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It was a Friday night. For some Inphernals, it was one like any other, but Hyperlaser would be lying to himself if he said that he felt the same way. Not that the role of lying to oneself was one that he was not versed in; he just didn't feel the need to in this circumstance. Normally, days that felt inexplicably different from others were a bad thing in his experience. That feeling was usually weighted with dread, whether it was directed at the events that would occur at work, or the torture his own mind seemed insistent in plaguing him with. But there was no dread this time around. This difference was rich without being heavy. This difference felt quiet without being eerie. It was strangely calm. Wherever it came from, he decided to allow himself the luxury of enjoying it.
This didn't mean that they planned to change their schedule, of course; they still intended to go out for drinks with Katana, as they did every week. They simply decided that tonight, they would give themself the grace of allowing their shoulders to be relaxed as they walked into the bar, rather than remaining stiff and refusing to slump until they sat down. They would only glance back at the door when they heard it swing open, rather than watching it out of the corner of their eye for nearly the entire outing. They would drop the uptight, stone faced persona they wore outside the house before a drop of alcohol even entered their system. Tonight, they wouldn't entertain the idea of being Blackrock's infamous mercenary for even a second of the that time they spent off the clock. Tonight, they would just... be.
Perhaps that mysterious 'different' feeling had something to do with the fact that it was raining. Not sprinkling, not showering, but honest to SFOTH raining. Hyperlaser had always loved the rain. She found it relaxing. She loved to listen to it beating down on the roof above her head like a thousand tiny drums, lacking a real beat, yet keeping up a steady rhythm. She loved the way the world smelled when the soil was wet and the clouds were crackling with damp electricity. She had never been the poetic type, but she couldn't help the way her mind drifted in the direction of uncharacteristically fantastical prose as she watched the weather turn what many people apparently saw as 'sour'. She had never tasted any bitterness in the rain. She always found it to be the pleasant sort of savory.
Well, regardless of whether or not that had something to do with his vague premonition of good times, he was grateful that the storm was just light enough to allow him to depart from his home without having to fear a flash flood. He'd already gotten off work an hour ago - he'd worked a slightly later shift than usual - and had another hour before he had to be at his destination, right on the edge of Blackrock that met with Crossroads. It was still a decently long drive from where he lived, and he'd already fed Princess and changed into a more casual outfit than he had worn on the job (it was really just a different button up and dress pants. He'd never felt the need to diversify his wardrobe too much), so he figured it wouldn't be bad to get a head start. People drove like idiots in this weather, and Katana was always so punctual, usually beating him to their meet up spot, so it couldn't hurt to surprise her by being a little more than on time for a change.
The drive was a relaxing one, but considering how slow everyone was hellbent on going in the rain, Hyperlaser was glad they left when they did. They found themself sitting on a bench near the outskirts of a park a short distance from the bar, the place where they and Tana always met each other before strolling in together, with only five minutes to spare. Regardless, they got there before she did, meaning that they got to flash her an invisible smirk from under their helmet when she let out a mildly startled 'hoot' of surprise upon finding that they were waiting for her.
"Hyperlaser," She greeted with a slight nod. "I am pleased to see that you have chosen to arrive sooner rather than later, for once."
Her tone was even, as it usually was, but there was a slight lilt to it that made it clear that she was speaking playfully. Katana had always had a strange manner of speaking that was almost painfully monotone, her intentions hard to detect if her words weren't quite as clear as day, yet knowing her for nearly a year now had given Hyperlaser enough insight to realize when she was teasing, or being sarcastic, or feeling down. It had taken some time, but thorough observance of her behavior had made her far easier to read than she once had been, and reading her came to be half the fun of their interactions, on his end.
"I'm pleased to see that you're one minute late," Hyperlaser retorted with a smug glance at his watch, causing the owl-like Inphernal's feathers to puff up a little bit. It opened its mouth to defend itself, but he waved the brief tension away with a dismissive hand. "Don't worry. I'll let you live it down eventually."
"You are a smart man, Hyperlaser. I trust that you should know better than to throw stones in glass houses," It chided.
She snorted. "Believe me, my apartment is anything but glass. Blackrock's superior infrastructure would never allow for such a thing." She paused, dialing down the satirical tone a bit before continuing, "A glass of something to drink would be lovely, though. Shall we carry on this conversation in the bar?"
"We shall," Katana agreed, offering his hand up for the taking. Hyperlaser let out a small chuckle as he accepted the offering and stood up.
"Such a gentlewoman," They joked, elbowing her lightly as they slipped free from her grasp.
"I certainly have my tender moments," She replied as they began their short walk. "Though I will admit that I am primarily intending to hurry you along. I am not as keen on sitting out here in the rain as you are." "Believe me, if I had to choose between the bar and the rain, I'd take the bar any time," Hyperlaser defended casually. Within a minute or so they were standing outside the building, and it was almost as soon as they were blessed by the darkly honeyed atmosphere of the establishment that an ever so subtle shift in their dynamic occurred.
