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randonimity - 09/09/2017
Things have started to settle back into a routine since the dares, since Atlantis, and this worried Joy. Not out of any sense of danger to the self but that she was certain routines would bring about loneliness and that nagging isolation that wouldn't let itself die despite having literally another being in her head. Joy didn't like dealing with that, not that she though anyone did but she was not really the sort who was good at introspection.

Which was why she thought to stave off the impending feelings and check up on a newly made friend. Or friends if it were possible to see them "together," and this had the Intermediate Moon Trainee grinning to herself. Oh yes, she'd glimpsed them at the gym and even from that distance she could see something there.

Or you're making something out of nothing, Bert, in his rare moments of acknowledging Joy, chided.

We'll see... was her response as she typed a quick message to Seren inviting her for a gym session of their own.
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
Seren looked at her phone in surprise. Joy wanted to work out together? She had not expected that. She thought about it, then shrugged and nodded. She could do some jogging on the treadmill, if nothing else, since she'd done her morning workout today.

Yeah sure! See you there!

She changed into one of her high necked work out tanks, and black leggings, pulled on her sneakers, and lightly jogged over to the gym, and inside.
randonimity - 09/09/2017
Joy was already there, having just finished her warm up routine. She swung a leg over a stationary bike machine as she wished she had her own bike to ride around the island, danger and FEAR be damned. But there had been so many things that needed the money more, home repairs, appliances, Kai's tattoo equipment, her bike kept falling lower and lower until it was at the very bottom of the list.

She ended up pedaling at her frustrations, legs working at a furious, rapid pace despite the fact that she should have been working on her arms. This exercise just seemed to instill a sense of zen better than the others. So much so that she nearly missed Seren's arrival, had Bert not alerted Joy to the sun trainee's presence.

"Yooooo, Seren!" Joy greeted, still going at full tilt like it was normal for her. Her enthusiasm certainly knew no bounds.
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
"Joy! Been too long, gorgeous!" She responded, with no hint of flirtation in her voice. Indeed, it was more like she said it as a statement of facts. She strode over to the treadmill, and turned it on. "Come here often at this time?" She asked, calmly, as she set it to a steeper tilt and a higher speed, then climbed aboard, moving easily with it.
randonimity - 09/09/2017
"Awwww, naks, thank you~" she grinned at the compliment, squashing the knee-jerk reflex of denying praise since it came from a friend. "Schedule's been weird lately, huh? Usually I'm here earlier but, eh, what can you do." It was only then did it occur to Joy that "I didn't wake you up naman?" because, well, the island's schedule had been weird lately what with all the water golems.
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
"Naw, I've been up for awhile. No worries, Joy." She had no idea what Naman or naks meant, but she let it slide. "And yeah, things are interesting, but I can usually get in here around 7 am every two days or so. Rhys has been helping me figure out good routines." She said it casually, no idea of what was in Joy's head.
randonimity - 09/09/2017
Joy had always been that girl back home. The kind that just ate up really awful, terrible, shitty telenovellas and lived vicariously through the characters' relationships. The kind that bought into Love Teams and paired up real people together and screamed her head off along with the rest of the crowd at the mere glimpse of said Love Team together in real life. There was no self-insertion, no personal-substitute happening. Just a very vocal display of support for two actors with ridiculous levels of on-screen chemistry taking it to the next level.

In this case, without any group backing up her beliefs and egging each other on, Joy at the very least didn't squeal in delight when Seren mentioned Rhys. Instead, she tried to look casual, or however the very obvious way she lit up could be considered casual. "You don't say? Rhys been a good guide for you?"
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
Seren was focused on her jogging, so she didn't see how excited mentioning Rhys had made Joy. Seren loved running, and it showed, in the way her leg muscles were well formed for running, and in how she moved. Honestly, this was barely a work out for her, given the morning runs she did with Rhys.

"Mmmm, yeah. As I told him, he'd be a great personal trainer. He knows what he's doing, and how to help me get the best work out for my needs." She shrugged a little, and smiled softly. "He's a good guy. Glad we're friends."
randonimity - 09/09/2017
"Friends as in friend-friends, or friends as in frieeeeends?" Joy grinned, waggling her eyebrows as she kept on pedaling. Not wanting to make things too awkward, Joy went on to add "But having work out buddies is great, even if you have a FEAR shield, what'd you do if you get pinned by weights, diba?"
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
Seren did something she hadn't done in a long time when running, at that question. She stumbled, almost falling and losing her rhythm. She managed to catch herself just in time, and started pounding her legs on the device a little harder, trying to control the fact that her heart was pounding and her entire face, cheeks to ears, were redder then she wanted to contemplate. WHY would Joy ask that? She didn't want to think about that! "Friends! Just friends!" She said, sounding unnerved.

She managed to calm herself down, then said "Yeah, that's why I asked him for help. A, I knew nothing about work outs of this nature before, and B, I did know I could get hurt if I did something wrong, etc.'
randonimity - 09/09/2017
"Awwww, you sure? Cuz I saw you two, very briefly, while you were in the gym. You looked good together," Joy winked, radiating nothing but honestly good intentions. And not so subtle suggestions of I will support you two getting together please please please? But if Seren was still in that initial denial of attraction phase, well, Joy knew better than to force it. There were so many movies where the good-intentioned third party just ******** things up so badly trying to get the Love Team together asap. Joy didn't want to be the comedic best friend if it meant possibly ruining the relationship.

