ARADIA: -it's her first day here at serenity labs! at least, it's the first day she's actually entered the building. most of her correspondance with the small facility has been with john through text. a more accurate way to describe her entrance here is: this is her introduction to the labs with a speciman to share with the staff. she's consulting a map after stepping inside, wondering where the best place to take it would be...-
SOLLUX: -What a coincidence, Sollux was just on his way out of the building. And no, it did not have to do with another mandatory send home from the boss, it was just a warning this time. Who the fuck cares if he's been here five days straight? Why is being productive an issue what the fuck is he going to do at home that he can't do in office?? Fucking plebs.-
SOLLUX: -Whatever he's heading towards the door when he catches a glimpse of someone out of the corner of his good eye. First guess is its one of the newbies since he has never seen them around before, but then something in his half fried pan really starts bugging him. Obviously a stranger since shes checking the map like a gaping idiot, but then why does she actually seem familiar?.-
SOLLUX: -He actually takes a moment to look fully at her with a squint, trying to suss out just how much of this weird deja vu feeling crawling in the space between his ears. Its the hair thats really throwing him for a loop. If only digging through his memory bank was as easy as it was on the computer... oh wait. wAIT FUCK!! Yeah he knows her. And now he knows he would have been better off staying at his desk for another twenty minutes. Shit he wasn't ready for another wrigglerhood reunion.- ............
SOLLUX: -Gdi hes stuck staring at her. Aradia Megido, old friend and okay person all around that he totally fucked over by dropping out of existence.-
ARADIA: -she's not exactly perturbed by the feeling of eyes on her, and there's no reason to acknowledge it in a setting like this. it isn't as if she's being stared down by some massive sabre toothed beast in the depths of the jungle! still, experience has taught her that it's polite to give people the time of day if they're trying to get your attention, so she looks over at the other person with a smile.-
ARADIA: -but what she sees is altogether more haunting than anything she could find in the wilderness. he looks so different, but so familiar at the same time. a strange pang strikes through her heart, one she hasn't felt in sweeps now, and she's left staring just as cluelessly as him for a good solid moment. she has the good grace to be able to verbalize her bewilderment first, though.- ARADIA: ...
ARADIA: s0llux?
SOLLUX: -Hes been spotted, its too late for him. No chance of escape, whatever great deity that exists up there in the open sky feel free to strike him down right now.-
SOLLUX: -Hes waiting.-
SOLLUX: -.............-
SOLLUX: -Okay fine, be that way. He's still alive which means he has to take on this awkward social encounter.- uh. -Good god man, WORDS!!-
SOLLUX: 2up.
ARADIA: -that... WELL...-
ARADIA: yes
ARADIA: sup is pr0bably the thing t0 say in this situati0n
ARADIA: after all there is a l0t t0 catch up 0n
ARADIA: first and f0rem0st i am an ass0ciate at serenity labs n0w
ARADIA: 0h als0 i th0ught y0u died
SOLLUX: oh hey you are?
SOLLUX: me two.
SOLLUX: gue22 we are coworker2 now and totally aliive two.
SOLLUX: go fiigure.
ARADIA: the universe w0rks in mysteri0us ways
ARADIA: ...
ARADIA: s0 are y0u
ARADIA: h0w d0 i put this
ARADIA: y0u l00k really crappy ab0ut the face
SOLLUX: -He just barely refrains from making a noise akin to a deflating balloon. Was she always this blunt? Its been too long he cant remember.- SOLLUX: yeah.
SOLLUX: ii fiigured iit made me look a liittle more bada22 liike woah check out that dude wiith the fucked up face he2 got nothiing to lo2e better not fuck wiith hiim.
SOLLUX: am ii riight?
ARADIA: well kind 0f
ARADIA: crappy and c00l d0nt have t0 be mutually exclusive
ARADIA: i supp0se what im trying t0 ask is if y0u are alright because y0u d0nt l00k alright -frowns with brows knitted-
SOLLUX: ii've been better but that2 a wedne2day for you.
SOLLUX: -Hes so fucking smooth, he needs to teach classes.-
ARADIA: -blinks... but then she laughs.-
ARADIA: wednesday is the middle 0f the week
ARADIA: that means its half way d0ne
SOLLUX: -the corner of his mouth starts to angle upwards into a small smile when she laughs.- that ii2 2uch an optiimii2tiic way of thiinkiing about iit. SOLLUX: two bad iim a fiilthy pe22iimii2tiic a22hole.
SOLLUX: or how ii liike two refer two iit iim a realii2t.
ARADIA: -he's smiling a little! that makes her pusher flutter in a triumphent kind of delight. it reminded her of when they were kids. incessant teasing just to get him to look on the bright side. it's funny that things are still that way, despite such an awkward reunion. she thinks everything will be ok.-
ARADIA: theres n0thing realistic ab0ut c0nsistantly perceiving the w0rld ar0und y0u as a terrible place
ARADIA: its 0nly realistic t0 believe that half the time!
SOLLUX: -Hes actually really relieved she doesnt hate him for going MIA for the last eight or nine years, or at least that she isn't so obvious about it if she does. Sollux had forgotten (or blocked out) how nice it could be to actually just talk to someone without having immense disgust for everything about the conversation.-
SOLLUX: that ii2 a 2tupiidly AA thiing 2ay.
SOLLUX: iin fact you cant get more aradiia brand re2pon2e then that congratulatiion2 on beiing con2i2tent all the2e year2 later where the fuck ii2 your award.
ARADIA: i believe y0u must have st0len the h0n0r 0ut fr0m under me
ARADIA: c0nsidering y0u are still a filthy pethimithic athh0le as put it -laughs some more-
SOLLUX: -Him snrk.-
SOLLUX: you've got me.
SOLLUX: iit2 niice two 2ee you agaiin aradiia.
ARADIA: -smiles softly- y0u t00 s0llux
ARADIA: -she's quiet for a time, just enjoying the company of an old friend... when she remembers she's holding onto some samples in her napsack.- 0h by the way
ARADIA: d0 y0u kn0w where i sh0uld leave this -produces a BIG OL ROCK from her bag. it looks heavy, but she's carrying it around on her shoulder like it's no big deal. it's broken open to reveal opalescent rings inside.-
SOLLUX: -Looks at that big ol rock. Its pretty interesting. For a rock.-
SOLLUX: uh.
SOLLUX: iim goiing to 2ay lab three that2 where mo2t of the non-leathal 2hiit get2 looked at.
ARADIA: 0k c00l ARADIA: -realizes they're just kind of standing in front of the entrance when it clicks that MAYBE he was on his way out- i better take care 0f this in that case
ARADIA: im sure we will see each 0ther ar0und a l0t
SOLLUX: -Oh right. They are doing that aren't they. Oh shit for a brief moment a flash of paranoia tears through him that what if Strider was watching the security feed and saw him being a dweeb. That would be fucking awful.- SOLLUX: we probably wiill.
SOLLUX: iim 2y2tem2 manager 2o ba2iically whenever 2omeone forget2 how two turn on the 2ound iit2 my job two 2how them how.
SOLLUX: good luck wiith your rock. -He gives a half tried wave and then turns abruptly on his heel to ollie the fuck out through the doors.-
ARADIA: -turns to watch him go, a little unconsciously, before she bounces off on her own merry way. she wonders what else awaits her here!-

















