02 | Video; Morning of the 21st

[takeitslow]

I ended up getting a lot of stuff this time around.

[The video is trained on a box, Peter's using his other hand to pull out what looks like a bulletin board.]

And when I saw this, I thought it wasn't meant for me. Bad delivery, you know? Particularly when I saw all these old pictures of my friend on it.

[The video pans over a few of the photographs, all of the resident cafe barista, Allison. It stops on the one of Allison in her Sailor Moon costume.]

But then I saw this and knew someone out there was giving me the perfect thing to share with the rest of you. Really help your day get started before that first cup of coffee; give you something other than that girl behind the counter to smile at. God bless that stupid machine, right?

Comments

[allyisun]

[She was enjoying a coffee at work and checking the network when she sees Peter's post and just what photos he's sharing. Needless to say, a literal spitrake ensues.

Which explains the specks of coffee in the frame as she snaps on her camera.]

PETER!

[takeitslow]

[The woman of the hour. Peter switches the camera around to himself, grinning widely at Allison.]

Yes? Is there something I can help you with?

Action/Video because she's probably in the shot too

[devilofohara]

[Guess who's leaning over Allison's shoulder and saw the whole thing? The Moira's littlest barista, that's who.

She doesn't recognize or comment on the Sailor Moon costume, though. Her focus is more on the frontmost picture in the cluster.]

Allison, I didn't know you were a graduate. What sort of school did you go to?

[She doesn't come from a place that has mandatory public education, so graduating from a school is sort of impressive in her eyes.]

Action/Video

[allyisun]

[Allison is about to yell at Peter some more when Clover interrupts. Oh no, this makes everything worse. Not only did her small employee see those pictures, but now she's going to see Allison break down, too.

Because the breakdown is happening. It's inevitable. From the moment she got the cold rush of horror when she realized just what Peter was showing off. There's the pit in her belly. The burn in her cheeks. Her throat's tight, her nose stings, and she can feel the tears welling up.

No-one is ever going to take her seriously ever again.]

I- I-

[She cuts the camera feed before she actually starts crying. At least she can save herself the tiny bit of further embarrassment of sobbing in front of the whole network.

Then she buries her face in her hands and hopes Clover magically doesn't notice.]

Action/Video

[takeitslow]

[What? What is happening? Did she just hang up on him?]

Allison? Allison! Pick up!

[He's already getting up ready to run to her even as the feed keeps running on his end.]

Allison, you can't be that pissed at me.

Action

[devilofohara]

[This... isn't what Robin had expected. The picture of Allison in the costume hadn't seemed all that strange to Robin - different worlds have different styles, after all - and she looked really happy in most of those pictures! So her boss suddenly starting to tear up is not something she was prepared to handle.]

A-Allison?

[Oh no, oh no. What does someone even do in this situation? Robin's never had to console anyone before, she's eight.]

What's wrong?

Action

[allyisun]

[Sorry Peter, Allison's ignoring her MID right now. She's busy sobbing in front of an eight-year-old like a giant loser. What kind of functional adult breaks down in front of a kid? Clover is more mature than she is.

Speaking of Clover, she mumbles to her.]

'M fine.

[She is clearly not fine. Her voice is trembling.]

You should- snf -t-take the day off...

Action

[takeitslow]

[Screw the MID, he's just going to run over to the cafe and confront Allison in person. When he gets there and takes in the scene, he stops a few feet away looking from her to the kid rapidly. She was supposed to yell at him for a while, not cry.]

What? You're upset. [To the child:] She's upset.

[He looks dumbfounded, like he expects something else to have caused her distress.]

[devilofohara]

She's upset.

[ Robin repeats with a glare. She... doesn't really understand what it was that Peter did to upset her boss/friend in such a way, but there's little doubt that his post had been - at least in part - the cause of it.

And so, while previously Peter had been a patron of the café that Robin was mostly indifferent to, he has now officially earned her disdain.

Her glare turns into a look of concern and sympathy as she looks back to her crying employer.]

Do you want me to make him go away, Allison?

[beautifulspaceraptor]

[The video is just Nihlus making one handed 'ABORT ABORT' gestures at his MID.]

