[eppy]

[callipygos]

Aphrodite has been feeling hungry for gossip.

Well, 'hungry' may be too strong a term. Peckish, perhaps. In need of a light nibble. And, since there is no place in the manifold universe better for the acquisition of interesting tidbits than Milliways, she's sitting at the Bar with a fragrant drink that seems primarily to involve whiskey, cherry, and orange bitters.

She has on a sleek black trenchcoat (for secrecy) and a pair of high high heels (for the femme fatale in her).

Comments

[callipygos]

"Have you slept with him again?"

[2020sight]

"I haven't seen him in a while," he repeats, slowly, in case she missed it.

[callipygos]

"Mmhmmmm."

Pause.

"But you'd like to."

[2020sight]

"I mean, like, if he shows up, I guess, sure."

[callipygos]

"That sounds awfully apathetic for such a cutie."

Maybe Epimetheus really was serious about sex not being important.

The idea strikes Aphrodite as rather an appalling waste.

[2020sight]

"What, should I have gone chasing after him?"

[callipygos]

"It would have been romantic, I suppose," she says, sticking out her tongue. "But let's start small. I can't tell if you're not making the effort because it really doesn't make a difference to you, or if you're not making the effort because you're ... I don't know. Frightened of rejection, or a messy end, or something."

[2020sight]

He laughs, reaching out to scoop up Miss Thing as she wanders a little close to the edge of the counter.

"Frightened of messy ends?"

[callipygos]

"You tell me."

[2020sight]

Bright: "Can't imagine where you'd get an idea like that."

[callipygos]

She sips her drink.

"That's a yes, then?"

[2020sight]

"Look, I am not not sleeping with random mortals I met in a bar because I think it's gonna end badly." He sighs. "I mean, they're mortals. It's gonna end."

[callipygos]

Aphrodite takes a moment to parse the double negative.

Then she nods.

"That's true."

[2020sight]

"So."

He shrugs.

"What do you want? You'd feel like you were getting your money's worth if I found love again or something?"

[callipygos]

"Not love. Necessarily."

A gentle shrug.

"But it seems like it'd be easy enough to drop the boy a note or something. 'Would have sex again,' something to that effect."

[2020sight]

"Uh. Is that the expected thing these days?"

Ah, shit. Who can keep up with these kids and their hook-up culture and their backwards baseball caps?

[callipygos]

She giggles.

"Stop changing the subject. It's easy enough to do if you like sex even a little bit, and you'd like to have more of it with someone whose company you enjoy, and you don't have any debilitating hangups about rejection or death."

[2020sight]

"No, I'm serious, should I have left him a thank-you note or something? I thought you didn't do that with one night stands, I thought that was kinda the point."

[callipygos]

"That's a common misconception, actually," Aphrodite says. "There is no point-- there's just what works. So if radio silence and random chance is really what you want, then all right."

Aphrodite is not convinced Epimetheus knows what he really wants.

[2020sight]

He shrugs, slightly baffled.

"It works okay for me."

[callipygos]

Her eyebrows arch.

"I didn't ask if it works okay. I asked if it's what you want."

[2020sight]

"Okay," he sighs, "cousin, what makes you think I'm not doing what I want? I did the long-term thing, once. You know that perfectly well. I don't do it anymore, I don't want it anymore, I don't want to want it."

He shrugs again and rubs Miss Thing's ears. "People come and people go. Even our kinds of people. I like it when our paths cross, but I don't see the percentage in chasing after 'em. Not like I'd be around for them forever."

Smiling -- sort of -- he picks up his drink with the hand that's not full of kitten.

"Happy?"

[callipygos]

Aphrodite considers.

"Yes," she decides. "I think so."


A pause, then, "But I'm not saying do anything long term, or even chase after anybody. I'm only saying that sometimes, like when you've rescued a cute little kitty, you could get some really lovely sex awfully easily, if you'd only advertise a bit. Help paths to cross every now and then."

[2020sight]

He rolls his eyes.

"Oh, please."

If he has a rescued kitten, clearly he has higher priorities than sex!

[callipygos]

"No, I'm serious!"

Aphrodite finishes off her drink and sets down the glass, which promptly disappears.

"Just think about it, all right?" She extends her fingers towards Miss Thing, adding in a cooing tone, "Think about it a little bit."