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[ephemerios]

It has come to my attention that we need a very important question answered here by EVERYONE: We have a few people here from Hawkins. Who has the best hair of the Hawkins group?

We need a vote.

[ A list of names follows as the options. It reads: Robin Buckley, Chrissy Cunningham, Billy Hargrove, Steve Harrington, Max Mayfield, Eddie Munson.

Yes, that's the whole post.

Shitposting on an alien planet 101. ]

Comments

[work_wife]

[Robin's reading this message. Yep. Not yelping. And not immediately regretting reading it in the window of her damn room. Where the yelp turns into a jerk of her hands. And a jerk of her hands turns into her comm device sailing serenely out through the open window.

And falling. Plummeting really. Right down through the air. A little twinkling spot of shock. Good thing the things are durable. She'll have to retrieve that later.

Now she's just cursing. Loudly. In French though the auto translation will compensate for that fact for anyone currently in the Hawkins hallway of the hotel. Because, you know, this is her luck. Chrissy's going to think Robin HATES HER now!]

[ephemerios]

[When a reply doesn't come, on account of it being window yeeted, the question is somewhat answered at loud cursing in Robin's voice. She's not sure whether it's a good idea to poke her head out and see what's up or if she should just let Robin chill, so she goes with the latter for the current moment, though she may decide otherwise soon. Unless Robin does either first.]

[work_wife]

[Not like she knows where Chrissy is. So Robin flops onto her bed like the ineffective woman she is and groans, arm thrown over her face. How is she so bad at... well, everything!? God she's a mess.]

Steve's going to laugh so hard.

[ephemerios]

[because Billy said so.

she knocks on Robin's door and calls out softly ]

You okay?

[work_wife]

[Good news, bad news.

The good news? Robin didn't close her door well so the knocking sends it swinging open a bit.

Bad new? Robin's so shocked that Chrissy was in her room and now at her door, and her door is opening, that she yelps and flinches instinctively. Which is bad when she's laying dramatically near the edge of her bed.

Cue Robin managing to roll herself off of her bed and onto the floor with a loud 'oof!'.]

[ephemerios]

[she invites herself the rest of the way in and offers her a hand up from off the floor. Don't break your face, Robin]

[work_wife]

[Oh god, this is so embarrassing. Robin’s face is so damn red. But she takes the hand and lets Chrissy help her up to her feet.]

I’m sorry. Coordination is not my thing when it’s not marching.

[ephemerios]

Don't apologize, just don't break your face. [ A quick half smile. ]

I heard all the. [ She pauses for a half a second. ] Noise. So I wanted to make sure you were okay. [ And not upset at her, but she doesn't say that bit. ]

[work_wife]

That's Steve's job, yeah.

[Okay? She's not okay. She looks toward the window with a sigh.]

Accidentally dropped my device through the window. I'm just so graceful.

[ephemerios]

It happens. [ Not that she's ever done it. but hey, she might one day. ]

We could always continue where we left off, or you know, go collect your device, that also works.

[work_wife]

[Continue where they left off? Robin blushes.]

Yeah. About that. Wow I'm so sorry for how I didn't respond. It's not that it's something I judge you for just in case you're worried. I could never judge someone for something like that. Because it's just not right. It would be hypocritical. Which is a really weird word, isn't it? Hypocritical. Couldn't they go more for a German root? Ubercritical maybe. Overcritical. No, wait, that isn't the same sentiment at all.

[ephemerios]

[ She laughs softly at the rambling. It's cute ok. But at least that's one less thing to worry about ]

I guess it does sound a little weird, if you say it too many times in a row. Or if you were, I imagine, really high. [ Also not that she knows anything about being high yet. But it also leaves a question of: ]

Hypocritical how?

[work_wife]

[Why is she laughing at the rambling? It can't be laughing at her. Chrissy isn't that mean. Is she... does she find it charming? That's so impossible. Not charming then. Cute? Oh god, that's not possible either. Nothing's possible.]

Oh, I say plenty of things in a row. But, uh, because I'm just, you know, like that. You. Where I, you know. The thing. And feeligns and all that. Which is... You know. Girls.

[ephemerios]

Your rambling is cute. Did I accidentally short-circuit you? [ Sorry if she did!!!

