Actually,
yep he had a good point. Not a point stated out loud, but. A point implied by his sudden leaping pirouette segue, sudden neck snapping momentum reversal and all... What emotional whiplash! Beryl felt vertigo again, but it was like... vertigo of the spirit, discombobulation that was decidedly not actually real. Actually.. no, no, she was actually a bit nauseous. She felt like she was hypnotizing herself trying to watch the ctenophores ride like Valkyries.
Only, like..
way slower.
Beryl framed her head in her hands, cupping fingers over each cheek as she shook the cobwebs out of her skull.
"Well if you say it's a no then ixnay on the orgy idea!" It had been kinda fun to muse on, though... Maybe too graphic a sexual imagery for public daydreaming! Not like the moving image actually evoked any emotion in her. It manifested as an abstraction of washed out, watercolor, overly sharp chins.
"I mean I don't remember much about them... Except, yeah. What I can read! ... Right there." She pointed, right at the exhibit display. Slightly lit up to be readable despite the ambient darkness of the aquarium hall. "You seemed really enraptured by them.. what about them is it, to you?"
Ooh! Learning opportunity?
Xanioascus canadensis
If you read this thread you will develop eye cancer. DONT DO IT! IT'S NOT WORTH IT!
"Well..."
Aw yeah, this was a chance to ramble about marine biology. Michael could pretend to be a smart person!
"Shit, I mean look at them. They're so weird — so alien. Like, they're what you'd expect some of the earliest multi-cellular life would've probably looked like."
He waited for Beryl's response, if any, and continued on. "Actually, that's what they are — or were, I guess. Like, along with porifera and cnidarians, they're theorized to be one of the first extant phyla to pop up from like, single-celled organisms and the weird flat things from the Ediacaran — more on them later, maybe."
Who's using big words that nobody else understands now, Beryl?
"Like, I vaguely recall there being some fossils theorized to be ctenophores from like, 575-ish million ago, and there are definite ctenophore fossils from the Cambrian that are like, very superficially similar to modern-day ctenophores."
He took a big breath in. Who knew if Beryl, or anyone else for that matter, knew what the hell he was talking about?
"That's just superficially similar, though. They've found some up in the Rockies with like, internal organ-y structures in them — oh, and one from China theorized to have had a skeleton. Not like, bones, but internal support structures. Also, we have no idea where to stick them in the tree of life other than them being somewhere pretty basal, because they've got complex nervous systems but they're missing a bunch of the genes that give like, everything else with complex nervous systems said systems."
Jesus Christ, he hoped Beryl understood the words he was saying, because if she didn't he might as well have said a whole bunch of horseshit. Oh! He knew something about ctenophores that was cool and also didn't require a concerning amount of knowledge of paleontology and marine biology — which meant Beryl might be able to parse it!
"And, uh, they've also got like, flashy rainbow things, so that's neat. I guess."
He stared down at the ground.
Aw yeah, this was a chance to ramble about marine biology. Michael could pretend to be a smart person!
"Shit, I mean look at them. They're so weird — so alien. Like, they're what you'd expect some of the earliest multi-cellular life would've probably looked like."
He waited for Beryl's response, if any, and continued on. "Actually, that's what they are — or were, I guess. Like, along with porifera and cnidarians, they're theorized to be one of the first extant phyla to pop up from like, single-celled organisms and the weird flat things from the Ediacaran — more on them later, maybe."
Who's using big words that nobody else understands now, Beryl?
"Like, I vaguely recall there being some fossils theorized to be ctenophores from like, 575-ish million ago, and there are definite ctenophore fossils from the Cambrian that are like, very superficially similar to modern-day ctenophores."
He took a big breath in. Who knew if Beryl, or anyone else for that matter, knew what the hell he was talking about?
"That's just superficially similar, though. They've found some up in the Rockies with like, internal organ-y structures in them — oh, and one from China theorized to have had a skeleton. Not like, bones, but internal support structures. Also, we have no idea where to stick them in the tree of life other than them being somewhere pretty basal, because they've got complex nervous systems but they're missing a bunch of the genes that give like, everything else with complex nervous systems said systems."
Jesus Christ, he hoped Beryl understood the words he was saying, because if she didn't he might as well have said a whole bunch of horseshit. Oh! He knew something about ctenophores that was cool and also didn't require a concerning amount of knowledge of paleontology and marine biology — which meant Beryl might be able to parse it!
