[PRP] Oh, sugar sugar. (Riley/Barth)

[Nio Love]

Riley was staring at Barth's message board. She had heard him coming in just a moment ago, and was determined not to let him ignore her this time. She had just noticed Christof's little addition to the message board, and felt a little sorry for her subterfuge. Only a little. Yet still, despite being next door neighbors, Barth had been too lazy to come by and give her the one thing she needed - his sugar. She was going without it for a week now, and she was getting irritated. She was just next door, how hard could it be?

So she had come outside immediately after hearing him entering his dorm next door, and she lifted her hand up to knock, very sternly on the door.

Knock.

Knock.

BASH.

Her fist rammed on the door forcefully.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Zzzzzt. There was a sharp electrical snap as something inside the door shuddered, and the door stuttered open.

The Remote Control Door Opening Device, soldered to the top of the door frame, emitted a sickly robotic hiss. The door stayed open, but wobbled.

"It's a little slow," Barth said, still holding the remote and occupying a large and nefariously comfy chair. He was draped horizontally over both of the chair's arms, and looking at the door-opener with distinct concern.  

[Nio Love]

The electrical sound made Riley's hand snap back in surprise, so that her fist was still up in the air, clenched tightly, when the door opened. It didn't look like a very friendly greeting. She unfurled her fist, and opened her hand to hold it up in lieu of a wave.

Sorry. She murmured to him, though she didn't really sound it. I've just been trying to get your attention for days now. You're a pretty hard guy to reach. Can I come in?

She peeked her head in and looked up at the device that was hissing, and cringed. I'll pay for that.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Err, sure," he said, turning his attention to the remote now, as if the two buttons on it could tell him why the door was wobbling.

He remembered the purple. From somewhere.

Ah.

...They'd been cot neighbors in Christmas Town, after he had boiled to death. Christof and she had stared at each other a very long time. And held hands a bit. It had been awkward.

He looked at the door device again. "Oh, no," he said, "no bother. It's fine. I think. In need of a knocking barrage upgrade, is all."  

[Nio Love]

Riley stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. She could hear a squeaking noise as she did it, and her movement slowed, careful to close it gently because it sounded like something else could break any minute. When she heard the click, she turned and moved to stand in front of Barth. The boil was still sitting down, so in order to feel a little less awkward, Riley flopped down next to him in a similar chair, flipping over to lean the back of her head against the arm closer to his side. She looked out at him upside down from this position.

Do you know I've been trying to get you to answer the door for a very long time, Barth? I even left you a note. She sounded a little more apathetic than anything - she was just glad she finally got him to open the door. I need a favor. And before you say it, I will not be agreeing to anything. I just need some sugar. Her eyes crinkled slightly in amusement. The edible kind.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Barth," he confirmed, then said, "Oh, that. I kept meaning to. I mean, I would have. Probably. Eventually." He wouldn't have. He tilted his head back further to see if he could discern the kitchenette from the chair.

Yep, there it was.

A lot of feet away. He wondered if there was much merit in a mobile pantry.

"Help yourself. What did you need it for?"

 

[Nio Love]

She followed his eyes, and when she was given permission, she pushed herself off the chair and moved towards the kitchen.

I find my meals quite.. lacking, lately. She spoke to him, even as she entered another room. She didn't need to be nearby. You see, I've been so used to hunting for my food, that the frozen meals I've been thawing out lately have left me a bit wanting. I thought that sugar might help sweeten the taste of the dead. Besides, she was on her way back, this time with a box of sugar. I may have gotten a bit of a sweet tooth since I've come to the Academy. There was a haunting echo of a whisper that broke off from her voice when she said the word 'tooth', as if Barth was hearing a second thought she was having simultaneously. It sounded something like 'Tooth? That's a laugh.. I miss my teeth.. The thought wrapped around her words like a blanket - they were clearly not meant to be shared, but accidently penetrated Riley's public speech.

She plopped back down in her seat, cuddling the sugar to herself using one arm. I would have tried to get some myself, but.. she shrugged. You were closer. Not easier. Just closer.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"The last time I tried to cook something, Bogeymen held an investigative report about it." True story. He was not exaggerating. He wished he had been.

"The cake didn't go well. It would be easier if the meals stopped gaining sentience halfway through."

