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Lotus Eaters didn't have to feel anything. They did not have to feel afraid, they did not have to feel nervous; they could not feel love, they did not feel joy. That was what Amarus had thought before. She had learned, over a lot of time, and through a lot of trials, what it felt like to light up with a smile when she saw someone she cared about. She'd learned to put those she cared for above her own basic needs. She'd even learned to love someone, and she never thought she could swing that, not in her wildest dreams.

But after she'd worked out how to use social media, and Critter'd smacked her in the face, something had taken a relatively sinister turn. She didn't know much about relationships, she didn't know how they worked, and she didn't know what to expect... so she wasn't sure if what was going on was really as bad as it seemed, or if she shouldn't even worry. Weren't they supposed to go to the prom with their significant others? Shouldn't she be going with... the demon she, inexplicably, had grown to love?

If Critter had any indications, it was that Zel was, instead, talking about dancing with someone else before she'd even gotten a basic invite from him. For all she knew, he wasn't going with her at all. Enzo had invited her, as a friend; could she accept that offer, since Zel hadn't even bothered to talk to her recently? Even when he had, it had felt... off.

And normally, he had some kind of reaction if anyone so much as thought about picking her up. She'd downright been invited to prom by another boil, and not as much as an eye blink. She hadn't really wanted to react to anything until she saw some errant messages on Critter.

Now, she was looking to Freya and Kettil for help. They were a couple, right? They would know what to do. Wouldn't they?

No amount of her natural sedative was helping. She'd reached the limits of what she could accomplish alone, as much as she hated to admit it. Any more, and she'd simply sleep prom away. It wasn't looking like such a bad option, at the moment.

Amarus was lying down on the campus lawn, gazing upwards with glazed-over eyes. Her aura was dull, even patchy, and she had a distant glaze to her expression. Hopefully Freya and Kettil would be able to spot her, even with the duller glow, because she certainly didn't have the energy to move with all the Lotus essence she'd forcibly exposed herself to in the past hour. "I always thought I wanted to dream... but maybe not, if this is what waits me there," she mumbled aloud to herself.

Why did her gut twist? She was a spirit, not flesh.

Kettil decided to mimic Freya. If only to show her how it is done. Quite obnoxiously. He pretty much showed up at Amarus's other side though his expression went from cheerful and excited to concern.

Amarus looked like she had been dragged through all the bad parts of Halloween and back. The boil's body arched to where he managed to just flop near by Amarus with a harsh grunt. Clearly Kettil was as graceful as his bride-to-be.

"Hey. What's up?" He asked with concern etching in his voice.

First, Kettil was copying her. Then, Amarus was claiming to be better than her. IT WAS A CONSPIRACY. Freya huffed and puffed and hissy fitted her way into Amarus' arms, pressing her face against the ghoul's stomach as she gave Kettil some serious evil eye action. It was probably a bad time for this, as Amarus clearly needed them to help her with relationships, and all she was doing was glaring at her fiancee. So she quit the act, melting into concern as the worrying sound of Amarus' voice caught her attention. She lifted her head and gave Kettil a cautious look, before sitting up straight and leaning on her side. "Yehr not strange. Well. No, thats a lie, yehr as strange as me and Hooter. And if that's a bad thing, then anyone who don't likes it can ******** off." Freya flicked her fingers in the air as she brushed away the imaginary haters.

"But, uh, ja, yeh should goes teh prom with yehr boilfriend. Why, did he not asks yeh yet? I tells yeh what, Kettil only asked me yesterday, and I thinks it was like just a thought that popped up, because we were doings other things and ACH! " She ducked from the impending swat of the boil on the other side of Amarus, and giggled as she scooted away. "Fine, the points is, yeh should."

"If it makes it any better, you're a lot... better dressed than I am," Amarus told Freya, smiling gently; the gesture relaxed her mirror-smooth features, made her seem more like her normal self again. Spending time with the two of them was already having a positive effect on her. It felt nice to have Freya lying on her stomach. She never could have guessed that they'd ever get to spend time like this; all those months admiring the upper classman. And here she was.

"No, he didn't, and.. well. I don't know. I guess I didn't ask him yet, either, but we haven't seen each other in a bit-- I don't know, I feel confused about it, I don't know what I'm doing at all and I hate admitting that," she said, grimacing.

When Kettil asked if he wanted to go, Amarus' eyes got her mirror look again, the far off emptiness that served as a testament to the fact she was using her essence in that moment to find her center and feel in control again. "Ah, yes... I believe he wishes to save a friendly dance for one of our mutual acquaintances-- or, rather, his friend, and someone I know. So... he has thought about going, yes." This was the part where she started to feel helpless.

Kettil uttered a soft, 'tch'.

He disapproved of what Amarus was describing to him and Freya. Though he almost seemed to sense doom emanating from Freya and he lifted his hands as if to say 'Don't take it out on me, woman. Unlike other boils I actually have some common sense.'

Kettil was awesome of not-really-telepathic communication.

The Muut quietly let out a small frustrated sound, "Yer supposed to dance with your ghoulfriend first things first at the prom. Not promisin' every other ghoul a dance. Yer also supposed to ask your ghoul if they want to go and if they'd like to go with ya," He sort of stared over at the other two ghouls.

"If he's your boilfriend then why the ******** is he makin' it all awkward?" He finally said in a flat tone, "Is he a chicken s**t?"

