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[youngtimer]

NeverAcorned - Standard UN || HoratioV - Fog/Lighthouse UN || 5ofDiamonds - Casino Business || Odyssean - Anonymous/Sock UN

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, NEVERACORNED. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 208.52.15.25 *** NEVERACORNED has joined 208.52.15.25 <NEVERACORNED> This is the private channel for Horatio Hargreeves. Leave me a message and I'll reply as soon as I can. If this is related to the Lucky 38, please start your message with a '38' so I can prioritize. <NEVERACORNED> Spammers will be banned, IP tracked, and have their index fingers broken. Have a nice day. :)

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[alchepistol]

I'm here to offer something, not to request it.

[ She produces a square box wrapped in gold paper from beneath her coat and sets it on the table. It....goes "thud". A rather heavy "thud." ]

Happy Nattensfest.

Nattensfest

[recuttal]

[Wrapped in a light blue cloth is one of the latest murder mystery novels published in Ryslig. It's not the worst written, but inevitably it'll lead to some sort of monster twist? But at least it'll be a fun read along the way.

Alongside it, outside of the cloth wrapping is a small bottle of sake, just to make up for it in case it's a bit too shlocky.]

[youngtimer]

Oh! Hey, thanks!

[he's pleasantly surprised, already grinning before he's even opened it]

Actually, hold that thought.

[he Blinks out, then back in almost immediately with a package of his own - what looks like a dress shirt box, wrapped in paper printed in ornate swathes of holly]

There, now we each have something to open.

<prototype> Jan 5th

[prototype_blues]

[Sure, he's trying to be... Better with people, but he feels like he may have made a big misstep so he's going to one person he knows won't be mad at him for asking for help.]

Um, sir. I need some advice.

[alchepistol]

[ At the sight of a box for herself, Saint-Germain flushes, touched. She is receiving so many presents this Nattensfest, so many gestures that others have thought of her. It...isn't bad. ]

Thank you.....

[ She turns the box over, so as not to tear the paper when she removes it. ]

I'll do so, then.

[ His, if they end up opening each other's gifts at the same time, is ACTUAL LITERAL POUNDS OF OLD PERSON CANDY. He was the only person who liked her licorice and other such treats at Halloween, and as she knows faeries can have a sweet tooth from living with Cagliostro, she felt he might appreciate his treats in bulk! ]

[softspokenlandlord]

I'm not--it's not pity, Horatio.

If it didn't keep happening, then...maybe I'd be wrong. But all these powers, the kind of things I sacrificed whatever good will I had towards some people I thought highly of...it wasn't for anything.

Those powers can't save me from this place if it really wants me to be hurt, and me being hurt is hurting Atem!

[Ryou shakes his head, takes the drink and without really enjoying it, takes a massive swig. He wants it to go to his head. He wants everything to swim in his vision until he can't see the ugliness of this place and what it had made him do.]

Y...you didn't see his face like I did! You...didn't see how afraid he was of being anywhere near me, because--because he knows that I'll always be a source of pain!

[youngtimer]

[he listens patiently, as any good friend - let alone bartender - should. when he realizes what the crux of all this is - not any remorse on Ryou's part for the sacrifices he made, just ... his dismay at Atem's reaction to him and their neverending cycle of sacrifice, revenge, repent, repeat ...]

Ryou.

[he breathes in slowly, then sighs, his eyes narrowing a bit: not in anger, only concentration and concern]

I'm gonna tell you three things, and you might not like them, but they're all true. The first one is that how Atem reacts to or feels about anything that happens here is not your responsibility.

[he points at Ryou with a capped claw for emphasis, then starts making himself a drink, his movements precise and practiced as he continues. ice cubes dropping into the glass, bottle caps unscrewed, shots measured and dropped, all serve as punctuation at just the right points.]

The second one is that the Fog brought us here because she wants us to live our best lives. Not the best lives that we think other people want for us. Ours.

And the third? I learned it within months of being here, because I got to know Javert. It doesn't matter how much power She gives you. Shit is still going to happen. And you have to square with that, or it's gonna drive you insane.

<NeverAcorned>

[youngtimer]

[Horatio almost tells Blues he should have made sure he was sitting down first, but ... if he's at a point where he's actually taking his boss' advice to ask for help, something must be really eating at him.]

Sure thing. What's going on?

<prototype>

[prototype_blues]

Someone was, I guess, trying to be friendly with me and... I attempted something but I feel it may have been the wrong thing to do?

We had gone through something during that Red Fog and I brought it up, but now I think that was not the correct thing to do.

[Boy needs to learn people don't normally bond over trauma.]

[youngtimer]

[inside her box is a piece of Lighthouse-branded gear, but it's far different from the standard t-shirts and sweatshirts that new arrivals and volunteers receive. Saint-Germain is the recipient of a bespoke windbreaker with a hood and perfect allowances for her many arms and legs: the arms get sleeves, and the rest of the coat is long enough to cover the legs without hindrance of movement. The Handler and Saint-Germain may not be fast friends, but Horatio knows the perils of arachne life, and the Handler knew a good spider tailor. So, sometimes these things align well.

He opens his own box and almost cackles, his hand coming up to cover his mouth in delighted astonishment]

Holy shit, Saint-G, this is ... this is an obscene amount of penny candy. I'm gonna be set for the whole damn year. Thank you.

[alchepistol]

I'm glad you'll enjoy it.

[ You can hear her smile in her voice as she looks over her windbreaker. The abdomen behind said many legs, with its mirrored panels that expand and retract with stress, is a nearly unbroken reflective surface. He liked her gift....! And he got her something so thoughtful.....

She sets the box aside to try on the windbreaker. Look at that....the length accommodates her leg span.......Masterful tailoring.....

You gave a spider clothes, hope you don't mind if she enters a fugue state for a second. ]

[youngtimer]

[he watches her try it on. he knows exactly what well-tailored clothes can do for someone still acclimating to their monstrous body - discovering tricks to help accommodate his wings had made life so much easier. after a few moments, he ventures:]

It should fit just right ... I asked Cagliostro for the measurements.

[it was a conversation he'd tried to keep as professional as possible. whether or not Cagliostro did the same, well. that would have been entirely up to her]

[alchepistol]

....You did? She gave no signs.....

[ But she knows her comrade is clever. Even before becoming a faerie, Cagliostro had abandoned being a liar, yet her mind remains sharp. It always works beneath the surface. Saint-Germain is proud to have such a quick-witted comrade....

....and this coat is easy to move in, as well....no obstructions......the fabric is of a type she's never considered her style before, but in Ryslig's weather patterns it's eminently sensible.....

Ah, but she should acknowledge the gift to its giver. ]

I've no objections to its functionality. Thank you.

[ we are really topping off the saint-germain praise scale here. good job! ]

<NeverAcorned>

[youngtimer]

Hm. That's a lot of vague detail to start with, but ... if you're not sure if they were trying to be friendly or not, I guess that can't be helped. I guess my first question is: how long have you known this person?

[youngtimer]

[there are plenty of ways to know your girlfriend's measurements, Saint-G, but he's not about to spell them out for you. it's probably going to be a lot more fun to watch her eventually figure that out herself]

Don't mention it. You're my right-hand spider, aren't you? You do so much for the Lighthouse, and even if it's because of your own personal philosophy and goals ... it means a lot. And that's worth at least a good raincoat. ... I put the tailor's business card in the inside pocket so you know where to go if you want anything else made or altered.

[he unwraps a peppermint pillow - the almost chalky kind that just melt in your mouth after a minute or two - and pops it in his mouth with a pleased little sound]

[alchepistol]

I appreciate it.

[ Being appreciated in turn is new, too. Saint-Germain is not quite certain what else to say, so she'll just stand here permitting herself enjoyment of this moment.

