Time travel and lousy life choices

[una_persson]

Who: Una Persson and OPEN (with threads for Niko and Niles)
What: Life in Blackstaff
Where: Various places; see threadstarters, or feel free to start your own
When: In the week or so after the witch den expeditions and Una's punitive assignment
Warnings: TBD

Comments

[vengeance_driven]

Niko tended to forget when he mentioned Kate, because he tried so very hard not to think about her.

"She was a likable person. But ah... she made a point that we were only friends for a very long time. That is what worked out best for us."

"I don't know. Maybe you should hook up with more ladies. Most of us men are assholes." He knew it. He wouldn't deny it. He definitely could be friends with them, and he didn't mind being one, but he knew what it meant socially.

[una_persson]

She laughed. "You're not entirely wrong," she said, "but believe me, men haven't got a monopoly on terrible behaviour." See also: Miss Brunner, Mitzi Beesley. "There are some who'd put me in that category too, I don't doubt."

[vengeance_driven]

"True, I've dated a few of those, too." He would have probably been better with booty calls than actual dating, though.

[una_persson]

"Everyone does. Of course, when men are awful, they're simply called arseholes. Awful women? Are called crazy." She folded her arms, shook her head. "But what a dull place the world would be if people only did what was good for them."

She wasn't entirely serious.

[vengeance_driven]

"Well, one did slice my tires. And sometimes she would take the hood of my car off." He said with sort of a grim tires.

"But that's not entirely true. A lot of my friends called me crazy. Most of them also said I was a nice guy, but they also called me a psycho sooooo...." He made a so so motion with his hand.

"Maybe I got lucky with the unique labels."

[una_persson]

Una laughed, and clapped Niko on the shoulder, a comradely gesture.

"You are unique, Niko," she said. "And thanks for your concern. Really. I do appreciate it."

[vengeance_driven]

He chuckled at the friendly gesture, and motioned generally around the dig (just because once he got into talking, he was one of those people that spoke with his hands as much as his mouth). "So I got very close to a creeper! Never had a suicidal bush almost get me before."

[una_persson]

She laughed. "'Suicidal bush'. You know, if I could understand why a species would evolve specifically to explode, I'd—well, I'd be a scientist other than what I am. How close did you get?"

[vengeance_driven]

"I still don't get the praying mantis thing." He shook his head, meaning the tendency for female praying mantises to partake in their mate's head if they were hungry enough.

"I guess it must feel good to do it. I mean, women, you carry these tiny people, whole people inside of you for nine whole months before you shove it out a hole that is really not big enough for it. I don't know why that would have evolved, either. But there it is and it seems to work for its purpose. So maybe one day they'll figure out what fun thing they get from exploding."

[una_persson]

Una laughed. "Maybe you're right. They—"

She broke off suddenly. The talk of mantises and of childbirth clicked somewhere in the back of her mind even as she was talking, and she paused there in mid-sentence, and blinked.

Aaaand this is one that I lost

[vengeance_driven]

Mantises would have been deemed an unfortunate reminder if he knew what she was thinking, but then he saw that look cross her face. He just watched it, briefly, and then dove into his duffel bag for a flask to sip from.

"Sometimes I see soldiers look like that, after they have tried to forget something. And then later it starts poking them in the head because someone reminds them."

It wasn't always bad things, realistically. He knew that. People forgot good things, too. But he was used to it being bad things being pushed under the bed like hidden garbage.

[una_persson]

"I know exactly what expression you're talking about," she said. "No, it just dawned on me—what if exploding is how they make more little creepers? That when they do, it spreads their—their seeds, their spores. Which eventually sprout and go on to explode in turn."

[vengeance_driven]

"Could be." He observed with a lazy nod. He wasn't that smart, but some things he'd noted, and knew.

"There is little black flammable dirt stuff they leave behind if you kill them before they pop. Acts like gunpowder. Maybe they have spores that are pretty strong like that."

[una_persson]

"It's terrifying, how much sense this makes," she said, laughing suddenly. "Dear god, what a world this is. So many new and exciting things to get used to."

