d&d scenes } { of running away to the circus and old friends

[iluvroadrunner6]

Victor: [the rain's been coming down for days, with no end in sight. Most of the workers who move with the carnival from town to town are holed up in their trailers, keeping to themselves. Elliana is at one end of the trailer, flinging knives at a makeshift target when Victor lifts his head] Someone's coming.

Elliana: [doesn't pause in her knife flinging] And I should care because?

Victor: [squints out the window] Don't know yet. Will let you know when I figure it out.

Ric: [and he's going to pull into the parking lot, some distance from the trailers but close enough to be seen. He's nervous. It's been over a decade since he's been here, and yet the moment he set eyes on the tent it pulled at him, inviting him back in and promising everything he had once desired in life. He debated on getting out because of the rain, but he couldn't just sit in the car now that he was here. So he got out, his jacket's hood up, locked the car and started toward the midway.]

Victor: [watches him from a distance, not recognizing the figure right away, but watching him trek towards the midway] Grab your jacket.

Elliana: Why? [the word is practically a whine]

Victor: And your knives.

Elliana: [perks up at the idea that she might get to stab someone and does as she's told]

Ric: [his eyes will notice the old from the new. There had been a lot of updates to games and stalls, but the foundation remained the same. Animals kept in one place, the oddities elsewhere, same pattern to food stands to always keep options open within a five foot radius. His heart ached at the familiarity. When he finally reaches the tent, he slips around to the side, entering through a tear that was probably older then himself, yet never repaired.]

Victor: [follows at a distance, not wanting to make their presence known quite yet]

Ric: [he knows he's going to be discovered eventually, so he's got a bit of a guard up. His bo staff is in his pocket if needed. But right now he's going to look up at the wires of the trapeze, remembering his days with his parents. Two sets of memories try to assault him, so similar that it's hard to separate them, but he knows which one is his real life, and which is this made up reboot.]

Victor: [spot and listen checks, please]

Ric: [Ric Shaw rolls Listen 15; Ric Shaw rolls Spot 14]

Victor: [makes himself known fairly obviously, stepping into the tent from the main entrance and looking things over as he does. He's tall with broad shoulders and a distinctly middle eastern/eastern European kind of vibe, with a neatly trimmed goatee and slicked back hair, starting to come untethered by the rain. But as far as Ric knows, he's the only one there]

Ric: [and he will look over at the entrance, hood still up. He left before puberty, so he's not sure who the man that entered is] Sorry, I was just in the area and thought I'd make a pitstop.

Victor: We're closed today. You'll have to come back another time.

Ric: Really? I was told once that the circus would always be my home. [and he'll pull down his hood] Homes don't close, do they?

Victor: [his eyes narrow, before crossing his arms in front of his chest as he tries to make sense of the face but someone is a bit sharper than him. Three blades come flying out of nowhere, embedding themselves in the ground on either side of him, and Victor's eyes go wide] Elli!

Elliana: Not if you leave without a word, you dick! [... okay someone might still be a little mad]

Ric: [and he'll turn, instantly on the defensive by making himself a small target, his hand grabbing his bo staff, just stopping from expanding it] Elli?

Elliana: [is up towards the top of the bleachers, fully angry and arms crossed in front of her chest] Don't worry. If I really wanted to kill you I would have hit you.

Ric: I don't doubt it. [and he'll stand back up, slowly, then look at the other man] Victor? Is that you?

Victor: [squints, still not quite seeing] Sorry, I'm missing the thread here.

Elliana: It's Ric. [her tone flat]

Victor: [his eyes widen] Oh. I see it now.

Ric: It's been awhile. A long while. [looks up at Elli] I had a reason to leave without telling you, I swear.

Elliana: [doesn't seem impressed]

Victor: [glances up at Elliana with a sigh, before turning back to him] Do you drink?

Ric: I do.

Victor: Good. This conversation requires alcohol. [and he'll turn to head back out of the tent, but Elliana doesn't move]

Ric: [and he'll take a few steps closer to her set of bleachers] I'm sorry, Elli.

Elliana: [unmoved by the apology, just gestures for him to head out because she's not walking out ahead of him]

Ric: [and he'll just sigh and put his hood back up, heading for the main entrance to follow Victor]

Elliana: [hops off the top of the bleachers to follow, eyes boring holes in his shoulders as they go. In the meantime, Victor pushes open the door to their trailer and leaves it open while he grabs some glasses and the whiskey]

Ric: [and he will eventually get there and take his jacket off so it doesn't drip all over the trailer] I forgot how small these were.

