redshiftrp | [video; un: bearly.bewitched] Look Around You

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original: elleru

[video; un: bearly.bewitched] Look Around You

[Good morning, Anchor! There's a gargantuan, mechanical spider outside, a surprise obstacle course inside, and hitting the communicators bright and early — as bright as it gets in the colony — is a transmission from Anchor's Most Kissable Bird (sorry Starscream, maybe you'll win next year).

From the look of it, she's in the intimacy lounge, having made herself comfy on one of the beds: there's a glass of wine, soft lighting, and... some books and papers spread out around her, the thin sheets contrasting sharply with the silken ones that cover the bed. She seems to be doing a lot of writing, but what about? It is a mystery.

She finagles with the camera for another second, trying to prop it up before her so she can look into it while she writes. She gives it a smile as she leans forward, lying on her chest, propping up her chin with her hand; her magenta eyes stare through the device, cutting right to anyone who takes a gander at her message as though she could see them all along.]

I have two questions for you who would answer. What is it you like about yourself? [A beat, possibly for dramatic weight.] What is it you like about who in Anchor you like most?

[Her smile tightens with an almost mischievous air.]

Be truthful. I am eager to hear what you will say, and who you will say it about.

[And with a wink, she ends the transmission. Have a good day, Anchor — she'll be waiting on the line.]

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[Oh, he likes how introspective this is.]

I like how I'm handling change. I thought Anchor might make me miserable, but I guess I'm more self-sufficient than I used to be. Maybe I've always been a responsible kind of person, but I realized it most since I've been here.

[Tapping his chin as he considers the second question.]

I like that Takeshi speaks with conviction. He never goes back on what he says.

[Oh, what a wonderful answer to get first! She's also found her own feet since arriving in Anchor, though she never thought she'd be miserable in the colony. She gives the camera a wide, toothy grin.]

Did your Takeshi help you realize this? How is it you know you are more self-sufficient?

[She repeats that last word like someone who doesn't entirely know what it means.]

I think he might have helped, but it's also something time has done. I haven't been home for a long time, and he just left our home. There are a lot of differences I'm finding in how I've grown past how I used to be.

Do you think people change, or do you think they grow into who they are, and so are still the same? [He could talk circles about this for literal hours. This woman looks like she might enjoy the conversation. Or maybe she's just entertained talking about relationships. It's... fine. None of her business, but she asked, and Gokudera isn't feeling particularly bothered. He chose to answer, after all.]

[His question gives Elleru some pause; she hmms to herself, pressing the cap of the pen in her hand to her lips.]

I believe it is both. One may grow into who they are. They change slowly, and they may never know it. One may wish to change, and so they do. They work to become who they want to be. But deep down, they are still the person they once were. That is a part they cannot leave behind. Whether they like that person or not, they learned from them.

[It's hard to put her thoughts into common at times. She smiles a bit sheepishly.]

I hope that answers your question.

It does. What do you think of alternate universes?

I've traveled through time, not just to other worlds. I saw the kind of future I was living, and so now that I've changed, I know that future does not exist. I don't think we are the same person.

Maybe just different versions of the same?

[Her ears dip; she chews her pen for a second before her curiosity gets the better of her.]

What is alternate universes? I have not heard of this before.

The idea that every choice you make leads to a different future. That those timelines exist, and you are living in one. Could be as simple as the clothing you put on today, but there is one version of yourself that thought to wear something else and that maybe someone noticed and your entire day could change. Just that it all branches out and there are different timelines you inhabit.

I am sure that there is a version of myself that did not fall in love with Yamamoto Takeshi, but still could have been here. I'm just curious about how you think.

I could talk more about my boyfriend, though, if that's all you were after.

[A smile. He likes these in-depth sort of discussions, but he's also comfortable reflecting on what Takeshi has done for him. How he might have changed him for the better.]

Yo! [She is greeted by a bright grinning young man.] I guess I like that I always try my hardest no matter what!

[Then he brightens more, how is this possible who knows but he does.]

