savetheearth | [OPEN] The monster mash

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[OPEN] The monster mash

Who: Badri and YOU.
What: Impromptu halloween masquerade
When: Halloween night, 10pm onwards
Where: A wedding chapel in Vegas. Y-yeah.
Warnings: None - shoot me a PM if anything needs adding!

[ Any of the Numbered who have set foot outside today are likely to have seen some of the rather unique posters plastered around on every available building/lamppost/fence/beloved family pet. Observe the glitter-saturated horror. ]

[ Y E A H. Regardless of which echo boundary they're in, the notices are everywhere. Some lucky Numbered may even have had one shoved into their mailbox! GOSH. There's also an address for a weddng chapel in Vegas (confusing many Fussen locals in particular) and a note that masks are mandatory and will be provided to people who don't already have one. How considerate!

C'mon, ~~Numbered~~ Specials. Party with Badri and forget all the horrid stressful things that are happening. ]

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[Yeah, food's always a good distraction. Even if it is... fancy party food. Only problem is getting to eat it in this friggin' mask she'd picked. Whatever, taking it off to eat isn't against the rules, right?

So, among the sea of various glamorous costumes and masks there appears to be a lone slasher flick villain in a spiky leather jacket trying to balance a plate of food in the same hand as her plastic machete and scanning the rest of the choices through the eyeholes of her white hockey mask. Her voice is a little muffled as she picks up one of those tiny sandwiches and holds it up to her face, glaring at it.]

... Is that a fuckin' zucchini sandwich?

[Jasmine knows that voice. She'd recognize it anywhere. It causes her to freeze in place, turn slowly... and just stare.

For like five seconds.

Because in the next moment, she's lunging forward and grabbing the masked girl into a hug, without any word or warning]

Whoah!

[You're free, zucchini sandwich! Free from the ravenous appetites of partygoers and free to pursue a happy life on the floor under the table. At the very least she manages to balance her plate as she's suddenly lunged onto.

Blinking, she looks over her shoulder staring at the surprise hugger.]

... Uh. Hey, Jas.

[Wait, if Jasmine's here then? Lifting her head, she casts a look around the room for a second before frowning a bit behind her mask. No, didn't think so....]

[Jasmine held the hug for a few minutes longer, and by the time she pulled away, there were tears running down her face, smearing her white vampire make-up]

I-I've been trying to call you...

[There's little Raye can do about the hug, to either return it or... whatever else with her arms stuck in Jasmine's grip like they are. When Jasmine pulls back, Raye can see the tears on her face clearly. It's another shot to the gut and she looks away quickly, not able to face her friend like this right now.]

I-I know, I just....

[... stared at her phone every time and let it ring. Because answering would mean facing up to what she'd done.]

... Sorry.

...

[Jasmine frowned, and... pulled Raye into another hug, closing her eyes. She spoke quietly]

I know what happened. I don't blame you for what you did. I don't hold it against you. Just... just please, let me be there for you, Raye.

[She's not quite as caught off guard this time when Jasmine goes for the hug. She even raises her arms partway before Jasmine speaks. "Let me be there for you" that's... pretty much exactly what Lily and Winter had said to her before everything happened. She'd accepted, brought them along and then....

She glances toward Jasmine's wing. She lowers her arms.]

... Not this time, Jas.

[She shrugs her arm, trying to work her way out of the hug. It was bad enough she'd dragged her other friends into that but... Jasmine. Jasmine who was so afraid of turning into that monster from her past life. No. No way. She's not gonna do that to Jasmine.]

I've gotta do this one alone.

... What?

[Jasmine looks hurt, upset... but most of all confused. And she's a bit louder this time]

Why not?! I'm... I'm your best friend! You can't even let me support you?! Be there when you need someone to talk to?!

Please, Raye... I understand! Maybe better than anyone else! You know what my previous self was like...!

[Raye flinches at the hurt in Jasmine's face and drops her eyes away again rather than face it. She steps back, hands clenched at her sides.]

Yeah, I know all that and that's exactly--

[A beat. Her jaw tightens.]

Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay? There's nothing to talk about.

[She folds her arms defensively around herself, her fingers dig into her arms. Okay, talking about it didn't mean dragging her into her fight but what it would mean was admitting that.... She turns her head away.]

Look, I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls. I just needed to get my head on straight, but I did that now so there's no point going over it again, okay?

...

[Jasmine grits her teeth. She doesn't know what to say... every part of her wants to get angry. Not at Raye, but for her... or something. She can't really figure it out]

But it's not on straight, is it? You're just... trying to shove it away where you can ignore it.

Raye, I know what you're doing. I've done it...!

[Raye still doesn't look at Jasmine, just glaring off in a different direction, at nothing. She's not... wrong. Not really. She's just missing the mark a little.]

... What do you want me to say?

[Jasmine sighed]

Only that you'll let me help. That's all. That's all I want.

[... If there was anybody who'd understand it would be Jasmine, wouldn't it? Dealing with Dark Precure in her head and everything else but... no. Jasmine had told her about her memories, and how she felt about them and there's one crucial difference between them and what's eating at Raye now.

... And considering that, Jasmine might be the last person Raye wants to admit that to.]

Yeah, okay. If I need help.

[She doesn't plan on needing it. She's not going to make that mistake again.]

[there's a pause before Jasmine replies]

... And can you truly and honestly me that you don't need it right now...?

[Could she? Yes. Maybe. She has no idea. All she knows right now is that she screwed up and that Winter was right. There was no coming back from it.]

I dunno, Jas. I just know that I'm not dragging anybody into that kind of shitstorm again. Next time....

[Next time. Because that one was only the first.]

...

[before Jasmine could reply, the realization Saretha gave her earlier floated to the forefront, and she sighed. No, Raye didn't need anger right now]

You need to give me more credit. And Lily, and Winter, and everyone. And... it's not dragging if we follow freely.

[Jasmine did her best to smile] I-I... I'll always support you. You're not getting rid of me.

[There's a pause, and she narrows her eyes slightly. She should feel... something. Grateful, maybe. Happy? But looking inside herself, all there is is the anger. Twisting and burning and drowning out almost everything else.]

I'm not sure about that, not that I blame them. You didn't see the look on their faces.

... You're right. I didn't. But I know them, Raye, and they're not the type to hate you.

Please. Just give us a chance.

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[OPEN] The monster mash

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