"But since you say you're just friends, okidoks~" and seemingly dropped it. For the time being. Putting it on the backburner. And all other variations of the sentiment. "It took me a bit of getting to know the other peeps here, Kai's usually good for like pure muscle workouts, push-ups, sit-ups that sort of thing. He even lets me do the whole sit on his back while he does push-ups like you see in the movies!"
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
She blinked, confused by the comment about seeing them at gym, not connecting to the fact that Joy was referring to them walking back with Rhys's arm around Seren's shoulder. "Um... Yeah, just friends, I mean... I don't know what you saw, but it was probably just him making sure I was doing something right?" She blushed a little at the comment about 'looked good together'. "I mean, I will not lie, he's ******** gorgeous, and if I actually thought he had an interest in me... I'd certainly sleep with him, but... I don't think he does, nor do I think he wants a relationship of that nature with me?" She kept the emotions under lock, so her voice wont give away how much this bothered her.

She smiled a bit at the mention of Kai, though, too. "Kai's a good dude. I hope he gets his tattoo shop up. I still need to discuss my plan with him, get an idea of how much it'll run me to get the back piece I want."
randonimity - 09/09/2017
"Wow 'te ang bilis mo!" Joy's mouth had a mind of its own at times and for all her openness and heart-on-the-sleeve wearing, there were still some aspects of her traditional conservative upbringing that never fully went away. Even in the sort of circumstances one finds oneself in on Deus Ex Machina island. She coughed, trying to pretend the phrase was just random gibberish, "Did he say he didn't want a relationship with you or just in general? 'Cuz the latter can mos def be remedied."

She leaned towards Seren, staring up at the sun trainee to waggle her eyebrows in a very blatant offer to be wingwoman. Or matchmaker. Or both. She would totally do both even if she had ZERO credentials to her name.

Pulling back so she could continue with her pseudo-biking, Joy nodded in full agreement, "Kai's a real sweetheart. He's actually done my back tattoo! You wanna see?"
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
Seren blinked in confusion at Joy's phrase, not getting it, and mentally shrugged it off. Joy's use of tagalog didn't really connect for her, as she had never heard it before. She blinked a little at the question, and considered how to answer it. "Well... I mean. He's never specifically said he doesn't, but it's kind of in how he acts?" She shrugged, not sure how to put together all the things she'd noticed over the past month and a half or so. "Like, he seems to mostly keep people at arm's length." She didn't even seem to notice the incongruency of that statement. "And I did tease him a little about girls, at one point... Friendly teasing... When he told me about his time in Mexico. Some of what he said, and has said since, makes it seem pretty clear to me he doesn't see me as even beginning to be an option."

She was keeping her face and voice as emotionless as possible, but despite her efforts, there was a hint of sadness there. "Besides, I think I wouldn't want it, now, unless he wanted more. Before, early on... Well never mind." She sounded uncomfortable, as she tried to slam her Mental Box of Things She's Trying to Avoid Thinking About Regarding Rhys shut again.

"Oh? You gotta back piece? Hell yeah I wanna see! I love tats. Rhys showed me his, it's hella detailed. What's yours of?" She sounded excited, as she slowed down her treadmill.
randonimity - 09/09/2017
Joy lacked subtlety in that she couldn't properly perform it, not that she couldn't see it. So even she could tell the whole Love Team thing was a sensitive topic that should be approached with caution and delicacy, which meant she should stay far, far away from it. At least until it was obvious even the cliche comic best friend's meddling antics would be welcomed. "That sounds rough, if you're up for it, we can go visit Harrison's bar. Have a few drinks. Or we can watch rom-coms and-" Joy barely managed to stop herself from saying Live Vicariously Through Them, and instead went with a more feelings-friendly "Tear them to shreds. Or~ find one of those sexy shows with hot guys and just stare at 'em cuz that's what they're on screen for?"

And at the mention of Rhys' back tatts, Joy had to try REALLY hard not to let her shipping heart get the better of her. "I'd say that it's all kinds of symbolic and representative of this and that. But really, it's my way of having a piece of my home on me all the time." She sat on the bike, adjusting her position so she could pull the collar down enough to show the top of the design. "After the work out, imma let you see the whole thing in the showers."
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
Seren blinked a little at the mention of a bar. "There's a bar here?" She said, clearly interested in that, because given her age, she'd never been into a bar. She wasn't used to drinking, but she was still a (mentally/physically) teenager, if forced into more maturity then most her age, so the idea of doing something even a little illicit, like underage drinking, as she would think of it, was kind of exciting. "Let's go there. We can chat and have some drinks."

