From the moment the meat hits the flame

[fragileandsoft]

Who: All those not gone to hell.
When: Evening Day 67 - Day 68
Where: The cookhouse
What: Stress cooking, stress eating, general stress.
Note: General mingle thread!

Many have been taken, many have gone after, and those who remain have little else to do but wait for the results on the other end. For once, the carnival is very, very quiet.

Though the rides are shut down, the games are still, the attractions unattended, there's still one central place for people to gather. All the kitchen staff has gone, but the lights in the cookhouse remain on, and the smell of food still wafts through the air. Anyone not content to wait alone would do well to look here for company and comfort.

Comments

[mossbuds]

Lars feels uncomfortable, and he wonders why he even said that much. Probably loopy from hunger and blood loss weakness. He brushes a hand over his face gently, huffing. He doesn't actually think it's bad, it's just not what he wants for himself.

"Nah, but..." He shrugs a shoulder. "...big's hotter. More manly. Know what I mean?"

He's probably this way from watching so much WWE through his childhood...

[mylastchance]

Lauren frowns, he definitely doesn't agree, but that's not to say Lars is wrong to have his preferences. He didn't really equate bigger with manlier though, bigger just made him think of bigger races, or people like Fat Mar. Maybe it was a cultural thing.

"Do they have orcs where you're from?"

[mossbuds]

Lars, for the first time since Lauren's sat beside him, sits up, staring.

"Huh?"

He boggles at him, very eager to know what the hell he's getting at.

"Yeah, sorta. I mean, they're fictional, in books and movies and stuff. Why?"

[mylastchance]

That was... strange, to think that a whole race could be nothing more than an imaginative creation in another world. His brow furrows as he mulls that over. Was Lars' world like the matrix where only humans seemed to exist?

"Oh... Well I guess bigger just seems more monstrous to me."

Dwarves were bulkier, but not bigger.

[mossbuds]

"Well, I mean, I guess literally monstrous isn't what I'm into—er, like, what I'd wanna be more like, I mean."

Lars rolls his eyes, lifting a palm as he tries to explain.

"It's like, you know, muscular dudes are just more manly. I don't mean like hulking freaks or nothin'. Just strong lookin'. Sturdy. At least a little intimidatin'."

[mylastchance]

He shrugs, "I guess I just don't agree."

Then again, he didn't often take the team to think of a persons traits and decide which were the most masculine. But, he didn't think elves were naturally less masculine just because they had slighter builds. Of course even a humans build was slight compared to an orc.

"I guess I prefer slighter figures." Which is as close to admitting his own preferences as he will ever get.

[mossbuds]

"Yeah? For yourself, or other people?"

Lars is sincerely curious—he's never talked to another guy about this, actually... Not face to face, anyway, or with anyone he knew, or in earnest.

[mylastchance]

He shrugs again looking embarrassed. He wasn't attracted to himself. The idea of even having a preference for his own looks was totally foreign. He looked the way he looked, that was pretty much the beginning and end of that line of thinking in his mind.

"For other people, I guess?" He'd also never really talked about this before, or thought about it in depth either.

[mossbuds]

If only Lars could have a similar line of thinking. He'd be a lot less stressed out over petty nonsense almost constantly.

"Pff, yeah, agree to disagree," Lars concludes, resting his elbows on the table as he rolls his eyes a little. "I mean... not sayin' I'd never date or hook up with someone closer t'my shape." He did kind of have a crush on Jenny, back when... and currently, er—well. Point is, he's contradicted the reality of what his type is and what he thought what his type was more than once. "But I'd rather be bulkier, personally. And the..."

Lars furrows his eyebrows, unsure of how to describe this. He sinks a little where his palms prop up his chin. Part of him doesn't want to undersell it, but he feels like he has to.

"...the girl I was...messin' with, I guess, before I came here—she was chubby, and I thought I wasn't into that. Or maybe I didn't wanna be, or something. But I was super wrong!" Lars looks exasperated. "It's actually, like, the best! Ugh. So dumb..."

[mylastchance]

He looks surprised by that.

"You have a girl back home?"

[mossbuds]

There's a weird, abrupt drop and twist in Lars's stomach at Lauren's question. It feels horrible, and it's confusing. Lars almost wishes he could say yes, but it's his own fault that he can't.

"I don't... have her," Lars says tensely, his face turning a little red. "It wasn't—we weren't...dating. We were coworkers. And...friends." His shoulders slacken a little. "But... closer than friends, too, I guess."

He'd normally never admit so much, but it doesn't feel like he's going to see her while he was stuck in this stupid circus fiasco.

[mylastchance]

Using the past tense either meant they weren't close anymore or something worse. Lauren doesn't really want to know which is the truth. He looks away, something close to shame crossing over his features.

"...I'm sorry."

[mossbuds]

"N-no, no! It's cool, it ain't—" He slaps his hand over his face, feeling embarrassed. He doesn't realize how.... morbid he may have accidentally made that sound. "It's not like I'm never seein' her again, or anything. And we weren't dating because I didn't wanna date."

[mylastchance]

Lauren nods. He can't say he understands exactly what Lars is talking about, or why Lars wouldn't want to date a person, but he assumes there's circumstances to both their situations that are outside his understanding.

"Do you want to see her again?"

[mossbuds]

Lars deflates a little, glancing at Lauren, his eyebrows slanted back pensively. Why is he telling all of this to Lauren? He barely knows him, and he's not even sure he likes or trusts him. But it's the first time he's really talked about it, and besides... Lars feels, weirdly, a little compelled, almost flattered by Lauren's casual concern. Lil vampire things.

"Every day," he finally concedes, glancing away.

It feels kind of good to admit it.

[mylastchance]

Lauren nods, honestly a bit impressed by the depth of Lars feeling. He didn't have anyone at home he was desperate to see. The thought makes him grimace.

"You won't be stuck here forever."

[mossbuds]

"I know that," Lars admits with a little bit of a snap, clapping his hands over his face in embarrassment at himself, his cheeks red. "I would die if she saw me like this anyway, so whatever. I don't care."

Even though... Lars just, sort of professed a great bit about how much he cares, but... YOU KNOW.

[mylastchance]

He can't help feeling like Lars assessment in this case might not be the most accurate.

"You don't think she'd be happy too?"

[mossbuds]

"I dunno! Augh!"

Lars thuds his head on the table, then looks at Lauren, gesticulating at him with all four of his fingers closed together.

"Like—okay, from her vantage point, she woulda just seen me the other day, prolly! So all'a sudden, my teeth would be lookin' like a bed'a nails, my gums n' tongue're all purple and my eyes are just plain freaky. If I was her, I'd prolly be pretty wigged out. Not a super big turn-on."

He rests his cheek on his palm, lifting himself up from being flopped on the table a bit, scowling as he glances away.

"...Anyway, it doesn't matter."

He pauses, looking back at Lauren rather suddenly.

"What about you, man?" His tone is almost accusatory. LESS TALKING ABOUT HIMSELF, PLS.

[mylastchance]

He was going to comment on that, as he's sure if their positions were reversed Lars would be relieved to see a familiar face, but then Lars is asking Lauren and he's suddenly at a bit of a loss for what to say. He looks away, trying to keep his composure.

"I was dating someone for a while, but it didn't work out."

[mossbuds]

Lars shrugs a shoulder, observing Lauren. Imagine that. Lauren wasn't super charming, so that figured. Well, he wasn't often that charming...

"Shit happens."

He scoffs a little.

"Dating's friggin' overrated, anyway."

The learned wisdom of an inexperienced 17 year old.

[mylastchance]

He slumps in his seat. He'd liked dating personally, though the break up part definitely sucked.

"I'm just happy she survived."

A sentence that makes absolutely no since if you are not Lauren.

[mossbuds]

Lars pauses. He knows it's probably something super serious, but—

—he can't break into guffaws anyway, half attempting to stifle some of them behind his hand.

"What, datin' you?! Bahahahaha!!"

[mylastchance]

Lauren blushes, a bit more noticeable now that his skin is green.

"Yeah well, that too."

[mossbuds]

Lars lets out a big sigh between his uproarious laughs, which soon are just a couple of dorky chuckles.

"Oh, man. Y'really walked into that one."

He wipes the corner of his eye. It... wasn't intentional, at all, but that's definitely cheered Lars up.