except Elise, who has made herself quite comfortable on the rug in front of the fire. And for once, none of them are wearing their armour or carrying their weapons. They're all dressed casually for this small party. "It was rare we all got to relax like this together." Corrin explains. "Even when they came to visit me, there was always something to be doing; Xander was very keen on keeping up my training...taking knitting or sewing lessons from Camilla, oh she was an excellent teacher...or Leo helping me to study. Or, um, beating me soundly at this board game he's very fond of. I did beat him once, though!" She smiles. "He was so proud of me for that. So was I, for that matter...of course then he adjusted his strategy in the next game and it was back to losing. But I was getting better!"

"-the whole night?!' he said." Xander, the eldest is saying with a chuckle. "The vicount was mortified, but I'm afraid he was the only one."

"Oh my gosh, that's hilarious, Big Brother." The younger Corrin manages between giggles.

"Yes, I daresay it will be some time before he'll be showing his face around at court." Her younger brother Leo replies easily. "Not that I'm complaining about that, of course, given that the man is an absolute t-Hey, Camilla, what-"

Camilla has leaned over and is busy adjusting Leo's collar. "I'm sorry dear, but your collar has been inside out all night. It will only take a minute for me to fix for you."

Leo is blushing furiously now. "I-I'm quite capable of doing it myself, sister! And anyway, why didn't you say anything earlier? We've been here hours already!"

"Because it was simply adorable, of course!" Camilla replies with a smile. "You always look too cute like this."

"Well, then why now of all-"

"Because you look even more adorable with your face all red and flustered, silly boy." Camilla says with a wink and a grin. Then she leans back. "There, all fixed~"

Leo takes a moment to try and regain some of his composure. "Yes...well...I believe Corrin is due for another present, isn't she?"

"Ooh, ooh! Corrin!" Elise is suddenly scrambling for a wrapped package that has been stacked next to the seat where the memory of Corrin is sitting. "Do mine next! Pleeeeeease?"

The other Corrin laughs. "You know I can never say no to you, Elise." She extends a hand. "Here, hand it to me?"

"Will there be anything else, my lady?" The silver-haired young man asks crisply, once he's poured everyone a cup of tea.

"No, Jakob, I think that will be all." The memory Corrin replies as Elise hands her the gift excitedly. "You, Felicia and Flora can take the rest of the evening off. I think we can look after ourselves from here."

The butler, Jakob, looks somewhat unconvinced, but before he can press the issue, there's a muffled, panicked "OH NO NO NO-" and the sound of shattering dishes from elsewhere.

Xander looks over at the entrance to the living room. "Wasn't Felicia tasked with cleaning the dishes from dinner?" He asks mildly.

"...Yes, milord, she was." Jakob replies after a moment. He then bows respectfully to the others. "I shall go assist with the clean-up. My lords, my ladies. My lady." He then turns and walks-somewhat quickly, it must be noted-out of the room, leaving just Corrin and her siblings.

The real Corrin is completely lost in the sight of her and her family. There's a look of undeniable bliss on her face.

the oopsy

[legalcy]

Minimus stood aside without his expression changing. This was sheer foolishness - rushing ahead without a plan, jumping to conclusions, facing the dire consequences of one's errors. It's everything he campaigns against. However, the woman in the memory is smaller, less developed. Organics have an adolescence period where their brains are not fully formed, leading to more rash decisions.

"How old were you?" he asked.

[einspine]

...Oh.

He doesn't move. In fact, his grip tightens. He may not understand what's happening, but... it's clear that this is not a happy memory.

But it's just so strange. Seeing Frisk so angry. So... hostile? And what's this about an orphanage? So many questions plague his mind, but where does he begin? What does he do? He has to watch his words- he knows Frisk is prone to heavy self-blame.

No doubt this is one of those cases.

"I... PLEASE. WHATEVER IS HAPPENING, JUST REMEMBER. YOU'RE STILL A GOOD PERSON, FRISK!!!"

Mistakes happen. Feelings get hurt.

[righthandstand]

"Me too, what?" Okuyasu stands with his hands in his pockets, his head tilted to the side and back to see Frisk. "Hey, this is private stuff. Don't go pokin' around in other people's heads, y'hear?"

[modelcivilian]

"... What?"

Adrien's occupied with the scene for a moment longer that processing the fact someone was talking with so many 'm's hadn't really connected. Or just the fact someone besides the PuPu was there.

Turning his head, he stared at the new arrival, not entirely sure what to make of them, but then looking back. "There's no dark deities today. I just wanted to help putting the star on the tree."

Recent Christmas

[einspine]

This seems... off. So very, very off. Sure, there's a tree. Sure, there are ornament boxes, but what would normally bring warmth and delight to a room just rings hollow. Papyrus can already tell.

