InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Your face is gone!"

1percent (ex_1percent961) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2011-12-11 15:35:00

Entry tags:

ariadne, robert fischer

Who: Fischer, Ariadne, open to all!
Where: The Supermarket
When: Two days after Fischer's arrival
What: Grocery shopping...so he can cook. Seriously.
Status: In Progress

Robert had been standing in front of the produce section for nearly seven minutes now, clutching the blue shopping basket so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He was starving, and his mind kept flashing to restaurants he had eaten at, making his stomach growl with hunger - for what might have been the first time in his life. But there were no restaurants here - not that he could afford, anyway, with the pittance that he had in his bank account. A hundred dollars. Seriously?

He stared at the carrots and celery and potatoes, really having no idea what to do with them to transform them from their present state into something delicious and edible. He supposed it had something to do with knives and spices, but truly, it seemed like rather too much trouble. He preferred to buy his food already...assembled.

His stomach growled again, however, further weakening his resolve not to attempt to prepare himself something. He stepped forward and very carefully picked up a potato. Mashed potatoes couldn't be that hard, right? It couldn't be much more than smashing them up, right? But how many did he need? Did one potato make far too many mashed potatoes for one person? Or would one person need four or five? And what was the ideal potato supposed to look like?

He sighed and put the potato carefully back, running his hand through his hair, steeling him to the fact that if he had to do this, he was truly going to starve to death.

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labyrinthine
2011-12-12 12:35 am UTC (link)

It was hard not to stare. Here was someone who was, ostensibly, a fully grown adult. On of the most powerful men in the world, in her universe. And he was asking her how to make mashed potatoes.

"Of course you peel them first," she started, then jumped when her PDA started buzzing. Ariadne dug out the device and checked the screen: a text from Eames. Who would probably shit an entire wall's worth of bricks when he found out who she was talking to. Sweetheart, I'm dying from lack of tea. Are you milking the cows yourself? Well, at least that gave her an out.

"I can't actually go back to your apartment and teach you how to make mashed potatoes," she said, waggling her PDA. "I did actually come here to do my own shopping and my boyfriend just told me I'm taking too long. Besides, how do I know you're not a deranged serial killer?" He wasn't. As far as she knew, anyway. But hey, maybe he was secretly Patrick Bateman and he was just super paranoid rather than being militarized.

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ex_1percent961
2011-12-12 12:46 am UTC (link)

"Oh," he said softly. He hadn't meant to seem creepy, but he could understand why she had said no. "Of course. I understand. I'm not a serial killer, though. Promise."

He turned back to the potatoes, picking up a couple and looking at them rather hopelessly, worrying his bottom lip. He never had been terribly good with people. Ever since his mother had died and his father had let him know in no uncertain terms what he thought of Robert's obvious grieving, he had tried to show a brave face to the world, to appear less vulnerable than he actually was. But at heart, he was a rather shy, sensitive person, and he took her rejection personally. And for some reason, he couldn't help but think that it wasn't just his antisocial paranoia talking this time. But he didn't know what possible reason she could have to dislike him.

"Are you sure we haven't met?"

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labyrinthine
2011-12-12 02:26 am UTC (link)

"That was supposed to be a joke," she said, rather lamely. Fuck, now she felt bad. On top of feeling all the guilt over playing merry havoc with his deepest feelings and beliefs. But if she actually went back to Fischer's apartment Eames and Arthr would probably kill her. Or Fischer. Or Fischer and then her. And now she was going to have to lie to him even more and she was a terrible liar and this was going to suck, wasn't it?

"Well, not here. But we might have met back in our reality," Ariadne said, tucking a bit of hair behind one ear. "Or you might have met someone who looks like me. Sometimes there are doppelgangers here. I have two." Which was true. Even if he was actually thinking of her. And he looked so lost and upset that she couldn't just leave him there without feeling like a terrible person. "Maybe you should start small and just bake a potato. That's easy, you just prick it with a fork and either put it in the oven or the microwave."

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ex_1percent961
2011-12-12 02:52 am UTC (link)

"You just look very familiar to me, that's all. Maybe...I don't know. Do you...usually fly first class.?"

He'd had to fly commercial for a while while his jet was under repairs. Maybe he'd bumped into her then. It was a stab in the dark, but he just knew he'd seen her before.

He smiled slightly, hopefully, a twinkle of a smile making his eyes momentarily even bluer.

"Just poke a hole in it and put it in the microwave? And I can put butter and sour cream on it?"

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labyrinthine
2011-12-12 03:11 am UTC (link)

It wasn't very hard to feign surprise and confusion, as she pretended to think it over. "Oh. You know, I have a few times. It was a while ago, but - time moves differently here, so I guess it could have been me." The smile she gave him was apologetic. God, it was like dealing with Escher. Except even Escher could figure out how to get into the cabinet and tear open the sack of kibble.

