Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 20, 2021 20:12:59 GMT -8
The Ifrit is flustered, her cheeks red with an embarrassed glow. She clears her throat and looks down, blinking a few times, "Actually, I dunno, that might just replace my most embarrassing story." And with that, she can't help but snort.
She puts her hand on the shelf and gives it a stare, "We will meet again, shelf, and you will slight me no more," she squints just a little bit before backing up and just laughing. The way she laughs is carefree, happy.
Gripping onto the book, she looks back at Riley, "Actually, and I'm embarrassed to know this fact, 50 shades is based off of Twilight."
"Honestly, all kinds of horrible things came from Twilight. I mean... have you ever read My Immortal?" She does a dramatic shiver, "That is some hard shit to read without laughing hysterically while also crying for literacy."
She takes a breath and then sips her drink before she moves to the middle of the isle and begins walking towards the manga section again. "Still haven't heard that guilty pleasure." She sticks out her tongue at them playfully. When they go around the corner, they stand at a nook filled with shelves and shelves of colorful spines of manga and Dani's face seems to just light up, beginning to scan the titles, looking for anything new.
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Riley Sorsa
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Presence (3) Captivating | SL(1) Stylish Mantle (2)Spring | Status(1) Entertainment
Posts: 913
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Post by Riley Sorsa on Mar 20, 2021 21:31:37 GMT -8
The Bewitched watched as Dani made her threat to the shelf before bursting into laughter. It was almost contagious, Riley couldn't pull the smile off their face.
How was this the same woman that dragged my sorry ass out of the desert? It was something the moth appreciated about Fire, she was full of surprises.
Riley followed Fire into the center aisle of the store, glancing over to a few people who had stared at the two and their laughter. Riley gave them a face, sticking out their tongue before fluttering after Firebringer.
Entering the manga isle , Riley started to leaf through the books. They had no idea what they were even looking for, but the covers were fascinating, if a bit uninformative. They spared a few glances to Dan, trying to get a look at what she was browsing. Despite being very similar to graphic novels, Riley felt out of their depths. They were about to ask Dani what she was looking for when she reminded Riley of the question.
“Oh right, guilty pleasure” Riley paused their search. Leaning against the shelf with their shoulder to speak with Dani.
“ Got a few. But one is I love watchin’ Pro Wrestlin’. You?”
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 20, 2021 23:02:13 GMT -8
Dani has stumbled upon a series that she seems to be counting the spines of while she listens to Riley and takes immediate pause.
"Pro-wrestling like WWE wresting? And Ring of Honor?" She turns her head up to look at them and there is almost a glittering look in her eyes, "That is not a guilty pleasure. That's fucking great." Wrestling was a weird thing for Dani. It wasn't something she thought about often, but when she did, the good memories are what surface.
Her mind wanders off for a moment to childhood, sitting on her dad's lap while they watched the Undertaker tombstone some poor sucker of the week. Dad had a beer in his hand and there was always laughter, cheers. Even when unexpected twists happened and there should have been anger, there were just rages at the screen. It shouldn't make her teary, but it does, briefly and she shakes it off. The small specks of good will never outweigh all of the bad.
"This means we get to watch all the things!" Then she realizes she is maybe getting too excited, "Sorry. Heh, heh. My nerd expands really far. Like, I watch period dramas, japanese and korean romance dramas, most types of horror, musicals, anime, wrestling, artsy competition shows, anything Robin Williams, sci-fi obviously, most fantasy - except, I can't watch Labyrinth anymore, for obvious reasons. I do hate most sports though. Like, you will never find me watching a football, baseball, or soccer game. Playing, sure. But watching? Nope. No thanks."
She pauses then, "Guilty pleasures I now have to think about though..." She considers a long moment before saying, "...okay. But you can't tell anyone. This is huge."
She takes one last look around before saying, "I've watched every episode of the Kardashians. And Jersey Shore. And... a lot of trash reality television. Genuinely."
"It is like TikTok, you install it just to make fun of it and then you get addicted. It's so stupid and mindless and hilarious..." She blushes a little bit, an embarrassed giggle threatening to escape.
