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

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?

[ladygeryon]

meanssss...i dunhafta thinnnnk so much. thassall.

[lovelikeyou]

.....okay.

[This seems weird and sort of scary to her, but she can't say that's not relatable.]

[ladygeryon]

s'weirrrrd. imma rrrrock-type now, y'know? yerrr a gem an'thas almos' th'ssssame. but ican sssstil get drunk ssssssso easy an' you cant. [A slow blink.] Canya?

[lovelikeyou]

...no. I can't.

[It's just taking her a second to parse this.]

You're a...rock type?

[ladygeryon]

yesssssss. [Nira pulls down the side of her shirt slightly to reveal the rocks protruding from her shoulder before slipping it back up.] been one longerrrrr than i've been a norrrrmal hum'n.

[lovelikeyou]

Is that what that means?

[She thought you just had some kind of weird skin condition!]

[ladygeryon]

yeahhhhhh. happenssss to a lotta element-lists, ackshly.

[lovelikeyou]

What is an elementalist?

[ladygeryon]

h-humans who c'n fight liiiike Pokemon, o'course. shl'd be abl'ta summonnnnn enough ssstone to knock this whooooole place down.

[lovelikeyou]

Oh, my! That sounds interesting.

[although probably a bad idea, there's a lot of ocean out there]

[ladygeryon]

yessssss. y'know jake'sssss a Fire-type hisself. an' th'twins got booooth our pow'rs. thy'can control laaaaaava. [She waves her hands to demonstrate just how impressive this is.]