Worm Buys R'lyeh a Milkshake and Fries

[Colonel Worm]

Worm looks between the waitress and R'lyeh as the elemental rattles off her order. The look on Rita's face is priceless. The Colonel decides he's made a good decision bringing the Toxic Fox here.

"What she said. Might as well bring me the western omelette, hash browns, bacon, and toast. Rye." The woman scribbles away at her pad. Glances up once, looking at both of them. Incredulous. Then turns and moves toward the to report their order. "You're the best!" Worm calls after her.

Worm turns his attention back to his fellow Lost. "I like your style, kid. And your palette. Good choices all around." A sneaky drag off his vape.

"You said before you were Weird-Good. What's that mean exactly? How's this town treating you? Give me the scoop on You's-ville." He asks it with genuine warmth, openness. He really does seem concerned about how she's getting on.

[Rlyeh]

"She is the best!" R'lyeh is quick to agree, head bobbing, and oil hair drip-drip-dropping, she's a tad too loud excitement-joy-she's-really-here making her project, but she's only marginally embarrassed by it.

"Thank you." another nod, drip-drip-drop, "Your food picks are also tasty sounding."

"I have been here for months-and-months-and I'm still here. Months-and-months!" her hands are up, fingers wiggling for emphasis. "So that's weird. But good. Weird-good." a nod. Drip-drip-drop. "People who wouldn't-shouldn't talk to me-Sera-Circe-Rhodes-John-and-I don't...." she shrugs, confusion writ large over her features. "Which is weird. Weird-weird. But good...? Maybe..?" she shrugs, frowning. "But I'm taking a -chance-risk. Settling in. More." Money-clothes-hope. "Which is weird-weird-weird. But. Good. So. Weird-good." another drip-drip-dropping nod.

"Are you....are you also. Okay?" you were supposed to ask right? It wasn't weird-weird that she was, right?

[Colonel Worm]

"Strange, right? When you're so used to moving on." Worm understands, though the reasons for their previous departures are likely very different. "I feel the same way. Or felt, I guess. I'm getting used to it. The idea that I've found my spot."

He quiets down when Gladys-Rita appears with their drinks. Offers her a devil-may-care grin, "Thank you, my dear." Busies himself for a moment with adding cream and sugar to his coffee. Lots of cream and sugar. Too much. He stirs it in, metal spoon clinking and clanking against the mug. Gladys-Rita departs looking just as annoyed as ever.

Takes that first sip. "Ahhhhh, good. Fucking great." Setting down the cup with a look of extreme pleasure.

"Anyway, like I was saying, it takes some getting used to. But it's good. This place is good. Even if other places...weren't. You know what I'm saying?" He sips at his Coke now, white-within-white eyes on her while he does so. As always, when he's not fucking around, the Colonel is being completely sincere.

"I'm gonna ask you something. Ask it straight. Because I'm interested in you. That night, a few months back, at Ro's place. You got pissed. With me. With us. Why?" It's clear this is not an interrogation. There's nothing aggressive in his tone. He means what he said: he's interested.

[Rlyeh]

"Thank-you-thank-you!" she nods all drip-drip-dropping as Gladys-Rita comes back. She sips on the lemonade and shivers. Mmmmm been a while. A strange mix of too-long-too-short rushes up her spine. She remembers tall glasses and pool sides and Wendy's trashcans and plastic cups with remnants and backwash at the bottom.

"Yeah...." head still, ears twitching. "I do. Yeah." Nodding some more. Like a reflex, "It's like. Coiled-spring-tense-anxiety-boil-over. No. It's that and. Weird-good plus expectations plus memory-back. It...was. A lot." she takes a long draw of her lemonade, nibbling on the straw. "In the bad-clubhouses between. New York and here. It's. No one said that they'd make sure I wouldn't go Back." she admits, looking at the Summer. "It's. Weird-good. Kindness-interest. Meaning it." hands on the table. Looking at her oil-black fingers, "Before. I was. Fake-mean-bad. I'd do mean things to people I thought were...gross. Then. I am. Now. Gross-bad-wrong. And. People are not, and they're fake-mean-bad to me. I understand that. But. Now. Weird-good. You. Ro-and-Circe-and I'm - so. I." she shrugs, looking up, not knowing how to finish. So she swallows and hopes that what she said was understandable enough for the Summer.

[Colonel Worm]

"I know that feeling," Worm says about the spring image. Sipping at his Sprite now.

Not really a spring when he pictures it, though. More like one of those sticks of dynamite in old cartoons. Even if the fuse is long, it's always burning.

