Charles
Violetta still wasn't quite sure what they were- not that it particularly bothered her, no, she quite enjoyed the vagueness of it all. The feeling that she was moving on too fast was ever present, and she was a little frightened about how that could make others percieve her but... She had to just remind herself that no one here gets paid enough or at all to care.

Violetta however, does get paid, somehow. By that i mean she steals from her dad and he doesn't notice. He may be emotionally distant and a lot of other things, but at least he had stacks to steal!

So with Margo they were as some may say, 'hitting the town!'. The petite girl was picking up so much new slang, she was almost sounding like a normal teenager! Keyword being 'almost'...


So far she'd figured out that going to town with a *Girl* Was much more riveting than going with some guy who doesn't know the first thing about enjoying a trip out like this! Violetta had also figured out that pants and long sleeves? Bad idea with the sickeningly warm sun- it wasn't even necessarily *Hot*, just not shirt and vest weather.

But she has an ice cream and Margo, whats there to complain about really?
She wasn't saying anything currently, just letting Margo take some lead as she followed along.
Chelsea
◇ A day out, in emotionally turbulent yet appreciated company.

□ Stepping out of the ice cream parlor, Margo shared in her friend's sentiment about pants being a bad idea on these remarkably warm days in the south of Sweden. She'd also stepped out of the Cradle and onto a public bus in her signature twin-tone military brat joggers and a halter top, red hair pulled up into a high ponytail through the back of her hat, and she was feeling the heat too. It was hot, *Too* Hot, like late July in Brooklyn, the sort of heat that left one near-comatose in front of the air conditioning unit swearing to God they'd change their ways. 

▪︎ Thankfully, though, she had ice cream.

◆ "God, it's hot out... Really puts the fear of an eternity in Hell into someone." She grumbled, tentatively licking her ice cream as if she were a cat who was frightful of dying from curiosity yet unable to resist the call of the cream. "What'd you get again? Looks good."
Charles
And newsflash! Violetta is trying something different, having gone out in black trousers and a matching black turtleneck- so nothing groundbreaking but it was very much her. Studious and simple, just how she likes it.
Secretly though, occasional glances at Margo's outfit would make her a little bit envious- maybe one of these days she should try something more bold.


"I don't mind the heat, Russia was *So* Cold *All* The time. This is actually a little bit exciting- even if it does make my scar slightly irritable"
Despite that, it hadn't seemed like her scarring had been itched or anything that much throughout the day- Violetta had grown a sort of intolerance to it, even if it felt as uncomfortable at times as a colony of ants just waltzing across your face.

"Strawberry, I like my simplicity. You?" She looked at the ice cream in Margo's hand with a tilt in the head
Chelsea
◆ "Nice." Margo softly nodded. "Strawberry's pretty good. I got pistachio, and... It's pretty cool, actually. There's little pieces of pistachio *In* It and it's a pretty cool contrast."

□ Internally, she cursed herself for being so awkward. It was just the topic of ice cream, so why was she still finding all the words being caught and tangled in her throat like turtles to six pack rings? Maybe it was Violetta herself, in a turtleneck and trousers, a preppy getup on someone who had already stolen her first kiss and worked her way into her daily stream of consciousness with a VIP ticket. 

▪︎ Or, maybe it was the heat. Easier to put the blame on the heat instead of the splotches of pink that sprung up every time she looked over at her friend.

◆ "So, you're actually from Russia...? Nice. I knew I heard a touch of an accent in your voice." Margo spoke, awkwardness peppering her every word, much to her chagrin. "What's it like living over there? I've never been myself, but I've heard it's a place somewhat frozen in time, like the dissolution of the USSR froze them in 1991."
Charles
"Hm, I have a friend that really likes pistachios- like loves them. It's frightening." She comments half awkwardly.

Briefly, her gaze settled on Margo's hand, but she swiftly got her head out of the gutter- looking away subtly.

Obligatory romantic(?) tension!! Not that Violetta minded it much, it was sorta funny to her actually.

"Mhm, I didn't know I had an accent but it wouldn't surprise me." She responded, having another scoop of ice cream.
She should eat this stuff more often jee wizz.
"I suppose it's a bit frozen in time, yes, I never really went out much as i wasn't allowed. I had a... Tendency to get ill very easily" Blatant lie, she wasn't allowed out for no actual reason, but she's not about to drop that on Margo so suddenly..

"I snuck out though sometimes, and everything seemed pretty old fashioned, yeah- like.. If i held your hand right now in Russia, god knows what would happen. That's probably why it was so strange to come here and see everyone being so.. Proud" She shrugged, having demolished her ice cream at this point.

Her face sunk for a moment, but it was unclear whether that was because of what she was articulating or because of her empty ice cream tub.
Chelsea
◆ "Takes one to know one, I guess." Margo spoke with the sort of inflection that registered as an audible shrug. "I mean, fuck, my voice is one huge accent pile and nothing else, so maybe that's why I picked up on a touch of whatever's going on in your voice."

□ Idly strolling down the sidewalk, Margo finally felt, for the first time in her life, the sort of nervous, chest-tightening excitement that came with being out with another girl. Whether on account of being born a male, or on account of her chronic lack of game, she'd never actually been out much with other girls, especially not in a romantic sense, so being out with Violetta had her entire mind in a topsy-turvy nosedive towards disaster.

▪︎ Of course, though, the other girl wasn't helping.

◆ "...Yeah, true." She spoke with her gaze fixed directly on the crosswalk light, trying to hide the fact that the mere thought of being hand in hand might as well have splattered her face in tomato juice. "Russia's oligarchy and the Duma and the religious masses all hate people like us, but then again tons of people back home in America hate people like us too. Maybe that's why being queer's always... Considered a struggle. And it's what makes us stronger than anyone who casts their homophobic bullshit on us. Also there's literally no cars, let's just cross."

• And, if Violetta didn't stop her, Margo would stroll right across the intersection despite the lights not being in her favour. That was the New Yorker talking, and she was *Walking here.*
Charles
"I think your mess of accents is nice, american accents are always shocking to hear for some reason." She stated, politely putting her empty tub in a bin in passing. 
And Violetta was feeling the same sort of feeling as Margo- like a nicotine rush straight to the chest every time she overthought anything near Margo. Honestly, the raven haired girl liked to think she didn't keep her heart on her sleeve, as to avoid such... Unnecessarily sappy and mushy feelings like this. Not even in the sort of 'feelings are weakness' stuff she was brought up on- it was in the sort of 'feelings like this are embarrassing to watch'

Yet for something so embarrasingly cheesy, she sorta loved it.

"It's insane to say the least- I mean... It's not their business surely? Sure, think we're going to Hell all you want but... Keep it to yourself." She mumbled, looking left and right at the sidewalk tentatively- she's not about to get hit by a car! That would be embarrassing- what happens if she lives and doesnt end up a mangled mess? Just get up and walk away? She shuddered at the thought.

Once she was sure that there was definitely nothing crossing, a cautious foot followed after Margo's direction, and then another, so on and so forth until they had crossed the road.
She was... Strangely terrified by that whole ordeal, her ears rang but not at the concept of there being a possibility of getting hit by a car, but more the realisation that she just.. Up and broke the rules- the rules being the 'look both ways!' that was hammered into her since childhood.

She snapped out of her thoughts, looking up at Margo
"Do you have anywhere specific you want to go?"
Chelsea
◆ "American accents are a mess, yeah, and it's not even like there's a national unified one. Someone from Texas, someone from Oregon, and someone from Manhattan are all gonna sound way different; been to all of those places, and I think it's actually those differences in accents that got me interested in linguistics initially..." Margo spoke as she looked one way, then the other, one last time. Sure, she'd had her first kiss, but her bucket list extended far beyond lip to lip action, and thus she wouldn't be dying anytime soon. "And now I know, like, four different languages to the point of being able to function decently. Anyways."

□ With that, she crossed, footsteps at once hasty and also effortlessly chill. Compared to Violetta, who had likely never broken a law, Margo was quite familiar with jaywalking, and how convenient it was to simply recognize that it was safe and head across the street regardless of what the traffic lights and the overhead crosswalk beacons said. Once on the other side she took another couple of good licks from her ice cream and tapped her foot, waiting for Violetta to join her on the other side. That, and she split her sight between making sure her friend was safe, and also looking *At* Her friend, her scarred half, her twin-tone eyes, the way her hair fell so straight and waved out so nicely.

▪︎ What a pretty young woman. No wonder Margo was in a constant battle to keep herself from being immobilized by fear of making some sort of stupid mistake.

◆ "Not sure yet. I gotta go grab a few things for the kids, but that can be done later. You hungry, Vi? I know a nice place we could grab some lunch — my treat. Pretty girl privilege. Yeah." It had sounded better in her head, but as the words left her mouth her voice shrank from a confident, cool director's lilt to a soft mumble, looking away and mentally chastising herself for being so awkward. "But, uh... Yeah. Maybe grab some dinner? I know we just had dessert and all that, but maybe that's just a little bit of culinary anarchy. I dunno. Also, yeah, I agree with you; even if all those big wigs and oligarchs and shit think people like us are godless heathens and barely even human, it doesn't give them the right to trample all over us and our god-given human rights. Shit's plain fucked."
Charles
Violetta nodded along as the discussion of accents went forward- something she herself didn't have a massive interest in. Despite her lack of interest, Margo seemed so alive when talking about it, alive enough for in the moment, linguistics suddenly sounds like the most riveting experience on the planet for Violetta.
"I know russian and english- and a little bit above the basics of korean, since my mother is korean"
Wasian moment.


