On the subject of getting a journal

[derpmcdad]

You can stop giggling now because I really don't intend to cause my girl any trouble, all right? For one it's not my place, and for another it's just not how I do things and you know that.

It's great being here though, so thanks.

Comments

[simplepuzzle]

[there's some suspicious eyeballing tho]

[derpmcdad]

Uh, can I... help you?

[simplepuzzle]

--nah, mate.

[rapid mind-change]

[derpmcdad]

You a friend of Filly's?

[ Just making a guess here but it feels pretty logical all things considered. ]

[simplepuzzle]

[He juts his chin out because he's in no way intimidated nope not this jaeger pilot] I am that.

[derpmcdad]

[ Aww, that's cute. Tough guy, huh? Well no wonder Filly likes him then.

Ben is not jutting his chin out, he's just looking rather amused. ]

Yeah? Well nice to meet you then, mate. Now, it's not really any of my business but how friendly are we talking here?

[ Because he's curious and Chuck looks like the kind of guy who usually makes Filly incapable of coherent speech and rational thought. Ben has sort of learned how to spot them by now. ]

[simplepuzzle]

[This may be Chuck's first time meeting any sort of parent of a person he was having any sort of intimate relations with so HE HAS NO IDEA HOW TO ACT

even if it's under these
circumstances]

Like you said, not sure it's your business.

[derpmcdad]

[ He's doing a pretty good job in Ben's opinion, so that's something at least? ]

All right, all right. Won't pry. Can't blame a guy for trying, eh?

[simplepuzzle]

Nah.

[Good. Good.]

She plannin' on putting you anywhere?

[derpmcdad]

Nowhere special as far as I know. I'm just here to... what was that expression... derp around? I'll be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure what that means. Sounds like something Filly'd say and half the time I don't know what she's on about either.

[simplepuzzle]

Aw, Bray--Filly's not that hard to understand once you hang around a bit.

Scuse me saying, but I'm kind of hoping this means I won't get ganged up on by you and your daughter at the same time.

[derpmcdad]

What, she that much trouble? In any case I don't "gang up" on people. I leave that to her mothers.

[simplepuzzle]

[.....Bray has not told Chuck enough about her family.]

Not intentionally, I bet. Just as like, a room full of Brays and one of me, unless Herc's there.

[derpmcdad]

[ It's not like Chuck's big on family talk, now is it? ]

Ah, I get you. You look like a pretty tough guy though, I think you could take it.

[simplepuzzle]

[Nooooooo but]

If we were all gonna fight, maybe, but I don't think that's gonna happen.

[derpmcdad]

[ She'll get around to it, not to worry. She gets distracted around Chuck okay? ]

Nah, they'll just talk you into submission. Personally I've always thought the girl's worth it, but I've got a different kind of bias going.

[simplepuzzle]

--Nah, you're right there.

[there's no soft smile on his face shut up]

[derpmcdad]

[ He won't say anything, he'll just be quietly very pleased. ]

Well I'm glad someone sees that. She's had it a little rough on that front.

[simplepuzzle]

Oh yeah?

[THat sounds suspicious. He'd wonder that Filly hasn't really told him a lot about herself, all considered, but then again they don't tend to do much talking about each other.
And Chuck hasn't asked. Oops.]

[derpmcdad]

Haven't gotten too dep into the personal stuff yet, eh?

[ Well, plus points to Chuck for already liking his girl so much, then. ]

In that case I guess it's not really my place to spill all those beans, so let's just say that she's had a particular gift for getting friendly with assholes.

[simplepuzzle]

I guess not.

[Chuck frowns. He doesn't like the sound of that.]

Isn't this sorta outside of like, canon stuff? Can't you tell me and I pretend to not know later?

[derpmcdad]

Good point, this place is pretty weird.

[ Ah, what the heck. ]

She was pretty bullied in school, never managed to make that many friends, and when she started... I don't even want to call it dating... when she started seeing people it was always these troublemakers, selfish pricks who didn't really care about her but for some reason or other thought it'd be fun to string her along for a while. It's stayed that way pretty much up until now.

[ He runs a hand through his hair, looking tired and sad. ]

And what kills me about it is that she knows it. Every damn time she knows and she can't seem to help herself anyway and then she gets her heart broken and me and her moms can do nothing but watch it happen.

[crucifixus]

I believe the mun knows that Filly is capable of causing copious amounts of trouble for herself, all by herself.

[And, well, with certain boyfriends, but that isn't the point.

NOT AT ALL AWKWARD TO MEET YOU, NOPE. NICE TO NOT SEE YOU.]

[derpmcdad]

[ That gets a bit of a laugh, AND BOY IS THIS EVER NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT AWKWARD AT ALL NOPE NOPE NOPE.

Hi Mag. Lookin' good. Like, really good. ]

Oh, we all know that. The girl's got a gift.

[crucifixus]

[She is pretty sure he looks good, too. Mostly, he just sounds good. And smells nice.]

It's astonishing.

[And heartbreaking, over and over again.]

She could fill a whole series of novels.

[derpmcdad]

Yeah, she gets that from Eva. Lots of flair.

