2014-11-10 - Just Don't Disappoint Me
| Title: Just Don't Disappoint Me | |
|---|---|
| Summary: It's a bit silly to try to avoid your housemates in a mansion this big - and yet, Eas and Westar are doing just that. There's talks of Precure, cellphones, and the deliciousness that is yakitori. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Desolate Mansion | |
| OOC - IC Date: 9 April 2014 - 11/10/2014 | |
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.
There are many rooms here in the mansion that houses Labyrinth executives here on Earth--many more than are likely to actually be used by just three people. But today, Eas for one is avoiding the main areas a little, thoughtful and...
Possessed of coffee and a few donuts. The coffee is in a very large paper cup. The donuts are in a small bag. They are hers. She had to get something on the way back to eat, after all.
In practice this puts her in a smaller room, sitting by the window in an old armchair that is set up with another beside it, separated by a little table. It's a bit dingy, frankly.
But that's fine.
It's actually nice and quiet when the others are off at school. But that time is past for today...!
<Pose Tracker> Hayato Nishi [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
The mansion is large indeed - isolation should be entirely possible. And yet, coincidence is harsh indeed. The door to the room, heavy and wooden, creaks with a terrible groan as someone opens it from the other side.
Within the doorway, still wearing an Infinity high school uniform, Hayato Nishi slowly emerges. He's yet to Switch Over into his executive form, and he's carefully holding a take-out box of some sort - cradling, even, as if to protect it from assault.
Upon seeing Eas, his narrowed eyes widen - and as if in a panic, he looks around the rest of the room. A moment passes, then another - and then he seems to relax for a moment.
He's intruding. Breaking the quiet. And yet, he insists on speaking... "Eas. Soular's not around here, right?..."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.
Briefly, Eas stops, cup still held up in one hand as she stares over it towards the creaking door. Her red eyes are fixed upon her uniformed fellow agent, though she isn't actually Switched Over either. Since she doesn't attend school, she is wearing ordinary clothes... and, of course, the ever-present clover necklace. She is silent.
His eyes widen, and she's still silent.
...? He relaxes, and she lifts an eyebrow.
"...No," she answers. "He isn't."
Hmm.
"Close the door behind you," she demands, and takes a sip of her coffee before setting it back down and appearing to relax again. ...As much as Eas ever relaxes.
<Pose Tracker> Hayato Nishi [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
Sanctuary! Westar eagerly follows the instructions - slipping into the room, and closing the creaking door as quietly as possible. It's not the common sitting room, there isn't quite enough space for him to be forgotten in a corner - and in fact the only place for him to sit is the chair opposite Eas.
But this at least offers the hope of less arguing, and so he takes a seat there. "Good, I'd rather not talk to him if I can avoid it. He's-" Scowling abruptly, Westar cuts that sentence off sharply.
There's no clock to tick here, and so silence reigns for three unmarked seconds.
The silence breaks as Westar suddenly digs in a jacket pocket. "...hey, Eas, I just have to ask. Do you know what these...'cell phone' devices are? My best guess is that they're like some primitive Data Diamond or something..." Producing a fairly low-end smartphone, he sets it on the table between them - his face tense, but curious.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.
Something /Westar/ cuts off sharply and keeps secret is definitely noteworthy for Eas, who's accustomed mostly to it being her keeping secrets and him being absurdly open. ...But she remembers well that he's Labyrinth too; it's not like he could really be as empty-headed as certain other people she knows. Certain... other... people.
She doesn't argue yet. Instead, she watches Westar in that silence, her dull expression perhaps making it seem like she wasn't listening at all, but she heard it. It's probably obvious that she heard it. But she doesn't press, of course. Instead--
Peering down, she looks at the phone, tilting her head as she studies it a moment. ...Not that she needs to, but she's seen a lot of these by now.
"They're communication devices," Eas explains. "Each one is assigned a number that others can use to reach it. They function for audible conversation or for text-based messages--mail, some people call it. They also have a number of other functions, mostly pointless, like Earth games."
"They're pretty much standard-issue equipment for Earth humans. I use one for my mission."
<Pose Tracker> Hayato Nishi [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
Standard issue equipment. Westar's expression darkens as he looks down at the phone, mind churning with the implications. Minako might have saved him a lot of trouble by helping him with this, but the fact that she needed to do so...
Leaving the phone where it lies, Westar crosses his arms with a deeper frown. "Standard communications equipment...right. So, you knew. And Soular found out. And no one decided I needed to know, so I got to make a fool of myself again."
Sure, that doesn't take much, but in principle-
There's a heavy sigh. "Well, at least I have this one now, and won't seem as suspicious to the other Earth humans." He looks out the window, brow furrowed as he considers something - weighs it carefully - and decides to at least be more fair than Soular. "...Eas, what's the number for your device? I want to be able to send you a warning if I'm trying something like that rain-making monster again."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.
