theairlock | At last, my love has come along~

~~Date Night~~

After everything that's happened, especially the shock from the giddy joy of Thursday night to everything that happened on Friday, Queenie is more determined than ever to make sure everyone can find some joy in this place. Which finds her determined and busy most of Saturday evening, after crying herself out, and all day Sunday. Anyone that tries to stop her or insist maybe there's something else she should or could be doing will be told that she's got something in mind, it's going to be fun and no one should worry about her, thank you very much.

One of the small tables from the dining room is missing, along with it's chairs. They have now taken up residence in a quiet corner of the garden. She's taken one of the pink sheets from the 2nd floor rest area and made it into a tablecloth, set out candlesticks, and relocated a rose or two into the area. Jars and additional glasses from the kitchen are scattered around, glowing a soft, delicate blue light from dancing flames that give off heat but do not burn.

Every day this week a different couple will find memo mice seeking them out.

The pleasure of your company has been requested in the garden this evening at 7 o'clock. Follow the lights for fine food and better company.

The food will be served by magic and Queenie will do her best to keep as much distance as possible, giving everyone their privacy. While the main dishes will vary there will be two things consistent, night to night. Excellent wine from the bar upstairs and a rich, decadent chocolate mousse topped with hand whipped cream and glazed strawberries.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No! It's actually...with the information I have, I think it's in my dead captain, but I don't know how if he's...y'know, dead.

Maybe this is a good time to mention the evil fuck of an AI is the one she got stuck in her head. But it left, and she's been trying to kill him.

[jazz hands]

[...i mean. sure. as you do.]

That's...different.

He never stuck us in a space mansion on lockdown and had us murder each other, though, so at least that was going for me until this place.

[facehands for just a second sometimes he remembers what a giant fuck his life is]

So uh. Trainwreck. Yeah. I really have that urge to go back and know it's stupid because I'll remember more things, so. Trying really hard to be present and accounted for.

...

[Ardyn actually answered with a laugh, that same half-exhausted one that followed his recent momentary breakdown.]

What a pair of utter and complete disasters we are.

Honestly, my girlfriend's psycho body-jumping AI in my dead captain isn't nearly the weirdest thing that's happened to me.

Disaster about covers us, yeah. [An equally tired laugh, but it's a genuine one as he leans back because wow.] Maybe that's why we get along so well.

I'm sure I'll remember something that can surpass that sooner or later.

[bonding over dying inside is the best way to make friends]

It could be that, or that you're just the sort of person that doesn't care to flinch in the face of something horrifying.

Edited 2017-06-05 23:02 (UTC)

[BOY HOWDY HE'S REALLY SURE ARDYN WILL REMEMBER WORSE THINGS and he is not looking forward to that at all.]

You're not-- [It's an automatic reaction, sitting up straight, a vehement argument on his lips. But...he had been, though. In that moment. Horrifying, in his own fucked up way. It deflates him, somewhat.] You're not, though.

Really now, you need not lie about it. You aren't very good at that.

[There it was again, briefly--the coldly insincere tone belonging to a very different Ardyn. But he sighed and leaned back lazily in his chair, and when he continued his voice had evened out to something more normal.]

...We're well past the point of sparing my feelings on the matter.

Only fair for liars to call each other out. [He's put out by the whole thing, because...because it's black and white, with that grey insincerity in the middle. There's Ardyn, who is very much not horrifying, and there's...Izunia. Who is.]

I dunno, I just...different kinds of horrors get different reactions. Maybe I didn't flinch cuz you weren't so scary as you thought you were. [Which is also a lie, so he won't pretend that's actually the truth.] Maybe there's worse stuff out there. [Like the splash of blood on the glass. Audible, visceral.] Maybe I'm just able to suck it up and deal when shit's on the line. [Because what happens if he does flinch, if he's wrong, if he can't? If he can't. Does he lose Ardyn? Do people start dying? Unacceptable on both counts.]

Fuck knows how or why you put up with me.

...Truthfully? It was because you reminded me of my retainer, and quite frankly I was feeling somewhat lost without him around. Irritating sense of humor, but vicious in a fight. He didn't even like to hold back in sparring matches, and he'd always laugh while keeping score of how many times he'd won.

[Ardyn trailed off as it began to fully occur to him that he had most likely outlived everyone he knew--his brother, his Shield, his entire army--and there was a long pause and a distant stare before he tried to focus again.]

Even then...even Vandeae always kept me at something of arm's length. No one ever dared push the exalted healer around whether in a literal sense or otherwise. But you don't care about any of that. You, Junpei, Clarith, everyone--every last one of you has simply regarded me as human when right now I am less so than I have ever been.

I think I've just grown attached to that.

Edited 2017-06-06 01:31 (UTC)

[Church isn't always the most attentive person--well, even if he's listening, sometimes he's not caring, and it's a fine line he walks every day--but he's extremely attentive now. It's...nice. To be seen that way. To be a reminder of something good. Something good even if it hurts.

Because there's hurt there, too. Church might not be able to immediately see why there's hesitation, what the complicated emotion underlying the pause is, but he sees it, and he leans in, arms on the table to prop himself up. He's worried that something might happen, and he wants to be ready, and he also...just wants to be here. (Present and accounted for.) He wants to give comfort but he's not about to go reaching over and do something dumb like take his hand while they're on Q's dumb adorable pseudo-date. So he lets Ardyn work it through himself.

And maybe he's even smiling by the end of that.]

We're all as human as the next person here. Especially the not-so-humans. Which is why we push you around like a nerd on a playground. Because you're Ardyn, the guy that makes damn sure everyone's taken care of when something happens, who keeps his cool and does his best to make everyone else keep theirs, too. You're the designated driver of a bunch of drunk assholes who secretly has an arsenal of awful dad jokes.

So you better stay attached to that feeling of being treated as an equal, cuz you're stuck with us now for better or worse. Though I feel like I might've liked this Vandeae, sounds like a piece of work. Totally nothing like me, though. [definitely crazy talk through a smirk]

He's very good at his job as Shield--was, I suppose. The two of you would have ended up throwing punches at one another before long, most likely.

[Ardyn sighed, pushing his hair out of his face only for it to fall right back in his eyes.]

...For as much trouble as this has been at its worst...I think perhaps despite it all I was fortunate to have met all of you.

[Should've put a magic brush in your regains, bro.]

...I wonder how long this is going to last.

I mean, if PAL's or the network's or whatever intent is murder for drama, if this is still just some...fucked up reality game show to them, then there has to be an ending point. The lucky winners get to go. I wonder if there's a certain length of time this will go to, or if they want to whittle our numbers down to a certain amount.

I just mean--I wonder. Who gets to go home. I guess for some of us that...isn't much of a prize.

If I had to guess, I would estimate 'one' to be the ideal number for them. If a trial should go poorly and a murderer betrays their friends--that would be a stunning dramatic climax, were this all actually fiction.

[As it was, it was the Worst Possible Thing.]

...For my part, I don't think I've an Insomnia to go back to right now.

Maybe something else will happen. Maybe you'll get to stay in this universe or something. But I guess...I guess that's another worry we'll have to put on the backburner while we figure out how to survive. [He fiddles with his wine glass as he says it, because they're no closer to unraveling how to beat PAL than they were two weeks ago, and it's frustrating that they do fun things and become great friends only to remember that the next worst thing to Omega is calling the shots.]

At last, my love has come along~

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