melodiesofkupo | 04. [video] Fortune

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04. [video] Fortune

[When the video begins, Red's already slumped back into the pilot's seat of his airship, his weary posture and tired limbs looking like they'd already long-since given out on him. He's breathless and panting- and not even in a particularly dog-like way- while sweat somehow manages to run off of his fur. Or is that just water? It'd explain why he was in his blitzball outfit. And all those bruises.

And yet, somehow, his face is the biggest, toothiest smile most people would ever have seen from him.]

..I... did it.

[He pauses, reaching beside him to grab a hold of a metallic water bottle with an oddly familiar logo on it, and ravenously gulps from it a few times between heaving breaths before using the rest to douse himself.

A few seconds of a more familiar canine head-shaking, water-flinging dryoff later- and a quiet ugh from the offscreen moogle- he catches his breath enough to continue.]

Starting lineup. Dragons. Cloud City.

[...and then, as if he suddenly remembered he was actually broadcasting this--]

Uh-- I'm Red. I play Blitzball. For the Cloud City Dragons. It's a great sport. Come watch me sometime. ...cause I just got promoted!!

[He manages a fistbump for a few seconds before his fist quivers, and with a weak groan his arm soon goes limp. Yup. That muscle was probably pulled.]

...So yeah. Tryin' to think of how I should celebrate. Any ideas?

...Y'know, after I get some rest.

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[3... 2... 1...

Aaaaand that would be a googly-eyed skeleton giving a roaring applause! Beware, Red. Beware...]

OH MY GOD!!! CONGRATS ON YOUR SPECTACULAR SUCCESS! CLEARLY, THIS MARKS A DAY THAT WILL GO DOWN IN VAIKUNTHAN HISTORY!!!

AS FOR CELEBRATION, I, FOR ONE, RECOMMEND A GRAND FEAST OF SPAGHETTI!

A big meal does sound pretty good right now...

[That enthusiasm was fine by Red. This kinda thing was worth getting excited about. He flashes a quick thumbs-up to the camera feed.]

Thanks, Pap. Wonder how many other offworlders made it this far. [...Other than Tidus, anyway. Never DID get that proper face-off against him...] I don't miss bein' mistaken for some kinda new mascot.

WELL, I'D SAY MADHURI AND THE OTHERS AT THE LADY HAVE MADE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES IN THE ART OF SHOW BIZ! OTHERWISE... I'M ACTUALLY NOT SURE.

[He sets a hand on his hip, contemplating.]

BUT YES. I IMAGINE THAT'S A WELCOME RELIEF. DOGS ARE MORE THAN JUST CUTE AND FLUFFY. WHY, THE CANINES I'M FAMILIAR WITH ARE NOBLE SOLDIERS!

Mentioning her is almost cheating! She's always puttin' herself front and center like that.

[And, apparently, she was trying to get him to follow suit lately. No thanks. Red may love applause but he has his limits.]

Maybe where you come from, but I'm startin' to learn that humans see us a little differently.

YOU CALL IT CHEATING! I CALL IT THE RESULTS OF HER HARD WORK AND AMAZING SKILLSET! FOR SHE IS VERY AMAZING.

[But there's... a bit of bias on his part. Especially with the doofy sorta smile he has when talking about her.

Though that smile wavers at the mention of humans.]

WELL. JUST BE ASSERTIVE, I SUPPOSE? MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU AREN'T SOMEBODY'S PET? I'VE. TRIED TO DO THAT WITH THE WHOLE SKELETON BUSINESS, AT ANY RATE. MINUS THE PET THING.

Yeah, but you're used to seein' people like me. At least Blitzball fans are startin' to learn the difference.

[But he actually cracks a grin at that. Madhuri deserves a little adulation, and Papyrus deserves a little... whatever that is he's feeling.]

She's somethin', alright. You're startin' to sound like you run her fan club.

[He was gonna comment on the Blitzball bit, but.

Madhuri fanclub?

His eye sockets narrow. He cups his chin in hand, stroking it for a few moments.]

WAIT. DOES SHE HAVE A FANCLUB YET? IF NOT, SHE SHOULD!!! AND PERHAPS I SHOULD BE THE ONE TO START SUCH A THING!

[Beware, Red. You just gave him ideas.]

Wh--

[...Thoughts of Madhuri teasingly holding his own romantic inclinations above his head like some sort of bone-shaped biscuit suddenly came to mind.

And Red suddenly breaks into a toothy smile.]

You know, I don't think she does.

THEN I'LL HAVE TO RECTIFY THAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!

[Yep. This is happening. He is going to start a Madhuri fanclub. This may or may not be a disaster.

Either way, he's grinning.]

...I WONDER IF I SHOULD KEEP IT A SURPRISE. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER TO RALLY SUPPORT ON THE MOGNET!!!

Hey, you're the casanova here, right? Find the answer in your heart! [Or something.]

Strange. You didn't strike me as the kinda guy who'd attend her shows.

SHE TOOK ME TO AN OPERA ONCE!!! AS PART OF A DATE. IF ANYTHING, I REGRET NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME TO SEE MORE!