He looks from the past Adrien to the present one, rubbing his neck before daring to speak. This is... personal. So very personal, but...

"ARE YOU GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT?"

That seems the important question here.

[modelcivilian]

"... Yeah, I'll be fine."

With a small shrug, he turns to look at Papyrus and smiles. It's a little strained since they're more in the moment, but as long as he's aware of what happens later...

"This memory... the evening starts out bad, but it improves later. I don't know how much of this memory we'll actually see, but you can trust me on that."

da good

[righthandstand]

Not sayin' nothin'. [The snake dude could snap him in half if he looked at him funny. He'll have to take this hilarious scene to the grave.

He does notice the other Dylas - or is it someone that looks like him? Or it could be a weird relative that's half-horse instead of half-snake. Or it's Dylas under a magic spell that has him grow legs for 24 hours.

Goddammit, he doesn't know.]

Hey, that guy kinda looks like you. [Yeah it sounds dumb, but anything Okuyasu could say otherwise will sound just as dumb.]

The Ugly

[pishirogane]

[Though not entirely sure where she is or why, it takes just a second to notice Azusa... and then at her side, the actual Azusa. Though the present Azusa's desperate plea has her attention at first, Naoto's not someone who really ignores how odd both the box and expression on past Azusa's face are.]

... I doubt the PuPu will stop us from watching it.

[Though what this is and why Azusa doesn't want Naoto to see it... unfortunately, it has her curious.]

[charming_jerk]

This isn't funny.

[Johnny hadn't been in much of a celebratory mood to start, and now this. This was too much. In front of Johnny stood a ghost that would be hard for the others to miss. A lanky, tall demon with a scarred mouth and broken horn, on the other hand, looked ecstatic to see his old friend. Lukas fumbles a few times after trying to excitedly grab Johnny's hands, and settles to clasping his own together in a delighted pose.]

I'm so glad to see you out enjoying the holiday! I never would have expected to see you celebrating. You were always the "bah humbug" type. Such a waste. Christmas was always my favorite time on Earth~!

[Lukas might seem carefree for being a ghost, but Johnny can't get over his friend being in front of him like his. He shakes his head slowly in disbelief, a well of emotions rising up from inside him that he desperately would like to tamp down.]

Lukas. Does this-- [Johnny limply gestures at Lukas, indicating his overall ghostly incorporealness] -- Does this mean you really are dead?

[charming_jerk]

[Good Times]

[Outwardly, Johnny doesn't seem like the type you'd ever see at a ski resort. But turns out, his family took a lot of trips to upstate New York for skiiing over the years, and he took up snowboarding. He was used to skateboarding as it was, so this was a little closer to what he was used to. He wasn't an expert or anything, but he could keep from any major wipeouts or grievous injury.

The place Johnny is in this memory, though, isn't a cozy ski resort. It's the snowy, wild mountains of exsilium, particularly after a lot of their time altering nonsense. The landscape had gone from oppressive nuclear winter, to a real winter wonderland. A lot of the residents weren't prepared to navigate the new snowy conditions, so Johnny taught what friends he could on how to get around.

On this day, he's teaching an eye-catching woman with fiery red hair and small, feathery wings on her back. Her confidence quickly gets her in trouble as she speeds away from Johnny on her snowboard, and she faceplants a few yards down the hill. Johnny rushes up, but Apollo's fine, and they both laugh it off. He helps her up, and they continue on like that. There's a lot of joking and flirting going on in between Johnny's instructions. It's a surprisingly peaceful and enjoyable day in Exsilium for anyone, but especially Johnny.

Outside the memory, the Pupu spirit reminds Johnny what it's like when he's not busy being self conscious, or worrying about the weight of worlds on his shoulders. Johnny regards the scene with as surprising look of nostalgia and sadness for such a happy memory.]

Yeah. Well. Ain't my fault I'm always stuck in worlds on the brink of extinction.

[Bad Times]
[The Johnny in this memory is quite a few years younger - a teenager, his horns barely visible. The scene is winter in New York City, nothing like the crystal white mountains of Exsilium. It's a dingy, dark night, with a misty rain making the cold bite in the air even worse. Johnny walks alone, hood up on his coat, shifting his heavy backpack around to take some weight off his tired shoulders.

He turns a corner, not paying much attention, until he sees someone a few feet ahead of him. It takes him a moment, but he recognizes the person even from behind, and he skitters back around the corner. He peeks an eye out to watch as the man hanging a small laminated sign on a telephone pole, stapling it with a sigh. It shows a somewhat unclear but recognizable photo of Johnny from school, glaring at the camera as he typically would. The sign reads:

MISSING: JOHNNY D'AMICO
LAST SEEN DECEMBER 10, UPPER WEST SIDE
AGE 16 - 5'10" - 170 LBS.
LIGHT HAIR/SKIN, BLUE EYES

The poster ends with a plea to anyone with info to contact the police. You'd think with someone who looked like Johnny, the poster would just say "Hey, look out for this weird half-demon kid", but that would just raise unwanted suspicion instead of help. The man hanging the poster looks to be a man in his early thirties, who seems to have a lot more posters to hang, despite how tired he looks to be. Johnny doesn't move until the man has walked far out of sight.