"Should we have?" she asks in return, and while it isn't actively cruel, it isn't a kind tone either. After all, she means the question. "It wasn't necessary for your mission before, and it's your responsibility to research the new role. I only have one because Cure Peach doesn't know how to stop /talking/."
Discussing work is something normal, isn't it? Even Eas is occasionally willing to stop and have these discussions. ...Occasionally.
Hmm. She catches the sigh. ...But it's not as if that's her concern.
She sips her coffee instead of coming up with soe reassurance.
"Mine?" ...Huh. "..."
That's actually a good idea.
Eas rattles off the number, pausing only a moment to give Westar a chance to actually pick up his phone. "Use it to mail mine and I'll record you. Make sure to put my contact as Setsuna, in case someone takes your phone."
<Pose Tracker> Hayato Nishi [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
That - is a fair counterpoint, and Westar slumps. "...it'd just go faster if we worked together. Understanding these people, I mean. If I find out something, I tell you and Soular, right?" ...most of his 'discoveries' have amounted to 'this food is delicious you should try it', admittedly.
On the bright side, at least Eas is willing to at least entertain this idea. Dutifully, he enters Setsuna's number - with a little bit of difficulty, the system being both a new one to him and not Mobius's standard design. "Right! Let me just make sure I've got this right..." With care, he types out a short message, and hits send. "Do you need my access number too, or does that get included with the mail?"
After putting away his phone, he finally opens up the takeout box. It's protein, in brief - yakitori skewers, packaged up to go, still wafting a little bit of delicious-smelling steam. "So, Cure Peach. I've run into her a couple of times now - she and her companions hit hard. I've been trying to focus on getting misery, though, since you're in charge of the Cure situation. You'll let me know if you want backup, though, right?"
That -was- what they'd agreed, right? Westar waves one of the skewers around to punctuate his question, then takes a bite - at which point his eyes widen. "It's good! Eas, try this - it's got this, this, I'm not sure I know the word for this flavor!"
Behold, fleetingly, that glimpse of happiness...
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.
"You're starting to sound like them," Eas points out, rolling her eyes at the very prospect of working together. "It might be faster now, but it makes us weak. I don't need to rely on someone else to fulfill my mission."
She picks up her coffee and drinks more of the hot beverage, which she certainly isn't going to mention that she was introduced to thanks to him. ...Totally not the point.
But, it seems, Eas is somewhat more amenable to the idea of sharing enough info to stay out of each other's way. As he types, she pulls out her own phone and takes a look. She's already had enough opportunity to text like a pro teenager, so it's easier. A utilitarian chime rings out as she gets the message. "It's included," she answers, and saves 'Hayato Nishi' as one of the few entries in her phone.
"They're stronger than you'd think to look at them." Still, she narrows her eyes at the suggestion, studying Westar for a hint of the meaning she's sure is there. "..."
The subject changes abruptly and she blinks again at his sudden emoting. "...?"
...Well, it's just research.
"Fine," she answers, and takes one of them herself, lifting it up and biting onto the top bit of skewer, pulling the rest away and chewing experimentally.
Her eyes widen slightly, as well. Since she was lucky enough not to get a bite with peppers, that /was/ good.
<Pose Tracker> Hayato Nishi [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
Sound like...who? Pretty Cure? The concept fails to sink in deeply; Westar's expression there is largely confusion. Confusion, and dismay. "Urk. That- " Westar slumps. Nothing new there, same old digs.
At least the cell phones are well organized - at least, by non-Labyrinth standards. "That's more convenient than I'd have expected from something Mobius doesn't run."
As for Pretty Cure... "They're strong, yeah. You know what you're doing better than I do, so I'll count on you - but if you have any plans where I can be an extra distraction or something, just let me know. You and Soular both are better at strategies..." He trails off, leaving the thought there - again, a brief flash of anger on his face.
But it's brief, because there is /amazingly delicious food/. Still holding one of the chicken skewers with one hand, he picks up a second - though plenty remain in the box. And - these really must be good, for /Eas/ to have a reaction. "See? They didn't do much sauce, so it's just the meat part - I should infiltrate one of the stands, see if I can figure out how they make these things!"
He's talking. Which means his mouth isn't eating. Could his meal be in peril from his distraction?
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.
Eas doesn't press the issue, or explain what she actually means by it. Instead, she's entirely willing to move on. "It's more efficient not to need all this disparate communication anyway," she dismisses, "And the battery runs out so quickly. It's annoying."
That she kind of likes her phone is not something that needs to be mentioned.
