"oh, i asked if you were okay. you seemed upset but i get why now." having your method of communication working properly had to be insanely frustrating. maybe it's the radiation? either way, there still isn't much rafael can do to help. not with the machine thingy, at least. nita, on the other hand, might be just the right shroom for the job. "i think i have a way we can talk that will work better for now. do you mind if i touch your hand?"

"me neither." royal stretches until his back gives a quiet *pop* and then slumps back down with a heavy sigh. "i feel like i'm gonna lose my fuckin' mind, how do people do this??"

Seth doesn't even flinch as Royal grabs the knife, watches closely as he takes his turn and is clearly impressed. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read the stranger's foul mood, but something about a foul mood, especially this far from the Lady, draws Seth like a magpie to tinsel. He knows better than most that, sometimes, all it takes is a little adversity to get the ball rolling. His blade's buried halfway into the table and Seth only chuckles again, as entertained as he is unfazed. "Ooh-hoo-hoo, someone's played this before, huh?" he teases through the mouthful of ice he's chewing. "Bit shaky on the dismount, but hey, we're all a little rusty, right? Alrighty, let's see here."

shaky on the dismount. royal snorts but otherwise doesn't acknowledge that comment. he can tell this guy is trying to get under his skin, though if he's being honest with himself, he already has. it only gets worse as seth puts on his little show, clearly determined to be as annoying as humanly possible. it's really a shame, because royal has been trying to behave himself.

starter for @embraciingchange !! ( for raf )

starter for @embraciingchange (royal)

royal is already on edge, sleep deprived and stir crazy, and something about this guy makes it even worse. maybe it's the sleazy smile, or the way the smell of alcohol clings to him like it's worried he'll go out to buy milk and cigarettes and never come home. whatever it is, it's a bad combination with his current stress level and the fact that he's been eating about half as much as usual. such a bad combination that he reaches out and takes the knife without a word. he plants his hand on the table, rings making a heavy clicking sound as they come to rest against the wood. the stupid song that he and some of the other kids on the farm used to sing while they played this game starts running through his head as he begins. thanks to that past youthful recklessness the motions are muscle memory for him, but for some reason he really wants to show this guy up. so instead of the usual pattern, he opts for a more difficult one. as a kid he would flinch every time the knife landed between his fingers but now he doesn't even blink as he counts off in his head. when he finishes, he looks up at seth as he slams the knife blade-first into the table. "that," royal points to the knife where it sticks, handle quivering, a little less than half the blade buried in the wood, "is for your own damn good."

"Ah, but it's a lovely day to jump off a balcony," he said. "And I'm already quite late, so taking the elevator simply won't do."

"Thank you," Leo sighs with relief, depositing himself in the chair opposite Rafael and taking a healthy gulp from his warm coffee. He always appreciated seeing a familiar face, but a calm presence like Rafael's was especially appreciated today. "I take it this isn't exactly conducive to productivity today," he remarks, gesturing to their surroundings and wincing as an exceptionally loud howl fills the cafe from someone on the other side of the room. "Just my luck, I suppose."

it's hard to say if it's laughter or just a plain old howl, but whatever it is, it startles rafael badly enough that they almost drop their muffin. with a deliberate, steady breath, they place it back on the in front of them. "i think i can safely say i won't be getting anything done." rafael slides their papers off to the side. "wait, ertech solutions? i've heard of them, yeah, you've got to tell me what you're working on with them." they lean forward with undisguised interest, giving leo their full attention. while rafael isn't looking, nita sneaks a feeler out and steals a muffin crumb, which rapidly grows a little coat of pale teal fuzz before completely disintegrating. mmmm, cranberry...

for royal mercer @embraciingchange—

'what's so bad about that?' they could spend a good hour listing all the possible ways that eating unidentified mold could go badly, but not knowing what sort of toxins that mold may or may not produce means they don't have an hour to spare. "some mold can make chemicals that are dangerous if you eat them," they explain as they take ed's hand. "if you just hold still, i'm going to make sure this isn't one of those." rafael's hands are warm, and that warmth spreads with a slight tingling feeling as they and nita slowly push their intertwined mycelia into ed's hand, between the cells of his skin, creeping along his nerves and dipping into his blood vessels to taste for toxins. nita is careful not to say anything to avoid alarming ed, but she can't help the pulse of relieved surprise when instead of poisons, all there is to find is a bunch of tryptamines. there's a bit of psilocybin, but it looks like most of the initial dose of that has already metabolized into psilocin. they can also sense a lot of aeruginascin. interesting. "well, good news, it wasn't toxic, so you're not going to get sick! but you are about to have one wild afternoon." and so are they, because they're about to trip sit for a complete stranger! fun!

Dottie & Rafael || @embraciingchange

starter — @embraciingchange (rafael)

who: @embraciingchange - royal where: tyee's place

when he sees her, sees the look on her face, he knows. that expression is so achingly familiar and he wishes desperately that it wasn't. his own grief is so close at hand, in all its kaleidoscopic misery. but his is not the pain that matters right now.