((Dolores Upton continued from The Old Ways))
The first breaths of spring were finally in the air. Dolly wasn't much for the outdoors, but she hadn't been able to resist the warm, clear morning waiting invitingly outside her bedroom window, so she had opted to deviate from her normal weekend routine a fair bit and head down to the riverfront for some solo yoga and meditation. She didn't cut her usual recognizable figure at a glance, with her hair bundled up in a messy bun rather than her usual pigtails and ribbons and wearing a practical and sporty tank top and yoga pants in blue and black. She always felt oddly exposed when she didn't wear her usual style, but also amusingly like she was incognito.
The recreation area on the riverside was still relatively free of people, though it would surely get crowded later in the day given the nice weather. Dolly selected a spot on the grass at random and swung her yoga bag off of her shoulder to retrieve her mat and spread it on the ground. She hadn't prepared any music or instructional videos for this morning, instead intending to go through a relaxed routine with the sounds of nature and the city waking up just beyond the park's borders.
A few stretches to limber up, and then she'd work on her balance, she decided. Nice and easy. She was almost at the point where she could bend over and place her hands flat on the ground without straining, but she was wary; making her way back home with a pulled muscle would ruin the morning peace that she was seeking.
Dolly assumed her position in the center of the mat and closed her eyes, taking in deep, measured breaths for a few moments before she began to stretch.
Meditation and Premeditation
Meditation and Premeditation
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Latin For Dragula
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Impracticality was fairly minor among the array of sins that you could lay at the feet of Blaise d'Aramitz. Their intricate black and purple suit, knee high black heeled boots, plum scarf with swirling silver inlays, and platinum blonde fringed updo wig with its braided headband could be charitably described as out of place along the waterfront trail. Whether such a description understood that that was its explicit purpose was up to the observer and none of their concern. Blaise didn't turn off, and if you did they needed to severely reevaluate whether you were worth their time.
Speaking of things in need of re-evaluation, Dolly. There would be a certain interesting boldness in cosplaying an extra from far, far back on the stage for a cancelled Billy Blanks workout tape, but Blaise suspected she was doing this both on purpose and without a trace of irony. Fascinating. But was it interesting enough to draw them off of their busy schedule of walking around aimlessly towards nowhere in particular?
They supposed so, if only barely.
Blaise walked towards Dolly, taking a long drag from their cigarette as they approached. They waited until just before the start of her next inhale-exhale cycle to blow smoke out into the air between them.
"Darling," they purred with a hint of amusement, "I don't know how to tell you this, but I think you've mistaken the river for whatever corner of your basement you reserve for immense personal shame."
Speaking of things in need of re-evaluation, Dolly. There would be a certain interesting boldness in cosplaying an extra from far, far back on the stage for a cancelled Billy Blanks workout tape, but Blaise suspected she was doing this both on purpose and without a trace of irony. Fascinating. But was it interesting enough to draw them off of their busy schedule of walking around aimlessly towards nowhere in particular?
They supposed so, if only barely.
Blaise walked towards Dolly, taking a long drag from their cigarette as they approached. They waited until just before the start of her next inhale-exhale cycle to blow smoke out into the air between them.
"Darling," they purred with a hint of amusement, "I don't know how to tell you this, but I think you've mistaken the river for whatever corner of your basement you reserve for immense personal shame."
Of course someone just so happened to stroll by when Dolly was right in the middle of a forward full stretch, necessitating that she look back between her legs at the newcomer. Looking wasn't really necessary to identify them of course; undisguised, that voice was quite distinctive.
Blaise was a... well, "friend" was a strong word when it came to any aspect of Blaise's life, Dolly suspected. But she appreciated them well enough and Blaise was never one to hold back letting you know that you weren't appreciated in turn, so Dolly was secure in her belief that they were more or less on the same page. Not an expected addition to this morning's workout, but not an unwelcome one, either.
Dolly straightened up out of her stretch - slowly, no need to ruin the peace with haste - and turned with a smile. "Unfortunately, we're running out of space down there, so I had to make do with the outdoors." No scrambling for dignity, either. Blaise could be like a hound on the scent of a wounded animal if you let your composure crack and they were in the right mood, and Dolly wasn't quite confident enough in their mutual understanding to think that she would be exempt, if said mood did strike.
"How are you though, Blaise? I see I'm not the only one who had to take advantage of winter finally taking a break."
Blaise was a... well, "friend" was a strong word when it came to any aspect of Blaise's life, Dolly suspected. But she appreciated them well enough and Blaise was never one to hold back letting you know that you weren't appreciated in turn, so Dolly was secure in her belief that they were more or less on the same page. Not an expected addition to this morning's workout, but not an unwelcome one, either.
Dolly straightened up out of her stretch - slowly, no need to ruin the peace with haste - and turned with a smile. "Unfortunately, we're running out of space down there, so I had to make do with the outdoors." No scrambling for dignity, either. Blaise could be like a hound on the scent of a wounded animal if you let your composure crack and they were in the right mood, and Dolly wasn't quite confident enough in their mutual understanding to think that she would be exempt, if said mood did strike.
