couldbebeautiful | maskormenace inbox

[Hahahahahahaha it sounds like a date. She should say no, avoid all the awkwardness, chuck her phone into a trash can—]

Sure, why not. At least it'll be a change in scenery, your place is starting to get boring.

I'm still at that pizza place I was talking about earlier, btw. [And the name follows: Sandy's Succulent Pizza, one of the older establishments in De Chima, with a secret family pizza recipe that supposedly makes their pizzas taste better than every other pizza in De Chima. She also texts directions, because she's in line right now and goddammit she's not losing her place.]

theres always ur place ;P
omw

[ And Reggie will be there shortly... ish, because he has to first make sure he's looking good but not so good like he was trying to, like he might think this is a date. Just his usual level of standard, apparently effortless looking good.

So he shows up, wearing a navy blue and red polo shirt and cuffed jeans, finding Veronica in the shop (wherever she is by the time he gets there) and slinging his arm over her shoulder. ]

So what kind of pizza are we having?

I have roommates, and you’ve heard me.

[Veronica’s about one old, indecisive grandmother and one very impatient college student away from the cashier when Reggie shows up, and if it wasn’t for the bright blue fanny pack at her waist, she’d blend in fairly easily. Even with the blue jacket, familiar to Reggie, slung over her shoulder. Her style game can’t always be on point.

She lightly smacks at his side with the back of her palm, not really aiming to get him off of her.]

Anchovies. [She’s very deadpan about it, before she huffs out a short laugh.] No, I’m getting pepperoni, with the stuffed crust. You want anything else?

[ He grins at the smack, but doesn't move away except to halfheartedly try to dodge. Dammit, he has missed her-- this can be easy, or at least simple, if he just doesn't overthink it. Usually overthinking things isn't much of an issue for him, so that's already a good start. ]

Nah, pepperoni's cool. I might just get a soda or something. [ He checks his phone, since he might have missed a message or two in transit. ] Who're your roommates again?

[Don't overthink this, Veronica. Don't think about the last time you dated someone, the last time you fell in love. Don't think about it. This isn't love, anyway. Couldn't be love. Can't be. It feels different, doesn't feel like it did with JD except—no, don't think about it, don't think about it.]

Coke and pepperoni it is. [See, not like JD.] Bodhi, plus two other girls now—one's kinda weird, the other is an actual robot. Kay and Cassian moved out a while ago.

[She still keeps in touch, though.]

So what have you been up to since [I rejected you and ran off and had a small panic attack far away] the last time we met up?

Then I guess my place it is. That's fine, though-- gives me more of a reason to clean.

[ He says it lightheartedly enough, falling nearly right back into step with how their dynamic had been a month ago with surprising ease. Going through the motions, at least, because this is still just the superficial banter stage; Reggie is always comfortable there.

Jughead and Betty are gone. I had an impulsive one night stand to try and forget about you. Got into a fist fight with a guy from work. Sold coke to an ambassador candidate.

Reggie squints, and shrugs. ]

Eh, nothing much. Oh-- [ Grinning, as he continues: ] This guy I met in some bar wanted me to help him spray paint the house of a dude he hates that I work for, but he like, tried texting total randos to actually find the right place. I don't even know if we did.

[ Reggie doesn't know if she'll like that story, but it seems innocent, stupid, and hilarious enough compared to everything else he's been up to lately. Hopefully she'll find it funny like he does, though. ]

It's too late, I know your place is a pig sty.

[This is easy, easy, easy. Veronica slides into the banter with the ease of someone practiced at it, someone who knows she's good at it, someone who doesn't want to look at anything more outside of it. She doesn't really know what else to talk about in her month, it hadn't been very interesting, and she'd managed to avoid almost all of the bullshit that had just kept coming.

She—knows that Jughead's gone. She'd checked, on an idle whim, and felt a dull ache when she saw his name missing. She doesn't know if there's anyone else from Riverdale who's still here, besides Reggie now.

It's lonely, being the only one here.

She doesn't say any of that. Instead she just huffs out a laugh, shaking her head.]

