Over the course of the conversation I'd leaned my elbows on my knees, leaning forward to rest and try to look... comfortable.
Well... you know I'm not clueless. I feel that prickle on my neck and I don't like it... just the other day I also thought I had a friend I could relax with in Lucas, and that... well. I was really wrong.
Again? Huh?
I sit up in the desk chair and turn a bit to one side and instinctively cross my arms over my middle, "best friend?" I realize how squeaky my voice just sounded, almost pleading for the last minute or so to just... not happen.
"Mi Sun, come on... tell me something about yourself... like..." my eyes search the room, look at anything but her eyes. "Like... ok... what do you do for fun? I know it's not speedball, right?"
Having trouble relaxing here. My throat is feeling dry again, and it's not the running.
Mi Sun sits back, realizing you're getting defensive, and scoots back on the bed. "Well, I like to recycle and re-purpose stuff. Like." She pops up off the bed, moving over to the desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a book. An actual book. "Check it out. I made this out of pulp, a press, and some used clothing materials. It sort of holds ink." She hands it to you.
The book is denim blue, and the pages are a light gray. It's stapled together inside the binding, not glued like the ones you've read about.
Realizing I had held my breath, I start to breathe again... and you know, that's actually pretty interesting.
"Seriously, you made this?" I reach out to take the book from her and turn it over in my hands, run a thumb along the spine. "This is kind of amazing... Mi Sun... it feels..." I search for the right word, "...real."
I look around the room, plastic, metal, synthetics... "everything on board is... fake... you know what I mean? Like our whole world was put together by a machine... out of pieces..." I feel the comfortable weight of the hand-made object in my hand.
I move to open the book, fingertips on the edge of the cover, "what's in it?"
Asking for implied permission to open it, more than asking her to tell me.
Mi Sun beams when you call the book "real" She remains with her back against the wall even though she looks like she wants to crowd in and look at it with you. She nods when you touch the cover, "Nothing's in it yet. I just made it the other day. Got stir crazy with Jace gone, you know? Anyways, do you. Do you want it, Ashlee?" She watches you carefully, curious about your answer. What do you do?
Her expression makes me smile, a little laugh of shared.... uh... beaming.
She caught me in the headlights with that question, "uhh..." Is she being genuine? Almost anyone else in this Drokking pod this would have to be a trick, but maybe... maybe? "yeah... but, wow... you worked so hard to make this. I don't even know what I'd do with something," I fumble over the next word, like it's not one I get to use often (It's not) "beautiful... like this..."
I look up at her again, flip open the cover to see the textured, hand cut paper.
It would be easier if she just says no, right? What does it mean if I take it?
She watches you playing with it, her expression sort of frozen in anticipation. Despite herself, she scoots forward again, her legs hanging off the bed. She meets your eyes when you look back up, then breaks the contact, looking down at her hands, "It's.... it's just a book. You'd, I dunno, write in it. right? Whatever you want." She looks up again, licking her lips, then standing, walking over to her closet door, sliding it open, fiddling with something. "You don't have to take it, it's zeng. I just thought maybe you could have it or whatever."
Just a book? You didn't have just a book on your face when you showed it to me.
"Write in it?" I snap the book shut, it makes a satisfying sound. "I'm not a hundred percent sure I even own a pen..." I chuckle, but it's true, how often do we ever actually have to write something?
"But... I'll take it," I set the book in my lap and lay my hands on it, fingers curled around the spine. "Thanks."
Awkwardness at least turned into a different kind, I watch her fiddling in her closet for a moment.
"Do you..." I wonder if she's forgotten, and I'm not sure I want to go through with it... It's not always safe to touch my mind, "do you want to try that... uh... dream thing? Tonight?"
"I've got a pen, sort of. Made a few of them, since, you know, books." She pulls out a dress from her closet, a silky dark blue one you've never seen her wear. Actually, she rarely wears girly clothes. For a moment, she drapes the dress over her chest, not turning to you, but well, it's showy. When you ask about the "dream thing", she turns to answer brightly, "Yes! I'd love it. Plus, you know, you should probably hide out for a bit anyway. Two birds, one stone."
I look at her modeling that dress, little puzzled, wondering if she made that, too... but of course she did, where would any of us get something like that?
"Yeah... that works for me... gets me away from my delightful roomie, too" I chuckle and think of Nadja, and remember what I'm supposed to be doing for Ourania. She didn't really say it was urgent, did she? But I don't want her pissed at me after what happened.
"Hey... I gotta go get a few things, ok? Don't wanna share toothbrushes..." I try and make a joke out of it, but I really do need to go steal something of Nadja's.
Mi Sun nods, turning to quickly put her dress away as you head for the door, like she doesn't want anyone outside to see it. The door opens and you're in the hall. You're headed to your room, I assume?
When you get in there, it's empty. Nothing looks disturbed since you left for the Speedball game.
Ok, be quick. I go to my bed and grab my toothbrush and something to sleep it, clean underwear, some capri sweats and a tee. Then with all that in my arm as kind of a decoy I walk over to Nadja's side of the room and look for something of hers... something personal but also that she won't immediately miss.
"Nadja... Nadja... drokking Nadja..." I softly repeat her name, trying to find something. She has this little curio box under the bed... ugh... what else might be under there I hesitate to imagine. But yeah. I go for that.
When you snoop in someone's room looking for something interesting, roll with Cold. On a hit, you got something worth the effort. On a 10+, choose two. On a 7-9, choose just one: - you find something for trade - you find something you can use to blackmail them or someone else, MC details - you find something you thought you lost, you detail
Ashlee Choose to find something I could use to blackmail them.... that sounds like the definition of something personal that Ourania might want, right? But really, I just want something personal, not to blackmail her. So... that.