He thought her voice sounded a little funny, but other than that, had still not registered the fact that he was not actually hearing it. Although the intrusive thought-feelings that accompanied it were unsettling. He did admire her tenacity at not wanting to walk very far. It was a sentiment he shared.

"Tasted alright, though."
 

[Nio Love]

Well, I don't cook. I've thought about it, but.. it's made no sense to me. Brains already taste bland enough when they've been frozen for a while.. why cook all of the flavor out of them?

She shook the sugar box to make sure there was enough in it, and took a look inside.

A cake, you say? Her sweet tooth tingled. What kind? Do you have any left? Honestly, her father would be mortified to know how her diet had changed in the small time she'd been at this Academy. If she ever asked for cake when she was back home, she'd be devoured instantly for being defective.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"An experimental kind. There's probably some left on the walls of my old apartment. Making a cake isn't hard. In theory. It's just an organic device, and you mix the things together instead of compiling them."

He tapped the "door open" button. The door quaked but didn't actually open again.

"Has to be easier than door openers, anyway."  

[Nio Love]

She slumped slightly in her chair. Whatever there might be in his old apartment wouldn't help her now. How dare he taunt her with cake that was not meant to be. Well, I won't be making one anytime soon. Or anything else, for that matter. Someone needs to make a cake for me. Perhaps I will tell one of the cute, fuzzy little students that it is my birthday. I presume they will feel compelled to make me something. She was pleased with her idea, and cuddled into the chair comfortably.

These are abnormally comfortable, Barth. I can see why you're always in here. Why is it so difficult to get your attention when you're here, anyway? Sometimes it's so quiet, I worry that you are dead. Then I stop worrying, since it wouldn't really matter. You'd just have to move to a different dorm. That would be a shame.

Being comfortable made Riley ramble a bit. Her eyes closed, but she wasn't falling asleep. Don't even think about it, Barth, it's not nap time just yet.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Sloth demon," he said, offering her probably the most straightforward explanation he had offered to anyone thus far. "Comes with the territory. You can start to worry if you hear a ruckus."

Getting someone else to do the job for her. Now she was talking.

"What kind are you, anyway? Elemental?" He asked the last part hopefully. Riley's skin was almost the same color as the goo in his fountain. He didn't think she was a slime elemental, but you never knew, and he did always like the goo variety of anything.

She was sort of lacking in the horns, tail, and wing department.

 

[Nio Love]

Suddenly things made much more sense. Her eyes opened as he asked her what kind she was, and she thought about it for a moment. A long, sharp finger touched her temple and tapped it a few times. Psychic. I'm an Illithid. That's why you've been talking to yourself this whole time. Her voice had an edge of teasing to it, and her eyes crinkled in amusement.

So, sloth demon, I have to ask. Her eyes had fallen on the tally board with curiosity. How much of your time do you actually spend sleeping? I suppose asking you to wake up early and go out on my morning run with me is out of the question. She felt a loss for how much of his time must be wasted away in sleep, when there was so much to -do-. She ached to move even now, except this chair was just so -comfy-..  

[Toshihiko Two]

"I thought your voice sounded off. ...And only if you want a morning meander up to about 5 feet," he said.

How much time he spent sleeping was a heavy thing to consider.

"Not enough," he finally settled on. "I'm a fan of the adage 'let sleeping demons lie'. However, I'm beginning to think I'm alone in my admiration. I met another Sloth demon on the train. Hardly slept at all. Carried that enormous bazooka. She might be dead. Not very good survivors, Sloth demons. Moving around just gets us in trouble. ...I've been trying to put in a protest about homework being species discrimination."

He had died too, of course, but he saw that as more evidence for why too much activity lead directly to a swift end.  

[Nio Love]

Okay, then. Tomorrow morning when I wake up, I shall come over and obtain you for five feet's worth of my walk. That sounds lovely. She was, of course, joking. I'm sure you will be pleasant company for all of the 7 seconds it takes.

She looked a bit puzzled when he told her that her voice sounded off. Does it sound odd to you? Not to your liking? Her voice suddenly changed pitch, to a deep, manly rumbling bass. Is this more to your liking? If it pleases you, I shall speak in this voice.

Speaking in that way made her feel ticklish, and a much more feminine giggle of thought vibrated out.