Huni: After finishing half the books on Chantelle's initial reading list, Joy was back for more. Not that she could tell you anything about the plot of the books, mind. But she'd certainly read through the smutty portions quickly enough that it was kind of blurring together in a sea of trembling bodies and heaving bosoms. She considered laying off of the smut but Joy was feeling a little extra lonely and needed to distract herself with something beyond cleaning her flat. She wasn't really a reader but it was something to do that wasn't furthering the feeling that she was just playing at being a bored housewife.

But when she arrived at the library and tried to bring out the list, she realized she forgot it back at her flat. "Ay pak shet," she groaned, face palming at the failure.

-----

Carhop: Cassie was in the library looking for a certain text on martial arts, specifically jiu jitsu. ‘Stupid Girl. That style does not suit me.’ The pressure and black mass built in Cassie’s head; Tendaji was angry at her. She’s always loathed her weapon, and how unwieldy it was, so she was trying to solve the issue by looking into ways to fight with him. The popobawa wasn’t having it. ‘I am perfection, I am apex. You need nothing more.’

“Oh, shut up Tenten.” Cassie grumbled, massaging her temple with her middle finger. The old man was never satisfied with anything. “Ah, here we are..”

She hears what sounded like frustrated cursing nearby. Cassie wasn’t exactly the brave and the bold, but she tried to be helpful. A red bob peeked around the corner, and there was another Hunter, head in a hand. “Heeey, you okay?”

-----

Huni: Joy looked up, startled and a little sheepish. She forgot that this was still a library and not a bookstore. She didn't realize she'd been that loud. "Oh, sorry, yeah, I'm okay just." She held up a couple of paperback romance novels, "I was returning these so I could check out other ones on a list that I could have sworn I brought." She flipped through one or two, but the books' pages held nothing more than the ink and words printed on them.

"And now I don't know which ones to borrow." She sighed, then internally cringed when she realized just how stupid sounding that was.

-----

Carhop: Ahhhh, bodice rippers. Cassie smiled and giggled, sauntering over to the rather busty girl and plucking the books out of her hand. “Ooooh, I... didn’t even realize we keep these in the library.” She gave her a wink, noticing her hips now too. Total mom bod. Cassie may have blushed a bit. “I can help you pick out a few, if you’d like?”

’Don’t you have other things to be doing, child?’ More mounting pressure. Cassie smiled through the pain. “Cassie Gordon.” She extended her hand, “Death division.”

-----

Huni: Joy didn't look like she even noticed being checked out, though she did seem wary for the briefest of moments when she heard that the other woman was in Death Division. But it wasn't fair to paint everyone from that division with the same brush so she gave Cassia a warm smile, and accepted the proffered limb. "Nice to meet you, Cassie. I'm Ligaya delos Santos. Call me Joy."

As for the books, "I didn't know about these books were here either and I've been awake for, like, two years. Although I don't recognize any of these authors. Mos def I'd appreciate help."

-----

Carhop: “Joy definitely works for me.” Not that Cassie had a hard time with foreign names; okay, yes she did. She couldn’t even pronounce her mother’s Korean name, just the American “Jane” she’d given herself. To her shame, Cassie had even put Jane on her mother’s tombstone, because she couldn’t remember.

“Two years? Huh, same as me.” Cassie mostly said to herself, casually plucking the books from Joy’s arms and riffling through them. Heaving bosoms and trembling bodies, Adonis men with great hair and talented in nearly everything. She retched internally, shaking her head. “Mmm...yeah, I figured.” She clicked her tongue, putting the books back on the shelf. “Did you like those books? They’re not terrible.” They were. Cassie hated them. “But I can show you something a little better.” A sheepish grin, and Cassie was off, beckoning Joy to follow her with a tilt of the head.

-----

Huni: Joy chuckled, following after Cassie. "Sorta? I just read the fun bits and enough of the beginning to know what the girl and guy look like," she admitted. "I'm not really that much of a reader. But some writers sound like they're using the same poses and positions over and over, like, I think I read the exact same scene in two different books. By two different authors." She sounded amused if not a little frustrated.

"Hopefully your books don't have that problem."

-----

Carhop: “No, mine don’t.” Cassie grinned a Cheshire grin, eyes lit with mischief. She lead Joy to the back of the library, where all the little niche book categories could be found. There were plenty of smut novels to be found, often with strange sexual partners involved. Yetis, dinosaurs, sasquatches, even centaurs and one particularly strange serial about a woman in terrible love with a cyborg yeti clown who rode a dinosaur. Cassie actually plucked that one out of the shelf and laid it in Joy’s arms. “If ever you find yourself with a dull moment, of need some cheering up.”