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Riley Sorsa
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Presence (3) Captivating | SL(1) Stylish Mantle (2)Spring | Status(1) Entertainment
Posts: 913
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Post by Riley Sorsa on Mar 21, 2021 7:46:30 GMT -8
" Bullshit! You're pullin' my leg," Riley says, shocked as Dani states their own appreciation for wrestling. The moth shook their head in disbelief. "Is there anything you don't watch?" Riley laughed at the long list provided. At the mention of Labyrinth, Riley raised their eyebrows with an understanding nod. What had Archie said about it? 'Are we legally allowed to like Labyrinth anymore?'Then Fire announced their guilty pleasure of reality TV. "SEE! Even Reality tv, where do you get the time?" Riley gestured at Fire with a laugh as the elemental proved their point. " That's kind of how Pro wrestling was for me, totally was above it. Then I loved how campy, over-dramatic it was. Sure there some machismo B.S, but damn is it entertaining."The moth shakes their head, their antenna's flopped with the motion side to side. Riley saddled up next to Firebringer and whispered. "Don't worry, your love the Kardashians is safe with me." Being so close to Dani in the book aisle gave Riley pause. The elemental had once more thrown the moth for a loop; they couldn't pin her down. It was thrilling for the Darkling. "I am goin', to be honest here. I'm fixin' to make out with you and get us kicked out of this bookstore. So for both our sakes and dignity, you better tell me about this manga stuff. "
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 23, 2021 5:10:49 GMT -8
"I watch basically any and everything. I get bored, so sometimes I'll just flip through channels and just... do. Especially when I'm in between books and shows. I like stories, even really bad ones that should probably die in a fire and be nuked from orbit" she laughs, swaying in a little dance, "I mean, what else am I supposed to do with my Sunday after a work out except watch forensic files? Insomnia doesn't hurt, but you know." Heh heh heh
It probably didn't need to said that she copes with the nightmares via TV and other means of entertainment. How else could you dull them? Tell yourself that they're just another story in the long list of stories you've been absorbing. Or maybe that was something only she did. No. Couldn't be. Still, not like it was something people really talked about.
And then Riley is very, very close to her face after whispering to her. Her heart feels like it skips a beat and for a moment she forgets that she's in a book store, leaned up next to a shelf, and it would be a very innappropriate place to just- And then Riley says the quiet part out loud, "Right. heh heh heh yes. Um-uh-yeah-I-uh," she stammers, trying to get her brain to start functioning again. Tune in planet Dani. Wake up girl.
"So, uh. Manga... yeah," shit this is pretty self-explanatory. "Well, they're graphic novels that come from Japan, generally. They've got a very specific artistic type," She pulls from the shelf next to her a volume of Naruto and turns to a page as an example, "I really like the art style in general, much more angular and aesthetically pleasing than typical american style comics. And, if I'm to be honest, we've seen how men draw women in comic books. There is only one body type. Giant boobs, tiny waist, and dependency on men, even when the story is about them. ...I'm not salty at all. I know it is a generalization, but gooood. Though, I say that. It isn't nearly as bad as the art of the girls of anime. I mean... it's so bad. And all the weeb boys with their freaking body pillows. I can't even. So, huh, maybe that isn't so-but then-eek. Um. So, wholesome things!"
You're not going to mention that you used to own a body pillow? NO. NOPE. DIDN'T HAPPEN.
She distracts herself away from the argument she was about to have with herself, because that's what she does. "So, this one is about a kid in a world of ninjas that grew up as the village outcast because he has a fox demon inside of him. Uh, fox demon was big ol' rampaging on the village when he was a baby, and magicky magic was used to seal the demon fox into this kid. Yeah, super fucked up. But the kid resolves, being treated horribly, to aspire to become to greatest ninja and leader of their village. It's super quality. There is also an anime! We could totally watch it. It's full of shenanigans, teary things, boys you'd like to punch, and questionable life choices made by teenagers." She laughs, but she is also considering that is actually might have been nicer to be kicked out of the store for going full on mouth attack. ...no. Focus.