The change was impossible to notice at first, almost non-existent, as it were. They ordered their usuals, sipping on them every once in a while as they talked, though conversation seemed to take precedence over intoxication. Their relationship had slowly grown towards this point, as they'd gotten to know each other more intimately; when they'd first met, the exchange of stories and opinions had come in brief snippets between swigs of alcohol, but the more time they spent together, the more that seemed to reverse itself. They were there to be together, more than anything; the drinks were just a sort of bonus, a reward for stepping out of their respective comfort zones and embracing the opportunity to know the experience of unburdened interpersonal connection for the first blip in forever. And it was as they spoke that the change became ever so slightly more visible - or, more accurately, audible.
They were discussing one of their usual topics, that of Katana's three rowdy neighbors, who always seemed to be more trouble than they were worth, from its words... yet Hyperlaser knew it better than that, and she realized more frequently now that when it spoke of the restless trio, its voice was laced with a sort of affection. Why that was, she could never imagine, but there was always a strange flower of warmth that bloomed in her chest when it occurred to her. There was something about its gentleness and compassion towards creatures whom she was certain she would lose her patience with almost immediately that stuck her as admirable.
Tonights story consisted of an apparent accident in the washroom of the trio's cafe that led to a comical amount of slipping and sliding in the back of the restaurant. Katana had been so generous as to offer the green one a hand off the floor, though it was the most he had been able to do for the siblings, as they did have to temporarily shut down the bakery due to the mini dish soap flood the incident had caused. Hyperlaser laughed at the ridiculous mental image.
"Gi- suppose giving people a hand is a c- bit of a continuity for you tonight, hm?" He joked.
Katana giggled softly at that. "It seems so. Though as far as I could tell, you very well could have stood up yourself."
Hyperlaser shrugged. "You- I wouldn't have take- tried to take your hand if you wouldn't have offered it," They pointed out. "Ge- don't make gestures if you don't want me to except 'em."
"Fair enough," Katana sighed, backing off. Hyperlaser couldn't help but notice the smallest twinge of discomfort in her voice whens he said it. Had he come across as harsh somehow? He didn't think he was saying anything that was out of character for him, and the discomfort didn't feel edged by offense. It was more... confusion. Worry, perhaps. He shook his head as if to shake the observation out of his thoughts. He must have just been imagining it. He kept his momentary paranoia to himself, and the conversation moved on.
"And what of you?" Katana queried. "Do you have any tales from within the week?"
"M- not much," Hyperlaser thought for a moment. "Hasn't much- haven't had much happen that's been out of the ordinary. Well, dr- aside from tonights drive, I suppose."
"Oh?" Katana tilted its head slightly. Hyperlaser swore she felt that hint of uncomfortable confusion return again. It's just curiosity, she told herself. It just wants to know about the drive, that's all. I'm making up things to be worried about. I'm trying to have a good night. I need to stop looking for excuses to be miserable all the time. The last thought bit a little more than it needed to, and she almost cringed at herself. She really was making a big deal out of nothing. So she took a deep breath and continued to speak.
"Pe- it wasn't too interesting. Sl- people just slow down more than they need to when it's raining. Safety first, all- and all that, it's just... a bit dramatic, I guess." They explained. Their tone then adjusted to carry a bit more frustration. "I'll- though, I'll that over the wh- the people who swerve. That's a r- just a Gods damned risk to your safety."
"I see," Katana nodded slowly, taking the information in as though it were news. Though, Hyperlaser figured it was, in a sense. Katana didn't drive, usually opting to either walk to places on foot or use public transport. Neither Lost Temple nor Thieves' Den were heavily constructed for car based travel the way Blackrock was, so this didn't come as a shocker, especially considering her lack of interest in overly modern technology.
Then Katana changed the topic again, this time in a direction Hyperlaser didn't expect her to. "Hyperlaser... did you have anything to drink before you came here? In terms of alcohol, I mean."
"What?!" Hyperlaser was almost offended by that question. "No, Tana, I- you think I'd com- do all that complaining if I was gonna be such an irresponsible driver?"
He shook his head hurriedly. "No, no, I apologize. I can see how you may think I'd make such an assumption given the context of our conversation, though it is not what I meant." He paused. "Very well. If that is not the case, then... are you feeling okay?"
Hyperlaser was tense now, utterly confused by the sudden change in the mood of this interaction. That... uncomfortable sensation they'd picked up on previously was coming off of Katana in waves now, and they were beginning to feel it affect them, as well. "I'm... fine. I think. Why? Done- have I done something to upset you?"
