genessia | movie night movie fright

Who: David & Emerald Sustrai
What: Ghost movie night with a literal happy camper and... well, Emerald.
When: August 27
Where: Emerald/Mercury's apartment
Warnings: Blinding beacons of friendship from David?

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[ Other than camping and the great outdoors, there's nothing David loves more than making new friends and bonding with them. As someone who always likes to see the sunny side of things and hope for the best it means the world to him to have entered such a questionable situation yet made friends all the same, so when Emerald suggested hanging out for a night, watching some scary movies, eating some popcorn...

What could go wrong?

He's nothing if not punctual - at the precise minute of the precise hour that they ~~apparently~~ agreed on he's knocking at her door with the tip of his boot. Under one arm is a big bag with an assortment of different treats, ranging from candy to chips to a bag of popcorn kernels just waiting to be microwaved. Under his other arm is a shopping bag with a few bottles of soda - cola, something lemon-lime, and root beer, because he had forgotten to ask what she liked and figured she would probably be okay with one of those three. ]

Helloooooooo, Emerald! I'm ready to be spooked!

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[ Look all this plotting and scheming is great and all but now that they're focusing on the movie he's getting fucking terrified, okay.

Like, it's bad.

It's really bad.

So the moment she grabs his hand he shrieks and clings to her like some kind of terrified koala, bawling out: ]

DON'T LET IT GET ME!

[ this is the biggest personal space invasion she's ever experienced, to the point that his reaction actually startles her. Her arms are up trying to avoid him locking her hands down.

One eyeroll later once her brain catches up to the grabbing and she lowers her hands, one of them patting his back. ]

It's a movie, it's not gonna get you.

[ He's shaking for a moment, nodding his head slowly as he registers her words. ]

I... I know that. It was just really scary and really sudden, and I...

[ ... need to let go.

He sits up straight quickly, hands in his lap as he clears his throat. ]

I'll try to compose myself better. Sorry, Emerald.

[ She looks at him for a moment, then looks away with a blush on her face. It took her a moment to make herself do it since she doesn't exactly have experience flirting. ]

I didn't mind. It was kind of nice, once the surprise wore off.

... Oh! Were, um. You scared too?

[ That would be a relief because BOY is this a scary gosh darn movie ]

Not really. It was still nice.

[ She doesn't pursue trying to hold his hand or anything. She'll let him take the lead on that, but imply that it's definitely okay. He seems like he might scare off if she's too forward. This was a long con anyway. She smiles at him softly. ]

[ He loses his focus on the movie again for a moment, turning a bit in his seat to face her. ]

Emerald, are you...

[ he looks very excited at the possibility of what he's about to ask ]

... a cuddlebug?

[ Max probably didn't want him dead. Emerald was considering it. Suggesting that at all was just about killing her inside, so it was only fair to kill him outside.

Later. For now, she looks away with an embarrassed expression. ]

I don't know, people don't usually touch me. [ At least that part wasn't a lie. ] I just said it was nice.

Oh.

[ A soft sound, something hesitant. That's a little strange, isn't it? She's been so friendly and approachable, people like that are usually prone to hugs and the like. So it kind of begs the question... ]

Why don't they?

[ That's a good question. Moreso because a normal person would get caught in a lie about it. Emerald is a little better at this than that, and the couple of seconds she's taking to answer could be viewed as hesitation, something that she didn't want to admit. Emerald was using it to decide whether she wanted to go for the sympathy route or pretend like she didn't want to talk about it yet. The hesitation should work in her favor though, and she decides to flavor it with a little more of that 'truth.' She's developing a backstory here, and the best lies are based in truth. Plus, Jaune has been blowing everything out of the water for her lately, lying to captain same-voice here was probably more of a risk than necessary. ]

Remember when I told you I stole things? That's because I grew up on the streets. People don't touch dirty street rats.

[ At least not if they don't want to get bit. The people who did want to were the kind of scum even the regular criminals wanted behind bars, anyway. ]

I've.. never even had a real boyfriend.

[ Focus the conversation on something else before he starts asking questions she doesn't feel comfortable answering for real. ]

[ That's COUNSELOR same-voice thank you very much. His eyes blink a bit wider at her explanation, shoulders sagging at the weight of her reality. ]

You... oh my gosh, I had no idea, I didn't mean to pry or anything, that's...

[ His eyes flick down and away as he tries to find the right words, and it's clear his sense of empathy is in overdrive. ]

That's awful that people judged you just based on that. I know it isn't worth much coming from me, and I can't apologize on their behalf, but... I'm so sorry you were treated like that. No one deserves to feel alone and unloved.

[ If David were a fiddle, Emerald would be that asshole who went down to Georgia and screwed the devil out of one. It's not hard to keep a story straight when it's not a lie either, and it wasn't like it was something to hide anymore. It was who she was. If there was anything she learned from Mercury, it was not to be ashamed of that. In fact, hate anyone who says otherwise.

On the other side of this, David was talking like he actually knew what anyone deserved. Emerald thought anyone who was happy while she couldn't be deserved to feel alone and unloved just to know what it felt like, or if not that, to suffer in another way so that she wasn't the only one. But that was part of her story that Emerald wouldn't be sharing with David. She didn't need him to cut his empathy trip short. ]

I don't feel alone right now. I just.. I feel like I can trust you, David. It's not something I feel a lot. Please don't tell everyone what I just told you, I don't want everyone feeling sorry for me or treating me differently.

[ She holds her hand out to him, if he wants to hold it, the saddest little smile gracing her lips. If he doesn't take it after a few seconds she'll withdraw again, though. ]

[ A lot of the vibe he's getting from her reminds him of someone else who was abandoned, uncared for, shoved aside to be ignored or rejected. Someone else he refused to give up on, someone else who he would do his very best for, someone else who he wanted to see grow happier with time.

It makes a little more sense to him, now, how Max and Emerald clicked so easily.

He looks down at her hand for a moment, and this time there's no second-guessing himself when he reaches out to hold it comfortingly, offering a gentle squeeze of encouragement. ]

I won't tell. It's not my story to share.

[ He looks back up at her, and there's a warm smile on his lips and in his eyes. ]

I won't do anything to betray your trust, and that's a promise.

Thank you, David.

[ Her voice was quiet, hushed as if she'd just spoken words she didn't want anyone but David to hear.

It felt weird. She was good at acting, but it felt weird to have someone act like they genuinely cared about her well-being and with David, it wasn't wholly a lie. It wouldn't stay if he knew who she actually was, and one day he would. She wasn't going to trust that it was real though. She'd made that mistake with Cassian- he'd pretended that he cared, but lied to her about something she considered core to their understanding of each other. And that was just an attempt at friendship. This felt.. empty. Emerald honestly felt a coldness as he held her hand, smiling at her, but she didn't let it reach her eyes and simply smiled back, scooting a little bit closer so that she could lean against his shoulder just slightly as she went back to watching the movie, as if they had reached an understanding of some kind. The motions were there at least, even if she didn't really feel much about it. ]

movie night movie fright

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how did I lose track of this thread OOPS

you got sick, it happens!! WB

sneezes all over you

GROSS DO NOT

COUGHS EVERYWHERE

SMOTHERS YOU. YOU DONT HAVE TO COUGH ANYMORE...

ah, death. the final sickness.

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