Second Try [DerLampman]

@"Paradox"

There was a strange, almost nauseating sensation playing in the recesses of Eph's mind. It was a nagging, feeling, as if she were being hunted - searching eyes tracking down an endangered species. The feeling had her on edge, standing on the tips of her toes (were that the right term) and her tail curled around her waist defensively.

She had reason to be wary of hostility after all her drunken antics. She did some weird things under the influence - she at some point... froze the lake? Frogs? A tree? The details of that particular thing were hazy, but she could remember most of her offenses, especially that steamy little episode. Eph had no idea why that particular act happened; she's been drunk in the past, and she only ever ended up friendly, not touchy-feely.

"Eph!"

Oh god, that voice.

Eph froze, her tail swinging fully upright, towering over her already tall tophat. She chose perhaps the wrong day ro be in such distinct costuming - a frilly, elegant dress and knee-length boots were useful for many things, but not running.

Eph, I'm so sorry about the last time... Ah, uh... Um can we talk?"

She couldn't retreat, and instead flinched. "Ayayayayayaya."

Eph smiled tentatively and raised both claws in surrender, palms out, and slowly strode over to Adelene. "Heeeeeeey... I, um, yeah. But, can we, um, talk elsewhere? I'm fine anywhere actually, but it might not be in your best interest if you're suddenly being bowed to by a lizard in gothic lolita in the - uh, here."

@"Paradox"

Okay, perhaps Adelene wasn't some sort of predator at the moment. That was a good thing. She seemed to be offering a branch of peace - also good. She also seemed to be apologetic. That... that wasn't good. Eph made it a point to take responsibility for her actions, and the way things looked, she'd end up in a never-ending loop of apology.

"Well, my pa said people bow when they're sorry, and my ma never said sorry for anything, so I'd think daddy tree trumps mommy witch in that regard." Eph grinned nervously, unsure if things were making sense. She said no lies, but not everyone would just dismiss her strange-to-all-hell ancestry. "Probably not going to bow if it's embarrassing to you though - I'm used to embarrassing myself, if you couldn't tell with, ah, all this stuff on me."

It was amazing how Eph drove friendly conversation into the weird territory in ten seconds flat. She reckoned there should be some award for her to get from that.

Eph bit her lip and let her tail down. "Ayayayaya - I don't really..? I'd take you home but -wow that sounds so something else - number one, my place is way out in the forest which again, is not a good place to invite girls, and number two, my dorm can barely even fit me in with all the crap I stored there."

@"Paradox"

A click of the tongue or a light hiss punctuated Eph's words as she contemplated each option. "Your place... I'm fine with distance but I don't think having me in your house is a good idea. The lake, well... so long as we're not in the lake, it's fine? The tower - ooh, I like that. If things end up going wrong and knowing me they probably will, I could just jump off in slow-mo. Tower it is."

Eph scratched at her chin, and began to fondle a nonexistent beard. "Damn, I should've gone with my Batgirl outfit if I knew this was going to happen. Now I'll have to fall vertically."

At least she felt less tense now. Less.

She wrinkled her nose and squished her cheeks as if to hype herself up. "Okay, let's do this thing! Which reminds me... what are we talking about?"

@"Paradox"

"Heeeeey! Don't feel guilty if I do it - I'm going to be doing it mostly to be cool. Seriously. How cool would it be if I jumped from the tower, went down in slow-motion, all the while shouting out badass one-liners?" Eph let herself be absorbed in reverie, imagining all sorts of action film clichés as the two walked to the tower. In no time, they were there.

"Wow. Time sure flies when you fast-forward to the destination, doesn't it?" Eph asked, mildly exhausted. She had to chill herself a bit, and she cooled herself down with a faint glow enveloping her.

Now that they were both here, Eph was very seriously considering jumping off and coming back just for the heck of it. The urge was strong, and she had to stay in the center of the floor to make sure she was a fair distance away from doing so.

She took off her hat and bowed low, almost comically. She smiled and adopted a terrible classy accent as she spoke, "Well met, madam. What did you wish to discuss? ...Wow, my accents are terrible."

@"Paradox"

"Wait."

"Wait."

"...what?"

Eph punctuated each word with a deepening of the confused furrow on her forehead, and the confusion only deepened further with every word. It was actually more along the lines of disbelief, in all honesty. She couldn't believe it. No, not the fact that she wanted to be friends. What she couldn't believe was that people actually said those words.

Then she let out that familiarly disturbing laugh of drywall screws being crushed in a blender, only this time it was much more intense and she was actually coughing from laughing so much. She bent over, and then soon keeled over on the floor, curling up.

"Oh - oh - oh my god that is so - is so - ha - Adelene, that is the single - seriously - that is the most precious thing I have ever heard! Oh god, oh god, oh god - please pay for my lung surgery after this - that was - I didn't think people actually said that!"

Eph laughed some more, and then carefully, as the laughing fit tapered off, drew herself back to a standing position, tears in her eyes. "I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm sorry, that was mean, you deserve better than that - here, take my hat. I'm - I'm fine now. I, um, I just wasn't expecting any of that to be honest and really, that was the cutest thing ever. Also, I may have overreacted cause it wasn't you pulling out a gun."