"And, uh, they've also got like, flashy rainbow things, so that's neat. I guess."
He stared down at the ground.
destroy the UN08/03/2019
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Beryl stood still, enraptured. Oh yes, she had enjoyed that. Not visibly, not audibly, not even actually. But somewhere through the safari desert of her ambling, non-engaged thoughts, a spark of inspiration weakly crackled through the synapses.
She was thinking.
Well, she was usually thinking but now, she was thinking harder.
"Earliest eukaryotes! Hm.. It does make sense that they'd organize themselves into such a stable structure.. The oceans are environments with less general evolutionary pressure.. I think? They're buffered from glaciation periods, at least.." She'd forgotten all the rest of the possible proof that might not have existed. "Sharks too.." Wait, was that related? No.. probably not.
The one thing she was pretty sure she didn't know off the top of her head were species and epoch names. 'Porifera' seemed akin to a... Pokemon name, or a variety of Italian dish. Also, it seemed fun to let roll and drip off the tongue. Pori-fera, po-rifera...
"Eukaryotes emerged.. um, 1.3 million years ago. If I'm remembering right..! It's interesting that they evolved many of the, uh.. features of life while being evolutionarily separate. Do you know what the specific differences in their nervous systems are? Sounds like something a team somewhere in UCLA or MIT would have picked apart."
Also, Michael was totally right. Rainbow colors! Bio-luminescence. Beryl was distracted, though.
What was so interesting about that spot on the ground Michael was staring at? She scrutinized it softly and forgivingly.
She was thinking.
Well, she was usually thinking but now, she was thinking harder.
"Earliest eukaryotes! Hm.. It does make sense that they'd organize themselves into such a stable structure.. The oceans are environments with less general evolutionary pressure.. I think? They're buffered from glaciation periods, at least.." She'd forgotten all the rest of the possible proof that might not have existed. "Sharks too.." Wait, was that related? No.. probably not.
The one thing she was pretty sure she didn't know off the top of her head were species and epoch names. 'Porifera' seemed akin to a... Pokemon name, or a variety of Italian dish. Also, it seemed fun to let roll and drip off the tongue. Pori-fera, po-rifera...
"Eukaryotes emerged.. um, 1.3 million years ago. If I'm remembering right..! It's interesting that they evolved many of the, uh.. features of life while being evolutionarily separate. Do you know what the specific differences in their nervous systems are? Sounds like something a team somewhere in UCLA or MIT would have picked apart."
Also, Michael was totally right. Rainbow colors! Bio-luminescence. Beryl was distracted, though.
What was so interesting about that spot on the ground Michael was staring at? She scrutinized it softly and forgivingly.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
Hmmm...
Hmmmmmm....
Michael looked back up at Beryl. Oh boy, this was a chance for Michael to feel good about himself. Beryl got animals and Eukaryotes mixed up. He was gonna school her with his i n t e n s e marine biology skillz, yo.
"Wait a sec..." He paused. "Did you say they were some of the first Eukaryotes? 'Cus they weren't. They were probably some of the first animals, but not Eukaryotes. The first Eukaryotes were probably..."
By now he'd already forgotten about the question Beryl'd asked him about ctenophore neurons.
"..like, cyanobacteria. Y'know, algae. And it's up for debate when exactly the first Eukaryotes popped up. I've seen it proposed anywhere from like, 3 billion to what you said."
Okay, so now that he ensured Beryl knew she was wrong and Michael was right, now what could he say?
"You mentioned something about sharks? Fun fact! Sharks are really fucking old! The first known shark lived around around like, 430 million-ish years ago. That's before land vertebrates!"
Now was the time when whoever he was talking to was all like "wow jeez michael you sure do know about dead fish" which was great because they ignored the fact that all this information was completely useless unless you worked in a very specific field — a field that would take like another fucking decade of school to get into. Another decade of menial busywork just so he could look at rocks. Fucking rocks.
Aw heck, now he was starting to feel shitty.
He turned his head towards one of the ctenophore tanks, avoiding making eye-contact with Beryl.
"My bad..."
He didn't know why he was apologizing.
Hmmmmmm....
Michael looked back up at Beryl. Oh boy, this was a chance for Michael to feel good about himself. Beryl got animals and Eukaryotes mixed up. He was gonna school her with his i n t e n s e marine biology skillz, yo.
"Wait a sec..." He paused. "Did you say they were some of the first Eukaryotes? 'Cus they weren't. They were probably some of the first animals, but not Eukaryotes. The first Eukaryotes were probably..."
By now he'd already forgotten about the question Beryl'd asked him about ctenophore neurons.
"..like, cyanobacteria. Y'know, algae. And it's up for debate when exactly the first Eukaryotes popped up. I've seen it proposed anywhere from like, 3 billion to what you said."
Okay, so now that he ensured Beryl knew she was wrong and Michael was right, now what could he say?
"You mentioned something about sharks? Fun fact! Sharks are really fucking old! The first known shark lived around around like, 430 million-ish years ago. That's before land vertebrates!"
Now was the time when whoever he was talking to was all like "wow jeez michael you sure do know about dead fish" which was great because they ignored the fact that all this information was completely useless unless you worked in a very specific field — a field that would take like another fucking decade of school to get into. Another decade of menial busywork just so he could look at rocks. Fucking rocks.
Aw heck, now he was starting to feel shitty.
He turned his head towards one of the ctenophore tanks, avoiding making eye-contact with Beryl.
"My bad..."
He didn't know why he was apologizing.
destroy the UN08/03/2019
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Oooohhh...
Okay!
Well actually, Beryl wasn't entirely sure that either of them were right. They both sounded equally convinced. Maybe Michael sounded more smug, sure of himself. That probably counted for something! Confidence bred correctness, believe and thou shalt receive, Law of Attraction... at least, in one particular interpretation of the meta of reality itself!
Beryl wasn't particularly sure. When did Eukaryotes emerge? Some amount of billions of years ago, with a nebulous range. Either of them could have cited their sources with a perusal of their phones, but, huh.. that didn't seem fun to Beryl. The spice of life was.. well, pungency, but more importantly it was plausible ambiguity! Why define something when it didn't need to be defined?
"You're right! I misspoke, though I also stand by what I said." See? Plausible ambiguity. It worked if Beryl imagined that the truth mattered less than the beauty of the varied interpretations, formless and overlapping, themselves.
.. Hm. The mood had changed, seemingly. Beryl slowly floated into Michael's field of vision, with an accidentally on-purpose drift of her form. She felt like a ctenophore herself, adrift on a current unknown to even herself, the mechanations of her mind that were making her move were a black box she refused to open.
" 'Your good', you mean! .. There isn't much bad, to be had, between the two of us, I think."
Okay!
Well actually, Beryl wasn't entirely sure that either of them were right. They both sounded equally convinced. Maybe Michael sounded more smug, sure of himself. That probably counted for something! Confidence bred correctness, believe and thou shalt receive, Law of Attraction... at least, in one particular interpretation of the meta of reality itself!
Beryl wasn't particularly sure. When did Eukaryotes emerge? Some amount of billions of years ago, with a nebulous range. Either of them could have cited their sources with a perusal of their phones, but, huh.. that didn't seem fun to Beryl. The spice of life was.. well, pungency, but more importantly it was plausible ambiguity! Why define something when it didn't need to be defined?
"You're right! I misspoke, though I also stand by what I said." See? Plausible ambiguity. It worked if Beryl imagined that the truth mattered less than the beauty of the varied interpretations, formless and overlapping, themselves.
.. Hm. The mood had changed, seemingly. Beryl slowly floated into Michael's field of vision, with an accidentally on-purpose drift of her form. She felt like a ctenophore herself, adrift on a current unknown to even herself, the mechanations of her mind that were making her move were a black box she refused to open.
" 'Your good', you mean! .. There isn't much bad, to be had, between the two of us, I think."
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
God, why did he always have to get sad whenever he felt happy? Why did his brain always malfunction like this? Why wasn't he allowed to feel good about anything?
Sadly, Michael looked at a ctenophore. It was so emotionally vacant. such an emotionally vacant ctenophore... like him... he only waned a normal life... was that too much to ask? was it?
He could feel the tight, dull pain in the back of his throat that reared its head whenever he got close to crying. There were tears welling up in his eyes. He held them back because it would be weird to be seen crying in an aquarium; people might assume that he had some severe mental issues.
Oh right. He did have those.
