sticksandbones | It's Time For DAAAATE NIIIIGHT

[Dipper is a Pines and that means it's morally unforgivable to turn down a free meal. Also, somehow, he won the date auction, which was kind of a funny surprise! Thankfully that poor guy isn't stuck with Bakugo. Not that he thinks Bakugo is a bad guy, it's just. Hm. He doesn't think the new guy signed up for what Bakugo's idea of a good time is.]

[He shouldn't be nervous about something like this, right? This is just a little friend-date kind of thing with a vaguely romantic atmosphere. With a guy he doesn't actually know. And Mabel isn't here to run damage control on his entire personality.]

[It's fine!!!]

[Dipper dresses semi-nice for it. Not too much not too little. He's not sure what he is expecting but he does make sure to neurotically get there like 30 minutes early. He will make a good impression!!! On this new friend!!]

[ Funny enough, Aira's anxious energy had him ready and waiting a full hour in advance, but he'd already gone inside and had been talking to Luca about. Things! Things that made him almost cry once or twice. He's fine. Totally fine.

Once he notices Dipper waiting outside he makes his way out to greet him. ]

Hey! You're Dipper right? It's nice to meet you.

[Oh my god his date beat him here. How did someone out anxiety him, this is CRAZY.]

[Anyway, once Aira comes out he grins. Ah, is he a little underdressed? No probably not. Aira was an idol right? He kind of knows what that is. They probably like to be fancy. He will head inside.]

Hey! Yeah, that's me. Aira, right? Nice to meet you, too.

[Mayoi is here. Mayoi is in the ceiling. You had better behave around his Aira-san or so help him he will cry-]

[ Dipper could have shown up in jeans and a t-shirt and Aira wouldn't care. This is just him being extra because its his first date. He is Nervous. ]

Yeah, that's me. You can call me whatever you want-- Luca-san has the table set up over here, or we can just hang out until its officially time. Up to you.

[ He. Has no idea what he's doing. He did this without really expecting romantic undertones or anything, but he's still nervous. ]

[Look, the last date he had with someone involved multiple felonies and blood magic, he doesn't have a clue what a normal date should look like. Especially something that's just a friend-date!]

[The two who grew up without friends for most of their life absolutely floundering at how to be normal, how funny.]

Oh, cool. I'm game to just sit down and we can chat? You're like, super new here, right?

[Luca had taken requests for the food so he's actually pretty excited about it.]

That's fine with me! And yes, I just arrived... near the end of May, I believe.

[ He watched Luca prepare some of the food so he can verify it looks really good. ]

It's... been an adjustment, but Mayo-san mentioned it was a bit nicer here than where we came from.

[Lets have a little mosey over to the table then.]

Mayo-san... oh! That's the guy in the ceiling, right? He's a friend of yours? He sure is interesting.

[Legally they have never interacted on screen, but Dipper thinks Mayoi is some kind of undocumented cryptid most of the time. From the ceiling, Mayoi makes a little Eep!! How did he know he was up here????]

Was home a dangerous kind of place? Or did you come here from another dimension, too.

Mhm, Ayase Mayoi. He's my unitmate.

[ Yes, he directs a wave up at the ceiling. Hi. He loves u sir. ]

Oh, well... our home could be dangerous in its own way but far, far less than it is here or in the dimension we came from. Where we were before was a place we called the Nest.

Unit... because you're idols, right? Which- [he waves a hand.] - Forgive me if I'm totally wrong but, that's kind of like a boyband, right?

[His culture ozmosis over the years isn't terrible but he's only somewhat heard of the concept. Also Mayoi waves back hiiii, have fun.]

Got it, so you guys are also from another weird hell dimension before getting dragged here. This is like ...my third one? Sort of? Long story, but I get it. It's really disorienting waking up in new dimensions. It doesn't really get easier.

[He clears his throat, suddenly away that going full nerd is not exactly the ideal here.]

Buuuut, we'll be here for hours if you get me talking about nexus-point dimensional theory so uh! What's your unit like?

[ Info dump unlocked. ]

Oh! Well, yes and no. Idols aren't only musicians even if that is typically our main form of work. Idols will also dabble in acting or radio shows or modelling- any number of other things. Like our group typically did a lot of radio shows and photo shoots. Mayo-san was even in a movie.