Violetta's line of sight was locked onto her friend, the same sort of attraction blossoming in her thoughts. Part of her wishes she held such a presence like Margo did, strong and bold, she stands out and likes it that way. Whereas Violetta only stands out because of her tight burn scarring, she wishes there was something to distract from it like a fun fashion sense or tattoos.

Her brain fog clears once she's across the road, a car whizzing past moments later, making her sigh in what seemed like relief.

She quietly giggled at the 'pretty girl priviledge' comment, the dimple on her left cheek appearing as she did so.
"Sure, lunch... Would be nice. There's something strangely empowering about dessert first." Margo you're such a bad influence. /j
"It's stupid, and people like my father in Russia are the ones just holding back progress with their money. It is indeed- fucked."
Chelsea
◆ "Like I said, culinary anarchy." Margo coolly replied, leaning against the light pole as she waited for Violetta to catch up. "Sweets to whet the appetite, then rich stuff to fill the gap. I swear I'm onto something."

□ Dryly joking, she noticed the dimple on Vi's left cheek, and like the weirdo she was she took mental note of it. Small dimple, left side. Once they were paired up again she kept on walking, pushing off of the pole with effortless swagger once her friend had gotten a few steps ahead of her. Mostly, this gap was to account for their differences in walking speed, but also she simply found it easier to be around her when she wasn't face to face, for reasons that mostly boiled down to dignity and how easily Violetta seemed to make her crumple into a soft ball.

▪︎ She hated being crumpled up like tin foil around others.

◆ "Felt that." Margo spoke. "This is pure hypocrisy coming from a billionaire's kid, but there's something plain evil about most of them. I've been to billionaire-run events because of my father, man, and nobody I saw really looked real. They looked like fuckin' wax figurines, caricatures, dolls that deny their biggest critiques. Shit was so weird. Doesn't help that it seems like conservatism and wealth seem to go hand in hand... I even see it in my eldest sisters. Ginny dresses like a Mormon and Mary is an actual fucking nun. They're barely in their twenties and they're conservative. Makes me fear for my own future."
Charles
Margo was... So charming. Maybe it was something about how Violetta had never really met someone like Margo back home- someone who lives by their own rules, well and truly to the letter.
I mean... Jaywalking and dessert before dinner! Violetta is going to have to take such a power nap when she gets home to comprehend such excitement for one day.

She tried to walk at a pace where she was more or less beside Margo, so it didn't look like a version of follow the leader in public- but it was a struggle within it's own right-
*'curse Margo and her long legs. One day there'll be nuclear fallout and all tall people will pay.'* She thought to herself, packing away the rage of her height.
Her heels made a rhythmic tapping as she walked, making sure not to step on any cracks- not in a childish way, but more of a habitual sense. It was no sacred superstition, but rather something she had done since a child.

"Right! They're all the same 5 guys and a woman in a dress suit! Father never allowed me near professional matters but from what i did get to see- they're all super boring people." She deadpanned the last part, hoping to god there was no rich man drones around to listen to them and begin oh i dont know, shooting them down or something insane like that. 
She hasn't much imagination, but the imagination she does have is a bit 'out there'

"Oh god yeah, my sister Valentina is so sucked into it- she's like two years younger than me and The Golden Child- how's a 15 year old going to be a conservative? She's so... Blissfully ignorant."
She paused for a moment, the slightest tinge of a smile tugging at her mouth
Chelsea
◆ "Can say that again. It's like they're made in a factory or something. Clones. It's like wealth strips people of all character, and it's why I try to live pretty fast and loose and free rather than being all boring and conservative." Margo spoke, a hint of discontent with the mere idea of juvenile Republicans and whatnot existing present within her voice. "Like, Christ, it sounds like your sister didn't even *Try* Being a teenager. It's almost like the conservative crowd grooms kids into being carbon copies and parrots of themselves and their ideas. Sinister."

□ Grumbling as she tended to do often, Margo stuck her hands in her pockets and kept on walking, left hand's fingers toying with a lighter in her pocket. She still didn't know what it was about the feeling of simply flipping it over and over like a pancake and flicking the spark wheel that felt so nice, but it did, almost as if it muffled the ocean roar in her head and in her blood. Weird. Digging into her back left pocket after a few moments, she produced a small handful of wrapped candy, a healthy mix of hard sweets for the sweet tooth.

▪︎ She looked over at Violetta.

◆ "But, shit, your brother sounds solid. Turtles are adorable, I could fuck with that." She hummed, holding her hand out. "Candy? I've got several kinds of black liquorice, mint chocolate candies, coffee caramels, strawberry yogourts... I promise they're all good. Also they're all hard because I cannot *Stand* Soft candies of any sort."
Charles
"The only reason I haven't turned out the same is because my dad doesn't like me for some reason." She fiddled with her fingers, wringing them together and clicking the joints fervently as she spoke.
"I mean, i didn't get a huge shot at it either- she did at least get to go to an actual school which i am a little bit jealous of. She doesn't even realise how mistreated i was- i can hardly be officially mad at her for it"
Violetta let out a quiet sigh, her voice dripping subtly with disdain.
"I'm glad i didn't get pulled into their views though- i find no joy in purposely ruining lives for my benefit- which should be the bare minimum." Retweet queen.

Violetta stared at Margo's handful of treats- she wasn't going to explicitly ask for one or anything- a strange thought chewing at the back of her brain that she may seem too demanding, or something silly like that. Did she even need a sweet? The world wouldn't end. She was ready to just turn the other cheek until the redhead spoke up.
"He is a solid little man, he's turning thirteen soon- it's so freaky being the oldest, remembering that as they grow you're also growing. Ew."
She paused, vision returning to the candies.

"You uh... You got me at strawberry- yes please." She awkwardly muttered out, a half embarrassed smile flickering across her face.

"Really? I always liked soft candies because i had sensitive teeth growing up, so my mother had a large supply of gummy bears for my visits."
Chelsea
◆ "Felt that." Margo quipped. "My cow-shit-for-a-soul father sort of gave up on me after a certain point as well. I... Don't want to linger on this too much, if you don't mind, man; we're supposed to be having a nice date – I-I mean day." Freudian slip, but also embarrassingly forthcoming. "Fuck."

□ Falling quiet, Margo could feel her stomach flipping over itself thirty times a second, the exhilarating yet terrifying bundle of emotions that came with being a young queer woman out and about on a sort of/sort of not date sending her emotions into a nosedive. It was unfamiliar territory, especially for someone who unhealthily prided herself on being calm and stoic at all times, and the fact that she more or less melted at the seams around Vi was at times scary and formative.

▪︎ She dropped a candy into Vi's hand.

◆ "Figured you'd want one. Campinos are delicious." Margo remarked as she dropped one into Vi's awaiting hand, setting the rest back where they'd came from. "Anyways, fair enough, man. I guess I'm the opposite; the texture of chewy slash gummy candies breaking up in my mouth or squishing between my teeth felt – and still feels, honestly – absolutely awful, so I've always had a thing for hard candies." She casually spoke, each step carrying the pair closer to their sweet little lunch spot. "But I feel that, man, except I'm on the other end of the family. I've got three older sisters, and I've seen them take way different paths in life – Gin's a boring bank teller in Philadelphia, Mary's a nun in an abbey in southeastern France, and Holly...? She's doing twenty five years in prison on RICO charges. It's just... Weird, knowing that your siblings are also people and always aging with you. Weird."
Charles
Violetta giggled, noticeable dimple reappearing onto her cheek as she smiled.
"Ohoho date? My, you're forward, Margo." Violetta attempted the sort of teenagerly banter she'd see on shows- she's beginning to see why people do it. Teasing friends is actually very entertaining!
"I'm only joking, it's whatever you make it as far as I'm aware"

A blush had crawled its way onto Violetta's face with such stealth she hadn't really noticed its presence until she began to feel a little heated. It was much easier said than done to keep cool and composed in sorta uncharted territory like with an equally somewhat awkward girl- especially with a somewhat awkward girl who you happen to think is actually a little bit cute, for some reason. Such thoughts were awkward to confront for Violetta- but all the more exciting, in a sort of adrenaline extreme sports way.

CAMPinos because they're being eaten by gay people. With a lightly furrowed brow, Violetta studied the sweet in her hand, before popping it into her mouth.
...Not much emotion crossed her face, but she's enjoying it i swear.
"I hate those strawberry gummies that stick to your teeth, they're disgusting... Texture like wax." She comments, an uncomfortable tingle moving up and then down her spine at even such the mention.

"Your sister's... A nun? I didn't know they were really still a thing- I mean I'm a very casual christian and i have never met a nun before. Weird." She shrugs, hands moving to her pockets in a posture that proved to be far too casual for Violetta as she insisted on moving her hands back to her side stiffly as usual.

"Yes, it's like... Stop growing! The fact that you're growing means I'm growing and I'm not ready for the commitment!" She half jokes, fiddling with her belt loop absentmindedly.
Chelsea
◆ "Oh yeah." Margo spoke, a faint gag underlining her voice. "It tastes like biting into a fucking candle in every sense of the word; disgusting." She humorously grumbled. "At least my lemon drops and caramels don't that..."

