capeandcowl | 019 ♍ video

[ it's early afternoon and kanaya is in the greenhouse, tending to a row of black calla lilies, watering can in one hand, clippers in the pocket of her apron. she has a headband on to keep her bangs out of her eyes, and a smudge of dirt or two on her cheek. she doesn't look like she's slept in a while. in fact, it's probably been days.

her communicator is propped up on a shelf above the flowers so she can speak to it while keeping her hands free. ]

I've been thinking about it, and i's something of an awkward question, but in the interest of cultural sensitivity, it needs to be asked. You see, it occurs to me that certain words have...numerous contexts depending on the user's place of origin, and in some cases can be utterly and unwittingly obscene. [ she stops and places her hand on her chin, looking up at the communicator. well, that will be more dirt, won't it. ] I was told once that I should write a book about my planet for human education, but I don't know about that. I'm not much of a writer.

[ she turns back to her flowers. ] That said, ignorance can only be dispelled through education, so there will need to be...some sort of offering to make. So, if a list could be collected from various non-humans on practices that would be untoward from humans unaware of the implications of these actions, perhaps a pamphlet could be prepared and left at the Porter's housing unit. I think it's worse considering, at least, but I'll need some assistance in constructing it, namely from any others from non-Earth planets to contribute things I may not be aware of, either.

[ she sits there lingering on the thought for a moment before setting the can down and rising to her feet, her hands dusting off at the top of the frame before she reaches over to take the communicator. ] While I'm on the topic of bridging cultures, we're not far from your holiday celebrating romantic successes.

[ she pans the camera out across the area to show what she's been working on. the greenhouse is growing a great many flowers which are just now coming into full bloom in a brilliant display of blacks, pinks, and reds, with a small corner of a few grey things growing. she'd have liked to expand that one, but her choices were limited as it was and there was sadly little demand for them anyway. ]

Last year, Jade and I offered bouquets to fit each of my culture's quadrants. She...may not be here anymore, but I thought I should carry on the endeavor in her absence. A tradition must be continued if it expects to be established, after all. So I will be accepting orders from now until Thursday's end, and delivery is available.

I hope you all enjoy the day as it approaches.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

almost a year
maybe

The Question Was Rhetorical
To Punctuate The Point Made By The Line That Followed

call it an affirmation
fyi
i like giving and receiving insurance
another note you can jot down in your extensive book of all things davesprite

So What Kind Of Insurance Are You After

the word is fine for now
we can see how long that holds up

[bitter? nah.]

Just Try Not To Make Things Worse Then

well we'll know exactly who to thank for that

[And that's probably the last text from him, because the communicator is now likely buried under a bunch of pillows.]

[ he'll eventually come back to this nice little response because she insists on getting the last word. ]

Let Me Guess
It Will Be John Wont It

[She's not disappointed. Sure enough, Davesprite is back, this time on video, looking pretty angry. The room is a wreck, despite not being lived in for the months after his departure.]

You can save the holier than thou bitchy additude, Kanaya, until you actually know what's going on. As in, if Egbert decides to clue you in.

[Because he sure as hell isn't. He pauses.]

And lay off of him for a change, while you're at it.

[ she's out of the greenhouse by now, which is the only reason she's not still on text, but she's out in the city for some errand, so she sticks with voice. ]

I'm not entirely ignorant of it, you know. Just because you don't talk doesn't mean no one else does, Jade told me everything already. You might appreciate that you weren't the first person I scolded over it.

As far as I'm concerned, he's just as guilty over this whole thing as you are, and has been just as obstructive in having it settled.

[He feels guilty about forgetting Jade had shared some of the information already, but he gets over it as quickly as a teenage boy could be expected to get over it.]

The thing I would appreciate would be if everyone would stop trying to force us to get along.

[Sounds like Davesprite doesn't think its going to happen -- or if their tenative peace will last.The camera is turned downward while he smears his face in his palm.]

I'm going to repeat, one more time, the same thing I've been telling you both from the beginning. This is about more than just the two of you. You are part of a household, maybe even a family, and every piece plays its part in that.

A conflict within that corporation ripples outward, Dave. It affects everyone. I may not be a resident in that household, but I'm interwoven with its affairs enough that even I was caught in its wake.

You can't just force everyone to choose between the two of you and then preempt the selection by telling us we have to pick John. That isn't how friendships work, and you put that on everyone. So maybe you'll have to put up with staying under the same roof as him, why is that such a terrible sentence?

It would be much easier for everyone involved if the two of you would just get it over with and descend into blissful caliginousnes together!

[Judging by the look on his face, he's totally not getting it.]

How is forcing two pissy people under one roof fixing a problem?

[Hold on.]

[Did she just suggest--]

Caligin--what?

Kanaya, what the actual fuck.

[He makes a noise in the back of his throat. Kanaya, stop having fantasies about him.]

I'm serious! You produce long screeds on the topic of your hatred for each other, but the moment I say the first word against him you begin to get protective. If there is an actual "what the fuck" being asked it should be regarding what other conclusion I'm supposed to draw from all this!

I'm beginning to think it's a cultural lack that your species is greatly suffering from. At the very least it would be a far less toxic expression of hatred than we're currently dealing with!

[Wow this conversation is suddenly exceedingly uncomfortable. Troll bullshit. There's a soft sigh of composure before Davesprite returns to his usual deadpan in an attempt to bring the conversation back to levels of basic human interaction.]

I never said I hated him.

Well, you certainly act like it.

[Davesprite marvels at that statement for a second, making a face of disbelief for a moment before shrugging.]

I guesss you'd see it that way.

[ she makes a frustrated noise, like a long sigh to keep her from saying anything more imprudent than she already has. ]

Like you'd know, given that I'm apparently a stranger now.

But that's it, isn't it? Why you insist on turning the retaliation inward rather than just putting it on him like a sane person would. Like I said, it would be the easier route. But you have to make it difficult, don't you? What is it you're really still trying to get from him? Don't pretend it's nothing. You can say that, but we both know the lie in it.

Is it acknowledgement? Appreciation? Are you punishing yourself in hopes that he'll suddenly realize how blunderous he's been and beg to be your friend again?

[All of the above.]

You're complicating it.

[No she isn't -- not totally. This is getting rapidly more uncomfortable the longer the conversation goes on.]

I already told you I got my shit on lockdown. You oughta just leave it alone.

But you won't. So. Oh well.

But what is "lockdown", exactly? Does that mean you'll simply ignore your lingering shit as if it isn't existent to begin with?

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