[At least Kyoko is taking care of herself to some extent. Or perhaps the state of her physique and hair are thanks to her magic.]
<<You should sleep when you need to, so you did.>>
[Humans can be so strange. What good does not sleeping do for Kyoko? No one could find, much less hurt, Kyoko so long as Anya is here, so that is no excuse.
They stand upright, towering over the girl. In a moment, Anya has retrieved the pie and joins Kyoko on the couch. They transfer an oversized slice to a porcelain plate. They hand it over to Kyoko, along with a fork--plastic, because there is nothing made of iron to be found in Anya's home.]
<<I have been reading more on baking. I believe I have improved on my recipe, particularly the ratio of ingredients, but the appropriate amount of love has been difficult to get right.>>
[Whether or not the love is detectable, the sugar certainly is. The fairy has a much stronger sweet tooth than a professional baker.]
[ It's an open question whether she's properly taking care of herself, but at least there's magic to pick up the slack. ]
Yeah, well, there's a time and place for everything. Middle of the day ain't it.
[ Left unspoken is the obvious fact that Kyoko already feels safe enough to sleep here, period. Just something else to throw on the pile of things she won't ever admit. She doesn't bat an eye at their height difference; if that was something that concerned her, she'd have said something long ago. ]
[ The magical girl's expression smooths out the moment she's handed pie. "Oversized" is relative, and Kyoko proves it by demolishing half of her slice in two greedy bites before slowing down to a more sedate pace. Dusky red eyes light up at the taste - Anya's not the only one with a sweet tooth - only to narrow again as the fairy keeps talking. ]
... you're taking stuff too literally again. You don't actually put love into pies.
[ They wrap their arms around their legs again and watch Kyoko. They feel satisfaction seeing her devour the pie, enough so that Anya does not yet eat any themselves.]
<<The pies I make when you visit are better than the ones made when you are away. How else would you explain that?>>
[Obviously, the ones made with Kyoko around are full of love and the ones Anya makes for themselves are entirely normal, but inferior pies. Or maybe they are fascinated by the feeling of sharing something with someone else. They are not sure, but they have seen an emphasis on the importance of love in cooking in many of the cook books they have collected.]
[ Kyoko slows down more and more, her expression flattening back out and her eyes flitting between Anya and the pie. She doesn't begrudge Anya watching her eat or whatever, and normally, she wouldn't bother. But still. Pretty clear message, that: 'you eat, too.' ]
[ Doesn't feel right if she's the only one eating. That's all. ]
Fairy magic. Same as whatever it is that makes you wanna do stuff for strangers. Not something as abstract as love. Besides -
[ Kyoko's mouth twists like the sugary pie suddenly turned lemon sour, a hint of her little fang poking out. ]
[They keep to themselves. Fairies and monsters tend to do that. Still, Anya is disappointed to hear Kyoko's cynicism again. Fairies know love is an universally good thing always worth sharing.]
<<But I prefer to believe it is.>>
[They do as Kyoko silently asks, taken a slice of pie notably smaller than the one given to Kyoko. Any piece they take is that much less pie for Kyoko, so they are less generous towards themselves.]
[ If Kyoko notices the pie slice deception, she doesn't say anything. Just so long as she's not the only one eating this. She's not taking charity. ]
... yeah. Sure. In general, sure.
[ She's not totally sneering anymore, but it's replaced by something more sullen. The teen works through another large bite, chewing thoughtfully. ]
It's just... you're gonna get burned one of these days. Givin' your love to someone who doesn't deserve it. Not literally burned, but just - hurt. You know that, right?
<< Perhaps. But it is not being hurt that I fear, but the regret of not having tried. >>
[But maybe they have not been hurt enough to appreciate it. Still, not doing what they want out of fear would not be the whimsical way of life for a fairy.]
<< I would rather do what I want I am compelled to and wait for the consequences, whatever they may be. >>
[They slowly eat at their slice of pie. The restraint they are showing to allow Kyoko more of the pie is tremendous. They may need to bake a second.]
Starry-eyed platitudes, huh. 'You whiff one hundred percent of the shots you don't take.' 'The worst she could say is no.' 'Follow your heart, do what you think is right, do unto others' -
[ Kyoko all but shoves the rest of her slice into her mouth, tearing into it with an appalling lack of table manners. She cuts into the next slice with short, violent motions, her lips set in a thin line. ]
Spare me. It's all just... pretty words. Nothin' to do with the real world.
[ She can't meet Anya's eyes. Ugh. Kyoko's getting pissed enough that she'll end up demolishing the whole damn pie if she doesn't watch herself. ]
[ The name hangs in Anya's whispy, ethereal mental voice, like an echo. ]
<< Thank you for being so concerned for my well-being. But changing one's nature is not easily done, and denying that will cause harm. >>
[ Anya may be referring to themselves, but they are not talking about themselves--not exclusively. Fighting against one's own nature will only make one miserable, and Anya does not need empathy or telepathy to know that is one of the fights Kyoko is having within her.
Why humans hurt themselves out of fear of being hurt is beyond the fairy's understanding.]
[ Some of the fight seems to go out of the magical girl. Kyoko stops eating and leans back with a big angry sigh, sullenly glaring up at the ceiling. Okay, fine, maybe... maybe this'll make things easier. In the long run. ]
... 'm not concerned for you. Not asking you to change, either.
[ Kyoko comes to a decision. One she knows is right, despite the way it twists at and corrodes her insides. She keeps talking, still staring resolutely upward because she knows this is going to get ugly, either way. ]
So, I ain't coming back after this. I've been comin' around too many times as it is.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
<<You should sleep when you need to, so you did.>>
[Humans can be so strange. What good does not sleeping do for Kyoko? No one could find, much less hurt, Kyoko so long as Anya is here, so that is no excuse.
They stand upright, towering over the girl. In a moment, Anya has retrieved the pie and joins Kyoko on the couch. They transfer an oversized slice to a porcelain plate. They hand it over to Kyoko, along with a fork--plastic, because there is nothing made of iron to be found in Anya's home.]
<<I have been reading more on baking. I believe I have improved on my recipe, particularly the ratio of ingredients, but the appropriate amount of love has been difficult to get right.>>
[Whether or not the love is detectable, the sugar certainly is. The fairy has a much stronger sweet tooth than a professional baker.]
no subject
Yeah, well, there's a time and place for everything. Middle of the day ain't it.
[ Left unspoken is the obvious fact that Kyoko already feels safe enough to sleep here, period. Just something else to throw on the pile of things she won't ever admit. She doesn't bat an eye at their height difference; if that was something that concerned her, she'd have said something long ago. ]
[ The magical girl's expression smooths out the moment she's handed pie. "Oversized" is relative, and Kyoko proves it by demolishing half of her slice in two greedy bites before slowing down to a more sedate pace. Dusky red eyes light up at the taste - Anya's not the only one with a sweet tooth - only to narrow again as the fairy keeps talking. ]
... you're taking stuff too literally again. You don't actually put love into pies.
no subject
[ They wrap their arms around their legs again and watch Kyoko. They feel satisfaction seeing her devour the pie, enough so that Anya does not yet eat any themselves.]
<<The pies I make when you visit are better than the ones made when you are away. How else would you explain that?>>
[Obviously, the ones made with Kyoko around are full of love and the ones Anya makes for themselves are entirely normal, but inferior pies. Or maybe they are fascinated by the feeling of sharing something with someone else. They are not sure, but they have seen an emphasis on the importance of love in cooking in many of the cook books they have collected.]
no subject
[ Doesn't feel right if she's the only one eating. That's all. ]
Fairy magic. Same as whatever it is that makes you wanna do stuff for strangers. Not something as abstract as love. Besides -
[ Kyoko's mouth twists like the sugary pie suddenly turned lemon sour, a hint of her little fang poking out. ]
... it ain't worth it.
no subject
[They keep to themselves. Fairies and monsters tend to do that. Still, Anya is disappointed to hear Kyoko's cynicism again. Fairies know love is an universally good thing always worth sharing.]
<<But I prefer to believe it is.>>
[They do as Kyoko silently asks, taken a slice of pie notably smaller than the one given to Kyoko. Any piece they take is that much less pie for Kyoko, so they are less generous towards themselves.]
no subject
... yeah. Sure. In general, sure.
[ She's not totally sneering anymore, but it's replaced by something more sullen. The teen works through another large bite, chewing thoughtfully. ]
It's just... you're gonna get burned one of these days. Givin' your love to someone who doesn't deserve it. Not literally burned, but just - hurt. You know that, right?
no subject
[But maybe they have not been hurt enough to appreciate it. Still, not doing what they want out of fear would not be the whimsical way of life for a fairy.]
<< I would rather do what I want I am compelled to and wait for the consequences, whatever they may be. >>
[They slowly eat at their slice of pie. The restraint they are showing to allow Kyoko more of the pie is tremendous. They may need to bake a second.]
no subject
[ Kyoko all but shoves the rest of her slice into her mouth, tearing into it with an appalling lack of table manners. She cuts into the next slice with short, violent motions, her lips set in a thin line. ]
Spare me. It's all just... pretty words. Nothin' to do with the real world.
[ She can't meet Anya's eyes. Ugh. Kyoko's getting pissed enough that she'll end up demolishing the whole damn pie if she doesn't watch herself. ]
no subject
[ There is something ironic about getting upset with a fantastical creature not thinking in terms of the 'real world'.
Kyoko has become such a knot of pain and anger that Anya is still struggling where to begin undoing it.]
<< Changing my nature to fit the real world would be as difficult as ridding you of your sweet tooth. >>
no subject
'Course you wouldn't.
[ The magical girl takes another vicious bite, and it's all she can do to stop herself from cramming the entire slice into her mouth. ]
But you're gonna get hurt one of these days. Then you'll change whether you like it or not. That's why -
[ She chokes on her words. Whatever Kyoko was about to say twists her expression until she forces it back into her usual stubborn belligerence. ]
no subject
[ The name hangs in Anya's whispy, ethereal mental voice, like an echo. ]
<< Thank you for being so concerned for my well-being. But changing one's nature is not easily done, and denying that will cause harm. >>
[ Anya may be referring to themselves, but they are not talking about themselves--not exclusively. Fighting against one's own nature will only make one miserable, and Anya does not need empathy or telepathy to know that is one of the fights Kyoko is having within her.
Why humans hurt themselves out of fear of being hurt is beyond the fairy's understanding.]
no subject
... 'm not concerned for you. Not asking you to change, either.
[ Kyoko comes to a decision. One she knows is right, despite the way it twists at and corrodes her insides. She keeps talking, still staring resolutely upward because she knows this is going to get ugly, either way. ]
So, I ain't coming back after this. I've been comin' around too many times as it is.
no subject
<< Why would you choose to hurt yourself? >>
[This is one those human things Anya cannot comprehend.]
no subject
[ Kyoko's head lolls back down, shooting them a fanged smirk that doesn't quite reach her eyes. ]
[ She's done this at least once before, and one would think breaking ties like this would come more easily. ]
Think of this as a wake-up call. 'Sides, you'll have other guests, right?