trusthell | that's not what we usually mean by 'dance with death'

that's not what we usually mean by 'dance with death'

[That certainly did happen. Cherryblod's not the type of person who will judge one person's value as being more than another's, so he can't say whether it was better or worse than the first week. It came as less of a shock, maybe, but even so...

It's not the kind of thing people usually want to go through alone.

So, after he spends some time in the kitchen preparing (with assistance from Bruce), he'll slip some personalized notes under everyone's doors.]

[Name],
If you'd prefer to spend this time alone, that's fine.
If you'd prefer not to, I've made some food and set it out in the dining hall.
Even if you're just hungry and would rather not talk, feel free to come take some.
But if you'd like the company, we're here for you.
-Cherryblod

[Those arriving in the dining hall will find an assortment of food - a fair number of sandwiches and other, actual meal-like options since most people missed a meal or two, but also a goodly number of desserts. There's tea, as well as coffee for those who favor it.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No, it's okay! You don't need to apologize to me, sweetheart, I'm not mad or anything.

[And there's where the energy comes creeping back in a bit; god, we're a pair of disasters that are used to very aggressively Being Okay in front of everyone, aren't we.]

You sound like someone I know, though, talking like that. Even if I'm pretty sure she was aiming the sentiment at me - we didn't get along very well. She's captain of the Royal Guard back home.

[...]

It's not your fault, you know. It isn't as though we've really had time to encourage that sort of camaraderie, anyway, and we've all spent the week pitted against each other besides.

[What a pair of Grade A Messes.]

Wow, I wonder why someone didn't get along with you. [The sarcasm is at full blast, but she's chuckling lightly at the end, a sigh tacked on.]

I still could've tried, though. I didn't even get to apologize for hitting her -- as much as she deserved it, mind, it feels kind of petty now. So what if she's got as much hot air as a... a...

[... Wow, she's stumped. What has hot air.]

Anyway. Yeah. As a thing with hot air. [...] Are you sure you're not mad or anything? You seemed pretty pissed earlier.

[...Between the literal Viking and the robot that has literally never been outside, that's a great question. What does have hot air.]

Do you want to go in your room and discuss it? It's not like I mind, it's just not something I'd want to yell in front of a room full of people.

[Fire??? Fire has hot air... above it.]

I was heading there anyway, so sure.

[Come on in, buddy. Let's have some kind of talk about your apparent issues with roughing up a mermaid. Everyone else had an issue too but. Yes.]

[Well, yes, but he's usually decidedly more stabby than most of the people here and arguing about Why Murder And Pain Are Absolutely The Solution To Our Current Problem is usually his thing.]

...My dream last weekend wasn't a good one. We should probably start there.

[You know, the one that he said was totally fine and normal.]

[Yeah see that is the thing that gets her. You were alll about the ratings or whatever that brutality gives you and then this??? C'mon bro.

Sigrun's just gonna. Drag him to sit with her on the bed, if that's alright. This feels like a sit down talk already.]

Yeah? What was it about?

[He doesn't mind that; he'll join her on the bed without any sort of complaint, anyway.]

...You remember how I told you that our bodies work differently? That when we die, we just leave dust behind? That's because monsters' bodies are composed entirely of our souls. Once that's gone, that's it.

Because of the whole soul thing, we're also a lot weaker than humans are in physical combat. Our ability to fight is directly tied to both how much we're willing to fight - if we don't really want to, we can't - and...also to how much someone wants to fight us. If a human wants to kill us, they can do it in one hit. Just because they want to. Because their souls are stronger than ours, and because they hate us enough to do it.

[He laughs a little, the sound dry.]

There's a human in the Underground. It's not going well.

So it reminded you of that.

[Sigrun can draw the comparison well enough; how happily she'd offered herself up to try and get a straight confession out of Caren with a sledgehammer and the "not going well" of the Underground's current state with a human on board.]

