Sweeter than the First Time [Open to All]

[applesaucemod]

Hello, dreamers of Manhattan. The Rift knows that things have been kind of rough, lately. The last dream didn't go as well as it had hoped. Consider this an apology of sorts, and a hearkening back to the good times you've shared.

It's a grand old (and potentially familiar) cabin house that the dreamers will find themselves wandering. The furniture is plentiful and comfortable, the floors are strewn with cushions and blankets, and there are cheerful fires burning in the grates. It seems a little odd that the house still manages to be on the chilly side despite looking so warm, yet it is.

Oh, well. You'll just have to find another dreamer or two and spoon up and fall asleep like little baby cats get cozy. It shouldn't be difficult; most of the dreamers (excepting those with strong telepathic defenses or deeply ingrained cuddle-averse personalities) will find themselves feeling friendlier than usual, along with an almost overwhelming desire to snuggle up to someone. How convenient that the house seems designed for that very purpose!

And if some of the cushions are Hello Kitty themed, well, that's just coincidence.


[OOC: Standard dream party rules apply. Characters will be affected by the dream-whammy to whatever degree makes the most sense for them, and will remember or forget the events of the dream at the player's discretion. Backtag into infinity.]

Comments

[fucking_ebay]

Someone's happy to see him? Despite himself (and unaware of it) Peter lights up in return. The crucial moment he has in which to think better of cuddling with someone he's entirely irrationally decided not to trust flashes by, and then he finds himself climbing into the cavity she's made in the blankets for him and tucking them in behind himself to make it back into a cocoon for the both of them. "No body fat," he explains, because that's a flattering thing to say about himself, isn't it? And it's the sole explanation for climbing in and making himself cozy against her, obviously. "Can't hold in any bloody heat."

[apidae]

"Aww," she says good-naturedly, giving him a little pat. "Well, we can fix that quick enough." She straightens out the blankets, neatening their cocoon a little, but only a little - she feels more relaxed here, the need to straighten and perfect a little less pressing than usual.

"How have you been, sweetie?" she asks, resting her head on his shoulder and curling up beside him. "I'm sorry I haven't come to visit."

[fucking_ebay]

Here he is, a big gawky thing who practically dwarfs her, and he's the sweetie in this situation. With her resting on his shoulder like that, though, at least he can pretend he's the one extending some kind of protective gesture here as he puts an arm around her shoulders and gets his feet tucked inside the blankets.

"I've got a show," he says. If he sounds a little surprised about it, that's because he still is when he pauses to think about the positive turn his professional life has taken -- or that he has a professional life again. "Or I will have a show next month...I told you that, didn't I?"

[apidae]

Don't take it to heart, Peter, she's from the south - everyone is 'sweetie'.

"You did!" she says, not bothering to temper her excitement. "That's coming together, then? I'm so glad." She nestles in a little closer, feeling a swell of affectionate pride for him, pulling himself out of the mire he was in during their unfortunate first meeting. "Is there anything I can do to help with that? I'd love to help out." She grins encouragingly. "I don't know hardly anything about magic, but, um - I'm very organized! And I work hard." Surely there must be something.

[fucking_ebay]

Americans are weird.

"Ever been onstage?" chuckles Peter. She doesn't strike him as the magician's assistant kind, maybe because he can't quite imagine her in a corset and vampire fangs. Fuck, not vampire fangs. He's not doing that anymore. That's not what this show is going to be about. "Gabriel's helping -- you know Gabriel? He's a prick but I like him -- but I don't think he gets all that managing people stuff."

And Peter's so much better at it. So much better at it that he's already had to hire a new lead tech after the first quit.

[apidae]

She shakes her head solemnly, then listens as he explains about his friend. "Um, I don't think I've met him," she says bemusedly. "But I'd like to!" She'd love to know another of Peter's friends, even if he is a 'prick'.

"I don't know about managing, but I am good with people!" she says brightly. "I could help with that, maybe. Like a... an administrative assistant?"

[fucking_ebay]

Someone who wants to be on the administrative side of things? The world really is full of strange, strange creatures. Peter brightens at the suggestion, thinking of all the paperwork he wouldn't have to do while he's trying to write a show and rehearse the tricks that will be its centerpieces, and all the complaints and day to day needs someone else would be dealing with.

"...Tell you what, you come by my flat sometime and I'll show you what I'm dealing with," he says, surprised that he's suddenly ready to hire her right on. "Timelines, audition notices, all that...stuff."

[apidae]

"Okay!" She sits up a little straighter, excited, overjoyed even, at the quick acceptance. "I'll be there soon. Really this time. I'm sorry I didn't come the other times I said I would, I was just... nervous, I guess." She grins broadly. "It'll be great. I can't wait to help out." She's GOOD at administration! Organization, smiling at people - her most natural gifts.

[fucking_ebay]

Now if only he'll be in such a cooperative mood when they're out in the waking world. Peter chuckles. "I don't know why the hell you'd want to involve yourself, but I'll take it."

He doesn't mean the show, so much. He remembers enough from their last encounter to understand why she acted like she knew more than she should the first time they met, and in a way she makes him feel like a hamster with a broken leg or something. If she's got an idea what his life has been like, though, she ought to have some idea how fucked up he is by now.

[apidae]

"Because I like you," she says, dimly aware of how silly that might sound - she has very little to go on, after all. The first meeting was brief, and he was rude and shut the door in her face; the second was highly unpleasant, and only led to some tenuous cohabitation. But to her it's not like she did research and decided she liked him - it's that she saw him, the way she sees people, and wanted to know him better. She's not scared of people who are so hurt. She's scared of treating them in a way they don't want to be treated - she's already done that with him - but that, she wants to confront. She wants to do better next time. Treat him just like a person.

