thisavrou | video;

Entry tags:

video;

[At a glance, Nate doesn't seem too perturbed for a recently spirited away from home guy who never expected to go into the upper atmosphere of Earth, much less make it to the far reaches of space. Either he's extremely adaptable or he's great at putting up a front. Then again, why can't it be both?]

This is where we all share a little about ourselves, right? [He raises a hand in a casual wave. Those who have met Nate since his arrival might notice that he is now wearing a wedding ring.] My name's Nathan Drake, my hobbies include climbing and digging into the really dusty parts of the library, and I don't actually like long walks on the beach that much. Which I wouldn't have thought would be an issue since, you know. Space. But then we went to Vacation Planet.

[The cheerful expression of an amiable wiseass slips a little, revealing something closer to wonderment.]

I've gotta tell you, when I boarded my plane home, I didn't expect to end up outside of the solar system. So far, space isn't what I would have pictured. But the view on the observation deck, wow—it's pretty out of this world.

[He chuckles at his own pun, because he's the kind of person who does that.]

Can't say coming here would have been my first choice of next career moves, but I can think of worse places to be. Anyway, good to meet everyone, or at least talk at you. [He shrugs.] Close enough.

[action for nomo #013; this is the first time Nate's returned to the ship since going down to spend a few days in the lap of luxury, and he's brought a few things with him. His area of the room isn't messy yet, possibly because he just doesn't have that much stuff yet, but there are a few packages stacked on his bunk. Nate himself is sitting on the couch, flipping through his journal when he's not playing with the MID.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

How noble of you.

No, I have my reasons for being disappointed.

Oh, well, please enlighten me. I'd love to know what they are.

I just thought it would take you longer. Like you'd actually have to go out and explore all of the ship just to find me.

I guess this means you're coming by later.

And solve a bunch of puzzles along the way. Too bad, I have this nice new journal and everything.

Is that an invitation?

Your greatest treasure yet, and it's just next door. Imagine that.

Mmm, is it?

[Nate just smiles and doesn't say anything, mainly because he can't think of anything that isn't a horrifically sappy way of confirming what she just said, because yeah. Yeah, she is that, all right.

The connection cuts out, but a few seconds later there's a tapping at the door.]

[ Not sure if he had accidentally cut the connection by hitting the wrong button, she considers ringing him back. The tap-tap-tap stops her.

Oh. He was coming over?

Elena goes to the door and hits the button, watching it slide open to reveal him standing there. It can't be helped, a smile spreads on her lips. There might even be a tiny bit of giddiness at seeing him. ]

Hi.

[He feels like a complete moron, getting butterflies when she answers the door. But he's smiling, she's smiling. It's already going better than much of their talk the other day.]

Hi.

[He glances over her shoulder and nods at the room.]

Nice place. Looks a lot like mine.

Does it? I wouldn't know, you haven't invited me over yet to your crib.

[ Elena looks back to the shared quarters; she's yet to add her own touch to it, but she's done some window browsing for ideas on what to buy and get delivered up to the ship. ]

So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this grand visit?

Give me more than an hour in it. I would have.

[He leans against the door frame, wishing he had flowers or something to give her. It's probably too soon for the jewelry he picked up planetside.]

I felt like seeing a pretty girl. Turned out there was one next door.

Well, when you do, I better be the first person you invite. I want a special invite, by the way, something with drawn sunshines and rainbows with smileys in their cloud puffs.

[ She tilts her head, arms crossing over her chest. She's not going to risk glancing for his left hand just yet. Elena's going to wait. ]

None in your room?

Sunshines and rainbows and smileys. Got it.

[Oh, he's absolutely gonna draw that. Which may be her non-ironic intention.]

There's a messy teenager with, like, a million shoes in my room, and a couple guys I haven't met yet. I doubt they've very pretty either.

So...can I come in?

Edited 2016-06-05 05:38 (UTC)

You know more than I do in that area. I haven't met my bunkmates yet.