□ Continuing to walk, one foot stepped out in front of the other, as regularly as the breaths leaving her lungs. Dropping her candy hand back Info her pocket she stole a glance at Vi, the blush across her cheeks reminding her that she wasn't alone in this young, uncertain friendship filled with romantic tension and a healthy yet deadly level of curiosity. Rounding a corner she nodded as her friend spoke, noting how she'd never met a nun, or how she seemingly loathed taller people simply for existing.

▪︎ Then again that seemed to be the constant with short people; maybe she should have teased her about it...?

◆ "Nuns are kind of rare since they mostly stick to their abbeys and whatnot." She casually spoke. "Mary writes me a letter once every three months and that's all the communication I get with her, and that's my *Sister,* So it tells you a lot about just how isolated they are. I'm... Sort of a religious hodge podge of a thousand different beliefs, but I grew up Catholic, so." She continued to talk, each step carrying her closer to the awning-shaded porch at the other end of the street. "Anyways, look, there it is. It's a little diner, serves lots of sandwiches and soups. Get the minestrone and a beef on week, it's like biting into mother nature's vagina; so fucking good."
Charles
She resists the urge to just chew the hard sweet, she had learnt in the past that the beloved crunch is actually sort of frowned upon by some.. For whatever reason. Violetta wrung her head around a bit, in an absentminded stimming motion.

"I love those sweets with sherbet in them, they're so horrifically sweet, it's perfect." She confessed, the sweet in the corner of her mouth as she spoke.
She knows not much of what she feels- the strong emotional tension feels so much *Different* With a girl, and she doesn't know if its a preference or some internalised stuff she has to deal with talking.
She does in fact hate tall people. She just like me fr

"I see... Well, i hope my sister doesn't go down that route. Even if i don't really care that much for her- it would still.. Suck i guess? I just believe what i believe, without label." She frowned lightly, a little bit conflicted in the face, before changing subject.

"It looks cute-" She smiles sweetly at the diner, her heel clicking coming to a stop as she gazes over the establishment.
Caught off guard, she turns to look at Margo with wide eyes- stifling a laugh by wheezing quietly. 'mother nature's vagina' was a very new comparison to her definitely- someone like margo as a whole was just such a refreshing thing for Violetta.

Because she's laughing now, like... Actually laughing, her hand grasps gently on Margo's arm to balance herself, a flow of genuinity coming from her mouth in the form of entertained laughter. The short girl's laughter is awkward and strained, much akin to herself- but it's oh so groundbreaking and new.

Kudos to Margo for being the only mf here to see her properly laugh. Head hanging low, staring at the floor, the giggling never fully stopped.
"Mother earth's- ehe- where did you come up with that?"

Violetta babe its not even that funny.

"I'll take your word, with a description like that it must be great"
Chelsea
◆ "Yeah, fuck, I know what you're talking about. Sherbet in general is delicious, but those hard candies with a sherbet interior...? Phenomenal. Cavity-inducing levels of sweetness, but phenomenal nonetheless."

□ At least they seemingly both had intense sweet teeth. It'd make buying Vi her favourite sweets a bit less risky, Margo figured, and thus she stuffed her hands in her pockets. Walking up to the diner, she nodded and hummed along as her friend spoke, and then out of the blue something she said seemed to have registered. Coming to a stop as she sensed Vi had fallen behind, she noticed the girl doubled over in laughter, and both out of concern and an annoying sense of pride she jogged back over in time for her friend to reach out and grab her arm. 

▪︎ Very endearing, but also why did all the skin on her arm shiver as if sparks of lightning were rippling through it?

◆ "Huh, didn't think it was that funny, but shit..." Margo stood by, proud and also feeling the unfamiliar yet pleasant fluttering of wings in her stomach. "You've got a cute laugh. Just thought I'd say. Anyways, yeah, it's... Really good. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for diner-style food; I'm not entirely certain. Anyways..."

▪︎ Once Vi got back to her feet Margo would keep on walking, secret hoping that her friend would keep her arms around hers. What a gay little creature.
Charles
She's still snickering to herself about the former comment- in Violetta's defense, she didn't exactly know many funny people before getting launched to the cradle- so hearing inappropriate jokes like that just really evokes something in her.
She squished the other girl's arm gently as if to signal that she's over it now- but there's still that sort of post laughter smile on her face.

She could sure as hell get used to this.

"I think it was amusing! People I used to know.. Never really made comparisons like that- it's fun, exciting" And exciting it was- having grown up wuite indoctrinated, Margo was exactly the kind of person that Violetta was expressly forbidden from hanging out with- she was told they were bad news; but just about everything she experienced with Margo tickled her brain as good news, amazing news.

She went a bit pink, putting her hands behind her back, fiddling mercilessly. Sorry Margo, maybe she'll be down to hold hands on the way back </3
"Thanks, i don't laugh very option, so frame this moment"

A comfortable silence befell the two as the diner came closer- Violetta was okay with that, she appreciated the simple things of life like silence. Yknow, until she spoke up again.

"Do they do toasties? Out of the blue I know but- I just really like toasties"
Retweet
Chelsea
◆ "Guess there's a whole lot more where that came from. Also, yeah, I think they have toasties. That's just a cheese grilly, right?"

□ A touch awkward, but genuinely trying her best to be cool, Margo replied in turn and felt her face flush as Vi squished her muscular arm. It was an unfamiliar sort of touch, the illicit yet ecstatic touch of another gal on her skin, intimate and unspoken, and she could get used to it. Once things had settled down a bit and the pair were inside the diner she waved at the cooks in the back, an effortless cloak of cool draped over her shoulders shining the blue-pink-white tripartite in her wake.

▪︎ She slid into a booth and tapped the seat next to her.

◆ "Booths are comfier here. The chairs feel like they're... Liable to break and shoot up your ass at any point, no offense to the business. They could just use better barstools." Margo chuckled, grabbing two menus and sliding one to Vi as she sat down. "Hope ya don't mind."
Charles
"Yes! Simple but perfect, i hope whoever made them sleeps well tonight... Perfect mix of bland and tasty"
Ah yes, the 'tism makes it's return. 

Sliding in next to Margo, Violetta bumped into the other gently, the same as usual electric sort of spark crackling between for a moment, before she set to looking at the menu.
It's either Violetta is completely naive and unaware of the romantic tension, or she's very aware, and going with it.

Considering it's Violetta, it's probably a matter of the latter.

"That's fine, i love booths- and i cant be fussy about that sort of thing" She shrugged, balancing her head in her hand

"Do you come here often? You seem to know it well"
Violetta looked around the place from her spot, admiring any and all decor that her vision could transfix onto.

"Diners seem your style, Margo- like american and all that"
Chelsea
◆ "Alright." She hummed in acknowledgment. "Booths are plenty cool too. Feels like a Tarantino movie every time I walk into one... Is that weird?"

□ She'd considered it before, but was it actually weird? Or was she not alone in the *Diners and Tarantino fan club* Train of thought? Whatever the case, she looked at the menu, fingers curling around the edges and tapping rhythmically in short bursts. Her fingers, oddly enough, formed a pattern that hinted at a greater sense of shame in giving in to the fact that she was, by almost dead certainty, autistic.

▪︎ It was the truth, though, and while it made sense it didn't make accepting it any easier.

◆ "Couple times a week, I'd say. Every time I come into town I stop by here, and I'm in town a lot, so." Margo spoke, silver jeweled eyes scanning the menu. She knew her favourite order, but talks of toasties had thrown the doors of experimentation wide open, and she wanted something she hadn't had before in response. "Also, hey, oxymoronic as it might sound, that's the energy I try to put out. Salt of the earth, diner coffee and breakfast, Greyhound buses, sleeping on Amtraks, hitchhiking up the Pacific Northwest. That sorta shit. I already have my entire life secured financially, so I feel like I can do whatever the fuck I want, and that *What the fuck I want* Is to be a stealth billionaire, I think. The woman you knew for fifty years and only found out she was worth billions in her obituary kind of billionaire. Seems like an alluring life to lead... Or, maybe I'm young and foolish. I dunno."
Charles
"Quentin Tarantino!- I love his work- I was never allowed to watch his productions as a child but... Well, i know I'm a bit of a stick in the mud, but i have my rebellious moments" 
Because prime rebellion is watching Pulp Fiction behind your father's back, rather than trying to kill him, like Some People.
Violetta caught onto the stimming motions, though not onto the raging internal conflict. She smiles a little, it was weirdly cute in a way- or maybe Vi just REALLY needs to be around other autistic people more.
And she can do that now, which left an excited bubbling feeling in her stomach.

Violetta knew what she wanted quite quickly, toastie and cola- simple and effective and hopefully not something she can really be judged for. She was certain Margo wasnt really a judgy person, she wasn't sure anyone at the cradle had any room to be judgy, considering the whole 'we go to a rehab school for parahuman youth in the middle of buttfuck nowhere.' thing.
But the thought was still there in Violetta's brain always, because the only thing in this world that doesn't sleep is a mentally ill teenager's brain.

