![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
A sympathetic frown at her nosebleed; another pause to let her wipe her face before he continues.
“At a slumber party, your gang starts up a no-holds-barred session of Truth or Dare. Someone dares you to strip naked and run through the sprinklers, even though it’s past midnight and below -15 degrees outside. You:
- bust off your flannels and pray your chest cold doesn't escalate to a lethal case of pneumonia.
- quit. You've always hated that game anyway.
- quickly switch to truth--you'd prefer to be tortured at room temperature, thank you.”
“At a slumber party, your gang starts up a no-holds-barred session of Truth or Dare. Someone dares you to strip naked and run through the sprinklers, even though it’s past midnight and below -15 degrees outside. You:
- bust off your flannels and pray your chest cold doesn't escalate to a lethal case of pneumonia.
- quit. You've always hated that game anyway.
- quickly switch to truth--you'd prefer to be tortured at room temperature, thank you.”
She pinches the bridge of her nose and leans forward slightly so that the blood drains in to her hanky instead of down her throat. She is not trying to be funny but when she answers her voice is nasally and jumbled, which undercuts the seriousness with which she attempts to deliver her response.
"I am not going barren to win a slumber party game. I would quit."
"I am not going barren to win a slumber party game. I would quit."
Absently, he places his hand on her shoulder, rubs back and forth slightly—trying to provide what comfort he can for her nose.
“Last one, Maggie. A fortune-teller on the street calls out to you that she has news that will ease your mind. You have been really anxious lately, so you:
- stop in your tracks and head over to her. But you're disappointed to learn that she wants money first.
- ask for a price list and what kind of readings she gives.
- ignore her. You heard about those fortune-telling scam artists on 60 minutes just a few weeks ago.”
“Last one, Maggie. A fortune-teller on the street calls out to you that she has news that will ease your mind. You have been really anxious lately, so you:
- stop in your tracks and head over to her. But you're disappointed to learn that she wants money first.
- ask for a price list and what kind of readings she gives.
- ignore her. You heard about those fortune-telling scam artists on 60 minutes just a few weeks ago.”
Oh, I really am a sucker, Maggie thinks. She should not be soothed by the touch of a man who has spent the past year ignoring her, the past month and a half bickering with her, and the past three weeks haunting (yes, haunting) her dreams. But she is soothed. She likes it a lot when he runs his hand over her back. It makes her brain feel heavy and slow, like a big dumb animal.
She releases the pressure on her nose a little so that she can speak more clearly.
"Um, I would take a reading if she seemed legit. I would be able to tell. So, the middle one, I guess."
"What does that make me?"
She releases the pressure on her nose a little so that she can speak more clearly.
"Um, I would take a reading if she seemed legit. I would be able to tell. So, the middle one, I guess."
"What does that make me?"
That's great, I heard it got a little rowdy at Prescott for all of you bitees.
I'm good, going to take advantage of this quiet time to be a little more proactive in planning. I'd love to pick your brain about a few things once it percolates a little more. But maybe we can also get together for that science club we talked about before.
I'm good, going to take advantage of this quiet time to be a little more proactive in planning. I'd love to pick your brain about a few things once it percolates a little more. But maybe we can also get together for that science club we talked about before.
Ah. Perhaps the least exciting game of Never Have I Ever that I ever have played. But we were fatigued, so.
Right. Yes, of course. With responder training, and the storm, the Summit, the horde, time has gotten away from me. Will you be joining in the weatherizing of the Container Fort?
Right. Yes, of course. With responder training, and the storm, the Summit, the horde, time has gotten away from me. Will you be joining in the weatherizing of the Container Fort?
It is not a game that I play often but when I was in graduate school, my cohort played with a professor at a bar after class. I do not think everyone noticed but by watching it became apparent to me that our professor and one of my peers were having an affair. That was exciting. What about you?
You will. Perhaps we can convince Niko to come too. He is likely not very pleased with me at the moment, so maybe he will be more amenable to meeting casually this way.
You will. Perhaps we can convince Niko to come too. He is likely not very pleased with me at the moment, so maybe he will be more amenable to meeting casually this way.
Ah. Academic tale as old as time, yikes. I'm assuming that imploded? I haven't had any exciting Never Have I Evers, either though no. It has made me realize the enormity of the things I've done though, for better or worse.
Why wouldn't he be pleased at you?
Why wouldn't he be pleased at you?
Oh, I do not know. Those sorts of things always seem to, so it probably did. I was not the most social with my co-hort and I never followed up.
Enormity is a heavy word though. What sort of enormities are you revealing during a party game?
I thought it was rude of him to stand up and offer to do my job in front of the whole Summit. So I was rude back.
Enormity is a heavy word though. What sort of enormities are you revealing during a party game?
I thought it was rude of him to stand up and offer to do my job in front of the whole Summit. So I was rude back.
It's strange to think of mine. I'm not sure most survived, and to be honest a number of them were egotistical assholes with an undeserved and inflated self importance, but they'd all dedicated so much of their life to a single passion. I'd hate to have a virus snuff it out.
I'm pretty adventurous by all meanings of the word. Experimental. I like to try new things, so there's little I don't say yes to after consideration. One thing I've never done which seems impossible given where we live, is I've never been on a boat. Planes, trains, automobiles, no boats.
Ah. I don't think that's what he was doing though Maggie. That program of theirs is complimenting the healing work already happening in the communities, you saw Niko's expertise in action recently right? This should be a positive collaboration.
I'm pretty adventurous by all meanings of the word. Experimental. I like to try new things, so there's little I don't say yes to after consideration. One thing I've never done which seems impossible given where we live, is I've never been on a boat. Planes, trains, automobiles, no boats.
Ah. I don't think that's what he was doing though Maggie. That program of theirs is complimenting the healing work already happening in the communities, you saw Niko's expertise in action recently right? This should be a positive collaboration.
Page 12 of 15