2020-07-18 The Curse of Couples Terpsichore
The Curse of Couples Terpsichore
Location: Moonlight Rollerway
Date and Time: July 18, 2020 Evening
Summary: Skating passed The Curse of Terpsichore
Mood Music: MFSB - "Love is the Message"
Having a monthly curse to deal with is one thing, but having two is quite another. 'Fortunately' for Luu, one is tied to a Lunar calendar and the other on a Solar calendar, the former she can't ignore, and the latter only occurring should she ignore her duties to her roller-skates. June has been quite a busy month, and somehow Luu managed to get tied up with other tasks. It was only when the clock struck midnight on July 1st when Luu remembered why she had tied that string around her finger, and by then it was too late. Possessed by The Muse Terpsichore, Luu was forced to skate until she literally dropped. A slightly deranged call to Jinny, provided her with much appreciated company during this episode, and some even more appreciated help for recovering afterwards.
After she dropped, her energy completely spent, Luu was passed out for over twenty four hours, and thanks to Jinny spent that time clean and in her own bed, rather than passed out on the floor next to a stale puddle of puke. The recovery period was slow, painful, and quite hazy in her recollection. Barely recovered -- not even fully, really -- other spirits and a fascination with the quite dangerously intriguing 'Armageddon Highway' led to adventures, discoveries, and revelations and realizations about herself and more. Luckily, Jinny was by her side through all of this for company and comfort, but even still July has been an exhausting month physically, mentally, and spiritually. There was no way Luu wanted to begin August in the same way, and so she made extra sure to be mindful of her duties to the skates.
Stronger for having gone through it all, but still slightly shook up and traumatized by the experience, Luu called Jinny to see if she would accompany her to Moonlight Rollerway for some roller-skating. While Luu had still not been able to find just where Jinny's ROCKET BUNNY skate might have got lost in her house, she had offered to pay for Jinny's rentals as well as a meal should she want one; and should Jinny decide the ROCKET BUNNY was gone for good, she was assured that the rink also had a good pro shop.
Arriving at rink, Luu has colored her hair ruby to match the stopper 'gem' in her Seven-League Roller-Skates, which are carried on her shoulder in a hand-made leather roller-skate bag. While the bag was exquisite, it was a lot more subdued and minimalist than the skates themselves; basic black to allow for quiet carrying, as well as a big reveal. Her outfit a loose and side-slit white tank top with a navy Celine sports bra underneath; black short-shorts half-covered by the top; and crisp white knee socks witch a single black stripe created through tightly stitched together Sumerian pictographs; for now a pair of simple chucks on her feet.
"Thanks," Luu says softly as they make their way to the door. Her smile is appreciative, with a soothed anxious quality. Occasional quick glances to Jinny, just to make sure that she's still there with her, that's all. Really.
There are certain curses that every woman has the privilege of dealing with; mansplaining, sexism, and yes, the everpresent lunar tug on their insides to tell their bodies that it's time to get ready to have a baby and, when it doesn't happen, to have an uncomfortable few days as the body rids itself of that preparation. Perhaps next month, the body keeps telling itself, while the spirit within has to deal with the fallout. Chocolate helps Jinny. That and hot baths and a heating pad on her stomach along with some fairly substantial-sized ibuprofen on particularly difficult days keeps things manageable for Jinny, but other curses - curses like one might read about in storybooks - are a different thing entirely.
During the healing process, Jinny fell into the role of caretaker fairly easily. It was something she usually did for herself so transitioning that care over to Luu was kind of the same thing, in Jinny's view. Just on a grander scale. Part of the healing process for Luu, in Jinny's view, was to share what the heck was going on; to get an understanding of this curse and the wonder that it's attached to. Learning the capabilities of the skates was something that was done over a dinner of burgers on the terrace at the mansion, and the promise of the story of 'where in the *WORLD* did you *GET* these things?' emphasis added, was something that Jinny inevitably would cash in on during some quiet night when there wasn't anything going on. And while the healing process went on over days, Jinny puttered about, trying to find where her skate rolled off to, and wondering how she managed to get herself, naked, into bed with Luu fresh out of the shower that first night. That's neither here nor there, though.