He approaches the poster and looks it over for a moment, before ripping it down and tosses it in the gutter. He moves on to the next one a few yards up and does the same again. And again.]

[songbird_slayer]

"Just short of fifteen summers." Gods, she didn't even need this tonight, she was on a very nice date.

Rubbing the back of her neck, odd gesture from her, she sighed and tapped her foot. She knew what these spirits wanted from her, but she was growing tired of it. She knew what happened. She was there.

"I never did find out who'd done it. Nor have I ever gone back to find the Troupe."

Coal in the Stocking

[einspine]

That... was a lot to process.

Seeing her so furious. So heartbroken. So different from the Madhuri he'd come to know, so upbeat, clever, and lovely. But... to have lost one's parents? Victims of poisoning, even? Such anger... it made sense. He'd seen what grief could do to others. The queen, Undyne... But this was different. So very, very different.

A tight feeling seized his chest, despite the lack of organs and muscle there. He could only watch in stunned silence at first. Everything had moved so fast. So many names he didn't recognize. So much happening all at once...

He turned, searching for the Madhuri of the present. Tragic as this all was, he was just an onlooker. He didn't experience it firsthand. Not like... she did.

He's not sure what to say other than, "I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL HELP, BUT I'M HERE... IF YOU NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO."

To endure a memory like this anew... It's far from pleasant.

[mech_and_mutt]

The Good
"Red! It's snowing!"

A youthful, feminine voice hits the ears before there's even any sights to take in. The scenery takes a moment to coalesce from a muddled expanse of idle thought, and when it does-- ...It's nothing he hadn't seen a hundred times before. It was just the cabin of the Asmodeus. The place he'd lived for as long as he can remember-- where he lived now, in Vaikuntha, once he'd gotten a hold of it again. And waking up in his own bed- albeit wearily-

The gentle flurries of snow drifting past the window, however... that was a less common sight. After all, there wasn't a lot of room for snowfall when your life was spent well above most of the clouds.

Not that it would stop the Red in his bed from giving it little more than a cursory glance before flopping back cheek-to-pillow with a muffled groan.

Even in observation of his own memory, Red couldn't help but give a snicker. Though he straightened up very quickly at the just-as-familiar footsteps bolting down the metal-floored hallways outside the cabin...

The Bad
This time it was neither the comfort of home nor a familiar voice; this time the memory opened with rush of winds, blades of grass, and a sharp, shrill, loud whistle.

"Alright, that's enough!"

A trio had gathered in the middle of the clearing; the smallest and the youngest was familiar enough. The remaining two, on the other hand...

The tall man in the cape gave a stern scoff. "That was disappointing, Red."

The diminutive Red, meanwhile, could only fume in frustration. "Uuugghh! I could barely lay a finger on her!"

"Really. Why is that?"

"I-- I don't have weapons like she has! All I've got is a wooden sword!"

"Is that so? Weapons? I don't see any on her."

The third one- off to the side- withdrew slightly under the sudden eyes on her. It didn't make it any easier to catch a glimpse of her face.

In a way, Red almost felt lucky seeing a stern scolding like this be the 'bad' memory that was chosen. It was better than the death of a world, or the betrayal of a family, or any of the other outrageous and horrifying recollections he'd occasionally been privy to.

"That's me, all right, but..."

But still he felt profoundly unsettled watching this scene play out before him. That was him, alright-- pint-sized, sure, but unquestionably himself as a child. Surrounded by what seemed to be good friends. And yet...

"...Who... who are these people?"

He had absolutely no recollection of any of it.

[tiredcharmer]

Tyzias looks back and forth between them several times, then sighs, takes off her glasses, and pinches the bridge of her nose. Of course she'd get roped into robot relationship drama when she just wanted to work on her applications. Thanks, PuPu of Starlight Past. Really.

"Wwwwould you twwwwo stop beating around the fuckin' bush and just tell mmmme wwwwhat's got you vacillating pitch and pale like this?" she groans.

[tiredcharmer]

"Huh. So this isn't your hive, then?" Tyzias takes another sip of her mug, squinting at the adults. It'd taken her a while to adjust to how apparently the mature examples of most species did not, in fact, get immediately deployed off planet to prevent a catastrophic (for the authorities) rebellion. "Wwwwho're the adults?"