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john egbert

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[ So John's had a slightly problem here. What is that problem? Well, the problem is that he doesn't speak a word of French! Okay, that's an exaggeration, he knows how to say "Merci", and fortunately for him most of the people around him know enough English to help point him in the right direction. Unfortunately for him, he's misunderstood a lot of what they've been telling him, and overshooting their directions.

So not only has he used up all his metro passes, but he doesn't have any euros on him right now, because he was pick-pocketed earlier when he stupidly wandered over to a woman asking him if he'd dropped something on the ground. Basically John is shit out of luck, and he has no idea where he is, or how to get back to where he's staying

So as he stands in the middle of a very small grassy park area, peering through the dark, he opens up his journal and just has one message. ]

I need some help!

((OOC. Open like an open thing :) Or over the journals!))

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[ Making a face. She's joking about it, but.... ]

Oh! Sure.

[ Looking up at the buildings though. ]

You live in one of these?

[She points to a low, kind of dingy building backed up between the taller, prettier ones. The outside is covered in potted plants, but it's cute. And tiny.]

In that one. Though "live" has far too permanent a connotation. I would much rather be optimistic and say I am "staying" there.

[ Somehow, this house seems the most fitting to John! For some reason.

He goes to sit down on the bench she pointed to and studies the building ]

It's really nice. I bet it's a great place to stay at right now.

Well, it puts a roof over my head, though I could do without competing for a reasonable place to sleep each night.

[She sits down beside him, straightening out her skirt, carefully placing her grocery bag on the ground... and batting at something bright in the corner of her vision? She glances suspiciously in that direction, but when there's nothing there she relaxes just a bit.]

[ John doesn't even notice it! He does notice her looking though and leans to the side a little so he can try to peer around her. Doesn't... look like anything is there? So he'll just ignore it. ]

How many people are you sharing your house with?

Six. It's quite a bit too small for seven people, but it is considerably better than a bench outside in December.

[Feeling something brush the back of her head, she looks once more, but sees only empty space. With a small shudder, she rubs her arms and scoots just a bit closer to John...]

That's true! I can't imagine what I would do if I hadn't ended up having a house when I showed up here!

[ He notices that and leans forward a little, looking a bit concerned. ]

Are you okay, Rose?

[ Probably not, considering the mischievous little glow that radiates from just behind the bench, barely noticeable if you're not looking for it. ]

I'm perfectly fine...

[Except that she is kind of staring at him a bit funny, sort of unfocused and dazed. And she may or may not have just put one hand on his knee so that she won't topple over. There is something wrong with your best friend, John. She looks a little drugged.]

[ Yeah! He can tell, kind of, only... only as the little light floats upwards and dances over his head without his notice, he's not paying less and less attention to how weird she looks because...

Well, because she doesn't look weird at all! At least as the same dazed look passes over his face and he starts leaning his face towards her he certainly isn't think about how weird she looks. In fact he isn't thinking about much, he's just reaching up with one hand and cupping her cheek in his palm.

Uh-oh. ]

[Her eyes register weak panic for approximately 4.13 milliseconds, before she lets out the tiniest of contented sighs, and gently closes whatever distance is left.]

[ A panic that will come back after this is all over! And she won't be alone in sharing it.

However, right now their is fairy magic at work here, and John isn't worried about possible repercussions for his current actions. No, he is concerned with twisting his body around a little more so he can face rose and resting his other hand on her shoulder, and also with pushing his lips up against hers with absolutely no regards to those big, awkward teeth of his. ]

[She is concerned with many of the same matters, with the added focus of seeing just how tightly she can wrap her arms around his shoulders without possible dislocating a bone, and pondering whether or not attempting to deepen the kiss would result in the loss of her tongue at the hands of his large front teeth. Somewhere in the back of her mind she briefly registers that this isn't a thing that should be happening at all, but the warning is easy to block out. This is a good thing. It's a great thing. And she's enjoying it thoroughly.

For another seven seconds or so, that is.]

[ The best thing ever!! It's a thing John didn't even know he wanted, because maybe he doesn't actually want this! But that's a preposterous idea!!

Or is it? The longer the kiss goes on, the more John starts to regain some vague awareness that maybe he shouldn't be doing this, at all. And that maybe this could mess up a very good, solid friendship. Not aware enough to actually break off the kiss, mind you, not even aware enough that it's going to stop him from mashing his face against hers with more force than before.

John isn't very good at this whole "kissing" thing. ]

[Neither is Rose, but she is a bit more reserved about her lack of prowess, and prefers to move lightly and slowly rather than dive in like an overeager steamroller.

Then, all at once, two things hit her quite suddenly. The first is that she is kissing her best friend. The second is that holy FUCK she is kissing her best friend, who is infatuated with an alien, and she is genuinely enjoying this far too much.

Rose freezes, her eyes widening, and does the only thing she can think of to do: she pushes him violently away from her.]

[ It works, of all the things John was expecting right now, being shoved back was not among them! He rocks backwards, and if forced to throw his hand back and catch himself on the bench before he topples over and falls off. ]

Woah!

[ While this wasn't his first kiss this holiday season, he had started to think that since the change to Paris the fairies were mostly gone and he was safe from them. Apparently he was dead wrong about that fact.

Still, it takes a couple seconds for these thoughts to full process, since NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS did he expect to find himself sitting on a bench in Paris making out with Rose! Not that he hadn't considered kiss Rose, after Karkat and his whole business of the shipping chart, but this was still all so sudden! And not exactly by choice.

He opens his mouth, trying and failing to think of something to say, but instead just ends up gawking at Rose in bafflement. ]

[She's not angry just yet. That will come in a few moments. For now, all Rose can do is just stare right back, in equal parts bafflement and distress. Because even without the business of the shipping chart, she has definitely thought about kissing John before, but not under these circumstances. Not under the influence of fairy dust, with the knowledge that it never would have happened otherwise. That part hurts most of all, and it shows a bit in her eyes.

Trying to get her breath back, she can only think of one thing to say: ]

Fuck.

[ Maybe under normal circumstances John would be able to tell that. At least, if this had happened to anyone else and he was out of the equation altogether he might be able to see what was going on here with Rose. As it was there were two big things preventing him from realizing what her look meant.

First, he was still shocked about what just happened, and his mind was still reeling. And second, this situation involved himself. And while John wasn't half bad about reading his friends' feelings most of the time, he lost that ability completely when they were feelings about him.

He does understand one thing though, and that was that Rose had just said fuck, and she didn't usually say things like that, which meant this was a BIG DEAL.

He hops up off the bench palms out in front of him, eyes wide and words spewing out of him faster than he can think about what he's saying. ]

I'm so sorry, Rose! I didn't mean to do that! I didn't even know the fairies were still around! It just kind of happened, and you were also leaning towards me, and you kissed back, so I guess that the fairies got to you too, because I don't think you wanted to kiss me? I mean, I didn't really want to kiss you!

[ Oh... John... no. ]

[This tips the scale, and Rose's expression of distress turns to one of anger. Without the slightest iota of hesitation, she pulls back and slaps John across the cheek, as hard as she can possibly manage. When she speaks, her voice quivers just the slightest bit, as though she's trying her absolute hardest to keep from shouting.]

For fuck's sake, you're only making things worse. Congratulations on squeezing a nice, fresh lemon into a gaping wound. You officially have tact, thank that gods. Whatever would you do without it?!

[ John stumbles back a few steps reaching up to grab his cheek, more shocked by her outburst than he was by the kiss.

That actually... really hurt.

He hadn't meant to upset her. He didn't think anything he was saying was really all the upsetting, was it? He couldn't think of anything about it that would be worth slapping him over. ]

Rose?

[Her voice is still raised, but it's losing steam quickly, and by the time she finishes that last rant it has deflated into something morose and bitter, with a little bite of venom. She collects her groceries in silence, then turns towards the door, trying to keep her shoulders from drooping.]

You complete ass. I just told you everything. All you ever needed to do was listen.

[She makes a move to storm back into the apartment, but she doesn't move very quickly. She has this feeling that as soon as she shuts that door behind her, something is going to be irreparably broken.]

[ Everything? But she hadn't said anything except that he was making it worse, somehow. And that he'd hurt her, but he didn't understand how or why.

And he knew he should stop her, or try to ask what was wrong, or do SOMETHING instead of stand there and watch her walk away from him like she did, still shell shocked and clutching his cheek, despite the fact that it wasn't doing anything to make the dull sting feel any better.

She's right there, it's not too late to try and say something! ]

Rose...?

[ Echoing her name probably isn't really what she wanted to hear right now. ]

[She turns just a little, and locks eyes to look at him very earnestly. All of that hurt he missed earlier is still there, icy and bitter. Folding her arms across her chest, she grips her grocery bag more tightly and starts towards the front door.]

Please, don't say anything else.

[ The look stuns him back into silence. In all the time he's know Rose, he's never seen an expression like that on her face, and he really doesn't know what to say even if she wanted him to talk.

As it is he just nods dumbly in acknowledgment, at least following this request of hers. ]

[She's disappointed, deep down, that he didn't at least try to mend things, even if it meant going against her wishes. The silence hurts. Everything hurts. She just needs to get inside, find a quiet corner, and scream into a pillow.

And so that's just what she does.]

Have a merry Christmas, John.

[And with that bitter, decidedly un-merry remark, she trudges the last few feet to the door, spilling some fruit out of her bag on the way, and slips inside.]

[ He stands there for several minutes after the door is shut, hoping she'll come back out and tell him what he did wrong. Maybe talk to him, or even better tell him it was some sort of elaborate prank.

But Rose doesn't play pranks, and this is too cruel to be a good one anyways.

After fifteen minutes finally pass, he looks around him, just as lost as he was before Rose brought him here. He sighs and starts down the street, not sure where to go from here. ]

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