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Riley Sorsa
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Presence (3) Captivating | SL(1) Stylish Mantle (2)Spring | Status(1) Entertainment
Posts: 913
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Post by Riley Sorsa on Mar 23, 2021 8:11:00 GMT -8
Riley took deep satisfaction in flustering Dani. Maybe it was a little cruel. But the Darkling found the floundering Elemental cute, and it did give them a slight sense of power. A smile crossed Riley's face as Firebringer stammers and moved to try and explain manga. The information came fast, and Riley tried their best to tag along, moving their attention between the books and Dani. As Dani expressed opinions about the design aesthetics, Riley opened their mouth to speak. But Dani stormed forward with her explanation. So Riley just smiled and nodded, letting Dani work her way through the lesson. "Okay," Riley said when the torrent seemed to die down for a moment. "I' could give it a try, the anime that is. " The moth had never really caught on to the whole Anime thing, some folks in California liked it, but Riley always had other things to do. "I mean, you aren't wrong about the Male gaze in comics, especially with the classic superhero stuff. But some of the new indie stuff is really pretty. I think it was all the cleavage and revealing outfits that kept me from anime; I only caught glimpses of it, and it always seems a little...Weird?"The bewitched fumbled with their words trying to describe their experiences without sounding too judgmental, but with mixed results. "Okay! " They announce as an idea comes to mind. Riley grips Fires arm, spinning her around and pulling her along to the shelf across the aisle that housed the graphic novels. Scanning the shelves, Riley pulled a few out, introducing each. "Saga, it's excellent! Romantic, the characters are weird like...us but not. Tank Girl, cause what a bad ass; Hark a Vagrant is pretty funny even if you don't know all the history stuff. Monstress is newish, really pretty, but I admit I don't think I get it. "Riley looked down at the graphic novels, there were more but this would do for now. The darkling proposed a challenge to Firebringer. "Okay, so what manga would you recommend for someone who likes this stuff?"
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 24, 2021 15:42:06 GMT -8
Riley taking her arm and spinning her to follow them to the comics section makes her let out an 'eek' and a laugh.
She looks over the comics with Riley, trying to formulate in her mind what kind of manga they might resonate with. "Okay, so you like strong, badass femmes, fantasy, romance, and some action. Okay. So many options. Psycho Pass is one of my favs, awesome femme lead, dystopian world, romance that leaves you going 'wheeeeeen is this gonna hapeeeen', and good action. If you want something on the sweeter, cute side, and this might be because I'm biased, Ouran High School Host club is fucking ridiculous, but I liiive for the main girl. The men around it are ridiculous and she just doesn't take any of their shit. Uh, Apothecary diaries could be good. Skip Beat gives you romance betrayal and another strong femme.
"On the longer goes, maybe Naruto, once it gets along. There is such good development as it goes through to Shippuden and, god, just so much. Inuyasha is kind of a weird you might like, feudal era piece with demons and time traveling. Hella cute romance, though you kind of want to beat some people upside the head." Her mind is just spinning with ideas.
"Mmm, how do you feel about horror?" There is a little glint in the Elementals eyes. She could watch just about anything, but her favorite things to watch include all kinds of mystery murder and ghosts and supernatural weirdness. That have nothing to do with faeries. No thanks. "Oh, and also," she leans over and steals a quick kiss, "It's been a bit too long and my kiss battery was getting low."
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Riley Sorsa
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Presence (3) Captivating | SL(1) Stylish Mantle (2)Spring | Status(1) Entertainment
Posts: 913
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Post by Riley Sorsa on Mar 24, 2021 17:38:28 GMT -8
Riley tried to follow the stream of consciousness. The bewitched was nodding along while trying to look on the manga shelf for the listed books.
"Okay Psycho pass, sounds cool. ah'ite uh. Ooran High school...Ooran high school..okaay"
They pause, losing a little track of the list for a moment. "Naratoe right, you mentioned that one. Is that where that meme run came from? Oh, Inyishashy got it!"
The Moth quickly realized they were getting into a bottomless hole with all this manga. For a moment, Fire could see the darkling was getting a little overwhelmed as they set the stack of manga ontop of one shelf. Then the topic changed.
"Horror? Oh, I like most of it- some of the genres, ehhh not into the torture, body horror stuff. Monsters and slasher are fun." Maybe not ghosts or zombies.
Riley smiled, not satisfied with a small peck at the kiss, grabbing Fire's waist and pulling her close for another that they held a bit longer.
" My battery takes a bit more. So what do you normally do now? Read here or...?"
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 24, 2021 18:09:55 GMT -8
She can't help but giggle a little as Riley repeats the titles, but she'd been exactly the same at the start. "Yes, the Naruto run is veeeery much a meme. You'll also totally see some randos walking around with village headbands too."And there is no fight whatsoever when Riley pulls her back in for a longer kiss. Afterwards she seems a little dazed in a happy place for a moment before snapping back. Oh, right. We exist here at the moment.