"How are you though, Blaise? I see I'm not the only one who had to take advantage of winter finally taking a break."
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Latin For Dragula
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On some level they appreciated the view. Dolly wasn't unattractive, and since by all current records she was another living, breathing, sapient human it wasn't as if Blaise hadn't considered making a few terrible mistakes with her. While that might have been a good enough excuse for some of the simpler tastes, though, it wasn't enough for Blaise. Any interest they might have had in Dolly's flexibility was undercut by knowing that she could do so, so much better than thrown together Zumba chic.
Still...what impressed them far more was her refusal to blink. She hardly even seemed annoyed by the intrusion. If it was a poker face, it was a good one. They respected that. Their smirk grew just a little more as they circled around to the side of the mat with a wave to the river. "I have catching up to do. When the cold traps me inside, I can almost feel my lungs start to function again. The upstarts must be reminded of their place before their savior returns." They glanced down at the ground and considered sitting down beside her before considering better of it. Getting dirty was fine, but they weren't tired and there was an appeal to this angle.
Maybe they were in more of a mood than they thought. Who could blame them?
There was another long drag before they blew their smoke away from Dolly and cocked their head. "You know, as uninspired a look as that is, it nearly works for you." They glanced away and held up a finger almost as soon as the words left their mouth. "Nearly. We both know nearly is far below your standards, poupée."
Still...what impressed them far more was her refusal to blink. She hardly even seemed annoyed by the intrusion. If it was a poker face, it was a good one. They respected that. Their smirk grew just a little more as they circled around to the side of the mat with a wave to the river. "I have catching up to do. When the cold traps me inside, I can almost feel my lungs start to function again. The upstarts must be reminded of their place before their savior returns." They glanced down at the ground and considered sitting down beside her before considering better of it. Getting dirty was fine, but they weren't tired and there was an appeal to this angle.
Maybe they were in more of a mood than they thought. Who could blame them?
There was another long drag before they blew their smoke away from Dolly and cocked their head. "You know, as uninspired a look as that is, it nearly works for you." They glanced away and held up a finger almost as soon as the words left their mouth. "Nearly. We both know nearly is far below your standards, poupée."
It was at that point that a ball of kinetic energy and flailing limbs hit Blaise square in the back.
>> ZEN ALICEA FELICIANO: START
Zen wasn't entirely sure how they'd gotten here, actually? Which was not a super unusual state of affairs for them. Like, sometimes they'd go out and their legs would move one way and their thoughts would move a totally different way and then they'd look around and have no idea where they were or how they'd gotten there. But wasn't that was how the most fun adventures started? You never knew who you'd run into if you wandered onto the wrong path!
Today they didn't have anyone to hang out with, which was always a bummer, but they'd decided to make up for it by wandering down to the zoo. Hanging out with the animals was sorta like hanging out with friends, even though one time a zookeeper had yelled at them for making a scene when they'd spent too much time chatting with a serval, which wasn't something that happened when they hung out with their friends, at least not most of the time? But best-laid plans, something something, and somehow they'd ended up by the waterfront, which wasn't really anywhere near the zoo? Or maybe it was! Zen had no idea. They'd started out following Google Maps but got caught in a mental tangent about theoretical movesets in a theoretical Boku no Hero Academia fighting game and whoosh, time and a couple of miles had flown by.
The park was pretty cool in and of itself, though! There were still animals to chat with if they felt like it, even if most of them were squirrels. Their white platform boots were probably not the best choice for wandering about in the dirt, but they could clean them later, probably? Worst case scenario they'd have scuff marks and that'd give them character and character was probably a good thing! No part of their outfit was really "waterfront-appropriate" anyway. A black bowler hat over a long lilac wig pilled up in a ponytail, a matching black vest and puffy shorts set with gold details and buttons, black and white checkered socks—it was maaaaaybe a little much. But then again, nothing Zen ever wore was particularly appropriate for anywhere they went, outside of anime conventions, but it made them happy! As long as it didn't hurt anyone, that was what was important, right?
And then, suddenly, out of nowhere, Blaise D'Aramitz! Even from a distance, they were unmistakable, and totally out of place, and also begging for a very sneaky tackle hug. The loud clomping their shoes made when they cleared the distance between them wasn't very sneaky, though? Oh well.
"Blaise hi! Hello!! What are you doing here this isn't the kinda place I'd expect to see you usually not that I'm complaining it's great to see you you look great I love that wig and ooh that scarf is- oh!"
There was someone else there, wasn't there? There was! It took Zen a moment to place them, though. Not that they didn't know Dolly, they absolutely did, in fact they adored her, but they were so used to that name and that face coming with ribbons and petticoats that it took a few seconds of head-tilting thought before they could be sure.
"Dolly! It is Dolly, right? You look so different! Like, not in a bad way, I didn't mean in a bad way or anything, just different? I didn't know you two were friends, or I guess maybe I did know that but I'm not remembering it right now?"