"You have a lot of plans, i hope i can accompany you on some- considering i need ideas... Now that I think about it, i don't quite know what to do with myself once I'm out of this place, maybe I'll study medicine?" Violetta pondered, half to make conversation, and half to muster up any sort of idea as to what she Actually wanted from life.
"I can't help through words- I'm hopeless at that, but if i could be a doctor then i can help through actions instead- it's foolproof, really" Mumbling, Violetta had that look on her face. The look she gets when mulling something over in her head, where her brows furrow and her hand goes onto her chin.

She eventually snaps out of it, turning to Margo
"Young and foolish... Is the best way to be for now, i think"
Chelsea
◆ "Might not be a bad idea." Margo hummed, fingers still tapping against the laminated underside of the menu. It was a steady pattern; tap slow, then fast, then be overwhelmed with shame and shove the urge back down. Maybe it'd do her good to actually let herself be, well, herself, but this realization was still too recent and too drastic for her to change overnight and unlearn years of repression and self-hatred. "But far as I know, doctors are expected to have a certain bedside manner, which means a lot of talking and explaining things. As you said, you're not great with your words, but I'm sure there's room for autistic doctors out there."

□ Silver eyes kept on running up and down the menu, settling on the full American over and over despite the fact that it was 2:30 in the afternoon and the diner stopped serving it at 11. A frown spread across her face, waved away after a few moments by realizing that Vi was still speaking. Looking over, she set the menu down to offer up her full undivided attention to her friend slash crush slash whatever Vi was at this point, and she noticed a few things. A furrowed brow, fist to chin like the Thinker, an astute contemplative look that only broke to parrot what she'd said about being young and foolish.

▪︎ She smiled. A genuine, slight smile, one corner of her lips curled up like the Mona Lisa.

◆ "Exactly, man. We're young, why the fuck should we stress about having our entire lives figured out already? Like, sure... I think I wanna be a herpetologist for a career, and it makes sense why. I *Love* Reptiles, and amphibians are really interesting too, but I also can't be certain that I'm not gonna change my mind and go into ancient linguistics either. I'm, uh... Sure you've got that sort of stuff going on inside as well, so fuck worrying about it for now." She picked her menu back up. "Got any idea what ya want? Think the waitress is on her-"

♠︎ [waiter] **"Hiya! What can I get you two?**"
Charles
"That is true... Maybe a surgeon? I've never been that bad with blood and gore, given I'd get ill a lot as a child, lots of blood tests and stuff like that are normalised to me" She shrugged, her eyes subtly scanning over the menu in case her decision flicks.
"And in media it never bothered me, and with modern day CGI i doubt its much different" She closed her menu, deciding to for once settle on something and keep it that way. Indecisiveness is for posers.
"But i think i could cope with either if i just got someone else to do the talking, or scripted my words-"

"Yeah... Yeah! You're right, Margo. That's a problem for future me." Was she going to treat it as a problem for future her, however? No. Most definitely not- in fact, she was probably gonna overthink it that night. Great.
Add another item to the itemised list of things to get stressed about.

She perked up at the arrival of the waitress, eyes widening in surprise for a moment before she looked up at the stranger awkwardly
"Ah uh- a cola and a cheese toastie-"
*Too demanding! Too demanding!* Violetta panicked, the cogs in her brain turning with such desperation you'd think one might burst out her ear.
"Please"
Bam. Interaction saved. Shes the peak of communication. Crown her, Mercury, for shed far above your ways.
Chelsea
◆ "Yeah, maybe. I could see you doing that, you know?" Margo spoke, her face about as warm and enthused as a chronic stone face could be. "You've got that sort of quiet focus. I'm sure you'd, uh... Be great at it."

□ And, just a few moments after she nearly butchered this date, or whatever it was, the waitress showed up to take their orders. Admittedly, Margo didn't quite know what *She* Wanted, save for her obligatory cup of tea, but it seemed Vi knew *Exactly* What she wanted, and ordered without hesitation thusly. She smiled at the directness of it all, to the point without being rude or demanding. 

♠︎ "Okay, and what about you, hun?"
◆ "I'll, uh... Take a BLT on marble rye with a fried egg – and, if the cook has it, some Tabasco on the yolk would be nice. I'll also take a soup of the day, and a cup of earl grey, if you have it."
♠︎ "We do! I'll be back with your orders soon, it shouldn't too be long."

□ Nodding as the chipper waitress turned on her heels and walked to another table, Margo turned back to Vi, who was now sitting quietly. For a moment, she couldn't help but stare, mostly at the distinct line between her scarred eye and the unscathed skin next to it. It was oddly beautiful; *No, she was oddly beautiful,* Her thoughts rang out like gunshots in an anechoic chamber, the damage done but the thoughts themselves self-contained.

◆ "Anyways, man... We're only gonna be young so long, and we're in fuckin' *Prison,* So... Lighten up. Let's just... Be kids until we get released, hm?"
Charles
That had actually been eating at her brain a little- *Was* This a date? As far as Violetta was aware, it felt like a date. A stroll and ice cream, a chit chat and diner, it smelt like fruit, really, really potent fruit. Like a fruit salad in a hot day, except instead of mango and Vanilla, its Margo and Violetta in a bitter sweet broth of romantic tension.
Hormones were weird, crushes were weird, she was kinda weird, so was Margo but Margo was like... A good weird, the perfect sort of strange for Violetta.

She shook it off, listening intently to the long winded order off of Margo with her head resting propped on her hand. She admired her friend for a moment, a star-like freckle or two, the entrancing, yet strange arrangement of her pupils.
Looking at the other, the short girl felt like she could write pages upon pages of blazon poetry about the ins and outs of Margo's character, the ins and outs of her face, just how *Nice* She was to look at.
So for a moment, they were sort of staring at eachother, the two very different faces matching in goals.

Violetta's lips awkwardly curled up into the usual slightly jarring smile.
"Tabasco? I can't stand that stuff, hurts to eat- how people enjoy food that attacks them, i'll never know." She half teased, leg beginning to bounce against her will.

'we're in fuckin prison'
This caused Vi's face to do it again, the thoughtful look with the furrowed brow and stern look- it was almost a death stare, but it wasn't aimed at Margo so... What gives?
She eases up, shaking her head
"I don't know, I've always viewed it as more of a rehab thing, considering i'm here for putting myself in a coma and not a real crime but- you're right."
She shuffled a little closer, cracking her finger joints anxiously

"Let's just.. Be dumb teenagers a couple years, you're right." She reiterates, nodding
Chelsea
◆ "Not much for spicy food?" Margo replied, curious yet also clearly unsurprised. In her defense, Vi was someone who, at least based off of her order, would have found plain yellow mustard too spicy, so it was no surprise that her request for Tabasco on the egg elicited a surprised remark. "I like a certain amount of heat in my food, and Tabasco plus eggs is a classic diner combo back home. Not... Exactly in New York City, precisely, but it's so common that even a bottle of the stuff suggests putting it on eggs. I dunno. It plays nice, I guess? Then again, also the idea of food attacking back also brings up stuff like pineapple, or Sichuan buzz buttons. Taste is all subjective, I guess."

□ How did she even explain *Why* She liked spicy food? She wasn't exactly a chili-head, or someone who sought out levels of heat so intense that her body had to fruitlessly attempt to sweat it out, but she did enjoy a splash of Tabasco here, or the infamous red sauce from her beloved local Halal Guys' location, so how did she explain it in a way that made sense? Maybe the strange amount of uncertainty she felt was a sign that, no matter the circumstances surrounding her and Vi, there was something very genuine between them, teenage uncertainties between a long-aware yet woefully unlucky lesbian and a recently awakened bisexual that would have fit beautifully in the pages of those young adult novels she scoffed at, or the shows she watched when nobody else was around.

▪︎ She was broken out of her thoughts by the clinking of porcelain, a cup of tea on a coaster for her and a cola for Vi. She then realized that, in the midst of her thoughts, she'd been staring right back at Vi; naturally, her face flushed red from hairline to chin.

◆ "Uh... Yeah. Maybe you've got the better mindset." Margo sheepishly muttered into her cup of tea, the steaming water still steeping the bag in graceful herbal arcs. "I just... I don't know. For a long time I thought I was supposed to be in prison, but now I think I'm actually kind of glad I got sent here instead of Erie County. That's the all-girls juvie my sister got sent to, for reference. At least here I get to be mostly free. I dunno. My brain's a little dust-clogged right now."
Charles
Violetta shook her head fussily, eyes shut tight, a shaky smile on her face.
"Nuh uh, I fail to see the appeal, sorry- I prefer sweet foods by a mile" She remarked, tapping her hands together stimmingly.
She was having the time of her life, despite how awkwardly nervous she seemed to be, her mouth smiled stupidly wide, her leg bounced rhythmically and her dimple was on display almost the whole time as she leaned her elbows on the table, breaking just about every dining law she was ever taught.
Small act, sure, but Margo brought out a rebellion that Violetta didnt think she ever had brewing.

The thoughts about such stupid things of teenage rebellion and the foolish imagine of just up and kissing Margo now, or something super direct like that scattered from her brain as soon as she heard the clacking of drinks.
She looked positively elated- she must *Really* Like cola! She nods a sheepish "Thank you" At the waitress, picking up the cola and stopping herself from just downing it in one.

"Mmh, this is definitely a much better fate. I'm glad to be here, i got to meet you, and.. And I've never been happier- i know its cheesy, but home in itself was a prison" 
She put her drink down with a quiet gasp, her throat struggling for air as the suds trapped her airways while she drank.

