reverienet | text | un: hudie

[Girlfriends? Erika mooshes her forehead against the bar to deal with the second shot, which was also FUCKING AWFUL, and wonders once more what she's gotten herself into.

Not in a worrying way, though. It's kind of interesting to be doing something so radically different from usual. It makes the world seem more immediate.

She sets the glass away at an arm's length, because that is the last of that shit, please.]

...Okay. But we get to turn questions down if we want.

[She's doing this? She's doing this. She's giving the pressure valve a turn or two. Whoosh.]

That's probably for the best, actually? I don't really know what questions are too far. I just kind of ask? So, you know.

[ let that pressure out, erika! let it out so it doesn't fucking explode. venus pushes her shotglass away in a similar motion, mainly to avoid the temptation to already take a third shot. ]

So, um... Hm. Would you rather stub your toe once a day, or cut it off?

[ venus what the fuck ]

[A noise splutters up out of Erika that's probably a laugh, though there's no smile to accompany it, just a hard blink.]

Stub it, definitely. [No hesitation.]

What... [Her first question was going to be about the wings, but it feels weird following something so odd up with something so personal.] ...Favorite book genre.

Edited 2018-05-21 01:45 (UTC)

Same, honestly? I read that in a book once. "100 Awesome Icebreakers!" They all kind of sucked, though. Which is kind of misleading??

[ she giggles a bit back. sorry, erika! she's not sure if it's a laugh or not, but she's definitely going to assume it is for now. it's just easier that way- OH, SHE'S BEING ASKED A QUESTION?? SHIT ONE SEC- ]

Uhh. I would have said sci-fi before we woke up here? Haha. [ that laugh sounds. a lot less amused than before. ] But honestly, I guess I don't really know? My parents weren't really huge on me reading that kind of stuff.

Hmm. [She crosses her arms on the bar and resettles her head on them.] What kind of sci-fi did you read?

There was one book where someone jumped around in time? It was like, a super-dystopian future. And I think in the end they went back in time and saw Jesus, and it was supposed to be like, Christianity was the answer all along? Which was kind of dumb, but hey, time-travel.

[ the longer this goes, the more of a trend you're going to notice, erika. venus blinks, looks down to her shotglass, then back up to erika with a shit-eating grin on her face. ]

Oh my god. You got a second question out of me? [ she laughs, high and only a little embarrassed. ] Okay. Okay, my turn, um... Is there anyone on the station you would want to kiss?

[ it's sort of a spur-of-the-moment question. listen, she didn't have anything better planned! she's sort of winging it!! ]

[Erika's understanding of Christianity is spotty on the practicalities and mostly related to historical context for European philosophers and scientists, ie: enough to be aware that she has no fucking clue what that is supposed to mean. It's filed away for future reference.]

I wasn't counting. You can take two. [HMM. She wrinkles her nose a little.] I don't think so.

[ what a coincidence! venus's understanding of christianity is really good, except it's christianity in a world that makes NO FUCKING SENSE and EVERYTHING IS REAL AND NOT METAPHOR so??? they're basically on equal terms??? ]

Only if you're sure. [ that's kind of disappointing to hear! but not really. she's under no obligation to smooch anyone?? so this time she gives a bit more thought, and when a question finally pops up she's just drunk enough to go for it. she extends her wings a little behind her, giving them a small flap - just enough to draw erika's attention - before she asks. ] What do you think of my wings? They're not, like, freaking you out, are they?

[Erika's kind of glad that she didn't press for detail, because now Erika's peering at the underbelly of that question and all she can find is a bunch of muddled mush that she'd be hard-pressed to draw out into coherent reasons. Are there good-looking people around? Sure. Would she want to kiss them? She doesn't think so. Hmm.

She'd still be engrossed in thinking through it if not for that wingflap, which does its job and makes Erika lift her head and watch them blink and flutter.] They're not...no. You don't seem bothered, so they don't bother me. [Head thumps back down onto her arms.] I mean, they're weird, but there's no point in staying surprised by them. It's a waste of energy to not adapt.

Really? I think they're kind of cool. [ okay venus you're sort of biased though?? ] I'm glad you're getting used to them, though. I'd rather people not worry about them.

[ and then, helpfully- ] It's your question.

They can be weird and cool. [ANYWAYS let her think. Dot dot dot. Oh wait right her old question...]

Speaking of your wings. What...do they make you? Human? Or are you something else?

Huh? Oh my god. Did I not tell you??

[ she is too drunk to remember. or maybe... she is not drunk enough?? she pours another shot, slamming it down (and making a noise like a drowning parrot as it goes). when she's finally got a bit more liquid courage in her, she spins in her chair to face erika directly. ]

I am the devil. [ she claps her hands together - bites her bottom lip. ] Okay, so. I was sort of human at one point? I mean, I guess I'm still sort of human. Like, I probably need to eat and stuff? I'm not really sure. But- I'm not human anymore. I know that much.

[ she doesn't seem torn up over it. she seems pretty goddamn happy, actually. ]

[She opens her mouth for a moment to ask whether Venus should be doing that, then thinks better of it and closes it.

And then watches, head still pillowed on her arms as though sitting upright is just too much effort, and thinks. She seems to be well over the eye contact or being-seen-looking issue, staring in that patient, processing, distantly fascinated way that she excels at normally and apparently specializes even further in when intoxicated. There are some profound discrepancies here between the concept being laid out and Erika's understanding of some of the terminology involved, but then again, that just happens sometimes.

