[Coolshaymin]

(Mari )

Chell had the hoodie off who was now cleansed of the cheese for the most part. She left the hoodie lying on her rather worn couch. The girl had a surprising amount of furniture in her house. Though they did not seem in the best condition. It was like she was using her portals to scavenge the lands of Li and bring interesting stuff into her house. She probably had more luxuries than most people. She had a lot of entertainment stuff like old boardgames, stuffed animals, dolls, action figures, video games, consoles, TV, a Laptop. She was surprisingly organized too with how all her junk she collected did not consume the whole room.

Chell herself was currently in her old clothes with the jacket she borrowed from Ashe sitting on her chair. She was sitting in front of a workbench in her clothes that Chell seemed to patch up a bit since she and Ashe were last together. It was not the best quality of patch jobs. Clothes were not something she was experienced with enough to fix it flawlessly. Regardless, the book she scavenged helped with tailoring.

Chell finished doing a few tweaks on some gun she was making. She used some aperature science notes to try and build something capable of making Thermal Discouragement Beams. Would be a nice offensive tool to have around if she could make one. She finished up with the work however and looked up. Ashe should be visiting any moment... And from the sound of the hoodie fell asleep. Did clothes even need to sleep?

[Mari]

Knock knock! A somewhat tired looking Ashe stood at Chell's door, stretching her arms. Seeing as how she didn't have other clothes to wear, the Sailor Fuku uniform would simply have to do unless she felt like the bodysuit look. Given the feelings she'd experienced earlier, she felt like that might be some bad mojo. Besides, she'd had a talk with her clothes about feelings. She patiently waited for an answer, unsure what to expect from this meeting.

[Coolshaymin]

If only Chell had something to test this portable gun on... Oh well, she will probably have plenty of chances to test it... Testing was not a word she liked but she could not think of anything else. What time was it anyway? Chell really needed to find a clock that worked... Either that or a broken clock and some guide on clockwork. Though she was not sure she could follow all directions... Clocks sounded very complicated.

Who was knocking on her door at this hour?... Oh right, she invited Ashe over. Must of forgot while thinking about clocks. Chell leaned back and shot a portal at the ceiling above the door before shooting one at the floor next next to her. Using the connected portals, she stepped in and landed in front of the door. Sure, she had more than enough room to walk but she liked using portals. Chell opened the door for Ashe and smiled instead of her usual stare. Though around Ashe she was growing more used to being light hearted... It was a feeling she hoped to get well acquainted with... "Glad you could make it. Come in," Chell greeted.

[Mari]

Ashe grinned goofily at Chell as she opened the door, only to become briefly distracted by the portal nearby. ...Huh! Wonder what she was doing with that. She stepped inside and had a look around. ...Huh! Seemed... cluttered. She wondered what Chell was doing with some of these things. It looked like they'd been placed in a very deliberate manner, but didn't she have bins or a vault for treasure or something? ...Perhaps she was spoiled by the magical girl's society.

"

Thanks! It's my first time being invited over to anyone else's house since I was back at Hunter Base.

"

[Coolshaymin]

Chell closed the door behind Ashe and pushed a button on her Portal Gun. In a second the portals she opened closed. She installed that manual deleting of portals since she did not have the tech to do it from the Testing Labs. She turned around and followed Ashe. "It's the first time someone else has been in here. Have a seat," Chell offered as she moved over to her Work Bench and turned around her chair to sit.

It took Chell a few moments of thoughts until she realized something. "I would offer food but I think we are both fine after earlier... So, Ashe, I want to ask you something. What are your opinions on... 'love'? Like, what do you feel it is and should be?" Chell asked. She was asking mostly to see how Ashe would react... But also because she was not really sure herself. Spending so much time with G.L.a.D.O.S. kind of takes away from her ideas of it.

[Mari]

Ashe moved to sit down on the workbench. There didn't seem to be an extra chair there, unsurprisingly since it was an apartment for one. She was pretty comfy there anyway. "Guess we're all new around here, huh?" Ashe replied absent-mindedly as she looked about. After a moment, however, she gave Chell her attention, waiting patiently while she thought about the question she wanted to ask. When Chell asked however, Ashe was momentarily stunned. Wow. What a question, right? She supposed it was a question everyone probably asked themselves, but asking their friends? She supposed now was the time for girl talk. Placing her hands at her sides, Ashe began to muse off her thoughts on the matter.

