[Open + Some Closed] Promises And Debts

[seethesun]

Who: Eleanor Lamb and YOU
What: Catch-All
When: Early through mid May or so
Where: Places
Warnings: Emotions from the aftermath of the labyrinth, Rapture bullshit, salty hot dog water

Dear Abbey [Stan the Man's, Bobby B's, Sand Dollars | Open]

Eleanor starts lurking at the places people go for the good drinks (the soda machine in Windjammer, it's...it's sad); for once, not to shake adults down for alcohol or tobacco, though she's not going to turn it down if she gets the chance. She's laying in wait for people to ask advice on the romantic situations she's found herself in, and while Mister Smith and Mister Summer are both high on her list she's quite willing to talk to just about anyone on the matter - or maybe even something else (god help Jack if he shows up, she's not going to show mercy this time). If she's in a bar and no one's given her alcohol you can catch Eleanor nursing coffee dragged in from Sand Dollars; in all cases, she's perched on her seat, balanced carefully while she's folding gift wrap from Tommy Bahama into flowers. The first few days she's doing this, they are very bad flowers.

They get better very quickly, though if Eleanor even thinks Dedue is coming they will, in fact, be lit on fire and burn to ashes in an instant so as to preserve the surprise for later.

Insert Limp Bizkit Reference Here [All Over]

It's a bit before Eleanor goes diving alongside the ship again; for nearly a week she's in the pool when she feels the need to be underwater, and you may well find her here, making whale noises that carry eerily from the water and into the air. She'll talk when she surfaces.

When Eleanor does go diving in the sea again, however, she comes back up about twenty minutes later with the porthole on her helmet emitting an angry red glow, with a box tucked under her arm. After a brief trip to Bric-a-Brac to get enough tape to thoroughly entomb the box she goes stalking through the halls, asking everyone she comes across if they know who owns a box that spits out unlimited hot dogs.

She smells of seawater and, well, the sea water smells of hot dogs.

She's so pissed.

So You See, Eggs [Playback]

You ever just be feeling so cool and normal, filled indeed with being Fine and Chill Actually, that you get seized with the urge to do something you know will piss someone else off?

So Eleanor's learning pinball.

It started as just a neat fact, noticing the PVH at the top of all the high scores, and Eleanor filed that away and went to play Street Fighter. This did not last. Now her daily trips to Playback, heretofore devoted to studying the art of videogames, are now spent at various pinball machines while Eleanor learns their logic. Her scores do not start good, but she's getting better at frightening speeds, not least because she's very willing to spend hours learning exactly how much the machine will tolerate being tilted and jostled. If you asked Eleanor what she has against the name at the top of every board she couldn't tell you; hell, she's not even really self-aware that she's conjured a grudge up out of nothing. But she's here, playing away, and ELD is crawling up the scoreboards like a zombie from its grave.

Though Eleanor usually plays in the evenings before bed, you might catch her at some unholy hour of the morning, skipping sleep for "just one more round". Going back to her room all alone seems like...

Ah hell, she can score better than that. One more round.

Normal Knees [Closed to Ruby | Ruby's Cabin]

Miss Rose,

Though I have not yet had the aforementioned discussion with Sirs Alexander and Molinaro I see no obstacle to keeping our appointment for sleepover lessons. If I may be wholly honest the silence of my own cabin has become oppressive, and I find myself too troubled to sleep properly, and so while I am greatly looking forward to spending time with you I must confess to the ulterior motive of hoping that you may prove as talented at lulling me into comfort as you have in the past. As discussed before I shall be bringing extra bedding materials, but if there is aught else to bring now is the time to inform me. I am quite willing to retrieve snacks or other supplies, though it seems the age limit on alcohol is still enforced so there may be obstacles if a stiff drink is your desire as it is mine.

My fondest affections,
Eleanor Lamb, Big Sister

Courting Knights [Closed to Dedue]

Dimitri seems to be in no condition for Eleanor's current level of restless energy, which means that for better or for worse, Dedue is about to win this prize.

One evening when he's coming back into his cabin he finds that there has been a slight alteration; a bouquet of paper flowers, carefully hand-wrapped and folded out of gift wrap and gift bags (thank you Tommy Bahama), sit inside an empty vodka bottle that has had its label scrubbed thoroughly away. Etched into the side of the bottle is a fish drawn in simple lines.

Wildcard

I'm on the Discord if you've got another idea!