Victor: Space is a commodity. Especially when you can't afford to own it.

Ric: How much do you owe still?

Victor: [he shrugs] Doesn't really matter. We're not going anywhere.

Ric: But if you could?

Victor: It's not a matter of could. It's a matter of want.

Ric: ... oh.

Victor: [raises an eyebrow] What? You didn't think we would enjoy our life here?

Ric: No, that's not it. I just...you can want to be elsewhere and still be here.

Victor: Well, we don't.

Elliana: Is there a reason that we should?

Ric: No. [he rubs his forehead]

Victor: [sighs as he leans back in his booth] We don't begrudge you for leaving.

Elliana: Speak for yourself.

Victor: [rolls his eyes] I don't begrudge you for leaving.

Ric: I didn't want to leave. I just had to.

Elliana: And why was that?

Ric: [and he's going to look for that drink now] After my folks died, it was too hard.

Elliana: You could have said something.

Ric: I was a kid, Elli. I didn't know how to handle it. I didn't know how to protect myself either.

Elliana: Then you ask us to protect you. That's what we were here for.

Ric: I was scared. And ashamed. I didn't want anyone to know.

Victor: So why come back now?

Ric: [shakes his head] I've... been dealing with a lot and I just... I don't know who I even am anymore. I figured maybe coming back here, trying to remember the good times, would help.

Elliana: We're not some kind of home movie you can just pop in and turn on. [and with that, she will storm out again, and leave the two men alone in the trailer]

Victor: [sighs] She's a bit overdramatic, but she's not wrong.

Ric: It took a lot for me to be able to come here. I still have nightmares. [both of his parents, and of his "caretaker"]

Victor: And we're supposed to give you a prize? For not speaking to us for years, but coming back because it was hard for you? We weren't the ones who hurt you, Victor.

Ric: [he puts down the glass] I knew I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry to have bothered you.

Victor: That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that your opening needs work. I'm also not sure what your expectations were.

Ric: I didn't have any expectations. I'm just looking for some solid ground to figure some things out.

Victor: Well, you're welcome to wander around. But there aren't many people left who know you, so be careful.

Ric: [thinks a moment] Any of the old clown troupe still here?

Victor: [shakes his head] Clowns aren't really doing well these days.

Ric: [and he relaxes a bit at that] I'll do that. [and he looks at his shoes a moment, then pulls out his wallet and removes a well-worn picture of them as kids] For what it's worth, I never forgot you. I thought you would all hate me.

Victor: For what?

Ric: [blinks] No one told you?

Victor: Told me what?

Ric: About how Chuckles died.

Victor: [roll for sense motive]

Ric: [Sense Motive 15]

Victor: [carnies cover for their own. He knows this. There's a flicker in his expression that indicates he knows what Ric is looking for with that statement, but he shrugs] Accident with the rides. Very tragic.

Ric: [and he's shocked for a moment, because they do, but it was murder and... yeah, his face crumples a bit, trying not to let himself cry. He'll rub at his eye with his sleeve to hold it back]

Victor: [doesn't say anything, just lets him sit with it as Victor goes to refill their drinks]

Ric: So everyone knew what he did to me?

Victor: [he shrugs, because not necessarily] They had a theory.

Ric: [and he'll take the drink refill when it's ready] I was scared if I went for help, he'd kill me. That's why I never told anyone. Then that day, it was him or me. I ran, thinking that if I stayed... it'd be worse than death.

Victor: Then maybe you should have had a little more faith in us.

Ric: Maybe. [sips his drink] There's a lot of things in my life I should have done differently.

Victor: [nods] Well, the great thing about the future is that it's always changing.

Ric: Yeah, it is. Good or bad, it's still a crapshoot each day when you wake up.

Victor: It is. But at least you get to make your own choices.

Ric: [nods] And not have someone else influencing them for the first time in a long time.

Victor: [an eyebrow raises curiously, but he doesn't go further than that] I say you should enjoy it.

Ric: I should, but a part of me doesn't think it deserves it.

Victor: Why?

Ric: [sighs] I spent the last twelve years in a cult. And I did a lot of bad stuff. I did good stuff too, but it doesn't outweigh the bad.

Victor: Cult implies a certain amount of programming.

