𝗡𝗘𝗪𝑻𝑶𝑷𝑰𝑨

"you've got to be kidding me." would it be wrong of him to assume that she did, in fact, have pretty privilege? probably not. but, and as ungrateful as it sounded, there was a downside to being conventionally attractive. though not quite customer service, being a nurse meant having to deal with patients on a daily basis, and she'd gotten used to people not paying attention to what she said because they only ever cared about how she looked. turns out, this extends to people she considered friends, too. "you're not even listening. you can't possibly think i'd agree that you're not charging enough. you SCAMMED me, yuri."

୧ ‧₊˚ 🦔 ⋅ yuri turns his gaze downwards, as if regretting his own behaviour ... but to hope for his body to contain even an ounce of self-reflection would be naught but wishful thinking. yuri, as pathetic men often do, believed himself free of fault. more accurately, he had looked down because he'd gotten caught, and getting caught was embarrassing. it meant he'd have to brush up on his fake-listening skills. again. he looked back up, his gaze meeting katrina's. ❝ it wasn't exactly a scam, ❞ he assured her, because the first step to telling a believable lie was to believe it yourself. ❝ i did provide the service you wanted, no ?? and i was handsome doing it. therefore, ❞ he threw his hands in the air. ❝ no harm, no foul. rest assured, your money is going toward a good cause. i do wonder, though ... i mean -- although it was justified -- it was a pretty hefty sum. why on earth were you ready to pay up in the first place ?? i thought stem heads were the kind of people to think all that medium shit is quackery. ❞

she tilted her head, her mouth in a slight pout, one of many gestures she'd picked up from her beloved dramas. surely, she thought, people will love me if i act like the female lead -- they're always a joy to watch, right ?? but where on earth was her male lead !? ❝ i tried going to an idol thing ... but the only boys there were with their girlfriends. or they were-- ❞ a short hesitation -- was she allowed to say that word ?? her voice suddenly shrunk to a whisper: ❝ g... ay. ❞ before shooting back up to its normal volume and cadence. ❝ which is fine !! of course, it's fine !! it's just -- you guys make it look so easyyyy !! i've been trying to find a boyfriend for so long. it's really embarrassing !! i'm just a little bit desperate. not enough to flirt with a taken man, you know ... but likeee, what kind of thing do you talk about, with people you only just met ?? isn't it awkward, when you don't know the other person at all, and they don't know your favourite idols or actors or singers ?? ❞

"to myself ?? oh... — you cannot stop me from doing that !!" she, technically, could stop them, sure. but... would that be worth it ?? gian had no general idea how patient could miyool truly be. being a piece of work they are, they suspected she would give up half-way through, really. "well, no... — i don't want to shrink to do that," they don't want to enter her body in any other way, either. right ?? RIGHT ?? "i don't think things are awkward between us, you know ?? wh-... why would you think that, though ?? am i ?? the problem ??" most of the time, even gian themselves would say that, yes, they were the problem. perhaps having a motormouth was an issue. perhaps.

୧ ‧₊˚ 🐋 ⋅ miyool wasn't excessively innocent -- or so she thought !! blindsided by gian's joke ( they couldn't possibly have been serious ), she figured she was the one with a dirty mind, that gian meant something else entirely, something inoffensive. she reasoned that, were she to comment any further, her carefully curated puritanical image would fade. thus, she focused solely on the sudden wave of doubt that seemed to overcome her friend : ❝ please don't worry about awkwardness, ❞ she said. ❝ as long as you don't become tiny, the only one who has to worry about putting their foot in their mouth is me !! ❞ memories of screaming in fear at her ex-boyfriend's smartphone rushed back, but miyool wouldn't bring that up, either. ❝ do people often complain about awkwardness when interacting with you ?? it seems to me like you're quite good at conversation. ❞

"did... did i miss you ?? ah, incredibly so..." and that was not a lie !! "i was just sittin', doing nothing at home, or... you know — working. there's not much going on, ever since i have stopped my hoe era..." well... that was also pretty much true. still, three days was a long enough time to start missing the other woman, whether she liked it, or not. not really a preferred set of feelings, to be... felt, but she'll digress. "can i play with your hair some more, though ?? it's soooo... nice..." bora felt like she was pushing the boundary of the intimacy a little bit too far, but... it truly never hurt to ask, right ?? "how 'bout you, though ?? did youuuu miss me, too ??"

suddenly, her face regained its seriousness. maybe a little too quickly, as a matter of fact. ❝ bora. let's elope. ❞

"oh, i am sure they'd looooove it..." that's just the truth. "cas would just yap these people's ears off and enjoy every single fuckin' second of it... — never met anyone like that. i'd rather kick the bucket than be forced into a situation that requires my attention for longer than five minutes." in a way, that shit was impressive. that was also probably why they meshed together so nicely — well... for as long as foster could put up with them, at least. when it was getting too much, they'd just tell them to get the fuck out... kindly. that's the way they liked it. "why, out all the people, they came to your mind, specifically ?? y'all are friends now, or what ??"

୧ ‧₊˚ 🪈 ⋅ friends ?! clara hardly believed in the concept of friendship. she had foster, wasn't that more than enough ?? cas didn't count, not yet, though their company wasn't as draining as others' -- clara's annoying coworker, for instance -- and they had a few interesting takes on art. but that wasn't quite enough to warrant calling them a friend. ❝ no, ❞ she simply replied. ❝ i thought of them because they're a mutual acquaintance, and they seem to be quite good at talking. clearly, neither of us possesses that skill. this is the most social i've been in weeks, to be frank, and we're talking about killing people. ❞ not exactly sympathetic. ❝ they're okay, though. not as annoying as they could be, i presume. ❞

" it’s dark outside, and it’s raining. maybe you could stay ? just for tonight ? "

୧ ‧₊˚ ☢️ ⋅ chibin had never feared authority. hierarchies meant nothing to him. it had gotten him fired from his old job, much to his own chagrin. but old habits die hard, and he found himself calling his next boss a dirty dog to his face as well. it followed, then, that he didn't hold seojun's family in high regard. seojun himself was the exception : chibin found his detachment from his family's values admirable. he quite liked seojun, in fact. enough so that the proposition caused him, who was always on guard, to visibly soften up, as if soothed by the mere concept of being wanted. he went so far as to ask, ❝ are you sure it's fine ?? ❞ as if he'd ever prized politeness. ❝ i don't wanna cause any trouble for you. i'd just feel like shit. also ... i've never been to a sleepover. i won't fucking know how to behave. ❞

"just a little bit of coins, maybe..." they'll play along !! why not ?? "i happen to be broke as hell at all times, so... — i feel like the only thing you will hear rattling around is... the walnut-sized thing called brain, inside my skull..." so not only were they jobless, but also not very smart ?? who could have seen that one coming... "you do raise a very good point here, though... — i feel like it would be the same with headaches, and... perhaps even all kinds of pains our body is fighting with," they continued, a nod soon following. "pickaxes... axes... a drill, hmm ??" a laugh. sincere one, for once !! they didn't have to pretend to be entertained this time around — what a relief. "do you think they're hiring ?? i feel like i would be soooo down to be shrunk down for this..."

୧ ‧₊˚ 🐋 ⋅ ❝ oh, gian, don't be so mean, ❞ miyool giggled, making sure to cover her wide smile with her hands. her grandmother had long ago taught her that laughter should be controlled, that laughing out loud was unladylike. besides, miyool hardly wanted anybody to see her teeth, and her smile was rather unbecoming ; yes, hiding it was a wise choice. ❝ your brain isn't that small !! otherwise you wouldn't be able to come up with those things. ❞ how flattering !! on the other hand, perhaps miyool's taste in humour was not to be trusted. ❝ i do hope you don't want to shrink down to enter my body and mine my bit coins, though. wouldn't that make things so much more awkward between the both of us ?? ❞