somethingwithturquoise: (frowning with coffee)
Summer Smith ([personal profile] somethingwithturquoise) wrote2023-09-30 04:52 am

MHA #4; Saturday [09/30].

Well, look at that. Summer was doing the responsible, adult thing and sending a message over to the hotel that morning to be left with Hemorrhage to let him know that she'd be willing to have him come over so that they could talk, and coffee had been made and there was a blaster on the kitchen counter as he sat at the kitchen table not drinking his own coffee (what with the bucket helmet and all ) and she peered at him from where she was leaning against the counter and tried to figure out where to even begin.

"So," she said, "why are you here right now, exactly?"



There was a long pause, a bit of some awkward shifting in his chair. "I, uh...." He coughed. "Heard you were single again."

Summer blinked for a moment before staring at Hemorrhage. "Like, six months ago!"

"So you've already moved on? To someone else?"

"Well, no," Summer said, immediately, rolling her eyes, but then she faltered a little on the uncertain truth of that statement and pulled back a little. "I mean, there is kind of this one guy, but that's, like, nothing serious--"

"--the puny one with the half-mask?"

"That's not fair," Summer protested, "he's been really working out a lot lately! Not that it matters whether I'm with someone else or not right now, anyway, Hemorrhage. We're over. We've been over for a long time, we have documents and everything. Why would I want to go back and rehash old relationships that were bad ideas to begin with?"

"Well, Rick said--"

"RICK?"

"Rick said," Hemorrhage tried again, shrugging a shoulder, looking off to the side, "you seemed pretty interested in revisiting relics of the past lately, and so he thought, maybe..."

"Oh mygod," said Summer, sucking in a breath to keep a bit of her rage from boiling over, "that asshole went and found you to send you here for Parents Weekend, again, all because I decided to use Tiny Planet as a hook-up spot at the exact moment he decided to rehabilitate some pigs???"

WHY WAS THIS HER LIFE RIGHT NOW???

"Soooooo," Hemorrhage hedged, "you're not interested in getting back together?"

"No!" Summer declared, leaving it in absolutely no uncertain terms. "Never! Well, I mean, okay, there was maybe a few times I thought about it directly after the breakup, but that's got to tell you a lot that even in the wreckage of a two and a half year relationship, I still didn't get that desperate."

"Wow," said Hemorrhage, "okay. Harsh."

"Whatever happened to 'you're a total bitch, Summer, I don't need that in my life', anyway?" she said, throwing up a hand in frustration.

"Well, that was almost three years ago," Hemorrhage pointed out, leaning forward a little. "A lot can change in three years. And that bitch was exactly who I feel in love with all those years ago, when the world was just a merciless wasteland and we pissed on the grave of the past."

And, for a moment, there was a small tug of nostalgia in Summer's heart, as she nodded and gave Hemorrhage a small smile. "We did piss on the grave of the past," she said. "But that was then. This is now. I mean, I know you still dress like a Mad Max extra, but it's been a long time since even you've been in that world, right? I mean, god, what is it you're even doing these days?"

"Investment banking."

"Exact--, wait, what? Investment banking? Really?"

Hemorrhage shrugged.

"Wow, well, okay, I guess that just really proves my point, then, doesn't it? I mean, you used to roam the wastelands striking fear into the bowels those who dared to cross your path, and now you're an investment banker. I used to eat the hearts of my enemies to gain their courage, and now I make jello shots and run a general store. What we had, in that moment, was really special, Hemorrhage, but it was just a blip in time. We're different people now. And you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice.



"And also," she felt this part was particularly important, "you should really invest in some pants, dude."

Hemorrhage sighed, nodding a little forlornly as he looked down at that untouched coffee cup. "You're right," he said. "Of course you're right. I just...I just sometimes miss the times we had, the spark between us, destroying everything in our path with wild abandon for all the guts and glory....but the Apocalypse is behind us now. It is time to move on..."

With that, he lifted his hands to his helmet to pull it off so he could finally drink his coffee, and Summer immediately winced, cringing back like she'd just got hit with an eyeful of the burning hot sun reflected off a sheet of metal, which, really, with how pale his face was under that helmet, wasn't too far off from the truth, and she was now going to be finishing her coffee trying to look at literally anything else but that horrible moustache.


