viiru2alert | pokégear

[ Okay, so Sollux clearly isn't going to bring it up first and it's been eight days of radio silence.

He wins the stubbornness war. ]

hi

[ ...but she's still going to be a little cautious about testing the waters, sort of. ]

[nooooOOOOOOOOOO nope he's not going to do this right now. He's totally entitled to ignore Pokégear messages if he wants to, it's a free country (he's pretty sure) and even if it isn't, this Pokégear is still HIS and he can be as irresponsible as he wants with it. There is literally no way he's going to talk to Aradia right now. None! None at all!!!]

[Twenty minutes later:]

hii.

[ Her response only takes a few seconds. Not that she was checking her gear constantly or anything, not at all.

Except she kind of was. Although the next part will probably not help with his mental state at all. ]

i think maybe we should talk
but i wasnt sure how you would prefer to do so
or if you were willing to talk to me yet
although even if youre not were going to talk
because its been over eight days
and i was willing to wait but
in the interest of full disclosure
karkat contacted me the other day

[He went too long.]

[No. He didn't.]

oh fuck.

calm down!
do you want to talk about this in text
or video or voice
or in person

ill give you that choice because i do have things to say to you

let2 go wiith viideo.

[ Okay, this reply takes a little longer, since she honestly expected him to say text. Give her a few seconds to compose herself before flicking on the film - the backdrop is just the inn, obviously the girl's room, where she's presumably rooming with Jane currently, although she's alone.

...How to start. ] Hi.

[ She already said that. well, typed it. Aradia hooks her hair behind her ears, fidgeting to buy another second, before taking a breath. ]

Um, first off. I wanted to say - I don't put up with you. I never have! You aren't someone i have to put up with - I mean yes sometimes you're a jerk and you can be ridiculous, and sometimes it can be hard to get along...but that's true of all friendships, Sollux, and we've known each other for sweeps.

Nothing is ever painless and easy and simple, and that's okay. Because when you care about people, working with them isn't a hardship, or at least it's one that means something.

And Karkat's right. You have lots of people who will help you. I'll always, always help you when you need it, even if you don't ask - you know that, right? I mean, regardless of...anything, you're one of my best friends. You're not alone.

[Well, if this had happened a little earlier he would have gone for text, yes. But he's already demonstrated that he can flip his shit in all kinds of ways no matter what the format, so might as well make it so that he doesn't have to type on this shitty-ass baby keyboard.]

I know. I know.

[A+ starter, Captor.]

...Thanks, AA. I know I'm a lot to handle most times, and kind of a grub even when I'm not. I... you've really sloughed through a lot for me, and... I really apprethiate-- appreciate it. I do.

So I guess I'm just going to take this opportunity to... apologize. For being a dick to you lately, way patht the point of reathonable forgiveneth, jutht becauthe... I don't know what I'm doing. And, uh, for letting you know about all this through... KK. That mutht have been a terrible conversation. [Weak laughter. He's trying so hard to control his lisp, Aradia, so hard.]

[ She was waiting to see if he would do it on his own, okay.

And. He's not the only one who doesn't normally do feelings talks, okay. This is the girl who spent most of her younger years live action roleplaying with her stuttering bff.

Troll Indiana Jones never had these sorts of problems! ]

It's okay. I mean, I'm not mad. [ She had been mad, a while ago, but that had burned out. ] And it...wasn't the worst. I mean, Karkat's more bark than bite, isn't he?

And he's pretty smart, you know. I didn't give you an answer. And it even comes with a chat symbol? [ Why is she bringing up what started all of this, although this time it has a nervous laugh of her own; she doesn't even mention the lisping, since she's never minded it. ]

...You're not? [That caught him by surprise. He was expecting her to just turn around on him at any minute, because let's be honest, he deserved it. Everyone he knew could stay angry for eight consecutive days... well, almost everyone.]

[Still, at the second part of her statement, he just looked at her kind of funny.] I don't know what you mean. [Completely genuine.]

Nope. I was mad the first day, but after that I was just... [ Worried? Disappointed? Upset? Well, a lot of things, but she hadn't been holding a grudge, not at all. ] ...Well, I'm not mad.