I like well everything about Hayato but I guess my favorite thing is the way he looks when he's really into a book and he doesn't notice I am there yet, it's really cute! And he is always honest with me even if I don't like what he has to say. And that we've gotten a lot closer now that we're here, we're stronger together.

[Stop him Elleru, he will keep going....]

[Oh no, do keep going. This is what she likes, that fervor and that energy. He certainly does seem like the type who would try his hardest in every situation.]

This Hayato sounds like a good friend. Do you read with him?

[Fervor and energy he has in spades! He is all about the energy and has no qualms in spewing it and his love for his boyfriend everywhere.]

He's the love of my life. [Said with absolute conviction. He loves that bomber with every ounce of his heart and soul.]

Nah, I'm not much of a reader, but I do like it when he leans against me when he's reading, it's more fun to watch him!

I'm beautiful.

[ There's no denying that's true, for all he says it with a slyly easygoing grin that suggests he's not being as serious as Elleru's entreaty to 'be truthful' requests.

But he's only teasing. He keeps up that grin for a few more moments before he shifts, lounging back against a tree that, if Elleru recognizes it, is by the fish pools on the agricultural level.

In truth, the first part of her question is much harder than the second. There are times when there's almost nothing he likes about himself, but fortunately, this isn't one of them. ]

No matter what anybody made me do, or who they tried to make me be, I know what matters, and who matters. And I'll do anything for them.

[ That answer would have been different, several years ago. He hasn't always been so confident in himself and the secret part of him that remained true to himself and the people he loved.

And he'd never have said it so openly, before he revealed the Capitol's secrets and his own along with them. ]

I like how determined she is. When Annie decides she's going to do something, she stays with it.

[In good news, Elleru would not have faulted anyone for claiming beauty to be their favorite trait about themselves; she has absolutely no room to talk in that regard. She scribbles on the paper before her idly, just drawing some circles as she listens.]

It sounds as though you and this Annie are alike in that way. You are both determined, yes?

[So... it isn't that she doesn't trust Elleru, but more that she doesn't know her well enough to trust her.]

I can answer... but I want to know why you're asking, first.

[Oh, it's the cute girl from the dance. ♥ Elleru gives her a bright smile.]

I am curious! There are too many who do not see the best in themselves. Why not ask others to tell them?

[Much as Rey loves to admire Elleru's beauty, she can't quite bring herself to turn on the same visual function on her end. At least this way all of Anchor isn't subjected to Rey's doofy expression as she mulls over the question.]

Have to be just one thing?

[She chews the inside of her lip before she continues.]

Well. Always liked the way she doesn't give up on what she wants -- and the fact that she seems like she always knows what that is.

[There's more, but Rey's brain is trying not to short circuit at the way she's seen Elleru splayed over that bed, asking such intimate questions. Hell, she even conveniently "forgets" to answer the first half of Elleru's set of queries.]

[Oh Rey, she can't see you when you don't turn on the video! If she's disappointed, she doesn't show it, chewing on her pen as she listens to the sound of her girlfriend's voice, taking in what she says. She smiles, her ears rising just a hair as she closes her eyes; she does love to be complimented.

But no, she did not miss what Rey "forgot."]

She sounds lovely, but Rey...

[Her eyes open, and she cuts the camera a sharp, playful look.]

You did not answer my first question.

Didn't think it was mandatory.

[Playing dumb? Sure is.]

[She knows, Rey. She knows.]

Would it help if I described what it is I like about you? Then you may repeat it to yourself.

Er...

[An odd suggestion.]

Sure, why not.

[Maybe an odd suggestion, but Elleru's methods often are. She hums to herself for a second, thinking.]

I like that she is warm on a cold night. Her body is like fire, as is her personality. It can smolder like ashes, and it can blaze hot and vibrant. Fire can be used to destroy, but also to create. It is dangerous, but beautiful... and so is she.

[Sounds like she's been studying up on how to write a romantic description.]

[Wow, that's... more than she was expecting. But dammit, it's Elleru, so the right answer is that it's absolutely the thing she should've expected. This isn't someone who minces words, here.]

You really think all that?

[Goddammit. Why is it that even now she's still flustered when it comes to these things?]