Lifting an eyebrow, Eas can't help but study that flash of anger when she sees it. It's far more interesting to her than the usual desire for teamwork, the standard implicit assuption that she can't handle things on her own. Those, she ignores for now, and it's easy, because food.
Infiltrate...? To learn cooking? That's absurd, Eas thinks, as she finishes off the skewer and seamlessly takes a second without so much as a please or thank you. "Mm," she agrees, though her tone is distant. ...But that she made the noise at all means it really was great.
His meal's totally in danger.
As she holds the second skewer, which is now already half-gone, she does speak up, though. "If you take an attitude like that--that he's just better than you--you'll never be strong enough to complete your mission. ...I don't know why I'm bothering to tell you this, but you might surprise me. Focus on what you're doing. Forget him."
<Pose Tracker> Hayato Nishi [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
Battery?...another useful tidbit about these strange phone devices. Something to keep in mind. "Right. So I'll need to get a spare battery or charger or something if I'm doing a long-term mission or something. That's good to know." Westar nods gratefully, nibbling at one of his skewers.
...every bite is delicious. These, and those noodles from the other day, and donuts - food-making procedures all worth recording for Mobius's future total reign. He pauses - not yet done his first skewer - and thinks, muttering out loud. "Maybe some of the local shops need assistants..."
His contemplations - taking up more time than his eating - are interrupted by Eas speaking up. Surprise shifts to astonishment that Eas is /actually giving advice/. For her to go this far... finishing one skewer quickly, Westar rests his chin on the now-empty hand, and considers her advice. "...all right. So - let you focus on Pretty Cure, let him focus on his books or whatever, and I focus on doing what I can do? That...makes a lot of sense, Eas. And the advice about batteries - thanks for the help, Eas!"
He's grinning, now - and just starting on his second skewer. One nibble at a time, he's savouring his meal...though at this rate...
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.
Eas, of course, read her phone's manual. She doesn't mention the power indicator on the phone's display because that should be totally obvious.
(It might not actually be obvious.)
Her donut bag still sealed, Eas continues on her skewer between giving advice and listening to Westar's strange musings. But it's not as if the advice means much. She's just stating things, that's all. "Hmph," she says, though this hmph is slightly less derisive than usual as she shakes her head. "Just don't disappoint me," she cautions, pointing an empty skewer at him in warning.
...She keeps going onto the next. "It's just basic stuff," she concludes.
<Pose Tracker> Hayato Nishi [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
It certainly should be obvious...but this is Westar, faced with a new piece of technology. Knowing that there's something to look for is more challenging than finding that thing - and so he might yet be able to escape disaster.
There is, as with many things on Earth, a vast gulf between something's worth and its value. It's bizarre, particularly coming from the different context of Labyrinth - but here, different people can attach different values to something. That trivial advice that Eas seems liable to throw away as easily as speak is like golden nuggets of utility for Westar. Basics or not...he nods solemnly. "Right. Everything for Mobius-sama - all right. I'll do what I can."
Hungry, he finishes off his second skewer, and goes for a third...which seems to be the last one in the box. He picks it up, considering it. Could have sworn he'd bought more food than this...weird. Was he left with an under-full box or something?
It is a mystery whose answer might never be revealed.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [None] has posed.
Maybe.
Stubbornly, Eas continues to ignore this entire idea; things are what they are, regardless of this new perspective Earth tries to offer. If others believe differently, then they're just wrong. It's that simple. ...But she doesn't bother to reflect on the advice she's giving for now. Maybe if she were thinking about it more, she'd skip it entirely.
But she doesn't. "Everything for Mobius-sama," Eas agrees.
Westar may be confused. But at this point, a soft 'click' accounces Eas setting the last skewer stick down on the table. "I'll keep an eye out to see what you manage," she says, and stands up, picking up her cup and bag of donuts. "But if you're back, school's out. I have something to do." She starts for the door she told him to close earlier.
<Pose Tracker> Hayato Nishi [Infinity Institute (12)] has posed.
Click. Westar looks up, looks at the skewers, and puts together what must have happened - that Eas must have eaten the rest of his food. Which-
It's weird. He should be furious. Because it was tasty food, unknown to Labyrinth, and because of her he has only one skewer left. Part of him wants to get furious, demand that she give that food back-
But she gave good advice. So it's a fair trade, right?
And having a meal or snack together, like actual teammates - like Pretty Cure, even - it's... unsettling. Strange. It shouldn't make a difference, should it?
In the end, Westar just nods in acknowledgment. "Yeah. Soular will probably be back soon, I'm going to head out to check how many people are enjoying the flower-viewings before he gets here." With that comment, he takes a bite out of the final skewer. Still tasty, still delicious by every definition...
...but is the taste different, now that he's on his own?