Closing the door to her Datsun and locking with a silver key, Jinny looked around to make sure she parked in a good spot with plenty of light, plenty of views, and no place for someone to hide and hurt her baby by taking parts off of it while she was skating. Dipping into her Valley Girl roots, Jinny has chosen the uniform of the kids she grew up around - a cut-off white t-shirt that showed her belly with a rainbow-hued Superman logo and text that said "Super Gay" with a sports bra beneath. Her hips are covered by a combination skirt/overall combination in turquoise that hung to about mid-thigh and framed her chest with the straps, making her kind of *pop* which, in some circumstances, lets her get her way with people who can't read the subtext from the shirt.. Not seen are the short bloomers beneath just in case she went sprawling. Colors that would have matched her ROCKET BUNNY skates just perfectly but, since they're halfway missing, it probably wouldn't work out. Scampering over the parking lot to settle next to Luu, she gives the other woman a gentle hug with one arm, nodding towards the entrance. "You're welcome. So, just so I'm clear, we just need to skate around a little to the music to make them happy? No massive exertions or anything like that?"
"No massive exertion," Luu assures Jinny, returning the hug; the tiniest wince in her smile as the memory momentarily washes over her. "They just want to know they're appreciated," Luu explains of The Muses and their roller-skates, "so at least once a month, a proper skate at a proper rink; and then making sure to proper care for and clean them. A blessing is to be cherished, and a curse as a reminder when you forget, so consider me reminded." Pushing the door open, Luu moves through that liminal space and into a new one, or maybe rather and old one. The food is today's, the music sometimes, but otherwise Moonlight Rollerway belongs to the decades of the latter half of the twentieth century. Since World War 2 when the building was built to manufacture airplane parts, each generation has left it's mark on the space. The most noticeable change was by the immediate post-World War 2 generation that converted the space into a roller rink; still owned by this generation, the space is anchored in their sensibilities, and yet built for all ages.
"Did you figure out if you want me to get you a rental for today, or if you're giving up on the Rocket Bunny?" Luu wonders, making her way across the occasionally neon splashed carpet. "I understand not wanting to give up on your skates," Luu notes to Jinny as they walk, "I get how they can be quite personal. That's also the same reason I can understand not wanting to wear rentals, but also why either seems like a potential betrayal." A beat as Luu looks to Jinny, shaking her head slightly, as she says in a wistful way, "Poor rocket bunny, where have you gone?" Whether deciding on rentals or new skates, it's the same way around the rink, and Luu sure seems to know hers. It's not her regular skating rink, she tends to rotate through different ones, and considering what her skates can do, that is potentially a world wide rotation. But after the curse struck, it was time to return to the roots.
Stepping into the rink is, for Jinny, like stepping back in time to a couple of decades before she was born. The smells of grease from the snack bar, deodorizer from the rental place, and the smell that she can only refer to as 'damp cold' that comes from the massive, massive air conditioning units that force cold air into the space surrounding the polished maple rink floor, making heavy exercise possible without sweating too terribly much. Luu's promise that no massive outlay of effort is going to be required was explained earlier, but getting it underlined, initialed, and notarized is a bit relaxing. Glancing over and giving one of Luu's wheels a light tap with a fingertip, sending it spinning on its bearings, Jinny shrugs. "Well...I guess for today I'll just do rental. Skates just don't roll off on their own, as far as I know. I mean, if you had a cat or something I could see it getting chewed on or something under a dresser, but I've not seen any sign of the thing. Let me do a proper search on the rooms surrounding and, if we don't find it, I'll see about getting in contact with Mimura-san about working up another set. Either them or Liberty Walk." Probably another tuning house in Japan somewhere.
Jinny wiggles her fingers at Luu and pads over to the rental counter, smacking her lips and leaning over just a bit too far to give the man behind the counter a glimpse of her cleavage before asking for a pair of 'good' skates. There always are better pairs back there - ones with new bearings, urethane wheels, or different insoles, and there are a pair in Jinny's size, it seems. The black leather skates are slid across the counter and Jinny thanks the man with a wink, giving him a playful wave before she heads over to sit down and slip her borrowed skates on. She makes a face as she tightens the laces, getting up and shifting her weight to get things settled right before sitting back down again and giving the laces another good tightening. She stands and, after tucking her shoes in the cubby, pushes off on one foot, feeling the wheels beneath her feet, shifting from foot to foot. Not as good as hers, but definitely better than some of the skates behind the counter. "We'll find Rocket Bunny when we start getting stuff set up."
Sitting on a bench, Luu finally open the black bag to reveal the roller-skates in question. Gold patent leather boots mounted on a silve plate talaria, held in place by wings on either side; a ruby red rubber 'gem' stopper, infused with sparkles, and today matching Luu's hair; the trucks have been tooled with the shape of clouds; the wheels with prismatic sunbursts of zodiac signs; applique patches of musical notes; and of course thick rainbow sparkle laces that Luu carefully laces through the blue eye holes of the skates. While the skates really are quite something, it's still LA and they're in a skating rink, so not the first pair of customized roller skates most people have seen; so while people do take a look, it's not a terrible amount of attention.
