savetheearth | {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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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!"

{005} Network Video + Log

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