"I want to help you with this thing that's important to you," she says. "I never would have been able to do anything if people hadn't helped me, when they didn't have to. So."

Hopefully that's enough for him.

[fucking_ebay]

It's not really fair that she could just show up and know he wasn't a complete dick. People don't do that -- don't just show up in his life and decide they want to spend time with him. Not for the sake of his personality, at least. Or they do, lately, though of course it blew up when it came to Lucy and Gabe started out by terrorizing him before deciding he wanted to be friends.

"I barely even know who you are," he points out as much to himself as to Bee. That thought seems to occur to him a bit belatedly considering he just more or less agreed to hire her.

[apidae]

"I know," she says gently. "But... that's okay. We can get to know each other." She rests her head on his shoulder, gazing thoughtfully at the floor. "I like getting to know people. I know you don't... spend a lot of time with anyone, but - I just hope we can be friends." She tilts her head to look up at him. She knows this won't be easy - the dream's setting is doing half the work for her now - but she isn't daunted. "I think you might be surprised how easy it is to be friends."

With her, or in general - it's open to interpretation.

[fucking_ebay]

Peter rests his head against hers in turn, still too caught up in the need to be close to be self conscious about it. "I think you might be surprised how good I am at fucking this up."

He sits like that for a moment or two, trying to decide how he really feels about the idea of having what would amount to a second friend. "Just friends?" he asks, figuring he might as well be direct about it. He thought about it the first time he'd met her. Hell, he'd still be interested. It just doesn't seem to be what she's offering.

[apidae]

She smiles easily. She wouldn't be surprised, given what she knows about him, but her tolerance is greater than most of the people he knows.

At the question she lifts her head, a little startled. "Oh," she says. "Um. Yes." Oh dear, did he think this was going somewhere different? People have misinterpreted her natural affection before. "I, um. I'm asexual. Actually."

Peter might not know the word. A lot of people don't. She rarely trots it out for that reason, and how tiring it can be to explain. But she wants to be direct, too - and can't think of a clearer way to lay the possibility to rest.

[fucking_ebay]

Her tone makes it pretty clear she's not up for it, but the word is unfamiliar and Peter's not one to let it go without wanting a further explanation...or without taking to opportunity to push her a little further off balance. He could ask nicely what she means, but he doesn't. Instead, he laughs.

"What?" he asks. "So, what, you only have sex with yourself? Because I'm a little asexual some weekends."

[apidae]

"No," she says, aghast, and swats him on the arm. "Adding a- to a word means it's not that. Like 'atypical' or 'amoral'. I don't like sex. I don't want to. That's my orientation, just like being straight or gay or anything else." She says all this calmly, like a lecturer. She has no interest in defending her position and she makes sure Peter hears that this is not something he'll be arguing about. She gives him an imperious eyebrow lift. "A lot of people are asexual. You are not. Not even on weekends." That much is very obvious.

[fucking_ebay]

She's serious. Peter's mind balks at the concept of doesn't want sex. "But everyone wants sex," he says, suddenly floundering mentally when he meant to be the one making her uncomfortable. "I've made a career out of putting people's repressed sexual shit on stage; I should know -- people want sex. It's normal."

lololol why this

[apidae]

Bee frowns sternly at him. "It's not polite to tell people they're not normal," she says. She's extremely abnormal in one way, and that's bad enough without being called out for her sexuality or her condition. "And you don't know everyone. And even the people you do know, they know themselves better than you do." She fiddles with the blanket, a minor display of discomfort. "You can read up on this when you're awake if you like, but for now I'd appreciate it if you just took my word for it. That would be the polite thing to do." She gives him a little sidelong glance. It's a test, and she doesn't care to be particularly subtle about it.

because I am terrible

[fucking_ebay]

"I'm not normal and I'm fine," Peter retorts, though she can likely judge for herself just how true either and both of those statements are.

As insensitive as Peter is, he's capable of picking up on hints...at least, he is when they're less 'hints' and more 'forthright instructions.' He makes a wordless sound of complaint, not the least bit satisfied but aware he could be on the verge of losing his cuddle partner and/or his spot on the couch. He'd rather not face the cold house alone again just yet no matter how many objections questions he still has. "I'm not polite," he reminds her, despite the fact that he then does exactly the polite thing she asked of him by not following it up with another question.

[apidae]

"I know," she says, relaxing a little since he seems to be at least mostly behaving. "But maybe we can work on that." She re-settles herself, feeling a little bit awkward with that strange hiccup in the conversation, but lulled enough by the dream's cozy atmosphere that it's not so bad as it normally would be. She resists resting her head on his shoulder, feeling that would send the wrong message at this time (she so dislikes having to check herself like that), but otherwise she stays put. There's hope for Peter yet, she knows there is.

[fucking_ebay]

Did he just prove how good he is at fucking things up? He feels like maybe he did. He still wants to prod at it like a sore tooth, but instead he just snorts and gives her shoulder a squeeze. "And here Gabe says I need to be more</> of a shit to the audience."

[apidae]

Bee huffs primly at that. She doesn't know who Gabe is but maybe he needs a lesson in manners as well.

"Maybe," she says gamely. "But I'm not audience, am I."

[fucking_ebay]

"Not right now," admits Peter. She'd be easier to deal with if she were, he thinks. He's never known quite what to do with one on one interactions, particularly not when they don't follow a clear trajectory to the bedroom.

[apidae]

"So." She nods and leans against him a little more easily. "I'm not a spectator or a lover, or... whatever you'd call that." 'Fuckbuddy', she imagines, but she's not going to say that aloud. "I'm a friend."

Simple. See?

[fucking_ebay]

Peter lets out a self-deprecating chuckle and pats her shoulder awkwardly. "Alright, so this is all we're doing," he says. "As long as you promise you'll still respect me in the morning."