Ric: More like grooming, but yeah.

Victor: So perhaps you should continue to do good in order to tip the scales in your favor.

Ric: That's my goal. But my baseline on what's good and what's not is, like, severely screwed up.

Victor: How do you intend to fix that? Because I don't think you're going to find that here. [carnival folk definitely lean more to the chaotic neutral side of the scale]

Ric: Well, I was hoping I could just remember what I was like before my parents died. It's been so long now, I don't really remember anymore.

Victor: If you don't remember then how do you think it would help you?

Ric: My Mom and Dad were good people. Everyone loved them. I guess I was hoping more people who knew them would be here to tell me stories. Help me remember.

Victor: [nods] There aren't very many of those people left. Most of them have moved on or retired.

Ric: Beyond you and Elli, who's left?

Victor: None of the adults. Animals fell out of favor, so Michelle and her family moved on. I think she works at a zoo now. Most of the people who've come in are new. They got here after they died.

Ric: I bet I could find her and her family. Check in. Apologize for disappearing without a goodbye.

Victor: She'll probably be more forgiving than Elli is.

Ric: Is there anything I can do to fix this? For either of you?

Victor: I think that depends on what you're trying to fix.

Ric: My complete and utter disregard for my friends' feelings and lack of contact for 12 years.

Victor: [shrugs] I don't particularly care. We were children. Elli and Michelle's feelings will be their own. You'll have to ask them how to make amends.

Ric: Don't care for me to make amends...?

Victor: I'm not so wounded that I feel you need to.

Ric: So we're good?

Victor: [nods] We're good.

Ric: Then here. [he pulls out his wallet and hands Victor his business card for the clinic] So we don't go another 12 years without talking.

Victor: [takes it with a nod] Good.

Ric: I'm set up in Gatling City, so whenever you're touring through, I'll come out.

Victor: We might not be in the city itself. The law isn't always our friend.

Ric: [chuckles] Yeah, that... I remember that. Some of those skills kept me alive.

Victor: Good. That was the point of them.

Ric: I kinda also won an Olympic medal in gymnastics [smirk and takes another sip]

Victor: Show off.

Ric: [laughs] You still fortune telling?

Victor: [nods] Someone had to keep it up after Nona retired.

Ric: What kind of readings you do?

Victor: Tarot, like she did. [raises an eyebrow] Are you looking for one?

Ric: Maybe. I mean, I'm doing this whole self-rediscovery trip. Might be helpful to know if the fates are on my side.

Victor: [shrugs before reaching over to where his deck is sitting and bringing it back to the table. He sets up the deck before passing it over to him] Cut the cards.

Ric: [and he'll do so, settling into the booth]

Victor: [and then he'll take the cards] Standard three card spread - past, present and future. [he pauses before pulling the first card] The Lovers reversed. Your past was unbalanced, disrupted somehow by forces beyond your control. [and then card number two] The Wheel of Fortune. You're currently in a cycle of change. [and he pauses, before pulling the third card and placing it at the end of the row] Death. Which, does not mean you're going to die, but this version of you will. Death is for metamorphosis. Shed the complications of the past, and become someone or something new.

Ric: It sounds hopeful.

Victor: [he nods, because you could read it that way. it all depends what he changes into, and a lot of that depends on him]

Ric: So I guess I should hunt Elli down and let her get her pound of flesh.

Victor: She'll calm down eventually.

Ric: Think I should give her the night to calm before I approach her?

Victor: Probably for the best.

Ric: I guess I'll go find a motel to crash at for the night.

Victor: Should be one up the road.

Ric: I'll bring something for breakfast, if you'd like.

Victor: She likes chocolate croissants.

Ric: Got it. I'll be back tomorrow then. And thank, Victor. [genuine in that]

Victor: [nods as he raises his glass] I hope it helps.

Ric: It does. More than you know. [and he'll head back out into the rain and to his car]

Victor: [and Victor will probably keep drinking]

Ric: [and in the morning he will return with three coffees and a box of pasties, half being chocolate croissants, and knock on Victor's trailer door.]

Elliana: [and she opens it, looking irritated] What?

Ric: I come bearing coffee and chocolate croissants.

Elliana: [squints, before holding a hand out for the box]

Ric: [hands the box to her] Can I come in and have breakfast with you both?

Elliana: [pops the top on the box, eyeing the contents before eyeing him and shrugging] I'm eating the croissants.