[takeitslow]

[Oh Nihlus, if only Peter would take your advice. Or any advice, ever.]

Come on. You're not going to say anything about the pictures?

[beautifulspaceraptor]

[OOooooohhh boy. Nihlus pinched the bridge of his weird alien nose and squints his eyes shut.]

Buddy, I am going to be obligated to smack you if this ends up the way I think it's going to end up and I am usually, unfortunately, very right about these things.

Don't tell me I didn't try to warn you.

[takeitslow]

Don't you think you should introduce yourself before hitting me? And waving a lot isn't a warning. There's nothing here to warn about.

[beautifulspaceraptor]

Okay, so, when you start getting that slow, creeping feeling that maybe you did something kind of not nice, I'm Nihlus and you can usually find me near the Ingress if you need someone to smack you.

[Peeling his hand away from his face, Nihlus looks at Peter with something weirdly like sympathy, silent for a beat.]

Just try to be nicer to her after this, would you?

[takeitslow]

Dude, I'm not going to ask you to smack me. That's, like, third date material. Not the kind of thing you just let anyone do.

[And here's the issue. This guy clearly just doesn't get how Peter and Allison work.]

I'm always nice to her. Come on. She's going to think this is hilarious. She'll just yell a little and screw up my drinks for a while and then we'll look back at it to laugh.

[beautifulspaceraptor]

[Peter, you are, like, seventeen. Nihlus isn't even going to acknowledge that innuendo.]

For her sake, I hope you're right.

[There's a big difference between friendly ribbing and dragging dusty things out from someone's past, though. Even if the thing's cute and covered in ribbons.]

Good luck.

[The feed cuts out.]

[takeitslow]

[He's pretty used to all the older and age appropriate people on board ignore his "flirting" so tha'ts nothing new. But getting hung up on, that's... still not new. But he doesn't like it.][Shouting at a cut feed is so super mature. As is sticking his tongue out. Clearly.]

[text;]

[trap_factory]

with broadcasts like this it's like i never left that high school.

[not pictured; his confusion and the horror circuit he shut down before it got going. Horror, not at what he was seeing, but at his own internal response of 'Oh good, it's a girl in a girl-y costume for a change'.

He should have just self-terminated when he had the chance. #deepregrets]

video;

[takeitslow]

I feel like you're trying to call me childish here. And jokes on you, dude. Still seventeen. I can totally get away with this.

[text;]

[trap_factory]

no, actually! the last place i was in was an actual high school, and i'm just making an observation. there's less blood around here though.

that's a good thing, right?

as for maturity well... 'you're the one who said it'

video;

[takeitslow]

Okay, I'm a little confused. You're saying your in high school? And less blood? What are you talking about?

[He sticks out his tongue, laughs.] I did. I'm not ashamed. Might as well get in as much immaturity as I can in the last year before adulthood, right?

[text;]

[trap_factory]

before getting here of course! the last place i was in. i'm getting the distinct impression that it's not your run of the mill high school, but can you blame a guy for not noticing at first? i can't say i've ever been through a normal education system.

that's the spirit. enjoy that armour of youth before society arbitrarily decides that you're 'too old' to be doing such things.

[... what?]

video;

[takeitslow]

Still need you to hold up. Are you not talking about your world here? Or are you talking about another place you were taken to?

And yeah. Blood shed isn't a normal part of education. The only bad things you get from school is bullies and boredom.

[He snorts.] Pretty sure most people think that already.

[text;]

[trap_factory]

well, they did have a lot in common... but i did say the 'last place i was in' and not 'home', didn't i? really, the excuse of milking your immaturity for all it's worth shouldn't be overused; it looses effectiveness.

the more i hear about how normal schools ought to be, the livelier the last place i was in sounds. but it isn't as if this is any better. still stuck in uniforms for one thing.

doesn't sound like you're letting that stop you though. such things are arbitrary for a reason after all

[takeitslow]

I was just checking. Some people have been places before and some haven't, and it's worth it to make it clear.

I've only been here, like, a month and a half. Effectiveness hasn't been lost yet.

Ugh. Uniformed school? What, was it Catholic? I'd rather take those uniforms than these. At least there'd be skirts involved.

Very true, dude.