| The Iceberg |
| Summary: | Heavy thoughts and Mario Kart go together, right? Right…? |
| Date: | 2018-05-03 |
| Related: | NA |
| NPCs: | NA |
| Scene Runner: | NA |
| Players: |
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Basement, Winbarry Estate
Thu May 03, 2018
The main room of the basement looks to have been nicely finished at one time, and looks to be currently in the middle of some redecorating. There is a large entertainment center with the usual electronics and a couple of gaming systems, a couch and a few chairs face it. There is a foosball table near one corner and on one wall an old, but working Ms. Pac-Man game. There is a faint, but lingering odor of cigar smoke and Sulphur.
===
Sometimes when one's mind is restless, they needn't the arcane to help calm it. Certain thoughts just cannot be eased by a talisman crafted by a godling, or the exercising of one's mental prowess… or even a good stiff drink. Callisto handed in her drink card upon joining Coral Springs and even if she were to flash a little glamour and hypnosis at any one hapless clerk in a booze hut… she would be seen buying wine and have her ass handed to her by faculty.
So Callisto cannot even calm her thoughts with a glass of rose. Stuff ain't sitting with her very well… so what's girl to do?
It's a'meeee… Maaaa~aaario.
It's after classes, after dinner (go figure it was tacos) and Callisto is nestled in the basement, on the couch, with an old SNES controlled tucked into her hands. Super Nintendos aren't beyond Callisto to coax into operation, and she thought she could try something different. One of the other students who works in a local thrift shop came in with a box of games for students to try, and the fae girl picked something… different. It says Mario… but it's not…
Callisto stares at the title screen for Mario Kart. Circa 1992. What was she doing in 1992…? She tilts her head slowly, hair piled up and damp from her evening shower. She smells like sweetpeas.. she looks perplexed.
Daxton hops down the stairs, bouncing off a wall as he does so, possibly intentionally. There's no crash, so that's a good sign. His arms are filled with junk food and a 6 pack of soda. Seems he maybe had the same idea. Mind numbing movies-wait, no it's video games, "Hey Strawberry. You found the Mario cart, I see." He flops onto the couch next to her, food getting dumbing between them in an open invitation to eat.
Well here we go, ladies and gentleman: the source of Callisto's unrest. It's even funnier because the speedster has no bloody idea about what is going on here. Here's Callisto warring with her pledge to herself to not sniff around mortals again and then Daxton is coming down the stairs with his payload of snacks and none-the-wiser. Callisto is just getting up the gumption to press 'start' and that's when he arrives! Plops down! Right there!
At least there's food between them. Callisto looks down at it in wonder, curious as to what he brought. One look at that greyhound-lean form and you can just tell she's a friggin' granola. "Mario Kart?" She echoes, watching him before looking away quickly… eyeing the screen. "I suppose so. T'is not Mario World. But t'is worth exploring, no? Would you like to play?" She asks almost shyly.
That and the boy likely knows what he's doing.
Daxton knows Mario cart, if that's what she means. "Sure. I can play a few races." There's a whoosh and he's back in his seat with the controller. "This is a race game, the screen will split and you need to keep an eye on your part of the screen, ok?" A soda is already cracked open while he himself presses start and goes to the character picking option. "You can play any of these characters. You can pick first."
Funny how this 16-bit relic from the early nineties is yet a source of mystique for Callisto. Cripes, let her look at what's around nowadays and she'll probably faint. For how capable and cool she is, there is something endearingly childlike in how she handles these old pop-culture dalliances. The selection screen pops up and she's looking at this small variety of… competitors. She recognizes one character and immediately picks Luigi. Don't judge, she loves him. There is actually a look of relief as she chooses the green-clad, underrated plumber! O_O
As she waits for Dax to pick, she leans over the hoarded junkfood again. She's looking to see what he has, before she turns back to the screen.
"T'is strange, this…" Said as she watches the game, cheekbones flushed.