It shook its head again. "Not in the slightest, my friend. I do apologize if I am creating distress at this moment. I am merely referring to the fact that your speech pattern has changed a bit. You seem to be stuttering much more than you usually do whens still sober."
Oh. Shit.
Hyperlaser couldn't believe he hadn't caught himself until she said something. Gods, what an idiot. How had Katana noticed him fucking himself over like that before he did? Immediately he shut it down and began collecting himself, stiffening his shoulders, slowly inhaling as put the mercenary mask back on. To think getting so comfortable with someone without even realizing it could cause so much discomfort. What a cruel joke.
"Yes... you're... right. I hadn't noticed. Thank you for correcting me." They swallowed the lump building in their throat and blinked back the tears welling in their eyes as their next words came out in a tone that was supposed to be entirely stone cold, though it ended up being tinged with an aggravatingly pathetic squeak at the finish. "I'm sorry."
"Please, do not be," Katana insisted, suddenly sounding guilty. "I do not mind it. I did not aim to criticize you, only ensure that you were alright. I am not used to hearing it, so I figured it was the product of something you perhaps needed to talk about."
"No, it's... it's all natural," He quipped in an attempt to sound lighthearted, though it came off as quite sad. So he decided not to bother sugarcoating it. "I've stuttered ever since I was little. It's just part of the way I talk. Well, was. But, you probably know from all the shit I've whined about that it's perfection or nothing where I come from. Apparently, having a child soldier who can't talk smoothly enough is a faction shattering detriment to the glory of Blackrock, so... they put me in speech therapy."
"Yet I imagine that there was nothing therapeutic about it," Katana offered sympathetically. It was hard for Hyperlaser to not notice the hint of anger that lay beneath the surface of her voice, though clearly it was not directed at them. She almost seemed angry for them.
They nodded sadly. "Corporal punishment is... kinda their trademark. Every institutions punishments is different, but classic stuff like beating wasn't clean enough for them. They were more the electro shock type." There was yet another instance of blinking and swallowing, holding down their own desire to cry as a whole host of painful memories came flooding back to them. They could almost hear their own little yelps of agony echoing in their ears as they remembered what had happened to them. "They slapped a couple of bracelets on me and gave me this whole page of sentences I had to read out loud. Every time I'd catch myself, they'd shock me. It hurt like hell. But I guess it accomplished what they'd wanted it to, to some extent. It never made my stutter go away, obviously. I just learned to get it under control. Repression is key. That's probably the biggest lesson I learned from my childhood."
She was shaking now. Her hands had moved from off the bar top and down to her lap so that she could ball her fists up in the fabric of her pants, hoping that steadying her fingers would steady the rest of her. But it didn't. The memories were back, and the words were out, and she couldn't stop trembling. That was, until Katana rested his hand on top of hers reassuringly. Then suddenly, the world came back to her.
"That is terrible, Hyperlaser. I am deeply sorry that it happened to you. Such a thing should never be done to anyone, much less a child. I hope you know now that you needn't repress those traits around me. I'll admit that the stuttering wasn't entirely unpleasant to listen to. I was just... surprised to see what I figured must have been another side of you." Hyperlaser tried to search for any semblance of dishonesty in her words, but he came up with nothing. She was being genuine.
"Y- thank you. That's... I don't know. Sweet? F- can't think of a response that feels adequate. I just... appreciate- I appreciate that." The stutter was back now, and he was conscious of it, but it came with a smile this time, and a rush of warmth to his cheeks.
"You needn't thank me, either," It reassured them warmly. "I am merely acting as what I would hope a true friend would."
"Not- am I not allowed to be grateful for you friendship, now?" They inquired, trying to bring their earlier smugness back to their voice. The mood killer had somehow become remorseful and brought the mood back to life, and he wasn't going to act like one of Venomshank's depressing zombies.
Katana sat back and sighed. "If you must, I suppose I can accept your gratitude for the moment."
"Good," Hyperlaser said with a hidden grin, "Because now I'm now I'm going to toast you. Fr- to our friendship," He declared, lifting up his drink.
"To our friendship," Katana agreed, clinking her own glass against his, both of them proceeding to take a sip in unison.
So it seemed that Hyperlaser had certainly stuck by her own plan to let herself enjoy the night, guard down to maximize the possibility of happiness. And while it had led to a segment of pain, she'd come back from it feeling unexpectedly refreshed. The night had peaked on a bittersweet note, and now she was content to spend the rest of it winding down, shoulders relaxed, stuttering through bits and pieces of conversation between drinks with Katana. She could feel some form of affection for the red Inphernal stirring in her chest as the interaction carried on until closing time, one that didn't necessarily change or push out the platonic adoration she already felt for him, but rather adding to it, mixing into a sort of cocktail of loveliness. She'd examine that even further some other night, but right now, she just wanted to listen to the rain fall down outside and settle into this moment of vulnerability, letting her words get caught on her tongue.