003✖; (audio @hot.damn)

[circumitus]

Important question: How do you tell if someone's your friend?

Is it something that people just... know or do they have a conversation about it?

[How does friendship work and more importantly, can you eat it?]

The whole concept of friendship always seemed strange, honestly. People just decide "Hey, this person isn't a complete piece of shit"? Weird. [Well, now she might just be projecting onto herself.

[So, wait. Does this mean that she has friends? Does anyone have friends? How annoying.]

Comments

[ragingnature]

[ She hadn't even thought about it being the latter. ]

I...think she was trying to make me think he was a terrible person that had kidnapped me or something? I really don't know.

[circumitus]

...

Would've probably thought that in your position, to be honest.

[And then try to kill him.

[Be glad you're not Rey?]

[ragingnature]

Well, it's not like I couldn't remember the night before. I remembered some of it so I was just really confused as to why it'd happened.

[ Good thing the gods are immortal? ]

[circumitus]

[...Oh she definitely would've tried to kill him if she was in Persephone's shoes.]

Since you're friends with the guy who put you in that situation... Am going to assume nothing bad happened, then?

[ragingnature]

Oh no. Nothing bad happened.

Hades, while a bit of a scoundrel, was a perfect gentleman. And, well, Eros did apologize for the whole thing.

[ And then added quietly, ] But his mama is still scary.

[circumitus]

H--?

[Greek gods. The lot of them. Right. Probably safe to assume Persephone is talking about who Rey thinks she's talking about. How do those stories go...?

[Never mind, then.]

Well. Doesn't sound so bad. Criminal negligence at worst, but if things worked out... [Le shrug.]

Have met people under some fucked up circumstances before too, so... am not one to talk, really.

[ragingnature]

[ She is absolutely talking about who Rey thinks she's talking about. At least, a version of Hades. ]

Yeah, it could have been worse.

[circumitus]

Like ending up in the back seat of someone who's more than "a bit" of a scoundrel. At least you got a friend out of it...?

[Rey doesn't know Persephone that well other than what little she knows about mythology, but she doesn't wish bad things to happen to people who don't deserve it -- especially when they've been duped into situations almost beyond their control.]

[ragingnature]

Y-yeah, that.

[circumitus]

[awk silence]

Well, um. Thanks for the response, anyway. Will try to keep that shit in mind.

[Good god she's abysmal at this.]

[ragingnature]

[ She's not always the best at recognizing danger so looking back on it she realizes how bad things could have gone. ]

Sorry I couldn't be too much help.

[circumitus]

No worries... Feel kind of stupid for having to ask about this shit.

[Such is the case when you were made to be a weapon, not a social companion.]

[ragingnature]

You aren't stupid. I mean, I've learned that some of us just don't experience things at the same rate as others. It doesn't hurt to ask for help to get a better perspective on that kind of stuff.

[ Laughable coming from the woman who is terrible at asking for help when she needs it. ]

[circumitus]

Fair. You'd think living after living so long that that shit should just be obvious, but -- of course, was never equipped with proper team playing or social skills. Guess those weren't considered "necessary".

[One of her past selves at least tried to connect with others and... failed miserably. Big surprise, she didn't last long in that life.]

[ragingnature]

At least you have a chance to learn them now?

[circumitus]

Sure, if that learning process involves intense exposure therapy. Minus the therapy part.

[ragingnature]

[ There's a soft laugh. ]

If that's what it takes.

[circumitus]

And if it does more harm than good?

Took a long time to be considered... "safe" among society like this.

[ragingnature]

Harm to them or harm to yourself?

[ It'd probably be a surprise to others if she said she understood. It's something she's been working on, though. ]

[circumitus]

...

Yes.

[Rey that wasn't a yes/no question stop it.]

[ragingnature]

Um, so both?

[circumitus]

[There's a sound of a thunk, like a head slamming on a hard surface of some kind.]

...Yes, both.

[ragingnature]

I guess I understand that...

The way I see it, the only way you'll know how things will turn out is if you try. Maybe it's scary at first and you'll run away. Maybe you'll hurt them or it'll hurt you -- and I don't mean that physically although I suppose that is always a possibility...

[circumitus]

Old fashioned sink-or-swim approach, huh?

[ragingnature]

I wouldn't say to toss yourself into the deep end, that's bound to not go well. Try to ease yourself into the idea of actual friendships.