Science Experiments: A Tale of Two Antagonists

Inque

Drink? There were options? "...Anything that doesn't taste like cinnamon," I request. Even if i didn't like it, I'd just ignore taste again. If this was a running theme in Auda, however, I'd much like to be shipped back to Gotham... I'd much prefer to be able to taste something of this place other than bagels.

I smile over to the girl, settling more against Face to give her a bit more uncomfortablness. This is just beautiful, beautiful humor. Much better than Joker's 'fun'.

Edgar:

...Cinnamon? ...Oh Internet that daft imbecile in front of us probably subjected her to the layman's interpretation of a good time: Self induced vomiting resulting from partial asphyxiation. "Make it two Pellegrino's in that case." I amended.

"...Uh-huh...ok... ..I'll... I'll be right back..." She muttered and bolted from the table.

...Now. The real question was how exactly to make awkward and amusing conversation. The other pertinent question was how to go about reading the menu, which irritatingly lacked braille. Not that most things had braille here, but that was beside the point.

Inque's shoulder had now found a home in my ribs. ...This...was unprecedented, but I went ahead and ignored the moderate discomfort of having a shoulder in my ribs for the sake of the charade. I mean, it was logical to assume that we were being stared down...and thus... every movement was arguably subject to scrutiny.

I allowed the silence to spiral on awkwardly for a few moments, prior to actually attempting to get anything done. "Well. This is pleasant." I remarked casually. And honestly, that was about all the more I had prepared in the way of unexpected small talk.

I then went ahead and picked up the menu, flipping through in imitation of actual reading prior to 'looking' up from it. "...And...of course, that is completely useless to me." I stated, allowing some irritation to float into my voice. I slid the menu over to Inque with the hand that wasn't occupied by hanging around her shoulder. "Would you mind...?"

In truth it was exceptionally irritating that I didn't have it memorised by looking up this restaurant beforehand, but...I'd rather deal with the ridiculous situation of having someone read off the menu than to simply order completely blind.

"Wait so... ..You're actually blind. Like... For real." ...Really? Mysterious person across from me? ...Really? That was a serious question?

"I pretended to be blind for many years prior to my eyes actually shrivelling up and falling off of my face, actually." I replied, practically dripping with sarcasm.

Cue awkward silence. I tilted my head back towards Inque after a few moments.

Inque

I glance up at him, adjusting slightly, then glance at the menu. Oh bother, reading... None of the school's homework had really helped with any of these questionable words, but I did my usual practice of seamlessly spelling out the things I didn't know and continuing on reading what I did know. At least it filled the silence... I glanced up at the girl a few times, just checking on her tension levels and what she was busying herself with in the meantime. "...and the various flavors of ramen," I conclude. My hand goes up to lace fingers with his draped over my shoulders, just to see her reaction. If these people freaked at him, I'd think it interesting to think what they thought of me... Perhaps an experiment for my decided last day of school, when I feel I've gained enough reading experience from that place.

Ramen:

Lumi read aloud for him, and then they were holding hands. ... ...They were holding hands.

I can't believe that he's actually blind. I mean... he might not have eyes...but...

Sorry, I can't focus--- I can't believe she's holding his hand. What even. I mean... What even is that...? SERIOUSLY, WHY WAS SHE DATING HIM?!

I watched him think for a minute, once I managed to pull my eyes away from their hands. At least...I guess he was thinking. Kind of hard to tell when there's no freaking facial expressions because there's no freaking face...but, I guessed anyway.

"The sandwich sounded good... With..whatever 'various flavourful meats' they advertised..." He commented, and I had to wonder whether he just had teeth that came that way or if he filed them to look like that. Creep. ...I mean... how would that even work? Like... how could she stand to kiss him with those teeth in there? He could bite her whole arm off.

I guess I got too caught up in my thoughts because I didn't realise I was being spoken to until I almost missed it. "--are you currently contemplating?" He was looking at me. ...Not looking at me. ...Pretending. Pretending to look at. Still holding her hand and he was looking at me.


"Teeth...Oh! CRAP... No I mean, uhm..." He had been talking about food... ...uhm... "...Oh, er... Chicken nuggets." I finished lamely. Had to be nice for Lumi, didn't I. ...Just because I wanted to expose how freaking creepy the creeper was. Internet this was hard.

"And, What are you thinking about having for lunch?" He asked her next, making a point to pretend to stare down at her... ..ugh. ...It made me want to shiver. Creeeep.