Daxton picks Yoshi. "What's strange?" He drains the soda before setting the empty can down. There's an assortment. Pretzels, chips, some candy bars. Nothing healthy it looks like. How does he not turn into a blob? Oh, that's right speed metabolism.
The mentalist simply wants to… 'fit in'. So if it means picking a candy bar — hey look, Wunderbar — she will do so. She picks it up and looks it over but turns quickly to look back to the game as Daxton makes his choice. "Oh! The dinosaur!" She exclaims… she would have suspected Daxton to choose—actually, she wouls have expected Yoshi. Callisto clears her throat again, too aware of him closeby. Pulse's words from days prior are still strong.. she cannot bring herself to hurt the boy. This resolve heartens and scares her. Carefully she tucks the amulet into the neckline of her gown and eases back, the bar not yet opened but set alongside her leg. "This game. Whyfor do they race against the antagonist of previous games?" She gestures to Bowser with a stern look as the screen fades in both player making their choices. Why aren't they fighting to the death!?
Poor Callisto.
Wait till he gets her Super Smash Brothers. But for now, "It's just for fun. It's a party game." He smirks though as she gets excited for Yoshi. He shifts, getting ready to start, but then reaching over to grab the bag of chips. "You ready?"
Shit, shit, she's not ready. What button does what? Bloody hell this split screen business will be a tribulation. Why did they each have to pick a green character? Callisto squints, mind overworking but nonetheless.. she's content. She at least learns quickly. "Party game…" Is repeated smoothly, and she nods her head once. "Yes, I can begin." Said with a sniff, as if she's about to sign a constitution or take up some magical, mystical object. It's just her way.
As the chips crinkle when the speedster grabs them, Callisto glances down at the candy she has selected and wonders about that too. "How have you been faring, today?" Hey, she has to ask! Maybe Gods willing, Malachite got bored and effed off to simply bide her time. Callisto doesn't want to even think about what would happen if her talisman were lost, or to fail.
Daxton shrugs, inhaling chips as he plays, "I'm fine." He seems to be? It's so hard to tell, especially when he's not looking directly at her. "How are you?" Small talk, it is! He's in first place almost immediately, throwing things and getting all the stuffs from the boxes. "You can ram people. Or throw things…" Dax knows more about video games than his player does.
Fine? Fine? … yeah it's hard to tell, because they're not looking at one another given the attention demanded by the game. Callisto worries about his sleep… she knows how awful sleep, and ghastly nightmares, can wear on a body. Daxton's dreams were difficult enough; Malachite will have grasped any and every thread of grief in those mental replays and amped them up. Over and over.
«Oh will you just leave him be? He's not part of this.» Callisto thinks to herself briefly… but knows her telepathic connection is cut off from her nasty mother by way of Loukanos' charm. But then Daxton is going and trolling the game by hurling shells and stars. Callisto glares as she retains her dismal placement of 8th.
"What! Such diablerie! You stop that right now!" She barks… okay, some 8-year-old back in 1992 will have not hurled such an elaborate remark at Mario Kart.
Daxton snorts, settling into the couch more comfortably as he casually plays. Who knows what dreams he's been having. "Next you're going to be calling me dastardly!" And that's just dang funny. He'll purposefully drop down to be second to last before flinging a banana peel at her. He's not being very kind, but it is funny. He laughs, warm and loud, so unlike the scared voice he used at the taco place.
Dastardly! Dastardly! Callisto suddenly colors with pleasure, as she is amused. Even when her poor poor Luigi is sent spinning via banana. So the noble act of dropping from 1st to 7th is lost on Daxton because he just fucked her over with a stupid banana peel. Callisto notices this as she spies Luigi just sitting there, dead in 8th, foiled by fruit. "… I was going to supply nefarious but dastardly works! Now you just tease!" She snaps out, and the complete clue to her fluster: red ear tips.
She much prefers Super Mario World! :x
There's another reason as to why she can't command poor loser Luigi to move: his laughter. What a contrast. She looks down at her hands on the controller, simply listens to it. Damnit this can't happen again, it can't—-
Suddenly Callisto laughs out loud, driving through chance through an item box (ermahgerd lap three) and pelting the speedster's character with a red shell. "Retribution…!"