[ He is... probably the one in Alkaloid with the least reach in that aspect and it's a little embarrassing, but he didn't have much confidence in his abilities independant of their group... ah he was rambling wasn't he? ]

Idols can also be male or female, but in our case, our unit is all male. Mayo-san and I are the only ones here though... I do miss the other two a lot.

[ He fishes out his phone to show Dipper his lock screen. ]

Hiro-kun is the one with red hair. He was like, super naturally talented. He's smart and strong enough to just kind of latch onto stuff and it's infuriating as someone who's had to work to get where I am. But he's also naïve and the sweetest guy ever so it's hard to stay mad at him about anything. He was the leader of our group and he really stepped up over the months I've known him. I taught him everything he knows about idols.

Tattsun-senpai is the one with the green hair. He's actually a priest for his religion, and debuted as an idol properly way before any of us. He was good enough to be a solo idol and I was a fan of his! He was on hiatus due to a leg injury and got lumped in with us due to that, but he serves as a good support for Hiro-kun and helps us with handling the more vicious parts of the industry. He likes to joke about being our father in that way. He's like... unfailingly kind. I worry about him sometimes.

[ He clears his throat awkwardly ]

What's a nexus... point dimensional thingy?

[Oh, so Aira is the kind of person to info-dump about his interests. Awesome that makes him feel way less awkward when its going to inevitably happen to him. He listens though! Because he likes music and he just enjoys learning about things he doesn't know much about!]

[So Idols are more than just singers on a stage, they're a whole packaged talent. That's pretty fascinating. While he's not a huge boyband person, thats way more his sister, Dipper does like top 40's pop, so he'd def be willing to give it a shot.]

[He'd like ALKALOID's music, tbh. It's up his alley. Especially since it looks so obvious that they're not a set of clones or anything. Just from knowing Mayoi in passing and talking to Aira, their personalities are very distinct.]

So, it sounds like you guys are an all-in-one entertainment package. And you're my age? That's crazy. You've really gotta be special to be able to do a job like that nonstop. I couldn't do it.

[Oh! It's his turn! He smiles a little, because Aira didn't have to ask about his interests, but it touches him that he did.]

Inter-dimensional Nexus Point. It's uh, it's just a name I came up with to call these weird dimensions we get sucked into. It's just a theory, but I think these places kind of naturally draw in people from various other worlds, but where they actually exist in the multiverse is kind of a liminal in-between place.

[ Oh god, compliments. He turns a little red and waves a hand dismissively. ]

I mean yeah my unitmates are totally impressive and special, but I've always been the worst out of us four. And there were so many other idols that aren't here...

[ He shakes his head ]

I'm like, painfully average in comparison. I have to work super hard to keep up.

[ The topic shifts to the nexus dimension thing and though most of it goes right over his head he does linger on the liminal place part. He shudders, a hand going to his shoulder. ]

I guess that would explain some things... I fell into the void once in the last place I was.

[It's date night! Which means sitting at a table like a normal person and having a drink like a normal person and being normal on your date! Anyway Ain is not sitting in a chair because he's literally using Razlo's thigh as one, what up he feels so short doing this—

Sorry to Luca who has to witness this the whole time.]

What are you ordering?

[girl we're ordering you your own chair what the fuck]

[deepest apologies to luca because neither ain nor razlo are normal. whoops.

raz, for what it's worth, is patting ain's head as if he was his tiny little purse dog -- which, to be fair, he is, comparatively.]

Y'think they got steak 'n potatoes in this bitch? Steak 'n potatoes. [and if they don't. make it work, luca.]

I think so. Mr. Bartender said he'd make us whatever we want~.

[Which means Ain could be just The Worst and order something impossible... but he's not feeling That Evil tonight. He'll just ask for a rice bowl dish with grilled meat and veggies and a lot of sauce. Rice bowl is not bar food, he does not care.

Relatedly:]

When's the last time you had a vegetable, huh?

[the fact that razlo didn't order, like, a steak so rare it's still mooing is a testament to exactly how domesticated he's become.]

Potato's a veggie. It counts. Anythin' else's for scrawny little deer like you.

[Domesticated Razlo... wipes a single tear from my eye. I never thought I'd see the day.]

Haha, I'm not scrawny, you're just three times my size. [Slight exaggeration but also not really? One Razlo is the width of two Ains. Beanpole-ass motherfucker.] Besides, if you don't eat enough fruit and veggies, you'll get scurvy~.

