knew_anyway | Thirteenth Summoning [Accidental Video] || Overworked and Underpaid

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Thirteenth Summoning [Accidental Video] || Overworked and Underpaid

[The feed clicks on to show Nat in his study- but unlike his public addresses, he's not sitting calmly at his desk, or even looking at the camera. Instead, he has his back to the device, reaching up to get a book from his top shelf.

His study is nothing short of painfully organized chaos. Stacks of books and loose papers seem to reach the ceiling. His walls are covered with chalk marks, very few of which are English. He has Japanese characters, foreign words, and even a hieroglyph or two- and of course, lots and lots of Latin interspersed, with dark, angry lines connecting words together or crossing sentences out entirely.

It looks very much like he's lost it, especially as he opens the book he'd just gotten, turning slightly so his face is profile to the camera. He hasn't slept in days, his hair is messy from the times he's ran his fingers through it, his shirt is untucked, tie loosened.

With a negative mutter, Nathaniel snaps the book shut and turns to cross out another line of foreign writing, letting the book drop to the floor by his feet in frustration.

He continues working tirelessly, unaware that he'd being recorded, until the feed shuts off.]

[[ooc: SOOOO to anyone who can speak a foreign language, the words he has written are all regarding names- names of deities in that language's culture mostly, but also little scrawls on statistics and probabilities and things relating to alternate worlds, dimension hopping, and Other Places.

I am JUST returning from being internetless as well, so all of Nat's, Rome's, and Regulus' tags will be done shortly <3 <3]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes, well now you can come over here and I'll hit you.

[Dryly.]

You would be on the floor before you tried.

[A weak attempt at humor.]

-- I couldn't tell anyone.

[When Hitsugaya Toushirou tells you to keep your mouth shut you keep your mouth shut.]

Yes, well.

[He doesn't look at the screen.]

The last time I left someone out of an important development, I was hit and yelled at. And I even let that person know what was going to happen before I did it.

[She's quiet, for a long moment, before her shoulders slump slightly.]

...if I told anyone, it would have ruined the entire mission and endangered Usagi.

[That's the real problem here.]

I would've told you if I could.

Yes, alright.

[He waves his hand and, with some difficulty, buries his hurt feelings. There are more important things at stake here than his frustration.]

Fine. I tried to contact you days ago- I need to ask you something.

Nathaniel --

[But she stops when he keeps talking and falls quiet, to listen, stifling her own frustration. She had meant to tell him about the scientists -- the scientists -- but he was angry with her. Rightfully so. She should've told them about leaving in the first place. Ugh.

The attempt to contact her days ago only makes her guilt worse, but she keeps her mouth shut, only staring at him, silently telling him to continue.]

[He shakes his head when she says his name, waiting for her to protest. When she doesn't, he goes on.]

The Animus believe that if I can locate the identity of the fire, I can force it to remember itself. If it recalls what it is, the chaos has a very likely chance of coming to an end.

[Rei immediately snaps to attention at that.]

I've spoken to that one by itself before. The fire god.

It challenged to me find its name. I was wrong with every guess I had.

Thankfully, I've had a bit more education on the topic than you.

[The dig isn't intentional- it's just the truth. Nathaniel doesn't move, but his eyes flicker back toward the wall with the scrawl of the names and languages all over it.]

Praise the Heavens.

[Somewhat curtly, because excuse you, Nat. 8| But her curiosity gets better of her pride, to look over his shoulder to the wall, eyes narrowing slightly to decipher some of it in the languages she recognizes.]

Your handwriting is terrible.

[In a quiet remark, as she tilts her head slightly at the Japanese symbols.]

What did you discover?

That there are many deities out there, the majority of which have some sort of affiliation for fire.

[Shut up about his handwriting, they were his personal notes okay.]

I'm in the process of trying to narrow down the possibilities by cross referencing the known worlds and religions in all of the textbooks in the library and the gods of the people who are already here.

[ ... wait, Nathaniel, hold on, Rei just has to say:]

The deduction you've made is that there are a lot of fire gods and goddesses.

[The flattest tone you know, Nat. The flattest tone you know. But give her a moment more before she ducks out of the frame.]

[And then, suddenly, there's a burst of fire that doesn't seem to actually burn anything, before Mars ducks back into view, one white-gloved hand wrapping a coil of fire between her fingers like it was nothing more than a string.

She looks so unimpressed it literally hurts her.]

I could have told you that.

[8|]

Yes, obviously.

[Don't push him Rei, he's still mad at you. >:(]

That was dry humor. I'm working as hard as I can.

[She sighs to herself, letting the fire dissipate from her fingers, though she remains transformed, for a few moments.]

I can come over and help you.

[Pause.]

And I can tell you about the scientists.

[He watches her for a moment- still upset, but again, new information and the good of Adstring was more important than a few hurt feelings. He could swallow his pride for this.]

...I'll put on tea.

[It's not going to stop him from treating this painfully like a business transaction though.]

[She's quiet for a moment before the transformation melts away in the flicker of flames -- and Rei sighs quietly before nodding slightly to herself, getting up and grabbing a thick wad of papers hand-bound together.]

I'll be there in half an hour.

[She has to tell Cas where she's going so he doesn't freak out again. It might take some doing.]

[Nat nods and shuts off the feed. He spends the next half hour trying to make the place look habitable, clearing up a space to sit at, and putting on that tea.

He tidies up his appearance, but there's nothing to be done for the bags under his eyes or the incredible weariness that was finally beginning to peek through the boundless energy he'd had at Christmas. She'll just have to deal with it.]

[She slides into his house without knocking, when she arrives, precisely half an hour later, a little taken aback by the amount of... well, clutter everywhere. And when she eventually finds Nathaniel, she leans against the doorframe, hugging the papers to her chest, frowning slightly in concern.]

You need to sleep.

[Quietly. It's not a command. Just an observation.]

I need to fix this city.

[It's more important than his own needs- he's already realized that. Nathaniel looks at her for a moment, before leaning back against the wall.]

Have a seat. I'll get the tea.

I can get my own tea.

[She doesn't move to take a seat.]

You're going to kill yourself before you even make it to the summoning, Nathaniel.

[She looks worried. 8(]

I need to do this, Rei.

[There's no real soft tones or gentle gestures here. He's tired, he's frayed and stressed, and he's still upset with her.]

It's for everyone's good. I can't justify making them all suffer just because I was too weak to keep going.

I know that you need to do this, I need to do this too, but you can't just keep --

[But Rei stops herself, frustrated, and she grits her teeth together. There's little point in arguing. So, instead, Rei simply stares at him, stubborn, to wait for him to continue talking.]

You wanted to tell me about the scientists.

[Bart will knock him out before he actually keels over.]

I will if you drink your tea and sit down.

[Quietly, without looking away.

Rest for ten seconds and be rewarded. If you want to be a stubborn jerk over it, then Rei will treat you like one, tyvm.]

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