[But he's had to juggle work and taking care of Frisk. ...Well, both Frisks now. Plus general research stuff.]

I DO TRY TO ATTEND WHEN I CAN, HOWEVER!

...Even fridays?

SOMETIMES, BUT THANKFULLY NOT ALWAYS!

[...]

GOODNESS, I HOPE SHE'S NOT UPSET THAT I CAN'T ATTEND EVERY SHOW! MY JOB DOES PLACE ME CLOSE TO THE CITY, SO I DO TRY. BUT WOULD IT BE LESS SINCERE TO START THE CLUB WITHOUT ABSORBING EVERY GREAT PERFORMANCE THE LADY HAS TO OFFER?!

[Oh dear. Hopefully not! Otherwise he may have to make some scheduling changes.]

[Okay, this was getting out of hand. He wanted to put Madhuri on the spot a little bit, not have poor Papyrus crash and burn!]

Wh-whoa, settle down! You don't want to seem like some kinda... fanboy creep, right? You gotta--...

[...A rare pang of self-awareness. This was starting to cut pretty close to home.]

...Wonder how many people she has comin' up to her after her shows.

[Oh! Oh, shoot. Yeah. That... is a very valid point.

He freezes up, then sighs.]

OH. YES. OF COURSE.

[Slumping, he rubs the back of his neck.]

...SO IS THE FANCLUB IDEA TOO MUCH? DISREGARDING THAT, ER. MOMENTARY LAPSE INTO ABSURD ENTHUSIASM.

I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO SEEM LIKE I DON'T VALUE HER AS A PERSON.

[Because yes, there are probably plenty of people who admire her. At those shows. Yes.]

I know. [He definitely knows.

Unfortunately, it's not something he has a very clear answer to. If only he did.]

...Maybe it isn't the right way to go after all. If you're gonna show you appreciate her, you gotta make sure she knows it's not just for her shows.

[...If only he did.]

[He nods, naturally. Red makes a very good point. As much as he enjoys her performances, it's hardly the only reason he cares.]

WELL. I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A LITTLE SURPRISE FOR HER. AND SHE... WANTS TO SPEND STARLIGHT WITH ME.

SO PERHAPS I SHOULD JUST POUR ALL MY PASSION INTO MAKING SURE THAT NIGHT IS ONE SHE WON'T SOON FORGET!

[But still... a club wasn't an awful idea in theory. But it'd need to be more than some over the top, awkward, and invasive ordeal.]

...Yeah. Somethin' just between you and her. It's a good start, right?

[He does ease up a little bit at that. Somehow, seeing this skeleton fumble his way into some love sense was giving Red some hope.

--you know, for Papyrus. Yeah.]

You could ask her 'bout the club thing, too.

OF COURSE! IT'S. W-WELL... SHE SEEMED TO REALLY ENJOY OUR LAST DATE, SO I WANT TO MAKE THIS ONE JUST AS GREAT!

[And there's the dorky skeletal blush there. A bit flustered, he just nods at Red's remark.]

OH! BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU? ANY BIG PLANS FOR THE HOLIDAYS?

[...Okay. No. Seriously. How was he doing that?! Red had finally gotten used to the whole expressions-in-the-eye-sockets thing, but now he was blushing?? Without SKIN?!

HOW?!

It takes him a few more long seconds of befuddled, awkward staring before he snaps out of it. Holiday plans. Right. Okay.]

Uh-- I've... got a couple things I wanna do, yeah...

[That's... odd. So odd it gets him to raise a bony eyebrow. He even blinks a few times. He almost asks if Red's okay, but oh. He's speaking again. Whew!]

OHO! AND WHAT SORT OF EXCITING ACTIVITIES DO YOU HAVE IN MIND?!

Friends I wanna spend it with. [And that's all he'd say on THAT matter.

but so as not to dwell on this, he'd attack Papyrus' weak point.]

So how should I cook the spaghetti?

[HMM! And that's a good question. A very, very good question.]

THAT DEPENDS ON THE SORT OF FLAVOR YOU SEEK! NATURALLY, BOILING THE NOODLES IS ESSENTIAL, BUT CONSIDER THE SAUCE. DO YOU WANT SOMETHING RED? AN ALFREDO? EVEN PESTO? ANY SPICES AND HERBS FOR ADDED ZEST?

CONSIDER THE NOODLES YOUR CANVAS AND THE INGREDIENTS YOUR PAINTS.

OR SOMETHING EQUALLY POETIC.

[...Okay, that was ONE topic deflected. But now he had a different problem on his hands.]

...I thought spaghetti wasn't supposed to be complicated?

WELL, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE! IF YOU WANT TO KEEP IT TRADITIONAL, A SIMPLE RED SAUCE, PERHAPS SOME MEATBALLS OR SAUSAGE WILL DO!

I JUST DON'T WANT YOU TO FEEL LIMITED IF YOU FEEL ADVENTUROUS!

[Cooking is all about expression, anyway! Maybe? Mostly, it's about producing delicious food, but still. It's an artform!]

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mech_and_mutt - 2018-12-17 21:34 (UTC) - Expand

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