video;

[cons]

[ when Wichita's video cuts on, it's clearly recording from somewhere on the bar, what with the wall of bottles behind her and the lights and the music going on in the background. her mask is off ( but nearby ), because she can't wear her fox face while also wearing her bartending sombrero because of the ears and- well, you understand. but she's got both hands on the bar, not because she needs to hold herself up, but because she wants to be leaning like this. damnit. ]

I'm bored, and this bar is pathetically empty, so here's what we're gonna do.

We're all gonna stop going out into the doomy unknown, and stop getting our asses kicked, and stop worrying about the next big Stupid Thing to ruin our lives- [ lol spoiler: her mask is already ruining her life, what with her paranoia skyrocketing and the recent seeing zombies thing. hence the whole practically living at the bar development. ] - and you're all going to come here, come hang out, have a few drinks, and freaking relax for a while. Alright? That's the plan. That's our next thing.

And it starts right now.

Get your asses down here and order a drink. Dance a little. Meet somebody new, make some stupid decisions that result in good times instead of space horror blahblah. Maybe have some fun, for once. Just an idea!

Unless you're like, under sixteen. Then your order is automatically a space Cola. Which tastes nothing like Coke or Pepsi. Sorry.


[ ooc: open for network posting or action spam. I was going to put up a separate log, but this is easier and less spammy. <3 ]

Comments

action;

[cons]

There's a difference between doing what it takes to get answers, and getting yourself completely messed up for nothing.

[ someone's bitter about Neal, still. :c

but that's easy to skip right over once he brings up Brendan. oh boy. ]

Did he? Huh. [ juuust going to take a long sip of her drink now. ] Well, he would know.

action;

[learnedtosmile]

I agree, there have been a lot of pointless risks and rash decisions being made lately.

[He'll back you on that one, Wichita.

But yeah, he's definitely got a bone to pick about Brendan.]

He's pretty broken up about it. I'm sure you have your reasons, but you two seemed pretty happy with each other, so I'm just a little concerned, is all. If you want to talk, I'll listen.

action;

[cons]

If you were getting laid regularly, you'd seem pretty happy too. It was as simple as that. [ she wasn't exactly expecting this kinda talk from John, but it's easy enough to throw up the easy, deflective reasons. ] Was being the key word there. Things stopped being simple, so I ended it. I mean, I feel bad - [ no, she hates it. ] - but I told him from the start I wasn't looking to be anyone's girlfriend.

action;

[learnedtosmile]

[Blake frowns at her, feeling like neither of them is giving him the whole story.]

You only just noticed you meant more to him than sex? [He's not believing that for a second. As far as that goes, Brendan was like an open book.]

action;

[cons]

No, I knew. [ very nonchalant. like it didn't matter. basically he's meeting the Wichita that arrived on the ship a year ago. she's kind of a bitch. ] It didn't really matter if he had feelings for me before, it wasn't a problem. If anything it made things kinda fun. Now though, with his girlfriend from home being back and blahblahblah, it's this whole thing… [ vaaague handwave. let's not talk about details. ] So, that's that.

action;

[learnedtosmile]

I see. [The girlfriend, she must mean the girl he'd seen in Brendan's nightmare, the one he said had died. If anything, it just makes Blake's scowl deepen even more, as if everything else she's saying wouldn't be enough on its own to destroy any positive opinion he might have of her.]

Keeping people at arms' length, that's one thing. [He does it, in his own way, too. He understands the impetus of that.] Playing games with someone who obviously cares about you, though? That's pretty low, Wichita.

action;

[cons]

I wasn't playing games. [ but she stops herself from explaining, because she feels ridiculous for even starting to. so she huffs, leans on her forearms now so she can lean in closer. ]

What do you think is gonna happen here, John? Do you think pointing out the fact that I hurt him is gonna fix things? Like I don't know that already? [ normally, before the mask, this would have sounded all playful. it would have been Wichita busting his chops for being such a 'good guy' and trying to help Brendan out. but she's too serious now, her expression is too severe. she's all snark and no play. ] The flaw in that logic is that I don't care. I'm not gonna put myself at risk for some kid with a crush. [ risk of what? who even knows. ] I'm not that nice.