"Sorry, that got a little bit heavy, but yes, our situation *Could* Be much worse"
Chelsea
◆ "Gotcha." Margo nodded. "I mean, shit, I have a sweet tooth too, but growing up served by world-class cooks means that I got exposed to so much shit that I kinda just... Appreciate everything. Though... I don't care for overly salty foods; that's probably the point where I say *What the fuck, man? Why is this so salty?*"

□ Affecting her voice for extra effect, she ranted for a few brief yet certain moments about salty foods. A longtime adversary of hers, it was perhaps the one place where she drew the line. Once she was done rambling she collected herself and blew on her tea a few times, trying to cool it a touch so she could sip it without the damned thing evicting all her tastebuds from her tongue like blackheads. It was, perhaps, the one actual issue she had with tea: unlike in her room, where she obsessively monitored the temperature of her kettle to ensure perfect steeping conditions, a diner like the one her and Vi sat in would have been far more likely to simply pour boiling water over a cheap teabag and then send it out as if it was fine.

▪︎ Thankfully, though usually finicky she knew to make an exception for diners; the food was usually good enough to offset any displeasure from improperly prepared tea.

◆ "Yeah, I'd say so as well. I understand, man... I really do. After Holly got sentenced to 25 years without parole minimum for RICO charges my father got really fucking strict with myself and Ben... Home felt like a prison, but at least I could get out when I really wanted to." She spoke, equal parts reminiscing and showing sympathy. "But I doubt talking about terrible home lives is good diner conversation. I'm sure we could go on for days; similar tragic rich kid backgrounds, yaddi yadda. Anyways... It's a little strange how spicy foods aren't all the same. I'm thinking on it now, and... Wasabi is spicy, but it's different from a habanero, and that itself is different from a Sichuan buzz button. Weird how entirely different plants end up under the same damn umbrella, huh? Speaking of which... Do you like sushi?"
Charles
And Violetta didn't have to cope with the heat of a drink, instead smiling contently with her icy chilled cola. How the everloving fuck Margo manages to drink a tea in stupidly hot weather like this, Violetta would never be able to understand.
Yet, there was something shockingly endearing about Margo and the strange little contradictions of her character- those were the miniscule little details that threw Violetta into a childlike crush state.

Nodding along, she skim listened to Margo's words, drumming her fingers along the glass, half expecting her fingers to stick to the frigid glass as she stimmed.
"Yeah... I suppose we're quite similar, huh?" She muttered, going to put her hand on Margo's, before cowarding out partly due to her own nerves and the fact that their food will probably be coming sooner rather than later.
She'll make that move another time.

"Sushi?- hmm" Vi's brain cogs turned, she wasn't sure what to answer as her head tilted to the side delicately.
"I don't hate it, but i haven't had it in ages, why?"
Chelsea
◆ "Yeah, I'd say so."

□ Rather than elaborate, or delve deeper into her own family troubles, Margo simply agreed and blew on her tea again, aware from a sensed gaze that Vi was wondering exactly how she managed to drink hot drinks like the earl grey in front of her in the heat of summer in Sweden. If questioned, she'd have explained it away as a deep love of tea, but then again, she also realized that she could have easily asked for it iced. It wouldn't have been the same as the iced tea she had during family trips to New Orleans, but that was fine; sweet tea, as it was known, registered as an offense to her traditional tea drinking tongue, so the heat would do fine here.

▪︎ Plus, she was dressed relatively light anyways. She could afford a hot drink.

◆ "Just wondering." Bullshit, Margo. Bull*Shit.* "I know there was a sushi place I used to go to with my friends back home about once a month, and that was pretty good. Maybe I'll look into it... We could make another day out of it. Your company's... Appreciated, moreso than just about everyone at the Cradle, so the more time we spend out and about the better, as far as I'm concerned." Mad gay. Jeez. "Also I noticed that. I... Don't bite, and despite my muscles I won't crush your hand. But, shit... You set the pace, I guess. You're the one fresh out of a relationship, I'm just here to enjoy every moment of today, and whatever the future brings."

▪︎ Yet, the big question lingered on her tongue: *"What the fuck are we?"*
Charles
"I'm flattered that I'm around the top of your list"
She acknowledged the suggestion of the sushi place with an abrupt nod. But... Another question clouds her mind.
Violetta goes quiet a moment as she mulled over the question in her head- was it appropriate? She didn't want to make Margo feel homesick or anything but man, she was curious about it.
Interrupting the comfortable silence, she spoke up.
"Your friends back home... What are they like?" She tilted her head, corners of her mouth tugging up
"I'm curious"

"And i... I know but- i figured it would be weird timing if the food will probably come soon." Defensively and... Ever so slightly flustered, Violetta felt the need to crack out her reasoning, but soon gets an idea.
Toying with the plan in her head, she eventually gives into her natural instinct for a bit of teasing, because who is she if not human?

"But if you really want me to that bad then i have no complaints." Her voice dripped matter of fact, as she then went to hold Margo's hand confidently. I love gay rights.
There was a major difference between their hads that made Vi question if she should maybe start working out or something.

She wanted to ask too but... That felt like a question for another time
Chelsea
◆ "Well, you'll be flattered until we're nothing but fond yet fuzzy memories to each other." Matter-of-fact, yet endearingly awkward and genuine. It was first romances in their purest form. "I... Hope that makes sense."

□ Butterflies abound in the belfry, she could feel their wings beating against the inside of her chest, fluttering her stomach into a state of pleasant unrest and her mind into varying states of worry. What if she wasn't being cool enough? What if she wasn't fulfilling her role as a futch lesbian? What were those roles, even? She'd rarely consumed romance-heavy media, nor had she grown up in a house where love was common and unconditional, so there were a lot of uncertain questions that she had to find the answers for on the fly.

▪︎ She took a sip of her tea, still quite hot, and let out a soft sigh.

◆ "It's fine, man. I actually didn't have a ton of friends back home, aside from my siblings, but... I'm not sure they count. I met a lot of people in martial arts lessons, and in jazz club, but it's only really Omar and Anton who stuck around after I came out as trans. Omar's a big burly fuckin' Cuban guy, big into film and anarchist theory, crazy good guitarist. Once watched him eat a five pound burger and three pounds of fries in one sitting like it was nothing; motherfucker can *Eat.* Anton's really tall, plays bass, really into experimental music and Japanese culture and shit. He's pretentious as all fuck, but I love him like a brother regardless." Her voice dripped with a bizarre yet genuine mix of homesickness, fondness, and disdain. She really did care for her friends, even if parts of them made her want to rip her hair out in clumps out of frustration. "I miss 'em, but we have a groupchat, so it's fine. How about you? Did you have any friends back ho- *Oh.* I see."

□ A hand met hers, and sparks crackled down her spine, through her arms, up and down her legs, behind her eyeballs like a heroin lobotomy. How did such a simple act reduce her to such a flustered, barely composed mess?
Charles
"It makes enough sense." Simple and dry as usual, but she didnt have much to say outside of wanting to just stare at Margo. It was the awkwardness that enticed her- their interactions didn't have to be perfect- in fact they were so flawed at this whole romance thing, but that was in essence, the appeal of it all.

Her role was fulfilled to Violetta, that role being sparking her heart ablaze somehow- every little thing her fling partner did elicited a whiplash like response of tingles in her chest and stomach- something that made her think at first was a health issue- but once realising it only happened around Margo, she was able to chalk it down at last to puppy love.
Vi had always been a hopeless romantic at heart, even seeing her father with her stepmum made her think how special love was (even if she wished it was with Her mum, but whatever.) Any romance book in the library had been in her hand within seconds as a child, always longing for that perfect someone just within arm's reach.

Margo's passion in subjects like these just reminded Violetta of how pure and sweet humans can be in loyalty. Like pillars holding up a collaseum, Margo and her friends seemed to bounce off eachother, holding up a friendship.
It made Vi... A little jealous if she's being honest, to have bonds. She stroked over Margo's hand with her thumb absentmindedly, then perking up.