He honestly didn't know why he felt so shitty all of a sudden. Well okay, he did know — but he told himself that he didn't know so he wouldn't have to deal with it. Beryl was just...a force of like, pure wholesomeness and good intentions. Being a conceited dick to her was like being a dick to a puppy. It was just a shitty thing to do.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see her; seemingly imitating one of the little planktonic organisms that had drawn the two of them to this dark little room.
" 'Your good', you mean! .. There isn't much bad, to be had, between the two of us, I think."
Michael felt the ache in his throat grow. He looked up to Beryl, giving her a weak smile while tears began to freely flow down his face. He always tried keep his emotions locked up inside, but the moment anyone confronted him about them inevitably broke him.
"I-I just...fuck..." He lifted his hand up to the bridge of his nose and pinched it — a nervous tic of his. "...what the fuck is wrong with me, Beryl?"
Sadly, Michael looked at a ctenophore. It was so emotionally vacant. such an emotionally vacant ctenophore... like him... he only waned a normal life... was that too much to ask? was it?
He could feel the tight, dull pain in the back of his throat that reared its head whenever he got close to crying. There were tears welling up in his eyes. He held them back because it would be weird to be seen crying in an aquarium; people might assume that he had some severe mental issues.
Oh right. He did have those.
He honestly didn't know why he felt so shitty all of a sudden. Well okay, he did know — but he told himself that he didn't know so he wouldn't have to deal with it. Beryl was just...a force of like, pure wholesomeness and good intentions. Being a conceited dick to her was like being a dick to a puppy. It was just a shitty thing to do.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see her; seemingly imitating one of the little planktonic organisms that had drawn the two of them to this dark little room.
" 'Your good', you mean! .. There isn't much bad, to be had, between the two of us, I think."
Michael felt the ache in his throat grow. He looked up to Beryl, giving her a weak smile while tears began to freely flow down his face. He always tried keep his emotions locked up inside, but the moment anyone confronted him about them inevitably broke him.
"I-I just...fuck..." He lifted his hand up to the bridge of his nose and pinched it — a nervous tic of his. "...what the fuck is wrong with me, Beryl?"
destroy the UN08/03/2019
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
The mind was an odd thing.. Like, hm, the thing about the brain was that it was a construct controlled by electrochemical gradients was a self-aware machine that could think about itself was a font of higher spirituality was a mysterious black box yet uncracked by the best in any field of inquiry was a construct controlled by electrochemical gradients was a [infinite remainder of the recursive stuff]. And those were only the obvious parts of the equation. Everything Michael, her little sine wave, was and wasn't was spilled out in front of her into a warped and skewed painting of flesh and human tones of color, knowable, but unclear. Beautiful but flawed. Beautifully flawed. Flawed-ly beautiful?
She hovered closer, the angles of ambient lighting cast over her from behind and nowhere, making her something of an odd smear and blur of motion.
Tears went nowhere on his face. She considered that they went everywhere, like a force, a sign that could project up to the horizon where one could make out the detail of the bridge of Michael's slightly crooked nose.
"Nothing at all," Beryl mused simply. "That's what I think.. if that means anything to you."
It was hard to tell for sure.
The impulse was to hug, but it was one option of too many. Beryl was oddly sorry that she couldn't. She almost felt too tall standing beside Michael, lingering with no purpose and little presence. She was still sorry that she couldn't, vaguely more sorry that she did anyways. Hand hug. Her fingertips gently rested on the knuckles of his raised hand. Almost not there anyways.
"I don't know what wrong means.."
She hovered closer, the angles of ambient lighting cast over her from behind and nowhere, making her something of an odd smear and blur of motion.
Tears went nowhere on his face. She considered that they went everywhere, like a force, a sign that could project up to the horizon where one could make out the detail of the bridge of Michael's slightly crooked nose.
"Nothing at all," Beryl mused simply. "That's what I think.. if that means anything to you."
It was hard to tell for sure.
The impulse was to hug, but it was one option of too many. Beryl was oddly sorry that she couldn't. She almost felt too tall standing beside Michael, lingering with no purpose and little presence. She was still sorry that she couldn't, vaguely more sorry that she did anyways. Hand hug. Her fingertips gently rested on the knuckles of his raised hand. Almost not there anyways.
"I don't know what wrong means.."
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
"Nothing at all, that's what I think.. if that means anything to you."
It did. It meant a lot.