[ Though in a rather more unfortunate way than her mother.

And he's being pretty charitable here, really, calling his daughter's social ineptitude 'flair', but can you blame him? He adores his girl. ]

[crucifixus]

A rather unique king of charm.

[She smiles fondly. No, she is perfectly aware that Filly could be slightly less socially awkward, but... Mag wouldn't have her any other way, and would argue with anyone who would dare to try and change her.]

Hopefully, it will work out for her.

[On the partner-front.]

[derpmcdad]

I hear she's not been doing too terribly so far around these parts, actually.

[ Let's just... not talk about the Graverobber thing, okay? Okay. ]

What about you?

[ Wait, that came out wrong. Crap! ]

Not in that area I mean, just in general. How've you been doing? I mean you can tell me about that... stuff too, if you want, that's what friends are for. Just meant I wasn't prying. None of my business and all.

[ Good... save?

He totally didn't save it, did he? ]

[crucifixus]

[Mag doesn't even want to think about the Graverobber thing.

Though this would be the point where she once more realized that Filly got her... interesting social skills from somewhere.]

I --

[just where Filly got her awkward from, again]

-- I'm fine. And I don't, I mean, I --

Thank you.

[Is that a blush? That might be a blush.]

And you?

[derpmcdad]

[ Oh no, he made her blush. That's bad, isn't it? Or is it good? He can't even remember, it's been too long since he did this kind of thing.

NOT THAT HE'S DOING ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR SHIT FUCK THAT CAME OUT WRONG. ]

Oh. Good.

[ Insert internal screaming here. Maybe he should just go ram his head through a wall or something.

Yes, this is exactly where Filly gets her awkward from. ]

I mean, I'm sorry? Or well, if you want to be it's--

[ Ben for the love of God just stop. ]

I'm fine, thank you.

[crucifixus]

[One would think they had only a limited amount of unsmoothness to spend in a single conversation. She tries to compose herself.]

Oh, it is good.

[WOW THAT WAS SO CALM IT CAME OUT PREDATORY.

WHY HAS THAT HAPPENED.

WHY.]

I mean, I don't mind, it's good.

[D:]

I'm sorry, I am hardly used to having normal conversations.

[derpmcdad]

[ The lack of game happening here is quite frankly astonishing. ]

Well, you know the people I usually spend my time with.

[ Said with a quiet chuckle. Normal conversation is kind of not really a thing around Filly and her mothers.

At least not according to Ben's personal definition of normal.

Then again Ben isn't normally much of a conversationalist so his opinion here might not be worth much. ]

[crucifixus]

[There's magic in the air. Fail magic.]

I know what you mean.

In the farthest sense.

[Because, while she doesn't think they are particularly normal-normal...]

Filly's mothers are the most normal friends I have.

Well, and you. Though you are far more normal than them. In a good way.

[derpmcdad]

Guess I seem pretty boy next door by comparison, huh?

[ But she said that's good!

Don't grin stupidly, don't grin stupidly, don't-- damn! ]

[crucifixus]

In the best of ways.

[... How could she possibly have let that slip. It's the smile she heard in his voice. Gets her every time, even though it shouldn't.]

[derpmcdad]

[ Oh come on Ben, get a grip! You're a grown ass man, not some infatuated schoolboy! Get a grip! ]

Yeah? Great!

[ Wow, way to sound like an overeager puppy there. ]

I mean... Um, I'm glad I don't bore you.

[ Seriously, stop talking. ]

[speaking_in_tongues]

So you're her father. I see.

[He's just going to stand here and eye the man. Eye him sceptically.]

[derpmcdad]

And you are...?

[ Yeah you're getting an equally sceptical look right back, young man, because Filly has a pretty bad track record when it comes to socializing with guys her own age. ]

[speaking_in_tongues]

[Yeah, well, wait till she tells him that he's introduced himself as an axe murdering stalker. Not that the truth is all that likely to gain parental approval, either. No job, no permanent address and a demon roommate sharing his body, very impressive.]

Trent. I guess you could say I'm a friend of your daughter's. She never mentioned you, though.

[derpmcdad]

She hasn't mentioned you either, so I guess we're even.

[ Actually what he guesses is that it means that Filly likes this young man, and that there are reasons why she probably shouldn't. It's how things tend to go with little miss Bray, though very few things remain hidden i the long run. ]

I'm Ben. Nice to meet you, Trent.

[ For now. ]

[speaking_in_tongues]

[He nods and sends one of his smiles Ben's way. People say that he has a charming smile, trustworthy. Trustworthy vibes are good when you meet a possibly hot girl's father.]

Nice to meet you, too, Ben. I wouldn't worry that she hasn't mentioned me. We've... met only recently. I would be surprised if she'd mentioned me. But if she's gotten in trouble for fiddling with her phone all the time, that's my fault.

[derpmcdad]

[ Ben lets out a dry chuckle at that. ]

So you're the one. Yeah, I heard about the manic texting.

[speaking_in_tongues]

Hey, there's nothing manic about that! Our texting is inspired. You're warned about creeps on the internet, not on your cell phone.