Daxton laughs more, "Oh…I like nefarious. It sounds like I should be twirling a mustache though. Maybe I'll grown one." Dax with facial hair, huh? Oh1 He's been hit! He laughs more, "Alright.. alright. Retribution is had…"
The race is over and Callisto lost soundly, with Daxton just ahead of her. That mushroom-headed asshole Toad won. She leans back and picks up the bar that she had chosen, opens it carefully. Daxton warms to the word nefarious, and Callisto watches him longer than she ought to. Maybe she's picturing a moustache. Even if she dropped into observing before the race was over, Luigi is a writeoff anyway—-shit, stop watching, Callisto. She hastily looks into her lap to lift up and sniff the Wunderbar.
"Do not grow facial hair. You needn't bother. T'is not suiting." Oh, as if she is an authority on what looks good on Dax and what doesn't.
Daxton smirks, "Don't think I'd look good as Mirror Tempo, huh?" While the game is telling them they suck, he reaches for more chips. "I don't know….nefarious feels like I should have facial hair…" His hand is wipes on his jeans before he considers a candy bar himself.
Ugh, he needs a napkin—-wait there's no napkins. Callisto isn't about to rag on that because it's not her right, and this room, this basement, seems to be Daxton's domain. Callisto doesn't quite care, now, what the game thinks of them. But they do suck; Dax sacrificed himself to the cause of suckage because he wanted to mess with Callisto. She smiles, though not at him; at the screen. Smiling is dangerous. "I… yes, I should agree." Regarding nefarious and how it implies a 'mwarrharrharr' beard-twirling bearing. She finally looks at the speedster, considering. She watches him waffle over which candy bar to pick and tentatively, takes a bite of her own. Once swallowed she continues, because she's polite. "You are fine, just as you are. Do not bother with a beard."
Wait, too much. She takes a huge bite of the Wunderbar, flustered. What is wrong with her.
Blue eyes raise from the search for candy to consider Calli. It's so hard to tell what she means, her social skills are so far left field… Deciding to just assume she means to be polite and nice Dax smiles back at her, "Thanks. I've had scruff before, but never intentionally grown anything. It just seems like it would be one more thing to have to worry about…" There's the snickers!
He is so… so…
Cripes, did his previous interest have to practically clout him over the head with something to get the point across? Wait, what is Callisto even thinking? She knows the guidelines, the boundaries set, the obstacles.. why must she, a fae whose adolescent years operate far differently in comparison to Daxton's.. even consider such? Maybe she's been lonesome for too long. 1970/71 is a long time ago by their standards.
Shit he smiles.
Smiles confound Callisto in the best ways. She eyes him as he smiles at her, enjoying that he is so relaxed. Now if only she can avoid saying anything to ruin it, even better.
"Worry about? Howso? Do girls not enjoy the virile look? The hairy, log… lum.." She seeks the word. May as well tease him back. Oh, there it is. "The lumberjack look?" That must be it!
Daxton's a teen, no accent anything about him. And he can't help it, she gets out, 'hairy log', and his mind just automatically goes to the gutter. He laughs, "Shit, Strawberry! I hope girls like that, but I'm not going to just ask! That's a good way to get slapped." Settling back into the couch, he does look relaxed, "I don't know. I don't really dig flannel all that much." And yes, Becca had to physically corner him, and even then it was something he fought.
Blink? Callisto looks confused. "What?" She starts, head tilting; it's her token expression. Daxton goes right into the gutter and she hovers there, perplexed. Her nose wrinkles. "Whyfor would girls favor a hairy…" Blink. "Log." Blink blink. She's dated but not an imbecile. She balls up the wrapper of the bar and throws it at the boy's head; if she misses she will surely be a pitiful shot. "Oh, for heavens—no! I did not mean that! I.. I.." Mario Kart is waiting, but Callisto is too flustered. "Do you imply that I meant-"
A flustered Callisto is an entertaining thing. "Asking girls if they like hairy logs? Lumberjacks, Daxton, lumberjacks!" She cries… too late. She can't explain this one.