Zen let go of Blaise, beaming, bouncing with energy. You really never knew what you'd find when you took a wrong turn!
>> ZEN ALICEA FELICIANO: START
Zen wasn't entirely sure how they'd gotten here, actually? Which was not a super unusual state of affairs for them. Like, sometimes they'd go out and their legs would move one way and their thoughts would move a totally different way and then they'd look around and have no idea where they were or how they'd gotten there. But wasn't that was how the most fun adventures started? You never knew who you'd run into if you wandered onto the wrong path!
Today they didn't have anyone to hang out with, which was always a bummer, but they'd decided to make up for it by wandering down to the zoo. Hanging out with the animals was sorta like hanging out with friends, even though one time a zookeeper had yelled at them for making a scene when they'd spent too much time chatting with a serval, which wasn't something that happened when they hung out with their friends, at least not most of the time? But best-laid plans, something something, and somehow they'd ended up by the waterfront, which wasn't really anywhere near the zoo? Or maybe it was! Zen had no idea. They'd started out following Google Maps but got caught in a mental tangent about theoretical movesets in a theoretical Boku no Hero Academia fighting game and whoosh, time and a couple of miles had flown by.
The park was pretty cool in and of itself, though! There were still animals to chat with if they felt like it, even if most of them were squirrels. Their white platform boots were probably not the best choice for wandering about in the dirt, but they could clean them later, probably? Worst case scenario they'd have scuff marks and that'd give them character and character was probably a good thing! No part of their outfit was really "waterfront-appropriate" anyway. A black bowler hat over a long lilac wig pilled up in a ponytail, a matching black vest and puffy shorts set with gold details and buttons, black and white checkered socks—it was maaaaaybe a little much. But then again, nothing Zen ever wore was particularly appropriate for anywhere they went, outside of anime conventions, but it made them happy! As long as it didn't hurt anyone, that was what was important, right?
And then, suddenly, out of nowhere, Blaise D'Aramitz! Even from a distance, they were unmistakable, and totally out of place, and also begging for a very sneaky tackle hug. The loud clomping their shoes made when they cleared the distance between them wasn't very sneaky, though? Oh well.
"Blaise hi! Hello!! What are you doing here this isn't the kinda place I'd expect to see you usually not that I'm complaining it's great to see you you look great I love that wig and ooh that scarf is- oh!"
There was someone else there, wasn't there? There was! It took Zen a moment to place them, though. Not that they didn't know Dolly, they absolutely did, in fact they adored her, but they were so used to that name and that face coming with ribbons and petticoats that it took a few seconds of head-tilting thought before they could be sure.
"Dolly! It is Dolly, right? You look so different! Like, not in a bad way, I didn't mean in a bad way or anything, just different? I didn't know you two were friends, or I guess maybe I did know that but I'm not remembering it right now?"
Zen let go of Blaise, beaming, bouncing with energy. You really never knew what you'd find when you took a wrong turn!
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
Dolly had just opened her mouth to reply to Blaise's quip - or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a jab - when the morning peace was well and truly shattered and Blaise found themself the recipient of a high-impact hug. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to call them a victim, now.
At any rate, instead of words, Dolly made a noise that resembled the air being let out of a tire.
It wasn't that she didn't like Zen, she most certainly did. In small doses, preferably with ample time to psych herself up for the exertion that it took any normal human being to keep up with Zen's truly awe-inspiring energy level. She hadn't been prepared, just now.
Dolly smiled faintly at the barrage of greetings. "Good morning Zen," she said once the wave had washed over her. "And... thank you, I suppose." She shot a glance in Blaise's direction to try and gauge just how they were taking the unexpected assault. Affectionate assault, yes, but still.
Oh, she did hope that she wasn't about to be witness to a murder. It was still too early in the day for that kind of excitement.
At any rate, instead of words, Dolly made a noise that resembled the air being let out of a tire.
It wasn't that she didn't like Zen, she most certainly did. In small doses, preferably with ample time to psych herself up for the exertion that it took any normal human being to keep up with Zen's truly awe-inspiring energy level. She hadn't been prepared, just now.
Dolly smiled faintly at the barrage of greetings. "Good morning Zen," she said once the wave had washed over her. "And... thank you, I suppose." She shot a glance in Blaise's direction to try and gauge just how they were taking the unexpected assault. Affectionate assault, yes, but still.
Oh, she did hope that she wasn't about to be witness to a murder. It was still too early in the day for that kind of excitement.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Latin For Dragula
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Physical affection was a rarely indulged habit for Blaise. It encouraged certain...tendencies...that they weren't interested in fostering. When you kept people at a distance and made proximity a rarity, it was much easier to restrict it to a certain kind of mood. Most were either molded to that expectation or found their approach alienating; one worked nearly as well as the other as far as they were concerned.
