@midnightespresso | text

[nerine]

Different worlds? Okay. Still, I gotta see what I'm working with here since the last time I was in a place with people from whatever universe was at 1 AM at the coffee shop and everyone had the grand idea to suddenly order Neapolitan frappuccinos. So here's how I'm going to narrow down and categorize all of you for my sake.

First off, how do you pronounce GIF? With a 'g' or a 'j'

Answer carefully 😉😉😉

(and if you don't get it, don't worry about it, you just get sorted into the other category)

Comments

[nerine]

Can't you find another guinea pig to experiment on? Or am I just the nicest one you know so far?

[fossick]

[He actually scoff-laughs.]

Nice? Now there's a word for it.

[nerine]

Hm? You sound doubtful. I'm curious though, what do you make of me so far?

[fossick]

[Blunt and immediate:] You act nice enough, but there are barbs behind every word. [The teasing, he means the teasing.] Ones like you are as stubborn as they come.

[nerine]

Well.

You aren't wrong.

[. . .]

You make it sound like a bad thing.

[fossick]

[He just tells it like he sees it.]

Depends on which part you mean.

[nerine]

Are you not used to being teased? Even in a friendly way?

Because I'm warning you right now, I show no mercy.

[Except for certain types of people because she can be incredibly picky and partial.]

[fossick]

I've been teased plenty. You're hardly being novel.

[Gentle teasing from bright, friendly, grateful faces in Turner's Vale; thanking him for his efforts, for what he provides for the village. Telling him he should smile more, tittering at him for his dour, sometimes charmless manner. It settles strangely in him, like a piece that doesn't quite fit as it should.]

Show as little mercy as you want, I've been less affected by far more. [If he can deal with the Polymath, he can deal with Monts.] Just don't expect me to soften my words on your account in turn.

[nerine]

Alright.

I think I see what we're working with here.

[A (dramatic?) pause.]

You don't have any friends, do you?

[fossick]

[wow]

What?

[HOW IS THIS RELEVANT]

[nerine]

Mm-hm.

[she said no mercy, SHE MEANS NO MERCY]

You're what they call, "anti-social." It's a sobering but ultimately curable condition.

[Her tone of voice over audio is grave and one can imagine her saying this with an expression of equal measure.]

[fossick]

If I were "anti-social", I would have done the sensible thing and not bothered to respond to your missive at all.

[But he was a fool.]

[Sarcasm:] I would like to remain diseased. Find another "guinea pig." [A strange turn of phrase for "experiment", true, but he wants to throw her words back at her.]

[nerine]

Oh. Good point! You're doing great so far.

[Really, it's become a conversation of two nearly opposite personalities bouncing off of each other but not in a real positive way. Though it's not entirely negative either.]

I guess to level with you here, I get the sense that you don't dislike me but you probably don't know what to do with it either. And so far I'm not too offended by your attitude so it works out.

[fossick]

[Perfectly Neutral]

Should I dislike you? You've not done anything to my detriment, though if that changes, so will my opinion. Fair warning there.

[Though Weir might actually be, yes, very anti-social, he's equally pragmatic. He isn't going to immediately shun a connection just because Monts is mildly needling and teasing; she has some use for now.]

[nerine]

I prefer to be liked! Do you want to be liked or do you want to be taken seriously? Or both. You know that both are possible right?

[Weir is an odd duck to Monts. No one is going to understand anyone's whole deal after a second meeting, maybe even after a third. Or more than that.

But she doesn't find herself minding too much.]

Likewise though. Sounds fair enough to me. But you'll find that if I actually like a person, I'm much more angelic.

[fossick]

[And Weir is not going to go out of his way to be liked. He doesn't care quite that much after so freshly kidnapped from his world. He only wants answers; and to survive whatever is undoubtedly coming their way.]

I cannot control what people truly think of me, nor do I want to spend the effort wringing my hands over it. Not now. It's not as though I'm going about threatening everyone, besides.

[He's kept to himself, mostly.]

Good on those who earn your more "angelic" side. [he doesn't care!!]

[nerine]

Alright, I get it, Mr. Tough Guy.

[Monts says this as if she's acquiescing to his general attitude and behavior.]

And I'm just telling you ahead of time that I won't be taste-testing medicine for you. However, you can taste-test my coffee drinks when the time comes.

[fossick]

["When the time comes" sounds like a threat.]

Is that where you're going to focus your attention? On coffee?

[nerine]

Some caffeine at the start of a new day should help a little with the exploration of the city. Bit of a motivator is all.

Also, I don't want my skills to get rusty.

[fossick]

Fine. I won't turn it down as long as you don't give me anything too experimental.

[Says the guy who keeps trying to get her to try weird stuff in jars.]

[nerine]

[That makes her laugh a little.]

We'll see. There are drinks that are normal to me but it might be out there for you. As long as you're willing to give it shot, you'll be fine.

[fossick]

Just don’t sling poison my way. You’ll hear my honest opinion, regardless.

[Wry. He does not expect her to actually poison him—though who knows at this rate, really—but he sounds equally unworried and also a bit sardonic.]

Are you setting up shop somewhere, then?

[nerine]

I guess I could. It feels weird not to have a work routine otherwise.

[She hums thoughtfully.

I'll have to adjust the hours too. I'm more accustomed to working late at night.

[fossick]

Supposing you could commandeer the chophouse we found.

[Though it seems hilariously large for just one person who seeks to serve only variations of coffee.]

There was plenty to work with.

[nerine]

Chophouse? Oh, the steakhouse.

[Funny; she likes it when there are different names for things she's familiar with.]

That's a little too big to work in. I don't need all that space so I think I'll just stick with the coziest coffee shop I can find.