[Don't ask Flamebringer how he managed to score this date, oops. Like he was fully intending to do this but he's also having that "I'm not sure how I got this far" moment... so he shows up in the nicest fit he has. It might be too much for a bar but he treats men with RESPECT* okay.

*he treats men who aren't his enemy with respect, anyone else gets kicked in the gut and stabbed to death.]

So, uh.

[He is also, despite being engaged, not used to this.]

...do you like flowers. [smooth, dumbass.]

( somehow, sidney feels under-dressed, even with ain's help dolling him up so to speak. there's a twitch of a smile as they take their seat, and despite the nerves (is he a swinger now, are he and isidro swingers?? well wait no yes isidro already has a boyfriend-) he feels... comfortable. )

I do. I know they aren't safe, but I always had a fondness for foxgloves, actually... but they aren't the only ones.

[Oh thank fuck. Look, they don't teach you socialization when they throw you into the military at age 15 and tell you to go kill people. In fact, one could say that maladjusts you pretty badly.]

Oh, yeah. [Now his tail is wagging.] Actually, foxgloves can be used medicinally to treat heart problems, but higher dosages can kill. As far as I'm aware, that can be true of any medication.

[You wouldn't take ibuprofen daily for example.]

They aren't toxic to the touch, though. Just don't eat them. [...] What are the other ones?

I don't make a habit of eating flowers right off the stem, I promise.

( there's an indulgent teasing note to his voice, lighthearted and easy going despite the prickle of nerves under his skin. )

One of the neighbors had a plum tree when I was a kid. I loved those flowers. ... I like lily of the valley and Louisiana irises too. They're native to my area.

You never know with some people. I've had to stop this kid— [sighs thinking of Luo Xiaohei,] —multiple times from eating random plants just because he's curious.

[To be fair, Luo Xiaohei is like, a cat spirit or something. But still.]

I've never heard of Louisiana. Irises, though, I can do that. [you can do what—] We didn't have flowers in Kazdel. Too fucked up, too much Originium growing out of the ground. When I left, I got real good at memorizing what's what. Turns out the soil here is great for growing plants.

[...what are you plotting]

[Thorns voice: I'm not down horrendous for this man shut up
Also Thorns: Literally walks into a wall when he's coming in to meet Sidney, trips over his untied shoes, and realises as soon as he sits down that he's missing one sock.

Anyway, some of that is just normal for Thorns — or, well, Isidro — but it's especially exacerbated today.]

Ahem. [Clearing his throat:] Encantado de verte.

( as he approaches, those who know the ever so subtle shifts in sidney's body language will realize that he's perking up like a happy puppy as thorns approaches. he stands to pull out the opposite chair before pressing a soft little kiss to the other's lips and then sits down, pleased.

even if isidor is a bit of a disaster. )

Y'okay there? I saw you trip.

[He gets a kiss and mentally fucking explodes. That right there was technically their first one and Isidro is nothing if not rizzless and a bit stupid with these things. He can hear Juana laughing at him from here.]

I'm usually a lot more light on my feet.

[The untied shoe is a whole other thing.]

...and I regularly forget to do certain things when it comes to my appearance. It's never bothered me, but there have been several times where I've walked outside shirtless. We're, ah, lucky that hasn't happened today. It tends to get worse where nerves or stressors are concerned.

[this man has two partners and cannot get it together, his confidence is a front do not believe him about it unless it's literally in direct combat and/or in a laboratory]

Nerves, huh?

( cute. ... wait no maybe he shouldn't be thinking that sort of thing when isidor is admitting that hes nervous enough that forgetting to dress himself was a real possibility.

as he takes his own seat again, he reaches across the table to take isidor's hand in his own, gentle and warm despite the roughness. )

Y'don't have to worry. I'm not too scary now. ... And you already got a first date, didn't you?

It's less the scary and more the... [he gestures with his silvered hand,] "This is our second date". Elysium, er... let's just say that was a special circumstance.

[He was at sea for several months, Elysium showed up here, they banged, Elysium disappeared into the woods. Normal stuff.]

Besides, I did tell you that I liked you... pretty candidly. I don't want to somehow ruin the night. That's all.

It's Time For DAAAATE NIIIIGHT

For Aira

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Razlo

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Sidney 1

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clawing my hellbrain

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Sidney 2

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crawls back to you after my hiatus like :')