"Wait- you're trans?" Violetta tilted her head, eyes wide with,, surprise. It wasn't a dealbreaker definitely, in fact, she frankly didn't care it was just- new information! Her tone remained just simply curious towards the girl.
"That's really cool" She smiled, especially at Margo's reaction to the hand holding

"Anyways i didn't- really have many friends back home. I had my half sister but she was... Insufferably happy, and i was super jealous"
Chelsea
◇ She hummed in response to Vi running a thumb over the back of her hand, letting the initial shivers and racing heartbeats settle a bit before she even dared open her mouth, in which time...

```◆ "Here you two go! A toastie for *You..."*``` The waitress whistled as she set Vi's lunch down first. ```"And your BLT, on rye, plus a fried egg and Tabasco, with a cream of broccoli soup! Enjoy, you two."```

■ "Thank you." Margo replied back in turn, looking down at the reasonable bowl of soup and the decent sandwich sat upon a plate in front of her. Commenting on how her meal smelled with the same sort of casual, almost aloof calm she held herself in oftentimes, she was knocked out of her thoughts as Vi mentioned something she hadn't expected. "Wait. *Really?* You didn't know? Fuck... That's actually pretty validating, man. I-I appreciate it, stupid as it might sound."

▪︎ For a few moments, pride, acceptance, and the enthralling feeling of gender euphoria blossomed within, lighting her eyes up like they rarely shone, her lips curled into a small yet genuine smile, softened by the unintentional validation. This was the life, and she could get used to it. Looking off at an overhead mirror in a corner, she saw a slightly warped version of herself staring back, bent by light's mysterious ways yet peering back, fierce and proud and flustered and so goddamned *Happy* That her legs were bouncing without any intent on her end.

▪︎ Maybe being sent to Sweden was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Maybe. It felt like it in the moment.

◆ "Anyways, man... Gotcha. That's a shame, though, that you didn't have friends. Then again, neither did I, aside from Oma and Anton, so... Least we have each other now. That's good, I'd say."
Charles
"Thank you-"
If you think that Vi looked starstruck when she looked at Margo, you'd be right, but it was nothing in comparison to the pure, unadultered joy emblazened on her face when looking at the melty cheese toastie in front of her.
It seemed directly out of her taste, it was hard to imagine Violetta having opinion on any food at all but.. Alas here she was, practically drooling at the sandwich in front of her.

She immediately picked up the sandwich as soon as the waitress had walked off, nodding as she took a bite into it.
"Yeah, this is super new information- you're rocking it though, as some might say. I've read about trans people before but... To nobody's surprise, russia isn't very openly diverse." Violetta noted with a tint of discontent.
"I never thought about it much but... It's pretty fucked up, if I'm honest."

Violetta looked over to the mirror in sync with Margo, smiling stiffly, but genuinely.
"Admiring yourself?" She teased, looking back to Margo, taking a sip of her cola- it was nice to see the other enticing girl like this, genuinely sorta happy! Violetta's hands tapped at her glass to a uniform beat, esteeming the girl beside her with a half smile.

She's snapped out of... Whatever it is she's thinking about by Margo's next words.

"Yeah, i love my sister but i just.. She was having such a better time than me and it made me upset with her a lot i guess. But i have you now- and hopefully more people at the cradle at some point?"
Chelsea
◆ "Yeah, can say that again, I'd imagine." She scoffed. "I've always felt like I wouldn't be safe in Russia since, well... I'm transitioning but I'm also trying to keep my muscular form up, and also generally dressing more masc than the norm for women. Feel like that'd *Really* Hurt some egos."

□ Chuckling, she took a bite of her sandwich, muscular and partially bandaged hands wrapped around the bottom of it. Still looking up at the mirror, she let the smile slip away after a few moments, but she still saw a lot of what she wanted to be looking back: bright hair, brash fashion, blunt tongue, brute strength, berserker hands. But, she also still saw lingering parts of her old self she'd left as a husk in the closet, and this negativity weighed her down as much as the gender euphoria lifted her up.

▪︎ Such was the tumultuous nature of being young and trans, she'd come to learn over her short yet informative life.

◆ "Just caught a glimpse of myself looking back. Old self, present self, future self. One of these days I'll put my old self to rest, *For good.*" She took another bite, chewing slowly and letting one of her legs softly bounce even as she felt shame gnawing away at her throat. "But, I'm sure you'll make more friends, man. Most of the people I know here's through the Intranet, so... Maybe lurk there more. God knows I'm borderline terminally active there."
Charles
"Lots of injured egos in russia, I'm fairly certain that's what we're known for." She jested, her voice dripping with just a hint of embarrassment. I mean, she never liked russia, and she didnt exactly love korea either, but it was far more luxurious than the confines of such a timeless place as the region she was forced to call home.


But.. When did she start thinking sappy stuff like that? She blinked aggressively to air out her mind. Over it.

"Have you considered poetry? Your words are always so artistic" She supported her head with her hand, one elbow resting on the table, holding up the uncertain face that looked at Margo with uneasy adoration.
"And it's a good output for emotions." She paused
"Or so i've heard-" Unsubtle as ever, she clumsily smiled, looking to the side. She totally does poetry yall...

"Ah yes, the intranet- seems like an alright idea but... It's hard to keep up with a lot of people on there- Amelie seems to enjoy recieving Soup photos however.."
Chelsea
◆ "Heh, fair."

□ Chuckling, Margo took another bite of her sandwich. Oddly, she hadn't dipped her sandwich into her soup; was she even aware? Or did she have her own reasons? Whatever the case, a few nervous yet comfortable moments passed by, butterfly pads on stomach lining and busy bees in the chambers of her heart-hive. She could get used to it, being a host for all these emotional colonies, of which her only regret happened to be that she couldn't feed these bugs to Cosmo when he deserved a snack.

▪︎ Weird train of thought. She snapped herself out after a few moments.

◆ "I have. I occasionally jot down ideas, but I've been slacking as of late." She casually spoke, taking another bite and groaning softly as the egg's yolk burst in her mouth. "God, that's fucking delicious... Jesus Christ. Anyways... Amelie seems to love all the pets here. She loves Sadie a lot though, I've noticed, actually, and most of the time I post pictures of him because I know she'd love to see him doing his thing and being cute."
Charles
And Violetta was that of a beekeeper, scraping away at the love honey from the hivemind of an organ that Margo calls her heart. Such a honey was a rare kind though, and Violetta was honoured to get ahold of it so easily.
She didn't question the strange sandwich habits, and was more impressed that Margo is able to have more than just a snack for lunch; however, Violetta isn't exactly known for her large appetite by any means.

"I see... It's peaceful is all." Her hands fidget with the toastie in grip, another bite getting taken out of it
"She's close with a local stray cat, right? I'd always wanted a kitty, they're adorable."
She closed her eyes, a carefree smile of esteem towards the mere concept of cats crossing her mind.

"Sadie is adorable too though, is it a family thing?"
Smooth criminal.
Chelsea
◆ "Yeah, uh... Cake." Margo hummed. "Cake's honestly pretty cute. I've seen her around once or twice, black cats are... They're kinda tragic, in all honesty."

□ Tragic was definitely the right word. As she knew it, black cats tended to be glossed over by almost everyone in shelters; bad omens were believed to follow in their wake, so they languished in shelters across the world. Cake herself might have even been one such specimen, and while the thought tugged at her heartstrings something fierce she also knew that the little darling was at least being cared for. Whatevs. Taking another bite of her sandwich, patches of red and pink dusted her face like Valentine's sugar cookies, the compliment landing on its feet and directly outside the gates of her brain.

▪︎ She chewed a few moments, then swallowed.

◆ "I-I think it rubs off, yeah." She replied with a laugh and a slightly awkward tone, setting her sandwich down and picking up the soup spoon she'd been given. Scooping up a spoonful of the soup, she gingerly slurped it up just in case it was still burning hot; turned out it wasn't. "Sadie's the cutest little thing, Cosmo is... Handsome? And I'm just a dyke with magic powers. Funny family we have going on."
Charles
"My mother had a black cat, i remember vividly seeing her every time i visited at christmas... I don't know what happened to her, but she hated me for some reason." She fondly remembered the fussing cat and nodded
"She was probably a rescue."
And apparently, according to her younger brother, every halloween wass a disaster to have to hide the cat from any absurdly superstitious people out with bad intent

Toying with Margo was proving to be entertaining; the other girl is sweet and so so charming- in the dorky sort of way, the clumsy, awkward romantic way that she'd always been so invested in as a child- while she wants to say that Margo was haphazardly wrapped around her dainty finger, but it was a rather mutual thing, each little thing that the redhead did made her breath catch in her throat in surprise.

"Don't undersell yourself too much, you've got magic powers after all, you say it like its nothing at all." Violetta stated with light encouragement, putting her toastie down to take a sip of her coke.
"Anyways, lizards are adorable, but i think one fussy and spoiled chinchilla is enough for me"
Chelsea
◆ "Or maybe she just didn't like kids." Margo commented, all too familiar with pets who hated little humans. "I know one of my uncles state-side had a border collie – no, fuck, he had two of 'em and an Australian Shepherd – and one of 'em just wouldn't come inside while there were guests. I guess Buddy hated kids, and maybe your mom's cat was like that. Pets have their own personalities; wonder if one could even be homophobic..."

□ Clearly joking, she laughed for a few moments at her own waffling speech, off in a hundred different directions yet still leading to the same location no matter what. Taking another bite of her sandwich, she lazily chewed while Vi kept on talking, the gay archivist in her head keeping tabs on everything of note with her friend's voice; vocal quirks, tics, stutters... Anything, really, that'd fall outside of the norm, and set her apart.

▪︎ As if the scars weren't enough.