But it warrants more laughter, more relaxation. It's good to see. It helps after what happened at the taco joint. Callisto presses her cheek into her palm, leaning into it red-faced. "Do not bother with the flannel. Keep the leather."
Hairy logs and leather. This sounds like a bad eclectic porn. Imagine that as a log name—-wait.
Daxton laughter gets even more as she throws the wrapper at him, the control drops from his hands on to his lap and he starts vibrating he's laughing so hard. The more she tries to explain, the more he laughs. It may register later she implied she likes him in leather, but for now it's just too funny. He Leans forward, trying to get himself under control.
Blink? Callisto watches Daxton; anytime he vibrates like that, she worries some. Though the laughter is heartening. Should she be pleased that she entertained him so? She is! Is she troubled at being pleased to have entertained him so? Yes! Is she overthinking things when really she shouldn't be wondering about why she is so pleased to have entertained Dax when really-
Damnit, Callisto. He's still laughing, seems to be having a tough go of settling himself. Daxton leans forward and Callisto's eyes round in concern.
She, too, leans forth to set a hand upon his elbow. "Are you alright? Did I break you?"
The vibrations are through his whole body, so when she touches him, she can feel the reverberation going up into her own arm. It's not unpleasant. Dax raises a hand to wipe his face, still giggling. "I'm not broke, that was just damn funny." His head swivels to look at her, still smirking, "Sorry…I know you're all…proper and stuff, it was just really funny."
Then she had to go and touch his arm. The cheesey 16-bit music from the vastly ignored game fills the spaces between but Callisto finds herself ignoring it. Normally to touch another is o invite pain into her own head but here, now… nothing. Not even a twinge. The amulet is warm against her chest even as she sits there, considering. His eyes aren't for students; he's been hurt; he's still hurting for one reason or another. Part of it, subconsciously, is due to inviting (unwittingly) her mother into his head. Which she will fix; Callisto swears it.
GAH.. her hand is still on his elbow. She can feel his giggles and the vibrations in his body, brought on by the strangeness that was forced upon him by way of awful experiments. Callisto, bloody hell.. take your hand away. She watches his face, clears her throat.
"Keep laughing. I do so enjoy it."
Ok, everything was funny until she got weird. The giggles stop and he tilts his head, "Why?" Cause, that's kinda strange. He's breathing a little heavy from the laughter, but his attention is now on her, "You know, laughter is better when you do it, right?" So strange! He smirks, glancing down again to fins that Snickers bar. "Now that you got the protector necklace, you should laugh more. Your mom can go suck an egg."
The fae girl forgot that she had her hand resting at his elbow. It's when the laughter stops and the boy speaks that she is brought out of her reverie. She didn't even catch on to what she just said, but when Daxton asks 'why' it brings Callisto right on back. "I… do I truly need to have an answer? I just do." She says quickly, but to her credit she very gently pulls that hand back. At least she didn't hasten to do so and end up sending the wrong message. Cripes, she weas even leaning in some. But wait, when she…
Callisto reddens and though she isn't one to smile in a 'silly' way persay, the slight crooking of her lips is a coy expression all-the-same.
Daxton looks for the Snickers bar and Callisto carefully picks it up, hands it to him. "This necklace.. is important." Said simply, "It means I can do this more. I needn't fear." A clearing of her throat. He's yet seated close, not too close but close enough. Though now it's her turn to dissolve into outright laughter, looking at the speedster. "S-suck an egg?" Clearly the term is lost on her.
Still laughing, Callisto settles back, looking down into her lap. "I am safe, and yet at the same time not." Said with a chuckle still in her tone.
Daxton nods in thanks to the candy being passed over, "Parents can be dicks. I'm glad someone here was able to help you." He'd offer to go kill her mother for her, but that would prolly be taken wrong. One big bite and half the bar is gone, but then his smiles fades, "Wait, what do you mean not. Can she et to you even with the necklace?" Maybe he does need to go kill a fairy.