Zen fell into neither category. The way they carried themself demanded that Blaise engage with them in a manner that would have pissed them off coming from most other people. However, there was an innocence to it that fascinated them alongside the rest of Zen's personality. Most would call childlike, but Blaise was always dismissive of that notion. Children were ignorant, not innocent. The absence of understanding is not the absence of impulse. Depending on exposure a child could grow a number of ways, which meant whatever was inside them could be altered by experience. Zen's qualities could not be altered or corrupted; no one had tested that harder than Blaise had, after all. So they were not simply childlike. They were inhuman.
Blaise appreciated that about them, which is why at least for today they would be allowed to keep their hands, despite the fact that their sudden impact had jarred their cigarette from their hand. With a sigh they held an upraised palm to Zen and slowly lowered it in the air as if they were adjusting a volume slider. "You're frightening the wildlife dear," they said with a smirk, "let's make that 10 a 4, no?" Their hand rose back to scratch their nose, and as it passed their mouth a fresh, smoking cigarette appeared between their lips.
Zen fell into neither category. The way they carried themself demanded that Blaise engage with them in a manner that would have pissed them off coming from most other people. However, there was an innocence to it that fascinated them alongside the rest of Zen's personality. Most would call childlike, but Blaise was always dismissive of that notion. Children were ignorant, not innocent. The absence of understanding is not the absence of impulse. Depending on exposure a child could grow a number of ways, which meant whatever was inside them could be altered by experience. Zen's qualities could not be altered or corrupted; no one had tested that harder than Blaise had, after all. So they were not simply childlike. They were inhuman.
Blaise appreciated that about them, which is why at least for today they would be allowed to keep their hands, despite the fact that their sudden impact had jarred their cigarette from their hand. With a sigh they held an upraised palm to Zen and slowly lowered it in the air as if they were adjusting a volume slider. "You're frightening the wildlife dear," they said with a smirk, "let's make that 10 a 4, no?" Their hand rose back to scratch their nose, and as it passed their mouth a fresh, smoking cigarette appeared between their lips.
For Megan's mom, spring had come like a long, slow sigh of relief being exhaled at last. Perfect, idyllic, lovely. Megan herself was pretty much apathetic--well, not quite, she liked spring too much to be apathetic towards it, but she didn't really like it any more than she liked winter. She liked snow and grey skies and huddling up next to the fireplace. She liked curling up with a laptop and a mug and chatting, and all those other things. But her mom had insisted that going outside was good for her, and truth be told, Megan loved blue skies, green grass, birdsong.
Megan Summers: Pregame Start
Well, she would have, if it weren't for the fact that there was Blaise, and Blaise was there, filling up Megan's field of vision and violating the feel of the scene with their entire being, all five foot two of it. Purple suit, sharp and severe, topped off cleanly and elegantly with a cigarette.
The temperature fell ten degrees. Megan hugged herself a little. She needed to hide, to cover herself up, to come up with an excuse for being dressed like this, neither practical nor fashionable, just a mess of black and pink and torn fabric and she liked the mess, yeah. She really did. But there was Blaise, perfect and perfectly discordant. It suited them. The thought made a part of Megan's heart glow a little, even as it filled her stomach with ice.
God...it'd been a long time ago. She should be over it by now. But, well. Fuck if her brain ever listened to her, right? And she felt bad for even thinking along these lines, cuz of course this space belonged to Blaise as much as it belonged to anyone else, but. Why did she have to be here?
Megan sighed, closed her eyes. In, hold, out. Count to ten. Focus on the smells, the buzzing of insects, the sounds of distant water. There. She's doing great, she's doing fine. Okay? Okay.
Megan opened her eyes. Zen, Dolly. Had Zen seen her? Megan wasn't sure, but probably. Fuck. There goes your chance for walking away guilt-free. Why couldn't you have waited to do your calming exercise, Megan?
She could turn around now, apologize to Zen later, and Dolly too, if it seemed like she minded. Maybe even shoot Blaise a text, if she could bear responding to the texts she was sure to receive in return.
Step by step, Megan's feet dragged her closer and closer to the little knot clustered around the yoga mat. She gave Zen a wave, a smile. She didn't speak. She didn't stop.
Megan Summers: Pregame Start
Well, she would have, if it weren't for the fact that there was Blaise, and Blaise was there, filling up Megan's field of vision and violating the feel of the scene with their entire being, all five foot two of it. Purple suit, sharp and severe, topped off cleanly and elegantly with a cigarette.
The temperature fell ten degrees. Megan hugged herself a little. She needed to hide, to cover herself up, to come up with an excuse for being dressed like this, neither practical nor fashionable, just a mess of black and pink and torn fabric and she liked the mess, yeah. She really did. But there was Blaise, perfect and perfectly discordant. It suited them. The thought made a part of Megan's heart glow a little, even as it filled her stomach with ice.
God...it'd been a long time ago. She should be over it by now. But, well. Fuck if her brain ever listened to her, right? And she felt bad for even thinking along these lines, cuz of course this space belonged to Blaise as much as it belonged to anyone else, but. Why did she have to be here?