[ ...Well, she hadn't exactly been the clearest she could be there.

Although given what they were talking about - Aradia's clearly trying to figure out how to explain - but no, she can absolutely do this! She's been alive and dead and everything inbetween, and this isn't scary at all, and she's not at all worried that they're going to keep on not talking, which she didn't mention to anyone at all ever, nope.

And if she is, she can pretend she isn't long enough to take a breath and flip back to text without warning for a second to send a single solitary message. ]

<3

[ why did he choose video. regardless, she's back to that, trying to keep a perfectly calm expression in place. she's had practice. ]

Um. So, I think that's it? Pretty much. So I'll let you get back to... [ ...Sulking? ] ...things, and...I'll go back to what I was doing. Which was research? I have a study buddy now! Which is a thing that's a thing, I guess!

[ARADIA]

[ARADIA MEGIDO]

[FUCK YOU except not really, but he's been caught off-guard in the kind of way that usually makes him want to glare and tell the other person to go pail themselves, so whatever. Really, what's going on is, he's confused. What even is happening here? Is she serious? Or is this just some other way to fuck around with him? Karkat couldn't have actually been right, could he? These questions and more (or less, depending on how you looked at it) kicked around in Sollux's mind, rendering him only half-able to register what Aradia was even saying. But hey, look on the bright side: he couldn't notice the cracks in her expression.]

Yeah, uh, I mean, if you've got research to do, go and. Get back to that. [He makes a little wavey hand movement to encourage her further to do such.] We can... talk about this later?

[FUCK.]

[ She doesn't actually have research to do - well, she can definitely find some but she'll probably really just end up sitting in her room and maybe watching Timegate Traveler or something ridiculous in the dark. She still hasn't made it the entire way through that series, after all! That counts as productive!

No, it doesn't. ] Um, yeah! I mean, we can talk about it...whenever you want to. Now that we're all...sorted out and such?

[ This isn't awkward at all. ] Just, uh, let me know I guess! [ ...Oh wait, she does have one other thing to say. ] Karkat's coming out, by the way. For the con? And he said he might stay for the, you know, twenty second. Heads up!

[Yeah, that totally counts as being productive, Aradia. You really know how to kick your mind into gear. Another reason why you could totally do better than this freeloading jerk.] There's a lot going on right now, we should be working on all that instead of... [He tries and fails to think of some accurate and appropriately vulgar way to describe the mess.] ...uh, this.

[Oh, look, a new topic! CONVENIENCE.] I guess you're going to invite him and VS into the travel mob too, huh?

[ That completely startles her. ] Oh god no. Karkat's basically black for Johto, as far as I can tell. And he's working on Kanto badges.

That's true. [There's a minuscule bit of amusement crawling back into his tone.] But for all I know, you could go for it anyway.

Giving Karkat reasons to scold just sounds like a bad idea, Sollux! It happens enough without trying, you know?

I'm really not sure what's happening with our group, anyway. I'm reasonably certain Dave and Terezi aren't sticking around, but I don't know what...

[ Jane and Dirk will do when Jake sorts things out. HAND GESTURES. ] ...Humans are confusing, let's leave it at that!

Accurate, humans are confusing. And we're pretty confusing by association. [He holds up one of his hands to the camera, glaring at the icky pinkness of it.]

...I should stop dicking around, you've got work to do.

Well, the people I talk to the most are getting...kinda less confused? Ish? And I think there are some other non-humans who are at least as confused or confusing.

[ Oh. Right. That. ] Oh - right. Yes. I do! Absolutely.

But I don't mind talking to you whenever, you know.

Still, it's a bit of a mood-ruiner when your identity gets all fucked up by alien biology. [Maybe he's just the only one still bitter about it. That's the most likely explanation, actually. Shrug.]

...Yeah, I know. Thanks.

Sorry again for all this.

I miss being me, but...well, it's not the worst thing I've ever been, so I can't say I mind!

It's okay, Sollux. I'm just glad we're talking again! I missed that. So...I'll talk to you later!

pokégear

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