[The thing is that Elleru knows Rey is probably flustered on the other side of the line, too. She doesn't need the video to show her that.]

Have I been untruthful to you, Rrey?

[Well, Elleru's got Rey there.]

No, never.

Then you have your answer.

[There will be a pop quiz on this later, Rey. Better take notes.]

Will you join me, Rrey?

[She pats the bed beside her. Rey might be hiding behind the audio setting, but Elleru suspects she's still watching.]

[Notes are being taken -- even if they are mental ones.]

...

Sure. See you soon.

Very good.

[And with that, she clicks her device off to get ready. She's positive Rey will know which room she's in; Elleru does have a favorite, after all, and there aren't many people who frequent the intimacy lounge. Most of the time, it's been just her and Scaramouche hanging around, taking advantage of all the comforts the area has to offer. Maybe the rest of the uprights are too prudish, or perhaps they're just reserved, preferring to keep their activities to their private quarters.

What a shame — the intimacy lounge has some real delights, ones Elleru hopes to show Rey someday. She smooths the covers on the bed, pulling the plush comforter over the silk sheets and setting her papers atop them. As Rey is a rather reserved upright herself, Elleru considers that she may have some insight helpful for her writing. She's done research on her own, but there's only so much someone who is very much not an upright can learn through observation.

Unlike last time, where she was waiting for someone else and ended up being met by Rey, Elleru makes it clear that she's waiting for Rey as she perches herself on the end of the bed, her legs hanging over the side. Glancing toward one of the novels sitting near her papers — some of the aforementioned research — she notes that the woman on the cover has her head tilted to one side, her hair drawn over that shoulder, her legs crossed before her as she leans her elbow on her thigh and plays with a strand of her hair.

So Elleru does exactly that, hoping she's as enticing as the illustration.]

[Indeed, Rey does know where Elleru is. It doesn't take her long to track down the lounge, with it being the same one they had met at before. Rey is not beyond noticing the reverse of this situation. How, the last time she came here, Elleru was expecting someone else.

[This time, however, it's obvious that it's Rey who Elleru was waiting for, as she peeks into the intimacy lounge first before stepping inside. She is definitely one of those uprights who isn't used to open displays of affection -- or affection, period, so this is hardly her normal scene.

[For Elleru, she's willing to make an exception.

[Despite being a hefty tank of a woman, Rey is quiet when she enters the room, her footfalls muffled by the carpet. Her attention quickly falls to the stunning woman waiting for her, and feels a kind of heat reddening her cheeks.]

Erm, hey. Hi. Sorry. [Oof, awkward. Stop apologizing for being awkward. Stop being awkward. Stop.] Not interrupting anything, right?

[It looks like Elleru was in the middle of some kind of work. What kind, Rey has no idea.]

[Oh, Rey is so cute when she blushes, and even more so when she's so obviously out of her element. Clearly, Elleru's mimicry of the cover art was perfect: favorable results acquired, 10/10, will do again.]

If I did not wish to be interrupted, I would not have asked you here.

[She pats the space beside her, beckoning for Rey.]

Do you remember when we first spoke in the library?

[Yes well she wouldn't be blushing if Elleru wasn't so goddamn pretty. It's hard not to get distracted before Rey can interpret the gesture to come hither, because practically all of Elleru is giving off those vibes.

[Hands stuffed into her pockets, Rey transitions from the doorway to the spot at Elleru's side, trying to will her skin to cool. Heatwaves are practically radiating off her at the moment.]

Library? [She blinks, canting her head.] Um, yeah, for the most part...

[It occurs to Rey that that technically wasn't the first time they spoke, but that might be semantics or something. Semantics are annoying.]

Very good.

[She collects some of the papers, taking the opportunity to scoot a little closer to Rey. The heat is so enticing, more than the thought of being burned.]

There were books I did not know, and books I did not enjoy. And so, I thought I would be productive. I am writing what I like.

[She offers Rey a few pages of what appears to be some notes on the characters for her proposed novel, Smitten Kitten. The main character is a strong but lonely woman, and her love interest is a shapeshifting cat who can take the form of a woman, save for her feline ears and a tail.

