bakerstreet | Overflow

Yeah. Find something a lot more distracting to do on V-day.

[Or just take a sleeping pill and zonk out for the entire time. Stay up all night the day before if that helps.]

If you can get the right ones. And the delivery people don't fuck up.

[Ever the ball of positive sunlight, he is.]

No thanks. Not big on sweets.

Or maybe take the initiative and ask someone out next time. Even if it's just a night out with friends.

[Though 'Dora might be tempted to do the "stay up all night and sleep through it" route too.]

Oh, I'm sure I can sort it out. And if I have to, I'll come clean about what I did. As long as I confess she can't get too mad, right?

But I'm only using that as a last resort.

I don't mean cupcakes, silly! Just a favor of some kind.

[Just gonna give such a flat-faced look at the screen.]

Better not all come back to your place for a cupcake-and-wine drunk fest...

Hah, you're funny. Depends on what kind of person she is. Some people'll blow a damn gasket over anything, confessed or not.

[Making it more difficult for people to want to confess to them in the first place.]

You know her; you make that call.

Sure. A favor. I'll call it in if I need it.

I don't know, it might be fun with a group of friends. Maybe less cupcakes. And less wine per person. And I'll need to build up a better tolerance to alcohol...

[Congrats Zero. You've given her a new terrible idea.]

I'll be cautious. And if not, I have the puppy dog eyes. She's told me the puppy dog eyes work all the time.

Most of the time it is, from what I've heard. Until you all get drunk and something lights on fire.

[Then it gets pretty wild. Hey, he's been an enabler a few times in his life. No regrets.]

Seriously? Her loss then...

I'm not worried. I've lit more than a few things on fire in my time. And not all of them were on accident, either!

Wait, is it better if I did it on accident or on purpose?

[There are good reasons why Pandora is no longer allowed in the kitchen.]

Don't underestimate the importance of puppy dog eyes! It's almost a natural defense mechanism. If nothing else, it keeps you out of trouble.

[Although at the same time, she tries to imagine Zero actually acting cute and innocent. She's thankful this is all text and he didn't hear her snort-laugh.]

You better be talking about matches and candles and campfires and shit...

And that depends on what you light on fire.

[Because he can't see her setting things on fire in any sort of way that falls outside of Ms. Nice-n-Sweet Obeys the Rules.]

Last person I saw do the puppy eyes got sand thrown in them.

[DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING IMAGINE HIM LOOKING LIKE THAT! SICK! He doesn't even know she's thinking about it and it still makes his skin crawl and his fur stand up.]

The campfires were on purpose! Well, and there was one bonfire for a special ceremony but that's something else entirely. Everything else happened as an accident.

[In effect she just admitted there were multiple accidents, but... y'know. Wine.]

Well, that's just mean! And uncouth! It's a legitimate social strategy.

[She can't help it, she loves to see the world through rose colored glasses. But a poor fit is a poor fit, and cutesy Zero feels about as poor a fit as Pandora being dark and edgy.]

Thought so.

[His curiosity's perked though and he deliberates on asking. Fuck it.]

"Everything else" covers a lot of ground. What the hell've you burned down?

[He does think "kitchen" being a prime answer, but he'll wait.]

So's sand throwing.

[Mr. Negative, back at it again. And no, he doesn't want to think about Pandora being a pessimistic goth. Ugh.]

I never said it completely burned down! Well, once we had to replace an entire wall in the kitchen but it really needed to be remodeled. And the workshop fire absolutely wasn't my fault, there was a miscommunication there.

[Look, everyone has bad luck with something. Pandora just doesn't do well around fire. No clue why, it's just A Thing.]

Okay. I'll give you that one. Even if it's REALLY rude.

[~~Mirror Universe Pandora would probably be an emo kid.~~]

Neither did I...

[Ugh. He's still going to snirk a little over here. Barely a smirk, but still making that snorting noise cross between scoff and snicker.]

A kitchen. A workshop. Fuck, you're just a walking bonfire waiting to happen.

[Mental note: if he's ever around her, leave his lighter behind. And don't let her in the kitchen. Precautions are never wastes of time. Normal, precautions. Not going hogwild crazy with them.]

Rude's just an opinion.

[Says the jerk who's rude like a second language.]

I wouldn't go THAT far. I mean, what's the average number of fires a person accidentally starts in their lifetime?

[...it's probably one or less, 'Dora.]

Though I'll admit I've never gone to a fireworks show out of an abundance of caution.

It would probably be the popular opinion in this case. Don't you know that sand is coarse and rough and irritating?

One or two. Probably. But not burning down walls.

[Dropped a match, set the poptart foil on fire, lit a toilet roll on a dare, that kind of shit.

Accidental arson? Not so much.]

You can watch those on TV. Saves on the hassle of driving and finding a spot.

Yeah. It's sand.

ONE wall. ONE.

[The workshop needed new pegboards installed but that hardly counts as a whole wall, now does it?]

Some people have told me the experience isn't quite the same, but the festivals in Emejre territory are so crowded. And noisy. Surely I'm not the only one with sensitive ears...

I guess that IS the point, if you're trying to be rude. I guess I'm not terribly experienced in that area.

One wall. And what else? A storeroom?

[It's a simple matter to scroll up and he's not bothering to scroll up. Sue him.]

