⇨ The Tourist Trap: PROLOGUE

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: Any time before the start of the event.
Where: Portland area, in the new reality.
What: Once you've submitted your AU summary, you can use this post to do some CLOSED THREADING to play out some character interactions that happened before the event start. This means that memory regains will not be in play yet. Open top levels are not allowed - these threads are intended to sort out closed interactions between planned backstory connections, during the week leading up to the actual event start.
Warnings: Could be anything.

PORTLAND, AS YOU KNEW IT↴ The shift went unseen and unfelt. One moment you were one person, and the next, another. This before all that, though, in the new life that you remember living here in Portland. No memories of your true self have arisen yet, and at the time this was the only life you knew. Did these events truly happen at all? Or do they only exist in memory?

Comments

[pipers_son]

Sorry, Ginko, but angels are truthful creatures* so unfortunately the next words out of Joker's mouth are....

"Supposed ta mean that I'm wonderin' if the two of ya will ever go at it." Curling a hand at his chin, he hums. "At least, I know he'd go for it if he thought ta, because that's- well. Y'know." Demons. Sex demons. Yeah. "So that kinda thing."



*this is 100% bullshit

[dontpokethat]

Oh god yeah it was the less unassuming meaning after all. Ginko opens his mouth, but no sound comes out at first, so he closes it and tries again.

"I-- no. No, we won't! That isn't going to happen." Just ignore how red his face is turning. "So, that's... that's one question answered, you're welcome."

[pipers_son]

Lips tucked in, Joker takes a deep breath in through his nose and visibly tries not to laugh at the flustered expression that takes over Ginko's entire face. Every day, it becomes more and more obvious just why Psi likes hanging around with this guy.

"Thanks," he says, when he's sure he won't burst out into giggles. "So he ain't yer type, huh?"

[dontpokethat]

"I mean-- well, no, that's... that's not it." He hunches his shoulders slightly and looks away. The fact that Joker is obviously trying not to laugh at him doesn't make this any less uncomfortable to talk about. "It just... it wouldn't be a good idea."

[pipers_son]

....Oh.

He'd just been fucking around, a little bit, but at that... Joker scoots a tad closer, clearly having perked up. "I mean, there's probably obvious reasons why it ain't a good idea," he says, because he's honest and sorry, Psi, but you aren't marriage material. "But he is yer type in the end, huh?"

[dontpokethat]

"I... guess? Maybe. I don't know." He shifts uncomfortably, tugging at his sleeves. "I don't know if I even have a type, exactly, I just... you know."

He just... has a huge crush on a demon.

Because he's an idiot.

[pipers_son]

Joker won't judge. Really, it's not even the worst emotional decision he's ever seen a human make. And Psi, honestly, isn't even the worst demon. Or, rather, he is the worst demon, but in a good way for humans. So Joker just grins a little, scooching closer.

"He's funny 'tho, right?" he asks. "Or is there somethin' else ya like about him?"

[dontpokethat]

Oooh boy this conversation sure is getting more in-depth than Ginko would like. His shoulders hunch slightly, and his grip on his sleeves tightens.

"I... I guess he is, yeah. So that's... probably a pretty big part of it."

[pipers_son]

Ginko, don't die over there. Joker pauses as he takes in those subtle cues, own fingers tapping lightly against his own seat.

"Mind if I ask what else?" he says, wondering if Ginko would clam up if he casually invaded his space. He wants to, but he wants to help figure out this whole problem too. "Could give advice, if ya like."

[dontpokethat]

Ginko pointedly ignores that first part; his response to the second, however, is pretty quick.

"No. Unless, of course, you've got advice for getting rid of unwanted... crushes." He grimaces a little as he says the word. It sounds so childish, but that's not even the worst part of it. He'd rather not be thinking about this to begin with, let alone talking about it.

[pipers_son]

Alright. Well. He asked for it.

"Date 'im." Said simply and matter of factly, even as Joker leans back with a shrug. "If it were any demon, I wouldn't say it, but Psi outta be fine with doin' that, I think."

[dontpokethat]

"--No." Definitely, definitely not. "No, absolutely not. I don't think he even-- look, have you ever known him to actually date anyone?" Because so far as Ginko can tell, that just... isn't something he does.

"It's not going to happen."

[pipers_son]

"That's exactly why ya should date him." Sighing, Joker rolls his head to the side, scraping his fingers through his hair.

"Some things, ya gotta do ta realize how bad an idea they are, or else yer always gonna be wonderin'. Yer never gonna stop thinkin' about it, never gonna stop longin'. It's bleedin' masochistic is what it is." Hand pulling away from his hair, he snaps his fingers to point at Ginko. "So ya date 'im. And ya realize all the annoyin' stuff ya wouldn't realize if ya kept it platonic-like."

Pausing, he considered something and shrugged. "Or it actually turns out well, even if he's a mess of a creature on the Lord's good earth, but in that case, ain't it a win-win situation there?"

[dontpokethat]

"I'm not wondering anything, I know it would be a bad idea, even if it were possible."

He rests his elbows on the table and lets out a frustrated groan, resting his forehead in his hands. "It's... it's not even a matter of whether dating him would be a good idea, it's that... it just wouldn't work. And even if it did, he..."

He presses his lips together, faltering briefly before he keeps going. "...he's already got that whole thing with Foster. I... can't be dating the same guy as one of my best friends."

The last thing he needs is to end up constantly comparing himself and Foster. Definitely not.

[pipers_son]

....Oh. Right. That.

Joker ponders for a second if he should point out that it might not be what Ginko thinks- demons, and all that- but keeps quiet. Instead, he hums, thinking. This is clearly something Ginko has been fussing about, and Psi can't make it easy, being.... himself, and all that.

"Could always try datin' me," he suggests offhandedly. "Sometimes folks don't realize what they're doin' or what they're feelin' until they see the results in front of 'em. And demons are particularly thick, although I ain't sayin' that with a trace of bias or anythin'."

[dontpokethat]

Ginko is, unfortunately, in the process of taking a bite of his pastry when Joker makes that suggestion - meaning he nearly ends up choking on it.

"I-- I mean, I guess that makes sense," he sputters, once he can talk again. "But I-- are you sure that's a good idea?"

[pipers_son]

Whups. On account of that he very much likes Ginko alive instead of dead by choking on pastries, the angel reaches over to smack him on the back some. Good thing he knows the Heimlich, although that's a worst case scenario.

"Well, it's debatable, ta be honest, but what makes ya say that?"

[dontpokethat]

"I mean, it's--" He gestures uselessly for a couple seconds, then just lets his hands drop. "There are so many ways that could go wrong. Seriously, us pretending to date just to see how he reacts-- it sounds like the plot of a crappy movie or something. We just... we shouldn't."

Besides which, he feels like even fake-dating someone as attractive and nice as Joker would have the potential to create a whole new problem for him.

[pipers_son]

"Always wanted ta be in movies," he says slyly, a smile to match. "Bet ya would be a great romance lead, too."

But he's getting sidetracked, here. Joker considers the problem and then shrugs. "Well, then, we could skip all the fake datin' and I could just ask him what he thinks of the idea. Wouldn't even be a lie then, would it? Just askin' him what he thinks of a possibility. That'd be enough ta get an idea of how he feels about ya a little more."

[dontpokethat]

"Doubt it." He pretty much just mumbles it, enough that it might not even sound like words, depending on how much attention Joker is paying.

Ginko almost rejects that idea outright, as well, but his mouth twists into a frown as he thinks it over. "No, that... I mean. Maybe?"

Hmmm.

"If you did that, would you be able to do it without... you know, giving him the idea that... that there's a reason for it? Y'know, just... a hypothetical thing."

[pipers_son]

"Sure." Joker shrugs. "That sorta thing is easy. We always chat about different kinds of nonsense all the time, so this'd just be one more, wouldn't it?"

Leaning over, he pats his shoulder with a grin. "There's no need ta worry. I know what I'm doin'."

[dontpokethat]

"...Yeah. 'Course."

If he sounds doubtful, it's less that he doesn't trust that Joker knows what he's doing and more that he feels like this will find a way to blow up in his face anyway.

[pipers_son]

Such a vote of confidence.

Joker decides to change the conversation around, sort of. "So have ya gotten many crushes in the past?" he asks cheerfully, partially because he really is genuinely curious. It wouldn't be unusual if he did, or if he didn't, but Joker can't help but be curious either way. After all, a demon as a crush certainly is, well.... a thing.

[dontpokethat]

Oh good a change of topic-- wait no Ginko still wants to die a little.

"I mean, not... not a lot. It's happened before, but they're not super frequent or anything."

[pipers_son]

"Takes ya a bit ta get those kinda feelings ta blossom, huh?" Joker laughs a little bit, leaning over to see if there's anything he can steal from Ginko's lunch- not to seriously eat, just to see.

"In contrast, I bet tons of people have gotten crushes on ya~."