Comments

normal knees

[littlefairytale]

snacks and stuff is a good idea! if you want alcohol for yourself feel free to try and get some, but I'll probably go without. I don't think it'll help my head, heh

After a bit of a pause:

oh and uh, fair warning my cabin is kind of a lot? clarke has a bunch of stuff stocked up and pasted on the walls and yeah

Mouse SPOTTED AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASDFAGASKGFASDGFASAS AAA MOUSE

[seethesun]

Miss Rose,

Your hospitality will be more than enough, and if my assistance in tidying up is wanted or, indeed, required it would be my honor to help. If you do not drink I shant bother attempting to secure alcohol; it would not do to be the only one partaking. Expect me this evening if such a timescale is not too swift; otherwise I warmly anticipate your reply with a more appropriate time that might be worked out with your roommate with regard to her attendance or lack thereof.

Regards,
Eleanor Lamb, Big Sister

[littlefairytale]

She really didn't anticipate having to ask Clarke to leave the room after all this, including the loss of a friend, but such is the bed she's made for herself. Sorry Clarke.

no this evening is fine, she has somewhere to crash I think. we probably shouldn't touch too much stuff though since it's mostly hers, but there's still like, space

[seethesun]

Miss Rose,

Delightful. I shall see you at, shall we say, nine o'clock, armed with snacks and an eagerness to learn. My best wishes for your day until then and for your health, but there are preparations that I need to make in advance.

Warmly waiting,
Eleanor Lamb, Big Sister

[littlefairytale]

nine is perfect. see you then

She sends that and then immediately holds her phone against her face with a dramatic groan where she's currently flopped on her back. She hasn't talked with these sirs, so this isn't a date. It's just a sleepover. Like she's had... uh, a few times before, many would certainly be overselling it.

It's just a sleepover. With a friend. Who she's kissed.

Gods help her.

[seethesun]

That's right Ruby, it isn't a date. Which is why, at nine o' clock sharp, Eleanor gently knocks on Ruby's door and waits. While the plates and drinks and various Bedding Supplies in telekinetic orbit around her do obstruct the view, Eleanor has come dressed for bed, and in the spirit of this definitely not being a date has carefully applied small amounts of makeup, framing her face in subtle sea colors. Her nervous blush is definitely because she's worried about getting a bad grade in Friend and for no other reason, her anxiousness about being in her pajamas is just modesty, certainly, and the carefully-made paper rose in her hand...

Well, that's just a guest gift, surely.

[littlefairytale]

...help.

Ruby's cheeks flush with colour and flashes a big, nervous grin, beckoning Eleanor inside. She's in her Grimm-heart PJs. The room is... not exactly what you'd call unclean, maybe not even messy, but it's chaotic. There are papers all over the walls, supplies from sundries (plus pool noodles?) stacked along the porthole wall, an alarming amount of vials from the infirmary on the desk, bullets (those, at least, can be blamed as much on Ruby as Clarke), and more.

It was once described as what a general store opened by a conspiracy theorist might look like. And their plans to redecorate have, well, rather fallen through.

"I know I said sorry about the mess in advance, but, uh, sorry about the mess. Clarke's... Clarke."

[seethesun]

"I've not had the pleasure of meeting her," comes the confession. "but clutter is often held to be a sign of a creative mind."

With the surfaces...occupied...Eleanor floats the items in her orbit neatly onto the floor so that they're out of the way for now. Drinks tonight are smoothies from Sand Dollars; the snacks she cooked with Mister Maximum's gently blackmailed assistance (several of them even have dipping sauces) Once she's no longer got an Aura of Stuff, Eleanor offers the paper rose to Ruby with a shy expression. "Thank you for hosting me, Ruby. I've been...it has been something to look forward to."

[littlefairytale]

Ruby would probably have said intense first, to describe Clarke, but she supposes creative isn't wrong either.

"...yeah, for me too," Ruby says as she takes the paper rose, smiling faintly. Somewhere in her chest a faint feeling of guilt twists, but that's going right back into the pile of things to unpack some other time. "...this is pretty, thank you. Um. We can pull the coffee table back out and put it between the beds, so stuff doesn't have to live on the floor?"

[seethesun]

"That would also make a good support for our sleeping fort," Eleanor agrees. "Shall we?"

She has no idea where the coffee table is Ruby you gotta start this party. Just wait until you realize she's never seen a movie before. God help you if you decide to play games on the scrolls either there's gonna be so much FUCKING GLEE -

[littlefairytale]

Ruby nods quickly. She carefully sets the rose down on her bedside table and then drags the coffee table out from where it got tucked under the desk after Clarke started actually using the fold-out, pulling it around to the gap between that and the proper bed.

There's not a huge amount of room in these cabins, especially this one, but there's enough to work with.

Her bed itself is frankly piled with stuff, between the plushies and cushions. Ruby scrambles onto her bed to retrieve said grimm and corgi cushions, plus actual pillows.

