Van/Rune chat in the giant's castle

[4:00 AM] trAshmallow: Setting, time of day, current or past

[4:00 AM] MochaKimono: in transit after the castle
[4:01 AM] MochaKimono: setting would be like, sometime during that time when they're not doing anything else and Van would just be like "oh hey Rune I wanna ask ya somethin"

[4:02 AM] trAshmallow: Mk.
[4:05 AM] trAshmallow: Rune jumps a bit, caught a little off guard, but settles down after seeing Van.   "Yeah... what's up?"

[4:14 AM] MochaKimono: "I had some kinda random questions..."

[4:17 AM] trAshmallow: Rune was sitting somewhere where she could watch the landscape roll by. She gestures to the empty space next to her. "Shoot, I guess..."

[4:24 AM] MochaKimono: Van plops next to her. "Okay so. Uh. Like. I have that..." She might have had a plan going into this but clearly putting the words into order isn't going accordingly. "You know how I'm always just, not caring about gender and shit, and I'll change it whenever, on a lark, and all that."

[4:27 AM] trAshmallow: "Yeah..?" Rune directs her attention away from the view and raises an eyebrow at Van, not seeing where this is going.

[4:31 AM] MochaKimono: "I mean, I guess, uhhh, what I'm getting at, d'ya ever consider like, uh." She makes a somewhat pained throaty noise at herself. "I guess I'm wondering what other people... in the group... would... think..."

[4:40 AM] trAshmallow: Rune gave a small snort. "Who cares what others think. If it makes you happy and comfortable, and they dont like it, that's their issue. They can deal, and if not, then they're not worth it. If they make you feel like you have to jump through hoops and conform to their expectations just to keep their friendship, then they're not your friends. You can, and do, deserve better than that. Screw what anyone else thinks, you do you, and be happy..."

[4:43 AM] MochaKimono: Van stares... for a while. Her usual kind of blank-face being what it is, it's hard to read exactly what the expression is, but it's definitely got some kind of surprise and embarrassment. She starts to say something a couple times, and just eventually smiles warmly. "...Rune, have I ever told you that you're a good kid? A good... person."

[4:46 AM] trAshmallow: "....." Rune returned to staring out. Another moment of silence as the ship drifts by. "Not... that I can think of, lately anyway... maybe in the past..."

[4:47 AM] MochaKimono: Van frowns a little. "...Oh. Well. You are." She raises an arm to offer a side-hug around the shoulders.

[4:54 AM] trAshmallow: Rune leans in and wraps her arms around Van, turning it into a full hug, giving her one small squeeze. "I'm glad you're here with me, and stuck through everything... thank you."

[4:55 AM] MochaKimono: Van returns the full hug. "You too. To both of those."

[6:15 AM] trAshmallow: ((Also yeah still awake, was that it or did you have more? Sorry brain ded

[6:16 AM] MochaKimono: ((oh I thought you fell asleep lol))

[6:16 AM] trAshmallow: ((Trying to but nope

[6:17 AM] MochaKimono: ((There was something else totally that Van was going to ask as well but the conversation went in an unexpected direction there and now it'd be awkward for her to be like "SO ANYWAY..." lmao))

[6:19 AM] trAshmallow: ((You realize van is awkward right lol
[10:33 PM] trAshmallow: what was the other thing van was gonna ask?

[10:36 PM] MochaKimono: I'll tell you later XD