action;

[learnedtosmile]

I was going on the assumption you cared about him, but clearly, I was wrong. [Not nice is an understatement. Blake looks downright disgusted now, and he moves to stand up.] You're a good actress, I'll give you that.

action;

[cons]

[ she's almost relieved he's leaving. because she's used to this, pushpushpushpush, but it's not exactly easy. so ending things with Brendan meant pissing off the cop. she should have anticipated it, but. well. more cut ties wouldn't exactly hurt her later on. technically. so she just stands up straight again, pretends that it all just rolls off her. like it's easy. ]

I wasn't acting at all. Seems to me like you've just been looking at things through the same rose-tinted lenses that Brendan was. Seeing more than what's really there. But that happens, when you get too close.

action;

[learnedtosmile]

[When you get too close. Blake knows about too close, knows the feeling of needing to push away, protect the other person.

He's not sure if this is really her, or if something just spooked her and is making her act this way out of self-preservation. She's a lot harder to read than most people, in his experience. So he just shakes his head, shoves his hands back in his pockets.]

I really hope you don't regret the decision you made. [He genuinely means that, because he knows what regret is. Knows that kind of guilt, and doesn't want her to have to deal with that.]

action;

[cons]

[ her eyes follow the motion, maybe because she's used to that. Brendan stuff his hands in his pockets too. only with John it feels less like a habit, and more like a definitive way of closing off. maybe she's just reading too far into it. hm. she tips her head, lets her bangs shift to the side beiber style, as she squints at him. ]

Doesn't sound like I'm the one you need to be worried about. [ there's a pause, but then she's shifting on her feet, a genuine request here, not just a snarky one-liner or is it ] Just make sure he stays away from me, yeah? If you talk to him, don't- whatever. Just tell him it's done. [ don't let him talk to me. don't let him near me. ]

action;

[learnedtosmile]

[If Blake was less angry at her, he'd probably commend her on her observational skills, but as it is is, he just scowls.]

I'm not going to do your job for you, Wichita. You made your bed, you have to lie in it.

action;

[cons]

[ well boo. ]

I think that'd actually be your job, wouldn't it? As his friend.

[ 'friend' probably shouldn't have sounded so sour, huh? probably not. ]

action;

[learnedtosmile]

My job is to listen if he wants to talk, and give my honest opinion if he asks for it. You're an adult, you broke up with him, you chose not to care, or to pretend not to care - [Because he's not quite sure which it is, or even if it matters at this point.] You have to deal with whatever consequences that entails.

action;

[cons]

[ her eyes squeeze shut out of frustration, and then she ends up sighing anyway, sort of gesturing with her hands before she even says anything. ]

I'm trying to tell you that it's better off for him if you just stop him from talking to me, if you can. I'm not the one that's going to be facing any consequences, I've got nothing to lose in this. If you actually care about his feelings? You'll keep him from trying to get at me. [ a little less calculated than the rest of her talk with him, yeah. she's not desperate to avoid confrontation with Brendan, but she knows him, knows that he'll probably ask her 'why' again, and she's not going to sugarcoat it for him. which... she doesn't actually enjoy doing. the problem with her usual 'cut and run' tactic is that there's nowhere to run to after, which means she might actually have to keep pushing and shoving until he actually finally does back off, as in making it hurt, making it stick. hence why she's even asking John for this. but she doesn't want to spell it all out .]

action;

[learnedtosmile]

[If anything, he looks even more disgusted with her, at her willingness to even suggest she'd be nasty and cruel to him, just to push him away.]

If I could, I would. [It comes out a little harsher than he intends - he gets rid of his mask every day, won't wear it again, but that doesn't mean his temper doesn't still flare up once in a while. His voice is cold, angry.] If you think I can stop Brendan from doing something once he has his mind set on it, you don't know him at all.

[With that, he turns on his heels and starts walking away. He's done with this conversation. Done giving her the benefit of the doubt.]

action;

[cons]

[ I do know him, which is why I need you to do this.

but John's mad, and leaving, so she just backs off the bar, reaches for his glass to toss into the sink while she watches him go. hn. she'll hash this new development out in her head later, once she's back in her room. now? she has a drink to finish. ]