"Ohhhhhh nice. That sounds awesome." She turned the treadmill off, not wanting to fall, and hopped down to peer at what was visible. "Gods, Kai does great work. I can't wait to see the whole thing. I'll definitely go with you, but I don't need a shower. I didn't work up much of a sweat here."
randonimity - 09/09/2017
"You wanna work up a sweat?" Joy grinned over her shoulder, "If you're down to spar, I'm good for a round or two. I mean I beat Rhys but in his defense, he IS still a trainee. And, well, there've been a whole lotta missions under my belt." Joy refrained from adding how some of these missions made her wish she could stay there and how some made her regret ever signing up. "But you're a Sun, so I figure you'd be a heckuva lot better at hittin' hard than a Mist." She winked suggestively. Or she thought it was suggestively, maybe it just came across as goofy, Joy wouldn't know.
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
Seren laughed, and said "Naw, I'm good. I did my daily 2 miles this morning, plus my workout, with Rhys, so I've done my hard work for the day. I can pass. I'll just chill while you're showering. I usually prefer to shower alone, anyways." An odd tone in her voice, on that last part, but one that said please don't ask, please don't ask. "I'd rather just go hang out at the bar with you when you're ready. We can spar, though, another time. I'm sure you'll kick my a** too."
randonimity - 09/09/2017
Joy swallowed the Workout as in workout or workout as in worked out that was in her throat, a feat of restraint that even impressed Bert. "We can go later in the day, after chores and shifts and stuff. Harrison tends to charge an arm and a leg, but he's got some good selections if you're looking for a couple of drinks and ambiance. Getting drunk might be safer in the dorms. I'd invite you to my place but we're still renovating some bits for Kai's studio, prolly not the safest place to be drunk in."

She climbed off the bike, motioning to Seren that she was going to switch to a different machine, "Since you're done with most of your work out, mind spotting me?"
AriaStarstone - 09/09/2017
She nodded in understanding. "If you know where to get some booze cheaper, then we can go back to my room and drink. I'd probably rather do it in private anyways." She did know that drinking could lead to loose lips, and loose lips sank ships. In this case, she had concerns about the ship of her privacy, in case she let slip things she didn't normally talk about.

At the spotting question, Seren beamed. "Yeah! No problem, I can do that for you." She moved over to where Joy was working, and for the next while, helped her out with what she needed to do.
September 11, 2017
randonimity - Last Monday at 5:08 AM
Workout went by quickly, well faster than usual since Joy actually had someone to talk to, or at least someone who didn't seem to mind her babbling at them about random, dumb things. By the time she finished, Joy didn't want to go about the rest of her day solo. But on the one hand, she didn't want to be one of those needy clingy girls her barkada had warned her to never be, but on the other hand, it had been years since she found another woman whom she could consider a good friend who also seemed receptive to the idea of being Joy's friend.

She stepped out of the shower stall with a towel wrapped around her body. Joy was pretty sure there were no Life Surveillance cameras here so she didn't seem all too concerned about letting the cloth drop enough so she could show off her cool tattoo. "Pretty, no?" she grinned.
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 8:22 AM
Seren was one hundred percent ok with this, in fact. She'd never had a proper girl-friend, and it felt so nice to just lightly chat about whatever with Joy. She did make sure they didn't venture into deeper waters, though.

Seren was chilling against the wall when Joy came out and turned towards her. The tattoo earned a low whistle of admiration. "Gorgeous work. I love it. Thank you for showing me."
randonimity - Last Monday at 9:37 AM
Joy would bow except all she was was the canvas so she instead began toweling herself dry. "Thanks you~ You mos def should get Kai to do yours iffin' you want one. I might get another. Not sure. It's depend." She grinned, though something in her smile said she was seriously considering it.
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 9:40 AM
"I plan on it. The drawing he did on Sonja's arm at Dares was ******** epic. I am sure he can do what I want. I just need to save up for it." It was probably going to be her first major purchase with her pay, in fact. She wanted this tattoo so badly it almost hurt at times. "So whatcha got to do for the rest of the day?"
randonimity - Last Monday at 9:43 AM
Joy continued to get dressed as she she answered "Couple of light duties, not any that would mean I'd have to shower again, thankfully. I mean, I like showering and I came from a people who can shower like three times a day if it was hot and humid as ********, but it's not good for the skin. At least that's what my aunts tell me." she laughed, tying off her jacket around her waist. "How about you? What's your sched? If ours match, I can meet you at your room with drinks and pulutan in arm!"
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 9:49 AM
Seren tried to work out what Pulutan meant and gave up after a few minutes. "I should be back at my room by 4:30? Nothing too serious today. Some cooking duties for lunch, mainly." She shrugged, clearly not one of those who thought kitchen duties where horrible terrible why why why. "That would be AWESOME. See you then?"
randonimity - Last Monday at 9:59 AM
"Okidoks~ I'll try to get there by then but I might be a little bit late. Won't be later than five, I promise!" Joy wasn't so sure how long she'd take to cook the food, if she had enough ingredients, and many other things.

------

Duties done, Joy was pleased that after running around calling in favors to get food and drinks ready she was early! By like five minutes but early was early and she was damn proud of not falling prey to Filipino Time and be late by at least thirty minutes. She arrived at the Dorms and out of reflex headed down to the basement rooms where Joy's old room used to be.

Only when she ended up at Rhys' room (which was directly across Joy's) did she realize she didn't know where Seren's room was. Oops.