[[ expecting some visitors a bit later on, but definitely very open before them in the timeline, and CW for recreational drug use in the comments, because Summer. ]]
stykera: (awkward)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm better at worrying than not worrying," Stark said. "I'm trying. But... ok. I don't want to have a 'bad trip' I want to just relax. With both of you. Just not... like that."

"Your loss," Chiana told him but her tone was gentle. As was the touch of her hand when she reached out to touch his shoulder. She did let her fingers slide down his arm but she was Chiana. Of course she did.
stykera: (sincere)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
"Can we just... be?" Stark said softly as he looked over at Summer.

Wishing, perhaps, that he'd sat between the two of them.

"Here. Relaxed. Without anything complicated? You know I care about you both I just... would like to just be here. Relaxing."
girlofgrey: (chiana is cute)

[personal profile] girlofgrey 2023-10-02 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
"I'll help," Chiana said quickly, jumping up to follow Summer into the kitchen.

She thought Stark might need a microt to recover. He did.

"Whatcha got? Raslak? Something better?"
girlofgrey: (chiana is serious)

[personal profile] girlofgrey 2023-10-02 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
Chiana was good at reading expressions and body language and she noticed the little wince.

"Surprise me?" she suggested. "Water's good too. We wouldn't want to overdo it, would we? I'll take some back to Stark too and you can make me a drink. Frell, I didn't know they made it into something intoxicating!"

She'd head back to the couch as soon as she had the waters.
stykera: (mask)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
Complicated question, Summer!

"Something that will go well with the cupcakes," Stark called back. "I trust you."

And hey, if they all got drunk and high maybe they'd just fall asleep soon!
stykera: (all too much)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
Chiana took the waters with her, pressed one into Stark's hand and said "drink" in a tone that implied he'd be sorry if he didnt. He blinked at her a few times and obediently took a few sips.

"Thank you," he said. "And...I am sorry."

"No," Chiana said firmly. "Don't start. When you start that you don't stop and we're supposed to be here having fun and eating chocolate. So we're gonna have fun and you're not gonna apologize anymore."

Stark nodded and took another sip of water. "All right."
stykera: (little smile)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Stark might be part hummingbird.

He set down his water glass so he could reach for the martini. "Strawberries," he said, smiling at her softly. Maybe the cupcakes were hitting. Or maybe he just always smiled like that.

Chiana's lip twitched as well and she sat down at the opposite end of the couch. Oh no, had she put Summer in the middle? How awful.
stykera: (ok)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 11:57 am (UTC)(link)
"Almost like the jelly sandwiches," Stark said.

He took a sip and nodded appreciatively.

"Very nice," he said.

Chiana, meanwhile, let out a noise that bordered on obscene when she took a sip of her own.
stykera: (side view)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 12:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"I think she's learned her lesson," Stark said, smiling over at both of them.

He had, in fact, started to relax more. Maybe Summer being next to him was helping with that.

"Thank you."

Chiana was just going to be enjoying her drink in blissful silence for a moment, thanks.
stykera: (sincere)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 03:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"To trust you," Stark said. "Especially when it comes to things like this."

Chiana let out a pleased sigh. "You can mix my drinks anytime. And bake. Anytime. Come visit. Both of you. Bring refreshments."
stykera: (awkward)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"Your space doesn't try to kill me or lock me up," Stark pointed out. "Mine does."

"He's not wrong," Chiana said. "I bet we can stay away from any coup attempts if we try though."

Stark made a face at that and slid a little lower on the couch, stretching out his legs in Summer's direction.

"Maybe if we stay on Moya," he said. "Or somewhere we know isn't hostile towards us..."
stykera: (ok)

[personal profile] stykera 2023-10-02 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
"You don't want me killed or locked up," Stark said as he hooked one leg over hers. "I appreciate that. And I don't want anything to happen to you. But we could try to visit Moya. And everyone there. Hyneria ought to be safe enough if you wanted to see Rygel..."

"His Royal Frogness," Chiana chimed in.