InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Don’t be a drama princess."

the_calm_before (the_calm_before) wrote in paxletalelogs,
@ 2010-09-21 12:03:00

Entry tags:

eris, raijin

Who: Ren and Open
When: Around noon
Where: Elevator
Why: Ren needs to get out and stop thinking alone in his room
Warnings: None yet

Ren waited with his hands in his pockets for the elevator to come down. His headphones were on and his iPod was attached to a band on his arm he normally used when running. He looked up at the numbers as they counted down toward the fourth floor. He wasn't working today until the later shift at the theme park which was fine with him, although he'd probably regret it when it got to be later that night. Maybe he'd go get a drink tonight after work and get some of the taste of artificial happiness out of his mouth.

"Eight, seven, six, come on." He was feeling impatient for some reason. It felt like if he stayed in one place too long something would catch him, or catch up with him. Like a question asked him on the stairs between the third and fourth floors. Mirza had asked him if he liked boys, and Ren had been doing his best to avoid thinking about the question. Why ask him that? Was it because of how he looked: thin and Asian? There were girls out there who liked that. He had never met any in particular, but he knew they were out there, somewhere.

"Four finally," He muttered as he waited for the doors to open he sighed and tried to move his thoughts away from the annoying question and his own internal analysis of it that was making him feel uncomfortable. The music wasn't helping him drown out the thoughts as much as he hoped it would. He needed to keep focused. He had some work he wanted to touch up for his portfolio before he wanted to give it to Mr. Gregory and he needed to talk to Vincent..er..Mr. Laurent about the storyboard job he had mentioned.

The doors opened and he stepped inside with his hair in front of his face covering his glasses making it difficult to see much and he automatically pushed the button for the ground floor.

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eristic
2010-09-21 06:39 pm UTC (link)

She'd been leaning against the back of the car when it stopped on the fourth floor - Jesus, seriously?. Dressed in jeans, her bike boots, a T and ~~TJ's~~ her leather jacket, black bike helmet with the visor snapped open hanging from her right hand like an oddly-shaped bowling ball and a scuffed messenger bag slung from one shoulder, she'd been looking forward to escaping from the apartment complex without notice.

After yesterday's interesting conversation with the local law enforcement that just happened to room a few apartments away from her, she wasn't feeling particularly sociable. Right now she had a day off from the auto shop she worked at and she wanted to use it riding her bike - the shot of adrenaline that came from the high speeds, wind whipping at her hair if she chose to leave it hanging out from her helmet, the quick curves and turns that pressed her close to the pavement, and of course the warm vibrations between her legs. Yeah, a girl could get off on that.

But no. This...kid, though he didn't look too much younger than her (but after everything she'd been through, she felt years older than everyone), had to use the elevator. She glanced at him - he didn't seem to notice her, but then again, it was probably difficult to see through all that hair; that and it seemed like he had headphones in. If he kept to himself, that was a-okay by her. She shifted in her position, raising her eyes to watch the numbers blink by as though she could will them to go faster.

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the_calm_before
2010-09-22 03:23 pm UTC (link)

Ren leaned against the wall of the elevator and looked up, surprised someone was in the elevator car with him. Maybe his music was too loud. It wasn't working anyway. He reached over on his arm and shut off his iPod, and the deafening silence ensued.

"Whoa, I think my ears are ringing," Ren wasn't even sure that he had spoken out loud and reached up and pressed the heels of hands into his ears as if it could actually cease the constant ringing.

He looked over at the woman in the car with him. From his initial assessment of her he thought she looked like what some would consider a "tough chic." He ran his hands through his bangs, trying to push them from his face so he could see better. They were really getting to long and his superior at the theme park mentioned it too. Maybe it was time for a hair cut.

Remember? Be friendly, said his internal monologue. Listening to your iPod and going deaf are not friendly. "Um, Hi there. My name's Ren, I just moved in a couple of weeks ago. You wouldn't happen to know a place where I could get a cheap hair cut, would you?"

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eristic
2010-09-22 04:09 pm UTC (link)

She fought back the smirk from his sudden surprise, then rolled her eyes as he pulled out his headphones and started to make conversation. Wonderful. Was everyone around here so friendly? Well, as long as he wasn't a cop. If she ran into another cop, she was moving out. Really, it was just uncalled for - she had yet to call Jimbo and see if he had picked this place because of that reason, but somehow she couldn't put it past him to do such a thing. Her rap sheet wasn't that bad. She shifted her helmet from one hand to the other, putting it between her and the wall. One booted foot started tapping against the floor impatiently, or perhaps out of a need to move.

