[That's okay, he's fine being the designated bitch at friend.]
Yeah no kidding.
What happened?
[He's not really expecting anything serious, just someone annoying her, which would be very little surprise either on the 'Emily being annoyed' or 'someone being annoying' fronts.]
[Because there's all sorts of levels of punching, from knocking someone out cold to making a sad little bonk noise and ending up hurting yourself more than the other person.
Chris needs to work on his punching technique, relatedly.]
[Or as quickly as possible anyway, which isn't all that quick. He really should see if there's something he can do about his knee.
But that's an issue for later, and he does get there at some point with the requested ice back and a look of concern. He can't see any immediate bruises, so he's not sure where she got punched, but she definitely doesn't look happy.]
Here, Em.
[He offers her the ice pack.]
What exactly happened?
[He's already asked, but this time he's more interested in the detailed version than the short one.]
[She's sitting right where she saod she was, hunched over a bit, one hand on her stomach. She doesn't smile at Chris when he arrives, but she doesn't snap at him either as she takes the ice pack.
It's a second or two before she answers, punctuated by a wince when she places the ice pack on her stimach.]
I was talking with this bitch Maketh, and she just fucking snapped-- and punched me, right here. [She points with her free hand and shakes her head.] Out of fucking nowhere.
[Ouch, getting hit in the stomach isn't fun. Not that Chris gets into many fights with people and therefore has never actually been punched in the stomach, but he does get into a lot of fights with the ground, doorknobs, and sometimes plant life and has therefore knows what it feels like more or less. It sucks.
He leans back against a counter to listen to Emily's explanation, and it's not what he's expecting.]
What the fuck? Why?
[He's... A little shocked, and a lot pissed. There has to be more to this story, though, right? He really hopes there is because Maketh is his friend, and he really doesn't want to deal with this but he's also not about to let anyone--friend or not--get away with punching Emily if she didn't start swinging first. And even then, probably not.]
[Geez, why can't life just not suck for five minutes. But okay, so Emily didn't hit her first, which kind of makes fault pretty clear no matter what Emily said. Although--]
And I'm right in assuming that like, it's not normal for girls to start throwing punches when someone says shit they don't like?
[Because it's sort of normal for guys. Some guys, anyway.]
[But at least she's okay enough to be sarcastic. He crosses his arms, considering the floor a few seconds, trying to decide what to do about this.]
Do you like... Want me to stay out of it, or...
[He doesn't want to insult her or overstep or something by getting involved if she doesn't want him to, even though it's his first inclination to. He's not a huge fan of conflict, but he's less a fan of people hurting his friends and also really not impressed with people he considers friends hurting other friends.]
[That gives Emily pause. A rather long pause where she shifts the ice pack against her stomach. The shitty fabric of her top is thick enough to soak in the chill and keep soothing her sore stomach even if the ice pack isn't right over a given area.
Honestly, she doesn't know.]
All I want is to hit her back. She offered to take it, but I couldn't yet. [For obvious reasons.] She's fucking crazy.
[Emily is used to people taking her shit, but not like that. Even Matt fought back sometimes, called her on her shit when it got bad enough on the mountain.]
[He's not really sure hitting back is the best way to handle it, but whatever; h. He might've argued, or at least tried to deter her, if he weren't just completely done with this sort of thing going on.
Emily's last comment is a little bit of a surprise, though, and he's slightly confused.]
What do you mean?
[There's a lot of words he could use to describe Maketh, but that's not one he would've gone to.]
[When she hears the word aloud, Emily regrets it. It's tainted now, with the mountain and Josh's mental illness and the wendigos. She's not someone who really regrets shit, but after last year, that stupid prank-- things are changing.
She looks away in the moment the regret hits her, and her gaze falls on her mirror, still on the floor next to the fake silk bag that had wound up getting her fucking punched.]
[He looks away, at the floor, after her first comment; like Emily, his associations with the word--and several others, similar or dissimilar--have to do with the mountain. And he was already thinking about it anyway, if distantly; part of the reason he isn't angrily calling Maketh is that he's guessing she probably freaked out from her own traumas, and he can sort of understand that. It doesn't excuse hitting Emily, but he can still sympathize.
Emily's request draws him out of his thoughts and at gives him something else to think about, even if he's kind of hesitant to agree.]
I... Yeah, sure.
[He's already a curious person and resisting the incredibly strong urges to look at people's mirrors has been difficult. But he'll just... Step over to the mirror and pick it up, closing his eyes tightly and holding it stiffly out to Emily somewhat comically.]