[vengeance_driven]

"I think I have had too much exciting in my life."

But then he also didn't know the excitement of discovery as well as some other. Excitement for him usually came with doom, and he was cautious of it. Roman, he loved it much more than Niko.

He wondered, briefly, how Linda was taking to it. Boone seemed to simply adapt well. Which brought him to another subject that he'd been very hesitantly considering, but every time he thought too much about it he would get pissed at himself.

"So ah... speaking of bad tastes in partners... say there is someone outside of your usual type that you are sort of like being around. But they are a very good friend. I don't know, does it mean maybe that I'm probably just reading too much into a good friend?"

OOC: For some reason that paragraph starter was down below my text box. I wondered where it had gone.

[una_persson]

She eyebrow, slightly surprised at the segue.

"Attraction is a funny thing," she said. "It can sneak up when you least expect it. But—just to make sure I follow you—is it that you think they could romantically interested, or that you might be reading too much into what they say and do? Or is it—" she paused to consider her words, "—your own feelings towards them that you're trying to sort out?"

[vengeance_driven]

"...I don't know." He said stupidly, as if he really didn't. He had no idea what was going through his head and wasn't really smart enough to figure it out.

"I know there is no romantic interest, though. I don't know why I wonder."

[una_persson]

Niko had a crush on someone, she realised abruptly. And clearly didn't know what to do about it. Which, considering what she gathered of his history, was odd. Not what she would have expected from him, anyway.

"If you're drawn to them yourself, it's only natural to wonder," she said. "What if, and all that. Even if they're not your usual type."

Who in the world could it be?

[vengeance_driven]

He waved a dismissive hand.

"Eh. It is not important." He didn't want to put a lot more weight on his thoughts on Boone; the man had been married to a woman, after all, and lost her. And after losing Kate, Niko didn't think he had it in him to risk running off another friend.

"You know who is definitely pretty good looking, though? Linda. Nice voice, too. She is engaged. I hope that guy realizes he has a pretty good catch."

[una_persson]

Una felt, oddly, that the bringing up of Linda was a diversion, rather than the heart of whatever Niko's interpersonal concerns was.

Still, he had a point.

"Linda is lovely," she agreed. "And yes, I noticed the ring—lucky fellow, back in her Maine home town." A faint, speculative frown. "She's lovely—and melancholy, I think. With reason, I suppose."

[vengeance_driven]

"Pots should not be talking shit about kettles and that is what I feel like we are doing, but yes, I think you are right." And he had barely enough class not to comment on her waistline or something, as it wasn't as though Una wasn't a lady as well. Just a lady that had previously indicated liking other ladies in her comment about her friend.

He wanted to ask specifically what made her realize she liked that friend, but that was harder to get around to.

[una_persson]

"We do all have no shortage of other things on our minds," she admitted with a small laugh. "I do like her, at any rate. I admit to a weakness for intelligent, competent women of good character. Compensation for my own shortcomings, perhaps." She was joking, at least partly; she had no false modesty about her own intelligence or competence, but was also aware that the quality of her character was debatable.

[vengeance_driven]

"She definitely has good character. Way too good for a guy like me. Maybe Boone is a little more on my level, just a little better, but Linda? Way too good."

Just randomly throw in an extra name that didn't fit in there, huh? Usually Niko was great at pleading the fifth, but when you got him talking about someone he liked he was immensely prone to making mistakes.

[una_persson]

Boone? Really?

Well, hold on; it was entirely possible that Una was jumping to conclusions—but what with Niko's consternation earlier about feelings for a friend that he didn't seem to know what to do with and now the mention of that name in this context...

She managed to carefully keep any surprise or amusement off her face.

"Can't say I know Boone very well, myself, so I can't comment on him," she said, casually enough. "But you ought not to sell yourself too short, you know." Teasing a little.

[vengeance_driven]

Some idiot, mental backtrack occurred and it did seem like he pulled "Boone" from the "ether". So, as a joke, he motioned in front of his own chest. "I think Boone probably has too much up front here, though."

Which wasn't a lie as far as men went, Boone was a little wall of muscle even if he wasn't any taller than Narvin.