monster bingo 2020;

[softlyfalling]

Comments

[purrrnicious]

[She just sighs, because the whole princess carry thing happens a lot.]

Why the chairs by the pool?

[softlyfalling]

[ ok time to change direction— ]

All right, not by the pool, got it.

[ perhaps... a bench. or something. ]

[purrrnicious]

Was that a trick? You were going to dump me in the water, weren't you.

[softlyfalling]

Kohime.

What have I ever done that would give you the idea I'd do that.

...there's just lounge chairs over there I thought would be more comfortable for your legs as they are now. That's all.

[purrrnicious]

So? Just because you've never thrown me into the pool before doesn't mean you won't do it now.

[softlyfalling]

...I know there's a difference between knowing something academically and actually knowing something, but honestly, Kohime.

[ and plunks her down on a bench, sitting up. ]

[purrrnicious]

What?

[softlyfalling]

Just, well—

...no one on avante's going to hurt you, you know. Gold's prank cooking aside.

[purrrnicious]

I. . . I know that.

[softlyfalling]

...even Cardinal. Cardinal has a lot of strongly-held principles, but they know they can't impose them on the rest of the unit.

[purrrnicious]

[She frowns a little, confused.]

Uh, I don't think they have a strongly-held principal about where I sit.

[softlyfalling]

They seem to think you find them worrying.

[purrrnicious]

Okay, what are you talking about? Where is this even coming from?

[softlyfalling]

[ she takes a seat beside. ]

Cardinal's worried that you think they're going to, I don't know, sacrifice you or something.

"Worried" probably isn't the right word, but close enough.

[purrrnicious]

Uh, "worried" is definitely the wrong word. Other than the day I got here they haven't bothered with me –– other than to approve of the time I sliced open my arm to upset a Taisho.

Actually, I haven't seen anything that suggests they care about any of Avante.

[softlyfalling]

...mm. Yeah. They're really not good at showing it, but—if they didn't care at all, they'd probably still be trying to lead avante. I thought I was making progress with them, but...

Everyone else is fine, though, right...?

[purrrnicious]

. . .

Are you asking me if I think the rest of Avante cares about Avante?

[softlyfalling]

...more like if you're getting along with them all right?

[purrrnicious]

. . .Why is this suddenly an issue?

[NERVOUSLY. Like. What's the deal, did a demon swing by and talk about erasing her from existence again or what.]

[softlyfalling]

Oh, I mean, it's not, I just—get anxious about... how everything's going, with the unit...

...since everything's been kind of. Awful recently.

[purrrnicious]

Has it? Honestly, I think I'm used to it.

[softlyfalling]

I feel like there's definitely been something weird every other day for a month and a half.

[purrrnicious]

Avante does okay –– if you can all keep it together, anyway.

[softlyfalling]

It's probably time we had another team meeting about how we'd all prefer to play, since we've had comings and goings...

[purrrnicious]

Why?

Griffin looks for a way to throw himself at something –– usually, like, literally –– Nem won't say what she wants and then gets pissy if we don't do it, we protect Heart for her anyway; you dither; Gold wants us to lay off WILD CITY and Alcheme; Cardinal wants everyone to suffer and die pointlessly and acts like everyone is beneath them because they don't go along with it; and Harpy wants to stake her honour on the glory of Avante, or however that is supposed to work.

And somehow we've still been pulling it off.