[Futurelandia] An Eventful Valentines and beyond (happy new year)

[generalflirt]

[ Nathan moved into tow and that was awkward, Yamato and Nariko probably have some sort of a relationship and that's awkward, Yamato's been trying to make new friends so that's interesting, and Masaomi and Nariko are hopefully solid as anything after that trip, Nathan and Yamato complications aside. There's a new pack member that Masaomi met at a party and Nariko met in class. It's been over a month since the new year began and the old one concluded.

A lot's changed and yet not a lot had at all.

And frankly, things were probably just going to change that much more in the coming days and weeks. this might be edited to something more poetic later once we conclude more stuff about that other log ]

Comments

Midlandia + this one essentially

[themaelstrom]

[Dude you just grabbed at her a bit, give her a little more credit! Besides, it's better for her to control herself in this kind of situation, whether he really likes it or not.]

Good.

[She'd wanted him to eat anyway, but Audrey stays right beside him, occasionally lifting her legs up and rolling her ankles. High heels are a bitch.]

Nariko said that Lana girl has been asking about you - do you want her to visit?

Oh no I followed that I meant did you mean ending one of these before or something else you're up to

[generalflirt]

[ It's true, he didn't do much. Still, slurping the noodles, he watches her sit there on the edge of his bed next to him. She really was committed to the whole costume and probably committed to the whole bit as well. As for Lana... ]

A-ah... I guess I do owe her The Talk. I've kinda left her hanging for a month on accident.

OH no no I mean there's something irl I need to finish so I can only handle two for like 30 more min

[themaelstrom]

She can suck it up.

[If the worst thing that weird chick has to deal with is being put on the back burner for someone's health then it's probably the most trying time of her whole year. Then again Audrey wouldn't be a good nurse if she had sympathy for anyone but her patient, right?]

I just think it's funny that you collect blondes.

Okay that's what I thought I was just checking!!

[generalflirt]

She isn't even mine yet! You can't hold a pattern of two against me.

[ Unless she was somehow counting Charlotte into this equation. But of the rest of the pack the only other blonde from Audrey was Sully, and with as little hair as he had these days who could even tell? ... No, that's mean, he keeps the islands of hair heh as in order. The Alpha slurps his noodles, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, and ...

No, no. ]

She asked to join the pack, as Alpha, it is my duty to talk with her in that room, same as I did you. [ He sighs ] But I probably shouldn't until I'm at my best.

No problem!

[themaelstrom]

A pattern isn't defined by what you have and don't have, but a set of behaviors.

[That's the teacher in her popping out. Still, she rights herself on the bed to look at him properly.]

Oh, I thought it was that she'd already done all that! It sounded like she just wanted to check on you or something, like Nariko and I aren't totally capable of it!

[Considering that Audrey that had been very effectively put in her place back in November ... One has to wonder when she became able to speak about the other woman so easily, and with a bit of fondness.] But I'd agree! You can't be suitably intimidating just yet, and we clearly only let badasses into this pack.

[generalflirt]

Oh, no, no - she asked sometime around when Nariko and I were leaving on our trip and then by the time we came back she was out of town or something around when I got my vasectomy. So all things considered, I've sort of left her hanging.

[ He laughs at this, shaking his head. He does feel bad about it all things considered. But ... you know what, he'll argue with the pattern thing, simply because he's pretty sure that the pattern isn't that sound. After all, ] You and Sully are the only blondes so far though!

[ . . . Did Lana move in and he didn't notice though? How out of the loop is he? ]

[themaelstrom]

What about Fred's mom, though? Her, me, and now Lana. That's three. And if she ends up joining then that means the last two people you semi-directly brought into the fold were both blonde.

[This is clearly an important part of her argument.]

If the next one is blonde then you definitely have a secret fetish.

[generalflirt]

Isn't that sort of outweighed by the fact that no one else is blonde? Not Nariko, Tom, Ada, or any of the others.

[ Seriously? Seriously. .. . ]

[themaelstrom]

Men don't count.

[Which meant that Sully didn't, but that was just a side effect of following the rules.]

If Nariko dyes her hair then she'll be blond, too. But as it stands that's still a third of the females, b

lalala I think some of your tag got eaten just PM me if you want to edit it back

[generalflirt]

[ Men don't count... huh ]

Eeeeeh, what would Sully think if he knew you of all people were calling him a No Count?

[ This is was both not what she was talking about and a forced subject change in an airy way in no way befitting of someone approaching forty. But he still does it, smirking wildly. ]

why does this keep happening to her specifically oh my god

[themaelstrom]

[Wow, you apparently wanted to put the most dour look on her face, didn't you, Alpha?]

I'm sure he'd manage, since that is apparently the only reaction I'm allowed.

[She's not bitter at all, shh.]

It is kind of hilarious tbh.

[generalflirt]

[ Oh wow... ]

Eeeeh, someone's out there limiting your freedom? I guess we've gotta go lay him out.

[ And while one hand is getting himself more noodles, the other one punches the air between them, sounding at once interested and aloof. It's meant to invite her to say anything if she wants to dismiss it out of hand if she doesn't ]

i've clearly picked up a curse

[themaelstrom]

Whatever. If he wants to be cynical and bitter about it then that's not my problem.

[Except it is, because she likes him. Because she likes Tom, too, but he's stuck on something that she can't hope to influence.]