[ Being in a room together, alone? That's a little dangerous. ]

Oh... [ Elena steps aside, glancing back to the room. Nothing to really see there. ] Sure.

[ Better to keep talking inside rather than standing out in the hallway where anyone could come by and interrupt. ]

[He's not going to try anything, much as he'd like to. Baby steps, he keeps reminding himself. Enjoying some afternoon flirtation doesn't erase the unresolved issues between them.

But he wants to be with her. So he takes the opportunity and steps inside, thumbs resting safely in his belt loops.]

Cozy, huh? I'd have figured we were too old for communal living, but I guess space changes things.

[A thought occurs to him.] Is this what college is like? Stuffing a bunch of people in a dorm?

Edited 2016-06-05 05:48 (UTC)

You're never too old for communal living. It does make me wonder though if this was planned.

[ Taking a step back she then turns and heads back over to the small sitting area, picking out a chair to plop down into. ]

Kind of. Sometimes it's four to a room, sometimes it's two.

Huh. [That whole world is a mystery to him. Everything he knows about college comes from movies.] I've lived with groups of people before, but there were a few differences from this.

[He follows her to the sitting area, good idea, then remembers-]

Planned how?

Hostels don't count.

[ Leaning back into her seat, she shrugs. ]

I mean— doesn't it feel weird? We're both brought here, we go through something they call the Ingress, and we're both from around the same point in our lives— Yemen.

The only difference is we're a week apart with timelines. You're from my future and I'm from your past.

[No, they don't, but the orphanage probably isn't something to go into now. That's long in the past. He shrugs non-committally and listens as she continues.]

I guess so. If they were just pulling people from random points in their lives, odds are we'd be from a lot farther apart. I hope we've got a bunch more decades, anyway. And yeah, it's a hell of a coincidence, bringing people who know each other.

[He drums his fingertips on the edge of the chair, thinking.]

What would be the point, though? What's the benefit to them?

If things go as they should, I don't see why we wouldn't.

[ What a scary, unsettling thought. Things could go so wrong out here in a world of many that they know nothing about. Where aliens do exist. But now isn't the time to think about that, a life completely without him, even as friends.

Something in her expression shifts at the thought and Elena draws her feet up onto the edge of the chair. His finger drumming draws her out of whatever uncomfortable thoughts she has. ]

Other than making our lives more difficult than they already are? I really don't know.

Who knows what they're thinking, what they're even planning. Could be that we're worrying over nothing.

[They better. Nate wants to grow old and gray and wrinkly beside her until they're holding hands in side-by-side rocking chairs, watching the grandkids play.]

Seems kind of petty to bring in the right people at the wrong times to mess with them, doesn't it?

[And that's assuming they'd even know how to do it, that they have some insight into people's lives ahead of time. Honestly, simple bad luck might be a less unnerving thought.]

There's nothing we can do to change it now, so I guess we just stay on the alert, keep our eyes out for anything hinky. And work our new jobs, once we're done on vacation planet. [He raises his eyebrows.] Which should be an experience.

It does. But then again— we don't exactly know who or what we're dealing with when it comes to who's in charge.

[ She needs to pencil it in: have a chat with el capitán, get answers. Explore with or without permits. ]

What, working new jobs or Vacation Planet?

[Not yet. Nate has his own thoughts on how to get more information than what's been fed to them so far. And so, he suspects, does she.]

Jobs. I mean, for starters, I have one; it's been a long time since I did anything but freelance.

[Also, he won't be stealing things, so that's something of a career change.]

Ah-huh. And what's this job? Does it promise treasure at the end of the ransacked temple?

Believe it or not, you're looking at the Moira's newest teacher. Languages and gen ed.

[The expression on his face says what he thinks of that better than words could.]

Reeeeeeally?

[ Color her surprised, brows raised right up, eyes wide at him. ]

Do you have a course outline already planned?

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video; -> action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

ction;

tion;

... ion;

on;

n;

;