Is it accurate to call this a road trip?

[poll_the_stars]

Inavet does not fidget. There is no fidgeting. She is not a creature that is capable of fidgeting, she trained the habit away five centuries ago when she realized it really ticked her off. She will sit, serenely, maybe read books while waiting, but she doesn't fidget anymore.

But right now, she sort of wishes she did.

How does one mentally prepare to go to another universe?

She has no idea. She hasn't done it before. She realizes, vaguely, that this is kind of a stupid thing to worry about. She knows exactly who she's visiting, has wanted to for a while, and it's a smart tactical decision and helpful and safe and oh goddesses what if everything is weird, what if this becomes the most awkward day of all time, what if she spontaneously combusts upon entering the gate and going to Nexus? That can probably happen. Somehow. She's not really sure how, but if she's learned anything from this past week it is that the multiverse is a strange and terrifying place. And that it is good to be paranoid.

She wastes time on paranoia. She sits. She does not fidget. And she waits for a gate.

Comments

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles reaches into the nearest crate of zorkmids and throws one at Ivan.

[middlingalong]

It bounces off Ivan's forehead. "Ack! What gives?"

[thisvorlunatic]

Wordless growl.

[middlingalong]

"Diiiid you hit on the demon and get shot down?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"No!"

[middlingalong]

"What happened, then?" Ivan asks, picking up the zorkmid and returning it to the other zorkmids. He puts the dinner near Miles.

[thisvorlunatic]

"I flirted with him! He thinks I'm cute even when I'm making an utter fool of myself! I can't handle this! I didn't know I liked men that way! What if I ask him to marry me and he says no? What if I ask him to marry me and he says yes?"

[middlingalong]

"Wait, what? How did you get from 'no, I don't have a crush on him, though watch as I do not bet money on it' to thoughts of matrimony this fast?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"That is the eventual end goal of flirting for some people, Ivan."

[middlingalong]

"On day one? With a magical winged demon man. You're defending day one contemplation of 'what if I ask him to marry me and various outcomes' with how normal this is."

[thisvorlunatic]

"The fact that he is a magical winged demon man is precisely why it is so stressful to contemplate. If he were not winged, not a demon, or not a man, my day one contemplation of asking him to marry me would tend more in the direction of 'I can worry about that later' than 'oh God no good can come of this'."

[middlingalong]

"So, don't ask him to marry you."

[thisvorlunatic]

Growl.

[middlingalong]

"Hey, not turning every passing fancy into future groat circles works very well for some people, and I feel it has very good applicability to the winged demon man situation."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Ugh."

[middlingalong]

"There's not really a good scenario if you ask him to marry you! So don't. Get it out of your system to whatever extent he'll cooperate with, or just brood, or whatever floats your boat. And don't worry about how he'd react to a proposal because you aren't going to propose because why would you do that, Miles."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Because he's smart and adorable and kind of a little shit sometimes and I have an embarrassingly enormous crush on him and that's where I know I will end up if I continue to flirt with him, and yet I cannot seem to stop myself except by very nearly having a nervous breakdown and silently begging my elven fugitive friend to make transparent excuses for why she has to dismiss him! She willingly played Plasma Rain with me for almost a quarter hour afterwards. I was in bad shape."

[middlingalong]

"Okay, so don't summon him again."

[thisvorlunatic]

"For actual legitimate reasons not related to my pathetic crush, I sort of have to. I was very lucky to get one helpful trustworthy demon. I should not count on it happening a second time."

[middlingalong]

"So summon him one more time and ask him to recommend someone."

[thisvorlunatic]

He sighs. "Maybe."

[middlingalong]

"But then you would never get to panic about your proposal to the magic demon man? Miles, let it go sooner than later."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I don't want to panic about my proposal to the magic demon man! I don't want to propose to the magic demon man!"

[middlingalong]

"So don't."

[thisvorlunatic]

He sighs.