same as it ever was

[toteninsel]

Who: Ariane Yeong + CR
What: A catchall
When: March-April
Where: Trench

Content Warnings: Marked in comment headers

Comments

for elster; high stakes

[toteninsel]

[ The Goat Turning has all the secretive air of the Itou bookstore back rooms, but none of the quiet. It's one of the noisiest places Ariane has ever been, as well as one of the most crowded. After thousands of cycles on that ship, the crowd is both exciting and overwhelming. At first, Ariane's favorite activity is to stick near Elster, pointing out outfits she thinks are a bit silly, or encouraging Elster to try a salty snack.

A little while (and a little drink) in, Ariane starts to relax a little, and maybe even get a little bolder. She gets up on tiptoe, in order to be close to Elster's ear, and whispers: ]

Do you want to play a game?

[ She's trying to be seductive, really, but the whole offer winds up being a bit goofy. Still, Ariane grins, proud of herself. ]

this IS my beautiful wife

[lstr]

[ it's reassuring, on some level, that ariane's as out of her depth as elster is. still, the whole experience is exciting. she actually coughs at one point from the unexpected heat of one snack, but finds it wasn't unpleasant. alcohol rations weren't exactly something the penrose had in high supply, and she finds that while a part of her remembers the feeling—a flash of a brown eye in the mirror—it's something of a novelty with how it interacts with her organic systems. if she feels anything as a result, pleasant haze aside, it's a slight awareness of the disconnect between her components.

ariane asking that question gets a fractional shiver, even as elster laughs quietly, turning her head slightly to speak into ariane's ear in return. ]

Did one catch your eye?

[toteninsel]

[ In the serials, being tipsy is sometimes described as floating. After thousands of cycles suspended in liquid, Ariane has to say she prefers this. It's even better to see Elster get to relax, temporarily unburdened by loss, or by the journey, or what it all means.

At Elster's question, Ariane nods eagerly. ]

Yes! They've got this one where you go fishing with cards, can you believe it? [ Ariane is definitely just talking about go fish. ] I think we should try that one out, now that we live by the sea.

[lstr]

[ she loves these moments where the two of them can just—be. as if they're normal people, out together for an evening, without the madness and burdens left behind them.

elster huffs a quiet laugh, lips brushing ariane's cheek. ]

Sounds interesting. You're right, we should give it a try.

[toteninsel]

[ Ariane blushes at the kiss, but only a little, because she's very cool, actually! She's totally a femme fatale with her velvet cocktail dress and refined card game. Just like the characters in her serials.

She leads Elster to a card table and starts dealing. ]

Okay. So you get five cards, and I get five cards, and the object of the game is to guess the cards the other has. Otherwise you have to draw one from the pile. And no bioresonance, I promise.

[ Ariane winks, for good measure. Very cool, very suave. ]

[lstr]

[ she settles into a seat across from ariane, taking up her cards and listening to the explanation, fiddling with a cufflink. the wink and the promise get a quiet laugh, fond eyes settling on the woman opposite her. ]

My only option's to trust you, I suppose. But I always do. [ she surveys her cards, curious. ]

Any threes? [ may as well start. ]

[toteninsel]

[ I always do makes Ariane's heart flutter a little, even now. After thousands of cycles, always takes on new meaning, and Ariane knows Elster always says what she means.

Ariane's hand contains a five, an ace, a two, and two sixes. She shakes her head no. ]

Nope. Go fish!

[ Oh, that's a very fun thing to say. Ariane's already having a blast. For good measure, she nudges Elster's leg under the table with her own. ]

Do you have any aces?