eleventh bubble; video/action for ecruteak.

[timelymaid]

Hey! I'm not sure if everyone watches the EV News - I do, and they have the catchiest little intro jingle, don't you think? [ Pausing to hum that. You're welcome. ]

Anyway! Is anyone planning to go to this prom thing? And has anyone else managed to procquire a silver ticket? I have to say that seeing all those pokeballs drop from the sky was sort of fun! I actually can't take credit for catching my silver ticket, though - Panini caught it. I think he was sort of having a field day with things to catch from the sky, actually. I'll have to keep that in mind for the future.

I've never been to a dance before. So I entirely plan to go! Besides, it sounds like it's happening in a new place, which is exciting. Have any of you been to dances before, though? I wouldn't mind hearing about them if you have!

Comments

[timelymaid]

[ ...She seriously debates humming something ridiculous just to mess with him, but after a second goes with something they sometimes play on the radio at work when she's on a late shift and they're closing.

It also has the benefit of probably not causing death!

Probably. She thinks.

Oh, whatever. Aradia will just start humming and hold out her hands expectantly. Sollux should have known better than to agree to dancing, because now she is not letting it go. ]

[viiru2alert]

[He listens warily to her selection of music. After a few seconds in which he realizes no, she's not actually trying to trick him into dancing to more shitty music, he grudgingly takes her hands.]

[And stands there.]

[Not dancing.]

[timelymaid]

[ ...

Sollux, plz.

Aradia snorts, though, tugging at his hands. ]

Sollux! I don't know if you knew this, but standing in place is actually not dancing!

[viiru2alert]

It totally is dancing, shut the fuck up.

[ ... ]

[How does he dance?]

[timelymaid]

Sollux, you're just standing in place while holding my hands. Which, while nice, is not dancing!

[ Pffft. Actually she's never done much of it either, but at least she knows enough to kind of sort them out. Don't freak out, Sollux, because Aradia will take a step closer, and put one of his hands on her waist. ]

See, you go like this, and then I put my hand here - [ Shoulder, and then they've still got one set clasped. She's pretty sure this is how it goes! ] And then you actually have to move your feet. Preferably not on top of mine, by the way!

[viiru2alert]

Yeah, okay, uh... [He cranes his neck to look down at their legs -- somewhat awkwardly, it should be noted, since he still had his arms around Aradia's shoulders.] How am I supposed to know where you're going to put your feet? Isn't there some kind of dancing that doesn't involve mind reading? [Yes, Sollux, yes there is, and it's called The Drunken Raver Samba.]

[timelymaid]

Well, you learn a pattern for your feet orrrrrrr someone leads and the other person follows?

[ Is her understanding. THIS IS SO MUCH MORE COMPLEX THAN SHE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. ]

[viiru2alert]

So what, we're just going to awkwardly look down at our feet the whole time...?

[timelymaid]

Just take a step back when I take a step forward, or vice versa!

[ It is not computer science! ...Which is admittedly probably the problem. ]

[viiru2alert]

[And then they attempted to dance.]

[Sollux trips almost immediately.]

[timelymaid]

[ Aradia is thankfully a lot more graceful than he is, and isn't drawn into the tripping, although she has to stop the attempt to try and keep them upright. Sollux, plz. ]

I think you're overthinking this a bit, Sollux!

[viiru2alert]

No. Really.

[And Sollux suddenly found himself in an awkward position where he is clutching desperately onto Aradia's arms because THE FLOOR IS LAVA.]

[timelymaid]

[ ...Sollux, please. Aradia laughs again, though, because this is...well, entertaining. Sorry, she can't help it. ]

Just follow my lead, okay? Here, when I step like this, you take a step forward. See?

[ They can break this down! Or at least Aradia is willing to be patient until Sollux flips his shit again. ]

It's a pattern. Just find the pattern, and you'll be fine.

[viiru2alert]

[...It's a pattern.]

[Okay, patterns. Sollux can do patterns.]

[He slides his foot forward to match Aradia's.]

Like that?

[timelymaid]

[ Ah-hah. She thought that explanation might go over better. Aradia beams outright. ]

Yes! And then after you do that, I step like this - [ Demonstration time. ] It's just a pattern of steps. Forward and back, side step, side step. See?

Not so hard after all, right?

[viiru2alert]

...I guess.

[Squinting intensely at the floor.]

I'm still going to be bending my head over here like an idiot, though.

[timelymaid]

Not after you figure it out! It just takes a little bit of time. And doing it more than once. And also trusting your partner, although I like to think you have that part down already.

[ The other parts she's unsure of, since this is Sollux. ]

But look! You're not melting or anything. It's a miracle. Dancing isn't that bad! Who knew?

[viiru2alert]

Who knew.

[In the most grudging tone humanly possible. This is so awkward and wow he just wants to just stab himself through the head with a medieval polearm.]

Also, for the record, I'm not the one who's an expert at time and doing things over again, so it might take a while.

[timelymaid]

[ The fact that there is continued laughing at him probably doesn't help. It would be laughing with him, except nope she's the only one laughing here. ]

I know! But it's okay. We have plenty of time! Even without fudging things.

[ That's not something she knows for certain, though. They could only have today, or tomorrow, or a week from now. ]

But it's nice that you're acknowledging my expertise! Leave all the time-related shenanigans to me. Or to Dave. Only professional timemasters need apply.

[viiru2alert]

Noted.

[And then Gira's swaggin' Heir of Time AU Sollux jumps in and-- yeah no.]

Don't tell me there's a dance called the Temporal Tango. If you do I think I may actually nonlethally kill myself.

[timelymaid]

...Ooooh, not that I know of, but I'll check later and there should be!

[ You knew that was going to happen, right? ]

How, exactly, does one nonlethally kill oneself?

[viiru2alert]

In ways that only a Mage of Doom can understand.

[timelymaid]

You pull that card whenever you don't have an actual answer!

[ And look, Sollux - you went one whole comment without tripping! Good job. ]

[viiru2alert]

It is an actual answer, which you can't comprehend because you'reSWEET MOTHER OF FUCK!

[And then there was a troll-kid pile on the dance floor.]

[timelymaid]

[ His brief flash of competence made this a surprise, and the shouting definitely threw her off balance.

SOLLUX. Why did you trip her, too? ]

...Ow. [ Followed by laughter. ]