Kettil's rage meter was starting to show. "Is he hurtin' you? Cause if he's hurtin' you..." He lifted up a fist.

Literally the second Amarus said Critter, Freya's phone was flipped open and she was scrolling. It was mesmerizing to watch someone so adept and experienced with a phone and the interweb work it so fluidly. She found the offending creeps instantly, and her face twisted in confusion.

"What the craps." She deadpanned under her breath, almost no longer a part of the conversation as she updated herself on what was now suddenly a public issue. Putting grievances on Critter never led to anything good-

She snickered at her sister's reaction. Gods be damned, Hel always got to the good drama first.

Freya hadn't registered that Amarus was complimenting her relationship with Kettil until she was done reading all of Critter. When she looked up again, she blinked, and blushed a brilliant scarlet, before smirking in embarrassment. She reached out and punched Kettil on the shoulder, but left it at that; because it was true. So true, that it hurt to think life could have given them a completely different option, at one point.

Which reminded her of something.

"Screechie, if yeh haven't talks teh him in a long time, and he hasn't talks teh yeh, that means he's got issues that he's trying teh works out just like yeh are. And he probably wants yeh teh reach out teh him just as much as yeh wants him teh. Just don't let it sit and wait until one of yeh cracks. It doesn't end well."

She spoke from experience; the pain in her eyes was obvious. "Text him. Ask him teh prom. Don't even talks about anything else. Just ask him if he'd guu with yeh. And if he says no, ask why. And if he doesn't answer, yeh goes teh his room, and yeh punch him in the face."

Jack be damned, Freya was fast on her phone. Amarus watched her with a sort of bewildered pride in her apparently tech-savvy dear friend; Freya was gorgeous, and tough, and she could vanquish technology? Amarus had trouble getting over that one. She was staring a little creepily, probably, before Freya broke the silence with a graceful What the craps, effectively negating her barrier of awe.

"I don't know much about swing dancing, I learned it from someone else... actually, I learned it from Mot, so it's a funny coincidence Hel would want to learn with me. But I'd love to practice. I was really grateful for her request," Amarus admitted. All these feelings, ugh. Hel was also kind of cool, when she wasn't messing with Junko or making her uncomfortable about whatever had happened with Mot.

When Kettil complained about Freya hitting him, Amarus just smirked. "Is it going to bruise?" she asked, as sweetly as she could manage. "Want me to hit you twice, for good luck?" she added.

Amarus listened carefully to Freya, absorbing every word. Zel had issues? That was perfectly possible, wasn't it? But they'd never been apart like this, not since they'd been unexpectedly pushed together and she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that it was necessary in some way. Amarus was looking Freya in the eye, feeling the knife twist behind whatever she was recalling; Amarus' brows knit, remembering someone else who'd been with Freya before her precious Kettil. Amarus stayed silent; there were some things even she knew to let well enough alone.

"Ah... I sound really stupid on the phone," she admitted, "... I don't know if you have noticed, but when I try to type or text, I really do seem like I am illiterate and missing more spookies from the jar than anyone should be." Amarus tried to shrug, which was hard given her position.

"But I suspect you are both right. Thank you, for helping me understand the situation. I hope that it can be so easily resolved... I had begun to think he wouldn't possibly want to see me. I do not know why. I do not understand any of this!" Amarus complained, her mouth twisting into an expression somewhere between disgust and simply being fed up with everything. She smiled, after, though; she wasn't really so upset, now. Not nearly as upset as before.

Freya and Kettil made her feel better. They were calm about this, in a way she understood. Rational. She should be herself, and continue to be level-headed about this whole thing. It must just be coincidence, and if it wasn't, they could surely resolve it. Now... to text Zel.

Amarus pulled her phone out from somewhere (where, who knows) and turned it on. It had been off, this entire time. Before she lost the courage and clarity to do so, she texted him:



Amarus hoped it was the right thing to do. She then pushed her phone at Freya, as if it was a diseased animal. "I have been charging it to use it for Critter. Could one of you keep this for me for a little bit? I don't know that I am willing to keep it on while I wait for a reply, but if I turn it off then I do not receive any replies and I am faintly concerned about this entire thing-- Ah, have I mentioned lately that I..."

Amarus trailed off, a purposeful pause, and then got a mean glint in her eyes.

She lunged at Kettil and Freya together, trying to grab them and pull them in to cuddle them both viciously. She felt, in that moment, how very much she loved these two students, and how much their presence in her existence even seemed to nullify her need to have a fake past at all.

"But hitting me is baaaaad. Unless you intend to start somethin'," He lifted up a fist and just shook it as if that was going to make him intimidating to two ghouls that trusted him rather implicitly. He was too goofy and caring to really do anything to harm those he cared about, a spar was different but currently they weren't even doing that.

Kettil offered Amarus a warm smile and nodded. Damn straight they were right. Clearly the couple were a dangerous pair when it came to emotions and dealing with them. So dangerous. The boil saw Freya fiddling with the phone that Amarus left in her company and was about to say something but ...

It was too late.

Mmm. Well. Okay. If that is what Freya felt was best.

He didn't get to ponder it long or even say anything when suddenly Amarus lunged at Freya and him. Kettil wrapped his arms around both ghouls and just held onto them as they all cuddled, "Haha! Sudden love attack~."