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Nancy had decided to go on a walk after lunch, preferring a moment of time for herself, away from her brother and the rest. They’d been working all day and the progress was barely tangible - it’d be a miracle if they had this place open in time. But her somewhat sour mood was more social in nature - if these few hours were anything to go by, she didn’t know how she’d last a week in this company, much less the entire summer. At least outside, she didn’t have to see her brother parading around shirtless, with conversations revolving around if he and his boyfriend of ten minutes had had sex yet. 

With lunch behind them, Aster decided it was time to tackle the boathouse. He'd spent his whole morning stuffed away where the world couldn't see him and that was a crime in and of itself. His back ached from bending at weird angles to get the grime out between the floorboards and from under the edges of the mattress and working outside would be a nice way to shake it off, especially without their jailer breathing down his neck. He said his goodbyes to the dog and the cat and Em and Marco and stretched as he let the door to the main building shut behind him. He rolled the stiffness out of his neck and scanned his surroundings. He wasn't incredibly certain where the boathouse was but… 

Oh, that must be it. The dilapidated little shack on the edge must be where the boats are and Aster whistled as he sauntered down that way, pausing for just a moment (or ten, but who counted when you're staring at perfection?) to gaze into his compact and sigh dreamily at his reflection. He knew the others were jealous - he was perfection incarnate and they'd never reach his heights. 

[color=#9370DB]“...they’re all so fucking grody, like why does it have to be shoved in my fucking face constantly that they’re all sucking face all the time…”[/color] Nancy muttered under her breath, unaware of where her feet carried her. She knew very little as to how to navigate this camp and while there were maps, she was hopeless in their interpretation. Not that she had a precise destination in mind, of course. If Dobbs wanted to come and get on her for not going straight to work, he could. She didn’t care. This was all a joke, anyway. Resurrecting a haunted camp with a bunch of teenage fuck-ups as the crew, just a week before opening? Incredible planning. Really, they’d outdone themselves. 

Aster snapped his compact close as the girl always trailing behind the retriever wandered by, muttering about their silly little courtship rituals. Aster laughed as he fell in stride with her. [color=00FCD8]“They can't help themselves - they're pesky little animals that need each other's approval or at least a distraction from knowing just how inferior they are.”[/color] Aster happily offered up, guiding her towards the boathouse. Many hands made for light work after all. [color=00FCD8]“They need to huff and puff and make lovesick eyes across an empty room to distract them that they aren't me.”[/color]

Nancy paused for a moment, stopping in her tracks. Her usual reaction in this sort of situation would have been to pointedly ignore the intrusion, and walk off in the opposite direction. However… she knew her own temper and she knew that she would benefit from letting off some steam, before it became a full on meltdown. So with a somewhat skeptical glance at Aster, she resumed her pace, allowing him to guide her towards the boathouse. [color=#9370DB]“Imagine being in the car with them for the entire drive here,”[/color] she commiserated with a huff. [color=#9370DB]“I don’t have an issue with them sleeping with each other - I just hate how it’s now the topic of [i]every[/i] conversation. I don’t want to think about my little brother getting pounded, I don’t want to be there when Demi is throwing himself at him from the backseat. And while I haven’t seen much of this from the other two, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re being just as nauseating in front of you. It’s like once someone becomes part of a couple, it’s their entire personality. Almost like they’re possessed by some horny ghost.”[/color]

[color=00FCD8]“Em and Marco are beyond that phase, for each other at least. Find something interesting they can explore, however…”[/color] Aster sighed. [color=00FCD8]“I mean for God's sake, he [i]growled[/i] at the sight of those two's hankies. If it hadn't been for Dobbs, the poor man would have propositioned them almost immediately. I certainly do not understand what makes people so interested in humping each other like wild animals the moment they realize they play for the same teams.”[/color]

[color=#9370DB]“He… [i]growled[/i]?”[/color] Nancy was stunned - and admittedly, grossed out as well. She knew that people could get a little feral sometimes when it came to these things, but it was one thing to experience things in a movie, and another to have it be part of her actual life.[color=#9370DB] “I don’t get it, either. I don’t play for a team. If I woke up one day and felt like that, I’d drink bleach to make it stop, I think,”[/color] she admitted. Her heart did beat a little faster, though. She’d never met someone else like her before. Was Aster also…?

[color=00FCD8]“Oh, yes. And he thought it was subtle, bless his heart.”[/color] Aster shook his head disapprovingly. [color=00FCD8]“I can appreciate the appeal. I find the idea of men enticing, but I haven't found anyone who is worthy of a paragon of human beauty. I have no interest in offering myself up like chicken at a roadside buffet. If someone wants to worship me, they'll need to earn it; otherwise, the only one who deserves me is me.”[/color]

Ah. Aster was [i]not[/i] like her. Not quite, at least. Maybe he was simply aromantic, rather than asexual? At any rate though, he was someone she could understand - someone that she could go to when the others were being irritating.[color=#9370DB] “And that’s totally fine - but people act like you’re insane if you’re fine being with yourself, and they assume that you have to be some sort of sick freak if you aren’t jamming your tongue down someone’s throat all the time. And it’s worse when you’re a twin, sometimes. I know people look at me and assume that I’d die in a ditch if I couldn’t be with my brother constantly.”[/color]

[color=00FCD8]“And self love is the most important of all. If you don't love yourself, how will you recognize love as true?”[/color] Aster agreed. [color=00FCD8]“Too many people are afraid of their own reflection, suffering in their sordid affairs and shattered souls, but I embrace my own as the exquisite piece of art that it is. There is a difference between loneliness and solitude and I find solitude, especially when a window is available, is often a splendid way to spend a day.”[/color]

[color=#9370DB]“...Huh. You’re actually pretty rad, Aster. I’ll keep that in mind,”[/color] Nancy smiled slightly, before frowning at the state of the boathouse. [color=#9370DB]“I assume you expect me to help you with this?”[/color]

[color=00FCD8]“Oh without a doubt. My advice isn't free, you know.”[/color]