Wer ur rum? S Joy.
randonimity - Last Monday at 10:06 AM
The message from Rhys was not expected. Which resulted in a loud scream of "OH SHET WRONG SEND!!!"

Joy tried to calm down, there was no reason for her to be so freaked out about the wrong send, right? It was just for a casual girl's night out style of drinking, not like she'd sent anything incriminating. In the sense of her personal desire to see Rhys and Seren together together. Rhys' responses was thankfully neutral, instantly calming her down and able to send more messages. Admittedly she had to retype some messages to stop herself from jumping onto the shipping train in case it went off its tracks.(edited)
More messages were being sent, and Joy was getting more and more worked up but at least she knew where she was supposed to head. Namely at Seren's room. At the door, Joy arrived carrying one of those eco-bags filled with tubs of cooked food and a couple of bottles of alcohol and soda.

"Yoooooo~ Seren!!!"
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 10:29 AM
Seren ran to the door and popped it open. "Joy! Come on in, get comfortable." The room was decorated in starry themes, to the best of Seren's ability. She didn't have any chairs, something she still needed to correct, but the bed's pillows had been moved to create back bolsters if they wanted to sit on there, and a plastic 'cloth' had been spread to protect her comforter. She'd found some of that great American Classic, the Red Solo Cup, and snagged them to drink out of. She hadn't thought to bring any utensils or plates or anything.

"Glad you made it." She paused, then her brows came together in a puzzled expression. "I forgot to tell you my room number. How did you make it? Did you just knock until you found me?" She wondered how many neighbors she would owe an apology to for this one, since it was definitely her error.
randonimity - Last Monday at 11:07 AM
"Sorry I'm late! It took me a while to find your room. I used to stay in the basements and went there on automatic, haha sabaw utak ko," she laughed, then translated "Erm, that means my brain is soup. It's a weird Tagalog saying, like bahala na si Batman, which means Batman will handle this." She was babbling again, but she got the feeling Seren wouldn't mind.

As she unpacked, the question of how she located Seren's room came up and Joy debated on telling her truth. She could make up some excuse but really, being honest was a lot easier for the memories. Less details she would have to remember. "Ah, was supposed to send you a text, dumb fingers selected Rhys' name because I don't have many names entered. And your names were, like, on top of each other," she tried to stop the waggling of eyebrows to cut down the innuendo. But when you were a shipper at heart, it's is super hard not to act like it.
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 11:10 AM
She laughed. "It's ok! We all have those moments. I still sometimes wake up and go 'WHERE AM oh right.' basically." The explanation of the phrases made her blink a little, and she shrugged, half helplessly and half understanding. "Well I mean, every culture has phrases that make no sense out of cultural context, right?"

She helped Joy with her unpacking, before gesturing at the bed to invite Joy to take the first seat. Guests first, especially when they brought the GOODIES. "Oh I see. Yeah, I mean I guess that makes sense, R and S are right next to..." She paused, her brain processing the phrasing choice AND the brow waggling, and went red, but she continued on in a valiant effort to pretend THAT hadn't triggered ideas, possibly nice ones. "each other in the alphabet. Not surprised. It's easy to make a mistake on these screens."(edited)
randonimity - Last Monday at 11:59 AM
"Tell me about it, when I first woke up it was always such a freaky feeling. And when you learn you've been in a pod over a decade? Haaaaays," Joy sighed deeply, "I had to get someone to teach me how to work these touch screen thingies. I thought it was broken or those slider-type phones."

The food was unpacked and there would be no issue with utensils. Joy wasn't fussy and didn't mind eating out of the container, besides, the type of food she brought could be eaten by hand just as well as with forks or spoons. It would be messy but they could just wash their hands.
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 12:05 PM
"Oh my gods you can be in there for over a DECADE?" She didn't screech, but it was close to it. "I do not want do not want please Joy do me a favor and never ever mention the year to me, I am not prepared for this particular mental snap." She looked at her friend, blue eyes huge behind her glasses, a pleasing expression on her face. "Some day I'll deal with it, but not yet. I have so much else I'm learning."

Seren glanced at all this, and dug out a roll of towels she'd stolen from the kitchens too. She was prepared for accidents with things spilling, after all. "Well you seem to have settled in, even if the occasional mis-text happens. At least it was Rhys, he's one of the few people who I've specifically told where I am."
randonimity - Last Monday at 12:10 PM
"Okidoks," Joy nodded, looking serious with Seren's request about the year. "But as someone who's really behind, it doesn't really play that big of a deal if you got yourself someone you trust to watch your back." And she sounded like she was speaking from experience, albeit there was a bitterness tinging her voice. She wasn't sure she could share with Seren that this was all during from the other-life of being a Horseman. If something like dates could freak the trainee out, what more about literally living out another life?

The smile came back in full force at the mention of Rhys knowing where her room was, "Oooooohs? Y'know, if I didn't wanna be late, I would have asked Rhys how long he's known where you are."
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 12:13 PM
"My friend Kim mentioned something about living a year in three days, and what a ******** THAT was. I can only imagine that realizing a bunch of years have gone by would be one too. I just... am not yet ready to deal with it." She sighed, deeply, and waited for Joy to pick a seat. "I can only deal with so much at once, ya?" She shrugged, an eloquent sort of shrug.

