"Oh, I don't know." And considering the current state of Nina's reasoning ability, it wasn't an outright lie. The true answer just felt a little fuzzy, but she was sure it had something to do with -- "Actually it's because of Demi, of course. It's nothing new, she's always said I had a boring streak about a mile long, but I suppose I was just…" Nina made a circular sort of hand gesture, her brow furrowed as she tried to think through her words before blurting them out. "It's not a criticism I haven't heard before. I think… I used to be fun. I used to have more fun than I do now." She allowed a wry sort of smile to cross her face for a moment, thinking about Gemma, before shaking her head. "I mean, we didn't have zombies back then, so it's a bit like comparing apples and oranges."
Sober, Dani might have been able to make an comment about how the world was fundamentally different now, how frivolity was an indulgence and too much of it would be irresponsible. And they were neither of them the kind to shirk responsibility. She was less articulate than normal, though, and the words floated out of reach, leaving her to simply nod and echo, “Apples and oranges, I agree.”
Shifting to stretch her legs and flex her toes below the shallow water, she glanced around the room. Even allowing for the faces she didn't recognize, Dani suspected there were others at this party who shared a similar predilection for overwork. Yet, here they were, cutting loose for an evening, as carefree as possible without also becoming careless.
“Look at where we are. We’re still fun.” Dani smirked, sending the expression in Nina’s direction. “I’m sitting in a kiddie pool in my underpants, for heaven’s sake, this had better count as fun.”
"I am having fun, so I say it counts. Whether it's unusual for me or not. Or for you or not." Nina's worries were still there in the back of her mind, of course. Though she often gave off the impression that she could convince herself of things as easily as she had once bent juries to her opinion, that was easier said than done. Tonight, though, wasn't a night for anything other than letting loose.
Nina leaned back a little more against the side of the kiddie pool, aware of the fact that too much weight could buckle the sides and send water spilling throughout Joel and Mariah's living room, and returned Dani's smirk. "And you're right. The fact that we're alive is a miracle in and of itself. That's more than enough for me."