Megan sighed, closed her eyes. In, hold, out. Count to ten. Focus on the smells, the buzzing of insects, the sounds of distant water. There. She's doing great, she's doing fine. Okay? Okay.
Megan opened her eyes. Zen, Dolly. Had Zen seen her? Megan wasn't sure, but probably. Fuck. There goes your chance for walking away guilt-free. Why couldn't you have waited to do your calming exercise, Megan?
She could turn around now, apologize to Zen later, and Dolly too, if it seemed like she minded. Maybe even shoot Blaise a text, if she could bear responding to the texts she was sure to receive in return.
Step by step, Megan's feet dragged her closer and closer to the little knot clustered around the yoga mat. She gave Zen a wave, a smile. She didn't speak. She didn't stop.
Zen was kind of humming a little, because that was the mood? Not really a specific mood, just A Mood, a good mood, a "hey I just found two of my friends in the middle of a random walk to nowhere in particular" (had they been going somewhere in particular they were Totally forgetting) kind of mood. They bounced on their heels, tilting their head at Blaise's words like a confused puppy.
"No no no no no, see, look!" Zen grabbed Blaise's free hand with literally no thought toward personal space or anything silly like that and pointed it toward the nearest tree, the trunk of which just happened to bear a small squirrel with a very very fluffy tail. It was standing stock still, and as Zen looked at it it was real easy to imagine that they were keeping it under their spell with some kind of mesmerizing spell they'd come up within the last thirty seconds. "See, at least one wildlife not frightened! I think it's not frightened anyway I can't read its mind and even if I could I don't speak squirrel? I wonder if I could- oh!"
Another friend??? The level of luck on this walk just kept going up and up and up it seemed like!
"Megaaaaan!" Zen dropped Blaise's hand to close the distance between the two of them with another patented giant hug, at least as giant as a 5'2" hyperactive child could manage! They let go of her and took a small step back, grinning ear to ear.
There was something buzzing at the back of their head, like a mosquito flying next to their ear, some kind of Thought that was trying to break through, but Zen ignored it.
"Hi hi hi what are you doing here there's so many people it's like a party?? You know Dolly right and I think you know Bl-"
The buzzing got loud enough that Zen actually had to listen to it for a second and ooooh. Ooh. Bad news buzzing. Their smile was replaced by a concerned frown in record time.
"Blaise. Right! The thing. I, uh..." They were definitely close enough that Blaise could hear them and they probably shouldn't be having this conversation and ?????? This was a difficult thing to work out!
"... Um. Well! We're all here now I guess!"
That was helpful! Right? Sort of? Maybe?
"No no no no no, see, look!" Zen grabbed Blaise's free hand with literally no thought toward personal space or anything silly like that and pointed it toward the nearest tree, the trunk of which just happened to bear a small squirrel with a very very fluffy tail. It was standing stock still, and as Zen looked at it it was real easy to imagine that they were keeping it under their spell with some kind of mesmerizing spell they'd come up within the last thirty seconds. "See, at least one wildlife not frightened! I think it's not frightened anyway I can't read its mind and even if I could I don't speak squirrel? I wonder if I could- oh!"
Another friend??? The level of luck on this walk just kept going up and up and up it seemed like!
"Megaaaaan!" Zen dropped Blaise's hand to close the distance between the two of them with another patented giant hug, at least as giant as a 5'2" hyperactive child could manage! They let go of her and took a small step back, grinning ear to ear.
There was something buzzing at the back of their head, like a mosquito flying next to their ear, some kind of Thought that was trying to break through, but Zen ignored it.
"Hi hi hi what are you doing here there's so many people it's like a party?? You know Dolly right and I think you know Bl-"
The buzzing got loud enough that Zen actually had to listen to it for a second and ooooh. Ooh. Bad news buzzing. Their smile was replaced by a concerned frown in record time.
"Blaise. Right! The thing. I, uh..." They were definitely close enough that Blaise could hear them and they probably shouldn't be having this conversation and ?????? This was a difficult thing to work out!
"... Um. Well! We're all here now I guess!"
That was helpful! Right? Sort of? Maybe?
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
Dolly's morning yoga and meditation session was really getting out of hand.
Well, she supposed that this situation would most likely be unfolding regardless of her presence. Zen certainly wouldn't have let Blaise escape unscathed if they had spotted each other without Dolly around, and likely would have chased them down even if Blaise hadn't stopped to chat. Likewise, Megan probably still would have chosen to walk by and get uncomfortably drawn in to the exchange.
Oh, but it seemed like there was some history here. Something in Megan's expression and Zen's sudden verbal backpedaling. Dolly shot another glance at Blaise, questioning.
These things would have happened even if she weren't here, in all likelihood, but she was here, and she should probably step in sooner rather than later.
Dolly composed her face into a gentle smile and stepped forward off of her yoga mat. Not quite in between Blaise and the other two just yet, but she could make the move easily enough if she needed to. "Good morning to you too, Megan. I wasn't expecting this much company today!"