Seren blinked, startled, at Joy's reaction, a confused expression on her face. "Um... I think... I told him..." She frowned, trying to remember, then said "I think... it was the day I hunted him up cause I hadn't seen him in a few, and was worried about him? Same day I made him pajeon I think."
randonimity - Last Monday at 12:16 PM
"Pa-what? What's that? Is it something naughty?" Joy's instant conclusions to adult natured content might suggest a level of repression and frustration that she was unable to properly control.
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 12:21 PM
Seren's eyes went giant and startled. She began to sputter from shock. "N... N AUGHTY? No! No, it's food. It's Korean food, a... an Onion Pancake thing! Oh my god Joy."
randonimity - Last Monday at 12:24 PM
"Aba ma!" Was Joy's defense, throwing her hands up in the air. "I don't know much about Korean stuff, Chinese food maybe, and stuff like Pang Shwei. Not my fault you and Rhys say stuff that sounds like something naughty."
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 12:52 PM
She gave Joy an odd look. "Rhys says stuff that sounds naughty to you?" Part of her was confused... Rhys was pretty damned reserved, and it had taken time before he'd been willing to tease her back... And part of her was thinking 'she's known him longer, I bet he teases her too. You're not ******** special, my girl.' but the thoughts twisted in her stomach.
randonimity - Last Monday at 1:07 PM
"No naman," Joy was quick to defend, "But I'm pretty good with text-speak, maybe not on jejemon levels but he used some abbreviations I've never seen before. Like, who even says tefta? Which pala is thanks for the invite."

She brought out her phone with one hand while the other made a grab for the crackling pork skin she brought. "Oh do you have a small saucer for vinegar?" because going off-tangent was also a thing.(edited)
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 1:27 PM
"Oh. Oh I see." Incredible relief flooded her, though she tried to hide it. "Well that makes more sense, with the Rhys I know. And what, was he bothered we didn't invite him?" She looked honestly concerned about it. "Doesn't he know ladies need time with other ladies once in awhile?"

She glanced at the phone, then frowned at the question. "Noooo but.. ah!" She grabbed some scissors and one of the cups... She was glad she snagged about six of them... And modified it into a saucer.
randonimity - Last Monday at 1:34 PM
Seren was not helping Joy's restraint when it came to Love Teams, the younger woman would hopefully one day learn of the Herculean effort that Joy had to invest in keeping her mouth shut. So she stuffed one chicharon into her mouth instead, giving the sun trainee a thumbs up at her resourcefulness.

"Oks lang yan I mean, it's okay. Don't even need to cut." she assured Seren through a mouthful of crispy pork skin. "He said he was fine? But don't worry! I told him not to get mad at you if he is. You wanna see?" she offered, clearly forgetting that she had labeled Rhys as "Seren's Love Team"
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 1:40 PM
"I trust you." She reached over and snagged a chicharon, making a sound of pleasure. She had never had homemade ones before, just the prepackaged ones she has gotten as a rare treat from the corner market she'd worked at. At that moment, she got a buzz from her phone. She pulled it out, and laughed, showing Joy the message asking if they were having fun. She'd forgotten about the photo she'd taken and made his icon, and didn't think about it when she took it back to reply.
randonimity - Last Monday at 1:43 PM
There was an internal squeal of delight from Joy when she spied the icon. This translated to her eyes widening and her practically lighting up in giddy delight, the message itself was given a quick glance "Are you having fun? I mean, we haven't even started on our drinks." she grinned. "Although if I get kinda drunk you gotta remind me if I forget to translate. Bert had auto-translation because he lives in my head but if and when I get drunk, I might just start talking in straight Tagalog."(edited)
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 1:54 PM
"I'll do my best and if I need to, I'll ask." She said in response to the last part. "And yeah. I mean we've just settled in, why rush?" She settled back and ate another chicharon, her face filled with the happies.
randonimity - Last Monday at 2:08 PM
"Tama I mean, korek! We got all night, unless one of us had an early shift." Joy was pretty sure she was fine in that regard, "How do you like my chicharon? I was glad there was an available fryer for me to use, maybe I should buy one for the house next time?" Joy mused, "You got any sort of house rules for me to try and remember? Or maybe apologize in advance if I break it when drunk?"
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 2:12 PM
"They're ******** amazing. I've never had homemade ones before. Just the prepackaged ones. These are in a whole nother level of amazing and delicious, Joy, you have no idea" Heaven. They were heaven, in Seren's mind. Today was going to be a rare day where she gave in and ate too her hearts content. It was easier when someone else made it and specifically shared with her... She didn't have the weird guilt or anything. Strange as that was.

"Um other then don't mess with my posters and Star charts, not really?"
randonimity - Last Monday at 2:16 PM
"Next time when the kitchen decides the spare parts can't be used into anything, I'll make you sisig." Joy offered, enjoying that she was finding more and more people she could feed. Kai was always grateful and enjoyed her cooking but Joy felt selfish feeding only him.