Apparently, Elleru has independently created catgirl fanfiction. Anchor's library may be doomed.]

[With most people, Rey would be edging away from someone trying to scoot close to her. When it comes to Elleru, however... Well, she doesn't mind the other woman's presence so much. Hence why she's here, obviously.

[At the mention of books, Rey's brows shoot up, and she gives Elleru a look.]

You're... writing something? On your own?

[She doesn't hesitate to accept the pages, taking a moment to snort at the endearing title before moving on to the context.]

A cat woman, huh? [Rey sounds more amused than teasing. She's going to be quiet on how... familiar this concept sounds.]

Yes! She is like Tripod. She is curious and hopes to befriend the woman who saved her.

[Which would be the other character, the 'strong but lonely woman' who is definitely not Rey. Original character, do not steal. Elleru launches excitedly into an explanation.]

What it is that happens is that she is a normal cat who is cornered by hungry, wild beasts. The woman then appears and protects her, but she is bitten and injured. That night, the cat makes a wish that she can help repay the woman, perhaps by tending to her wounds, and she is transformed into an upright.

Hmmm...

[Definitely familiar. But Rey has heard of the concept of "write what you know" somewhere before, which seems to be something Elleru is doing. Rey can't fault her for that.]

What're their names? [Doesn't mean she isn't interested. She's never really talked to someone writing their own story before, so she's curious.]

Edited 2020-09-29 04:41 (UTC)

[Elleru's eyes fall back to her papers as she chews the edge of her lip.]

I have not given them names. I have not named anyone before.

[Brings the pages up before her, hiding most of her face from view, save for her eyes — she peers over the edge of the sheets in her hands, giving Rey an imploring look.]

Help me name them?

[She usually phrases such requests as statements, but she seems to be offering Rey the agency here, just in case she's not interested in her novel. Romance didn't seem to be her type of book, after all.]

So, this is your first attempt, then?

[Elleru didn't strike Rey as a seasoned author, but she at least seems well-versed in literature to have a basic grasp of writing, so maybe it's not that wild.

[Rey pauses at the request -- one that's definitely not a demand. She absentmindedly links her hand over her own shoulder as she thinks.]

Huh, well. I've had lots of names over the past decades. Could probably help you with that, at the very least... Not using my names, but maybe others...

[She's lost track of where she was going with that thought.]

[She nods; as Rey has surmised, she's not exactly a seasoned author. Elleru has read loads of books, but she's quickly discovered that writing one herself is a far different beast, even when she's just writing what she knows she likes. Will anyone else read it and enjoy it? Maybe not, but that doesn't seem to matter to her, if her self-indulgent, proposed plot is any indication: it's the act of writing that's important.]

You must have heard many names. Tell me who they came from?

[She's always itching to know more about Rey's life. Scooting over on the bed, she makes room so Rey can sit down rather than just standing there awkwardly.]

[After a quiet "oh, right" upon realizing her position, Rey accepts Elleru's gesture and seats herself onto the bed, still holding the papers and bringing them to her lap once she's sat down.]

Well, most names have meanings to them. Maybe picking a name with a meaning that fits your, um... characters would be a good start? Seems like a thing writers do in their stories.

[It's a subject that Rey is only vaguely knowledgeable in, due to four years of boredom in Chicago and having done a lot of reading in that time.]

[Hello bird friend. Genji's video opens on him sitting at a table with his helmet off. He is absolutely coated in glitter (it's very pink) and is trying to clean off a bit of his helmet to put his new fancy "I DID GOOD!" sticker the medbots gave him for acing the physical training test.]

About me? I never really considered such things. Hm. I suppose resilience? I am not dead after all. That is something to like.

[Right? That seems good.]

Yes, that is something to like.

[Elleru's eyes go to that glitter immediately. You know what else is something to like? Shiny stickers.]

Tell me, what is it you did good?

[Because he clearly did do good. The sticker says so.]

The obstacle course! I ran through it under time and then I was showered in glitter and given a sticker.

It is perhaps, too much glitter.

[There's a trail everywhere he goes now...]

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[video; un: bearly.bewitched] Look Around You

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