"I'm really into the paranormal horror and bits of stupid slasher. Like, I enjoy the kind of horror you can just stop and make fun of." She grins. Oh man. But the shit we could talk on Devil May Cry or freaking Future Diary. Okay, little bits at a time. Riley might not even go that far into our nerd-dom. We must except what we can get and dig into their world a bit more too.
"But, yeah, just generally find a nice little nook and read for a little bit, giggling at the ridiculous things. You don't need to overwhelm yourself with all of it though. Nice thing about chilling out and reading for a little bit is that you get a chance to figure out if you like it enough to want to get a couple of volumes."With that, Dani walks over to a corner where there are a couple of chairs and sits down with the first volume of The Dreaming. "We also don't have to sit and read for too long, let me know when you reach your threshold. I don't want you to be bored. Maybe like 15 or 20 minutes? Then we need to go shoot dinos on a quest to not be eaten," She gives a big grin, "And DDR. Have you played DDR?" She cocks her head to the side a little. It was probably one of her favorite arcade go-tos. Who doesn't love a ridiculous dance mat game?
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Riley Sorsa
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Presence (3) Captivating | SL(1) Stylish Mantle (2)Spring | Status(1) Entertainment
Posts: 913
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Post by Riley Sorsa on Mar 25, 2021 6:12:49 GMT -8
"Watching dumb horror. That's something I haven't done since maybe the end of high school or college? Sign me up."
Brushing their hair back, Riley moved to collect the manga books and followed behind Dani to the sitting area. It sounded cozy enough; doing so in public was a bit off for the Darkling. But this was about trying new things.
"Sounds good to me. And yeah, I have played DDR. Last I check, I was pretty good" Riley smirked.
They placed the books down on one of the small tables by the chairs and began to settle in. Kicking both legs over one of the arms of the chairs and curled into the backrest for support. Riley grabbed the first book from the top of the collection, Inuyasha.
Opening the book accidentally to the end, they read a page or two before stopping, flipping back, then flipping the book over. The Darkling wasn't going to ask for help, being unable to read a book was too embarrassing. So they acted cool and calm, moving the book in their hand idly before finding the proper orientation. Why were these written backward? Who thought that was a good idea? After the moment of embarrassment, Riley settled in to read.
The next few minutes passed in relative silence. Riley read the pages, slowly taking in the pictures and trying to piece together what exactly was happening in the story. Ever so often, they would look up from the book to take a moment to watch Dani or those in the store. Every few minutes, the Darkling shifted their position in the chair, of course never in the "correct way." Always one leg over an arm, sitting backward, legs crossed, etc.
After a while, they placed down the first book and picked up another one. And repeated the cycle.
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 25, 2021 19:42:11 GMT -8
It wasn't until Fire was well into her book that she realizes that she never told Riley about the weird intricacies of reading manga and the backwards stuff and- she looks over and sees that they seem to have gotten it. A bit into it, Dani reaches out her hand to touch Riley's arm in a passively affectionate manner. It is about 20 minutes before she has actually read through the whole volume - you'd almost wonder how she'd done it so fast, but then, manga weren't ever very long anyway.
She gazes over at Riley then as they're reading and says, "You are really cute when you're focused and constantly readjusting in that chair. I kind of wonder how you sit in a beanbag chair," A bit of a giggle.
"Thoughts about some of the things? You getting bored? I don't want you to get bored," Always a hint of nervousness at the idea of people possibly finding the stuff she likes boring or just... general... things. But she keeps on that sweet, excitable smile. Her natural presence is always intimidating, but she really just seems to have resting intimidating face/body language/ existence. When she's animated, she's just so much softer than you'd expect.
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Riley Sorsa
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Presence (3) Captivating | SL(1) Stylish Mantle (2)Spring | Status(1) Entertainment
Posts: 913
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Post by Riley Sorsa on Mar 26, 2021 6:47:33 GMT -8
Riley was nearing the end of the manga when Fire spoke and broke the silence. It was a welcome distraction, as the book store's silence had begun to get rather loud for the Moth. Their dark eyes flicked upwards from the book before lowering.
"Honestly? Either a beanbag would be perfect, or I could drown in one."
At the question on Riley's enjoyment, the Moth mouth perked and looked down at the manga.