Ric: They're all for you. The croissants, I mean.

Elliana: Good. [she goes to perch at the table and enjoy her croissants]

Ric: [and he will put the rest of the box and the coffees on the little kitchen counter, and then hold out a coffee for her] I have cream and all sugars of the rainbow in the "empty" fourth cup]

Elliana: I don't drink coffee.

Ric: Sorry, didn't know. [and he'll lean on the counter across from her, sipping his coffee and grabbing a mini jelly donut] I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you. Preferably when you aren't holding deadly weapons.

Elliana: So quick to assume I'm not. [is she kidding? It's hard to tell]

Ric: Well, right now you have croissants in your hands, so unless you can kill me with them... [he smiles]

Elliana: [shrugs] There's a first time for everything.

Ric: But then you'd waste a delicious pastry.

Elliana: I also wouldn't have to listen to you talk.

Ric: [sighs with a wry smile] I'm really sorry, Elli. I should have trusted you all with what was happening to me, and what I did. I was scared, an idiot, and undeserving of your forgiveness.

Elliana: And?

Ric: And if you do, I promise to keep in touch and to come see you all more often.

Elliana: Giving up on your fancy society life?

Ric: More using it to help others less fortunate than myself. [takes a longer draw of coffee] You know, you don't see the bad of a cult until someone shines a light on the dark corners. It's pretty inside, you have value, you're taken care of, and you believe you're loved. [reaches for another donut] When you see the light, you start to realize all you lost, and how everything you believed about yourself and life is tainted. So yeah, I'm giving it up, and going to try and remember how to be a decent human being again.

Elliana: Good luck.

Ric: I also want to fix things with people I care about. So, what can I do to fix us?

Elliana: You can't change the past.

Ric: Actually, you'd be surprised at that. [smirks. Is he joking or not?]

Elliana: [he gets a look at that as she tries to figure it out]

Ric: Long story. I have some.... odd friends.

Elliana: Well. For us normal people, you can't change the past.

Ric: I know. But I can be more mindful of the present and the future.

Elliana: Are you rejoining the circus?

Ric: [shakes his head] I have a homeless shelter and a free medical clinic to run. Can't really do that from the road.

Elliana: Then how do you intend to be present?

Ric: Coming to visit more often. Calling. When you're near Gatling City, we can have a night on the town.

Elliana: Why bother?

Ric: Things happened and my life was taken from me. I want it back, and that includes my friends. I can't make up for lost time, but I can make amends and do better.

Elliana: Uh-huh.

Ric: Will you at least give me a chance to prove it before you stab me?

Elliana: I make no promises about whether or not I'll stab you. But let's just say I'll believe it when I see it.

Ric: Well, if you do stab me, can you at least avoid major organs?

Elliana: Depends how much you piss me off.

Ric: Noted. [and he'll finish his coffee and start on hers] Vic still sleeping?

Elliana: [shakes her head] He left to do his zen yoga thing hours ago.

Ric: [nods] Think the aerialists have started morning exercises?

Elliana: Maybe. I don't keep track of them.

Ric: Wanna spot me?

Elliana: Do you trust me to spot you?

Ric: Yeah. Plus, I'll also have the net.

Elliana: [shrugs] Okay. [she'll enjoy watching him fall]

Ric: Oh, think we can scrounge up a pair of tights?

Elliana: Not in this trailer.

Ric: Show me. [he's grinning, feeling excited at the idea of flying in the old tent]

Elliana: [her brow furrows] What makes you think I know where they are?

Ric: Because if I remember correctly, you were the one who could always find anything we needed for whatever stunt we decided to pull in each town.

Elliana: Not anymore.

Ric: Alright. Then I'll just have to do this the old fashioned way, which sucks.

Elliana: Should have come prepared.

Ric: Yeah, well I'm the one who leapt first and asked questions later. I make it up as I go. Come on.

Elliana: [takes her croissants and follows him out to the tent]

Ric: [and so he'll first stop at his car and pull out a pair of sleep pants from his travel bag. He'll also look through it and grab a pair of thin socks.] Alright, this should work. [and off he goes to the tent]

Elliana: [and there are a few people training but they're mostly finishing up for the morning]

Ric: [and he'll wait for them to come down and go introduce himself as Richard Shaw from the Soaring Shaw Family. Thankfully, his family was well enough known that they agree to let him use their apparatus.]