Too many people around for my comfort. The noise doesn't help either. I'm fine watching it on TV.

[Though the carnival food is missed...]

I don't think you need to be.

All the furniture in the workshop needed to be placed. And a kitchen counter. And the stove needed some repairs. But no one was hurt, and that's the important thing, isn't it?

Crowds are still a bit overwhelming for me, so I'd much rather avoid them if I have the option. Between the noise and all the smells blending together, it's a nightmare. Oh, and there are no mosquitos on television either.

[She wouldn't disagree with that, but given this whole conversation started in part because she was fiending on cupcakes, it probably isn't surprising.]

If it's all the same, I'd rather not ever be. I can't judge anyone else's behavior but I don't want to make anyone else feel bad if I can help it.

So basically you torched the entire place... Damn.

[No comment on the hurt part. Someone stomping on the fire before it got that large would yeah, burn a bit, but would likely be healed up faster than it'd take to repair all those things? Just his callous opinion.]

Don't blame you. I don't like them either. You can always order or make food if you get hungry while watching.

[He still doesn't think it's gonna do anyone any favors to pack down 24 cupcakes in one sitting... He certainly wouldn't try it.]

You can try. But you can't control how someone else feels, and there's a lot of assholes out there.

No! More like, a quarter of the place. If we're factoring both the workshop fire and the kitchen fires together and coming up with an average. And nothing super valuable was lost. So it could have been way, way worse.

Well, I'd have to order food or do something really basic. I'm not actually allowed to do anything more in the kitchen, for reasons that should be pretty obvious at this point.

[Sadly it's not the biggest splurge she's ever had. Once she'd escaped the lab and made it to safety, she pretty much demolished an all you can eat buffet.]

I can only do the best I can, and that has to be enough. And I'm sure everyone can be an asshole at least part of the time, right? So I just can't take it personally.

Oh, a quarter. [Some light sarcasm there, even if it's amused.] Even two medium fires like that is a pretty "impressive" feat for one person.

[Enough to get an annoying reputation hanging around.]

So you're looking at bowls of cereal and some kinda fruit and veggie platter. Or ice cream.

[Something that doesn't involve heat, electricity, and other potential fire starters.]

You can. Just a matter of if you want to or not.

My friends have encouraged me to always be proud of my accomplishments, but this is not one of them. To be honest, I'm worried what will happen if I ever meet an Emejre with a Gift to generate fire. I wonder if they've been warned about me.

[She's legit concerned about it now, but that's probably just alcohol fueling the fear.]

Oh, and pizza rolls! My bad luck doesn't seem to extend to the microwave, at least. They do prefer I stay away from the oven. Just in case.

[And she doesn't realize it, but one of the other boarders keeps a close eye whenever she's in the kitchen for so much as a glass of water.]

It's hard, sometimes. People can be so cruel. But I cannot control them, only how I react. And I'm told sometimes it's VERY frustrating to respond to rude behavior with a smile and positivity.

What? You think you're somehow gonna accidentally "nice" them into setting something on fire around you?

[Should've heard that "bfft!" snort of amusement there, but alas, text. It's definitely drunk talk and hilarious.]

Weird. Microwaves tend to start more fires than ovens or stoves.

[People putting metal in them being the biggest culprit.]

No shit. That's why a lot of people don't bother. Assholes aren't worth your time or effort. Though it's easier to just slug them and walk off then smile and pretend to be nice about it.

To be frank, I've been more worried about setting THEM on fire given my history. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but then again neither does my bad luck with flames.

Wait. Do you think the fire's angry I'm being too nice?

[Yep. Definitely drunk talk.]

My rotten luck only seems to involve open flames. The kitchen incidents involved a gas stove and the workshop was... complicated, but it involved an open flame, among other things.

[...she's absentmindedly put foil in one before, but the subsequent light show was a pretty potent reminder to never do it again.]

Oh goodness, I've only ever punched one person in my entire life. I'm assuming we're not counting monsters. Is it rude not to count the monsters? I'm not entirely sure.

Can someone with fire powers be set on fire? You'd think people who can control fire would be the best around you.

... the fuck?

[He's not even going to go down that path. Drunk talk that starts musing gets weird.]

Uh-huh. No matches or candles for you then.

[And some people put forks in toasters or put their bowl of soup in the microwave with the spoon still sitting in it. All those good things.]

The hell should I know? If something's trying to hurt you, punch the hell out of it. Bash it with a stop sign. Shoot it for all I care.

[It's not rude to fight back.]

I don't know. I've actually never met anyone with that Gift before. You'd think they'd be fireproof but sometimes these abilities work in weird ways.

[She'll let the thinking fire thing go. Even drunk, she knows that's a little crazy, even for HER world.]

That's funny! Owen said the exact same thing when I asked if I could have candles on my birthday cake. He seemed pretty panicked at the idea.

Oh, I'm learning to better defend myself! It's been a slow process, though. I don't think I'd care for using guns, though.

Sometimes.

[He's one to talk about weird abilities. It's not "Gift" to him, but it's not leaving either.]

Look, if you tell someone you set two places on fire, they're not going to give you anything flammable.

[And suddenly she has his more-positive interest.]

Oh yeah? What kind of ways you going about that?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject