Year of the Yuri harem 8 The Love Octagon (IC)

[The TechnoGnome]

Melissa looks down and nods.

Mallory felt a bit of pride at this, "Thank you. I, uh, I think you've got some sexy lips too. And, uh, nice hair. Really nice hair."

Aaaaaand she was back to being bashful again.

[Illven]

"That's even worst! She gets a contract where she's allowed to peck and I get one where any kissing is frowned upon? The f***?!" Alex scowled, before resting her head in her arms and groaning. "I like Mal a lot, but sometimes she really pisses me off. And not in the good way."

"Talk to her about it? She likes negotiations, negotiate." Nate suggests

Mallory felt a bit of pride at this, "Thank you. I, uh, I think you've got some sexy lips too. And, uh, nice hair. Really nice hair."

Aaaaaand she was back to being bashful again.

Melissa hugs Mallory.

"So think Agatha will approve of us now?" She asks

[Ionbound]

Luke winces at that.

"For what it's worth... I'm happy you're alive." He says.

Gwen nods and says, "Yeah...I just wish I was."

[Anubis Dread]

"Talk to her about it? She likes negotiations, negotiate." Nate suggests

"Yeah, you're right! I mean, I'm basically done with this contract, so no reason not to just go down there and share it with her right?" Right. Nodding, Alex takes her contract and walks on down to Mal's desk. Patently ignoring Melissa since this didn't really involve her.

"Hey Mal can I uh, get you to look at something for me?" Alex begins less than confidentially despite herself.

[Illven]

Gwen nods and says, "Yeah...I just wish I was."

"Okay.... Clearly Ms.Robin probably isn't the best idea.... Do you want me to ask her for a recommendation." Luke offers nervously.

"Yeah, you're right! I mean, I'm basically done with this contract, so no reason not to just go down there and share it with her right?" Right. Nodding, Alex takes her contract and walks on down to Mal's desk. Patently ignoring Melissa since this didn't really involve her.

"Hey Mal can I uh, get you to look at something for me?" Alex begins less than confidentially despite herself.

Melissa glares at Alex.

[The TechnoGnome]

Melissa hugs Mallory.

"So think Agatha will approve of us now?" She asks

Mallory was startled a bit at the sudden hug, but recovered much quicker than usual, "Oh, she already approved of me date whoever made me happy. This is more so she would be happy with my choice. But yes, I think she will, especially once I make sure she knows you're willing to stop trying to check her out."

"Yeah, you're right! I mean, I'm basically done with this contract, so no reason not to just go down there and share it with her right?" Right. Nodding, Alex takes her contract and walks on down to Mal's desk. Patently ignoring Melissa since this didn't really involve her.

"Hey Mal can I uh, get you to look at something for me?" Alex begins less than confidentially despite herself.

Mallory got nervous as Alex approached. She was hoping she would be able to put this off at least a little bit longer. Thankfully, Alex literally handed her an excuse to focus on something else. Or so she thought.

"I suppose I could," Mallory said, disentangling herself from Melissa so she could take the papers from Alex. Mallory started flipping through them, but as soon as she realized what she was looking at, she stopped and looked back up at Alex, "Is this... are you trying to draft a contract?"

[Illven]

Mallory was startled a bit at the sudden hug, but recovered much quicker than usual, "Oh, she already approved of me date whoever made me happy. This is more so she would be happy with my choice. But yes, I think she will, especially once I make sure she knows you're willing to stop trying to check her out."



Mallory got nervous as Alex approached. She was hoping she would be able to put this off at least a little bit longer. Thankfully, Alex literally handed her an excuse to focus on something else. Or so she thought.

"I suppose I could," Mallory said, disentangling herself from Melissa so she could take the papers from Alex. Mallory started flipping through them, but as soon as she realized what she was looking at, she stopped and looked back up at Alex, "Is this... are you trying to draft a contract?"

"What's in the contract?" Melissa asked.

[Anubis Dread]

"You know, just... general stuff," Alex replied, blushing. "Minimum number of cuddles per week, an initiator clause that Mal will be responsible for initiating the first time for anything beyond that, an out allowing Mal to obstain from any events or living arrangements where she would need to be with my other partners in a romantic context... things like that. Typical dating contract. Which looks good, I hope?" she attempted to sound nonchalant but just ended up blushing even more furiously.

[Illven]

"You know, just... general stuff," Alex replied, blushing. "Minimum number of cuddles per week, an initiator clause that Mal will be responsible for initiating the first time for anything beyond that, an out allowing Mal to obstain from any events or living arrangements where she would need to be with my other partners in a romantic context... things like that. Typical dating contract. Which looks good, I hope?" she attempted to sound nonchalant but just ended up blushing even more furiously.

"You can't date her! She's a bully!" Melissa protests to Mal.

[Necroticplague]

"But the platform is in mid-air?" Heather replied clearly confused.

"Hmmm... Some show is probably better than tell. Let me demonstrate." Being on ground level and lacking a rope, she improvised with a tentacle, holding it limply in front of her.she puts a leg on either side. "First, start like this." Then, she crosses over one foot so it stands on the other, her spare limb between. "Then hold it like this, while kids curled. Straighten up, grab rope, slide legs, repeat."

[Illven]

"Hmmm... Some show is probably better than tell. Let me demonstrate." Being on ground level and lacking a rope, she improvised with a tentacle, holding it limply in front of her.she puts a leg on either side. "First, start like this." Then, she crosses over one foot so it stands on the other, her spare limb between. "Then hold it like this, while kids curled. Straighten up, grab rope, slide legs, repeat."

"Oh, huh. Is that all there is to rope climbing?" Heather asked.

[The TechnoGnome]

"You know, just... general stuff," Alex replied, blushing. "Minimum number of cuddles per week, an initiator clause that Mal will be responsible for initiating the first time for anything beyond that, an out allowing Mal to obstain from any events or living arrangements where she would need to be with my other partners in a romantic context... things like that. Typical dating contract. Which looks good, I hope?" she attempted to sound nonchalant but just ended up blushing even more furiously.

"I see," Mallory muttered, looking over the contract again. Sure, it was rather simple, and hilariously open to interpretation at some points, but it was more than Mallory expected from Alex. Especially since from the looks of it, the contract was made with Mallory in mind, and quite heavily slanted in her favor. Despite herself, Mallory was moved by the gesture. This was going to complicate things more.

"This is... well, adequate," Mallory replied, "A good start at the very least, especially for what I am assuming is your first time doing something like this."

She looked back up at Alex, "I'm honestly surprised you'd be willing to do this much for me."

"You can't date her! She's a bully!" Melissa protests to Mal.

Mallory glanced over at Melissa, "First off, I told you already that she is not a bully, she is my friend. Second, you don't need to yell in class. I am perfectly capable of handling this myself."

[Anubis Dread]

"Well it's like... I don't love you or anything, but I feel way stronger about you than pretty much anyone else in our school other than Luna and P'ro'shi. And I love both of them, so it's pretty damn high on the like scale I'd say," Alex blushed, before remembering Nate's advice. Negotiation, right. "So if this is adequate, how can we get it to the point where you're thinking 'holy f*** this is amazing and I need to sign it right now?' " she asked with a grin. Patently ignoring Melissa since who gave a f*** about her? Though it was touching when Mal leapt to her defense like that.

[Illven]

"I see," Mallory muttered, looking over the contract again. Sure, it was rather simple, and hilariously open to interpretation at some points, but it was more than Mallory expected from Alex. Especially since from the looks of it, the contract was made with Mallory in mind, and quite heavily slanted in her favor. Despite herself, Mallory was moved by the gesture. This was going to complicate things more.

"This is... well, adequate," Mallory replied, "A good start at the very least, especially for what I am assuming is your first time doing something like this."

She looked back up at Alex, "I'm honestly surprised you'd be willing to do this much for me."



Mallory glanced over at Melissa, "First off, I told you already that she is not a bully, she is my friend. Second, you don't need to yell in class. I am perfectly capable of handling this myself."

Melissa looks down.

"Sorry, Alex..." She mumbles.

[Anubis Dread]

Alex couldn't ignore that like the rest of Melissa's s***. Sighing, Alex gave her a smile. "Hey don't worry about it. I made a bad first impression and you stuck with it a little too long. It happens to everyone. Except me, because I'm awesome like that," she stuck out her tongue. Which was actually kind of true. If anything she tended to change her opinion too quickly! Actually warming up to Luke before he ended up spraying her with holy water that almost killed her and gave her PTSD came to mind...

[The TechnoGnome]

"Well it's like... I don't love you or anything, but I feel way stronger about you than pretty much anyone else in our school other than Luna and P'ro'shi. And I love both of them, so it's pretty damn high on the like scale I'd say," Alex blushed, before remembering Nate's advice. Negotiation, right. "So if this is adequate, how can we get it to the point where you're thinking 'holy f*** this is amazing and I need to sign it right now?' " she asked with a grin. Patently ignoring Melissa since who gave a f*** about her? Though it was touching when Mal leapt to her defense like that.

"Is that so?" Mallory said, feeling her heart plummet. Alex's statement reminded her why she had to do this in the first place, "There's... well, there'd need to be a lot of amendments. Some of which I don't think you'd like."

Melissa looks down.

"Sorry, Alex..." She mumbles.

Alex couldn't ignore that like the rest of Melissa's s***. Sighing, Alex gave her a smile. "Hey don't worry about it. I made a bad first impression and you stuck with it a little too long. It happens to everyone. Except me, because I'm awesome like that," she stuck out her tongue. Which was actually kind of true. If anything she tended to change her opinion too quickly! Actually warming up to Luke before he ended up spraying her with holy water that almost killed her and gave her PTSD came to mind...

Mallory put a hand on Melissa's shoulder and gave her a small smile, "Thank you for apologizing. I know how from your point of view she could be seen like that. But trust me, Alex is a good person, even if she's rough a lot of the time."

She frowned as she continued, "And while I would love to see you two make up completely, right now I need a minute alone with Alex."

[Necroticplague]

"Oh, huh. Is that all there is to rope climbing?" Heather asked.

"Far as I know. Way easier than just trying to hand over hand it while the rest of you just dangles."

[Anubis Dread]

That could either be really good or really bad. Probably bad considering she said there'd be changes she didn't like and that she'd already made the contract slewed heavily in Mal's favor.

"Well, s***," Alex winced. "Give it to me straight then, what part did I f*** up?"

[Illven]

"Is that so?" Mallory said, feeling her heart plummet. Alex's statement reminded her why she had to do this in the first place, "There's... well, there'd need to be a lot of amendments. Some of which I don't think you'd like."





Mallory put a hand on Melissa's shoulder and gave her a small smile, "Thank you for apologizing. I know how from your point of view she could be seen like that. But trust me, Alex is a good person, even if she's rough a lot of the time."

She frowned as she continued, "And while I would love to see you two make up completely, right now I need a minute alone with Alex."

Melissa bows out.

"Far as I know. Way easier than just trying to hand over hand it while the rest of you just dangles."

"True." Heather remarks chuckling. "Maybe I'll actually pass the mid-term.

[Esprit15]

Oh, can you tell my future? Jen asked extending a hand.

"Hm..." Taika says, taking the other girl's hand, tracing the lines in it. "Well, if you continue with your washing habits, your hands will be as cracked as those of an old miner before you're thirty. You should clip your nails rather than biting them, and remember to use nail polish remover sparingly to prevent too much damage," Taika says with a wry grin. "Palm reading is also just another simplistic skill. There's no magic to it, just reading a person's body language and habits, since the hands are so often used. You get nervous a lot, so you bite your nails, for example. You feel guilt very easily, so hyperactive hand washing is a result so that your mind can feel cleansed.

Really, most fortune telling "magic" is just paying attention to things others don't."

[The TechnoGnome]

That could either be really good or really bad. Probably bad considering she said there'd be changes she didn't like and that she'd already made the contract slewed heavily in Mal's favor.

"Well, s***," Alex winced. "Give it to me straight then, what part did I f*** up?"

Mallory waits until Melissa has given them the requested space before answering, "Well, in technical terms you left some parts very vague and open to interpretation. For instance, your 'out' in regards to events and living arrangements doesn't specify exactly what events I can reject, which means I could conceivably bow out of any event where you so much as flirt with someone else, even if said social event has nothing to do with a date of any kind. Similarly, I could justify move out of an apartment we shared if you decided to invite Luna over for a make-out session. Not sure whether that was your intention or not, but there are other points like that where I could conceivably go to such extremes."

She sighed, "But my problems are more than just technical Alex. I have to ask, why do you think I will accept this when I already told you several times I am not polygamous?"

[Anubis Dread]

Mallory waits until Melissa has given them the requested space before answering, "Well, in technical terms you left some parts very vague and open to interpretation. For instance, your 'out' in regards to events and living arrangements doesn't specify exactly what events I can reject, which means I could conceivably bow out of any event where you so much as flirt with someone else, even if said social event has nothing to do with a date of any kind. Similarly, I could justify move out of an apartment we shared if you decided to invite Luna over for a make-out session. Not sure whether that was your intention or not, but there are other points like that where I could conceivably go to such extremes."

She sighed, "But my problems are more than just technical Alex. I have to ask, why do you think I will accept this when I already told you several times I am not polygamous?"

That first part made sense. The second part on the other hand made Alex feel like her stomach was full of tar and that her throat was full of gravel. "W-well, that's what all the clauses and stuff are for," she explained. "I know you're not polygamous, but that doesn't mean you can't date someone who's dating other people right? It just means you're not comfortable dating other people... right? So I don't invite you to group dates, you don't live with anyone but me and yourself, basically 'us time' is JUST us, not anyone else. That... is like being monogamous, right? I mean, it's definitely not having group sex or dating multiple people or anything on your end, so that's... that's good enough, right? Please?" she croaked, feeling her eyes sting.