[He barely even gets the words out before Emily leans over --] Fuck, [she hisses -- and snatches it from him. Holds it close. Clutches it in her hand.]
Thanks.
[She's frowning, of course, even as she glances at the mirror to make sure it's still in once piece. (Not even a scratch. What a fucking miracle. Guess Hope isn't useless after all.) She's-- she's not sure if she wants Chris to see it. Out of all her friends, he's maybe the one person she might show, but it's just-- if this is an actual vision of the future, then it means she wasn't wrong when she opened up to Jess all those years ago, trusted her with her deepest secrets, with her insecurities and hopes and dreams. It means she can hope they'll reconcile. And that would be so, so dangerous to share. They'd be a witness to that future, and if she fucks it up, they would know what she lost and how badly she failed along the way.
She just-- she just doesn't know, so she looks for a distraction instead.]
[Okay, good, she has it. He opens his eyes, one at a time, and she's inspecting her mirror; he can understand the protectiveness over it, though he isn't sure if it's because she's embarrassed about it or it's precious to her. Maybe both.
At the question he nods, giving a small smile. He's definitely not embarrassed about what his shows; it's sappy and personal, but not in a bad way.]
Yeah. I've been, you know, hiding in my room. In the most secure of hiding places.
[Three guesses if it's under his mattress.
And he pauses a moment before deciding to ask--]
So um... Yours show something good, or more like... Awkward?
[There's no sarcasm in her answer, no sneer or glare or disdain, none of the usual walls Emily puts up. She can't muster up the energy for them, not when it still hurts to breathe a little and she wants so badly for this vision in the mirror to come true.]
What does yours show, some nerdy awards ceremony?
[Again, it sounds weak as far as her usual teasing goes.]
[He'll accept that answer and doesn't push, even though he's definitely curious and it's not just because of the event's effects. Her question earns a small grin.]
No, but that'd be pretty cool.
[Although...]
I guess it still counts as a nerdy ceremony, though. It's uh...
[He's not embarrassed but it's still weird to say.]
Um, Ash and I are... Getting married, I guess.
[Let the teasing commence; he doesn't even care because hell yeah.]
[The instinct to tease is so, so strong. Strong enough to make her forget about her own mirror, to bring out a smirk that's a lot less wry than it could be. Emily isn't the most romantic person in the world (at least, not that she lets anyone see, but she's definitely not as romantic as, say, Jess), but the combination of being acutely aware of the mutual feelings between Ashley and Chris for so long, and the way he admits the image in his mirror, is just enough to take the edge off all the things she could say right now.]
Dork.
[Weak, that's so fucking weak.]
At least that could actually happen, if you two stop taking five years working up the nerve to say goddamn hello to each other.
((ooc: that should still work whether or not Em and UD house know that Chris and Ash are an ~item~ now, I think?))
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
March 15th
i fucking HATE THIS PLACE. people are insane!
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Yeah no kidding.
What happened?
[He's not really expecting anything serious, just someone annoying her, which would be very little surprise either on the 'Emily being annoyed' or 'someone being annoying' fronts.]
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[Because there's all sorts of levels of punching, from knocking someone out cold to making a sad little bonk noise and ending up hurting yourself more than the other person.
Chris needs to work on his punching technique, relatedly.]
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OF COURSE REALLY.
i'm sitting in some weird armchair in a store, i can't sit up straight. bitch hit me in the stomach so hard i almost fucking passed out
[Yeah you really do, Chris. Emily will teach you. She's strong enough to knock someone down with a slap, after all.]
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[Yes, teach him your ways, Emily.]
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bring an ice pack, this shit hurts
[She will. We can use Maketh for target practice.]
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[Or as quickly as possible anyway, which isn't all that quick. He really should see if there's something he can do about his knee.
But that's an issue for later, and he does get there at some point with the requested ice back and a look of concern. He can't see any immediate bruises, so he's not sure where she got punched, but she definitely doesn't look happy.]
Here, Em.
[He offers her the ice pack.]
What exactly happened?
[He's already asked, but this time he's more interested in the detailed version than the short one.]
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It's a second or two before she answers, punctuated by a wince when she places the ice pack on her stimach.]
I was talking with this bitch Maketh, and she just fucking snapped-- and punched me, right here. [She points with her free hand and shakes her head.] Out of fucking nowhere.
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He leans back against a counter to listen to Emily's explanation, and it's not what he's expecting.]
