Sweetness and Light {Open}

[Lorelei Summer-Lac]

"Oh my wondrous, delicious one, who lays just so out of my reach. How I long to take you into my sweet embrace and crush you as if to smother you into itty bitty pieces against my breast. How I so desperately wish to place my mouth upon you, to taste of you, to have you inside me, filling the emptiness that I can feel steadily growing deep, deep within. Just looking at you fills me with such longing and desire. Why, why must we eternally be apart? Why must the cruel bonds of Fate and circumstance keep us separated, when we are so obviously meant to be together? Whyyyyy!"

So Lorelei was rhapsodizing to a Vending Machine. Her left arm had been slung up against her chest, the splint held in place by a further binding, likely less out of a need and more out of one of the several people who apparently cared about the odd little thing wanting to make sure she didn't do anything stupid (beyond what she'd done). The rest of her looked like it had gone three rounds with a laundromat and the laundry won each time. Hair had been twisted sloppily up and clipped with some sort of brilliant green clip that had jewels of some kind in it. Someone had probably helped her into the baggy, oversized shirt white shirt with some sort of cartoon character on it. She'd managed the tights herself: bright pink. Shoes too: a pair of slip-on Keds, brilliant yellow.

And she was petting the vending machine. "C'mon, I just want some delicious candy," she purred, wiggling a finger around it. Her eyes flashed gold, and a Mars bar shuddered within. Turned out you couldn't telekinesis a candy bar out. Go figure. Lorelei cleared her throat, slapping it, ready to start up another long, exhaustive monologue about candy.

She may have taken a pain killer before coming down here.

Maybe.

I mean, it is Lorelei. This is also perfectly normal.

[Nancy Panic]

Now, Nancy knew full well that both she and her father were easily bewildered...but when she walked out of her class, and started heading out of the building, only to notice a very brightly colored something leaning against the vending machine out of the corner of her eye, she kind of felt like it was justified this time. She felt that even more so when she turned around, and got a full view of the girl, probably about her age, patting the glass of the vending machine, and now she could sort of hear the borderline sonnet she was reciting for the love of chocolate.

This...this was weird. Even by Tintagel standards.

She felt the sudden urge to turn into an animal, but no, no, no, this wasn't the dangerous kind of weird thing, this was just a "concerned for the wellbeing of another person" sort of weird, she tried to tell herself. Instead, she started to tiptoe towards the vending machine, ignoring all the people staring, because they probably weren't staring at her, shut up social anxiety, shut up!

When she finally made it to the other girl, she stammered out, "...do you need some cash or something? Because I feel like that's a better way of getting what you want out of there. I'll...gladly give you some." She couldn't quite keep the "what the everloving hell?" out of her voice, but surely she would be forgiven for that, under these circumstances?

[Lorelei Summer-Lac]

Lorelei paused in her caressing, her eyes narrowing at the machine. Had it just... spoken to her? Because she swore she'd heard something, and she was pretty sure that it wasn't her voice. The accent was off, for one thing. Well, Lorelei supposed it was entirely possible that the machine was talking; for all she knew they did that rather regularly. She tapped it again, eyeballing it.

"I don't need cash," she informed it archly. "I need candy. Specifically the Mars Bars, which are so delicious and soul enriching. I know you know they fight off the demons," Lorelei spread her hand against the glass, and her eyes again flashed gold, causing the candy within to shiver.

"So why would you, sweet machine, want to give me the money to purchase your goods, when it is simply the goods I am desiring so greatly?" she whimpered and pet the glass again. "I do have money. I'm sort of royalty, and also my dad's only daughter and he's a knight. I'm quite certain that you can just," she pointed at the candy, "give. Me. The. Candy."

[Nancy Panic]

...did...did she think the machine was the one talking to her? I mean, sure, that was actually pretty plausible in this place, but she didn't even look around to see if she was alone? You'd think someone would try that before making assumptions about the vending machine gaining sentience...was...was she just dealing with a crazy person? Like, crazier than even your average student or teacher here? Crazy enough to assume machines were talking to her before thinking there might be another person there???