"Yeah, it fun. The art style and the shadin' is cool; I am so used to color, but usin' just grey values is neat. The names are tricky, that's for sure. "
Riley shifted and adjusted, taking a moment to look at the book spread. The backwards reading was weird, and it was odd that the art style had so many similarities.
" Inue'hasha is alright. I have questions thou, like. Did he survive being stuck to that tree because of magic or cause he is a demon? Than this one-" Riley wiggles the book in their hand. Ouran High school host club.
"arts pretty, I am getting super gay vibes and gender bending i love. But it's a little, I dunno slow?
Riley glanced down to the others, realizing they had so much more left.
"How about you, You wanna keep readin'? I might need to grab another coffee and move a little, but I can do more readin', if that's what you are feelin'"
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Mar 29, 2021 20:23:29 GMT -8
Dani paused, "Well, kinda both on the Inuyasha one. So, like, he's a half-demon, meaning his life span is muuuuch longer. But also, the arrow kept him in this frozen in time kinda state. It's a whole thing. It only gets crazier from there. Freaking reincarnated people, obnoxious freaking werewolf demon nonsenses that you wanna punch in the face. Oh! And a really cute fox-demon named Shippo. Oh my fucking god, that character is so cute. Want to just shrink and put him in my pocket." She is wiggling in her seat thinking about the cuteness, not really realizing it.
"On Ouran. Suuuuuuper gay in the best way. It picks up. It's kind of like one of those cutesy ones you read for the awws when you need it. I have the show version of it if you ever want to watch it. The show is pretty bomb. All cute and urghh."
She looks down at her book then, "Oh, it's a haunty ghost story. Girl's boarding school in Australia. It's pretty cool. Set of three books, if I remember correctly... I started it in like middle school, but hadn't actually gotten to finish the series. Figured I might pick it up and see if I was still interested. It's weird how things just kind of come back to you."
She considers then, "Um, we could keep reading, but I don't mind if you are ready to hit up the arcade. I'm a nut. I could sit and read all day accidentally and then get like nothing done."
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Riley Sorsa
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Presence (3) Captivating | SL(1) Stylish Mantle (2)Spring | Status(1) Entertainment
Posts: 913
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Post by Riley Sorsa on Mar 30, 2021 7:18:28 GMT -8
Riley smiled at the explanations from Dani. It didn't take much for Firebringer to go off on her passions. To some, it might be overwhelming, but Riley was finding the trait to be relatively enduring. People often avoided sharing what made them happy, at least with such unabashed passion—Riley among them.
The Moth leaned on their elbow, listening till Fire offered they go to the Arcade.
"Alright, let's head to the Arcade. But I wanna grab a few of these before we go."
The Moth pops up to their feet, reaches down to collect the books on the table, and even plucks up the one Dani is currently reading. Before making their way towards the checkout. They pause, spinning on their heel, and moves back towards the manga and graphic novel isle. Sweeping a few more books into their arms.
Riley wasn't sure whether or not they liked the Manga's Dani had given them to read. But it was clear they made the Fire happy, and the Moth was going to give that a try. Turning to Dani with their arms filled awkwardly with books.
"Okay, now I am ready. " They flashed a smile moving to the register.
"So. Who was your first crush?"
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Firebringer
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Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
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Post by Firebringer on Apr 1, 2021 1:23:37 GMT -8
Dani nods, folding her book closed and standing up to stretch a little, "Sweet. Oh, I hope you end up liking-" she is surprised when Riley plucks the book from her hand and keeps walking. Dani makes a face and admonishes them a little, "heeey." she laughs a little and follows them to the register.
Riley asks about her first crush. Who even was her first crush? Did she really have one? Like an actual one?
"To clarify upon the crush question. How are we defining crush? Is this - I was on the kindergarten playground when Sally gave me her favorite crayon? Or do we mean, oh my god, my heart is racing and I'm thinking about putting a note in their locker to declare my feelings... anonymously." She laughs a bit as she gives off both scenarios she entirely made up. Well, ish. She'd never done them. Talia on the other hand...
Fire steps off to the side a little to get out of the way while Riley pays, which does make her feel a tiny bit uncomfortable. She'd pay for the Arcade games then, which works because she has the on hand cash to turn them into quarters. Suddenly she was smiling at the thought of putting in bills to make quarters. It was the little, odd things that did it for her.
She adjusts her satchel on her shoulder, ready to head out when Riley is.
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