"Like twinkle-twinkle stars? Or hot celebrity stars?" Joy joked, but for real if she learned Seren was into trashy tabloid stuff, she was going to beg to read some of her copies. It wouldn't be of people she knew obviously and if they were, Joy had to remind herself that people aged so she wouldn't be too shocked to find how old they were now.
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 2:26 PM
"Sisig? What's that?" She had no clue. Her annoyingly insular little town had a limited ethnic mix, and she didn't think any of them were Filipino. "But sure. If you want, I can make you some pajeon sometime. Rhys will probably need to be invited to THAT to avoid insult, however. He really loved them when I made them. I'm supposed to teach him how sometime soon."

"The first." She gestured at the walls, which had constellation posters that glow in the dark, and actual star maps on it.
randonimity - Last Monday at 2:42 PM
Joy turned to look at the walls, "Ah, some kinduvan obvious naman, Joy talaga," she murmured in soft chiding of herself, "And sisig's a reall delicious sizzling dish. If you're okay with like, spare parts of the pig. I promise it's really good but not for your heart. It's one of those nakababata dishes, which means, um, it keeps you young because you die young. And sure! Invite Rhys! I texted him about asking you if he can be invited."
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 2:53 PM
"Ooooh I see. As long as like there's no blood or brains I think I can manage?" She gave a shrug. She had her limits, and she wasn't going to lie about then. "Ah? Alright at some point I will!" She was secretly glad he HADN'T asked, because good gods, she knew booze let to loose lips, and well there were definitely things he didn't need to know... At least for now.
randonimity - Last Monday at 5:28 PM
It was a good thing Joy knew brains was an optional ingredient in sisig, which meant she could easily keep that out. "Sure sure~ but that means dinuguan is right out. Prolly for the best because I never managed to make puto right and sticky rice is haaaaaaaaaaaaard to get here," the word came out as a petulant whine but Joy figured Seren would know. Korea was sorta like the Chinese right? "I'm usually better at cooking cuz you can just make tancha um, estimates, but baking..." she laughed ruefully.

She got out a plastic jug (properly washed), a bottle of gin, and several packets of powdered pomelo juice. "You ever have gin pomelo?" she asked as she unscrewed the top of the jug.
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 5:31 PM
"Baking is awesome. I love baking. Well when it's for people I care about. I'm not that fond of cooking for people I don't know." She sat back, lost in thought about these things. "And um. hmmm good to know about the Sticky Rice. I'll keep that in mind when trying to make things." She looked lost in an abstract thought, then.

The second question caught her attention. "No? I don't know what a pomelo is, even."
randonimity - Last Monday at 5:38 PM
"I just like to feed people, when it's for those I care for it becomes extra special," Joy tried not to ask, told herself repeatedly not to ask, but couldn't help herself. There was a teasing grin on her face as she gave the question, "You bake stuff for Rhys often? Or is the pa-something the one time?"

Learning about the pomelo thing, Joy's mouth formed an O in surprise, "Next time we're allowed off-island and it's the right season, let's go grocery shopping. Wet market, dry market, not the air-conditioned groceries in malls. Kai and I plan on hosting a sort of studio warming thing once the renovations and the equipment is complete. Wouldn't mind having a little help with the desserts. I mean, I can make champorado but variety is a good thing, yeah?"
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 5:41 PM
Seren had just bit into another chicharon and Joy's question with the teasing grin accompanying it caused her to choke on the bite, her cheeks flaming red. She had no response to anything else in this moment, as she was busy trying not to die.
randonimity - Last Monday at 5:59 PM
She was waiting for a reaction but Joy was not expecting it to be choking. "Uy, uy!" Joy gave Seren a few slaps on the back while pulling out a plastic bottle of soda and twisting the cap off with one hand. It wasn't water but it could help. Or not. The carbonation might prove more curse than cure. "Fear shield, do something!"
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 6:04 PM
Finally Seren managed to hack it out, with Diwata's help. She gasped slowly and just sat there, silently, beyond deep breaths. Then, finally, she looked at Joy and said "New house rule... No asking questions like that when I have food in my mouth..." She closed her eyes, calming down, then finally said "I've cooked for him a few times. He doesn't know how to cook, and no one deserves to be stuck witht he crap they call 'meals' in the cafeteria all the time. Since he's my friend" She emphasized that in a way that she HOPED said 'JUST a friend,' unaware it probably actually said 'because I can't have anything else.' "I make sure he gets good things sometimes."

"And yeah, I'd happily help you and Kai get your studio warming party up and running. What is Champorado though?" She pulled some hair that had fallen in her eyes off her face. "And ooo. I can't wait til I get leave. Rhys already suggested he and I go to London to have Fish and Chips, when I told him I'd never had it before." Once again she unintentionally dug her pit deeper.
randonimity - Last Monday at 6:09 PM
Joy knew all about having close guy friends. She had a lot of those, except no one ever actually saw as not one-of-the-guys or as a sister, which was why she never was on the receiving end of ribbing beyond a few times from newly made acquaintances. The chemistry had always been clearly sibling-like, so yes, Joy knew to hold off on the whole Love Teaming. Also she didn't want Seren to choke for real and have it be her fault. Explaining that to the Life Infirmary was probably not going to be good for anyone.

BUT. And this seems to bear repeating, BUT Seren was not making it easy for Joy to quash the Love Team tendencies. Internally she was having a thousand yard stare of helplessness, outwardly she nodded, "Okie, promise. Though you should invite me to stuff now and again too, I mean, we're friends right?"
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 6:16 PM
Seren looked startled by the last comment, as if it had never occured to her that Joy might think she was being excluded. "Ah? Oh yeah of course! We are definitely friends too. I just... I'm so bad at this friends thing." She sighed and buried her face in her knee. "I'm sorry. We need to make plans, yes, to hang out more often. I just... I kept ending up in the same place at the same time as Rhys, at first, it just started feeling natural to seek him out. I wasn't thinking."

She felt so bad, and so small inside, for doing this, accidentally, to Joy. She was the worst friend ever. It was so ahrd to be a good friend, though. She hadn't exactly had a lot before.
randonimity - Last Monday at 6:29 PM
"Hey, it's okay, I usually do most of the inviting anyway," Joy said, trying to assure Seren she wasn't upset. Well maybe a little bit disappointed now that Joy thought about all the times she ever hung out with someone, it was always her making the first move when it came to human interaction. Or hell, even with her own weapon, right Bert? Right Bert? RIGHT? BERT?

"Hey, it's normal, you guys live in the same building, your sched probs seench up better than ours. I think I just got weird hours." She laughed it off, easily bouncing back to her namesake.
AriaStarstone - Last Monday at 6:36 PM
"Doesn't make it ok for me to ignore you." Seren looked up at Joy, eyes fierce. "You were my first friend here. I can't be doin' things to my good friends." She reached over and put her hand on Joy's shoulder. "I wont forget again." She was glad Joy was happy again, but she was determined to be a better friend.

The kind of friend she'd always wanted.
September 12, 2017
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 4:10 AM
What did it say about her time on Deus that Joy couldn't fully believe in the promise? She smiled anyway, not doubting the earnest sincerity but not exactly holding her breath for any form of follow through. "Sure, that'd be nice."

Dependence on others is a failing, Bert groused. That Joy knew he was referring to himself only made that aching loneliness deepen in her chest.

"Eniwei, you sure you're not gonna, like, choke again?" she grinned, going back to mixing the drinks.
AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 9:43 AM
Seren looked at her friend, and even if Joy didn't say much about it, saw a hint of the not entirely believing her. She kept her frown to herself, as well as the thought that she was going to refuse to let herself fail Joy as a friend again.

Good, you need more people to trust Whispered Diwata in her ears. Diwata pushed her to better herself, regularly, and it felt strange.

"I... Well I mean as long as you don't surprise me with a question while I got food or something in my mouth? It should be fine." She arched a brow and made a slight face, jokingly, at Joy.
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 10:32 AM
"I'll try to remember that," she chuckled, mixing in the ingredients before pouring each of them a glass. "Normally I'd be bugging my drinking buds about their latest love life, but it's been a while since I had a regular old inuman session. I'll leave it to you on what you wanna talk about."
AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 10:34 AM
She laughed and leaned her head back as she took one of the cups, looking thoughtful. "Well it's not like I have a love life anymore to gossip about. Last time I had one was 2 years before I went into the pod. Still, it's nice to have a friend I can relax with, one I don't find at all confusing half the time." She didn't even think about what she was saying there, because she was relaxing around Joy, and so words she might otherwise have bit down on just gently tumbled out.
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 10:37 AM
Joy made a pleased expression, "Yey, I'm glad! I worry sometimes about the whole Taglish thing. Like, I know it's super rude to speak in a different language on purpose so you aren't understood. So, it just happens sometimes. Do you know another language?" she asked, recalling how Seren mentioned she had Korean blood.
AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 10:41 AM
"I mean I don't always get what you mean with those words, but I try to guess based on context." At Joy's question, she looked sad, crestfallen even. "No. My father didn't bother to teach me Korean, so it was hard to talk to his parents on the phone, the rare chances I got to do so. I know a few words, most of it food related." She didn't want to talk about the words that weren't. Those words were words said in cruelty.
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 10:45 AM
"Ay, sorry, don't be afraid to ask and clearify, better I know early than waiting to burn the bridge when we get there," and Joy meant the horribly mangled saying. It didn't occur to her that there was any ill will when it came to Seren's family, what with Joy's having been mostly supportive, albeit a little heavy handed in the conservative and traditional values.

"Know any curse words? Like, how do you say ******** in Korean? And by ******** I mean the insulting way, not the having sex way." She grinned, no malice in the question, "Lots of foreigners tend to ask about those types of words and I kinda get why."
AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 10:54 AM
"Awesome. If I get really confused or can't guess the meaning from context, I'll definitely ask then." She gave Joy an easy smile at that part. It was nice to know she could clarify. She was never sure how people would react to certain things, after all.

