Invasion of the Anzens

[tailsofwoe]

Who: Some Anzens & you
When: July 29
Where: Dorms
What: just friendly people being good neighbors
Warnings: N/A

[ Knock knock, open up, there is some number of Anzens at your door.

A pretty lady in sky blue smiles and waves. ]

Good evening. Hopefully this isn't a bad time? Enough time has passed that we figured it was a good idea to check in and make proper introductions.

You'll have to forgive the lack of housewarming gift. We're a bit shorthanded at the moment, which I'm sure you can relate to.

[ From behind her peers a perfectly average guy with tousled hair dressed in sky blue slacks. He gives a friendly wave! ]

We did think about it, though.

[ GIVE BROWNIE POINTS ]

Comments

[ordimame]

Is that what it is. . . ?

[a li'l amused, at least]

It feels a little more like you just enjoy keeping secrets.

[tailsofwoe]

[ Just smiles, no denial there. ]

A touch of mystery can flatter a woman as much as cosmetics.

[ordimame]

[. . . she really does remind him of. . .]

[. . .]

Hey. . . there's something I've been curious about for a while now.

[he muses aloud as he turns his gaze ahead, fingers dipping into his pockets]

But it might be a personal question, so you don't have to answer if you don't want to.

[tailsofwoe]

[ . . . ]

Naturally. You are free to do as you like, and I will do the same.

[ Which is just a slightly more roundabout way of saying "You can ask, but it doesn't mean I'll answer." ]

[ordimame]

[hah. after a brief pause. . .]

What does "most likely to topple a dynasty" mean?

[tailsofwoe]

[ Her expression doesn't change, though she does let out a long breath through her nose. ]

... Hm. We didn't choose those descriptors for ourselves, so it's hard to say for sure. But doesn't history remember countless exquisite beauties whose allure has been blamed for their nation's collapse? It's likely an allusion to something like that.

[ordimame]

[quiet for a moment as he absorbs her words]

. . . "being blamed" doesn't mean they were actually responsible. It's more likely that someone was just trying to cover their own ass after messing up so badly.

[to pretend that it wasn't their own faults that led to their own demise. typical of people in power, he thinks]

Either way, if that's the intent, then whoever wrote it is pretty rude.

[tailsofwoe]

[ Looks over at him with a smile that is both a little appreciative and a little distant. ]

Well, I'm sure there's always plenty of fault to go around.

But with regards to their capacity for rudeness, the signs were already there. Styx's seemed quite blatantly rude.

[ordimame]

[smiles right back. significantly less distant]

Yeah, his was a pretty low blow. He has a sense of humor, so I know he's perfectly capable of having a good time when he wants to.

[tailsofwoe]

He seems like a surprisingly good sport, though I can't claim to know what's going on in his head.

At least the rest seemed fairly innocuous... unless you have some deeper reason for your aversion to French.

1/2

[ordimame]

[HAH. . . well. he asked about hers, so it's only fair, isn't it. . .?]

[ordimame]

[bluntly. grumpily]

The biggest asshole I've ever met is French.

[tailsofwoe]

That sounds believable enough. Did he do something in particular...?

[ordimame]

[he has done SO MANY THINGS in particular, and yet. . .]

It's a long story. . .

[and he moves on relatively quickly!]

But the other part of it is probably making fun of me for living in Nice for several months and never picking up the language.

[tailsofwoe]

[ Chuckles. ]

That's not really so strange. You can get by in most places with just a smattering English.

You lived abroad for a while, then? I didn't realize that.

[ordimame]

[nodnods!]

Nice is the only place I'd say I "lived," but I have traveled a lot. In fact, I was traveling right before being brought. . . here.

[tailsofwoe]

Oh? Where to?

[ordimame]

Across Europe. I was about to head form Portugal to Spain.

[a beat, before offering lightly]

Vacation.

[tailsofwoe]

Sounds like fun. A shame it was interrupted.

[ordimame]

. . . a little, yeah. Especially since I was doing a world-tour of the types of coffees produced in every country.

[reasons why he may have had coffee on the brain when he first arrived]

But someone pointed out that not many people can say they've tried coffee in a haunted school, so. . .! I guess I've got that going for me?

[tailsofwoe]

[ A soft laugh. ]

I ought to take a lesson from your capacity for positive thinking.

[ordimame]

[GOD]

I'm actually pretty cynical, but I'm doing my best out here, anyway.

[tailsofwoe]

It's an effort worth making. You need to be able to fool yourself at least a little to carry on in a situation like this.

[ordimame]

[THAT]

[IS A LITTLE TOO REAL]

[and he contemplates it for a moment before asking]

. . . spoken like someone who knows what it's like.

[tailsofwoe]

[ . . . ]

We've all got to learn a few tricks to stay afloat by the time we turn twenty, right?