Inque

So they did have curses here! Jeez, good to know it wasn't 'eexplicativeexplicativexplicative' all the time. ...This place is too polite for me.

"Hmm..." Because, really... expect me to know what foods to eat or not... Because I ate normally or something, and totally knew the names for everything... Bother. ...Ugh. I point to the menu at random, reading off what my hand landed on. "...Fish and chips." Good enough for me.

Edgar:

...I chose not to reply to the exclamation of 'Teeth'. It wouldn't have turned out well, and I was trying to be civil and incite a mildly amusing conversation in which Someone's inherent unease turned into a means by which to derive entertainment, and scathing remarks wouldn't do that well, I don't think. "That should be good." I informed Inque, having realised a bit too late that she typically doesn't eat food. I should have remembered.

This of course prompted another awkward silence. "So... What all have you been doing today?" I asked finally, willing to bet half my income on the fact that they had made some attempt at the Cinnamon Challenge.

"Lumi won a metric craptonne of cash because she succeeded at winning the Cinnamon Challenge." I was informed.

Cue Surprised Grin. ...I wasn't exactly sure what else to do now, except grin surprisedly and perhaps inquire as to more information. "...You did?" I asked, still grinning. To what extent does one hold onto a grin like this? And seriously... how else am I suppoused to respond to this stimuli?

This was very good economically, considering the fact that we would have to continue paying for the house for... however long.

Inque

Speaking of which, where were those drinks that didn't taste of cinnamon? "Mhmm," I say with a nod. "Craptonne of money -" Plus pick pocketing 'tips' - "And a shirt." I smile back. "How's your work?" I ask, to possibly instill more easy going conversation. Back and forth, like that ping pong game...

Edgar:

"Unpleasant. I despise customer support. Involves too much operational redundancy." I replied shortly. "May I inquire as to your plans with the 'craptonne' of money?" I asked, quite certain that it would have something to do with house money. I was more intrigued as to what the reaction would be from our third party, then the actual answer.

It was at that time that we also recieved our drinks. Cold and still in the original packaging. Fantastic. I opened my bottle of San Pellegrino and had some, attempting to make drinking from the bottle look extremely easy, despite the awkward teeth in my way. I liked Pellegrino. It was all the liquid of Water, with the carbonation of soda...and without the threat of water poisoning afforded by our local river.

Inque

"I do have my input to rent..." I say, smiling a bit more. Nooo, girly, no shopping for you with my money... Wait, money. He said money. Ugh, thank God I didn't have to always go on about all this 'rectangles' business... I didn't much care what happened to it, so long as it went to my own benefit. The rent, the school lunch, an investment for exponentially more than what I put in... That had wonderful value, not some soda cap jacket. I didn't care what others thought of me, clearly.

I take my own bottle, opening as he does, and taking an initial clearing sip before returning my sense of taste. There was a bit of the burn from cinnamon left still, and a bit of the obnoxious taste, but mostly I was distracted by the sharp taste of seltzer water. Which was alright, but not ideal. But whatever. Didn't taste like cinnamon...I would be alright with it for now.

Ramen:

...Rent. She said rent. She was paying rent. With him. She and him were living together. I mean...Ok, I knew that this morning when she was packing...But at the same time... SHE WAS LIVING WITH HIM.

I kind of inhaled coke up my nose. A little.

"That sounded painful. ...Napkin?" The creeper was holding a napkin out to me. Because I snorted soda up my nose. ...He didn't have a nose. And he was grinning. Creep.

"Thanks..." I mumbled, taking the napkin. Creep.

She lived with him. I bet he threatened to rip out her intestines in a bathtub and sell them on eBay. I wiped the soda off my face.

"I didn't know you had to pay rent at the monastery..." I said after a while. HA. There. Caught you in a lie, creeper.

"You don't. We got our own place, because that location was feeling a bit... Crowded. We needed some privacy. And a sink." He explained. ...Internet. They needed PRIVACY??? ... ... ...This was serious. ...And I didn't know what the meaning of the sink was, but I was scared to youTube it.

"...oh." I said finally after a minute. I could have inhaled the entire coke up my nose then.

Inque

Jeez, was he trying to have last night mentioned or something? The poor girl... I loved the plan.

And then 'sink', and I felt uncomfortable again. Damn water everywhere... There was a virtual shower outside twenty-four/seven. And hey, I could actually shiver now. But we haven't experimented recently, though technically even with science-to-torture practice sessions.

