Devon holds the door as he and Liah walk into the sketchy noodle shop in Upper Yggdrasil, tapping his heel as he waits. He hadn't said much on the short walk over, not wanting her to flip out on him right away. And sure, that had been nice and all, except now it was starting to feel awkward. "... Catch any good movies...?" Ew. No.
Cliff Racer - Today at 8:48 PM
Liah had seemed pretty mopey during the walk to the noodle shop, and a little like she was going along with Devon more because she was asked to than because she really wanted to. Still, what Devon asked managed to actually get a tiny smirk and a change in the look in her eye. Sympathy for the attempt, maybe. It takes her a second to have a breath and work up the emotional energy to say "I wish. I'd had my eye on a horror movie coming to theaters soon, but I need to find a good day for it."
Kavi Corben - Today at 8:53 PM
"Well, once we find my exit, maybe I'll go with you, and we can make fun of the dumb blonde character that gets killed in the first thirty minutes." Devon feels a brief pulse of relief run through him. He has to stop himself from saying something stupid and making it worse. He wants to care about these people. they're supposed to be his... friends, or something. "Calling it now. That's exactly how it starts." He slumps into a chair right away, tipping it back slightly and holding himself up with an extended leg. The motion causes an ugly scraping noise.
Cliff Racer - Today at 8:59 PM
"Ha. It's always the pretty one that bites it first, isn't it? It's a shame, too, they're usually the only characters that get my attention in the more mediocre ones that've been floating around recently." Conversation seems to be helping her a little. She's replacing her bad mood with lighthearted criticism, which is something a bit more normal. She ends up fixing her eyepatch a little as she's talking, her breakdown put it out-of-sorts, mostly with tears soaking in.
Kavi Corben - Today at 9:15 PM
"It's formulaic. They do it on purpose." Devon is quick to order a beverage questionably similar to a soda, and a bowl of... the house special, he supposes. "The writer designs a cast, literally with the intention of doing the same thing over 'cuz the highest grossing film did it. I was almost cast for one of those stupid bit parts."
Cliff Racer - Today at 9:20 PM
Devon ordering his food seems to remind Liah that she needs to eat, so she half-heartedly asks for ice water and a couple egg rolls. "Eh, I guess I always felt aware of that..." She trails off while her brain does some quick mental addition. "...you're in the acting biz?"
Kavi Corben - Today at 9:25 PM
"Mhm." Devon's mouth goes a little flat again. That face. "'s a teen sitcom, but it's only just coming out of production." He sips his drink, frowning a little. "I'm a model. Teen magazine bullcrap. Fashion, sports, and gossip. The whole nine yards. I make the cover sometimes. And some network executive did the math, saw how well I do in front of a camera, and decided I needed to be on TV." He shrugs. "Didn't ask for it, but I didn't say no."
Cliff Racer - Today at 9:30 PM
Liah shrugs as well, leaning back in her chair. "Had no clue. Guess it doesn't matter much, when things get more exciting than TV and clothes down here." She saws one of her egg rolls in half with her actual-weapon knife, ending up absentmindedly rolling one of the halves around with a finger. "Well, with some excitement 'bleeding out'..."
Kavi Corben - Today at 9:37 PM
"... Yeah. 'Bout that." Devon rather thoughtfully chews on a bite of... he's pretty sure that's a vegetable. This food is weird and he's trying not to think about it. At least Liah's egg rolls look more or less normal... "We're not about to be scared off, yeah? Like, from saving people. Obviously someone's got something to gain from..." He motions his hand out the window. "... that."
"I guess... the better question is... are you gonna be okay?"(edited)
Cliff Racer - Today at 9:45 PM
Liah considers the question for a second, humming a sigh while she examines the cross-section of her egg roll. "Of course. My house getting wrecked like that was just... hmmm. Doesn't matter." It does matter, obviously, but Liah's doing her best to pretend. "If I didn't have minions around to remind me about food, I might be a little worse." She shoots a playful look, then manages a bite. "Right now, I just need to figure out how much of my budget I can spare on fixing things up. That's the only real issue to me right now."
Kavi Corben - Today at 9:49 PM
Devons eyes reflexively narrow, but no, he snaps his face back to normal. She's not asking him. He's pretty sure. if she wanted it, she'd be a little more direct. "If you need help, ask. We're supposed to be, like, a team or something." He sips his drink again. "'n I ain't your damn minion. Eat your 'food'." He quickly turns back to his harsh demeanor. Can't have people thinking he's soft or something.

He's not stupid. He knows she's hurt. But he's not sure how to help the problem, just the symptoms.
Cliff Racer - Today at 9:54 PM
Liah chuckles, delighted with Devon's reaction. "I might need a couple strong folks if they went for my couches too, but this is more a matter of appraising the actual damage, not paying for it. I'm honestly just not sure how much repairs will cost yet!" It's so hard to tell when this chick is being genuine but she's probably being genuine here. Sighing at the idea of 'effort', she continues as she raises her egg roll to her mouth again. "This was a diversion I needed. I'll have to make it up to you."(edited)
Kavi Corben - Today at 9:57 PM
"... The movies." That's all Devon says in reply. He of course means a lot more - You don't owe me anything. It was my pleasure. I'm just happy to help. All of that. But 'nice' was never his forte. And his answer was, if nothing else, satisfactory.
Cliff Racer - Today at 10:03 PM
"We'll have to see where the closest cinema is between our doorways. Blind criticising movies with an insider...? Oho, I'm looking forward to it."