Well, she supposed that this situation would most likely be unfolding regardless of her presence. Zen certainly wouldn't have let Blaise escape unscathed if they had spotted each other without Dolly around, and likely would have chased them down even if Blaise hadn't stopped to chat. Likewise, Megan probably still would have chosen to walk by and get uncomfortably drawn in to the exchange.
Oh, but it seemed like there was some history here. Something in Megan's expression and Zen's sudden verbal backpedaling. Dolly shot another glance at Blaise, questioning.
These things would have happened even if she weren't here, in all likelihood, but she was here, and she should probably step in sooner rather than later.
Dolly composed her face into a gentle smile and stepped forward off of her yoga mat. Not quite in between Blaise and the other two just yet, but she could make the move easily enough if she needed to. "Good morning to you too, Megan. I wasn't expecting this much company today!"
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Latin For Dragula
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Who was that? The new girl felt vaguely familiar. Yes, Blaise was sure they knew her from somewhere...no, no. Impossible. Absurd. Any allegations otherwise could only be malicious fantasy. Based on Zen's distress they must have gotten wrapped up in some sort of terrible rumor. Poor thing. They were so...pliable. It was an endearing quality but one others could easily take advantage of in some truly terrible ways. They should have a talk about that later.
Blaise cocked a half-smile and waved towards Megan before taking a long drag. "Megan, yes?" Their right eyebrow arched with the question. If they made it obvious enough to the others they didn't know each other, they could ignore whatever boring gossip was clouding the atmosphere and get on to more interesting things. Like Dolly's outfit. Or Megan's adorable nerves. Or dragging Zen into the forest and pinning them against a tree and-
A conscious halt. Zen was a familiar option for a familiar sense of distraction, but there were other options for the moment. Repetition gave way to boredom, and there would be few things as displeasing as having someone like Zen become boring. It would be so rude to ditch Dolly without a word, and they were curious if the tension Megan projected might have some more interesting implications.
Hmm.
Strange.
Something in them bristled at that thought.
They didn't think about it.
They never thought about it.
Blaise cocked a half-smile and waved towards Megan before taking a long drag. "Megan, yes?" Their right eyebrow arched with the question. If they made it obvious enough to the others they didn't know each other, they could ignore whatever boring gossip was clouding the atmosphere and get on to more interesting things. Like Dolly's outfit. Or Megan's adorable nerves. Or dragging Zen into the forest and pinning them against a tree and-
A conscious halt. Zen was a familiar option for a familiar sense of distraction, but there were other options for the moment. Repetition gave way to boredom, and there would be few things as displeasing as having someone like Zen become boring. It would be so rude to ditch Dolly without a word, and they were curious if the tension Megan projected might have some more interesting implications.
Hmm.
Strange.
Something in them bristled at that thought.
They didn't think about it.
They never thought about it.
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Grand Moff Hissa
- Posts: 2754
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
((Continued from They Tell Me I'm Maladjusted))
Maybe get out more, Sven's Dad said. Only if you feel like it, but it could be good for you. Sven didn't feel like it, but here he was nonetheless. Maybe he was here because he was taking his father's advice. He'd been dropped off, and he would be picked up in a little. It was early, a weekend day, and relatively quiet. That was the perfect mix, wasn't it? What better way to feign the restoration of confidence and functionality than to engage in circumstances technically not controlled but where significant challenge was highly improbable? What a stroll in the park.
He made his way down the boardwalk, step by step, at a pace he might have deemed leisurely were he more prone to dishonesty. Really, he wasn't feeling great today. He was tired, even though he'd slept eight hours the night before, and he'd been walking around for half an hour but his feet were already protesting, and he'd had a bad time yesterday when he found that still life he'd been working on the night before everything went wrong, an image of the mug of pens that had once rested on his bookshelf, casting shadows like long fingers from the illumination of the lamp by his desk. It had been en route to being good, but now it would probably never be finished; he didn't have the chops, and the subject had been moved long ago, some of the old and dried-up pens discarded, but he kept the canvas around in the closet, just to cause himself periodic emotional pain.
There were other people here, but they were scattered. A few morning joggers, a handful of men and women arrayed singly by the river or along the way, a couple with a dog—these were trite domestic details suited to a bad Impressionist painting. Sven had never cared too much for Impressionism, even the good stuff, with a slight exception for the works featuring ships. Maybe it had to do with how he imagined the fog against the sea would look, diffusing reality. Maybe it just hit him in a sentimental way he'd been unable to purge. His increasing understanding of Monet's challenges, in any event, did little to endear the genre to him.
Up ahead there was noise, a crash of shoes against wood of greater volume than his own heavy but measured footfalls. Sven paid it no heed, his gaze on the river. But then there were voices, louder and clearer, and he was able to tune them out for a number of seconds but paused his advance and then finally looked. A good ways up, twenty feet, fifty—he didn't know, depth perception was hard and he was unfocused and points of reference were few—was a group of four figures. They were lively in just the way Sven didn't feel, and yet something about them drew his attention inexorably as a whirlpool. He squinted his eye, trying to figure out what it was. The details coalesced, just enough to meld with the voices, the hint of familiarity.
