hmmm

leaves it to ponder for now

Apartment
"It's not that serious…" lied Holly. But you weren't ready to hear about how their secret, professional, criminal lives chained them together in a way that made it impossible to extricate the physical from emotional, financial and sexual.

Didn't even math in the absolute Factor that was Dax, either.

No, even in this most stripped-down and Leo-friendly version of things, it was barely explicable. "Ultimately it's just a relationship — unconventional, non-traditional as it is. It works or it doesn't."

…and that is where Holly separated from normal, in the most dramatic fashion. For so many people, including basically every single one of her friends, the relationship was everything. It was worth killing or dying over, not that any of her normal friends even knew what that meant. It was worth burning bridges, betraying or neglecting family, it was worth academic probation, impulsive decisions that might chase them all throughout their lives.

All to sate the need to feel wanted.

She… knew of that, at a distant and empirical level, but she was fundamentally broken in a way.

Holly never counted herself over-clever, but there was a faint satisfaction deep within her, manifesting in the smallest smile, as she leaned and listened, anticipated the latest deluge of questions. Only for her predicting it, rather than the content of the questions or her (in)ability to answer.

What she disagreed with was that she gave you anything, and maybe it was obvious for the timing of her wry, humorless grin and subtle shake of her head. "Yeah maybe, playa. I think it's dangerous for me to think I enabled anything, to take even the smallest ownership out of your internal journey."

The bag plumed the most wholesome of bakery smells, and she tugged it closed. "Can't answer any of that for you. Just… you represent a paradox of traits I don't see combined anywhere else, I uh… h-hey, you wanna take this to a hotel? A complete lack of furniture is bumming me out."

Thank you, and rest well when the time comes. I think you're right and I just might (like the podcast) and I've got to talk to Medicare bit about the plan, and then it'll be a done deal.

Have a great night!

tiptoeing through my own tulips, thinking about redecorating a bit. It's been too long.

hmmmm.

drinks more, talking some with the bartender

If you get a hankering, try it out. I think you'll like it.

Good luck with the plan!

That's a fascinating topic! I hear people who work in the field often have some great dark humor that keeps them going. True crime is a guilty pleasure of mine.

Yes, and it's actually kind of exciting because I found a great plan, I think, that will make some positive changes for me.

Anyway, thanks for stopping in!

Very good in my experience.

It's a "True Crime Comedy" Podcast called My Favorite Murder. They add in some humor to horrible true crime stories to better deal with telling them. They're very
funny and have quite the following, apparently.

Insurance, very important!

drinks quietly while still alone

What, may I ask, is the topic of the podcast?

I'm choosing a new insurance plan and will finish that up tonight or tomorrow. Boring, but important!

-heads away-

I'm doing some work and listening to a podcast.

No fireworks here yet, thank goodness!

Apartment
Your frustration was not alone, not at all. The look they give you as they set you back on your feet is telling. A touch of a smoulder, because... dammit.

As you spoke, they did move to go handle the delivery - answering the door, nabbing the bag, thanking the person on the other side, and then coming in with a bag full of delicious smelling baked goods. That done, door closed, he's moving to join you at the kitchen partition. Starting to dig out the goodies as they listen.

The insecurity isn't something he expected, but it is somewhat reassuring. And it has him reaching to snag your hand and give it another little squeeze. "That sounds... scary and difficult. But better than fostering the delusion and ending up not in a relationship at all? And, like, part of it is also that you don't get everything you need, just from Brix, right? That's, like, a two-way street?"

His voice softens. "I do think, maybe, that's part of what happened with Dee for me. You were giving me things she couldn't, and even before we kissed, it betrayed the whole 'one person must be everything' to me."

A slight face pulled. "How do you even perform that? I don't know what questions to ask?"

A slight pause, before adding, "how would we make it work? What would you need? What would I need? And if not make it work, at least try to." There's always vulnerability in admissions, in talks like these. Had to be. "If we're talking about plans for the future - I know we haven't known each other long, but I'd sincerely like to see if we can make this work?"

I've got some fool out here shooting off fireworks already.

They've gone home now, maybe cognizant of the fact that the cops will soon be out in anticipation of last call at the bars.

Or maybe they just ran out.

Reloading dice from saved data.

Found data from roll: 3

[1,3,4,1,3]

" S T A R T G A M E : t r u e "{ " g a m e I d " : " 1 7 1 9 6 4 3 9 5 1 " , " p l a y e r L i s t " : [ " p p i n k " ] , " r o l l N u m b e r " : 3 , " c u r r e n t P l a y e r " : 0 , " d i c e " : { " f a c e s " : [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 1 , 3 ] , " r e r o l l " : [ f a l s e , t r u e , t r u e , f a l s e , t r u e ] } , " s c o r e 0 " : { " 1 " : 4 , " 2 " : 4 , " 3 " : 6 , " 4 " : 1 2 , " 5 " : 2 0 , " 6 " : 2 4 , " p l a y e r " : n u l l , " u p _ t o t a l " : 7 0 , " b o n u s " : 3 5 , " 3 k " : 2 4 , " 4 k " : 0 , " s s " : 3 0 , " l s " : 0 , " f h " : 2 5 , " y a h _ t o k e n " : n u l l , " y " : n u l l , " c " : 2 3 , " y a h _ b o n u s " : 0 , " b o t _ t o t a l " : 1 0 2 , " g _ t o t a l " : 2 0 7 } , " o w n e r " : " p p i n k " , " s t a t u s " : " r e a d y " , " r o u n d " : 1 2 , " l a s t P o s t " : 1 7 1 9 6 4 4 1 9 7 , " l o a d e d F r o m P o s t " : 1 7 1 9 6 4 4 1 5 7 }

Out

Whatcha doing?