He sounds dumb as hell. If you're going to vandalize somebody's house, you should at least make sure you've got the right one. [She nudges his side, and lightly says:] You're a really shitty employee if you don't know where your boss lives, so you can utterly vandalize it.

Maybe I have better things to waste money on than a maid.

[ It is lonely, and it hasn't quite sunk into Reggie yet that this is the first time since he's been here that it's really been only him. Maybe the timing is part of why Reggie's decided to finally reach out again now -- though not consciously, of course -- regardless of whatever his feelings about Jughead or Betty had been.

Hard to say. The more obvious and important factor is just that Reggie missed her, and not even just having sex-- hanging out, too, even if they've never talked about anything that deep yet together. ]

Dumb and drunk. That was kinda what made the whole thing fun. [ Reggie nudges her back, smirking. ] His address is in our computer system, I can only look it up when I'm at work. And he isn't my boss, though I'm sure he wishes he was.

[ Then, after a pause, he adds: ]

You already know about Jughead, right? So we don't have to like, talk about it?

Or maybe you could just pick up after yourself, that's not hard.

[She says with her room looking like a mess back home, but she never takes anyone back there if she can help it, so. The old woman finally pays for her order, and shuffles off to an empty table. The college student almost throws himself at the counter to order at last.

Veronica'd missed him. She'll admit that much to herself. For all his faults, he was surprisingly good at sex, and she'd missed hanging out with him. She misses hanging out with all her friends, honestly, but Reggie had been something else. That, though, she refuses to look closer into, because she doesn't want to know.]

I don't know why I'm so surprised that's your idea of fun, you like getting beaned on the head with a football. [But there's a small smile threatening to break through, and after a moment it succeeds.] So next time you're at work, look it up and write it down for future reference.

[At the mention of Jughead, her smile vanishes, and she sighs, runs her hand through her hair.]

...yeah. Yes, I know. I saw.

Well I do eventually. But I live alone, it's not like there's any hurry.

[ And clutter is the last thing Reggie has to care about when there's other things on his mind or better things to do. It's not the end of the world if stuff sits wherever he dropped it for a few days, or weeks.

He regrets bringing up Jughead, though; it doesn't seem fair that should be on him somehow, when Veronica was Reggie's friend first and he doesn't even like Jughead, but-- maybe that impulse has been part of the problem with them, too. Reggie doesn't like acting serious when things could be fun and easy instead, but in turn, people probably take him less seriously for it. Talking to Derek recently has made him wonder, at least. ]

Yeah. I figured you would.

[ Even so, he's ready to change the subject. She seems like she wouldn't mind. Reggie leans his arm on her a little more, pulling her just slightly closer so he can say in a lowered tone: ]

You should come along next time. We can spray paint our initials somewhere.

And nobody you've brought home so far's said anything about it? [In the back of her head, Veronica marvels, a little, at the fact that she's saying words that wouldn't sound out of place coming from her mom's mouth. Maybe it's the brief time she spent at her mom's age. Maybe it's just growing up. Maybe she just wants to rib Reggie.] How that hasn't happened yet is a mystery for the ages.

[She cares about Jughead. Cared. Cared about Archie, too. She might, at gunpoint, admit that she cares about Reggie, still, which might've been why she'd tried to break away. Reggie isn't good, but he's not a killer, he just wants something fun and easy. Veronica could pretend, can still pretend, sure, but at the end of the day she's not fun and easy. She still catches sight of Heather Chandler's discolored smile, sometimes.

But she pretends, quietly huffing out a laugh.]

I'll make you deal. I'll come along with you next time you get it into your head to vandalize private property, because someone needs to make sure you get the right place, if [and she prods his shoulder] you come with me next time I play croquet in Heropa. There's other sports besides football.

Well, I haven't brought any girls home recently. And guys don't really notice that kind of thing, Veronica.

[ Like, when they're over as... friends... but anyway, the point stands. Maybe it's worth letting Veronica know he hasn't (well, mostly hasn't) been with anyone else since this whole "break" started. If she asked, Reggie might also tell her he hasn't been with anyone else since they started seeing-- well, screwing each other, but only if she asked. It's nothing they'd agreed to, it just...