[The TechnoGnome]

That first part made sense. The second part on the other hand made Alex feel like her stomach was full of tar and that her throat was full of gravel. "W-well, that's what all the clauses and stuff are for," she explained. "I know you're not polygamous, but that doesn't mean you can't date someone who's dating other people right? It just means you're not comfortable dating other people... right? So I don't invite you to group dates, you don't live with anyone but me and yourself, basically 'us time' is JUST us, not anyone else. That... is like being monogamous, right? I mean, it's definitely not having group sex or dating multiple people or anything on your end, so that's... that's good enough, right? Please?" she croaked, feeling her eyes sting.

"And if you decide to marry one of the other people at some point?" Mallory pointed out, "In case you were unaware Alex, polygamy is illegal in New York State. As is adultery. Either way you will be asking me to break the law at that point. And you know I can't do that."

Please, please don't make me say it, Alex.

[Anubis Dread]

"I checked, it's totally legal in like forty six or so of the fifty states," Alex protests. "And yeah this is one of them, but we can just move! I mean who wants to live in a state bigoted enough to make polygamy illegal anyway?"

Please let this be the only issue. Please let her see past all of this and want to be with me. Please...

[The TechnoGnome]

"I checked, it's totally legal in like forty six or so of the fifty states," Alex protests. "And yeah this is one of them, but we can just move! I mean who wants to live in a state bigoted enough to make polygamy illegal anyway?"

Please let this be the only issue. Please let her see past all of this and want to be with me. Please...

"Alex, New York is my home. It's not going to be easy for me to just leave my family behind just for you. And what about Luna and P'ro'shi? They would have to move too. Are you sure they would want to? Or anyone else you decide to bring into your little circle? The more people you involve in this, the harder it's going to be."

She was going to have to say it, wasn't she? She wasn't sure if she could, especially after a gesture like this.

[Anubis Dread]

"Then... I won't get married," Alex muttered. That would kill her. Her heart would literally stop and kill her if she wasn't married the instant she turned eighteen. But she'd do it for Mal. Besides, some other people she wanted to be with in the future might feel the same way right? Right... "At least not until it's legal. If it's legal in so many states it's going to be legal here eventually too right," she forced a smile. "I mean once upon a time we wouldn't be able to get married just because the two of us were girls. If that can change then so can this, right?"

[The TechnoGnome]

"Then... I won't get married," Alex muttered. That would kill her. Her heart would literally stop and kill her if she wasn't married the instant she turned eighteen. But she'd do it for Mal. Besides, some other people she wanted to be with in the future might feel the same way right? Right... "At least not until it's legal. If it's legal in so many states it's going to be legal here eventually too right," she forced a smile. "I mean once upon a time we wouldn't be able to get married just because the two of us were girls. If that can change then so can this, right?"

"I... yes, I suppose it could," Mallory muttered. Alex's commitment to this was making this harder and harder, "The question might not even be 'if' but 'when'. Still, I don't... Alex, I don't know how long I would be able to handle being girl #3 to you. You said yourself that you love P'ro'shi and Luna more than me. Do you see how that might make me feel a bit undervalued?"

[Illven]

"Hm..." Taika says, taking the other girl's hand, tracing the lines in it. "Well, if you continue with your washing habits, your hands will be as cracked as those of an old miner before you're thirty. You should clip your nails rather than biting them, and remember to use nail polish remover sparingly to prevent too much damage," Taika says with a wry grin. "Palm reading is also just another simplistic skill. There's no magic to it, just reading a person's body language and habits, since the hands are so often used. You get nervous a lot, so you bite your nails, for example. You feel guilt very easily, so hyperactive hand washing is a result so that your mind can feel cleansed.

Really, most fortune telling "magic" is just paying attention to things others don't."

Jen looks a bit freaked out.

Um, okay. Please tell this. Tutor me please.

[Anubis Dread]

"I... yes, I suppose it could," Mallory muttered. Alex's commitment to this was making this harder and harder, "The question might not even be 'if' but 'when'. Still, I don't... Alex, I don't know how long I would be able to handle being girl #3 to you. You said yourself that you love P'ro'shi and Luna more than me. Do you see how that might make me feel a bit undervalued?"

"Mal, the reason I said I love them more than you is because we're not dating. I don't believe in love in first sight. It'd be creepy," Alex admitted. "I haven't had enough experience with you in a romantic situation to know where I feel about you yet. Do NOT think that the reason I said that was because I keep ranks. I don't. Who the f*** keeps ranks of the people they like the most? It's f***ing twisted," she scoffed. "If we end up going out together and it works enough that I fall in love with you... that's it. There's no 'I love this person more than this person'. That's petty, selfish, stupid, and I won't have it," she frowned seriously.

[Lentrax]

This is a hat. Luna teases, conjuring a top hat from thin air, and placing it on your head.

Sakata pushes the hat back on her head to a spot it feels better, then smiles.

Too bad I'll lose it soon. It's a nice hat. But it isn't going to help me pass a math test, is it. Heck, I don't even know what the test was about. Except that it wasn't to see if math can put a girl to sleep.