Michael felt something against his hand. He reflexively tensed up but relaxed when he realized what he was feeling was Beryl. It felt weird, almost wrong even, her hand pressing against his; like that this—actual physical contact with another human—was something completely foreign to him. He could feel the warmth of her hand—the little oscillating particles in her hand—against his, and it told him that Beryl was real. She was real and so was he and so was everything else. Michael wasn't just some intangible observer floating around the universe. He was real. It helped him feel just a little bit better.
"I don't know what wrong means.."
Oh...
He'd forgotten that Beryl was a postmodernist philosopher's wet dream. Oh well, the tears were beginning to abate, so that was good. He sniffed, nose still runny from crying. Beryl's hand was still on his.
"What's...What's correct, then? I mean, to you..."
He needed to crack Beryl's mind open; find out what made her tick, find out what made her live in this state of perpetual bliss.
It did. It meant a lot.
Michael felt something against his hand. He reflexively tensed up but relaxed when he realized what he was feeling was Beryl. It felt weird, almost wrong even, her hand pressing against his; like that this—actual physical contact with another human—was something completely foreign to him. He could feel the warmth of her hand—the little oscillating particles in her hand—against his, and it told him that Beryl was real. She was real and so was he and so was everything else. Michael wasn't just some intangible observer floating around the universe. He was real. It helped him feel just a little bit better.
"I don't know what wrong means.."
Oh...
He'd forgotten that Beryl was a postmodernist philosopher's wet dream. Oh well, the tears were beginning to abate, so that was good. He sniffed, nose still runny from crying. Beryl's hand was still on his.
"What's...What's correct, then? I mean, to you..."
He needed to crack Beryl's mind open; find out what made her tick, find out what made her live in this state of perpetual bliss.
destroy the UN08/03/2019
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Beryl and Michael united like a.. what was a good metaphor? Like... like a..
Proton and a proton. Unwilling to come together by some forces, inextricably linked by yet others. Positive and positive, both the determinants of something pointlessly greater than themselves.
.. The metaphor didn't mean anything itself, and she loved it.
Loved him, in the loosest yet most poignant of definitions.
What was it she'd said? Wrong? What did wrong mean? Disprovable by fact, but Beryl had never claimed to know such things as facts, not even when she'd written grandiose reports gilded by the scientific method.
She observed. Michael's tears were beginning to weaken in intensity. It was an environmental trigger that drove her hand a bit forward, until the softest edge of a caress blunted by his own bones began to pollute the gaps between his fingers.
"That nothing is correct.. and that anything and everything could be, could be.. um, beautiful. Interesting. Fun..?"
Even her question marks sounded ambiguous.
She remembered something concrete. Yes, she had been trying to comfort Michael, but she didn't seem to remember how or why. Not why as in, 'why' comfort a crying boy, because that was at least seemingly self-explanatory, but she didn't know 'why' her or 'why' she allowed the compulsion to empathy to matter to her. This time, like all other times in living memory.
Her living memory shifted as she tried to thresh meaning from the colored bands on her fingers beginning to squish against Michael's skin. She was tired, she knew that much. She probably should have been asleep and contentedly dreaming sometime yesterday, continuing for some indeterminate infinity.
Proton and a proton. Unwilling to come together by some forces, inextricably linked by yet others. Positive and positive, both the determinants of something pointlessly greater than themselves.
.. The metaphor didn't mean anything itself, and she loved it.
Loved him, in the loosest yet most poignant of definitions.
What was it she'd said? Wrong? What did wrong mean? Disprovable by fact, but Beryl had never claimed to know such things as facts, not even when she'd written grandiose reports gilded by the scientific method.
She observed. Michael's tears were beginning to weaken in intensity. It was an environmental trigger that drove her hand a bit forward, until the softest edge of a caress blunted by his own bones began to pollute the gaps between his fingers.
"That nothing is correct.. and that anything and everything could be, could be.. um, beautiful. Interesting. Fun..?"
Even her question marks sounded ambiguous.
She remembered something concrete. Yes, she had been trying to comfort Michael, but she didn't seem to remember how or why. Not why as in, 'why' comfort a crying boy, because that was at least seemingly self-explanatory, but she didn't know 'why' her or 'why' she allowed the compulsion to empathy to matter to her. This time, like all other times in living memory.