Finally, Cassie found the books she’s been looking for. A small section, but eons ahead in terms of writing, character development, and prose. Two more books went into Joy’s arms. “These two are some of my favorites.” A light blush crept up her pale cheeks. “It’s a two-parter about a saleswoman, June, who’s struggling with her overbearing boss, juggling her career, her children, and her boneheaded ex husband. She meets a woman named...oh, I can’t spoil it for you!!” Cassie giggled, turning back to the shelf and paroozing some more. “Leah Kirkland is such a great author. She really understands and conveys the struggles of a modern woman.”

-----

Huni: The more outlandish smut novels had Joy's eyes widen, she wasn't exactly scandalized but she indicated that she had no idea what to expect. But she had a sneaking suspicion she was going to read the dinosaur-riding one for the actual story as well as the smut.

"Well now that I know where these are, I might actually give the story a shot," she said, staring at the cover of the first book Cassie had given her. She accepted the additional two volumes, pleasantly surprised about the kind of woman it was about. "I can say I have never heard of books that had women like this June before. It should be interesting at the very least. The writing style isn't too flowery-wowery is it? I mean, I had this one book where the writer spent like a full page for the girl taking off her shirt and I swear, I thought something else was happening with all the metaphors they were using."

-----

Carhop: "No, not too flowery whatsoever." Cassie assured Joy with a big smile, patting her on the shoulder. She envied her copper skin, noticing just how pale she looked against Joy. The pains of being from the Northwest, and half Korean. "I mean, there are a few pages where things get intense, sure, but you're not going to need a lit major to help you get through the books." Cassie slid another book out of its place, skimming over the first few pages. It looked good, so under Cassie's arm it went. "The smut is all there, but the story is there too. You're gonna love em."

The young woman lead Joy over to a corner with some plush chairs, and sat herself down in one. "What other kinds of books do you like? I'm in here pretty often, so I can stay on the lookout for you."

-----

Huni: "Oh thank you! There was this guy who was talking about "classics" when I asked for recs on twitter. And the stuff he suggested had me like, I've graduated from college. I don't wanna have to remember my English Classes," Joy made a face as she tucked the books under her arm. She thought they were going to head out but was surprised to find the other woman was going to stick around and read in the library. Which made sense when the Moon hunter really thought about it.

She sat down on a chair beside Cassie's, though she wasn't planning on reading there. "I'm not really into books books. I like komiks," and the accent came out a little, "But just casual. Y'know?" she hoped she wasn't going to upset the other woman. She remembered some of the bookworms from high school who looked like you just murdered a puppy in front of them when you admitted you weren't much for reading.

-----

Carhop: Cassie had noticed the accent earlier, but now it really came out. Yet, that wasn't what made Cassie perk up in her chair. "Comics? Like, comic books?" Chocolate eyes went wide as dinner plates, shining like polished dimes. Cassie's love for comic books was a well-known fact in her hometown, and she'd faced a few bullies for it in grade school. "Batman, Superman, Captain America, Moon Knight? Those kind of comics?" The young woman was practically bouncing in the seat, knocking some stuffing loose from the old cushion where many a Hunter's bum had sat before. "DC or Marvel? Or do you like Darkhorse? Or maybe there's some sort of publisher from...ah, where are you from, Joy?"

-----

Huni: Cassie's energy reminded Joy of Gabby when they first met. Admittedly that excitement had been about finding someone from the same country. The Death hunter's passion was about something Joy was only aware of in passing. She maintained her smile, trying to parse out familiar words, "Oh! Yes, everyone knows Batman and Superman," she nodded. "They got movies too, right? I don't know the other ones you mention."

A beat. "The komiks I used to read though are, um, local? Or my local. I'm from the Philippines. So I know about Darna and Captain Barbel, but I like the funny komiks more. Like Pupung and Pugad Baboy," She didn't think she had any copies of the old comics she used to read. Maybe the next time she had the chance, she should pick up some.

-----

Carhop: Well, at least Joy knew about two of the big titans. To say Cassie wasn’t a little crestfallen was a lie, but she kept a good face and a soft smile. She could always show some to Joy - maybe that would make her a little more interested. “Ahhh, okay. I have no idea about those last two, but if you like funny comics...”

Was Joy ready for Deadpool? Well, Cassie thought everyone older than 18 was ready for the Merc with a Mouth. “Have you heard of Deadpool? He has a movie now, too. Ryan Reynolds plays him, and my god is it hilarious.” Despite what the movie got wrong, Cassie still loved it for what it was. “But there’s plenty of funny stuff in most of or comics. I can always loan you a few!”

-----

Huni: "That sounds good," Joy agreed, thinking that she was talking comics well enough that she didn't upset the other woman with her ignorance. "We can trade titles, uh, once I actually get copies of the komiks. 'Cuz I don't think Deus would have any copies," she gestured vaguely around them.

"Ryan Reynolds? Any relation to Burt Reynolds? Does he have an awesome moustache too?" she asked, unintentionally revealing more of her ignorance of pop culture. "I haven't seen any movies lately. They're not much fun to watch by yourself."

-----

Carhop: Cassie more than just giggled at the Burt Reynolds line. Ah, Joy was just too cute and naive! “Well, Ryan looks terrible with a moist ache. And no, he’s not related to Burt, as far as I can tell.” Though, that wouldn’t surprise her either, as both men were such great actors.

“We should watch some movies together!” Cassie lit up like an electrical charge, then suddenly went quiet for a moment. Lilac had always watched movies with her. “I think I have enough pay saved up for a runic Blu-ray player.” She knew she did. There wasn’t much she needed to spend, being carted to so many bases. “I hope you don’t mind just watching them in my room? I can get us some sodas and stuff.”

-----

Huni: "Awww, but I can get it. Not everyone can rock that glorious 'stache or a beard. Sometimes they just look creepy with one instead of suave," Joy nodded sagely. She brightened at the suggestion, "You in the regular dorms or did you get stuck with a dungeon one? 'Cuz if it's the latter, maybe you get one of those portable player-types. That way we can watch it at my flat instead. Mos def more room. Plus it's easier for me to make the snacks. I'm sure my roommate won't mind."

She was certain the tattoo artist that was her flat-mate wouldn't take issue. It meant he'd also get his share of movie-time snacks given the Moon's penchant of feeding people. "And If he has problems with the noise, we could move to my bedroom."

-----

Carhop: Cassie furiously kept down a blush from spreading to her cheeks at the mention of Joy's bedroom. Really? She was crushing this hard already? An inward sigh, but Cassie's outward face remained the same small smile. Maybe she was just trying to get revenge on Lilac for not writing. Maybe this was a legitimate crush. Tendaji disapproved either way, sending wave after wave of intense pressure in her skull, making her nauseous. "I'm in the basement, unfortunately." Damp, cold, and not even close to being like the batcave. Plus, she was fairly certain there was FEAR tainted mold growing down there. "So yeah, portable player definitely works."

"Wait, you have a roommate?" Cassie's brows knit together, she had no idea you could do that. God, that would have gotten her out of the stupid basement. But with who? She was essentially friendless on the island, despite all the nonsense she had preached at Gabby. Perhaps she was basement bound forever. But, if she got to go over to Joy's for movies often, it wasn't intolerable.

-----

Huni: Joy mistook the blush as a sign of embarrassment that the other hunter was stuck in the basement. So she didn't mention it. Instead, she went on to confirm her roomie-status. "Yeah, I couldn't afford to move out without one. I mean, I heard Full Hunters can get a place of their own all to themselves with their pay. But that's going to take me kinduva kinda long-a** time," Joy grimaced at the thought.

"Kai's sweet, even if he looks scary at first. And he's a tattoo artist soooo if you're looking to get inked, you mos def should ask him for a quote. He did my back tatt and a friend of mine's gonna get hers done by him too." Networking and promoting were always appropriate. "You should ask the other basement-stuck peeps if they're willing to room-up and share rent. Some of the places got reasonable rates, depending on what you go for."

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Carhop: “Is this in the towns?” Cassie asked, still amazed by the prospect of getting the hell out of the basement. Who would she ask though? Dawson would be scandalous, even though there were only platonic feelings there. Gale was in a relationship, and not even in the basement. There was always Gabby... Cassie perked up at the mention of tattoos and Joy’s back tattoo. Would it be perverse if she wanted to see it, just to get a glimpse of Joy’s bare copper skin? Maybe. She fiddled with one of her bouncy curls, chewing on her lip for a split second. “Could I see your friends work? I’ve always wanted to get tattoos.”

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Huni: "Yeppers," Joy nodded, confirming the location of her shared flat, "Luckily it's in a spot that hasn't been wrecked to s**t by one thing or another. I don't know if I could manage to constantly rebuild and renovate it." But she really did not want to go back to the dorms, not after being able to live in a house.

She didn't appear the least bit conscious at being asked to see the tattoo, "Sure! Although uh," she glanced down at her dress and realized she was going to have to take it off if she wanted to give Cassie an unobstructed view. "Hmm, oh! If it's okay with you, you might have to pull up my dress from behind? Or pull down the collar?" she tried to work out the logistics of the whole thing. She certainly didn't have issues of the other woman getting to see the bright, pink fluorescent underwear set she had underneath.

-----

Carhop: Cassie went beet red at the prospect of lifting Joy’s dress up in public. She was so flustered, in fact, that she suddenly stood up, sending bouncy curls in every direction around her face. “I forgot! I’ve got pod duty. I’ll see you around, okay? You can show me your tat at movie night.” She was already briefly headed for the exit. “Byeeeee!!”