Eyes. A world of eyes, seeing, data pouring in. Cacophony; white noise.]

It's not uncomfortable?

[It sounds like a lot. Sorry, looks like a lot. Both/either/neither.]

Edited 2018-05-21 06:10 (UTC)

Huh? [ she's three shots in and goes for the last thing she remembers being discussed. ] No, they're like... really nice? Incredibly nice. It's like I have four arms now, but I can use all of them. And two of them are super long, and i've got like. Sheets on them or something? But it's feathers.

[ venus that was a lot of information for a question she didn't actually ask you. ]

[Nodding along, even though she's starting to feel a little Weird about the descriptions. She imagines a couple of possible replies and fails to say any of them because they're all kind of mediocre.]

That's good. Sometimes it's just. [Where was that sentence going? It's gone. Must not have been important. Erika kicks the underside of the bar.]

It's your turn. Venus.

[ venus kind of knows that feeling? except she usually just says the first, most useless one. and then beats herself up over it after. ]

Oh, right! Right. [ she thinks for a second, and nothing really comes to her, so she just sort of blurts out- ] Uh, what kind of music do you like?

[Uhhhhhhhh.] I don't...know. I don't listen to much music. [She's wracking her brain trying to think of things, but she has to go back...years to find anything. And at that point it's just whatever she heard as a kid. PAIR OF WINNERS UP IN HERE] Slower-paced things? Like...heartfelt. But not cheesy.

Aw. That's sweet? [ she's pretty sure it's sweet. she smiles, radiant and blushing and dorky all over. ] I think I'd like that kind of stuff too. I don't really listen to much music either, though, so. I guess I have no idea?

[ oh- right. ] Your question.

[Being called sweet is WEIRD and Erika is a little red too.

She keeps kicking the underside of the bar, like it'll help her think of a question faster. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.]

Mmmmmmh. -Where are you from?

Ugh. Kansas. [ venus kicks the underside of the bar, too. except she's still not exactly used to being the devil, so it makes a sort of creak sound as her foot dents the metal. shit. ] In the US. It's like... the worst? The worst. There's just dust and farms and churches. We don't even have hills. It sucks.

[ okay, so that's not entirely fair.

still pretty accurate, though. ]

Uhhh. Hmm. Where are you from?

[That's somewhere in the middle. Is it the place with the corn? Hmm. At least it's Earth.]

I'm from Tokyo. It's got, [fuck,] a lot.

[How do you even elaborate on that. Erika's mind is a log jam of disparate things trying to be said and she's glaring at the counter like that'll unjam it.]

Oh my god, yeah! I've seen. Pictures? And like, videos. On the internet.

[ the alcohol is kicking fully in, giving a pleasant lilt to her voice and finally kicking all her reservations out the window. god, she likes this feeling. ]

Erika!! [ if the sudden jump in volume is unexpected (though still manageable), it's probably not as unexpected as venus's actions. she leans backwards until she's balanced all the way off the chair, gently supporting herself with her wings on the ground. ] Erika, you gotta. Ask a question?

[ these questions aren't like, invasive or prying at all!! and even if she's fine with that for erika, she kind of wants to be asked some?? she's drunk enough to not care at this point! ]

I'm trying. [She's a spectator in her own brain right now, forced to sit back and watch things meander past instead of taking hold of the flow, and it keeps flopping back and forth between "kind of nice" and "kind of scary". And obnoxious, because she has to deliberately try to fetch memories more distant than the immediate, like the rules of this game.

The kicking continues. It takes the edge off the floaty, vague feeling, and distracts her from trying to untangle her words when she drops into rambling.]

How...mmm. What about...ugh. I never ask things like this. All I can think of is weird questions, like, if you think we're going to spend the rest of our lives here. Or if being a devil means you've ever eaten a soul. That's how it works in comics. But it's probably not realistic.

Haha. Those totally work? Honestly, just ask whatever. It's kind of just... an excuse to talk, you know? Like. It's so hard to talk normally, but like this you can just kind of. Say things. Just let them loose.

[ it's more questions than erika's supposed to ask!! but actually, venus doesn't care. she snickers and answers them in rapid succession. ]

Probably not. A lot of really smart people are looking for a way back, and I don't think we're going to die here. And definitely not on the soul eating thing?? I don't think the devil's supposed to even do that. [ her gaze drops down to the shot again. a fourth one... is an option... ] Mainly I just sort of. Try to do the things I want to do? Instead of beating myself over it. Or getting beaten up over it. Haha.

[ but that's an answer for another question. she taps and pokes and prods at the table for a few seconds, and then manages- ]

What's- boys or girls. Go.

[ and she's not going to bother elaborating past that. ]

[She's still processing this definition of a devil. What? What. That parses for a moment before Erika flushes.]

Boys. I think? But you can't, um, you can't draw good conclusions from samples. Small samples. Real people aren't like videos. [what did she just....say] Or like - yeah, I don't know. There's -

[She starts counting on her fingers with great, jittery focus.]

- I've met two girls before here, [recently, she omits, but the old part of her life is conceptually cordoned off from the rest,] then you, and Kholin-san. So you can't tell from that. But most of the boys are my brothers anyways. So I don't know. That's, that's the right answer. I can't choose. [She slaps her hands back into a laced-fingers position, primly.] And I don't think, I think I wouldn't know if I could. It's hard to tell. Is it usually hard to tell?

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