Her question had Seren focusing, hard, on her cup as she sipped, trying not to let anything show. "Uh... No. Mostly food words, like I said. The exceptions... Well they're not nice things to say to someone but they're... not cussing."
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 10:56 AM
"Aw, okie, I guess it makes sense that your dad or grandparents wouldn't want to teach you those sort of words. In fairness, the cussing I know I learned from cousins and friends," Joy laughed, swallowing a mouthful and the familiar taste of the drink. "If you want, I can teach you a couple? Dunno when you'll ever be in a situation to need to know if you're getting cursed at in Tagalog, but you can never can tell."
AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 10:59 AM
"Sure, though not tonight. I don't want to do any sort of like... thing that involves heavy thought tonight?" She inched away from that heavy topic as carefully as she could, taking a deeper drink, enjoying the refreshing taste of the Pomelo with the bite of the gin. "If I ever get sent on a mission to the Philipinnes, or if I make Diwata mad, I might need it?"
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 11:03 AM
"Sure sure~ and your weapon's name is Diwata?" Joy blinked, hearing about this for the first time. "As in name means Goddess Diwata? Is, did she used to be an Engkanto?" She lowered the cup, scooting closer to Seren, "Or is she from a different province? Would explain why she doesn't get my Tagalog if that was the case."
AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 11:10 AM
"Um... Yeah her name's Diwata"

She paused to listen to Diwata for a long moment. "Di says she's a..." She paused, brow furrowed, then worked her way through the word "Ba...ku... no...wa? I hope I didn't mangle that too badly. And I think it's more unless something catches her attention, Diwata is pretty focused on her own things?" She paused, and said, stumbling thought it pretty badly, "((No, I understand just fine, the world just bores me)). That was from Diwata, by the way."
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 11:15 AM
Joy stared in disbelief for a moment, squinting at Seren to study the other woman for any signs that the weapon was lying or joking. But there was no reason for that, was it? In the end, Joy just shrugged, "Weird, a sky dragon with a name that's traditionally used to refer elf-fairy types. But then again, I'm sure Halloweeners have their own cultural weirdness that humans don't get to see."

"Mabuhay," she greeted, picking up her drink to take a mouthful.

Willful ignorance is dangerous, Bert muttered in disapproval.

AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 11:28 AM
"We each have our own surprises. I never figured on a Filipino sky dragon picking me at all. I mean she fits my life's theme, but... It was definitely a surprise. I'd never even heard of what she was before." She stroked her fingers along the little star pinned to her shirt, eyes abstract. "But she's... a good fit for me, I think. She suits me."

"She says she likes you, and to hang around. But pardon her if she tunes out again." She had no idea how normal any of this was, honestly, as she etook another decent sip.
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 11:33 AM
"Awww, thanks you~ I used to wonder why Bert chose me. Then he told me it was because he just wanted to wake up and I was there." It hadn't been a bad thing at the time. But Joy had gradually started to resent being awake. Life in the pod may have been boring but it didn't feel like she'd been in there for very long.

"Bert's pretty quiet most of the time, and after a while I forget he's even there. Almost," she shrugged, "But if it weren't for the whole FEAR shield and having a weapon, I might as well still be alone."
AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 11:34 AM
She frowned a little at that. "I'm sorry he's not so good a match for you, Joy. You deserve a supportive partner who actually wants YOU." She would have given Bert's spoon a dirty look, but she didn't for the moment. "You're a wonderful, caring person and you deserve the same for your partner. Some one like Di."

She reached over and carefully pulled Joy into a side-hug, making sure not to spill either of their drinks.(edited)
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 11:48 AM
Joy didn't resist the hug, instead slinging an arm of her own around Seren, "Awww, that's sweet of you. Bert and I are stuck with each other. He's not exactly happy with me either, so quits lang~" she laughed, downing the remnants of her drink.(edited)
AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 11:52 AM
"Lang?" She asked, curiously, into the hug, and then settled comfortably against her friend. She had found she liked being close to people, it made her feel safe and warm, and wanted. "I know. Doesn't mean you don't deserve some one who respects you, though. MEH." She finished her cup, then reached over to grab the pitcher the mix she'd made was in and poured them both some more. "Well ******** it. You got me, you got Rhys I'm sure. You got Kai. We're here for you, even if Bert's a butt."
randonimity - Last Tuesday at 12:00 PM
"Lang literally means only. Buuuuuut it usually gets used as a sort of, um," the alcohol was not enough to get Joy tipsy, not yet at least, this was just one of those times where there was no good way to translate. "Way to say that "it's okay" type of situation?"

Her cup was refilled and Joy had another gulp as she brought out some pork barbecue on skewers. "That's good, I do trust you guys to have my back. You can add Clyde to the list too. And, maybe once upon a time, you could have even had Cap'n on it."
AriaStarstone - Last Tuesday at 12:03 PM
"Ah! I see. Thank you for the explanation." She nodded her head, her glasses shifting and starting to slide down her face, which earned an aggrieved sound. She reached up and pushed thme back into place. "I wish I could afford to go get Lasik, I swear. My biggest worry in a spar is my glasses escaping me."

Seren took a long, slow sip, a happy look on her face. She was feeling warm in the cheeks, and a little tingly, but that was it so far. "I... don't know Clyde, or Cap'n?" She looked curiously at Joy, when she mentioned the names of two strangers. "Also those look delicious."