"'m Charlie. Just moved in yesterday, so the best I can suggest is some scissors - can't be that hard, right? Give it the good ol' college try." She didn't move her eyes away from the illuminated floor numbers crawling by, her voice flat and non-inviting. Hopefully he'd get the hint, but she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. This elevator took forever, and people, unfortunately, were social creatures. Of course, Charlie's curtness had rarely failed before to shoo away those of a weaker constitution.

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the_calm_before
2010-09-24 05:58 am UTC (link)

She certainly had a hostile reaction to Ren's attempt at being friendly. He had only met two women in the building so far, her and Momoko. Momoko hadn't seemed to like him much either. He wasn't sure what about him seemed to bring out the bad sides of these women.

"Hm, nice to meet you Charlie. Welcome to the building then." She didn't seem like she would care either way for his welcome wishes.

"I guess I could try that." He hadn't cut his own hair since college and he had been a pretty piss poor job at it. He smiled at her. "College was probably the list time I had tried it. Probably shouldn't have, was a little drunk."

He scratched his head and turned to look at the floor. Why was he talking about being drunk in college. Her attitude made him nervous. That was all he could think about, and it had just poured out like a broken faucet. This was why he wasn't good around people.

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eristic
2010-09-24 05:04 pm UTC (link)

She at least gave him a dip of her head, a sparse acknowledgment of his welcome. The sentiment was nice, but he was right in thinking she didn't need nor want it. No, she'd had enough welcoming to last her whole stay here, which hopefully wouldn't be too long. She could not wait to get to her bike and let all of these thoughts just drift away with the wind.

But that next part made her laugh, perhaps a little too derisively. The image of someone going at their hair with sharp objects while inebriated was just something she'd probably have tried, but she couldn't remember (which wasn't all that surprising, really). She didn't see any ghastly scarring, so either he hadn't been that drunk or he'd managed to steer clear of any mortal injuries.

"So...you thought that being smashed would make it easier, or did the idea occur after the fact?" She did want to hear about this, because, hey, funny stories. Everybody has 'em, and the thought of this kid almost stabbing himself in the eye gave her a perverted amusement.

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the_calm_before
2010-09-25 05:45 pm UTC (link)

Ren eyed her. He had noticed the slight dip, an acknowledgment. That seemed to be promising at least. Maybe she wasn't quite as prickly as she tried to seem. He could work with that at least.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked at her and gave her a winning smile. He didn't mind that the laugh was derisive. He had at least made her laugh, right? That had to be a good sign.

"No, I don't think so. I was drunk and then I thought I needed a hair cut, I think." That night had been pretty hazy. He wasn't really sure if he had cut his hair or one of his dorm mates had done it. He shrugged. "All I remember is that when I started drinking I had a full head of hair, and then when I woke up next morning I had a killer headache and a mohawk."

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eristic
2010-09-27 04:37 pm UTC (link)

She rolled her eyes at the smile, after she'd glanced at him to hear his story. Sure, she'd laughed - it didn't mean they were buddies now. But she forced herself to relax, to not take everything as a challenge, a threat, and to just stop over-analyzing every little movement that everyone made. She shifted in place, moving the helmet to press against one leg rather than scratch against the wall, not wanting to mar the smooth, glossy perfection of a well-cared for piece of equipment.

"Could've been worse, you could've just shaved yourself bald." She moved a hand to the strap of her messenger bag, shrugging her shoulders. "Or that might be better, takes less shampoo." Her sentences were short and to the point, much like her personality. The hand came off of the strap and ran through her hair as her eyes went back to the blinking numbers above the elevator doors. She hoped that Samuel was wrong about it breaking down - it seemed to be moving just fine right now.

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the_calm_before
2010-10-03 09:26 pm UTC (link)

Ren sighed. All the verbal cues Charlie was giving him were literally making him tired and frustrated. Had he done something to offend her in anyway? Maybe just existing at this moment near her was an inconvenience. He sure couldn't do anything about that until the elevator doors opened and he walked out. What was she so bent out of shape about? Ren was getting to the point where he found he didn't care anymore what she thought, what anyone thought.

It was like a revelation. He just plain didn't care what she thought about him. She might live in the same building. and they would most likely meet each other again, but as she made plainly clear, she wanted nothing to do with him. Had she been a plant, Ren thought she would be a cactus: unfriendly, standing alone, and full of needles.

"Look, if you don't want to talk to me then just say so. You don't have to pretend, and badly I might add, that you are the least bit interested in meeting me." Ren put his headphones back on, but didn't turn them on. He leaned against the smooth wall of the elevator and looked down at the floor, away from her. That had been a lot for him to say, but damn he really hated it when people were condescending.

"Excuse me for trying." He mumbled under his breath.

