but even if the stars and moon collide [afterparty]

[allatonce]

[Well, that sucked!

After about an hour, invitations written in colorful ink appear under everyone's doors.]

Understandable if you're not up to it, but we're having a memorial and "don't wanna be alone" hang-out in the restaurant again.

[The restaurant has very much been decorated with the most rainbow fabric she could find in the department store. Jonathan got roped in, mainly so she could make sure he was doing okay, but also because she assumed that he knew how to put a tablecloth on a table. He seemed like the type, anyway.

After consulting with Undertaker, most of the food that's been set out is more traditional Chinese funeral food than Victorian—you can get a whole roast duck in the restaurant—but she tried for a mix of things. There is fruit, the aforementioned roast duck, and several vegetarian dishes along with potatoes for some reason and... cookies? Okay then.

Joy's trying, because that was way less terrible for her than it was for basically anyone else.

Happy Pride Wrath, New Rapture!]

Comments

[specialyellthing]

Yeah, we've probably had enough woe for tonight. [Her expression turns a little bit sheepish, or at least-- as sheepish as she's capable of, which isn't very much. But the declaration's sweet-- people don't often tell her stuff like that, especially not big, terrifying men capable of ripping someone's throat out.

It's kind of nice.]

Yeah? Very dear, huh?

I'm pretty fond of you too, Big Guy.

[fuckingguy]

Oh. [ He smiles, reaching out with one hand, then gently tucks a wisp of hair out of her face. It's not clear whether the action is tentative or very deliberate. ] I was [ a beat ] beginning to get that impression, though of course it is easy to misread these things.

[ For him. Like, exclusively. ]

And I would not wanna make this awkward for you. But after today, and the last week... it really makes you think about getting your feelings out there, while you still can.

[ And, let's be clear in the third-person omniscient asides, that is definitely part because he can't just hypnotize her to forget an embarrassing overture if it turns out she's not interested! But, to be fair to Nandor (boo, hiss), it's like 70-30 whether he remembers he can't use his powers here at any given moment, and he likes her. He really does. ]

[specialyellthing]

Well, I was tryna drop a few hints, but I'm not really up with the proper way of hintin anymore. And I've had a bad track of likin' fellas who only like other fellas, without realizin' what I'm gettin into, so--

[She still looks a little weary-- then laughs, her smile coming back, bright as it normally is.]

Yeah. Probably good to be honest, lest we end up like poor Champ. ... I don' know how to break it to 'im that Fish wasn't into him like that, but I guess we don't even have to worry about it now.

Anyways, 'nough about them. It's out. What are you gonna do about it, Big Guy?

[fuckingguy]

[ For once, the turns have tabled! Nandor is the one who laughs, once the implications of "fellas who only like fellas" sink into his thick fuckin skull. ]

You too? [ Ah, but... ] ... Okay, maybe another story for another time. It is out there. And I was thinking...

[ Never one to back down from a challenge, he leans in and presses his lips to Zinda's with no further fanfare. The kiss is relatively chaste and closed-mouth, thank you Jesus; even if physical contact is expected, you don't just go shoving your fangs about someone's mouth unprompted outside of a blood orgy or something. He pulls back just enough to speak again, his voice low. ]

Something like that.