◆ "It basically is nothing compared to a lot of people at the Cradle. Woo, I can see infrared, I can see this, I can see that, but ultimately it's just sight. It's unimpressive. People like Ares or Owen have physically impressive powers, Uriel and Matti are terrifying in a mental way... All I have is a funky eye." She calmly lamented, fingers curled around a soup spoon full of cream of broccoli. She raised it to her mouth and slurped it down. "Anyways... Yeah, fair, man. Fair... If I had room I'd die for a gecko of some sort as well, but myself and Uri's room is already stuffed to the brim with shit; basically no room." A moment of silence passed. "Did you get to pick your room, outta curiosity?"
Charles
"I suppose you're right, it was sort of easy to tell me apart from most children though" Violetta tilted her head side to side, going back to her toastie.
"I was... Aloof i suppose? Maybe I'd be less fucked up if i played with a barbie or something, who knows"
Truth be told, she was glad to be casual around Margo. Around other people, Violetta had a habit of being pent up, uptight, stressed out and overwhelmed, but Margo was just so... Calming. She was like honey on toast or a golden sunrise, a sense that it's okay.

She watched how the sun from the window kissed Margo's skin and almost flushed, her leg bouncing up and down and her chest tightening a bit.
How did it take her this long to realise the beauty of women, man? Her voice trailed off, it tended to do that at the end of sentences- she was in fact notorious for her muttering and mumbling.

Looking at the food in front of her accomplice, it occured to her that Margo was quite lucky that Violetta had a crush, because that cream of broccoli... Looked gross to her- of course she was bias because of her love for carbs and hate for green veg outside of peas, but man the texture...
"Honestly? My powers kind of suck, like if i wanted to kiss you again, i couldn't dramatically cup both my hands on your face without giving you a migraine, though the hallucination power is... Pretty fun, if i had the confidence for mischief."
She explained, going pink faced around the middle at mentions of kissing- it was merely an example, yet.. Her lips tingled a little bot and her brain asked herself for a hand getting out of rhe gay gutter it just collapsed into.

"Really? Uriel sounds like one of the better people to room with... I did choose my room- i chose a single because i tend to sleepwalk, and in case my roommate would be messy"
Chelsea
◆ "Felt that." Margo chuckled, the spoon clinking against the rim of the porcelain bowl her soup had been served in. "Because, erm... When I was five or so, I got roped into a bet. It was something between myself, Ben, and Holly, and we challenged each other to climb something tall. I... Don't remember what Ben climbed, Holly climbed on top of a parked city bus for precisely three seconds before the driver shooed us away, and I scaled up onto a traffic light. Turns out, the wind's fucking nuts up high like that, and I got blown off. Nearly died, but a police officer fuckin' snagged me out of thin air with gravity magic and passed it off as an act of God, and in the kerfuffle my eye cleared up. For reference, my left eye was clouded over from birth until that shit happened. Really marked me out afterwards, but thankfully I was always the best fighter in the class, so... Fuck 'em. One of 'em called me a fag once and I broke his jaw so bad he was mute for six months and had to eat through a straw, so."

□ Almost like badges of honour on a sash, Margo casually – no, fondly – recounted how her powers awakened, and how viciously she flattened anyone who tried to make a conformist example out or her in childhood. It was the truth, and she could have regaled Vi in childhood stories for *Hours,* But it didn't seem like the right time to just be gabbing endlessly about her oddly coherent memories of youth so she shut her mouth. Shut her mouth and let Violetta talk, letting every word dangle off her earlobes before they worked their way in.

▪︎ And, now she knew some interesting things about Vi. *Interesting.*

◆ "I'll just double dose some Advil, I'm not a coward." She playfully scoffed, this utterance tinged with hints of nervous hesitancy and cool confidence; teenage romance perfectly encapsulated. "But for real, I see. That's pretty cool, even if it gets in the way of... Well." Margo gestured with her hands, looking both at Vi and behind her, splotched face red from cheek to cheek as she vacantly picked a point beyond her as if it'd hide the fact that she was staring. What a dork. "Y'know. Also, Uri really is a good roommate, but they're... Honestly too housewife-y at times. Is that fucked to say? Like, I love them like a sibling, but they've got absolutely no spine, and it kinda worries me. The world isn't gonna be soft beyond the Cradle. Anyways, I guess I guess i'll keep that in mind. For the future, obviously..."

▪︎ About as smooth as a random chunk of asphalt, Margo Killjoy.
Charles
"Ben and Holly- like the cartoon characters?" She tilted her head- a reference to one of the only kid shows she had ever really watched was bound to come up at some point- that reference being to Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom. Was it intellectual? Not at all, but it entertained her enough for her to go out of her way to sneak watching it behind her ever surveillant father's back.
Her hand twiddled some dark hair around her fingers, a small smile coming on at the anecdote.
"I'd like to have seen the look on his face- i never had to put up with bullying, thankfully- there's no doubt i definitely would have, being wasian in russia and autistic... But i was home schooled, so not all hope was lost for me... And if i go to uni and get bullied there then i would have already won, because that's plain pathetic."

Her fingers moved to the rim of her drink, circling it in thought, meanwhile taking note of Margo's staring- the other girl was so good at making her feel show stopping somehow, the way she stared sometimes made her wonder if something was different but no- same old, same old.

She snickered.
"Well, problem solved then, you'd be fine, the migraine doesn't last if i remove my hands, though it is an annoyance- i wish my powers were a bit less harmful- sure, hallucinations can't hurt but they can fuck people up, disorient them." It was endearing, the way Margo desperately tried to make it look like she wasn't staring; Violetta tilted her head to the side, making eye contact for a moment with the obviously Very slick girl

"I get what you mean, i've never properly met Uriel but i know the type; selfless to an unhealthy attempt, way too focused on making sure you're happy that it's just a bit uncomfortable at times?"
Her own description of Uriel almost made her feel a bit bad about what she's saying- was she coming off rude? She hoped not.

"Oh it sucks, i used to sleeptalk too like.. I would scream in my sleep, but i think i stopped a little while back"
Chelsea
◆ "Huh?" Margo paused, a bit thrown off by Vi bringing up some sorta cartoon. "Nah, my siblings. Ben's my younger brother, and Holly's one of my older sisters. She's behind bars right now... Fucking idiot. I don't understand why she'd roll with a *Gang* Of all people. I get that, er... Being wealthy is also pretty boring, but there's about a million other ways to feel alive than cooking crack in the family microwave and acting like it's a science experiment for school."

□ A mix of emotions laced her voice, but the most prominent one was confusion. Even now, three years later, she didn't exactly understand why her sister had done the things she did. Gangs were predominantly impoverished or destitute black folks who fell between the sewer grates of society directly into the gutters, so what the fuck had a shockingly wealthy white girl been doing with the Bloods? It made no sense, and thinking about it left Margo with a pulsing vein of frustration in her neck, so she tried her best to focus back on Vi. It was for the best, then, lest this date run a repeat of her date with Esme, where the door of the bathroom stall had nearly met its end.

▪︎ Good thing Vi was enthralling in a way she hadn't experienced before.

◆ "I mean, yeah, but fuck... If you get bullied then swing back. That's the only language those assholes know." She casually replied, scooping some more soup into her awaiting maw. "But, I getcha. Your powers are... They're cool and all that shit, but man, it also sounds annoying. Intimacy must be a nightmare..." She remarked, looking away and at the wall. "Also you're right. They're frustratingly obedient and placid and it just... It worries me. One of these days they're gonna meet someone who doesn't understand them, and they're gonna get ran the fuck over, and then blame themselves. I just... Worry about them."

"Also, night terrors?"
Charles
"Oh, i see..." Well that was embarrassing, but she shook it off- saving the thoughts for tonight when she tries to sleep and thinks of every embarrassing mixup shes ever made ever. Like when that girl with the big purple hair looked like she was gonna high five Vi, but was going for the person behind her- embarrassingly, she had responded.
She shuddered a bit, her brain back onto the conversation.
"I mean... It's a smart coverup, surely?"

At least Vi never had to worry about her half sister doing anything like that- purely because she didn't care. At all. In fact, she thought, a bit of rebellion would probably do the girl some good.
As for her brother... The kid's an angel, she knows he isn't up to anything outside of his turtles and skin routine.

"Yeah, i usually just move my hands elsewhere but its a little awkward you know- but hey, it's hardly the end of the world"
She nodded, Vi had had to come up with these sort of solutions, she had tried with one finger up, fail. She had tried other places on the body, successful but inconvenient.
There was an attempt on wearing thick gloves too but.. Even if that had worked, it would sort of ruin the moment, surely?

"Mhm... It's good they have you though, you seem to really care about them; that's good, friendships like that." She hummed, finishing off her coke with a content smile and a drum of her fingers against the table.

"Yes, something along those lines. I'd never remember them until i was 16, i would just wake up thinking i was going to die. If anything I prefer remembering my nightmares, since they're so bizarre i can use that to ground myself. Though nowadays they're less... Paranormal based, I suppose."
Chelsea
◇ Margo couldn't help but snicker.

■ "Vi, she was cooking *Crack rock cocaine* In the microwave. She had an eight ball of coke and all the shit she needed to turn it into rock right next to her. She could have ripped open the gates of Hell and brought Armageddon on us and she'd have still received the beating of a liiife... Oh, yeah." Suddenly, her voice fell from humorous and hyperbolic to quiet and almost nervous, as if she'd unintentionally dug up some nasty memories. She fell completely silent, and for a few good moments all she did was nod and hum along, albeit with a gaze so distant it was like the horizon had erupted in her eyes, staring out over a vast ocean and seeing something nobody else did.

▪︎ She felt terrible, but... The memories kept flowing back. She needed a moment.

