[PRP] The Last True Mouthpiece (Melany & Temperance)

[The Semblance of Unity]

shibrogane

Text to: Lady Melany✨💖
Hey, it's Temp. There's apparently a modcloth popup on Main St. Have you been?

Quote:

Text to: Lady Melany✨💖
Also, have you been okay???

Cultivating friendship was a lot harder than trying to cultivate a sexual relationship, she thought, sighing. She'd promised Melany she'd try and stay close to this more innocent version and Temperance intended to keep her promise. She tapped her phone against her lips a moment, thinking, then pocketed it. There was time to kill, so a coffee shop it was. Addictive things.  

[shibrogane]

The Semblance of Unity

To: Temperance C
No Ive been busy! Work work work haha
I almost blacked out at dinner w my friend
Time got all slow and syrupy.
Y?

Quote:

To: Temperance C
U wanna go there l8r? I'm on the train back from the city rn!

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

shibrogane

Text to: Lady Melany✨💖
was worried of course! do you do that a lot?

Quote:

Text to: Lady Melany✨💖
& yeah, I'm free today or tomorrow?

 

[shibrogane]

The Semblance of Unity

To: Temperance C
Yeah ok I will meet up with you around 6?
tomorrow is another day of practice!

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

shibrogane

Text to: Lady Melany✨💖
Sounds good to me. See you then!

Temperance had just enough time to run home, freshen her makeup, make sure she was wearing something, anything moderately fashionable. It was slim pickings, but she settled on an over-sized sweater, seafoam green shorts, and tights. It wasn't as though there was anyone to impress, really. She debated for a moment passing the information from the listserv along to Melany, but that would mean she'd have to trigger Melany out. Maybe not a good thing.

Shrugging, Temperance headed out to stalk around the front of the Modcloth pop-up.  

[shibrogane]

Melany met her there, still half-dressed for the barre. Her shoes were flat keds with a fashionable floral print, beat up enough to look lived in but not so much they looked like s**t. Her leggings had flowers and skulls on them, and beneath her jacket just a hint of a bright coral pink top could be seen. She smiled and waved, fresh-faced as a spring daisy. "Hi," she said, "You look cute! I love your lip gloss."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance smiled and resisted the urge to bite her lips. She'd worked hard on getting them to not be horribly chapped. "Hey, Melany. Thanks, it's watermelon-flavored." Temp hid her smile behind her hand for a moment, afraid she might blush. "You look cute, too, but you always do. Your leggings are adorable."

She glanced over at the entrance to the ModCloth pop-up. It looked unnaturally bright and Temperance tensed a bit. "I heard they curate this stuff - like they make you fill out a little check-list and then pull stuff from the back for you to try based off of it. But I've never been inside one before! You ready?"

She wondered if Melany would think it weird if she tried to link arms, then decided they probably had bigger fish to fry. Her sense hadn't told her wrong before, but maybe they'd end up in ModCloth instead of that alternate Ashdown. Maybe not.

shibrogane

door to modcloth goes to oad oops

 

[shibrogane]

Melany gave Temperance a speculative look. Then she shrugged and smiled. "Thanks! They're from Hot Topic, don't judge... Curated stuff, though? Sounds like going shopping with my mom. I'll try anything once though. Let's go!" She grabbed Temperance's hand on impulse and opened the door and--

stopped.

"This is that other place, isn't it," asked Melany, turning slowly in place to look at the dust motes dancing through the air. "The otherworld."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

She blinked and sighed. "It is, yeah. And definitely not Modcloth." Temp eyed Melany.

"Can you even be here?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I am," said Melany, "So I guess I can be." She didn't seem to be fading out as she had when Temperance had pushed at her before; she seemed curious. "I don't really come here except in my dreams, though. It feels different than it does when I'm asleep."

She held up a hand. The dust motes swirled and gathered around her splayed fingertips.

"It feels... malleable," she marveled.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I've been here before in dreams and like now. I don't think I like it very much." She perhaps hadn't thought this through. The glamour was hard to keep up when she switch back to regular Ashdown. And this version of the town reminded her of tings best forgotten.

The dust motes made pretty patterns around Melany. "Malleable... What do you think you can mold it into?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany didn't seem to notice Temperance's discomfort, and likely would react oddly if pressed towards it. Her attention was caught by the gently drifting motes. "Anything I wanted," she said. "I wonder if..."

She twirled in place, gracefully, as if she occupied a dance studio rather than a strange otherworldly reflection of a pop-up shop. Like she was wearing toe shoes rather than keys. And her clothes shifted and changed, like Cinderella and her ball gown, or Anastasia coming home to the Winter Palace. Her face was flushed with delight when she stopped, and she laughed, bright and carefree. "Okay, it's not world-shattering, but look! That was so easy!"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance clasped her hands together to keep from fidgeting. She'd somehow expected the bulk of Lady Melany's magic to be sealed, just like her personality was. Perhaps this was a good sign! "That's so awesome! Like something out of Dragon Age."

Despite the fact that she preferred the other Melany, this one's laughter was light and infectious. "How did you even do that? I don't think I could."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I don't see why you couldn't," said Melany. "You just have to focus on it, I think. It's like... everything here is clay, and I'm a sculptor. C'mere, I'll show you what I mean." She held out a hand to Temperance, all warm excitement.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I don't think I'm as powerful as all that." She laughed a little, unsure if the sentiment was actually hers or Temperance's. It was hard to tell, lately. She slid her hand into Melany's, wondering what magic felt like to her. To Temperance, it had been a struggle, a frantic push and pull of urgent need and not having enough... control? Open-mindedness? Whatever.

"Show me?" Okay, maybe there was a sort of innocent charm about this version of Melany, but this girl didn't make her as tense as Lady Melany. It was odd that they were the same.

shibrogane