"

Yeah... I am definitely not hungry yet. ...What is love, huh? Well... I don't really know about love. It's something everyone talks about, but I'm not sure I've ever felt. ...I guess love is what you make of it. It's different for everyone.

"

Pointedly, Ashe seemed to have dodged one particular aspect of Chell's question, that of what love was to her in particular.

[Coolshaymin]

Chell listened to Ashe as she explained her answer to her. Chell nodded and thought on it for a moment. That did not really help her that much in determining something. She needed something more if she was going to figure out what she wanted to know. She needed to know about love to feel that question her mind has been creating and Ashe's vagueness was not helping.

"Love is different for everyone..." Chell repeated while looking down before looking back up at Ashe. "Then what is love to you? You said you don't think you felt it but that does not mean you don't have a perspective, right? Can you please tell me what your idea of it is?" Chell requested.

[Mari]

Ashe considered Chell ' request, which was odd to her because who asked a kid what they thought about love? Well, besides other kids anyway. She honestly wasn't sure she was the best person to ask about this, but on the other hand... She'd did like Chell. Maybe she would just give her the benefit of the doubt and try her best without assuming anything. ...Yeah, that sounded alright. "...Alright." Ashe replied after the moment passed, slipping her hands into her lap and leaning forward. she seemed pretty eager to share this knowledge with Chell now that she had gotten over the awkwardness of the who and why. "Love is what you want it to be, right? That's because every person has their own needs and dreams. And my dream... is to craft a reputation worth rembering." Ashe went on, finally beginning to spill her own heart to Chell. "And not for just any reason either. I want to be remembered for the right reasons! The name Ashe should become a legend passed down as a story until the end of time, and I want to be a role model for the heroes and heroines of tomorrow by helping to change the world today!" Ashe continued, pausing to take a breath. It would almost seem as if she had gotten a bit sidetracked there for a moment.

"...So for me, love is someone who's there to support me. I guess I haven't thought about love too much, because I wasn't expecting to find it. But... I do dream. Love is a partner who has my back no matter how things look. Love is a friend who helps me brush my hair and tells me I'm pretty, even when I don't feel like I am. Love is someone who is there to inspire me when I'm feeling weak. Love is someone I feel being causing handled by, being causing cause I know they'll always being causing cause gentle with me. Love is--...Oh god, I'm describing parents." Ashe continued, only to stop dead in her tracks and turn a nice shade of pink as the realization hit her. She went silent for a moment as she scrambled to regain her composure. She shook her head and bopped herself on the forehead in frustration. How embarrassing. "...I guess what I'm saying is, I just want someone to take care of me and treat me like the heroine I wanna be! Y'know? ...Also, feeling pretty would be a nice bonus~" Ashe finished, grinning goofily at Chell after that last part. Who knew she was self-conscious about her looks? ...Probably anyone who knew anything about teenage girls, but you know. Maybe not Chell?

[Coolshaymin]

"Love is forged from needs and dreams..." Chell repeated after listening to all Ashe had to say. The women of few words closed her eyes and thought about what Ashe said for a moment. She wants to be a role model for a hero and she has shown that to Chell quite a bit. She used to only care about her own survival and others were just a tool to make sure she survived... The only thing she got more attached to than that was the Companion Cube... And Ashe. Sure, she had things people believed that she hated but Ashe was a surprise to see someone so willing to throw themselves into danger for another. She doubted she would of done that beforehand when she doubted there was anyone in this wasteland worth trusting... But Ashe was someone she could trust her life in. She has grown to admire her traits.

Chell though? She had no dreams or goals to accomplish except one. Survive. It has been an instinct driven into her too forcefully to deny it is a thing that drives her. But she guesses she has some virtues outside her own survival. Ones she did not really think about until Ashe helped her. "... You are a real hero..." Chell began after being silent for a long moment. "Not in the folktale way. In the way that I look up to you... You could say our dreams are similar but far apart. I just wish to survive until I do not have to worry about fighting for survival. It seems selfish but it is what it is what has driven me for a long time now. A natural force that tells me to live no matter the cost... I used to not think others were an important piece. Isolation and experience has taught me that you have to focus on yourself or you lose everything... The Companion Cube did not always have scorch marks on it... It was my only companion until she made me burn it..." Chell admitted, keeping her voice as emotionless as possible until cheering up a little.

"You snapped me out of that though. When my hope was only fueled by determination, you helped me where it might of reached it's limit... I then realized my attitude towards others was affecting me. It is not just my survival that was important. Everyone deserves a chance to live their full life. You helped me remember that. For that, you are a real hero to me. Not someone that has done good deeds for others and earned a fancy title, but a true hero. In that respect, I do love you," Chell finished her surprisingly long talk.

