savetheearth | {005} Network Video + Log

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{005} Network Video + Log

[Misa is obviously freaking out a little. He eyes are wide, she's breathing fast, and she is newly blonde since she last appeared on the network. But her latest echoed change isn't anything that's visible.]

The lights over Tokyo— something is happening, I'm going home. If anyone is coming and needs a place to stay, my apartment is open to you. It's not very big, but I'll make room for anyone who needs it. Bring a sleeping bag or air mattress if you can. Private message me for the address, and if you have a doppelganger either do it in person or by phone. I don't want any uninvited guests showing up.

[[ooc: feel free to handwave Misa giving your character this information, as long as they are not a doppelganger and we have some previous CR.]]

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Who: Misa and ALL THE PEOPLE
What: Crash at Misa's one-bedroom apartment during insanity in Tokyo. SLUMBER PARTY. There will be separate header threads for different weeks, plop your person anywhere.
When: April 10-28
Where: Tokyo, Misa's place

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It's at this point that Misa wanders in from her bedroom, rubbing the sleep from her eyes following a short nap. She is still dressed in her clothes from earlier that day, presentable aside from messy hair. At this point she assumes that people are tucked away in her apartment at all times, and she is usually right; she does her best to treat the whole area like a public space.

Misa comes to a halt, taking in the two of them and the atmosphere— as uncomfortable as could be expected. She has been fairly lucky so far to avoid this sort of unfortunate combination of people being in the apartment at the same time, at least while she has been home.

"Nathan, I didn't hear you come in," she says as casually as she can muster, breezing past them into the kitchen. "Welcome back."

Nathan is trying very hard to be understanding here. Very, very hard. Almost as hard as he's staring. Not that he really realizes that he's doing that.

At least not until Misa comes into the room. He doesn't see her at first, of course -- he's a little preoccupied, and all -- but her speaking is enough to pull his attention off Cesar for the moment.

"I . . . yes, thank you."

Wait, why is she leaving the room again? His eyes follow her as she goes to the kitchen, but as soon as she's out of sight, they dart right back to Cesar. They're alone again. Eyes on the threat.

He isn't a threat. You're being irrational. Stop.

He at least moves away from the door now. Not more than a step closer to Cesar before edging along sideways a bit in the direction of the kitchen. Because this is a natural way to be moving around, you see.

Still to Misa: "I hope you slept well."

Cesar looks up at the new voice, too, and not-fully-formed thoughts of leaving are interrupted. He lifts a hand again, greeting in a way she might or might not see, and lowers it again when he catches Nathan swiveling his gaze back to him.

He crosses his arms, unwittingly echoing the stance that his copy had used when settling down to wait. It's a self-reassuring posture, he unfolds his arms when he starts moving again.

He's simply picking the tablet back up, typing, then stepping close to the counter between him and part of the kitchen. No one needs to be very close to be able to read, what with the font size he's selected.

'I brought some groceries while you were asleep.'

"I did," Misa verifies, not missing the way Nathan trails after her. It's unusual enough for him to stand out. She sets about filling a tea kettle with water and setting it on the stove; a nice, calming cup of tea for all should loosen the atmosphere.

She glances Cesar's way when he starts typing, and smiles at the message he displays. "Thank you! That's very sweet. It's a big help, with so many people in and out. Especially Tony."

In context, it isn't so unusual. The only other person in the room looks exactly like the one who'd taken him at gunpoint a couple of weeks ago. Logically, he wants to stay away from that person. Bad associations with that face. Very bad ones.

... Does he have to stand like that? It's the exact stance the double had settled into while waiting for Tony to arrive at the church. What he'd settled into with the intent of lethal action to come . . .

No. Stop that. It is not him.

He sets the backpack down on the counter, not quite directly between him and Cesar. Unconsciously, he refuses to take his eyes off the man for more than a few seconds at a time. No blocking his sight-line.

"I hope we have not been too much trouble."

Even he thinks that's a bit of a ridiculous thing to say, but he has to say something, doesn't he?

Cesar smiles back at her. Even though his eyes are forward, his attention is drawing more and more to the side: the boy's stare is as tangible as Lazarus', and Cesar can feel it like heat from a stovetop. It's uncomfortable, and he has to consciously fight the urge to return it, or even simply fidget.

'I ate the last of the rice for lunch. I thought it was only fair.'

"You're no trouble, Nathan," she replies easily. It isn't entirely true, but he seems like he could use some coddling right now. "With everything that's happening, I'm happy not to be alone."

Misa glances at Cesar to include him in that statement, and gives a slight nod of acknowledgement to the message on his tablet. "With everyone pitching in, I think we'll be just fine."

Of course he's trouble. His very presence has caused discomfort. But he at least appreciates the effort to keep him calm. It isn't working, really, but he appreciates it.

