[OPEN] The cake is a lie

[chronomancer]

Characters: Jade!Eridan and YOU!
Setting: Cafeteria's kitchen.
Format: Action.
Summary: ...in which Eridan tries his hand at the arcane, mystic majicks of baking for the sake of his matesprit. It goes as well as you'd expect.
Warnings: FLOUR. FLOUR AND BUTTER EVERYWHERE.

[...well. That sure just happened.

Eridan blinks slowly, as the cloud of white slowly descends onto the floor. He'd never known bags of flour were even explosive. Like. Okay. Maybe he'd tugged a little too hard. Maybe. But that's not a good enough reason for it to explode on his face. The recipe he was working off from didn't say anything about exploding bags of flour.

He just stands there for a moment, W E L P all but written all over his face. Somehow, he thinks, this little project might turn out to be a little more complicated than anticipated.]
 

Comments

[tohko_amano]

[Because Tohko loves being a lab rat for that.

At that, Tohko sighed.]

Even if I wouldn't exist, or, even if I wouldn't exist as I do now in a new universe, that's better than everything being destroyed. True destruction is not even having a reset. One move, and everything's destroyed. Things can't come back, even differently, like they would in a reset.

[chronomancer]

[Everyone does. Honest. Eridan smiles, just a ghost condescendingly.]

You've never talked with another universe's version of you, have you?

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko returns the smile, but hers is actually genuine.]

I haven't..but I imagine that the experience might be interesting. I might be annoyed or mad at an alternate version of myself..but the experience would still be interesting.

I'm guessing you have?

[chronomancer]

Yup.

[Eridan moves over to wash the rag again. It doesn't quite need washing yet, but it gives him something to do with his hands away from her view so she can't see how badly they might start shaking every now and then.]

What you don't understand is the idea behind the reset. Things don't come back, because they never went away in the first place. You're simply discarding something that didn't work out. And then there's no one left to look back and remember how things were before. You are literally destroying everything so you can start back from scratch.

[He gives the rag a nice, savage squeeze, before turning back to last bits of cleaning.]

You'd think you'd know them, huh? 'cause they're you. Except they're not. And anything you know is worthless because they're not you and their universe doesn't follow the same rules yours did. It can be very infuriating.

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko keeps cleaning as he speaks, and, before she replied, she threw away the used paper towels, sighed to herself, and then replied.]

I'm not sure if 'destroy' is the right way to put it..but you are bringing everything back to the beginning to be remade from scratch. However, while I might not know the me in a different universe, and while things may be very different than how I know them, it's better than total destruction.

However..I'm curious. Why was a reset button even made in the first place?

[chronomancer]

...you're making me wonder what kind of destruction you're familiar with, if you'll discount anything else but it.

[The question seemed genuine, though her attitude was starting to irritate him. He couldn't tell if it was because she was irritating or just because he was looking for an excuse to blow up on someone. Either way, he focused on keeping his tone and his expression pleasant.]

It's a long story.

[tohko_amano]

Well, when I think of destruction, I think of utter destruction. The end of everything, with no chance for even a reset.

And it's alright if it's a long story! We have time..I think.

[chronomancer]

I think your problem is perspective.

[Eridan paused, however, at the last bit. He stared at her a moment. Then he offered a very wry smile. The corner of his lip twitched a little though.]

...uh. You know. Most of the time, when people say something it's a long story, they sort of mean it as a polite way of saying they don't actually want to talk about it.

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko looked a little puzzled at that.]

What's wrong with my perspective?

[She then sighed and smiled.]

I know. I mean two things when I say that we have time for a long story. First, I mean it literally. I am a book girl, so I'll listen to most of any story I can get my hands on.

The second meaning is this: I'll listen to whatever terrible things are in that story, and I'll help you out with them as best I can.

However, if you don't want to tell me that story right now, that's fine.

[chronomancer]

Is that why you're so nosy?

[tohko_amano]

What? I'm not nosy! I'm just curious about things sometimes!

[chronomancer]

Uh.

[Eridan tilted his head to the side.]

...that's. Kind of the definition of nosy.

[tohko_amano]

But it's not like I force people to tell me things or pry when people tell me that they don't want to talk!

[chronomancer]

Yeah, no. That's not being nosy so much as it's being an asshole.

[tohko_amano]

I'd imagine that it's probably a combination of the two. However, it still has nosiness in it.

[chronomancer]

But it's not the same thing. Which is kind of my point.

[He arches an eyebrow.]

You're nosy.

[tohko_amano]

It's not exactly the same thing..but it's one level of being an asshole, like there would be different levels for an alethiometer!

[Yes, she is referencing The Golden Compass here.]

And how am I nosy?

[chronomancer]

[He hasn't gotten around watching the movie, sadly. :C Books, what are books.]

Well. For starters, you haven't even told me your name and you're already demanding I tell you the story of my life. Doesn't that strike you a bit odd at least?

[tohko_amano]

[Avoid the movies! Please, read the books, they're much better!]

I didn't demand that you tell me. I said it was perfectly fine if you didn't want to tell me your story. And if you wanted my name, all you had to do was ask! I'm Tohko Amano, the book girl!

[chronomancer]

[Sadly, he is a cinema snob, not so much a book critic.]

...you're kinda weird, y'know.

[There's a pause.]

And coming from me that's saying something.

[tohko_amano]

[He's going to be really disappointed then..]

How am I weird?!

[Really, she doesn't see how she's weird at all.]

[chronomancer]

[It's okay. He likes hating movies almost as much as he likes liking them.]

...how's water wet.

[tohko_amano]

[Well, then he'll be in for a treat then.]

Well, for one thing, it helps that water is a liquid, not a sold, so it can soak things. However, after awhile, evaporation will kick in..but you still have to deal with the damage afterwards..

[chronomancer]

[Just. This face. Really, Tohko. Really.]

[tohko_amano]

[Have a puzzled look in return. Really, she thought that explanation wasn't too weird.

..She's a book girl for a reason.]