Her living memory shifted as she tried to thresh meaning from the colored bands on her fingers beginning to squish against Michael's skin. She was tired, she knew that much. She probably should have been asleep and contentedly dreaming sometime yesterday, continuing for some indeterminate infinity.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
"That's a good way of thinking about it, I guess..."
Michael closed his eyes and sighed. What he wouldn't give to see the world through Beryl's eyes — to see the world in Beryl's uniquely alien way. There was something both alluring and offputting about it.
He could feel the weird silly-band things she kept around her fingers rubbing against his hand. It was sorta like a hand massage.
This was pretty goddamned awkward, huh? Like, if Michael were a third-party observer, he'd probably assume that like, they were on some hardcore drugs, It was even weirder now that he thought about it — this was happening in an aquarium, of all places.
He opened his eyes.
"What the fuck are we doing?" he whispered in a quiet, rushed tone.
Michael closed his eyes and sighed. What he wouldn't give to see the world through Beryl's eyes — to see the world in Beryl's uniquely alien way. There was something both alluring and offputting about it.
He could feel the weird silly-band things she kept around her fingers rubbing against his hand. It was sorta like a hand massage.
This was pretty goddamned awkward, huh? Like, if Michael were a third-party observer, he'd probably assume that like, they were on some hardcore drugs, It was even weirder now that he thought about it — this was happening in an aquarium, of all places.
He opened his eyes.
"What the fuck are we doing?" he whispered in a quiet, rushed tone.
destroy the UN08/03/2019
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
... Hm?
Beryl felt a weird moment of a smile. The ghost of happiness spread over her teeth like the mint of toothpaste.. Interesting, but. It was lost in the moment. She'd resisted the impulse to let her lips tug up and out and openly into... an emotion, of some sort. Into 'happiness' or 'ruefulness' or 'regret' but she wasn't exactly sure..?
She exchanged an even look with him, his eyes reflecting in hers. Just the eyes, actually. Nothing else. Because the smile Beryl felt wasn't actually there, and she was just staring, actively vacant, the rest of her face pleasantly inert.
As usual!
"If you're done with it, that's okay."
She spoke slow, sweetly drawling, unhurried as ever.
"But I think it's fun..! .. Whatever it is we're actually doing.. I don't know."
Her hand atop Michael's actually only happened to be close to another's hand, but in reality it was just there in space and time, alone and itself. The pressure she exerted outward, with flesh-to-flesh contact, would easily be erased by a mere rejection.
She was still, silent, drinking in the moment. Because whatever she did, when the probabilities collapsed, when Michael responded, whether he emoted or escaped or whatever else, she'd still be there... Merely there, merely existing.
As usual.
Beryl felt a weird moment of a smile. The ghost of happiness spread over her teeth like the mint of toothpaste.. Interesting, but. It was lost in the moment. She'd resisted the impulse to let her lips tug up and out and openly into... an emotion, of some sort. Into 'happiness' or 'ruefulness' or 'regret' but she wasn't exactly sure..?
She exchanged an even look with him, his eyes reflecting in hers. Just the eyes, actually. Nothing else. Because the smile Beryl felt wasn't actually there, and she was just staring, actively vacant, the rest of her face pleasantly inert.
As usual!
"If you're done with it, that's okay."
She spoke slow, sweetly drawling, unhurried as ever.
"But I think it's fun..! .. Whatever it is we're actually doing.. I don't know."
Her hand atop Michael's actually only happened to be close to another's hand, but in reality it was just there in space and time, alone and itself. The pressure she exerted outward, with flesh-to-flesh contact, would easily be erased by a mere rejection.
She was still, silent, drinking in the moment. Because whatever she did, when the probabilities collapsed, when Michael responded, whether he emoted or escaped or whatever else, she'd still be there... Merely there, merely existing.
As usual.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
"I...I don't know either." Michael softly muttered.
Well at least there wasn't anyone else in the room right now. Nobody to be staring at them, complaining about the youth of today or millennials or whatever pejorative term for young people was gaining traction among destitute senior citizens with nothing to do but complain and die. Oh hey, that was usually all he had to do too!
Whatever.
"It's okay. Whenever you're ready, I guess..."
It was like now instead of being trapped in a Seth Rogen flick, Michael was in some weird-ass arthouse flick directed by some pretentious dickhead art student who thought they had all the answers and the only way to express them was through—well, this. Whatever "this" was.
That didn't mean it was a bad thing, though.
This...this felt nice. Standing here in a room full of ctenophores, with his hand on his face and Beryl's hand on his hand on his face—it was all pretty okay.
It was all okay.
Well at least there wasn't anyone else in the room right now. Nobody to be staring at them, complaining about the youth of today or millennials or whatever pejorative term for young people was gaining traction among destitute senior citizens with nothing to do but complain and die. Oh hey, that was usually all he had to do too!
Whatever.
"It's okay. Whenever you're ready, I guess..."
It was like now instead of being trapped in a Seth Rogen flick, Michael was in some weird-ass arthouse flick directed by some pretentious dickhead art student who thought they had all the answers and the only way to express them was through—well, this. Whatever "this" was.
That didn't mean it was a bad thing, though.
This...this felt nice. Standing here in a room full of ctenophores, with his hand on his face and Beryl's hand on his hand on his face—it was all pretty okay.
It was all okay.
destroy the UN08/03/2019
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
"I'm glad you don't know."
A soft, stoic giggle melted into ".. I'm glad you think it's okay." The statements seemed to contradict.
Beryl's hand began to lift away, with agonized slowness. The vague warmth of her presence peeled, receded. She knew that their eyes had already adjusted, adaptive, to the dearth of light that had enveloped them both. She could make out features, but not so much colors. Colors fleshed out a scene with the colors of flesh, and she found herself wanting for those colors. For example, organic pink. Pink meant different things and different emotions in certain locations in time and space.
Pink meant something when it crept up her cheeks. But that, of course, was a detail lost on Michael. Though Beryl was perhaps unfairly discounting the possibility that Michael had evolved eyes with superior function that could better wrangle cute little energetic photons out of their meandering about existence.
Beryl's colorless silhouette melted away.
((Beryl Mahelona continued not elsewhere))
She drifted a bit past him, but she promptly forgot the idea of abandoning Michael entirely. Actually forgot, her short-term memory vibrating like popcorns as mostly impractical ideas blossomed infinitely.
"If.. I did actually invite you to a party, would you go?"
Her tone perked up a bit, suddenly. A literally cheeky smirk- lines creasing her face- was heard by the syllable:
"And! Assume it is a completely normal party, within your parameters of normal."
A soft, stoic giggle melted into ".. I'm glad you think it's okay." The statements seemed to contradict.
Beryl's hand began to lift away, with agonized slowness. The vague warmth of her presence peeled, receded. She knew that their eyes had already adjusted, adaptive, to the dearth of light that had enveloped them both. She could make out features, but not so much colors. Colors fleshed out a scene with the colors of flesh, and she found herself wanting for those colors. For example, organic pink. Pink meant different things and different emotions in certain locations in time and space.
Pink meant something when it crept up her cheeks. But that, of course, was a detail lost on Michael. Though Beryl was perhaps unfairly discounting the possibility that Michael had evolved eyes with superior function that could better wrangle cute little energetic photons out of their meandering about existence.
Beryl's colorless silhouette melted away.
((Beryl Mahelona continued not elsewhere))
She drifted a bit past him, but she promptly forgot the idea of abandoning Michael entirely. Actually forgot, her short-term memory vibrating like popcorns as mostly impractical ideas blossomed infinitely.
"If.. I did actually invite you to a party, would you go?"
Her tone perked up a bit, suddenly. A literally cheeky smirk- lines creasing her face- was heard by the syllable:
"And! Assume it is a completely normal party, within your parameters of normal."
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
And then Beryl floated away. Well that was nice, he gues—oh wait never mind, she was still here.
Well okay then.
Michael's eyes widened. Wow, a non-hypothetical party!? Normal as defined by his parameters!? !!!!!!!!!!!
"Yeah, probably, I guess."
He really meant yes, but whenever he had to answer a question his response was inevitably waffle-y and non-commital
Well okay then.
Michael's eyes widened. Wow, a non-hypothetical party!? Normal as defined by his parameters!? !!!!!!!!!!!
"Yeah, probably, I guess."
He really meant yes, but whenever he had to answer a question his response was inevitably waffle-y and non-commital
destroy the UN08/03/2019
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
Micheal experienced super position wherein he was both Beryl and he was Beryl's RP site quote. He was sure he could be happy about this but he no longer knew what happiness meant.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes: