Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Nov 25, 2020 20:40:07 GMT -5
The Madness Menagerie, ssri, and 1 more like this
Post by mystifyingoracle on Nov 25, 2020 20:40:07 GMT -5
OOC: Takes place just after Shallow Waters. Thank you to Lab Rat King / Axton Gunn , and @adriennelevi for the collab! Enjoy!
Silvio had never been in a tense, ‘meet the parents,’ dinner before, but he guessed if he had, it would probably feel similar to the vibe currently hanging like a pall over himself, Adrienne Levi, and Zane King.
In addition to the chicken curry Silvio had made, Zane had a heap of burgers beside him piled up on a plate like a molehill indulging in aspirations of mountainhood. He hadn’t expected the mutant back home so soon; especially in the middle of his conversation with Adrienne. This was the only time she’d ever seen the big guy lucid, and while it had been a shock at first, she seemed to be coping reasonably well.
“So, uh...title match coming up. How you feeling about it, Ade?”
However, Adrienne’s attention was consumed by Zane King. He was still the man who had nearly ended her career this last summer. Also the man she confined in despite those lingering fears. She knew Silvio had a knack with working with. But Zane lived with him, too? But staring was rude. She turned her attention back to Silvio.
“I’m pretty intimidated by the whole thing.”
She chose her words carefully. Ade knew the present company seemed to revel in the brutality this company offered.
“But that’s just me.”
“I heard rumors we might be seeing more cage match action. Apparently the higher-ups are thinking of putting me through my paces. Zane was going to give me some pointers,” Silvio said, nodding to the Lab Rat King. “Seeing as he’s got more of a handle on that kind of thing.”
In these most unusual of circumstances, Zane appeared to be starkly aware of the physical space he occupied in the room. While Levi was most likely used to watching him occupy said space with the expectation that everyone would simply stay the hell out of his way, now he was… seemingly making an effort not to let his presence overwhelm. His shoulders were curled inward, and he kept his eyes down, mostly attending to his food. It was as though he was consciously trying not to be the monster that had crushed Adrienne in her first-ever match so many weeks ago.
“Yeah…” when he spoke, his low, rumbling voice was even softer than usual. “It’s… really just a matter of mapping your space differently. The only thing the bars mean is that you need to think completely within the ring. You aren’t going to be able to roll out for recovery. It’s a technical shift before it’s a psychological one.”
Ade still wasn’t used to that. However, it’d be awful to ask questions. She instead nodded along as she took in another spoonful of curry.
“At least Ax digs scars,” Silvio snorted, trying to lighten the atmosphere to zero success.
BATTING A THOUSAND, HUH?
Silvio couldn’t reply to Spooky aloud at the risk of making this whole meal even more bizarre, but he imagined the biggest middle finger and hoped they saw it, because he was doing it as hard as he could.
“Thinking ahead to UC6, too. I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the year.”
INDEED. WE HAVE A FEELING THAT’S GOING TO BE A MOMENTOUS OCCASION.
Zane grimaced slightly, suddenly remembering the stipulation that had been imposed on him for an upcoming show. If he didn’t take down two jobbers in three minutes… he could kiss his title shot goodbye.
He couldn’t afford to let that happen. He made a mental note to break C$J’s writing hand at the next opportunity to keep him from signing off on any more bullshit stips.
“... A lot of titles will be on the line.”
“It could be a lot of fun,” Adrienne said softly. Although, she wasn’t entirely sure what else to say. This was the strangest dinner she’d ever had.
But she decided that was on her. Summoning up all of the courage she had, Ade turned to Zane King and asked, “I’m sorry. You’re talking …entirely different. Are you okay?”
She winced at the clumsiness of her own question.
Crap.
WE DON’T KNOW WHY YOU DIDN’T THINK SHE WOULDN’T ASK THAT QUESTION.
It wasn’t that Silvio hadn’t thought it was a possibility so much as he had fervently hoped Adrienne wouldn’t ask. Stupid social contracts. Once Zane had come home and mentioned dinner, Silvio had reflexively asked if Adrienne wanted to stay for the meal because what kind of host would he be if he hadn’t extended the invitation. Also, he’d been utterly thunderstruck by the whole situation and the words leapt from him before he had a chance to stop. At first, he’d been so relieved that he’d been able to figure out something to say, that it had taken him a moment to realize what those words meant. And of course, Adrienne being polite to a fault, accepted.
YOU KNOW OCCASIONALLY BEING A PRICK WOULD SPARE YOU FROM THESE SITUATIONS. BUT DON’T DO THAT. THIS IS ENTERTAINING FOR US.
Silvio suspected, sourly and not for the first time, that if Spooky was human, they’d be the sort to enjoy humiliation comedy.
Not that they didn’t seem to already.
“Zane, uh...he kinda has...good days and bad days, you know? Like, I’ve been pretty open about living with depression and it’s kinda the same for me. Some days are just...better than others.”
King nodded, swallowing a mouthful of food. Honestly, what he was saying wasn’t far off the mark--he could at least be half-honest.
“It’s kinda like that… I have a sort of... condition, that makes it difficult to manage my mood. It also affects my memory and my speech. The ring work has actually been pretty good for me. It’s kind of become an outlet for the harder days… I’m sorry you had to deal with me on one of my worst, Adrienne. You didn’t deserve that.”
There was a long moment of silence from her as she weighed their combined explanation. When she had first encountered Zane, she considered him to be a mindless monster. But his words weren’t threats back then. More like challenges. She could have done without that experience. She’d rebuke anyone that told her that the night where he did that defined her successes.
Looking into Zane’s eyes, she nodded.
“I accept that. Even at your worst, you haven’t been all that bad.”
Pausing, she considered all of their exchanges since that summer night.
“I’m not sure if I can explain it but you’ve made a lot of sense lately. I’m sorry if that didn’t come out right.”
There was relief in Zane’s eyes, his shoulders relaxing.
“No… I get it. I know what you mean. And I think I’m getting better, here… one day at a time.”
“We’re all just doing our best,” Silvio said, having a sip of the mango lassi he’d made to go with the curry.
AREN’T WE JUST?
The tattoo artist blinked, trying to hide his sudden baffled expression as a reaction to the sourness of the yogurt in his drink. Whenever he was around Zane, Spooky would feast on his madness; that’s what really made him more lucid when he was in Silvio’s proximity. He was used to that feeling; amethyst, neon and electric fire.
He wasn’t used to the one that seemed to be coming courtesy of Adrienne.
It was delicate; like lacework or embroidery stitched across his senses in some intricate design. It had the shape of butterfly wings and a fragility to match.
HOW LIKE AN OYSTER THAT ONE IS. BRITTLE ARMOR TO HIDE A PRIZE BORNE OF PAIN. POETIC, REALLY.
Fuck.
His eyes darted away and he took another long pull off his drink, trying to look anywhere but at his stablemate across the table from him.
What the fuck was the spooky bastard up to?
“You okay?” She asked with concern. “Something going on?”
“Yeah,” Silvio said with a sheepish grin. “I think I just put too much yogurt into this; it’s kinda sour.”
SUCH DISCORD IN SUCH A WHIMSICAL PACKAGE. YOU BRING SUCH DELICACIES TO SUSTAIN ME.
Fury sparked briefly in the Oracle’s heart.
Don’t you dare.
WHY ARE YOU SO GRUDGING ABOUT ALL OF THIS? SO HUNG UP WITH THOSE PESKY SELF-IMPOSED SCRUPLES.
That’s what they wanted. Ever greedy, never content.
YOU COULD HELP YOURSELF WITH THIS, YOU KNOW. YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SELF-ADMITTED MALADIES. HERS ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT. YOU COULD LEARN FROM IT, WERE YOU BOLD ENOUGH; RELIEVE YOUR OWN SUFFERING.
That gave Silvio pause.
He’d never considered what all of this could mean for him outside of facilitating a cosmic horror buffet and skimming a little off the top in the form of an enticing little high. That he could use it to settle any of his own troubled mental states?
AND WHY NOT? YOU ARE ALL SO PREOCCUPIED WITH THIS IDEA OF GOOD AND EVIL. NONE OF YOU CAN EVEN SEEM TO DECIDE IF EVIL IS SOMETHING YOU ARE OR SOMETHING YOU DO. IT’S NOT EVEN A MOOD. AND IT’S SO SUBJECTIVE. YOU KNOW THAT, LITTLE THIEF. NO REMORSE AT ALL FOR THE THINGS YOU’VE DONE TO SURVIVE. WHAT’S ONE MORE ACT OF SELF-PRESERVATION?
Silvio couldn’t deny it. He didn’t feel at all sorry or bad for doing what he had to in the name of survival. Hell, his recent match with Cat was evidence enough of that.
IT WOULDN’T EVEN NEED TO HURT. QUITE THE REVERSE, IF ANYTHING. SWEET LITTLE FAWN WANDERING INTO A TRAP WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT. THAT’S THE DANGER OF YOU, ISN’T IT? YOU AREN’T THE HUNTER WITH GUN AND DOG. YOU’RE THE SNARE. THE PIT. THE TRIP WIRE. A TINY, ENTICING PIECE OF BAIT IS OFFERED BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET SO MUCH MORE IF THEY’RE FOOL ENOUGH TO TAKE IT.
REMIND YOU OF SOMEONE?
The Oracle felt his gut twist.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I liked it. I’m an awful cook so this has been wonderful.”
Ade smiled sincerely at Silvio.
“Zane seems fond of your cooking, too.”
“It’s a step up from eating my own weight in jerky and eggs every day,” Zane admitted, proceeding to clear the last of the curry from his plate.
“Thanks. I didn’t wanna be one of those guys who couldn’t even heat up soup, you know? And, uh...I’ll be honest, I kinda always wanted a life where you could come home to like...kids and a home-cooked meal? Or something like that.” He grinned crookedly. “Be a house husband for my wildly successful, career-oriented spouse.”
LOOK AT YOU. A WOLF STILL WISHING HE WAS A SHEEP.
“I, uh…” Silvio cleared his throat, shaking his head a little. “I was wondering...kinda...wanted to run something by you guys.”
Still wondering where that warm twinge in his chest came from after Silvio mentioned his domestic fantasies, King looked up from his second plate. “Uh huh?”
Ade looked up from her bowl where she had been putting away her curry with a quiet efficiency. “Sure.”
“What would you say,” he started slowly, looking between the two, “if I told you I was going to challenge Ken for a title shot?”
...WELL. LOOK WHO FOUND THEIR FANGS AFTER ALL.
Silvio had never been in a tense, ‘meet the parents,’ dinner before, but he guessed if he had, it would probably feel similar to the vibe currently hanging like a pall over himself, Adrienne Levi, and Zane King.
In addition to the chicken curry Silvio had made, Zane had a heap of burgers beside him piled up on a plate like a molehill indulging in aspirations of mountainhood. He hadn’t expected the mutant back home so soon; especially in the middle of his conversation with Adrienne. This was the only time she’d ever seen the big guy lucid, and while it had been a shock at first, she seemed to be coping reasonably well.
“So, uh...title match coming up. How you feeling about it, Ade?”
However, Adrienne’s attention was consumed by Zane King. He was still the man who had nearly ended her career this last summer. Also the man she confined in despite those lingering fears. She knew Silvio had a knack with working with. But Zane lived with him, too? But staring was rude. She turned her attention back to Silvio.
“I’m pretty intimidated by the whole thing.”
She chose her words carefully. Ade knew the present company seemed to revel in the brutality this company offered.
“But that’s just me.”
“I heard rumors we might be seeing more cage match action. Apparently the higher-ups are thinking of putting me through my paces. Zane was going to give me some pointers,” Silvio said, nodding to the Lab Rat King. “Seeing as he’s got more of a handle on that kind of thing.”
In these most unusual of circumstances, Zane appeared to be starkly aware of the physical space he occupied in the room. While Levi was most likely used to watching him occupy said space with the expectation that everyone would simply stay the hell out of his way, now he was… seemingly making an effort not to let his presence overwhelm. His shoulders were curled inward, and he kept his eyes down, mostly attending to his food. It was as though he was consciously trying not to be the monster that had crushed Adrienne in her first-ever match so many weeks ago.
“Yeah…” when he spoke, his low, rumbling voice was even softer than usual. “It’s… really just a matter of mapping your space differently. The only thing the bars mean is that you need to think completely within the ring. You aren’t going to be able to roll out for recovery. It’s a technical shift before it’s a psychological one.”
Ade still wasn’t used to that. However, it’d be awful to ask questions. She instead nodded along as she took in another spoonful of curry.
“At least Ax digs scars,” Silvio snorted, trying to lighten the atmosphere to zero success.
BATTING A THOUSAND, HUH?
Silvio couldn’t reply to Spooky aloud at the risk of making this whole meal even more bizarre, but he imagined the biggest middle finger and hoped they saw it, because he was doing it as hard as he could.
“Thinking ahead to UC6, too. I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the year.”
INDEED. WE HAVE A FEELING THAT’S GOING TO BE A MOMENTOUS OCCASION.
Zane grimaced slightly, suddenly remembering the stipulation that had been imposed on him for an upcoming show. If he didn’t take down two jobbers in three minutes… he could kiss his title shot goodbye.
He couldn’t afford to let that happen. He made a mental note to break C$J’s writing hand at the next opportunity to keep him from signing off on any more bullshit stips.
“... A lot of titles will be on the line.”
“It could be a lot of fun,” Adrienne said softly. Although, she wasn’t entirely sure what else to say. This was the strangest dinner she’d ever had.
But she decided that was on her. Summoning up all of the courage she had, Ade turned to Zane King and asked, “I’m sorry. You’re talking …entirely different. Are you okay?”
She winced at the clumsiness of her own question.
Crap.
WE DON’T KNOW WHY YOU DIDN’T THINK SHE WOULDN’T ASK THAT QUESTION.
It wasn’t that Silvio hadn’t thought it was a possibility so much as he had fervently hoped Adrienne wouldn’t ask. Stupid social contracts. Once Zane had come home and mentioned dinner, Silvio had reflexively asked if Adrienne wanted to stay for the meal because what kind of host would he be if he hadn’t extended the invitation. Also, he’d been utterly thunderstruck by the whole situation and the words leapt from him before he had a chance to stop. At first, he’d been so relieved that he’d been able to figure out something to say, that it had taken him a moment to realize what those words meant. And of course, Adrienne being polite to a fault, accepted.
YOU KNOW OCCASIONALLY BEING A PRICK WOULD SPARE YOU FROM THESE SITUATIONS. BUT DON’T DO THAT. THIS IS ENTERTAINING FOR US.
Silvio suspected, sourly and not for the first time, that if Spooky was human, they’d be the sort to enjoy humiliation comedy.
Not that they didn’t seem to already.
“Zane, uh...he kinda has...good days and bad days, you know? Like, I’ve been pretty open about living with depression and it’s kinda the same for me. Some days are just...better than others.”
King nodded, swallowing a mouthful of food. Honestly, what he was saying wasn’t far off the mark--he could at least be half-honest.
“It’s kinda like that… I have a sort of... condition, that makes it difficult to manage my mood. It also affects my memory and my speech. The ring work has actually been pretty good for me. It’s kind of become an outlet for the harder days… I’m sorry you had to deal with me on one of my worst, Adrienne. You didn’t deserve that.”
There was a long moment of silence from her as she weighed their combined explanation. When she had first encountered Zane, she considered him to be a mindless monster. But his words weren’t threats back then. More like challenges. She could have done without that experience. She’d rebuke anyone that told her that the night where he did that defined her successes.
Looking into Zane’s eyes, she nodded.
“I accept that. Even at your worst, you haven’t been all that bad.”
Pausing, she considered all of their exchanges since that summer night.
“I’m not sure if I can explain it but you’ve made a lot of sense lately. I’m sorry if that didn’t come out right.”
There was relief in Zane’s eyes, his shoulders relaxing.
“No… I get it. I know what you mean. And I think I’m getting better, here… one day at a time.”
“We’re all just doing our best,” Silvio said, having a sip of the mango lassi he’d made to go with the curry.
AREN’T WE JUST?
The tattoo artist blinked, trying to hide his sudden baffled expression as a reaction to the sourness of the yogurt in his drink. Whenever he was around Zane, Spooky would feast on his madness; that’s what really made him more lucid when he was in Silvio’s proximity. He was used to that feeling; amethyst, neon and electric fire.
He wasn’t used to the one that seemed to be coming courtesy of Adrienne.
