Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shrill X led the way down the hall, stopped for a second to mutter to herself and remember where everything was, took a left and found the door that lead out into the side garden. A quick peek outside revealed the area to be empty, though voices could be heard from the back where the main party was taking place. Alright, they were alone. No need to worry about looking tough.

“Okay, look,” Shrill said as soon as Hard Truths had joined her, “I don’t actually want to fight you, so how about we say we did and actually just go back to my place and fool around?” Shrill grinned hopefully and then frowned, quickly backtracking. “Or just go home and not fool around, since you seem to have issues with that or whatever, I don’t really care.”

She sat down on the cobblestones. “We’ll call it a draw. Don’t go telling everyone you won because you didn’t.” There we go, that should fix that. There didn’t need to be a scene and she could get through the night without Lullaby’s stern look of ultimate disapproval. Well, she’d probably get that anyway to be honest. He hadn’t looked too pleased after her third drink.

"I was going to jump from that tree!" Shrill X protested, her cheeks turning slightly red. "Hey, I’m just trying to take the high road here and you know, not beat someone up at my own family gathering. Come on, even I’m not that bad and my sister would probably be disappointed with me." She rubbed at a hoof through her hair, looking away.

But her discomfort was somewhat dissolved by his admittance that he didn't know what she meant and she snorted. "Do you know anything at all? Fool around, you know like-" She shut her own mouth that time. He probably wouldn't appreciate the idea anyway, even if she was a totally awesome lay and he was missing out big-time. "Just because your name has ‘truth’ in it, doesn’t mean you can’t lie. That’s stupid. Everyone lies. Just don’t’ say anything then, just nod and look tough and I’ll do the talking."

The concern was unexpected and she looked away uncomfortably. "Nothing. I was just talking big. My mouth runs away from me sometimes and I can’t stop it." She stared past him with a frown. "Belldandy was all crying and s**t, I was sure you wouldn’t want to upset her any more by actually fighting. You’re really a big softie, right?"

“Obviously…” Shrill X muttered, but she wasn’t going to fight the point too much because she had chickened out that day, she just wasn’t going to admit it.

Now she definitely looked unhappy, as if some deep dark secret had somehow been revealed. “Yeah, I got a sister.” She said gruffly. Singsong was the only person she was really afraid of disappointing. Her soft, sweet sister wouldn’t like knowing Shrill was getting into unnecessary fights and making kids cry.

“Of course I know what it’s like to be honest and not give a damn and all that stuff, but sometimes it’s just easier to lie. Ya know, instead of having to explain or look like a loser. I bet you lie all the time, you just pretend to be all high and mighty.” She would bet money on how much of a hypocrite he really was, especially if they were supposed to be ‘just like each other’.

She rolled her eyes. “Then I guess we’re just going to tell them we came outside and talked like a bunch of losers.” She’d have to cause some other trouble later on so everyone could forget about this incident entirely.

Now she finally smiled back, even adding a poke of the tongue. “You are too.” She looked somewhat more satisfied with the conversation, even relaxing into a nonchalant shrug when he asked about Belldandy’s name. “I think that’s right but I’ve got so many cousins, aunts, uncles, second twice removed whatever whatevers I could be wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong with having a sister. I didn’t say there was!” She just didn’t want to make it too obvious that her weakness was her sister, even if the second he saw them in the same room together it would be obvious. “You can make your own family, dude. You don’t have to be blood. Hell, I’ll be your sister if you want. Not that you’d probably want me for that.”

Shrill X sighed, big and loud. “I don’t need to learn stuff. I just wanna have fun and be cool and just ‘cause there are unicorns who use magic all the time, doesn’t mean they’re lazy. Earth Phony’s can be lazy little shits too. If you’ve got a talent you should use it; you just like to make life difficult for yourself.”

She scuffed lightly at the ground with her hoof. This conversation was hitting far to close to home now. It was making her actually think about her life and her behaviour. “They can misunderstand me all they want but the people who really matter know the truth. I’m not going to change just to suit them all.” Mess seemed to be her speciality, but she knew in her heart that no matter how many lies or how complicated it all became, her sister and the rest of her close family understood she meant well in the end.

“Oi!” She squawked when he rammed her with his elbow, immediately shoving him back. “I’m not a ‘talking about my feelings’ sissy. You can do that all you want and brag about how wise and thoughtful you are, but I’m a girl of action.” She gave him another shove for when he mentioned her sister but didn’t answer, she only frowned. Yeah, sure, Singsong and the rest of her family would congratulate her for talking instead of fighting, but the thought of it was oddly embarrassing.

Trigger warning: big softie. Shrill X made a big mental post-it-note in her mind for that one, her face splitting into a wide grin. “I won’t tell a soul,” she lied.

Shrill X stood, shrugging again. “Think what you want.” Though she had to admit he was surprisingly astute. “You’re right though. I bet everyone is getting way bored.” Rather than go back through the door, she took a step towards where the main outside area was in full swing. “I’m gonna snag something from the buffet. Wanna come?”

Shrill X tilted her head and laughed. “You really do like to make things difficult. You’re just like a chick playing hard to get. Treat ‘em, keep ‘em keen, right? What have you got against the happy folks? And the fake and shallow ones are a blast, especially when you ruffle their feathers. But I guess we got different tastes.”

Then she was trying to frown, especially when he bowed his head to her, but her scowl kept shifting into a smile, even when she forced it back. “Whatever. My flaws are pretty obvious, even I can see that. I can admit them when I have to.” Nobody had ever admired her for anything, well her sister said it sometimes, but that was different. It was nice to hear it from somebody else, especially someone who’d been happy to try kick her a** a few minutes ago.

His grin was infectious and she gave up trying to frown at all and just went with the smile. They’d probably fight again, probably very soon and they’d drive each other up the wall every time they met, but at least she’d always know that there was someone out there who actually got her.

“Don’t push it, bucko. I could still lay you flat if I wanted.” Her words had no threat to them now but she tossed her head back proudly anyway and bounced up and down on her hooves, as if ready to go a round.

Shrill X was just about ready to run off and raid the buffet when he asked his final question. “Dude, are you serious? You really don’t know what I meant by fooling around? You didn’t get any vibe from that at all?” With an incredulous snort, she shook her head and turned away. “That aside, I just said I was your sister from another mister. They can all think what they like. It doesn’t bother me. You wouldn’t be a bad catch anyway.”

With a shake of her head she started walking away, her voice still loud and clear. “Should have tried something different, maybe? Roll in the hay, frisky business, bump in the night… that last one is terrible, forget that.”