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

[birdical]

[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.]

Comments

[circumitus]

[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?]

[birdical]

[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?

[circumitus]

[Well, Elleru's got Rey there.]

No, never.

[birdical]

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.]

[circumitus]

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

...

Sure. See you soon.

[video] → [action]

[birdical]

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.]

[circumitus]

[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.]

[birdical]

[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?

[circumitus]

[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.]

[birdical]

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.]

[circumitus]

[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.]

[birdical]

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.

[circumitus]

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.]

[birdical]

[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.]

[circumitus]

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.]

[birdical]

[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.]

[circumitus]

[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.]