But at least she gets what she's trying to say. Because "You know. Girls." does a lot to explain in few words. Being in a place like this where there are people from different times and places also emphasises even more just how small town Indiana from the years they're from would not have let either them say that without some serious side-eye at best. So it's not weird that she didn't know before now, but she's glad to know now — and likewise, she doesn't make it into a Big Deal. And she'd say thank god that several of these Hawkins teens can have this place to be more free to express themselves. ]

But, oh! [ Another smile. ] So, we can be non-hypocritical about it at the same time. [ Obviously. But also a reference to what she's just said in a way that hopefully breaks more of the ice about it. They are learning things today. ]

[work_wife]

[Okay, if she hadn't short circuited Robin before, she would have now. Her rambling is cute? Robin's always thought it would be something that would turn girls off of her. In fact, it would make sense if it did. But Chrissy said it was cute and Robin has to sit down heavily on the edge of her bed (she doesn't miss thank fuck) because she's shocked and blushing.]

I, uh... Never would have guessed. You're, um, good at hiding it. I've always thought I'm not. That someone was going to figure me out, and then bam, that's the end of me in Hawkins.

[ephemerios]

Blah blah image to maintain, nonsense about even more unattainable perfection than perfection already is, it goes to your head. Not in an ego-inflating way. [ And that's on toxic parenting. ] Honestly, I haven't even said it to anyone until like a few minutes ago.

[ Congrats hearing it first? ]

Hawkins doesn't deserve any of us cool people, anyway. But I know what you meant; did people like give you shit for 'suspecting' it in band or something? [ The "shit" rolls off her tongue easily. Probably more easily than Robin might think. She's usually not the type to curse out loud, even among close friends, but a while ago, Eddie was privileged (?) to witness her first out-loud cursing — and it was an f-bomb. They'd been discussing The Shit™ that went down in Hawkins — specifically in relation to her dying and him being caught up in it, so it was a well deserved f-bomb when talking about the company she kept there. ]

[work_wife]

[Had she heard it first? What about Billy? You know what, don't tell her that Billy's encouraged this. The guy will be so self satisfied.]

No one ever has, or ever will, genuinely mean 'cool' when they are talking about me, Chrissy. But thank you. That said, no one really suspected it. But there was this thing in sophomore year where my two 'friends' [Yes it does get air quotes thanks for noticing] decided I should date our third friend. It was awkward for us. Really awkward. Apparently the only thing any girl could possibly logically want at any time was a boyfriend. Which, yeah, never on my list.

Also, did you just say 'shit'?

[ephemerios]

[ Close enough that they can share the title. Both first. ]

I do. [ So, /SHRUG. ]

Ew, sorry they did that. Ill-advised matchmaking, which really is just all of it in my experience, is always awkward. Also, experience says boyfriends are hit or miss. But I'm also bad at picking them so maybe that's just me.

And yes I did.

[work_wife]

Oh, it was worse. The guy wasn't really trying to help me with it. Uh, any chance you remember a guy named Dash Montague in the band? He was one of the other three people in my little group in marching band. We were paired off by instruments, and my group had instruments that were sorta like mine. Anyway, he ended up dating the other girl in our group, Kate. And apparently decided that since I was rebuffing Kate's attempts to set me up with our friend Milton... Well, he decided I had to be into him. And that it was okay for us to cheat on Kate.

God, it was so dramatic. Sophomore year sucked.

[Of course Robin was behind some drama among the upperclassmen in their sophomore year that was kept sorta quiet so she didn't want to get into all of the baggage. She didn't want Chrissy to know she was the one who hit multiple cars at the school parking lot the night of prom. There was plenty of gossip about that one.]

I'm... Listen, I didn't like Jason at all, if I'm honest. But I'm sorry that, you know. All that happened with him happened.

[ephemerios]

[her eyebrows lift as she hears the story]

Honestly, props to you for not changing your name and moving because I would be tempted.

[that is TOO MUCH]

To be fair I don't think many people did, and that's an understatement. I would be pretty annoyed if he showed up here, for what he did to you guys.

[work_wife]

Like may parents would have let me! And it wasn't even the worst thing that happened.

[Still Robin's smiling a little.]

You know, it might be interesting to hear you tell him off over it. To tell him how he was wrong. Though his brain would sorta short circuit if you told him what you told me.