It was delicate; like lacework or embroidery stitched across his senses in some intricate design. It had the shape of butterfly wings and a fragility to match.
HOW LIKE AN OYSTER THAT ONE IS. BRITTLE ARMOR TO HIDE A PRIZE BORNE OF PAIN. POETIC, REALLY.
Fuck.
His eyes darted away and he took another long pull off his drink, trying to look anywhere but at his stablemate across the table from him.
What the fuck was the spooky bastard up to?
“You okay?” She asked with concern. “Something going on?”
“Yeah,” Silvio said with a sheepish grin. “I think I just put too much yogurt into this; it’s kinda sour.”
SUCH DISCORD IN SUCH A WHIMSICAL PACKAGE. YOU BRING SUCH DELICACIES TO SUSTAIN ME.
Fury sparked briefly in the Oracle’s heart.
Don’t you dare.
WHY ARE YOU SO GRUDGING ABOUT ALL OF THIS? SO HUNG UP WITH THOSE PESKY SELF-IMPOSED SCRUPLES.
That’s what they wanted. Ever greedy, never content.
YOU COULD HELP YOURSELF WITH THIS, YOU KNOW. YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SELF-ADMITTED MALADIES. HERS ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT. YOU COULD LEARN FROM IT, WERE YOU BOLD ENOUGH; RELIEVE YOUR OWN SUFFERING.
That gave Silvio pause.
He’d never considered what all of this could mean for him outside of facilitating a cosmic horror buffet and skimming a little off the top in the form of an enticing little high. That he could use it to settle any of his own troubled mental states?
AND WHY NOT? YOU ARE ALL SO PREOCCUPIED WITH THIS IDEA OF GOOD AND EVIL. NONE OF YOU CAN EVEN SEEM TO DECIDE IF EVIL IS SOMETHING YOU ARE OR SOMETHING YOU DO. IT’S NOT EVEN A MOOD. AND IT’S SO SUBJECTIVE. YOU KNOW THAT, LITTLE THIEF. NO REMORSE AT ALL FOR THE THINGS YOU’VE DONE TO SURVIVE. WHAT’S ONE MORE ACT OF SELF-PRESERVATION?
Silvio couldn’t deny it. He didn’t feel at all sorry or bad for doing what he had to in the name of survival. Hell, his recent match with Cat was evidence enough of that.
IT WOULDN’T EVEN NEED TO HURT. QUITE THE REVERSE, IF ANYTHING. SWEET LITTLE FAWN WANDERING INTO A TRAP WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT. THAT’S THE DANGER OF YOU, ISN’T IT? YOU AREN’T THE HUNTER WITH GUN AND DOG. YOU’RE THE SNARE. THE PIT. THE TRIP WIRE. A TINY, ENTICING PIECE OF BAIT IS OFFERED BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET SO MUCH MORE IF THEY’RE FOOL ENOUGH TO TAKE IT.
REMIND YOU OF SOMEONE?
The Oracle felt his gut twist.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I liked it. I’m an awful cook so this has been wonderful.”
Ade smiled sincerely at Silvio.
“Zane seems fond of your cooking, too.”
“It’s a step up from eating my own weight in jerky and eggs every day,” Zane admitted, proceeding to clear the last of the curry from his plate.
“Thanks. I didn’t wanna be one of those guys who couldn’t even heat up soup, you know? And, uh...I’ll be honest, I kinda always wanted a life where you could come home to like...kids and a home-cooked meal? Or something like that.” He grinned crookedly. “Be a house husband for my wildly successful, career-oriented spouse.”
LOOK AT YOU. A WOLF STILL WISHING HE WAS A SHEEP.
“I, uh…” Silvio cleared his throat, shaking his head a little. “I was wondering...kinda...wanted to run something by you guys.”
Still wondering where that warm twinge in his chest came from after Silvio mentioned his domestic fantasies, King looked up from his second plate. “Uh huh?”
Ade looked up from her bowl where she had been putting away her curry with a quiet efficiency. “Sure.”
“What would you say,” he started slowly, looking between the two, “if I told you I was going to challenge Ken for a title shot?”
...WELL. LOOK WHO FOUND THEIR FANGS AFTER ALL.