Elliana: [and she'll perch herself on the bleachers, still enjoying the croissants]

Ric: [and he'll quickly change, glad he put on clean boxers, leave his jeans and sneakers on the bottom bleacher seat before starting to climb up to the platform. He dusts his hands and picks up the bar. He can't do a lot without a partner, but he's also out of practice on those feats. So he'll just start with a simple release, twist and grab, basic stuff he learned when he was three]

Elliana: [and she'll just sit there and watch, awaiting the inevitable fall that she believes will happen. Make a tumble check]

Ric: [rolls Tumble 24]

Elliana: [not bad. She's disappointed you don't immediately miss the bar and plummet to the net.]

Ric: [sorry, Elliana. But as he swings, that joy he's always felt in the air just comes back to him. He's a kid again, flying happily in the air, focusing on how much he loved this. How much his parents loved it]

Elliana: [at some point while he's doing that, Victor will appear on the step next to Elliana, and she'll pass him a piece of her croissant]

Ric: [yeah, the rest of the world has faded away. It's him, the bar, and his memories. But eventually he will try for too many flips in one swing and he'll miss the bar, dropping to the net and just laughing as he bounces]

Elliana: [she did enjoy that, but his delight at the bottom has her covering it back into her usual scowl]

Ric: [and he'll just lay in the net a moment, eyes closed and smiling before getting up and going to the edge of the net and flipping to the ground] Damn, I miss that.

Elliana: You didn't suck as much as I expected you to.

Ric: Yeah, I was expecting to faceplant into the net on the first twist. I'm going to feel this in the morning, but I don't care.

Victor: Good for you.

Ric: Any pastries left? [looking at Elli]

Elliana: Nope.

Ric: [pouts]

Elliana: I told you I was eating them all.

Ric: I thought you just meant the croissants. There were other pastries in there for Vic and me.

Elliana: Oh. Those are still in the trailer.

Ric: [laughs] Of course they are.

Elliana: You were working out. You weren't going to eat them.

Ric: [just sighs] Why did we ever become friends? [it's a joke]

Elliana: My sparkling personality.

Ric: Must have blinded me.

Elliana: Clearly.

Victor: [just looks amused]

Ric: You know what, you look like you need a hug. [and he's a sweaty mess]

Elliana: I will stab you.

Ric: [holds out his arms, and yes, he's taking a step forward] Willing to risk it. Come here.

Elliana: [three knives are out and she flings them all. Two miss, but one of them is a natural twenty for 16 points of damage]

Ric: Fuck! [he dodges the first two easily, then bites back a scream as the third knife embeds in his thigh. It makes him stumble back, falling on his butt onto a lower bleacher. He looks at the knife, then her] Feel better now?

Elliana: Maybe. But don't judge me for defending my personal space.

Ric: Not judging. But still, OW.

Elliana: I warned you.

Ric: I know, but I didn't think you'd actually do it!

Elliana: Well that was your mistake.

Victor: [rolls his eyes before getting up and making his way down the bleachers to Ric. He pulls out the knife, before slapping him with a cure moderate wounds to give him that hp back]

Ric: [that hurt coming out, but he's used to healing and lets the feeling wash over him] Thanks, Vic.

Victor: That's your only freebie. Now you know she's serious.

Ric: Noted on both accounts. [rubs at his thigh, still pouting]

Elliana: [takes her knife back with a smirk] Good.

Ric: [and he'll return the smirk] Good aim.

Elliana: I learned from the best.

Ric: You did. [looks between them] I know I've been a jerk, but I really have missed you. I just lost sight of what was really important.

Victor: Happens to most.

Ric: [holds hand out to Elli] Won't make that mistake again. [puppy eyes. He's hoping for a truce]

Elliana: [just stares at it, then looks at Victor and then rolls her eyes before shaking it]

Ric: [and he is smart enough to not try and trick her into a hug. He just squeezes her hand]

Elliana: [yeah, that would have gotten him stabbed again]

Ric: [he realizes that, and he's a quick learner] So, would you like me to perform for you again, or do you want to head into town and grab lunch?

Elliana: I have to prep for tonight.

Victor: I can't go to town as I have to be on the midway at one.

Ric: [nods] Well, I guess I'll just find a shower, get something to eat, and go buy a ticket to the circus.

Victor: Have fun.

Ric: I'll see you in a bit.