She can't help it, she laughs again.. albeit softer. She has eaten perhaps a half of the bar she picked, and it's currently sitting on the arm of the couch to eventually be revisited. If she remember!
"I owe the student who helped me a great debt. He insists not, but, t'is the nature of my people… we've foibles, each of us… but there is one glowing side. We develop loyalty to those who aide us in a most…. important way." Callisto break it down in those simplest terms, one hand lifting to touch the medusa face of the amulet. Pale blue-green eyes flit to observe Daxton, she couldn't hope to guess of his brief intent to kill a faerie matriarch. Had she guessed, she will have tried to dissuade it.
"I made a great gamble in accepting this amulet, friend Daxton." Said in her strange archaic way. "I am now disowned, and the moment this necklace is out of my possession and unable to protect me, I am doomed. I shall die. So t'is in my best interest to keep it on, enjoy myself as much as possible, and grow stronger. Then, I can do something about it."
Daxton can respect that, loyalty. He has that with Unit 23. The corner of his mouth twitches at the title of friend. She's like a walking Medieval festival. "No, you won't die. You just need to train, is all. You're going to have to face her some day. You should be prepared." He turns away from the game, suddenly very serious. "You need to start training now, not in one hundred years when the clasp of your necklace wears thin."
One moment he's cramming a Snickers bar into his gob like one feeds a card into an ATM, next he's giving her some very serious, grave information. Pure truth. Of everything mentioned here, what bothers Callisto most is this talk of 100 years passing, and what could change in that time. She could either be alive, Coral Springs but a chapter in a big book or dead; mind-fried like three others before her, perhaps even more to come. Callisto's gaze softens some, even as she listens. Her attention doesn't deviate in the least.
"I intend to. I wish not to die." Said firmly. "She has had her way for far too long. There are others like me, those who wish to live happily in the mortal world, but they are too young and cannot fight. I should like to see her gone, and then we can live. So, too, can I." Said simply; it's a thought that she has examined a few times but it means a lot for someone else to bring it up. "The necklace is a temporary fix."
Callisto looks up at Daxton again, "I should like, very much, to go against everything she stands for."
"Good. That's the first step. Not wanting to die/" Are there people that do want to die? Weird. Daxton nods, "Good. Over throw her ass." Would that make Calli the dark fey queen then? She looks like she should have a crown. "You should see if you can get necklaces to your siblings, the ones that don't want to be douche bags."
Gah.. gah. Even if some of these terms are right out in left field to her (douche bag?) … Callisto can still kinda pick up what he's implying. She smiles again, earnest and gentle, "In her downfall, nobody needn't take over. T'would go to the next oldest female, which I am not." Did she pick up on what he wondered? Nope, just a fluke. Callisto considers, trying to remember which sister that would be… the oldest one who hasn't been slaughtered yet. Is it Naesala or Oridove? Oh.. it has to be the latter.
Callisto doesn't remember that sister being so much of an asshole. But she's not proactive in fixing anything, either. Anyone would be better than Malachite.
The next thought has Callisto shaking her head slowly, "I could not ask of Loukanos to do such a thing. It would be a good idea, but just another temporary fix. T'would be enough to send mother over the edge. But there… are…" A pause. Douche bag must imply something unsavory. It doesn't sound fun. ".. quite a few who are yet cruel. I appreciate your thought, for even considering. I appreciate your aide." Pause.
Oh, what the hell. Callisto takes a breath and carefully, tentatively, she leans sideward to offer the speedster a hug.
Daxton frowns, "Calli…You need people on your side. There's nothing wrong with amassing an army." So says the army brat. "Especially if she has an army of dick holes helping her." There's a blink of those blue eyes and then she's leaning in for a hug. He can tell this is all very upsetting to her, so there's no hesitation when his arms raise and hug her back, "It'll be alright. We'll get you prepared for whatever you need, okay?"