Well, that's how it'd worked out.

Reggie doesn't really know what he wants or why, but he's become more aware lately that while fun and easy might pass the time, it's not as satisfying as it used to be. Maybe because the novelty of casual, no-strings-attached hooking up usually wears off eventually. Maybe because Reggie has more feelings than he likes to pretend he does. Or maybe because this world is already lonely enough.

Who knows. But maybe it doesn't even matter. ]

I don't only play football, y'know. I play basketball, too. Croquet's sorta like golf, right? [ He wants to kiss her, but instead looks around the store, moving his arm off her. ] Should I get a table?

Losing your touch with the ladies?

[The thing is, she hasn't seen anyone since this whole—thing between them started, either. The furthest she's gotten is checking out a few other people, and of course that kiss with Jughead, but with him gone she supposes that doesn't really count anymore. It's just how it worked out, she supposes. Or maybe even when she's in a casual relationship, she can't not let her feelings creep into it.

Not that she'll let herself think on what feelings have crept in. It doesn't need examining, because if she does look closer she might run away like she did before. If she does look closer she'll have to—fuck, she'll have to talk about her last relationship, and look how that one ended.]

Kind of. It involves balls and holes, same as golf, it should be easy to pick up on. [Looking up at him with the straightest face imaginable, like she's just daring him to say something about that.] It's a little bit different, though.

[He moves his arm off her, and she straightens back up, suddenly aware that, uh, yeah, they did just kind of lean into each other in a public setting.] Yeah, you should. Make sure to get a good place, all right?

If it involves balls and holes then I think I can figure it out.

[ Is that a double-entendre? Well, this is Reggie, so of fucking course it is. But he also has no room to give her too much shit for croquet, considering he just admitted to knowing how golf is played. Two good ol' country club classics.

He notes the way she straightens her posture after he pulls away, wondering if she's missing his arm already or if she's trying to shake the feeling off. No point in worrying about it, though. He simply shakes his head. ]

With one lady, maybe. For now.

[ And that's all he says further on the subject, winking at her before he turns to go claim them a table. Smooth, Mantle. Maybe that one will land, though; for now of course usually comes with the added subtext of but hopefully not for long. ]

Good luck with her, then, she might just be smart enough to see through your jock bullshit.

[She's got an idea who it might be, but that doesn't mean she'll make it easy on him. Or on herself, either, still muddling through her own teen angst bullshit. But she turns back to the cashier and orders the pizzas, then two Cokes. This right here, this sort-of date-shaped thing, this is a normal thing to do with your fuckbuddy-turned-possible something else, right? Right. As long as she doesn't call it a date it's not a date. It's just. A thing.

She's vaguely aware that she might be in over her head, here, but then this wouldn't be the first time that Veronica Sawyer has ever been in over her head. At least this time no one's died and she hasn't needed to cover up their deaths.

She gets the Cokes, first, and a number stand of 10. She walks off to wherever Reggie's gone, carrying the tray with the ease of someone who's been working a waitress job for longer than a few months, by now.]

The pizzas are coming later, but for now—have you really not been bringing any girls home lately? What happened, did you accidentally kick a puppy on video and it went viral?

Um... [ She knows he meant her, right? Reggie hesitates, then laughs in what's probably a mildly unconvincing way. ] Okay, fine. You got me.

[ Time to back track, clearly, although Reggie's not sure where that leaves him. Is it better to lie and act like he's still been getting tons of action lately -- would that help by taking some pressure off her, or would that just help underline whatever her reasons are for considering him undateable? -- or to maintain his story but admit that any action he's gotten has technically not been at his place. Or with a girl, for that matter. Can he tell her that, though?

He takes one of the cokes from the tray, taking a gulp from it not unlike he were trying to down a shot, then shrugging as nonchalantly as he can manage; he's mostly successful, though it's certainly forced. ]

I have had a date or two in my car. And on my car. We never actually made it back home, if you get my meaning. But not with any-- [ Reggie pauses, then sips his coke again. ] ... --body that you know.

[ Apparently that's the best he can do for now. ]

What about you? Doing anyone new lately?

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