◆ "I'm... Gonna go have a smoke. I, er... Dug up some really painful memories just a moment ago." She spoke, her voice shaky, uncharacteristically soft and vulnerable; almost scared, even. "I'll be back."

□ Scooting herself out of the booth, she walked fast, and with good reason. The mere mention of what had happened to Holly in the immediate aftermath of their father finding out she'd been making drugs in the family kitchen of all places had brought back bad memories – *Painful* Ones, welts on skin and black eyes and forced smiles for cameras – and she knew she needed a moment to settle her thoughts and shove her trauma down. So, as she stepped outside and fished out a smoke her hands shook, and her mind raced, yet she held herself together. Puff, exhale. Puff, exhale. Puff, exhale. Before she knew it she'd chained two cigarettes together, and subsequently tossed both butts into an awaiting disposal bin.

▪︎ Stepping back in with a distinctive *Ding* From the bell above the door, she walked back over to Vi, and was clearly feeling less frazzled and downtrodden.

◆ "Sorry about that. Mind letting me back in?"
Charles
Whoops,
Vi sensed she had accidentally hit a nerve- of course not something new to her, but... She did feel a little bad that it was Margo now- she knew that similar to her, her father was no stranger to... 'getting physical'. She reminded herself that the conversation was sorta just swerving in that direction, and in the moment of just wanting to *Talk* For once, she sorta slipped up a bit. It happens.

All that and she couldnt help but blush watching Margo leave, just sorta the way she handled herself, her movement and nerdy suave... Violetta shook her head- deciding to set some ground rules with herself.
Those being 
A) avoid discussion of family
B) avoid discussion of microwave crack cocaine


So she sat, and waited for Margo to return, and perked up like an abandoned puppy when the girl was back. Unsure of how she felt about smoking, Violetta was at least glad that Margo looked more pleased than she was when she left.
The shorter girl moved out the way for Margo to shuffle through.

"Of course, apologies for bringing back any uh... Shaky memories!
Chelsea
◆ "No, no, it's... Fine." She spoke as she slid back into the booth. "You didn't do anything wrong, Vi, I just... Let my mouth fly, and it came back and slashed my chest. I promise, alright?"

□ She may have been a lovey-dovey teenager in the first throes of a crush, or whatever this situation was, but she could tell that Vi had been silently blaming herself. So, as she reassured her friend Margo also gently – albeit awkwardly – ran her thumb along her cheek, and pressed her other fingertips up around her jaw and the other cheek, humming softly. After a few nervous moments where her heart felt as if it were about to tear a hole in her chest and go for an excited jog she let her hand drop, and in one smooth motion popped the final bite of her sandwich into her mouth.

▪︎ Thankfully, she'd finished most of her meal before she had to dip out to settle her mind, so it wasn't like she had much else to focus on.

◆ "Anyways... How was your lunch, man? Because fuck, mine was good."
Charles
She nodded quietly, refraining from a cheesy comment about Margo's 'way with words' that Vi felt would just feed into the other's ego, as cute as that concept sorta was.
The short girl smiled subtly at Margo as she slid into the booth, their hands slightly brushing in coincidence caused a silent intake of breath, and a fuzz of red to spread across of her face. 

"Got it... I do that sometimes too- it's weird human nature, i suppose?"

Violetta watched Margo's precise hand movements with the focus of someone that was genuinely intrigued with every inch of the other's movements, each patch of lighter coloured skin on the other girl caused a small flutter to batter against her ribcage.
That was... Enough admiring for one day- soon Margo might catch on, or even worse, start teasing her!

She perked up at the question.
"It was good! I only used to have food like that when visiting my mother, so that's a plus. You have good taste for diners for sure."
Gay ppl are real... <3
Chelsea
◆ "Guess so, but man... It fucking *Sucks,* You know?"

□ Speaking with a chewed-up wad of food squirreled into her cheek, the hand she'd had pressed up to Vi's cheek lay limp on the table, as if she was planning on going home and keeping it close to her chest until sleep took her later on. It was innocent, in a sense, barely fitting of someone as stone-faced and defiant as herself, yet here she was, about to chop her hand off and stuff it in a glass case full of formaldehyde so she'd never have to wash it.

▪︎ What a *Nerd.*

◆ "That's good, though. I assume your father was like mine, too lost in his wealth to eat like a normal goddamned human?" She casually remarked as she sipped her tea, having neglected it so long it was actually dangerous close to being too cool for her liking. "Also, shit, I'm from Brooklyn, baby, comes with the territory!... Not really. Anton's from there too and the fucker still swears by Subway. How he eats that garbage is beyond me..." She grumbled, though humorous in tone. "I know there was one spot back there... Paul's, I think it was called? No, Pauly's. They had the best goddamned rotisserie chick – actually, it wasn't rotisserie chicken, it was rotisserie lamb, if you can believe it – and holy fuck, Vi, they'd douse it in this spicy cumin lime sauce, and that was the kind of sandwich that'd change your life. So good. Wonder if Pauly's is still doing it...?'
Charles
"Yes, as does the human psyche in general. Do not dwell on it." Violetta longed for Margo's hand back on her face, but she bit her tongue, instead looking down at the appendage on the table longingly for a moment.
She searched her head for any sort of witty remark, but yet there was nothing outside of something plain cheesy and clingy- so her mouth remained zipped, her attention begging for something else to hone in on, just so she doesn't get too overzealous.

"Yes, sometimes when he was out on business trips, my stepmother would try to bond by cooking something with me- I almost regret pushing her away so much." She shrugged, i dont remember if she'd finished her cola yet or not. I'm gonna say no for convenience sake- and on that note, she got to just sipping at that, soaking in the moment and the other's sweet like sugar words.

If you were in Vi's place right now, you wouldn't be able to fight a smile too as Margo got all enthusiastic about Brooklyn and the food and something as simple as spicy lamb sandwiches. The petite girl definitely looked entertained, her head swaying every now and then, and her crooked smile laid out on full display as she comprehended and smoothed through the other's words.
A quiet laugh escaped her mouth at the 'holy fuck, vi', her eyes squinted as her cheeks moved up in the smile.
This was nice. Far more genuine than anything she'd experienced in the past.

"Jeez, i doubt they'd change it if it's as good as you sell it as... There was this place- i visit my mother at Christmas and birthdays and- we'd go to this street vendor that did the best Hotteok on the planet, and ppopgi- some call that dalgona, it depends on the place- but i go so often that the man knows me and my brother by name; even though it is... A little strange to have a very european name in south korea"
.

She could ramble for ages about home- like.. ACTUAL home, not the large house with restricted access, the small house in korea where her room has posters and a loving mother, and her limited drawers had a few toys and magazines scattered around- while they get no use, it reminds her that she was once innocent
Chelsea
◆ "I see." She shallow nodded, chin barely moving yet moving just enough to be perceptible. "Then again... Stepmom? I can't say I blame you. I know if *My* Mom had stepped out of my life for whatever reason and some other woman tried to step up I'd have pushed her away as well. It's just... Losing parental figures *Sucks,* But maybe we shouldn't dwell on it."

□ Echoing Vi's sentiment towards father figures as she spoke, Margo took another sip of her tea, bandaged hands wrapped gently around the porcelain cup in her hands. Warm, but not overly so... Tepid and murky, sediment lining the sides. Whoever had made the tea had apparently punctured the bag while doing so, and now she could see the evidence. Whatever. Another sip, and the slow arc of eyes fixing themselves at Vi as she spoke about dalgona, and her experiences in South Korea as at best a technical national.

▪︎ What a life she led.

◆ "Yeah, I'd imagine it's got to be weird being the only South Korean in the city with a European name." She hummed, hoping she wasn't coming across as insensitive. "Like, I dunno if Korea's as xenophobic as Japan, but if it is then... Fuck. You must have got a lot of weird looks, huh? I'm looking into universities over there and already I can tell I'm going to have to make a lot of changes just to not be ostracized." Though she laughed, a pang of apprehension hung off her every word. She didn't *Want* To have to wear contacts, or dye her hair black, or try to act as naturally Japanese as possible, but given the country's track record... What else could she do? "Hotteok's good, though... Fuck, there was a place back home that did them during the summers, and it might have been quite a walk, but... I'd say it was worth it. Kinda like this meal... Speaking of which, you good to go? Day's young."
Charles
"I think the age difference just weirded me out a bit. In my defense, it is weird." She rationalised, tilting her head from side to side decisively in the moment. It was a common thing that she had become accustomed to- young women that looked positively dazzling- like movie stars or models would accompany some gross old men coming to her father's meetings, for example.

In hindsight- she can't tell if she genuinely found it weird as a kid, or if she just thought she could treat those women better than their stanky 50 year old husbands could.

Violetta's cola was soon finished, which was a sad revelation to have to face- but she'd... Probably get over it. She toyed with the straw absentmindedly 
"I mean, I usually get by just fine, I still look korean at least a bit so... Other than kids staring at my scarring and people recommending me moisturiser, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I've actually never been to Japan, i don't think I ever will, you'll love it there though- if my hypothesis of you being a secret nerd is correct, anyways." Vi stretched, leaning against Margo for a moment in the process.

She sighed lightheartedly, standing up and dusting herself off with a subtle smile.
Yes, something about hanging around with Margo truly was magical; her heart skipped a beat when even a second of contact was initiated, her skin turned red at each compliment and she felt herself in the throws of what she felt at first for Konstantine- but... That was a thought for Later!

"I am.. Ready" :) She flashes that same, dorky crooked smile at Margo, and despite how fake it always looked, it didnt take a genius to realise she WAS pleased
"Let us embark" She stared at Margo's hand for a second, eventually looking away.
She'll ask to hold that outside.

And thus, they were off and gay rights are real.