[b]Dolly![/b]

So the thing is that Jade is a [i]goddess.[/i] Dolly could, with quite a bit of focus, follow the cord back, see through the eyes of Jade’s idol, make sense of the feedback coming through her sensors— but she doesn’t, because she’s not allowed unless Jade gives her permission (or, unspoken, if there’s an emergency).

So when something like this happens, when Dolly can tell that Jade’s preoccupied, there’s a little bit of temptation that grows out of worry. What’s going on? Could she help? And entwined within that, the natural curiosity: what is happening while she’s here and Jade is there? It’s always the things we’re denied seeing that distract us the most.

But Jade has told her that she is not to disturb her goddess’s privacy, and that she is to obey and prove her loyalty, and also Dolly is not particularly good at it anyway, and Jade would definitely notice, and sating her curiosity isn’t worth breaking her Jade’s trust. It’s not! But knowing that the key and the door and the lock are all mental is stressful in its own way, too, and it’s really easy to stumble from thinking about not opening the door to inversely, accidentally, opening the door and stumbling inside, and—

Meep!!

She tunes back in to Angela Angela Angela Antonius just a little bit before she’s jostled and squirms desperately inside the tablecloth because her body’s telling her that she needs to be in control of whether or not she falls, but she’s not in control, that’s all Angela. A stray curl flips into her face and all she can do is bounce and tilt her head to try to— wait, wait, what did she say? About the boots? About— is she— why would she— does she???

Dolly looks away and pretends to get really interested in the ferns, hoping that Angela can’t read what flusterment looks like on a Hybrasilian. Just the boots. Just the boots! As if they’d be all that special outside of the outfit! It would just be a contrast to her fur, the gold and the black, and her—

In the tablecloth, she twitches her tail back into place, foiling its pitiful attempt at flagging. She bites down on more flirtatious purrs rising in her throat. She’s [i]not[/i] going to shamelessly flirt with an alien who can’t even recognize what she’d be doing, in public, in front of other Hybrasilians, and Jade isn’t even paying attention, and come to think of it, if she wants to do that (she wants to do that), she really, really wants to do it when Jade is watching and ordering and appreciating the show, and…

A flustered, helpless hum escapes her sealed lips as she instinctively bites down on the stuffing that isn’t really there, and she turns her head again to— oh! Oh, incredible! A silly, hapless girl stares wide-eyed at the future of clothing and drinks it in; even if she can’t come up with the fun applications herself right now, she knows that she will— and that, more importantly, Jade will.

And she doesn’t doubt that for a moment.

(And perhaps she should be paying attention to the scuffle down at the bar, but she’s been trying to keep her focus on the dresses for Jade, and besides, she’s engrossed in what the Zaldarians have to offer, and she’s going to perk up and grunt so excitedly when the [i]next[/i] designer gets revealed, because she’s a huge fan!!)

[hr]

[b]Jade![/b]

Jade’s voice is a irritable rasp that echoes harshly out of the speakers. ([i]Dolly is horny and writhing and very interested in things! She could be playing with her bride right now! What is she so excited about??[/i]) “Who is this that thinks they can negotiate offerings? Either he offers me something he treasures and thinks I will treat it carelessly, or he offers me something awful to try and trap me in words! He comes to give offerings with [i]conditions?[/i]”

(This is backwards, besides. You offer a goddess something that pleases her if she will take action to benefit you. When the hunt is successful, the gods and the ancestors are given thanks; but your role, o creature of the waking world, is to petition and promise. Not to make demands. This is the wrong script, do you think her ignorant? Do you think she is small? Do you think there is no blessing she may give you beyond committing to a research project?)

She raises her head again, but switches to secondary sensors; all the gesture of being ignored, but none of the impracticality. “If he wishes my attention upon his offering, he gives it freely. He may petition, he may give context, he may await its return, but it is not his place to make demands of the gods. I have spoken.” Her speakers switch off and she returns to seeming dormancy— but inside of herself, she curls up and watches, fuming, not sure whether she will be angrier if he walks away (and proves that he was wasting her time) or if he argues (and wastes even more of her time with Dolly) or hands it over (which proves he didn’t even need to make this useless scene). Go ahead! It’s your move, dipshit! Dolly is squealing in delight(?) and she can’t focus on her until she knows why she’s going to be angry!!