No wonder you got so mad. [She feels better about leaving the hammer there now, hopefully it wouldn't be there whenever they came back.] I mean, even if I wasn't going to kill her, to you it's a pretty solid reality that I would just by hitting her with that intent?

...Monsters and humans with malicious intent don't tend to play nicely.

[He's quiet for a moment before he just...tries to shake it off, because damn.]

It's nothing to worry about here, anyway. But we'd already been dealing with utterly smashing one soul today, and...well.

[You get the idea.]

[Yeah, she gets the idea. Sigrun's gonna get up to go to her trunk, shifting through some of the various items there for something in particular.]

Got it. Wish I'd known that, I wouldn't have offered in the first place.

[Because, as brash and bold and a mistake as Sigrun can be pretty much all the time, she won't force things onto people who don't want them or can't handle them -- and that includes sights and experiences. Instead, she'll find someway to make it more manageable, but in this case she really wouldn't have offered. No way to get past bludgeoning a tail.]

I mean, I shouldn't have in the first place, but the idea kind of came to mind to at least threaten her with it when I remembered I had it nearby. Seemed like a good idea to offer at least, even if I knew it wouldn't be popular, but... Yeah.

Normally I wouldn't have minded, you know that.

[See: abovementioned BUT MURDER AND PAIN SOLVES EVERYTHING, INCLUDING PROBLEMS WE DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD.]

And besides, it's not like I'm interested in telling everyone about my dreams to begin with. Obviously.

Yeah, but we're friends, you can totally come to me about this kinda stuff. I mean, I'm a leader person too, so if you can't come to me then who can you come to about it?

[-- Ah, here it is, the cloth covered thing she was looking for. Sigrun plops back down beside Mettaton and sets it into his lap.]

That is unrelated, but I thought you'd like it. I keep forgetting to take it with me since it's fragile.

["That" being a water flute she got from the vending machine some time ago.]

Ohhh - that's precious, darling! I appreciate it.

[...You know, Sigrun, this is both really adorable and kind of irritating him because now he has to figure out what to give you next time he sees you, because this is apparently just going to be how this works.

And like hell if he's addressing that first part because a w k w a r d.]

[she is going to aggressively friend you]

Well, I've got no use for it and I couldn't figure out how it worked until I tried cleaning it... but when you put water in it and blow it makes a sound. Kind of reminded me about what you said about the place you grew up.

[...]

So are you this adorable in everyone's direction behind closed doors? I'd like to think I'm special - and I'm going to be regardless - but you never know.

You are the person I think of first when it comes to giving gifts, but there's nothing special about it. I'm just unloading anything I don't need on you.

[There is no time for romance.]

[No, he agrees entirely on the romance front, which is why he's not taking it that way in the least.]

That doesn't make it any less adorable, sweetheart. It was a valiant attempt! But still cute.

[He wouldn't anyway let's be real.]

I haven't been called cute or adorable since I was a kid, Mettaton. It's weird. Just say thanks and get over it.

My apologies for everyone's taste, then.

[Chill, Sigrun, he does this to everyone.]

You're so weird. Is this part of your entertainer thing or were you built this way?

Does it matter? Whatever it is, it leaves an impression, and that's what's important.

If it's built into you, we can take it out.

[... It's a joke, but honestly she's gonna turn the dial on his chest anyway.]

Is it this?

Oh. My god.

[JESUS CHRIST well that didn't quite have the intended effect, most likely, given that his voice has now dropped by approximately an octave and is suddenly like

really sultry?

like holy shit who unleashed barry white in here]

Why did you think that was a good idea-

[thaaaaaaat

is highly uncomfortable, she is turning it another way to get rid of that--]

Can. You. Not.

[dear god the other way is not any better in terms of hugely uncanny shit

like 'teenaged girl at a one direction concert' levels of high-pitched is not his idea of a good time

but at least after that he's going to have the common sense to back up a bit

god he's going to be fucking with this thing for the next eternity trying to fix that, thanks]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject