MORE LIFE.

"besides, i was actually---" perhaps even selfishly. "---hoping that you would pick up the mantle. or maybe someone in your orbit."

' ME? ' it's said with something very close to a laugh, in utter disbelief, and something almost bitter. eyebrows knit in confusion. ' yeah, no, you've got the absolutely wrong person. i'm lucky i go a day without getting shoved into a locker. ' or having a go fund me set up in in his honor out of spite. ' who would ever even vote for me? i'm not cool enough for that. '

' only as of tonight? ' wolf is quick, though, putting his hands up to defend against any potential elbow ... but no defense against a kick. those heels would hurt. ouch. ' i'm kidding. isn't writer's block, a, uh ... common occurrence? i'm sure you're not the first or only. '

hell, no – she won't be that new girl. " i don't know & i'm too grown to find out. " robin mumbles, preoccupying herself with the cup of coffee in her hand once again. he might not be looking, but her eyes are quick to seek out the shifts in his expression, watching attentively over the rim of her mug. he looks concerned enough. but he might just be a decent actor. what does she know ? she's barely been here a week. that said, if he's trying to play on her curiosity rather than her naivety, he might strike gold soon enough. " hm. you must be fun around the news station. " a light jab. " okay, serious guy. i'll bite. what exactly am i gonna see if i turn around ? paint me a picture. "

oh come on, there's a reason he was never meant to be a writer. he's not so good at the descriptive, the illustrative. but robin is staring at him as if she's trying to suss out just how badly he's lying. but he's not! ... just not ... being completely open. ' um. okay. ' gaze is focused over her shoulder, intense as he tries to make out the figure. ' well, like i said. it's a face. but i can't really make out the edges. lips are kinda, like ... ' a frown, deep and exaggerated, in an effort to mimic what he sees. fingers hook over his eyebrows, ' it looks angry. dark eyes, ugly frown. kinda like a devil emoji. ' hands down, face back to neutral, and he shrugs. ' does that help? '

a deep sigh, one that fills her lungs, and comes out as more of a ( quiet ) groan. mindy feels herself sag back onto the bed, though @shesdaylight looks a little more worse for wear than she feels. oof. this may not have been her first rodeo, but that doesn't make this one more enjoyable. hands rake over her face, resting once they've reached her mouth. ' yeah. we're geniuses. what did we miss? '

' oh ... i'm afraid that i'm going to let you down, there. it's not a joke. ' what does threaten to follow is a joke : i never joke. but nikolai is just this side of self - aware enough to know that that wouldn't help make him believable. ' i wish it were a joke. '

' um ... bacitracin? or equivalent? ' free hand is held out, palm up and open. a soft sigh slips past his lips, barely managing to keep himself from cringing in advance. ' yeah, i guess i got distracted, and it overflowed. not the first time it happened ... but i'm usually much more careful than that. ' the smile that plays on his face is more sardonic than genuine, far too accustomed to questions like that. ' no, i just don't know when i walk into things. i tend to walk into corners a lot harder than i mean to. better to be proactive, or i'd be covered in bruises, y'know? '

your stratospheric fear of catastrophe's near, fast, it's here, atmosphere past your ears, fall but you'll never(land). second star to the right ... and straight on 'til you die. ©