What didn't help her currently pounding heart and racing brain was the word "demon". It wasn't like she was ashamed of her father and her heritage. It's not like either of them could help that Hades was a total jerk she was ashamed to call Grandpa. But the connotations of the word "demon" were enough that her mother almost banned the word from the house. People didn't exactly hear the d word and think that there was more to you than pure evil, and seeing as this girl was claiming the Mars Bars would keep the demons away, she had the feeling she thought that as well...gods, wasn't the whole point of coming here AVOIDING feeling like a freak?

She shook off the feeling, and despite a bunch of misgivings making her want to just turn into a mouse and scurry away, she tried again. "That's...that's not how vending machines work...and no, it's not talking to you." She raised her hand in a pathetic attempt be seen from the other girl's peripheral vision. "I am."

[Lorelei Summer-Lac]

Lorelei's eyes went wide as the machine, or, well, not the machine (it was quite clear about that) started talking. She pulled herself up slightly, completely ignoring (or maybe just not seeing) whatever was in her peripheral vision. Her hand went up.

"Was that you, Mars Bar?" she asked. She leaned forward, whispering to it. "I'm not sure if I can eat you if you're capable of speech. That opens up all kinds of potential mortal quandries. On the one hand," she held out her hand, "we shouldn't eat things that have sentience. On the other hand," she would've held up the other but, you know, splint, "you're super delicious. Also," she narrowed her eyes, "just because you can speak doesn't mean you have sentience. There are plenty of creatures that just make human noises."

Lorelei tapped the glass again shifting. It was then that she caught a reflection, and thought she saw a girl. She shifted to look over her shoulder, seeing the person standing over her. "Are you here for the talking candy too? I'd be careful. It may be sentient, which has all sorts of issues. Unless you're evil. Then I guess you can just eat away."

[Nancy Panic]

...the Mars Bar...this girl now thought...

Should she just give up? She was seriously thinking she should just give up. This girl was determined to think it couldn't possibly be another person who was talking to her, and really, how was she supposed to argue with someone so determined to come to the wrong conclusions? This sort of thing was precisely why politics was always such a mess!

Before she could make an escape however, she was found out...and somehow even then the other girl didn't put two and two together. It was rare that Nancy thought of someone she was looking straight at as being "stupid" because she tried so very hard to be nice, but her patience was really being pushed here, and she was still Della Miller's daughter. And Della Miller didn't suffer fools.

One more chance. If she really doesn't realize from your voice that you were who was talking to her this whole time, then you can lose all hope for her. She took a deep breath, "No to all of the above. I am willing to help you get the candy though, in a much better way than just trying to coax it out." Just...anything to put a stop to the nonsense.

[Lorelei Summer-Lac]

Lorelei focused on the tall blonde girl, narrowing her eyes as if to start seeing through the haze. Words felt a little fuzzy, like she was hearing them through a filter or from across a wall or something along those lines. But Lorelei could still hear them, and bits and pieces were starting to sink in: candy, help her get it, coax it out.

"The coaxing does not seem to be working," agreed Lorelei, shooting the machine another slight glare, about as threatening as a disturbed puppy. "I'm still not sure that a little magic wouldn't work, but I'm also pretty sure that I'm not supposed to use magic like that. Kind of feels like an abuse of a gift, right? Plus I'm mostly good at healing magic," she held up her good arm. "I'm Lorelei, by the way. Lorelei Summer-Lac, sixth princess---wait, third... fourth princess? I'm a princess." She finished, nodding definitely. "You're pretty, and you're going to help me get candy, which makes you even prettier and me quite happy to see you."

She'd already started shaking the hand, not seeming to quite realize that Nancy hadn't gripped it, or maybe she had and Lorelei was just that good?

[Nancy Panic]

Nancy just about wanted to fall on her knees and thank whatever god gave her this miracle when she realized that the other girl was realizing that no, talking to the machine would probably not get her what she wanted. Although she had to admit, she missed the fact that she had magic...how the hell was it taking her this long? Sure, she knew that some people specialized in specific facets of magic, but surely it couldn't have been that hard. But...sure, yeah, it'd totally be an abuse of power...okay she wouldn't hold that against her, not succeeding in literally stealing candy.

"Um, nice to meet you, Princess?" After all, the title seemed rather important to her. Funny, seeing as she admitted to not even being the only princess in her family, let alone the only princess in this school. She was fairly certain young royals made about 50% of the student body...but at least she didn't seem particularly snobbish about it. She came off a little too...crazy, to be snobby. Especially when she started shaking the air like it was a hand...she should probably...reach out her hand and try to catch that? It only seemed polite, even if Nancy was borderline terrified by this point.

"I'm Nancy, and, thanks...it's really no problem..." She pulled her wallet out of her jean pocket. "Which one did you want?"

[Lorelei Summer-Lac]

A giggle-snort bubbled out of Lorelei. "You don't have to call me that. It makes me sound like someone's precious pet poodle or something. Or maybe like I'm a mystical pony. Except that if I were a pony, I'd probably be called something related to Summer. Like maybe Summer Lore or --" Lorelei paused, squinting. Had she used that name? Was this before or after the pony based fanfiction? Time was fuzzy in this place, really.

Lorelei noted the wallet, and she almost let out a little squeal. She did wave with her good hand. "You don't have to use the money! Or I can pay you back!" She paused for only a moment, before pointing over her shoulder, not looking at the machine. "That one. The mars bar. Because it rhymes and that makes it more delicious. Or suspicious. Because rhyme," she wiggled her finger, then looked up over her shoulder, seeing she was pointing at something else.

Lorelei pulled a quick face, then dragged her finger over, pointing back at the Mars Bar. "Chocolate," she all but moaned, pawing the machine again. Her eyes flashed gold, and a few bars jostled, looking about ready to spring loose.

[Nancy Panic]

"Yeah, I guess it does," Nancy agreed, although it seemed like Lorelei was off in her own little world by the time she had even said that, talking about what her name would be if she were a pony? She supposed there was something to be admired for being able to go straight to such a...creative place, so randomly? She was sure her mother's brain probably worked similarly. Her mother was just better at making sure no one got lost if she was talking about her creative thought process. Plus she had no idea if Lorelei was even planning to do anything with that thought process. She might've just been utterly obsessed with My Little Pony...oh gods, she hoped that wouldn't be all she heard from her now. Not that she had anything against the show, it was fine, she liked unicorns, but oh gods, please no 24/7 pony talk while she was helping her get some freaking chocolate.

"Really, it's no big deal, but if you want to pay me back, go ahead, I guess," she answered. By this point she was sort of avoiding eye contact, as if she were looking for an escape or regretting this decision of charity already...and well, okay, she couldn't quite hate the rhyming thing. Mom talked about Uncle Westley's friends who had a great gift for rhyme...some of the time. Oh no, now she was doing it.

...and she was still trying to magic it out, wasn't she? With a sigh, she typed in the numbers for the Mars Bar. By this point, she didn't care if Lorelei thought the candy falling down was due to her magic or due to just how the machine worked. At least hopefully she'd stop trying to magic her way to candy.

[Lorelei Summer-Lac]

No, Lorelei was not obsessed with ponies... much. There were just too many things for her to be obsessed with one particular aspect. Well, except for everyone around her. She was definitely obsessed with them in an almost unhealthy way.

"I will so pay you back," mumbled Lorelei. That was assuming she remembered it. Though at this point, her mind was so fogged by the sheer possibility of chocolate that she really couldn't think of much else. Well, beyond her magic, which was just going off at almost automatic intervals at this point. Eyes flashed, chocolate stirred and..

...and fell? Lorelei let out a little gasp. "I'm magic!" she said, before snaking her right hand into the slot. She tore at the wrapper with her teeth and just sort of stared longingly, lovingly, at the chocolate for a while, looking about ready to caress and/or cuddle the bar.

[Nancy Panic]

"Okay, thank you," she answered, though she was pretty sure Lorelei wasn't listening at this point. Just...what a strange person. Although she supposed it was likely she was high on painkillers, if the splint was any indication of her current state...she supposed if that were the case she felt a little bad about her response to this. She was just so bewildered, was all...but hey, she bought the girl chocolate despite her misgivings, right? That had to count for something...

Annnnnnd as expected, she credited her magic for the chocolate dropping. Again, who cared? As long as she was happy...and she clearly was...as she...basically was cradling the chocolate like it was her first born.

"Well..." She clapped her hands together, starting to slowly back away. "I'm glad that was all sorted out...I'm..." She pointed behind her. "Gonna step out...nice meeting you?" And she was about to walk off as briskly as she could without making it LOOK like she was escaping a crazy person.

[Lorelei Summer-Lac]

Lorelei started nibbling at the bar, seeming to have forgotten that she needed to take it out of the wrapper first. She hooked the plastic with her teeth and pulled it off, demonstrating perhaps a tad bit more ferocity than was strictly necessary. Soon she had chocolate in her mouth and was making noises that were probably not too fit for public listening.

She pushed off the machine and wobbled upright. "Waaaait,' she said, waving toward Nancy, "you're Nancy, right? The half---quarter---part demon girl?" she tilted her head and took another bite of her candy. "Omigod, this is just too good," it really was too. all creamy and caramely and filled with delicious chocolate in every bite. She was distracted by the fact that she'd sort of offhandedly revealed some more of her stalking and information... again.

[Nancy Panic]

Sadly, Nancy was pretty incapable of being outright rude, at least intentionally so, so when Lorelei called her back, she had no choice but to freeze and turn around. She wasn't really able to wipe the pained expression off of her face entirely, so it looked like she had sun in her eyes somehow. For gods' sake Nancy, this isn't going to kill you! her conscience screamed at her, so she took a deep breath and tried to process what she was saying...annnnnnd literally the first thing she said was basically calling her a part demon girl. Great.

Like, it wasn't as if she was ashamed of her heritage or her father. Of course not. But that word was always a little loaded, if only because she remembered how much it hurt her mother whenever she used it as a child. She knew it was only because she'd say, No one wants to be friends with the demon girl and her mother would say, Either wear it with pride or don't use that word, I'm not going to let you bring yourself down like that. She had embraced a lot of it, but the word still kind of stung. She grew up in the "real world", after all, and people didn't tend to like demons there, and even those that did liked them because they were "badass" and "morally grey". Not exactly a fun environment for someone who knew what she was.

"I...yeah, that's me. And it's half, pretty much..." And then she blinked upon remembering she had literally never heard of this girl and it wasn't like she advertised herself. "...hold the phone, how do you know who I am?" This was one of those moments that made her want to shift into an animal that could either escape this conversation quickly, or at least kind of threaten her, but...no, no, she'd wait to hear her explanation and then fight or flight.

[Lorelei Summer-Lac]

"oh, I've got notebooks," said Lorelei, waving a hand. She paused to chew her candy bar, eyelids fluttering a little. Yes, she was definitely feeling the pain killers about now. Riding the dragon and all that. She grinned sloppily up at Nancy, again trying to rise to her feet (which may be awkward, as she and definitely not Fate, couldn't quite remember if she'd gotten up already and was standing and leaning against the machine or still crouched down. She was definitely leaning now, and eating her mars bar).

"See, there are only so many blondes, and I kinda have some photographs though I don't remember where they came from? But, like, I have notes on your parents and stuff down in journals. Not creepy journals. I'm definitely not creepy. I just... kinda wanted to know all about everyone and stuff. But I hadn't met you yet, and now I have!" she waved her arm at Nancy, giggled again, and took another bite out of the candy. "And you bought me candy! Oh," her eyes went wide, 'did I pay you back for the candy!? I should so pay you back! Did you want some?" she held the half-eaten bar up in Nancy's direction.