"I told you, remember?" I give a bit of input, just to keep this thing going. Talk was giving quite a few amusing moments.

Edgar:

So they'd discussed the living situation this morning. Hm. I did wish I could actually read facial expressions better. Though it felt like I was succeeding at making her squirm without providing any viable reason for her to actually be suspicious.

"Oh...yeah... That." She paused for a moment there. Thought? Or was I being optimistic?

"It's actually fantastically economical. Works out splendidly for her parental units. I'm employed and they don't have to pay for her existence anymore. And it means I don't have to rearrange my school schedule." I continued, wondering just how far I could push this envelope.

"...You sleep all day and yell at teachers when they try to make you do work." She stated bluntly.

"Yes. Routinely." I corroborated. "See? If I wanted to spend more time with her during school hours... I would have to be awake more often during class... and I just can't afford to jeopardize my current situation like that." I explained, grinning. My current situation in which I simply had to show up and demonstrate that I was aware of the knowledge. Where I could bribe the teachers into allowing me to take my exams months in advance because they just didn't want to handle me anymore. Where I was in constant peril of failling at least three classes due to lateness.

Inque

I nod, being completely fine with this. I didn't see the point if school to begin with, so sleeping through it seemed fine to me. "Rules are constructing anyway, and no one likes me around Edgar... Might as well, so we can do whatever we want back home without bias and rude outbursts..." Like you. So readily did twice at lunch already, girl. I grin up at him, hinting at the hidden implications of 'whatever we want'ed to do.

Ramen:

...Whatever they want?? What was THAT suppoused to mean? I mean... ...I couldn't possibly... ...They... No.

No. That was creepy. And unpleasant. And... No. I wouldn't think about it. Ew.

Also... I wasn't being rude. He was just...a freak. And I was just trying to defend her from... ...the freakyness.

More soda ended up up my nose. "...You what now...?" I asked not entirely sure I WANTED the answer, while getting another napkin for my face before the creeper could do the honors again.

Inque

I glance over questioningly. "If you don't want to know, why ask about it?" I quiz her, keeping my grin at bay to have a serious moment. Because honestly... did she really want the answer to that question...?

Edgar:

...Alright, it seems that I'm in the middle of another conversation that I somehow resurfaced. Interesting.

I think that she was contemplating that for a moment. This was going to be interesting, I hoped. Either way, it was turning into a fantastically awkward lunch break. "...Because, Because I don't want you to end up doing something you'll regret..." ...The double entendre there was not lost on me. It actually lacked a bit of subtlety, in my opinion.

"For the record...I do actually meet the criterion for 'human'...Proper number of chromosomes and whatnot..." I amended her. "I'm sure you had something else degrading and motivational to say or something so, don't mind me..." I stated, getting back to my Pellegrino.

It seemed that I had silenced her momentarily. I was tempted to add something about lack of regret... but, It probably wasn't my place... And I didn't want to get rid of her before we even had the chance to order lunch.

Inque

I roll my eyes. "I can't get pregnant if that's what you're worried about," I disregard, leaning forward onto the table to eye her. No parasites for me, thank you very much... Just make it awkward for the whole table, perhaps.

Ramen:

Good thing I had the napkin. I kind of had the sudden feeling that my eyes were going to pop out of my head, and almost ended up doing a spit take at her...But the napkin caught it instead and now my hands were all sticky. "WHAT."

I mean...ok. Part of me had worried about faceless creeps getting mass produced, but... I didn't think she'd last long enough with him to even make that a possibility. Just... the idea of her... and him... and... I mean... if anyone else found out... Nobody would ever go near her again and she'd die old and alone. And I mean... I bet he had creepy diseases and crap.

"...Wait, you can't?" He asked after a minute, looking all... raised eyebrow-y even though there was no eyebrow there... freak. "That's convenient."

...CONVENIENT?! COULDN'T SHE SEE HE WAS JUST USING HER??? "Don't you see? He's just doing all this because he's a perv, and you're freaking NAIVE. He's taking advantage of you. Because...honestly... where else is he going to get any?" Yes. I was really really concerned for her safety, and ability to actually end up with anyone half decent if she ended up doing creepy things with the creeper. AND I MEAN, IT WAS THE CREEPER. IT'S JUST WRONG.

...And of course then the waitress is standing there listening to the end of that... ...Awkward. "Uhm... ...Sorry...Chicken nuggets, please." I mumbled, bright red.