They were classmates. They were all his classmates.
Oh hell no.
((Continued in Least Of All Young Caroline))
Maybe get out more, Sven's Dad said. Only if you feel like it, but it could be good for you. Sven didn't feel like it, but here he was nonetheless. Maybe he was here because he was taking his father's advice. He'd been dropped off, and he would be picked up in a little. It was early, a weekend day, and relatively quiet. That was the perfect mix, wasn't it? What better way to feign the restoration of confidence and functionality than to engage in circumstances technically not controlled but where significant challenge was highly improbable? What a stroll in the park.
He made his way down the boardwalk, step by step, at a pace he might have deemed leisurely were he more prone to dishonesty. Really, he wasn't feeling great today. He was tired, even though he'd slept eight hours the night before, and he'd been walking around for half an hour but his feet were already protesting, and he'd had a bad time yesterday when he found that still life he'd been working on the night before everything went wrong, an image of the mug of pens that had once rested on his bookshelf, casting shadows like long fingers from the illumination of the lamp by his desk. It had been en route to being good, but now it would probably never be finished; he didn't have the chops, and the subject had been moved long ago, some of the old and dried-up pens discarded, but he kept the canvas around in the closet, just to cause himself periodic emotional pain.
There were other people here, but they were scattered. A few morning joggers, a handful of men and women arrayed singly by the river or along the way, a couple with a dog—these were trite domestic details suited to a bad Impressionist painting. Sven had never cared too much for Impressionism, even the good stuff, with a slight exception for the works featuring ships. Maybe it had to do with how he imagined the fog against the sea would look, diffusing reality. Maybe it just hit him in a sentimental way he'd been unable to purge. His increasing understanding of Monet's challenges, in any event, did little to endear the genre to him.
Up ahead there was noise, a crash of shoes against wood of greater volume than his own heavy but measured footfalls. Sven paid it no heed, his gaze on the river. But then there were voices, louder and clearer, and he was able to tune them out for a number of seconds but paused his advance and then finally looked. A good ways up, twenty feet, fifty—he didn't know, depth perception was hard and he was unfocused and points of reference were few—was a group of four figures. They were lively in just the way Sven didn't feel, and yet something about them drew his attention inexorably as a whirlpool. He squinted his eye, trying to figure out what it was. The details coalesced, just enough to meld with the voices, the hint of familiarity.
They were classmates. They were all his classmates.
Oh hell no.
((Continued in Least Of All Young Caroline))
I bid you all dark greetings!
Zen was right. It was like a party. With all the baggage that entailed.
Megan took a deep, shuddering breath, a breath that said 'I'm not sure I want to be here but I'm here so let's try to put a brave face on, okay, girlie? Let's do our best to have a good time and then we can go home and plug in our headphones and collapse and pretend that this isn't gonna leave you burned out for the edge of the day, and also take care of yourself so that feeling burned out is manageable, and yeah that's all contradictory but it's better to believe both of them, right?' Contradiction was a part of life. Deceiving herself was a part of life. Just don't think about it too much.
So many people, so much talking. So many people talking to her. What had Megan expected to happen? It's not like she can blame people for being sweet and lovely to her even when she didn't want them to be.
"Hi Dolly. Uh, sorry if I was interrupting. I guess I'll just...I can just...hurry along now..."
Megan cringed. Was she...yeah, she was guilt-tripping. Why? Why are you like this, Megan? And over a perfectly innocuous, friendly statement, too. She was just trying to get away, wasn't she? Why couldn't she just say that? Why did she have to make up excuses that would hurt people? Like, telling the truth would hurt people too, but...well, time to try to fix things up.
"I mean, not that I feel like you're pushing me away, or anything! It's just that, um, I have somewhere to be"--GOD that was flimsy--"but that felt like a really transparent excuse to get away and I didn't want to seem like I was avoiding anyone or anything like that, so I tried to come up with an excuse that wouldn't seem like that, except now I've made you feel bad for making me feel bad, except, well. Actually you didn't make me feel bad at all! So don't feel bad about that?"
Megan's lip was quivering. Please, please, God, let this work.
Megan took a deep, shuddering breath, a breath that said 'I'm not sure I want to be here but I'm here so let's try to put a brave face on, okay, girlie? Let's do our best to have a good time and then we can go home and plug in our headphones and collapse and pretend that this isn't gonna leave you burned out for the edge of the day, and also take care of yourself so that feeling burned out is manageable, and yeah that's all contradictory but it's better to believe both of them, right?' Contradiction was a part of life. Deceiving herself was a part of life. Just don't think about it too much.
So many people, so much talking. So many people talking to her. What had Megan expected to happen? It's not like she can blame people for being sweet and lovely to her even when she didn't want them to be.
"Hi Dolly. Uh, sorry if I was interrupting. I guess I'll just...I can just...hurry along now..."
