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Derik smiled back, equally unsure. He had no idea what to do next, either—all his friendships in the PPC up until Thoth had been based around competition or drinking or both, and no relationship with a Space Marine could ever be called normal. This was new territory. A lot of that was happening to him lately.

"So like," Gall's voice rose, "my relationship with food is weird right now because hormones and all, but for starters... Derik, what the hell is this?" She prodded a pile of goop with green bits.

"Er." Derik looked. "Spinach dip?"

"Okay. This is the worst. Avoid this. It smells like feet and shame and it is making me literally sick." She handed the plate back to Derik. "I'll get my own."

He sighed, lips pressed together, and said nothing. No amount of mental training was enough to deal with this.

Ix faltered at the offer. To her, it had come completely out of left field, and she had absolutely no idea how to appropriately respond. "Er—"

Charlotte nudged her. "It's okay to say yes, hon."

"Er... in that case..." Ix smiled, though it still looked nervous. "Yes."

Charlotte nudged Gall and nodded towards the food table. "Hey, I'm hungry. Want to give me suggestions? First Halloween with human taste buds, I could use the help."

((:P))

(( Don't worry I've got plans for further installments. ))

Derik wasn't quite sure what Ix intended, but he reached back and gently took her fingers. "I disappointed you, I know that much. I am sorry. The truth is, I'm not fit to be anyone's mentor." His control faltered, and he couldn't stop the flicker of his eyes toward Gall. He was, however, able to keep the unrelated terror from intruding further. "Perhaps a friend?"

Gall's attention appeared to be focused on picking dubiously through the selections on her plate.

“They are?” Lemon questioned while grabbing a slice of pumpkin bread. “How so?”

Chelsea listened in as she grabbed a cupcake that had a spiderweb drawn over black frosting.

Violet, wearing the wig she'd used in her Wonder Woman outfit the previous year, fake elf ears, and an overly shiny gray dress, waved at the two arrivals with the hand that wasn't holding a pumpkin spice donut. "A+ taste in movies for you both. Oh, and congratulations on getting married! I know I'm late to the party but I didn't get a chance to see you the last few months. If anyone asks it's my author's fault."

((Preferably from an oiled-up and shirtless Thoth yes I know it's not the badfic games anymore))

"I mean, I'm not upset about it," Charlotte said. "From what I understand, people do some really weird stuff when they're drunk." She glanced back at Ix and lowered her voice. "And honestly, she's... really sensitive. You could probably sneeze at her and she'd get upset. She's getting a lot better about it, but—" She clamped her mouth shut when she noticed Ix edging closer.

Ix stopped at a relatively safe distance from Derik, studying him warily. After a moment, she held out a hand with a nervous smile.

and started off by grabbing some salad.

"Yes, plotholes are very interesting things. The problem is that, for all I know, they are actively resisting research efforts. Not a problem I ever expected to have."

“Plotholes seem to be an interesting sort of phenomenon.”

“Here we are!” At the food table, Chelsea waved to Lemon and Peregrin. “Food!”

"That was more my former partner. I mainly try to learn how plotholes work. It has not been going well."

“We’re in the Video Games Division, so we play video games to expand our canon knowledge. Other than that, I step outside our RC for a jog or to train.”

"You made Ix cry and went and busted your hand in a tantrum and basically acted like a jackass," Gall added in a helpful tone.

Derik's mouth pulled tight in a grimace. The actual memories remained incoherent, but the bitter emotions flooded back. He took a breath. Benden, Boll, Hanrahan, Ping, Telgar, Tillek... The silent litany was a touchstone that enabled him to refocus and enter a new state of mind, both more aware of and removed from his surroundings. It had taken him the better part of a year to gain a command of the technique. He looked at Ix, nervous and keeping her distance, then back to Charlotte, beginning to bristle. Understandable.

He handed the plate of food off to Gall. She proceeded to examine it.

"I'm afraid it's all a blur," said Derik, "but please allow me to apologize properly for everything I said and did that was inappropriate or upsetting." He gave a deep bow, extending one arm to include Ix in the gesture. "I can't claim I wasn't myself, but I was walking a dangerous path then. I have found a better one now. Nothing like that will happen again."

"So, what do you work on outside of missions?"

“Though, if you’re asking about which department here, it’s Mary Sues.”

"I was Christine, Ix was the Phantom, and there was this huge kerfuffle with a Space Marine—don't tell me you don't remember her, at least." She jerked her head at Ix, who had frozen in front of a platter of canapés, eyes huge behind her mask.

"And I am Peregrin, with Mary Sues." he replied.

"Where are you from, Lemon?"

(( Sorry, forgot to actually hit post ))

"Thank you, but... I'm sorry... if we've met, I don't recall."

He looked to Gall for an explanation, but she just looked back with an enigmatic smile. Whatever answer Charlotte chose to give was certain to be interesting.

(( Her silence might be a kind act in disguise, but I'm not sure. I suppose it depends on what happens next. {= D ))

"She's a regular monkey," she said. "And about as destructive as one, too. She keeps finding ways to pull electronics apart to see how they work."

"Worked," Zeb put in.

"Worked," the Aviator acquiesced, sighing. She kissed the top of Elanor's head and smoothed her curls carefully. "And you're not wrong about the TARDIS," she added. "She rearranged her interior so Elanor's nursery is right by the doors. Gives her a quiet place of her own, and the TARDIS lets me know if she wakes up and starts fussing."

"Ah. I had thought, perhaps, that you spent the majority of your time inside of the TARDIS, whom I was under the impression had a degree of control over her interior." He glanced at Elanor again. "Does she attempt to do so often?"

“I’m Lemon.” Lemon pointed to her partner. “And that’s my partner, Chelsea.”

"I am, uh, ... what was your name?"

“I’m off to go get some!” With that, Chelsea walked towards the food table. She stopped and looked back. “You guys coming?”

Lemon looked to Peregrin.

"You guys don't need to worry about waking her up," she said, bouncing Elanor gently. "She sleeps through the consoles going off now."

"And what a relief that is," Zeb added. The Aviator bumped him with her hip, and he grinned. "Ave's the one who does most of the work. I just babysit when she needs a break."

"My TARDIS is great," the Aviator said, "but she doesn't exactly have the capability of running across the RC to stop Elanor from climbing on the counters."

Charlotte didn't look wholly convinced, though. "Still doesn't change the fact Ix couldn't..." She shook her head. "Sorry, this is supposed to be a party! I shouldn't be making the mood so glum. Derik," she said, touching his arm. "I never got the chance to properly congratulate you, too."

"She must be quite the handful," he said quietly. No need to risk waking the child if she wasn't much of a heavy sleeper. "A two-year-old with the wits of one several years their senior is not one I would be quick to volunteer raise. And yet, it seems the three of you are doing admirably well, particularly given the circumstances." Dilx shot Animus a questioning look. The red-headed man pressed his fingers lightly to his partner's elbow and said, even more softly, "TARDISes are, as memory serves, sapient, and thus might be of assistance in the matter, and while Headquarters has its advantages, it cannot be an easy place to raise a child." It wouldn't have surprised Animus if he could be heard, but it was more the spirit of the effort than anything else that made him lower his voice anyways, so he didn't mind.