It seems in the acquisition of her talisman, and touch not being such taboo, the faerie is… well, she seeks it readily. No she's not going out and grabbing people and wanting to be held, she's just not so terrified of the prospect. The hug is accepted and she leans in, content to rest her head on Dax's shoulder as she listens to his encouragement. She smells nice, clean.
"An army.." She trails off; how can she do this? She can't just rely upon her family — those who have specks of Light in them — to come through. "I do not wish to endanger anyone. Not students. And especially you. Your teammate wished to see no further harm come to you." Said as she continues to simply lean in. It's been awhile.
Ooooh.. which teammate is this?!
Daxton smells of shower stuffs too, he worked out earlier. Thankfully he's dried, no clinging shirts today! "Yup. An army." He rolls his eyes, but will hold her, "You know that everyone is endangered. Why don't you let people make that decision for themselves?" As for endangering him, he frowns, pulling back slightly to look down at her in confusion, "Which teammate?" Because that makes no sense, "Unit 23 is shot at regularly, we're always in danger." He dodges so many bullets.
Did Callisto just unwittingly throw Pulse beneath a bus?! Callisto feels the speedster's body move as he pulls back to look at her and catching herself — d'oh d'oh did she really hug him for too long — she leans back to look up at him. "I-I know naught of an army. I—" Blink. Damnit he makes a good point. Her body can be felt drawing a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Oh shit on toast she can't backpedal now.
"T'was the one known as Pulse. She appears to be invested highly in your wellbeing." Well, that's a good way of putting it. Callisto will leave out the threatening part. "I do not wish to make an enemy of her, in involving you in my madness."
Daxton makes an annoyed noise, "Uuuuugghhh. Damn it, Wendy." His arms drop and he raises a hand to rub the top of his head. Luckily his short hair can't really be messed up that easy. "They think because I'm the youngest that they have to coddle me." That's not the reason for Pulse, but he doesn't know that. Well, he doesn't remember. "Well….Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." Ugh. Moment broken and he reaches for the other half of his candy bar.
Wendy?
So 'Pulse' is Wendy? Callisto does not wish to let on that she has literally stumbled into a fact that she was not meant to know. But now she's just curious. She leans back now as his body moves to reach for another ill-fated candy bar? Why was she still there anyway? Crap crap she forgot herself. Blushing, Callisto eases back into her portion of the couch, though her heart is throbbing a bit. "T'is not terrible. They care," She supplies in the female speedster's defense. "She does not look too much older than you. She is what, three or four years older?" The fae girl guesses, pale eyes trained upon his face. Her arms are still tingling with what had been a torso nestled in between them mere seconds ago. Damnit damnit.
Too late now. Daxton is reaching for the rest of that bar and finishing it off, and Callisto nestles her hands into her lap. "Do not be upset with her." She bids, "I really do thank you for your offer to help. For everything." Is she blushing a bit? A pause.
"So Wendy is Pulse? Have you a codename?"
Daxton's nose wrinkles, he knows. "It's still annoying. I'm not a kid." And then a thinking face, "I guess? I don't really know…" Birthdays aren't something the Unit really celebrates. Chewing and the answering, "Yeah, Tempo." He reaches and pulls out a set of dog tags that he always wears, the name TEMPO is on it, with a bunch of numbers underneath. "We don't know what the numbers mean, but we each had one." He then corrects, "The original Unit 23ers."
He doesn't know..? Callisto watches him, "Have you a birthday?" Asked gently… it's an odd question for an immortal to ask. However she is yet a young immortal, where the years have not become a dreary blur. Birthdays still apply. "Tempo—oh!" She straightens, finally turning to look at the television screen upon which a perennially patient Mario Kart awaits their further command. Daxton chews the candy and she gives him time to work at it before she looks back to him. By then the dog tags are produced and Callisto looks upon them. Tentatively a hand lifts to touch them. Not to grab or pull them away, especially if Daxton has them affixed to a chain. She simply wishes to look at them closely, and this just causes her to lean in again slightly.
"Tempo." She repeats, "Speed. Pace. It makes sense," She smiles up at him a tad, before she lets them go. Callisto does, however, startle.