[Mari]

Ashe listened politely as Chell spoke without interrupting, even resisting the urge to ask exactly this 'she' Chell was referring to was. Perhaps the infrequency of Chell's speech had taught her to listen when Chell does talk, or perhaps she was simply polite that way. Either way, the shock could be observed on Ashe's face as several rather generous compliments were lobbed her way, including one in particular--that last one--which left her somewhat flustered. She really needed to think about her response after hearing that. Thankfully, her new outfit declined to emit an I Told You So.

"

...Y'know, nobody has ever said that to me before. The 'I love you' bit. ...Probably a lot of those things. More than anything else though, there's one thing I wanna ask... What's love... to you?

"

[Coolshaymin]

Chell looked around for a moment after Ashe admitted no one told her that before. Then she asked what love was to her. Understandably Chell had to consider it for a moment. At least she did not ask anything that involved her talking about the labs further. She already recounted more about that AI than she really wanted to.

"... As I said the thing that keeps me going is for a time where fighting for survival is not as necessary. Survival is one of the things that keeps me going. You said that love depended on things like that... I guess what love means to me is someone that would always be there for me. Someone that would help me when I am stuck. Someone that would lift me up when I am down. Someone that inspires me to keep going. Someone that would look out for me. Someone that is willing to protect me where my own will can not keep up. Someone that cares about me. Someone I can trust beyond doubt... That I guess is what I see as love. You are the first person in a long time I have found any of these traits in..." Chell explained. She seemed to be opening up a lot more than she usually does.

[Mari]

As Ashe listened, she developed this big grin upon her face. She was apparently quite pleased and a little amused with Chell's answer.

"

...Well, in that case, I guess I love you too--Chell!

"

A giggle escaped Ashe's mouth and she promptly leaned forward, slipping off the workbench and moving to pull Chell into a rather affectionate hug. Her hands wrapped around the other's back and she held her there for a moment.

"

Y'know, I like thte way you think of love. It's sweet--and a little romantic~!

"

[Coolshaymin]

Chell was not expecting the sudden hug and blushed strongly as it happened. She seemed to try to pull back for a second, though it was mostly out of reaction. She still was not used to this whole physical contact thing. The lab rat relented after the very brief freakout and returned the hug. "Th-thanks..." She replied, actually stuttering a little as she showed some emotions she has not previously showcased to Ashe. She was not going to break the hug herself as the warmth was still soothing to her.

"I thought about it a little after we left the mall... It has been so long I must of forgotten it... There is so many things I have missed out on... I honestly do not even know what to do now..." Chell added. She seemed to be opening up a bit more since the beginning... And her 'missing out' may explain the stuff she has collected in the room.

[Mari]

Hearing Chell talk about her feelings opened Ashe's eyes to something. Namely, she abruptly bece aware of the disconnect between herself and Chell. Chell looked older than her, but she'd been living in isolation. In comparison, Ashe had been raised in a supportive community surrounded by friends. She was a much more well adjusted person in comparison, but she did grasp where Chell was coming from. It was only now that Ashe realized just how lucky she was to get close to Chell and that it began to make sense to her that two girls would be having this conversation. Chell was looking for understanding. This revelation made her a lot more comfortable speaking her mind.

"

...Sorry. Hugs are one of those things that feel a lot better when you have a mutual understanding~ And I don't know about you, but I'm still feeling a little nauseous from eating so much. But... about love. Some people are a lot less romantic about love. Love to them is about ... possession and greediness. They want you to be a trophy on their shelf or a notch in their belt. We usually call them perverts, and most of them are going to be boys, ...at least in our cases. Like, some girls like other girls that way but that's a lot less common.

"

[Coolshaymin]

Chell listened to Ashe, just enjoying the moment. She looked kind of confused by Ashe's claims a bit... Is that the kind of love GLaDOS had for her? Treating her like a lab rat all those years and being her prime test subject was because of that?... It definitely seemed more like hate the second time... but.... It would explain all those messages she has gotten... Or was there more to it...? She never really thought about it before since she was so focused on survival...

".... I feel nauseuous too...  I am not sure I get it.... So, you are saying guys are bad? So I should beat them up, right?" Chell questioned.... Clearly misreading what Ashe was trying to tell her. Maybe was not the best way for Ashe to turn that conversation with a person that seemed to be fine with violence as a solution.