o5 . bone house mingle!

[necrolord]

Who: necrolord and CR!
What: Several teens move into the horrible necromancy mansion, and sometimes they bring their friends.
When: Early March.
Where: Bone House in Gaze.

Content Warnings: Skeletons, discussions of death and grief, violence where marked, vomit where marked. Note all the usual warnings of this character.

Comments

[peripheries]

Oh. I see. Joking is a way humans bond, right?

[Instead he'll just sneeze into his hand instead. Gross! There's definitely a wet sniffle there before he huffs.]

It isn't fair! If we've endured this, we deserve better from the universe!

[lipochrome]

Yeah. Jokes are good for all kinds of situations. Cheering people up, getting them to like you, that sort of thing. If you're really good at jokes, it can help people think you're hot.

[ ew! Gideon passes Kaworu a crumpled-up tissue, and then lifts up Shinji-kun and sets him on her belly. Good lizard. ]

Right? What the fuck, universe?

[ It's safer to complain like this, when it's half a joke. When she's not really asking for better. ]

[peripheries]

[He takes the tissue and wipes his nose and his hand before scooting closer to her and Shinji-kun so he can pet the best lizard in the entire world.]

...How do you get really good at jokes? Do you practice? What is a good joke?

[Petting Shinji, thoughtfully.]

I never really expected to end up in a place like this. To still... be.

[lipochrome]

I do practice, actually. When I was a kid, I used to write jokes down that I thought were funny, and then I'd practice them so I could tell them really good later. A sense of humor's like muscle, you can build it if you keep practicing.

[ It's all well and good to talk about jokes, but when Kaworu says he never expected to still be... Well, that strikes a nerve, one Gideon didn't even was vulnerable.

Softer: ] Yeah. Me neither.

[ but that's depressing as hell, so she follows it up with: ]

You wanna hear another joke?

[peripheries]

I'm glad you are.

[He says easily, without thought about how it's a weighty thing to say. He's glad because he likes Gideon. She's funny and strong and tends to Shinji-kun better than most people.

Also she suffers allergies like him which is a misery no one else in this house understands.

He leans forward, eagerly.]

Yes. I want to tell good jokes so people think I'm hot.

[lipochrome]

[ Kaworu might find that easy to say, but it still takes Gideon by surprise. People don't usually tell Gideon they're glad she's around, save for a few exceptions. (She does not think about Paul telling her things would be different here, and does not think about what different might look like.) ]

Oh - thanks? I'm glad you are, too.

[ Gideon is surprised to find that she means it.

Thankfully, Kaworu wants to hear a joke. Those are so much easier to talk about! ]

Right on, dude. Okay, here's one called a pun. Puns are always funny.

Do you know why skeletons are always so calm?

[peripheries]

[He smiles at her when she says that. It's good, he thinks, when two people are glad for each other's existence. So many humans (and himself) spend so much time wondering if their lives have value to others, that it's something that should bring relief.

He leans closer.]

Why? Because they're dead and have no emotions?

[lipochrome]

I mean - yeah? Like in real life, yeah, that's why. But if I just told you a real-life fact, it wouldn't be a funny joke. [ Gideon pauses, thinking. ] Unless you're from the Sixth, maybe.

It's because nothing gets under their skin.

[ Gideon waits for Kaworu to chuckle, at the very least, hoping that she won't have to explain this joke. It's pretty straightforward, she thinks. ]

HOW DID I MISS THIS DELIGHTFUL TAG

[peripheries]

[He blinks a few times and then opens his mouth to say something... and then it clicks. His confused expression morphs into a grin, clearly pleased with himself for catching it before he asked.]

Because they don't have any, right?

it's all good <3

[lipochrome]

[ Gideon claps Kaworu on the shoulder. Good job, dude! She then holds up Shinji-kun so that he can say congratulations to Kaworu as well. The lizard just kind of flops around. ]

Yeah, exactly. "Getting under their skin" has two meanings, one literal and one jokey, and that's why the pun is funny. Most puns work like that.

[peripheries]

[Well, Kaworu finds Shinji-kun's flopping around to be delightful and very supportive. He reaches out to give the lizard a good stroke on the head.

Shinji-kun remains rather motionless.]

I see. So it's a phrase that has two meanings. [He thinks about this. The biggest issue is probably his lack of life experience and only hearing of certain things second-hand.]

The phrases that humans come up with to mean other things are so curious. When I came back, Teacher said I was "under the weather" to mean that I was ill even though I hadn't gone outside.