With her laces matching Jinny's top, Luu puts the bag in a locker and then glides behind Jinny over to the rental counter. As promised, Luu pays for the rentals and their skate session, reaching into her sports bra to pull out some bills that haven't yet had to worry about getting particularly sweaty. As the transaction gets rung up, Luu turns to look at Jinny, meeting her eyes as she gives her a sincere, "Thanks. I really mean it. I don't what I would do without you." Waving off the the change towards the tip jar, Jinny does a quick 180 in place, getting ready to glide along with Jinny so she too can get her skates on.
After Jinny gets her skates on, Luu presses at the sides and edges, before giving a small nod, and saying, "Close enough." Rising with Jinny, Luu keeps an eye on the other Angeleno as she tries out the skates, a part of Luu seemingly almost skeptical that the rentals won't immediately breakdown or explode somehow. The chances are probably pretty small, but at least for those first few strides, Luu is making sure to watch should Jinny start to fall.
"You're probably right," Luu says of the missing Rocket Bunny, "It's really strange that it just disappeared, but then again, that whole night was strange. If I didn't know the story behind my skates, I'd almost start to think that the disappearance was the start of a new pair being made." A beat as she adds, "We'll figure it out." Glancing to the rink, Luu glances to Jinny and says, "Take my hand, just for the first lap? It was a pretty traumatic night and I might need a squeeze once I really start moving. I think there will be part of my body expecting for that to happen all over again this month, and then another part that thinks that one's being a baby."
Seeing the skates come out is, for Jinny, both underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. They look so plain at first glance, but if one studies them more, the workmanship that went into them, the materials used in construction, and the way that they're all put together, combined with the curse that sits inside of them, ready to be triggered if they aren't taken for a stroll every month, makes them kind of mundane and esoteric if such a thing is possible. Leaning against the wall, she watches as Luu goes to pay. Luu's Boob Money, while more often than not is rejected if sweaty, is taken by the person behind the counter without too much protest and put into the till since they're wearing rubber gloves. Apparently this happens all the time and they're prepared for such things.
"Close enough." Jinny agrees at the pushing on her skates. "If I didn't have cushy socks, they'd chafe. And even now, I'm probably going to have to re-tighten after a few laps just to make sure I don't get any blisters." She mournfully thumps her toe against the ground, the bearings in her skate rattling. "Poor, poor rocket bunny, where did you go?"
Looking down at Luu's hand, Jinny gives a playful cock of her hips, one thumb hooked in the strap of her overalls, a sassy smile appearing and then nonchalantly reaches out to take the offered hand, giving it a squeeze. "You're my very best friend, Luu. I don't know what I'd do without you either." She gestures to the rink, putting down one toe to push herself off, turning to pull Luu up the stainless steel wedge that separates the carpet from the rink itself. "I'll be here for as long as you need me to, and even then, as long as I'm around, we'll probably be in each other's orbits, just in case. Come on..." She gives Luu a gentle tug. "Nice and easy."
The speakers hiss. "Hey there, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Saturday Seventies, where only the best 70's music gets played for all you cool cats and kittens out there. Up first is a classic; MSFB's 'Love is the Message. hit it!"
The word 'blisters' causes a shudder to run through Luu's body. Those, those she really remembers, and they were not fun. These particular roller-skates are normally quite luxurious, like skating on clouds, but possessed by Terpischore, Luu danced until it felt like she was skating on broken glass.
And salt.
Back at Winters Retreat, the Rocket Bunny glides across the empty house, but that is another story ...
Returning the squeeze, Luu keeps her eyes on Jinny's, and responds softly, "You're my best friend too, and I'm not just saying that because you cleaned up my puke, but thanks for that too. I definitely owe you one, but I don't think we're keeping track." Narrowing her eyes, Luu adds, "But I am keeping track of the mannequins you still owe me." A grin quickly follows, and then looking to the skating rink, Luu only needs the tiniest amount of coaxing to put her first skate down on the other side, and begin to glide. Of course, given the various recent incidents with roller-skates and Greek Divinities and portals through liminal spaces, Luu's teensy tiny anxiety about this particular situation is pretty understandable. If anything, she's being quite brave, and strongly willed.
When reality doesn't begin to ripple like a pond after a stone's been tossed into it, Luu quickly is back into her element. One of the whole points of skating is to lose yourself in it, but usually that is meant in a figurative sense, and Luu's concerns had only been about this in the figurative sense. The classic 70s sound track provides a nice slow start to her return to skating, and losing herself in it, Luu somehow forgets to let go of Jinny's hand after the first lap.
