RSVP (Champagne Challenge #135) -- PG-13

[librarian_7]

Another challenge piece, 250 words of dialogue. And this one takes place mere hours before the beginning of Sleeping Beauty.


RSVP



“Yo, Joz’f.”

“Hey, Mick.”

“Yeah, I’m not going to make it to poker night tonight.”

“What, is my little lamb tired of getting shorn?”

“I don’t believe I was the one down eight pints of AB neg last week at the end of the game, buddy.”

“Hey, there are occasional anomalies, but if you’d care to see the cumulative stats from the past twenty years…”

“You know, Joz’f, every once in a while, you make me wonder if some of the folklore is based on…you.”

“What do you mean?”

“The one about vampires being notoriously prone to OCD.”

“Bite me, angst-boy. So, what lame excuse do you have for skipping tonight? Hot date with Bethie-poo?”

“How many times do I have to tell you, Beth and I are not— look, unlike some people, my work day isn’t over when the markets close. I’ve got a case that’s heating up.”

“Working? Seriously, you’re working on poker night?”

“Yup.”

“You’ll regret it. I have a nice little A pos waiting for you. Sweet curves, beautiful neck. She’s going to be disappointed if you don’t show.”

“She was bound to be disappointed, anyway. You know I don’t feed fresh these days.”

“Sooner or later, boyo. Sooner or later…”

“Yeah, yeah, you keep saying that.”

“You think I don’t know what I’m talking about?”

“In my case, yeah. Look, I’ve got to get on the road. I’ll see you next week, buddy.”

“If you get through early…”

“I’ll be there.”

“Later, Mick.”

“Later, Joz’f.”

[allegrita]

Ooh, it's perfectly snarkilicious. And I bet Mick felt like utter cr@p when he thought about that being the last conversation he had with his (supposedly) dead best friend. 'Cause Joz'f nailed Mick with this delicious line:
“Bite me, angst-boy....” You pretty much killed me with that one, Lucky!

If we didn't know what was coming, we could enjoy this conversation as the wonderful Mick-Josef give and take that it is. But knowing what's about to happen, we get a chill of foreboding. And that's what makes this short piece so good. You don't give a thing away, but you fill us with dread.

[jen]

Lucky

Another wonderful conversation!!

I'll bet Mick occasionally missed poker night, but the rapport here was pitch perfect.

Thank you!

Jenna

[Luxe de Luxe]

“What, is my little lamb tired of getting shorn?”

Great line. Great scene.

[francis]

This is so great, it's just the characters speaking. The sense of foreboding is an added bonus that gives me the chills.

[maggatha3]

Is that one special poker night maybe? The one Josef's office exploded? 'Cause that was exactly what I have been thinking about while reading it, though for sure Mick must have missed other poker nights due to his work and that must have been Josef's reaction, all snarky of course....tsk, tsk, working on poker night!! Well, some of us have to work, Jos'f

[LaughtersMelody]

“You know, Joz’f, every once in a while, you make me wonder if some of the folklore is based on…you.”

“What do you mean?”

“The one about vampires being notoriously prone to OCD.”

LOL!

“If you get through early…”

“I’ll be there.”

“Later, Mick.”

“Later, Joz’f.”

You can hear disappointment in Josef's voice that Mick had to back out. And there's something wonderfully haunting about those last lines, too, given what happened shortly afterwards.

Amazing work!

-Laughter

[MickLifeCrisis]

"Bethie-poo"? I hope Josef doesn't try that one on Mick when he and Beth are actually dating!

Loved this one! The foreboding that everyone else was talking about... you nailed it. Perfect Mick and Josef.

[SharonC]

Yeah I can see why Mick felt like he did after the explosion after having the work overtaking playtime conversation with Josef...

Bethie poo I ask you

[cassysj]

It is a good thing Josef didn't really die or Mick would have never gotten over this night.

[Moonlighter]

“What, is my little lamb tired of getting shorn?”

Great line. Great scene.

I agree, Luxe.

Man, I'm glad Josef didn't really die because Mick might never have gotten over it. Never.

[cassysj]

Perfect M/J Banter

[BlueEyedMonster]

Perfect M/J Banter

I absolutely agree.

[librarian_7]

I really loved that conversation challenge. It was such a great opportunity to flesh out a few little moments that HAD to have happened.