"A few holes. And yes, you can. Much easier than peeling and boiling and mashing." God, was she really giving up her afternoon to explain how to cook a freaking potato? This was surreal. Her free hand went to her other pocket to check for her totem.

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ex_1percent961
2011-12-12 03:16 am UTC (link)

"So am I right that you wrap it in aluminum foil before you put it in the microwave? So...the flavor stays in or something?"

He thought he'd seen a picture of a potato cooking in the microwave in aluminum foil, and he'd been served one that way once when he'd been forced to fly commercial.

He flushed slightly.

"I do appreciate it. Your help, I mean. Let me buy your groceries. It's the least I can do."

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labyrinthine
2011-12-12 03:28 am UTC (link)

Ariadne let out a short, sharp bark of laughter, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, sorry. No. No, you are so wrong, unless you want to set the microwave on fire." This was a trick. Or a dream. Her totem was compromised and she was dreaming. This couldn't be real.

"You don't have to do that. Besides, you just got here, right? Save your pennies till you find a job." And she definitely didn't want to be beholden to him in any way.

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	ex_1percent961 2011-12-12 03:34 am UTC (link)
	"No, let me, please. I've taken so much of your time, and practically knocked you over by standing here and being so indecisive. It's seriously not a big deal." He smiled a little. "Oh! I'm sorry, I - I usually have better manners than this. I'm Robert Fischer." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

labyrinthine
2011-12-12 04:17 am UTC (link)

"How about I take a raincheck?" Oh, hell, she was giving in, wasn't she. This was not her best afternoon ever. "Once you have a job you can buy me a gallon of milk." She attempted a smile back and paused.

"I'm - Ari." A nickname she normally hated, but hopefully he wouldn't connect it to her real name. If he remembered it at all. Which he might. Had he heard it in the dreams? In Limbo? Better safe than sorry, she supposed.

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ex_1percent961
2011-12-12 04:21 am UTC (link)

"Ari..." He paused as if hearing deep echoes from somewhere he couldn't remember, like a vision just on the periphery of sight. "Sounds...Greek? Short for anything?"

He shrugged.

"Alright, a rain check it is. But I mean it, okay? I want to thank you for your help. And for being nice to me. To answer the question you asked at the beginning, yes, I just got here yesterday. And a lot of people haven't been very nice."

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labyrinthine
2011-12-12 03:32 pm UTC (link)

Fuck. "Ari means 'lion' in Hebrew," she supplied helpfully. Which was true, even if it wasn't actually her name. But if he thought it was Greek then that was way too close to knowing her actual name, and she was freaked enough already. Which probably looked even more suspicious.

"They're probably just getting over the latest go-round of Colligo messing with us," Ariadne added. "Did you read the post for new arrivals? We just got done with some of that, people were getting married and pregnant and it was like a really ridiculous soap opera. Or they're just jerks, which is also possible." Frankly she hadn't been tracking his interactions that closely, choosing instead to pretend he hadn't shown up at all. Which was working out just splendidly as a strategy.

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ex_1percent961
2011-12-12 04:43 pm UTC (link)

Robert shrugged, trying to look like it affected him less than it did.

"I suppose I'm just not used to people treating me that way. Especially when I've given them no reason to be hostile. You're...kind of the only one who's been nice. At all."

Even if there did seem to be something to her behavior that he just wasn't understanding.

"Did you drive here? I'd be glad to take you home. My car's one of the few things this place left me."

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labyrinthine
2011-12-12 05:03 pm UTC (link)

"Welcome to life," she said, shrugging. Had he really been so insulated that he'd never encountered jerks before? Ever? "But I'm not the only nice one here. Give it time."

His offer made Ariadne take another half-step back. "No, no, that's totally fine, I can get home by myself." If she brought Fischer to the house it would end badly for everyone involved, she just knew it. "Besides, I don't live in the apartments, it would be out of your way. Thanks for the offer, though, Robert." She was babbling again.

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	ex_1percent961 2011-12-12 05:36 pm UTC (link)
	"Sure," he said, his tone rather flat. She obviously didn't want to talk to him, but at least she was being nicer about it than most he'd met here. "Okay. Well, nice to meet you, then. Sorry to keep you." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	labyrinthine 2011-12-12 06:15 pm UTC (link)
	"Okay. And I'll text you about that raincheck," she said with a smile that she hoped looked at least somewhat unforced. "After you find a job. So I'm not taking food out of your mouth." Ariadne started to turn, then looked back. "And it was nice to meet you too, Robert." (Reply to this) (Parent)

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