Megan cringed. Was she...yeah, she was guilt-tripping. Why? Why are you like this, Megan? And over a perfectly innocuous, friendly statement, too. She was just trying to get away, wasn't she? Why couldn't she just say that? Why did she have to make up excuses that would hurt people? Like, telling the truth would hurt people too, but...well, time to try to fix things up.
"I mean, not that I feel like you're pushing me away, or anything! It's just that, um, I have somewhere to be"--GOD that was flimsy--"but that felt like a really transparent excuse to get away and I didn't want to seem like I was avoiding anyone or anything like that, so I tried to come up with an excuse that wouldn't seem like that, except now I've made you feel bad for making me feel bad, except, well. Actually you didn't make me feel bad at all! So don't feel bad about that?"
Megan's lip was quivering. Please, please, God, let this work.
Hmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. This sure was a thing that was happening right now! Zen's instinct was still to call it a Good Thing because even if things were getting all weird and tense they'd still managed to run into three entire people that they liked at the same time and that Had to be a lucky thing, right? Like, everything could still be made cool and fun here, somehow. Like, there had to be a way to Solve Everything. Zen was good at that, usually! Making everyone put away their hangups and get along was a Zen Special Technique though they had to admit sometimes it went really badly and everyone went home upset but it was better than just letting everyone sit around and be miserable, right?? Right.
Their eyes darted between their three friends. Blaise was being Blaise, Dolly seemed like she'd go along with whatever, Megan was pretty obviously the one who needed help here, which made her the Prime Target. Wait that sounded bad. Prime........ Help-ee? Was Helpee a word? It sounded silly but that just made it better, it was a word now, Zen decided.
"Megan!" Zen said cheerfully, dancing forward to grab her hand. "I'm sure Dolly thinks the same thing! Which, I mean, the thing I forgot to say first, which is that it's totally fine and good because you're great! Do you really have to go? I could walk with you! If you want?"
Good! This was Helpful. Okay, Zen didn't really want to leave, going from three entire friends to one was a definite downgrade and there were tempting possibilities that came with running into Blaise in a public park, but this was, like, the Good thing to do, right? And doing the Good thing was... Good.
But they were still kinda hoping Megan would say no though. Which wasn't Good at all.
Whoops.
Their eyes darted between their three friends. Blaise was being Blaise, Dolly seemed like she'd go along with whatever, Megan was pretty obviously the one who needed help here, which made her the Prime Target. Wait that sounded bad. Prime........ Help-ee? Was Helpee a word? It sounded silly but that just made it better, it was a word now, Zen decided.
"Megan!" Zen said cheerfully, dancing forward to grab her hand. "I'm sure Dolly thinks the same thing! Which, I mean, the thing I forgot to say first, which is that it's totally fine and good because you're great! Do you really have to go? I could walk with you! If you want?"
Good! This was Helpful. Okay, Zen didn't really want to leave, going from three entire friends to one was a definite downgrade and there were tempting possibilities that came with running into Blaise in a public park, but this was, like, the Good thing to do, right? And doing the Good thing was... Good.
But they were still kinda hoping Megan would say no though. Which wasn't Good at all.
Whoops.
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
"I don't feel bad about anything," Dolly said placidly. There were a lot of wheels turning here, oh yes. Lots of gears grinding and perhaps just as many things grinding someone's gears, so to speak. "It is a lovely morning, isn't it? Nice day for a walk, or other outdoor activities. I don't get out as much as I should, but today I just couldn't resist."
This was off-topic. Dolly knew that it was off-topic. Discussing the weather was the go-to stock conversation topic for awkward encounters and changing the subject, right next to local sports teams and whatever the president had tweeted about now. Well, maybe that last one was a little too inflammatory for some company. But that was a digression.
Dolly knew that she was derailing things in a particularly meandering way, and she meant to do it. The more that she saw the thoughts racing in others, the more that she felt the need to take things at her own sedate pace. Something seemed like it was on the brink of starting here, so Dolly was interested in killing it as it drew its first breaths, before it could grow out of control.
"I might go for a walk later, when I'm through with my yoga. That's a nice idea." She nodded as though it was some suggestion that Megan and Zen had made to her -- and as though she were urging them along on their own way.
This was off-topic. Dolly knew that it was off-topic. Discussing the weather was the go-to stock conversation topic for awkward encounters and changing the subject, right next to local sports teams and whatever the president had tweeted about now. Well, maybe that last one was a little too inflammatory for some company. But that was a digression.
Dolly knew that she was derailing things in a particularly meandering way, and she meant to do it. The more that she saw the thoughts racing in others, the more that she felt the need to take things at her own sedate pace. Something seemed like it was on the brink of starting here, so Dolly was interested in killing it as it drew its first breaths, before it could grow out of control.
"I might go for a walk later, when I'm through with my yoga. That's a nice idea." She nodded as though it was some suggestion that Megan and Zen had made to her -- and as though she were urging them along on their own way.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."