Nattensfest is pleasant. ]

<prototype>

[prototype_blues]

[he's being vague for two reasons, one why he brought up such a thing which was to either get Leo to stop bothering him or perhaps make a connection and two, he'd rather leave the Leonardo's name out of this.]

I'm. Not good at reading people with that kind of thing, but he was attempting to get me to learn basketball so I assume it was meant to be friendly.

And we first met during Felfri, but we're not close. We've only run into each other a few times.

<NeverAcorned>

[youngtimer]

Okay. I think I can guess what happened, now. You guys haven't known each other very long, and I take it you've only really run into each other when the shit's hit the fan - Felfri, the Red Fog. So, this person sees you at a time when the peninsula isn't going to hell, for once, and he probably figured teaching you something might be a good way to get to know you.

You're a pretty practical guy, really straightforward. So I can understand why you would have brought up the Red Fog - it's one of the last times you saw him, and you can connect to that, it's common ground. Whatever you said, you wouldn't have thought anything of it, because you were just making conversation.

Thing is: not everyone likes having bad things brought up when they're trying to have a good time. Especially if he's new: it probably really fucked with his head, and he wants to get past it and get on with his life. Which isn't to say you can't ever talk to anyone about the shit that happens here! It just means that sometimes if you want to, if you don't know them very well, you should ask them first if they're cool with it.

Once you've known someone a while, you start to learn when they're in a mood to talk about the rough stuff, and when you should wait until later, and you won't have to ask anymore. But if you do still want to be friends with this guy, it can be as easy as sending him a note.

<prototype>

[prototype_blues]

I see.

It... Probably does not help that the only friend I have from home, knows everything I've done. Good and bad. So I don't see a reason to hide such things, from a friend. But you make a good point that others probably don't want to do that, I never considered such a thing.

[Which is true, he doesn't exactly think of how others feel at times. Which means he'll be very blunt or standoffish instead.]

A note... seems like the best idea, although I will give it some time. Since I doubt they want anything to do with me at this time.

[youngtimer]

Try not to be too hard on yourself. You'd be surprised how fast people get over smaller stuff like that when we all have a mandatory subscription to the catastrophe of the month club. Maybe give it a few days to start. Sometimes if you wait too long it just makes it worse, because they think you don't care. I made that mistake a few times before I figured it out.

[thank goodness for Annie Dyer, he thinks, missing his old scorpion friend keenly in that moment. she was much better than this, and had almost singlehandedly helped him be better at the whole Friendship Thing]

[prototype_blues]

[Hahahaha telling Blues to not be hard on himself, that's a good one.]

I'll try not to. And I wonder if it's really that small, they didn't seem to react well at all.

But I'll give it a few days, yes. [He'll end up giving it more than a few days, actually, because he is bad at this.]

Thank you for the advice, sir.

[youngtimer]

In the scope of everything else it could have been? Even if they don't realize it yet, trust me, bringing up something they didn't like is a pretty minor offense. You could've eaten him, killed him, killed someone he loves, you know. You're both lucky.

And don't mention it. I offered to help you, didn't I? Thank you for actually taking me up on it. And good luck.

[prototype_blues]

I wouldn't do any of that though. I mean without reason.

[Or frenzying, which he leaves unsaid.]

You did, that's why I came to you... Not like there are many people here I would trust with something like this. And again, thank you.

[youngtimer]

[Horatio knows that despite people's best intentions, frenzy isn't the only reason friends do horrible things to each other. Sometimes the peninsula just does a number on you, and you both have to come to terms with it and move on. But if Blues is really going to give this friendship thing a try, he'll learn that soon enough, and Horatio recognizes that sasying so in this particular moment would only dissuade him from trying - if not at all, then at least not quite with all his heart.[

Don't mention it. I hope it goes well. I'll be at the Academy this weekend if you need to come talk about it again.

[prototype_blues]

[Horatio is a smart man, because saying such a thing would probably dissuade Blues from the course of friendship. Or trying at least.

But Blues is going to take the advice to heart and do his best with it.]

I hope so too. And I'll keep that in mind if I need to.