"Were there many other before you? These Unit 23ers?"
Daxton blinks, "Well, yeah. I know mine. I've just never…I don't know if Wendy remembers hers though." The tags are on a chain, but he'll let her touch them. His soft smile vanishes, along with the tags back underlies shirt. "We don't know. Only the 4 of us made it out when they tried to wipe us." Not a good topic, he turns back and chooses a new location to play and hits start. Hopefully that will distract her from more questions.
She can feel the shift. Callisto looks up, knowing when she is at the fringes of that boundary again… her lashes flutter once. She momentarily mourns the departure of that smile and now she will acknowledge it with her words. "Do not lose your cheer, I shall relent." Oh, she notices when she asks too much? She watches Dax for a good minute or so as he takes up a controller to coax the game back into activity. She picks hers up too. "I am glad you are here. Next birthday you have, if I am yet here, I shall treat you to endless tacos." Callisto offers, squinting at the screen. Her hair has since begun to dry and hangs alongside her face in pale fluffy hanks, "I.."
She may as well be open, too. He was with her. To give her true name is a big deal by racial standards. "Callisto, t'is not my true name. For me to confer it to you means that I trust you implicitly. And I do." Well then.
Daxton snorts, "That's a lot of tacos…"He doesn't say when it is though. He stops button pushing to look over at her, "Isn't that like…your kryptonite?" Isn't that how Rumpelstiltskin gets it? He flashes a quick smile, "You don't have to prove anything, we're cool."
She will not push him to give her an answer. Instead, Callisto shakes her head slowly, "No, one cannot control me upon knowing my name." The girl admits, looking sideward to him. Once again, as Luigi, her gameplay is eating shit. c.c
"T'is a matter of morals. Those who know of my true name, excluding family, shall have my loyalty." Said simply as she pushes the hapless green plumber through a row of item blocks, gets a lightning bolt… trolls everyone and shrinks them! The good part of sucking at racing!
Her mouth opens to say something more, she catches herself. That may not be wise.
Oh, well…that's good. 'Being controlled sucks." It's said softly as he concentrates on the game, quickly zipping to first place. Little Yoshi gets a smile, cause it's adorbs. "Do many people have you true name?" Dax isn't looking at her though, maybe sensing something is…off. Or maybe sensing something on, or…who knows.
"Only one. He is gone now." Callisto says gently, brow furrowing. Surely 'Petal' is either enfeebled and not knowing any better or dead. Somehow in Callisto's opinion the latter is more merciful. She watches Yoshi clean up shop and her brow knits… what's this? Is Callisto getting competitive? Yoshi has a lovely lead and is hardly affected by the trolling lightning bolt. Callisto runs over Donkey Kong and Toad. Eff you, Toad.
The race is almost done. Will she catch Yoshi?!
"I shall be lying to you in saying that I do not favor you, Daxton." She clears her throat, trying to mask her fluster with fancy words. "I… I understand your boundaries. I wish not to disrespect them. But I cannot help myself in wanting to know you better." May as well be out with it. If he sees fit to flee or back off, then nothing will be painfully perpetuated!
"Favor me over Pulse? Well, yeah. I'm way more social." He's infuriatingly oblivious, sometimes. Although he shifts uncomfortably when she mentions his boundaries. " don't have boundaries." Although even to hs won ears that sounds like a nervous lie. "There's nothing to know about me. I'm not complicated."
Over… over Pulse..
Wait. Wut. She was just getting up there, she's racing in 4th place damnit. This is a big deal. But then Daxton goes and missed the mark. The mark is sailing off into the next galaxy. Far far far away… weee, there it goes. Flying like a bird. Callisto doesn't take on a comically aghast expression often but here is one of those unicorn-rare moments.
"Pulse…?" She asks outright, the race — on her part — is a writeoff. She looks at the speedster outright, the tips of her ears red. He's not complicated — not outright; at the same time he SO is — but holy crap he's not getting it!