The blisters were bad, and that was putting it lightly. With Luu unable to stop, even for a moment, her heels and the sides of her feet wore out, even with the cloud-like padding inside the skate. Apparently human flesh can only last so long against regular and constant pressure from skating at the absolute pinnacle of human effort, and the time that she spent bandaging, rubbing, and medicating Luu's feet probably cut the healing time required in half. The first steps out of Luu's sickbed, with Jinny's help, was both painful and triumphant, a defining moment in the pair's relationship where Jinny proved she wasn't going to let Luu fall if she could help it.
Jinny leans in to give Luu a hug, rolling backwards as Luu skates forwards, giving her a hug and then reversing the movement, spinning a little and settling in next to Luu, never releasing the other woman's hand through the whole ordeal. "Even if I replace that one mannequin with six high-quality ones that were used in the Hermes design house, I think you'll never let me live the destruction of that one down." She's still a little embarrassed about that, but the friendly needling is taken as friendly, not as malicious as others might.
They skate together, hand in hand, as the music plays. Saturday Seventies is a popular thing with the older crowd, so there are a good number of couples - male and female as well as same sex - enjoying the music, skating in time with each other, laughing merrily or skating close. When the song ends, Jinny does look down at the hand holding hers and decides that, for now, she'll just enjoy what there is. She'll let it go for as long as it can. It's what a friend would do, after all. Even one with a crush on the other that can't for the good of their work.
"Each mannequin is unique," Luu responds with a light scoff as she pulls away from the hug with Jinny, but keeps hold of her hand. "More so than some models," Luu adds with a sllightly catty grin, skating the roller rink with Jinny. "I'm just more amazed that you managed to do that," Luu continues to explain, "that mannequin was pretty sturdy." Given that Luu calls it 'that mannequin' when there's a good chance she names her shoes, it's likely it wasn't that unique. Still, this was only a few months ago, given enough time, it's likely that mannequin will have been said to have had children or one week away from retirement.
It's possible Luu would have made it back onto a skating rink had Jinny not been able to come along, after all her anxiety about a curse that might happen would likely be more that her anxiety about a curse that had already passed. Still, the other Angeleno made it so much easier for her, and in many ways beyond easing her through a passing worry. Joyful thing. Crossing the liminal space to skate that first lap made so much simpler by holding Jinny's hand. There was no ploy intended, no conscious one on Luu's part, but eventually she came to realize that they had both forgotten to let go. For now, Luu just enjoys their time together, skating to the 70s, but when they end up parting for the evening, her feelings will continue to be so much more complex. With her in bed will be Jinny's complex feelings, written in a note, tucked into a stuffed alien.
Named Lloyd.
As unique as something made of fiberglass and resin can be, Jinny supposes. There are mannequins all around the city, in piles, in warehouses, each waiting their turn to model the latest or most available fashions for sale. Sure, there might be bespoke mannequins, specific races, or ones for particular sized clients or for clients specifically, but that one almost certainly wasn't one of those. "Well, I get really strong when I black out drunk." She thinks aloud. "I'm your very own She-Hulk, sans the green hair and anger issues with a proclivity to flip over things that are entirely more fragile than they seem."
And yes, while it is possible Luu might have made it on the rink at some point, it would have definitely been very close to the thirty day limit, and she might not have been able to survive another curse without some major joint pain or ligament damage. Better to get it out of the way and reset the clock early than come up on the thirty day limit and have to rush to find a place to skate. She gives Luu's hand a squeeze, the music switching from one disco classic to another, a smattering of applause from the skaters as the song ends and another begins. Just for another song, Jinny thinks to herself, keeping hold of Luu's hand. Just another song and we'll quit holding hands.
That's not entirely true. The green hair and the anger issues, those parts are true, but Luu's heart is definitely more fragile than it seems and Jinny certainly has the proclivity to flip it over. Given what she discovered in one night's plush alien autopsy, it seems like Luu does the exact same thing to Jinny. Neither of them in a mean way, just a complex way. With their higher calling, it seems like there's little to be done about that. Unless the advice Luu received late night while camping in Joshua Tree is right, of course. It's something Luu has thought about and seriously considered, but it seems to her that doing so would be unfair to Jinny. The situation is already difficult, and in it's ways wonderful, so making it more difficult for them seems to be hardly the right idea. Of course, unless she not only thought the same way of her, but thought to change the situation in the same way. That would be to forfeit the goal of Ascension. It's possible that --
It's best to just enjoy their time together skating and the simple pleasures of holding Jinny's hand.