You find her curio box, a small metal thing about fifteen centimeters long. Inside are four golden-colored screws, a pair of baby scissors, a medal for a spelling bee, and a half-heart locket.
Do you take the whole box, or just something inside?
I regard the open box for a couple seconds, almost forgetting that I'm in a hurry. Finally I just follow my instincts and take the locket and return the box to where I found it.
I hold it in my hand for a second before slipping it into my pocket for Ourania.
I return to the door, check the hall both ways before returning to Mi Sun's.
Comments
Over the course of the conversation I'd leaned my elbows on my knees, leaning forward to rest and try to look... comfortable.
Well... you know I'm not clueless. I feel that prickle on my neck and I don't like it... just the other day I also thought I had a friend I could relax with in Lucas, and that... well. I was really wrong.
Again? Huh?
I sit up in the desk chair and turn a bit to one side and instinctively cross my arms over my middle, "best friend?" I realize how squeaky my voice just sounded, almost pleading for the last minute or so to just... not happen.
"Mi Sun, come on... tell me something about yourself... like..." my eyes search the room, look at anything but her eyes. "Like... ok... what do you do for fun? I know it's not speedball, right?"
Having trouble relaxing here. My throat is feeling dry again, and it's not the running.
The book is denim blue, and the pages are a light gray. It's stapled together inside the binding, not glued like the ones you've read about.
Realizing I had held my breath, I start to breathe again... and you know, that's actually pretty interesting.
"Seriously, you made this?" I reach out to take the book from her and turn it over in my hands, run a thumb along the spine. "This is kind of amazing... Mi Sun... it feels..." I search for the right word, "...real."
I look around the room, plastic, metal, synthetics... "everything on board is... fake... you know what I mean? Like our whole world was put together by a machine... out of pieces..." I feel the comfortable weight of the hand-made object in my hand.
I move to open the book, fingertips on the edge of the cover, "what's in it?"
Asking for implied permission to open it, more than asking her to tell me.
She watches you carefully, curious about your answer.
What do you do?
Her expression makes me smile, a little laugh of shared.... uh... beaming.
She caught me in the headlights with that question, "uhh..." Is she being genuine? Almost anyone else in this Drokking pod this would have to be a trick, but maybe... maybe? "yeah... but, wow... you worked so hard to make this. I don't even know what I'd do with something," I fumble over the next word, like it's not one I get to use often (It's not) "beautiful... like this..."
I look up at her again, flip open the cover to see the textured, hand cut paper.
It would be easier if she just says no, right? What does it mean if I take it?
Just a book? You didn't have just a book on your face when you showed it to me.
"Write in it?" I snap the book shut, it makes a satisfying sound. "I'm not a hundred percent sure I even own a pen..." I chuckle, but it's true, how often do we ever actually have to write something?
"But... I'll take it," I set the book in my lap and lay my hands on it, fingers curled around the spine. "Thanks."
Awkwardness at least turned into a different kind, I watch her fiddling in her closet for a moment.
"Do you..." I wonder if she's forgotten, and I'm not sure I want to go through with it... It's not always safe to touch my mind, "do you want to try that... uh... dream thing? Tonight?"
When you ask about the "dream thing", she turns to answer brightly, "Yes! I'd love it. Plus, you know, you should probably hide out for a bit anyway. Two birds, one stone."
I look at her modeling that dress, little puzzled, wondering if she made that, too... but of course she did, where would any of us get something like that?
"Yeah... that works for me... gets me away from my delightful roomie, too" I chuckle and think of Nadja, and remember what I'm supposed to be doing for Ourania. She didn't really say it was urgent, did she? But I don't want her pissed at me after what happened.
"Hey... I gotta go get a few things, ok? Don't wanna share toothbrushes..." I try and make a joke out of it, but I really do need to go steal something of Nadja's.
I stand. "Back in a tick... uh... ok?"
Ashlee,
Mi Sun nods, turning to quickly put her dress away as you head for the door, like she doesn't want anyone outside to see it. The door opens and you're in the hall. You're headed to your room, I assume?
When you get in there, it's empty. Nothing looks disturbed since you left for the Speedball game.
What do you do?
Sweet.
Ok, be quick. I go to my bed and grab my toothbrush and something to sleep it, clean underwear, some capri sweats and a tee. Then with all that in my arm as kind of a decoy I walk over to Nadja's side of the room and look for something of hers... something personal but also that she won't immediately miss.
"Nadja... Nadja... drokking Nadja..." I softly repeat her name, trying to find something. She has this little curio box under the bed... ugh... what else might be under there I hesitate to imagine. But yeah. I go for that.
Ashlee,
We just happen to have a move for this...
When you snoop in someone's room looking for something interesting, roll with Cold. On a hit, you got something worth the effort. On a 10+, choose two. On a 7-9, choose just one:
- you find something for trade
- you find something you can use to blackmail them or someone else, MC details
- you find something you thought you lost, you detail
Snooping for something:
(Rolled: 2d6-1. Rolls: 2, 6. Total: 7)
Choose to find something I could use to blackmail them.... that sounds like the definition of something personal that Ourania might want, right? But really, I just want something personal, not to blackmail her. So... that.
Ashlee,
You find her curio box, a small metal thing about fifteen centimeters long. Inside are four golden-colored screws, a pair of baby scissors, a medal for a spelling bee, and a half-heart locket.
Do you take the whole box, or just something inside?
I regard the open box for a couple seconds, almost forgetting that I'm in a hurry. Finally I just follow my instincts and take the locket and return the box to where I found it.
I hold it in my hand for a second before slipping it into my pocket for Ourania.
I return to the door, check the hall both ways before returning to Mi Sun's.
Ashlee,
Please go here.