"Blast it Daxton, I am attracted to you. I implore that you tell me to stop if it is an issue, lest I drift further in…" Callisto is lost for words. She blushes and turns to watch Luigi's swift demise as a racer.
Well yeah, they were talking about the other speedster! But then she's throwing out that bomb and Dax turns, looking like a deer in headlights. Attracted? To him? A very long pause before he frowns, head shaking, "You…you don't want that, Callisto. I'm fucked up." Not even bothering to finish the game he starts to stand up. At least he's not speeding away? "You're really pretty. You can have anybody, you don't want damaged goods." Trust him. Those nightmares? Just the tip of the iceberg.
She blinks, she can feel the deer-in-headlights look. The set of her jaw can be seen in profile as she watches the screen, though it relaxes as she turns to face him. "Who isn't… who truly isn't…. f…" Hah, she doesn't swear often. Not out of prudery but for some reason it doesn't quite work in her manner of speech. Callisto clears her throat, tilts her head. "Show me one who is not f—fucked up." Oh my goodness she went there. Luigi is dead in the water, the controller isn't even being touched. "Not to make light of that which you've been through. I can tell.. I just know there is a lot. He's standing up and she looks worried, neck craning to look up at him.
"I can help you. Or try to." Callisto offers gently… the talisman can aide in this. She needs to, especially with Malachite already being there. The nightmares will worsen; Callisto cannot bear it. She watches him imploringly. "To speak to me of being damaged and not worthwhile is moot. For my life hangs by an amulet chain." A sad little smile. "I am not one to judge. I merely know."
"There are plenty of people less fucked up than me!" His hand raises to the back of his neck, the vibrations have started. "You can't help me. No one can help me. It's my fault!" His fault? What? "No, that amulet is a tool…It's not…" His tongue darts out to wet his lips that are suddenly very, very dry, "You don't know…the things I've done….you don't want that." Hell, he doesn't remember a lot of the things he's done. But sometimes the memories aren't of just his own screams.
The vibrations. Tread carefully. Callisto remains seated, watching him, worrying that she may have gone too far. But how could she just sit on this? Callisto holds up one hand, a supplicating gesture. Trying to ease him. "I'm not saying that I can, I am… saying that I can try. That I want to." Hopefully… hopefully that helps. She can see Pulse's sharp gaze in her mind and she did take the other speedster seriously. Callisto may have gotten defensive, but she did take her words to heart. In the acquisition of her own sense of self and thought, she is taking a great many mortal things to heart. A bit too much.
Finally, Callisto stands. She does not make to grab or reach or do anything at this stage to invade Dax's space. "I do not know what you have done. All I know is that which you do, and they are good things, honorable things." Said softly, firmly. Her hands drop to her sides. "You can tell me to leave if I am discomforting you but I… wish not to."
Daxton trips over a few words, not liking this at all for some reason. "I…you shouldn't…"Bright blue eyes dark around, almost like he's searching for something to look at, to focus on. "I'm not honorable. I follow orders." Finally though he closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. He's still vibrating though, "I…I'm not over…..her." While that's not the only reason, it's the one that he hopes Calli can accept.
And there, right there, Callisto can accept. It may not be easy, but she would be a hypocrite in telling him to try again. For the longest time, until she finally found name behind the memory of a man that haunted her…
Yes, her, the girl with the broken neck. She was there first, and Callisto offers a sad little smile of understanding. Wherever this girl is, if she is yet to return… the faerie must accept it. But she will not… not let her mother feast on his dreams. Regardless of everything.
"I have discomforted you." Said in the softest way; if she is troubled she does a fine job of hiding it. She is troubled; embarrassed.. but she will not brush her actions and words under a rug.
Pale cerulean eyes find his even if they yet look away. "You are still my friend, Daxton. Whoever 'her'… whomever she happens to be, I would suspect that she is not over you either." Callisto says with a sad smile, she makes to walk past him, turns to look at him. There is a hairsbreadth of space between Callisto's face and his cheek but she does not touch him. "Show yourself mercy."
He needs to calm down. Callisto must leave.