week seven afterparty

[clearities]

[ so how is everyone doing today? pretty badly, I'd assume, but there's so little of them left, not to mention that Bolin is going to get executed because of an accident. on top of that, there's the confusion coming from the public.

so what's going on.

today's going to be a little different - as Sakura seeks everyone out. she knows it's tough, but given the circumstances, she wants to invite everyone to meet her in front of the police station.

yeah.

we're having a jail cell afterparty, apparently. oh, and she's brought pancakes because... you all probably need that after. All of This. of course people can always ignore her request and just go somewhere else, but where are you tonight? ]

Comments

[robitussin]

[She pauses.]

...Did something change?

[Considering the last time they talked about his world was 'I'd ask you to come with me, but'... The sentiment he's giving now seems to have strayed from that.]

[marmoron]

I'm just starting to realize that you and the words "safety" and "staying put" are inherently incompatible anyway.

[robitussin]

...I kind of want to argue with that, but I'm not sure I can.

[smh]

[marmoron]

If you did, I'd have to tell you to can it.

[He's maybe a little exasperated, but... he's still holding her hand.]

[robitussin]

[She takes that in - both the frustration and their still joined hands. After a few moments:]

...Is that an invitation, then?

[marmoron]

Don't know why you'd want an invitation to an intergalactic war.

[But apparently that's a yes.]

[robitussin]

[After a moment:]

That was a yes or no question.

[marmoron]

Sure was.

[A beat. His tone shifts from vaguely irritable to something a little more serious as he looks directly at her.]

I mean it. I really don't get why you'd want to come back home with me after everything I've told you about it and the situation we're in right now, but... you can come if that's what you want.

[robitussin]

[...]

After all this time, you really don't get why I would want to?

[marmoron]

[There's a long pause at that, but eventually...]

Maybe I just think you're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time and it's hard because I want you to be somewhere where you don't have to be scared.

[robitussin]

[There's a pause of her own, one in which she goes slightly red in the face, but...]

I'd be more scared if I wasn't somewhere I could know you're okay.

[marmoron]

[His eyes stay on her face a moment longer. Somehow it takes her turning red for him to realize just how stupidly sentimental what he just said was. Not that he'd take it back, but he looks away.]

Guess I gotta start thinking about what to tell people then.

[His plan of maybe just reappearing without explaining this whole Cartesio headache is maybe not as solid of a plan if Natalie is coming along...]

[robitussin]

...That's if either of us gets a chance to go wherever we want, you know.

[Given everything the Sergeant's told them about the rules of this place.]

[marmoron]

We're going back.

[Stated definitively, all traces of awkwardness from before wiped clean.]

Staying here isn't an option I'm accepting.

[robitussin]

[She looks like she wants to say something, but after a moment, she just nods.]

...Okay.

[marmoron]

[Paradoxically the lack of pushback here just winds up being confusing. Keith stares at her like he's waiting for her to say something, but then...]

Glad we're on the same page then.

[robitussin]

...I want to hope you're right, I guess.

[But...]

What do you think you're going to tell them? When we, um, get there.

[marmoron]

You gotta do more than hope sometimes.

[Which he knows she knows, but he sighs, brow furrowed as he thinks about this.]

Probably that we got caught up in another Bob-ish incident and got stuck playing this stupid murder game for two months. That'll make sense to them.

[He is perhaps missing the point here.]

[robitussin]

Yeah, I know.

[She gives pause, though, glancing his way.]

Do I want to know who Bob is? [...] Also, that's... not quite what I meant.

[marmoron]

Bob's an all powerful entity from my world that we happened to run into while trying to get back to Earth. He made us play some kind of game show and threatened to keep us there forever unless we won the game. Bit of an asshole.

[No understatement there. It's all stated relatively quickly like he just wants to be done thinking about the incident.]

Anyway. What did you mean then?

[robitussin]

...I immediately have so many questions about that. Holy shit.

[Either way, she pauses, glancing at the ground.]

Just, like... What were you planning to tell them, uh, about us?

[marmoron]

Same here.

[Just being honest rather than dismissive. Garfle Warfle Snick just uh... never really made all that much sense to Keith either. Next bit almost has him thinking they were better off talking about Bob though. He looks away again, trying to shake off the heightened awareness that they're still holding hands.]

Uh...that your name is Natalie...? [Wait. Better strat.] What do you want me to tell them?

[robitussin]

Your plan is just to tell them my name?

[She pauses for a moment, looking his way.]

I don't know. But maybe we should, like... Talk about it?

[marmoron]

....yeah? I don't want to talk for you.

[He's not even flustered or defensive on this; this is just clearly the most logical plan here??]

I mean... [He glances at her for a second.] ...Okay. You start.

[robitussin]

[She blinks.]

You want me to start? [...] Okay. Uh, I guess I just don't know what we're... doing? Or, uh, what we've been doing for the last few weeks, and what we're doing going forward...?