What the fuck? Why?
[He's... A little shocked, and a lot pissed. There has to be more to this story, though, right? He really hopes there is because Maketh is his friend, and he really doesn't want to deal with this but he's also not about to let anyone--friend or not--get away with punching Emily if she didn't start swinging first. And even then, probably not.]
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[Yes she is leaving out a bit. No she won't volunteer the rest of it. Emily doesn't believe she did anything wrong at all.]
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And I'm right in assuming that like, it's not normal for girls to start throwing punches when someone says shit they don't like?
[Because it's sort of normal for guys. Some guys, anyway.]
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No, we actually kick each other in the head all the time.
[She rolls her eyes.]
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[But at least she's okay enough to be sarcastic. He crosses his arms, considering the floor a few seconds, trying to decide what to do about this.]
Do you like... Want me to stay out of it, or...
[He doesn't want to insult her or overstep or something by getting involved if she doesn't want him to, even though it's his first inclination to. He's not a huge fan of conflict, but he's less a fan of people hurting his friends and also really not impressed with people he considers friends hurting other friends.]
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Honestly, she doesn't know.]
All I want is to hit her back. She offered to take it, but I couldn't yet. [For obvious reasons.] She's fucking crazy.
[Emily is used to people taking her shit, but not like that. Even Matt fought back sometimes, called her on her shit when it got bad enough on the mountain.]
She's like some fucked up robot.
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Emily's last comment is a little bit of a surprise, though, and he's slightly confused.]
What do you mean?
[There's a lot of words he could use to describe Maketh, but that's not one he would've gone to.]
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[She snorts, immediately regretting it. The sudden movement of her sore diaphragm sends a jolt of pain through her.]
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[She'd been strange the first time they talked, but considering the situation that isn't much of a surprise.]
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[When she hears the word aloud, Emily regrets it. It's tainted now, with the mountain and Josh's mental illness and the wendigos. She's not someone who really regrets shit, but after last year, that stupid prank-- things are changing.
She looks away in the moment the regret hits her, and her gaze falls on her mirror, still on the floor next to the fake silk bag that had wound up getting her fucking punched.]
Um, could you-- could you grab my mirror.
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Emily's request draws him out of his thoughts and at gives him something else to think about, even if he's kind of hesitant to agree.]
I... Yeah, sure.
[He's already a curious person and resisting the incredibly strong urges to look at people's mirrors has been difficult. But he'll just... Step over to the mirror and pick it up, closing his eyes tightly and holding it stiffly out to Emily somewhat comically.]
Please take it before I look at it.
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Thanks.
[She's frowning, of course, even as she glances at the mirror to make sure it's still in once piece. (Not even a scratch. What a fucking miracle. Guess Hope isn't useless after all.) She's-- she's not sure if she wants Chris to see it. Out of all her friends, he's maybe the one person she might show, but it's just-- if this is an actual vision of the future, then it means she wasn't wrong when she opened up to Jess all those years ago, trusted her with her deepest secrets, with her insecurities and hopes and dreams. It means she can hope they'll reconcile. And that would be so, so dangerous to share. They'd be a witness to that future, and if she fucks it up, they would know what she lost and how badly she failed along the way.
She just-- she just doesn't know, so she looks for a distraction instead.]
You got one too, right?
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At the question he nods, giving a small smile. He's definitely not embarrassed about what his shows; it's sappy and personal, but not in a bad way.]
Yeah. I've been, you know, hiding in my room. In the most secure of hiding places.
[Three guesses if it's under his mattress.
And he pauses a moment before deciding to ask--]
So um... Yours show something good, or more like... Awkward?
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[There's no sarcasm in her answer, no sneer or glare or disdain, none of the usual walls Emily puts up. She can't muster up the energy for them, not when it still hurts to breathe a little and she wants so badly for this vision in the mirror to come true.]
What does yours show, some nerdy awards ceremony?
[Again, it sounds weak as far as her usual teasing goes.]
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No, but that'd be pretty cool.
[Although...]
I guess it still counts as a nerdy ceremony, though. It's uh...
[He's not embarrassed but it's still weird to say.]
Um, Ash and I are... Getting married, I guess.
[Let the teasing commence; he doesn't even care because hell yeah.]
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Dork.
[Weak, that's so fucking weak.]
At least that could actually happen, if you two stop taking five years working up the nerve to say goddamn hello to each other.
((ooc: that should still work whether or not Em and UD house know that Chris and Ash are an ~item~ now, I think?))
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