I don't think I'm not allowed to have feelings for someone just because I'm the pet, I thought that was okay in a pack.

[Especially this one. Junko slept around, Nariko slept around, so did Emily ... But they all had people that they loved intensely and would always put first. So why was it magically different for her?]

well hope you recover from it then for justice and etc

[generalflirt]

[ Huuuuuh. cynical and bitter... it's true, that could describe Sullivan at his worst, and it would be just like him to have something like a budding romance bring out the worst in him. Then again, maybe it's just a failure of understanding. Both are entirely possible, and he hums a little as he thinks about it. He could change the subject here, he thinks as he sips on the soba noodles, but ...

Maybe that wouldn't be for the best?

Hmmm. ]

So I'm going to take it that date didn't go well.

I do too or at least if it can become a consistent curse that'd be fine too

[themaelstrom]

The date was fine until we got to anything that had to do with the meaningful future. I mean, dude's older than me, of course there's stuff he knows that I don't or he'll overthink it, but none of that really bothers me.

[She'd pretty much expected it considering how sizable the gap between them was.]

It just felt so fatalistic. 'Well you fuck everyone so there's no way it can be a serious relationship!!' He didn't even ask me to try or offer to figure it out!

[Perspective is a thing, so maybe Sullivan meant something else and Audrey took it the wrong way, or maybe all of this is in character and a logical course for the man. Audrey wouldn't know, of course.]

that would be some good comedy relief it's true

[generalflirt]

[ . . . Okay so cutting past that entirely, he sits the chopsticks down in his bowl and turns to face her with an earnest expression. That doesn't sound quite like Sully if he's honest but maybe it was a bad moment for him, who knows. But more importantly, ]

You see a future with you and Sully?

[ Which is to say, she likes him enough to be serious? ]

[themaelstrom]

It was one date, not a one year anniversary.

[Which isn't much in the way of a solid answer, but she can't help just letting it out.]

If there is a future I want to evaluate it as it takes shape, I think it could work.

[But she's learned well from Yamato - she's not putting any eggs in anything that resembles a basket.]

[generalflirt]

Hahaha! Still, that's a pretty bold statement... or maybe I've just been mated too long.

[ He shakes his head ] Nariko and I began all in biology, and everything else came after the fact. Those hiccups about the future all came late as a result. I wonder how it goes sometimes, being aware and able up front.

[ He looks back down at the bowl, and he takes the chopsticks back in hand ]

I think you should take to Ada about it, myself.

[ Because while Sully was understood perhaps best by him, it would be second best by Ada, and that just seems like something two women could work out better. Even if Ada would more than resent him passing the buck like that, she owed him enough to allow it.

Probably. ]

[themaelstrom]

I imagine that you talk to each other like adults, and if someone is upset you leave them alone and come back to it later. But you don't just give up.

[But maybe she's just too idealistic. Maybe it really was a bad moment for them both. She hasn't given up, but it's a little frustrating.]

I mean, I worry about that since she and I are already in a kind of disagreement.

PS how is the real life stuff going you good

[generalflirt]

Really?

[ Are things falling apart without him able to be active... Sully and Audrey are on the outs, Tom is consumed with his own shit, knowing Octavio he probably is involved in some scandal, Junko is being Junko, his mate and his son are honeymooning... cats are marrying dogs for all he knows ]

mostly okay! Kinda juggling stuff but good otherwise!

[themaelstrom]

Mmhm.

[Do you hear that, Masaomi? It's the sound of her not expanding. Is this one of those things that can just be brushed off to the side?]

Oh that's good

[generalflirt]

[ A disagreement between Audrey and Ada...

...

He should talk with Veronica about it. Or Emily. ]

Well, let's hope I don't come back to a bloodbath.

[ Slightly passive aggressive? Maybe. But he shrugs it off, deciding to drop it now so as to not be more of a busybody than his actual body could handle now anyway ]

but also how are you friend

[themaelstrom]

No, nothing like that. Ultimately I think Ada's just worried about you, actually. But I can't help disagreeing because you're not someone that needs to be protected in that way. But I think that's the only way she knows how to care about people.

[She waves a hand.]

Besides, you've known your mate and Ada for ages, right? So I'm sure this isn't the first time they've disagreed about something important. There are some people who can't just agree to disagree and maintain their friendship - it's a roller coaster until they find some compromise.

[And now a shrug.] I'm sure they'll figure it out and everything will be okay.

I'm good! It's been a very slow day for me overall tbh but I think that helped my health

[generalflirt]

[ Disagreements... Yeah, there's been a few. He has known them both for fully half of his life at this point, two of the dearest people to his heart. Someone that needs to be protected in that way...? He's not sure what that even means, but if it becomes serious, he'll step in about it or ask more about it. The fact he's being situationally aware is better than how oblivious he's been about certain situations in the past.

That, and on top of his business not doing too hot with his extended absence, he doesn't want the headache now.

He inhales, exhales... and he closes his eyes, stirring the noodles as he sits there ]

So, nurse, am I allowed to hear sexual stories, or is that out too?

Aw good I am glad to hear that! it's important to slow down when/if you can

[themaelstrom]

[He really seems to have a thing about those noodles.]

Those should be fine, I guess, as long as you don't think on them too hard. [She points at his take-out.]

You also have to let me try that. You're enjoying it so much that it actually looks good now!