"Is there anything I can help with?" When all else fails, attempt politeness. While still not taking your eyes off a perceived threat and in the process making said perceived threat very uncomfortable. Good job, Nathan.

Cesar gives her a small thumbs-up by way of agreement, putting the tablet down. He tilts his head Nathan's way without offering any other reaction, trusting (hoping) that Misa will help draw the kid into something that might actually force him to take his gaze away for once. Not that Cesar begrudges him his attention, but it's to a point where he can't help but glance his way.

Should he flush this elephant in the room out into the open? Maybe he should. Cesar offered to leave, but maybe getting to know him will help him actually sever the connections he's drawing between the original and the copy?

"I'm just making tea. You could grab some mugs," Misa offers. It isn't exactly a task she needs help with, but Nathan seems to want some sort of distraction. She avoids looking directly at Cesar, as if trying to compensate for the fact that Nathan refuses to stop staring.

He absolutely needs some sort of distraction and he knows it. He's being rude, he's being unfair, he needs to calm down. If he has an excuse not to look at Cesar, perhaps he can get started on that.

Finally, he manages to tear his eyes off Cesar and goes to pull some mugs out of the cupboard. He doesn't speak, just does it all silently; he hardly even clinks the mugs together, he's so quiet.

There. See? He's stopped looking and nothing bad has happened. This is fine. It's fine. There isn't anything to worry about.

The stare is finally off of him, and it's as though someone just turned off a 4000 watt lamp being shone in his face. His shoulders relax, and he puts his elbows on the counter, slouching.

The conversation has lost its momentum, but the silence is this close to being as uncomfortable as his and Near's conversation. Cesar pulls his tablet close, fingers dancing.

'What kind of tea are you making?'

There.

"Your choice, I've got a couple," Misa answers, pulling out two boxes from the cupboard. It's not the most thrilling of conversation starters, but at least it's something to break the silence. "Black or green?"

She offers them both a cheery smile in turn. This is the job of a hostess, right?

"I am not particular."

Remember hearing that before, Misa? Really, so long as it's actually drinkable and not alcoholic, Nathan is not picky. Her cheery smile . . . really doesn't seem to be having much of an effect on him, sorry.

'Green.'

He gives her a warm smile back. See, Nathan? This is how you socialize. Cesar shifts most of his weight onto one foot, and the overall effect is a casual, nonthreatening image. Maybe if he doesn't look Nathan in the eye the kid will calm down, like some sort of spooked horse.

'One of my coworkers used to drink green tea all the time. He said it had health benefits, but it was really all the caffeine.

Nathan always has to make things hard, doesn't he? Misa presses on regardless, as if he isn't making everything difficult and awkward. Cesar manages to at least act the part of sociable, despite the fact that his doppelganger tried to murder them. Maybe that's more suspicious than Nathan's obvious discomfort, but Misa prefers the pretending-everything-is-normal approach. She wishes the others were better at it.

"It's supposed to be really good for you," she agrees, putting the other tea away. "People here will tell you it does everything from preventing heart attacks to curing cancer! I doubt all that's true, but it's probably still healthy, right?"

Nathan can't act the part of sociable even under normal circumstances; he just doesn't know how. That this isn't a normal circumstance is not helping his general lack of skill in this area.

And easy for you two to pretend everything is normal, maybe. You weren't the ones who had a gun pressed to your head by someone who shared the same face as one of the people in this room.

Calm down. Just calm down. He winds a finger into his hair, hoping it will soothe his nerves a little. It usually does, and garners fewer strange looks than the toys do. He does not need any judgemental staring if he takes one out of the backpack and starts fiddling with it. That would not help him at all.

"There are benefits, but many of them are over-stated. If it was just for the caffeine, your co-worker would have been better served with black as it typically has a higher content."

Look, he's even managing to talk to Cesar. This is progress. Maybe. Even if it's just talking about caffeine levels in beverages. Completely impersonal topics. He can do this.

Edited 2015-05-14 21:05 (UTC)

Watch closely, Nathan, because these two are pretending normalcy like pros. Cesar's easy smile turns to him for the first time (so close to his pleasant doppelganger's, not nearly different enough), nodding. His gaze drops while he types.

'Most of us drank coffee, and we always made enough for everyone. He always turned it down. Said it tasted like charcoal.'

Misa glances at the message with feigned interest, thoroughly bored by the topic already. But that doesn't matter; they're talking, that's a step in the right direction. She can pretend to have the slightest bit of interest in a conversation about the various attributes of caffeinated beverages for at least a little while.

"I can't blame him, when I drink coffee I like lots of sugar in it," she says. "That can't be good for you!"

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{005} Network Video + Log

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