Victor: [and off they go to get ready to do their job]

Ric: [and he will head back to his hotel, shower, grab lunch, and then come back to explore the midway until the big top show starts, and then finds a seat in the bleachers for the main act]

Elliana: [most of it is the trapeze artists but Elliana will get her turn in the main ring and with a 20 total performance check it's almost like she's a completely different person in the ring. Up until she throws knives at her assistant and misses him with deadly precision]

Ric: [and he's cheering with the crowd, because she is just amazing]

Elliana: [and once that's done it's back to the trapeze again, and since there's no animals this is more of a dance/tumbling section]

Ric: [and he'll stay and watch, a flyer at heart, but will go hunt her down afterward.]

Elliana: [and she'll be back in her street clothes, wandering down the midway in search of dinner before the evening show]

Ric: [and he'll jog up beside her] Damn, girl, you're amazing.

Elliana: You're surprised?

Ric: Not really. You were always amazing. You're just, like, more than before.

Elliana: Well, I grew up.

Ric: I noticed.

Elliana: [orders herself some hot dogs] Are you sticking around for the evening show?

Ric: Yeah. I renewed the hotel room for the night, so I don't have to leave today.

Elliana: [nods once as she chomps on her hot dog]

Ric: I can stay until you guys pull up stakes. I'm not really on a schedule.

Elliana: Do you actually want to? You do have a life right?

Ric: [shakes his head] I have a job and responsibilities, but no real life. What I thought was my life turned out to be a lie.

Elliana: So your solution is run away to the circus?

Ric: No, my solution is to remember who I used to be before, well everything. Remember the people who cared about me. [he's quiet a moment, contemplative] I just need to believe that I can be a good person again.

Elliana: So your solution was to run away to the circus? [circus folk aren't exactly ... good]

Ric: I wasn't planning on staying, not permanently. I honestly didn't know what I wanted. I was just thinking that this is where I was the happiest. I had family here.

Elliana: I don't get it. [she's not saying that to degrade him she just honestly doesn't get it]

Ric: [he'll motion for her to sit at a picnic table by the hot dog stand, and he'll sit across from her] I'm going to sound crazy, but just go with me. Okay?

Elliana: Okay.

Ric: [and he'll give her a bare bones explanation of the wish and the curse, how he knows his memories from both lives deviate at his parents' death, being taken in by Lammel and thinking he was like a father, but ended up being a manipulator who used him, and his dedication to Shar.]

Elliana: [her sense motive was a 9 so ... she is looking at him like he's a little crazy]

Ric: I warned you it would sound crazy. Anyway, I just got free from all of that, and Lammel is dead. I've broken my dedication to Shar, but that desire to please her is still in here [taps his head] People tell me that it's because of grooming or programming. I don't know how to deal with this, so I came here to remember that time before I ran away. I hoped maybe revisiting those memories would help.

Elliana: She's also a god. So I don't think you mean those words in the normal context of those words.

Ric: [and that confuses him] I don't get it.

Elliana: [puts her hot dog down so that she can use her hands] Cults get people into manipulated thought patterns by gaining their trust and making the terrible things they want them to do seem normal. That's just the normal powers of human persuasion on people seeking something they can't find on their own. But you throw a god into the mix? It's not just persuasion. It's power.

Ric: I know. I've felt it. I've done things to be able to earn her favor so I could have it. That's the feeling I miss.

Elliana: God withdrawal is not going to be as simple as remembering to be good again.

Ric: I don't know what else to do.

Elliana: I don't know either. I'm not trained in this shit.

Ric: I've got a friend who's an acolyte. She had suggested that I might look for another god to help give me strength. I get why, but at the same time, it's another god.

Elliana: So don't find another god. Maybe you just need a better acolyte.

Ric: I kinda like that acolyte. [smiles a bit]

Elliana: I mean, maybe there's an acolyte somewhere who knows some kind of cleansing ritual. Also gross.

Ric: [chuckles] Maybe. I'll see what I can find.

Elliana: You're not going to find them here.

Ric: [sighs] I know. But, I did find something important here. Two someones.

Elliana: [makes a face because stop being sappy]

Ric: What? [laughs]

Elliana: You haven't been around like enough to be sappy again.

Ric: I come by it naturally?

Elliana: You don't have to subject me to it.

Ric: Alright, I'll try. [sarcasm]

Elliana: Good. [is just going to take it as a statement of fact]