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

I know. You just don't look- pleased.

[He sighs, letting his hand fall back to his side but not quite pulling back.]

I'm trying to explain myself.

Of course I'm not pleased. I don't want anyone to get hurt protecting me. Protecting people is my job, not the other way around.

[And Rei pushes herself up to stand, crossing her arms in front of her, to look up at him properly.]

But they're your rules, and if these are your rules, then I'll accept them.

[Rei purses her lips together slightly.]

I understand them, anyway.

Thank you. It means a lot to me.

[He smiles, a little crookedly, looking down toward the floorboards and rubbing at the back of his neck.]

You don't- always have to be a soldier. I know it's a role, and it's an important one, and one that you will always carry with you, but it's not... everything that you are. Maybe- [He's starting to flush now, oh boy.] -maybe when this is over, you can show me a different part of you.

[She blinks once or twice before arching her eyebrows at the blushing... and Rei offers a lopsided grin.]

Yeah? Like what?

[She's deliberately torturing him, now.]

I just...

[He takes a small step back. Go ahead Nat, deep breath, man up, tell her-]

-I'm attracted to you.

[ -- okay, give her a moment to process that, as she stares at him a little, clearly... not expecting that piece of information to come out of her blatant trolling -- ]

Why?

[She doesn't mean to sound so -- guarded, but she sounds quietly curious, watching him intently, to gauge his reactions. His intentions.

The last person Rei gave her heart to sort of broke it. And while part of her is positively elated, the nasty pragmatic part of her is whispering to tread carefully.]

I know it may come as a surprise. Rest assured, I was not expecting it either.

[He straightens his shirt a bit, takes another deep breath.]

But you are- rather beautiful. And I admire your courage and strength of character. [And she reminds him eerily of Kitty which, while that might have been a bad reason, was still very prevalent in his mind.] I understand if you don't want to persue- being with me, but I thought you should know. Before the summoning, just in case-

[Rei is silent, watching him carefully as he talks. He's not lying. He seems entirely genuine. And the more he talks, the less Rei actually listens, because having someone pick her before any other girl available is something new and almost foreign and the last relationship she had ended horrifically and he left Adstringendum before Rei could possibly begin to fix it, so, really, it isn't that smart to put herself in that position again, because it can only lead to disappointment --

She steps forward suddenly to stand on her toes to press her lips against his, in a simple sweet kiss, before she lowers herself back down to the ground, hands still on his shirt, before she speaks quietly.]

Stop talking like this is a suicide mission.

-- please.

[He doesn't respond to the kiss- remains frozen, still, his shoulders tense. After she pulls away, he brings his fingers up, gently brushing the tips of them against his lips. Soft, still. He'd never been kissed before. Never even got close. He felt electric- slowly his body worked its way back into function, and his eyes widened and he dragged in a slow and shaky breath.]

Yes- I mean, no. I won't. I'll stop, I mean.

[A suicide mission? The Animus were nothing. Right thèn, he helt like he could fly.]

[There's a slow smile before Rei grins a little, putting her hands back at her sides before she glances at the floor, her cheeks pink.]

You probably should. It doesn't really inspire a lot of confidence.

I don't date guys without a lot of confidence.

I'll-

[He blinks.]

That- does that mean you'll be with me?

[Rei pauses before she looks up at him, almost incredulous.]

No, I kissed you because I was bored.

[Honestly, Nathaniel, what kind of question is that. 8|]

No, I mean- look, I don't know.

[He really doesn't. Don't they need to come to an agreement before they can sufficiently say or assume that they're together? Do they have to be together? Nathaniel knows that he kind of wants to be, and Rei- well, a kiss could mean a lot of things. Not that he'd know the first thing about any of them.]

I've never... really-

[... oh. He's serious. And Rei looks thoughtful for a moment or two before she shrugs.]

I've had two boyfriends. One dumped me for my best friend and the other one -- kind of just didn't -- get it.

[Somewhat awkwardly before Rei quickly moves on. It's a sensitive subject.]

So I'm not really the expert on the perfect utopia of dating or anything, but -- if you want to, then I wouldn't... mind giving it a shot.

I wouldn't do that.

[He steps forward a little, touching her hand.]

I'm not going to claim to understand you entirely- and I know it hasn't been easy getting along with me. But I think... [Fuck, why is he doing this? Why is he giving in like this? There was a reason he didn't dance with her much at Prom, a reason he pulled away when she got close. His emotions were interfering with his logic, and he needed to get out of there before he hurt her- before she would discover the truth.

But then again, something made him hesitate. His conversation with Usagi- saying that Rei deserved to know and make her own judgements. This was part of that, right?

His eyes lowered for a moment.]

Before you decide, there's- something you should know.