"I'll have the sandwich with the assorted flavourful meats." The Creeper added... just...Grinning. INTERNET HE WAS SO WEIRD.

Inque

"Fish and chips," I add in and know the girl departed with the usual quickness.

I turn to Face, smiling politely. "No I can't. My body prevents such from happening," I explain a bit, knowing he'd figure it out. I wouldn't allow such to happen, and I do believe I messed up my last host permanently...

I turn back to the girl, tilting my head questioningly. "Naive? I do believe I'm perfectly aware of what I'm doing and the results of such. I've been dealing with them for the past couple days now."

Edgar:

...Ah. So...Inque wouldn't allow it. Excellent. That was convenient. "Well, that's good to know." I stated. Part of me does wish that I could have actually seen the other one's face at the moment, because the acoustic track was hilarious, but I'm sure I was missing some things.

"Additionally...I would like to note that I am capable of getting whatever I'd like, without having to resort to questionable means of acquisition through the school's populous." I informed the girl, leaving out the fact that the means by which I acquired most things were questionable... just... not easily accessible through the school. Suppouse I ought to say something...Pleasant or whatever about Inque's host, and something about not needing large quantities of cash to seduce her or something. ...I couldn't really figure out anything extraordinarily eloquent to say though. "As such, my... current situation is not the result of an act of desperation, In case that wasn't clear enough."

"... ...So, You're ok with being treated like...Like the creeper--- Which by the way that was disturbing. What do you do, go out to the bars every weekend and pay through the...well.. not nose--"

"I have never paid anyone for any favours of that nature." I responded icily, cutting her off.

"You're disgusting-- anyway," And with that I was dismissed from the conversation I suppouse. Lovely. " Seriously though. You're alright being looked at like...like him?" She asked.

...Honestly, I could have driven a steak knife through her forehead by now. The amount of ignorance and sheer... nonsense coming out of her mouth. Ridiculous.

Inque

"Girl, I won't stand for insults. If I'm to be like him, then I'm to be like him, and the insults apply to me then too. Don't think I'll stand and take them; I'll be doing something about them," I reply blandly, my hand finding the utensils given on the table. I fidget with them as if bored. Enough force, the fork could very well pierce the jugular, hm? Just a little left and up from the hollow of her neck... Bleed out of the table... The edges of my lips twitch up, just fantasizing. "I'm not one to be used, and I'm not one to be twisted into believing something unless I want to believe it. If either is attempted, the person's going to have a definite enemy at their back constantly." ...Until a fork goes through their neck. Lovely...

Ramen:

...Was I being threatened? ...I mean... She wouldn't hurt me would she...? We'd been friends for years. I didn't want to give her up because she was all... creepery... but at the same time...I didn't want to include him in anything. And I mean... clearly he'd corrupted her, I was just seeing that now.

I sat there awkwardly and kind of didn't know what to say for a while. "I'm sorry." I muttered to her after a moment. To her. Not him, I was currently ignoring him.

Inque

I glare at her a while before leaving the fork, flipping back in my mood to smile at her while sitting back again to comfortably lean by Face. "I believe I'll need multiple trips to clear my room at my parents'... Most furniture is cardboard, which is making for easy transport, though I didn't know if you had a preference with acoustics or anything like that," I say to him. I pause, look back at the girl. "It's only natural, me being a freak and all..."

Edgar:

"Cardboard is tolerable for the time being, but once we start accruing an actual monthly profit, I could stand to upgrade to something a bit less...flimsy. Like...something from IKEA online. That would be pleasant." I replied, miraculously keeping too much unfiltered anger at the girl across from us from making itself known in my voice. "And after work today I could actually assist in the move, if that wouldn't give anyone at your residence a coronary." I offered, though quite honestly I did not fancy going around town at all after work... I would very much have liked to just get home as quickly as possible and sit underneath a ceiling.

"...Lumi... It's... look, you're taking it all wrong. I didn't mean..." She paused. "I didn't mean it like that, ok?" She sounded all...I didn't know- emotional or something. Distressed. I really have little idea. I listened with interest, idly occupying my hand that was around Inque by running it through her hair.

Inque

Interesting... An emotional response... ... ... ... Why? Never got emotions... How they loved to just randomly pop up and ruin everything. "Really, it's fine. Just saying I'm bothered by insults like any other person. If that's not what you meant, then clarify," I respond to the matter at hand calmly. Hand through the hair felt nice... I smile again lightly.