I have died every day waiting for you

[lovelikeyou]

[That was, in Rose's opinion, even worse than last week. Any loss of life is an awful waste, but for it all to come of some horrible accident...

This week, she doesn't retreat back to her room. She knows now that the people here, or at least enough of them, like to gather after these experiences. Many of the Crystal Gems were the same way; she remembers their post-battle huddles well. It's not a party, really, but...it's good to be together. To have friends around. Maybe, to remember those who were lost.

So this time, she'll go to the cafeteria herself and request some food for everyone. It's just basic snacks, the kind of human food she knows well enough to ask for. There's some hot chocolate provided, too. She definitely knows people enjoy that. It doesn't take too long, since she isn't making most of it, and then she goes to invite everybody she can find.

She doesn't slip any notes underneath doors, for the people she doesn't happen across. Some Crystal Gems didn't join the groups, or maybe did after one battle but not another. Sometimes they wanted to be alone. She never really understood that...but it wasn't her place to tell them otherwise. Weren't they all about freedom?

Everybody probably knows something like this is going to happen again, anyway. It's their choice to come.]

Comments

[lovelikeyou]

[Rose, for her part, is sitting in at a table with a mug of hot chocolate after she's done wandering around looking for folks to invite to this. It doesn't feel the same as taking food a real human might eat, and she likes the sweetness and the added heat as the drink soaks through her form.

She's not just sitting here, anyway; she's finishing up the sewing project she was working on earlier in the week. It doubtless looks a lot more wonky than the one pictured; she just started, so she's not that good even when you set aside the difficulties she's had with these tiny needles. But it was fun to try something new. Right now, she just wants something to keep a little busy with while remaining available if anyone wants to talk. That's what she always did before - polishing her sword, or looking over maps or something like that.

(It's never really mattered if she wanted to talk.)]

cw: drunkeness

[ladygeryon]

[Nira comes wobbling over to Rose's side, flopping down at the table and staring at the stuffed animal very intensely for a long time before speaking up.]

sheeeee...gave me one, y'know. A kangaroo for my...my little girl.

[lovelikeyou]

...Alice?

[Rose is a little startled by all of this, honestly. She knows what getting drunk is generally but like, she doesn't 100% get it.]

[ladygeryon]

[To be fair, Nira's a very extreme example.]

yeeah. so skinnnny, but still cute. ssstupid ssecret motive. [A pause.] 'ey, doessss that mean both motives have been seeecretssss?

[lovelikeyou]

I guess it does.

[Although Rose knows which sort of secret she hates more.]

Are you okay?

[ladygeryon]

'mmmm drunk! assssked for the stronnnngesssed sssstuff and they deliverrrrred! [Nira waves a hand casually through the air, flopping around a bit before slamming it back down.] someone i cared for like a ssssson is dead, i wanna get wassssted.

[lovelikeyou]

...I didn't know you and he were that close.

[ladygeryon]

idunno...wasss alllllll me, aft'rall. nev'r ackshly told'im 'bout that. but 'e sssemed like the type to need lookin' after. call it "mooooom instinct."

[lovelikeyou]

Oh, I see.

[She does not.]

Does getting drunk...help?

[bogwife]

It's looking cute. [After her little bathroom escapade, she's calm enough to sidle up to Rose and her sewing project without wanting to instantly burst into tears.] Have you thought up a name yet?

[lovelikeyou]

No, I haven't. Is that something it needs?

[bogwife]

It's not a requirement but it's a nice thing to do. And right here if you pull this stitch, [She points.] It's ears won't be so lopsided.

[lovelikeyou]

Oh! [She does so.] Oh, look at that!

[It's nice to have people around who actually know how to do things.]

I've never been as good as a human at naming things. Gems don't normally get their own names. And nicknames are...frowned upon. [Just some silly dumb idea some silly little Gem would come up with.]

[bogwife]

Well...you don't get good at something until you start doing it. [When it comes to Gems she really only knows what Rose and Jasper have mentioned at trials but the more she hears, the more they sound...interesting without question but sad and stifling at the same time.]

Go ahead, Rose, give it a go. Just the first name that pops in your head when you look at it.

[lovelikeyou]

[Well, she never said she'd never done it. But she started so long ago...it's best to just not talk about it.]

Hmmmm... [She taps a finger against her lips playfully.] What about Stripes?

[look no one ever said she was great at it]

[bogwife]

Hmmm, Stripes. [She studies the little stuffed dog for a moment before nodding and giving it a little boop on the nose.] Stripes sounds perfect to me.

Oh! But while I'm thinking of it, where did you leave Princess before the trial? I haven't seen hide nor whisker of her.

[lovelikeyou]

Oh! She fell asleep pretty early in. I think she's still napping.

[Rose just sort of half-turns, reaches back into her gigantic cloud of hair, and retrieves a sleeping Princess.]

Yep, there she is!

[pimpplan]

Is that your first project?

[ He sort of half sits on the corner of the table, watching Rose. ]

It's looking pretty good! Sewing isn't something that you pick up very easily.

[lovelikeyou]

It is!

[She's glad for the compliment - she knows it isn't perfect, but she's enjoying it.]

I found a pattern for it in the room. I'm sure I couldn't have just it out of nothing!

[pimpplan]

No shame in that. You gotta start somewhere, right?

[ He chuckles, leaning back a bit. ]

And besides, you're already better than me. Usually I just have other people do the work for me.

[lovelikeyou]

Oh, I couldn't do that.

[Not like she has any right to tell anyone what to do!]

Besides, it's good to keep occupied. I have a lot of time here, without sleeping.

[pimpplan]

That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. Pulling all nighters is rough enough, I couldn't possibly imagine having to do it longterm.

[ He absolutely can, but... that's not important. It's fine. ]

How do you normally spend your time at home, then? I'd have to imagine you'd run into the same problem before long. Keeping occupied, I mean.

[lovelikeyou]

We spend a lot of time looking for corrupted Gems, and going out to capture them. And lately, I've been spending a lot of time with Greg.

[She's mentioned him during trials and the like, although maybe not detailed who exactly he is.]

[pimpplan]

[ There's a flash of something in his face at the mentioning of corrupted Gems, but it's gone just as quickly as it came. ]

You know, I meant to ask who that Greg person is. A friend, perhaps? [ He winks on "friend." ]

[lovelikeyou]

[Rose giggles.]

Oh, he is~