(no subject)

[ashoney]

OPEN RP POST;
meme spillover & etc, drop-ins welcome

Comments

happy holidays! patpat i hope yours aren't too crazy

[ashoney]

[ Relief flickers and fades, swallowed up again by troubled thoughts when Ratio comes into view. Something is not right, and the only thing stopping Aventurine from swanning in for a closer look is the reminder about decontamination. Best to apologize first, then. (Or, something... in the same galactic cluster as an apology.) ]

Oopsie-daisy.

[ He tips his chin up, jewel eyes glinting with put on mischief even as he admits his guilt. An honest mistake, had he not shown up already worried, had he not stumbled upon an office that felt wrong, he might've remembered. It feels like a little too much, admitting to all that. ]

Guess I was in a hurry, thinking you'd left without me. [ A breath, a smile. He cranes his head to try and get a better look, and tries not to let it show in his eyes when he notices the disheveled hair, the signs of stress in the doctor's demeanor. Better judgement tells him he should excuse himself, wait outside until Ratio is ready to leave. He finds, though, that he can't bring himself to move. ] I didn't... mess up anything important, did I?

only cooking craziness

[phd]

[ no, of course not.

ratio sighs loudly, somewhat unsurprised that his own instructions are sidelined in favor of interrupting him. and he'd call him out on a better day, but that day isn't today, not with the current circumstances and not with ratio half-distracted; aventurine should count himself lucky, he wouldn't have gotten a pass otherwise.

at the question, he casts a glance at his work, strewn across his desk like confetti after a party, at the samples laid along the table, his trials and errors. ]

No, there was fortunately nothing to mess up when you arrived.

[ not when everything is already a mess in his head, the only saving grace the vaccine that needs distribution. that, at least, keeps his thoughts straight, his mind clear. his gaze flickers back to aventurine, taking note of his expression. ]

... If that's what you're concerned about, gambler.

[ashoney]

[ No reprimand? Well, that seals it. Something is wrong.

Luckily, Aventurine's itinerary for this mission could best be described as "loosey-goosey." Plenty of time to collect evidence here in Ratio's lab before he starts stringing a plausible theory together. Most important (and admittedly a little surprising), his presence is not somehow making things infinitely worse; not the IPC or the Stonehearts or his own antics, then. Reassured, Aventurine regains control of his feet and sweeps in closer. ]

I was concerned that you might've been kidnapped, honestly. [ Tone light, teasing, he dilly-dallies near a shelf of samples, but can't discern anything relevant about them from a glance. ] Your desk's a mess, Doctor.

[ He stuffs his hands in his pockets as he comes to stand next to Ratio. The Cheshire cat smile that bends his lips feels especially false when presented to the doctor, but he's reasonably confident that Ratio can't see the worry hiding just past it, even if he knows the smile itself for show. ]

But you're alright?

[ There is care in the question posed; not enough to seem baldly worried, but even the best actors and fakers cannot always conceal their concern. He may know the truth, but he's still curious about the answer. ]