[She glances down, at Nathaniel touching her hand, before refocusing on his face, brow furrowing slightly as he trails off. And when he continues, Rei chews on the inside of her cheek for a moment before she looks at him expectantly.]

What?

[She's fairly certain she's heard it all. What else could be worse than stabbing your best friend or opening Purgatory?]

I... [It's hard to say. He can't just come out with it. He finds himself talking anyway, leading up to it perhaps, or just stalling for time.]

...I told you- and the rest of Adstringendum- back when I was new here. I told you all about my world and the government. How people vying for power summoned an entity which broke free of their tenuous control and rained fire down on London.

[He glances off.]

How I decided to change things, with a friend of mine, and- with Bartimaeus. [His voice gets quieter now, he glances down and fiddles awkwardly with his sleeve.] And I'm... I'm afraid to say that I told the truth. None of the cabinet survived the attack.

[He looks up at her from the corner of his eye, nervous, almost trembling.] ...not even me.

[She's quiet, as she listens, watching him intently, with every ounce of her attention. And Rei, before Nathaniel even finishes, knows what he's about to say, and when he finally says it, her shoulders relax slightly, because of all of the news she expected, it certainly was not that.]

Remember when I told you that if it was worth dying for, then it was worth it?

[It's soft.]

You don't say that without some amount of experience.

[She's quiet, for a moment, before Rei takes his hands in hers, offering him a tiny smile.]

You're alive here, aren't you? Take advantage of it.

[It's soothing and calm -- and while Rei's eyes hold a large amount of sadness, they hold no pity.]

But I'm not.

[He takes her hand, leaning in a little close. He hadn't told anyone this- hadn't really even approached the subject with Bartimaeus, who was there up until his death, or Raven, who had to save him from his injuries upon his arrival.]

This- all of this, it's just a point in between. I'm alive because we live in a pocket dimension in which life and death are so tangled up that people who die come back. It's going to end- and when it does, there won't even be enough of my remains to put in a grave. [He doesn't know why he's arguing this point, but- it's all he's thought about since he got here, it's dominated his mind and colored all of his actions.] I can't go to my home. I can't go home with you. If and when Adstringendum collapses, I die with it. And I don't want...

[A deep, shaky breath.]

I don't want to put you through that.

Nathaniel --

[Rei takes a deep breath before shaking her head slightly.]

Even if that's the fate of every person in this city that's doomed to die when they go home, you can't spend your time thinking of it that way.

[Her tone remains quiet, soft, almost a whisper, but there's a certain sense of conviction to it.]

This city, for as much as it's a hell, is a reprieve. It's a chance to be someone -- to change your path from what it was in your world. I've seen people take a look at what their lives were and change everything to become better people, and even if that work is fruitless when they go home, they have their lives here. For a week, or a month, or a year, or three -- that's worth something, even if this universe collapses tomorrow.

[And suddenly, Rei sets her jaw, gritting her teeth.]

And I wouldn't be so certain of not getting out of here, because I won't let this place collapse without preserving everything I can. Not without a fight.

Edited 2012-01-04 08:18 (UTC)

[He nods slowly, looking back up at her.]

I worry, sometimes. [Drawing back, but only so much to rub his hand over his eyes with a long sigh.] I want to do that. I want to make a difference in this place- and if summoning the Animus will do that, then that's what I'm going to do. If I can- [he's building momentum, thinking faster, going from point A to point B without a second's pause.]

-if I can stabilize the fire, the rest of the Animus would be in less turmoil. Through that- if they could use their power to stabilize this world, if we could get to the scientists and have them help us, then maybe we can preserve the city the way it is. With the population intact, with nobody having to go home or be pulled here again.

[There's a tiny tug in her stomach, at that -- because Rei, eventually, must return to her own universe. She is needed there. But she would want to come back -- to see the people she loves, to never forget them -- but she pushes that down for another discussion, another day, and instead smiles slightly up at him.]

I think, out of everyone in this city, you have the best shot of doing that.

[It's quiet, but confident. But then Rei pauses, before she arches her eyebrows, in a challenge.]

But you're only going to be able to do that if you actually get some sleep -- and a decent diet. And, you know, if you're dating me now, you have literally no excuse now to brush me off.

I suppose so.

[What's this? Nat actually giving in to his body needs? Rei must be a miracle worker.]

I am a bit tired. [A bit. Meaning that he's been about to drop for hours.]

[Rei doesn't look extraordinarily impressed, but she purses her lips before stepping to the side, though she hasn't let go of his hand yet.]

Go.

[Before you pass out and she has to carry you.]

I- um.

[He didn't mean right now D8. They're a couple now, shouldn't they celebrate with kisses and oh god tired.]

Is there anything else I can do for you?

Thirteenth Summoning [Accidental Video] || Overworked and Underpaid

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