[seethesun]

Plenty of time for Eleanor to get the snacks and drinks onto the coffee table. Once Ruby has the cushions and pillows with the other fort materials (they can build it later, when it's time to actually sleep, otherwise they'll get the food on the blankets and such) she just

Scoops

The entire Ruby up into an excited hug from behind, with a giddy little laugh. "You must really like those creatures on your pajamas, you've got them on everything."

[littlefairytale]

Ruby giggles, wrapping her arms around Eleanor's. "Oh, they're uh— Grimm, actually. The monsters that are everywhere at home? Usually training to be a Huntress is mostly about dealing with Grimm, heh, my life just... took a turn. But, yeah, I have plushies of them and I had figures of them back home and they pop up on clothes, which— huh. That does sound kinda weird when I say it out loud."

[seethesun]

"Mildly," Eleanor murmurs into Ruby's ear, suddenly hyper-aware of how close they are. But she has no intention of letting go, not when Ruby's warmth and presence is so comforting. "If you get the opportunity, and presuming I've not made some fatal error, you have Mister Maximum to thank for teaching me how to make the snacks."

Yeah that's right Ruby they were cooked just for you. Eleanor was super worried about it and fussed and fussed and fussed over them until they were just right.

'cause it's not a date.

[littlefairytale]

Help.

Ruby rests her head back against Eleanor behind her and breathes, tilting her head back a bit to nose her jaw and smile a little. "...I'll keep that in mind, heh. Thanks. I-I'm sure they'll be great."

[seethesun]

"Have you been informed that you reach levels of being cuddly previously unknown to science?" Eleanor murmurs.

Her heart pounds against Ruby's back. She should let go. They have sleepover things to do.

She's not letting go.

[littlefairytale]

"Mmm, I don't think anyone's ever tried to scientifically rate my levels of cuddliness before," Ruby says, also making no move to escape her grip. She feels her heart pounding. She doesn't know what to do about it. Gods, she doesn't know what to do about anything. "I'm not sure there's an objective scale."

[seethesun]

"You will set the scale," Eleanor says before she gives Ruby's cheek a quick kiss and finally, gently, sets her friend down. "But! There will be time to take the exact measure when it is time for bed, I think. I'm eager to see your plans for the evening."

[littlefairytale]

Don't mind the flash of colour in her face at the kiss. She's also not thinking about how a cuddliness scale and bed are related. It's fine. She's fine. You're fine.

"Um, well—" she scrambles to pull open one of her designated drawers, which is mostly stuffed with her clothes but does have a few folded down Scrolls inside. She pulls one out and shuts the drawer again, coming back over and plopping onto the edge of her bed. "Here. This is, like... a phone, a mini computer, and a game controller in one. I have my own." She pulls hers out demonstratively and flicks the screen on. "But I got a few spares, like that one, and they do connect to each other. So we can actually play my games."

[seethesun]

Games has Eleanor's attention. Games has her wide-eyed wonder. Games has her looking at Ruby like Ruby just offered her the golden apples of eternal youth.

[littlefairytale]

Ruby grins, showing Eleanor how to get the screen on the spare scroll to come out and how to set it up. "I have a few different games. There's a kinda old school fighting game, a fancier fighting game based on Huntsmen and Huntresses who were famous in the tournament circuit, one where you defend places from Grimm..."

Plus some other stuff, but it's probably predictable she plays mostly those kinds of games.

[seethesun]

"I do like the fighting games in the arcade," Eleanor murmurs, still full of wonder. "But I am intrigued by this defense game you mention. Is it cooperative? Is one player the Grimm?"

Yeah she's just gonna keep asking questions that will make you have to define this canon more sorry.

[littlefairytale]

"Cooperative, the Grimm's programming is admittedly... kind of basic? It gets tougher the longer you play one settlement but it was kinda funny playing again after being in the field for real. Most Grimm are pretty easy to handle once you're trained, but the older they are the smarter they are and the game doesn't super realise that the huuuuge old Grimm it sends in later on should actually be more than simple beat 'em up boss battles. You should have to think way harder about how to handle them. Which is weird, because they did program a proper multi-stage fight with the Geists, but... I don't know, an ancient enough Grimm can take out a whole settlement on its own. And even the younger ones try new things sometimes, I've had Beringels throw other Grimm at me before. So it's not super accurate, or anything, but it's still fun."

Congratulations Eleanor you have unlocked: Huntress infodumping.

[seethesun]

"...Your world's wildlife is fascinating, Ruby. Let's build our fort and then try that one! You can tell me more about your work while we play?"

Eleanor wants to get to know everything about Ruby. It seems terribly important to her right now, especially with the memory of their kiss in the crew quarters playing on repeat in her head for some reason.

[littlefairytale]

"Sure! I have a lot of Grimm stories." Most of which are tied up in much less complicated emotions than the rest of her work the last year and spare change at home. "I can talk about the different types as they appear in game."

But first... fort construction.