He leans forward in his seat, lowering his voice. "And I know what it's like to think you don't deserve people's kindness. Or a second chance. Before... Well, before all of it, I did bad things too. Really bad things. And now, look at me. Look what's happened." For one, shining moment, all of the bluster, the frenetic energy, the charm is gone. The being across from R'lyeh is utterly sincere in his evaluation of himself. A goblin. A monster. A Wizened filled with spite and disgusted with...whatever he is.

But, then something comes back. Some inner spark. An ember of belief. Of rage. And with it, an insatiable lust for life. "What I saw in you that night, that spring in action... There's a fire in you, kid. Maybe it got started by the friction between before and after. Maybe it's a torch you hold up against the idea of ever going back. Maybe you don't even know it's there."

Totally serious now, intense, though he's still keeping his voice low: "I guess what I'm asking is: would you want to learn how to use that fire? To do the good thing now. The right thing. To fight for it. Now that before is over."

Worm's Little Speech, 1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-03-07 19:43:44	Colonel Worm rolls 5 to Pres + Express	4, 4, 9, 6, 5	1 success

[Rlyeh]

That's....a lot. But a good a lot. She's looking at Colonel Worm. And looking at Colonel Worm. Not looking away, not catching her ears and pressing them to her face. Blocking everything out-out-out.

It's. Not a glove. Not like how Autumn seems-looks-feels. And it's not the waiting-think-vigilance that Gerrit told her about Winter. She could see herself there. Waiting and learning and seeing - but. She also knows that if she did she would always be wait-wait-pause-frozen-tension-anxiety. And she would never go anywhere. Just frozen, like a sad back alley snowman, gone brown with slushy car exhaust.

But.

Looking at Colonel Worm and his eyes and his fire and -
- she did tell Gerrit she didn't want to be afraid anymore....

"....I....want..." She take a drink of her lemonade but her mouth still feels dry. "Yes." and it feels like the easiest Answer she's ever given.

[Colonel Worm]

"Yes?" Worm echoes, giving her a look that says Really?

"Yes!" He claps his hands in delight. Suddenly pumped. "Alright!"

Rita-Gladys appears with a tray full of food. She glares at him. Doesn't even need to shush.

"Oh, sorry," Worm says. "Too loud right?"

She doesn't answer. Just distributes their victuals with that same air of annoyance.

"Can we get two slices of pie, too? Apple." He glances at R'lyeh. "This is a celebration."

The waitress walks away, grumbling.

Worm's already eating. The western omelette steadily disappears under his fork. He's talking the whole time.

"This is good. Not the food. I mean, the food is good. But this," waggling the fork between them, "is good. We're gonna do good." Swallows. "There's a lot to talk about. But we got time. Sorry, I'm babbling. It's because I'm happy." An apologetic grin. "What I mean to say is, you got any questions up front? Or you just want to focus on housing this grub?"

[Rlyeh]

Gekkering out a laugh at emotions at play on Colonel Worm's face, and in the goblin's voice. She couldn't quite pin what they all were,

there's a blank-black-wall. All brick and mortar between her Before's easy-as-pie-it's-a-slice-of-cake-emotional-connect-the-dots-and-pull-the-strings, and her now. Ocean-black-drowning-sunk-sinking-choking-pulling-can't-wrap-her-teeth-around-idon'tunderstand!

but they were nice to observe.

Blinking away - well. Gladys-Rita was already walking away to send in the apple pie ask. Which is nice. Unexpected-yes-but-not. This was old-new-different. Maybe the slices will have ice cream.

"I...dunno." she says after a moment, feeling bereft her mind echoing loudly over everything-nothing. "There's so much. Muchly-muches that I want to Ask. But. I...don't know where to start...? And. Also. Here." tapping a finger to the table, looking around at the people inside and Gladys-Rita and just. What can she Ask, while getting the Answers that isn't-wouldn't-breaking-the-secrets-pact.

"So. Um. Food...?" she asks, trying to smile. Unsure and failing, but she tries.

Our (scene) days are numbered. Wanna finish up the scene and open a new one?

[Colonel Worm]

"Food," Worm says through a mouthful of toast. "Definitely food." Chewing and smiling at the same time.

"After we're done, we can either head over to the Striker directly. Or I can drop you off at home and we can meet up there soon. Whatever you prefer."

The Colonel spots Rita-Gladys returning with their pie.

"Oh! Pie!" He picks up his pace on the food already in front of him, as if the apple pie will expire in the next two minutes.

Big sip of coffee, "How's yours? Good??"

Great idea! I'm happy to fade out on them happily munching and then start a new thread for further discussion. Thank you for the fun!

[Colonel Worm]

The Fox and the Goblin continue their meal into the evening.

There's much to discuss, but that will have to wait for another time and a more appropriate place.

For now, a hot meal and good company is more than enough...

Closing this out as Saber Sloth is not currently able to post. To be continued!