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eristic
2010-10-04 05:12 pm UTC (link)

He offended Charlie like everyone else offended Charlie - by doing absolutely nothing at all. Well, that and he interrupted her escape plan, which really didn't give her much of a reason to be upset. She was just upset because she could be. Being pointy kept people away, and when people don't bother you, shit doesn't happen to you. That was Charlie's logic. And if this upset Ren, well, mission accomplished. There was no real reason to take it personally, though.

"Believe me, if I was pretending...shit, no, you're right, it probably wouldn't be any different than this." That amused her a little bit, but not enough to move her to make any kind of apology. Ren, meet Charlie. "My bad if my social skills aren't fully developed. Next time I'll make a mental note to not say anything at all. Hope that makes you feel better." The words were dry and sarcastic, as though that would be a surprise to anyone. Charlie honestly didn't care if she'd offended his delicate sensibilities, and was growing more impatient for the elevator to hit the ground floor. The thing was so damn slow.

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the_calm_before
2010-10-09 05:02 pm UTC (link)

It was too bad Ren couldn't read minds like a mutant from X-men. He would actually love to have super powers like that. What would he do about it, he didn't know. It would be a little awkward writing a comic about yourself, even if you had super powers. It seemed a little conceited and it wasn't like he did anything interesting anyways.

He looked at her from under his bangs, his blue eyes peeking out from behind them. You could almost see the sarcasm roll off her body in waves as she spoke. She actually reminded him off some of the art students back at his school who would refuse to talk to him, but on the few occasions when they did they used the same tone of voice, like he wasn't worth their time.

"Guess you're not a very good actress then." Ren really wanted a smoke. He looked at the numbers the elevator should have moved again by now, right? Maybe he should have just taken the stairs. It would have been faster and probably less hostile.

"I doubt you care anything about how I feel. Or about how anyone else feels." He murmured as he crossed his arms over his chest. She wouldn't have said that if she did. She would be a hard person to get along with, and Ren obviously wasn't up to it during this elevator ride.

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eristic
2010-10-09 05:43 pm UTC (link)

The elevator finally (finally) hit the ground floor - how those four floors between when he'd gotten on and now had become so gratuitously long Charlie would never know, but she might start making a habit of using the stairs. Walking seven flights didn't appeal to her, but if that meant less awkward conversational time and less pouting, the pros far outweighed the cons.

"Well, shit, and I wanted to be a star, too," she prodded at him regarding her dubious acting talents. "Don't give a damn about you or anyone else in this building, cupcake. Glad we got that out of the way. Hope to not be seeing you around." With those parting words, she walked out of the elevator and into the lobby, hoping to whatever that he wouldn't follow her and make a scene of any sort. Although if he started crying, she might just bust up laughing.

She stopped shortly outside the building, walking a little ways away from the door so as to avoid those going in and out, and dug into her messenger bag for her pack of unfiltered smokes, putting one to her lips before then searching for her lighter. Why it wasn't in the right pocket was beyond her.

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the_calm_before
2010-10-24 10:44 pm UTC (link)

Their whole interaction was leaving Ren feeling angry, embarrassed, and a touch more self conscious than usual. If he hadn't been so hungry and suffering from a slight case of cabin fever he probably would have gone right back up the elevator and back to his apartment. All of the bravado he had been able to muster up was starting to leave him and he lowered his head, letting the bangs cover his eyes.

"Uh, yeah, have a nice life." He mumbled after she spoke and headed out into the lobby.

After a beat he took a breath hunched his shoulders and headed out of the elevator before the doors shut on him. He reached inside his hoodie and felt the package of cigarettes with the clear red plastic stuck inside with the sticks. As he walked out of the building she was still there with a cigarette in between her lips and he got the distinct feeling she was looking for something, a lighter.

He stopped and took his pack out of his pocket, took out a cigarette and his lighter, lit it up, and started walking again, passing her by. He sucked in the nicotine and sighed it back out before turning back around and calling out to her.

"Hey, think fast."

He still had his cheap lighter in his hand and he tossed it toward her, before turning back around and heading down the street. He wasn't sure why he bothered. She'd probably find her lighter soon enough and throw the one he had given her away without a thought. Hell, she might even be mad that he had done it. He didn't have clue. He shrugged to himself and just kept walking. He wanted something to eat, needed a hair cut, and now needed to buy a new lighter.

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eristic
2010-10-25 04:19 pm UTC (link)

She turned to find a lighter flying at her face, and only a quick, unconscious reaction saved her from being smacked with it. It honestly surprised her that he'd do such a thing - after all, she'd been nothing but a dick to him in the elevator. Shrugging, she flicked it on and lit her own cigarette, taking a deep drag that filled her lungs. Pocketing the cheap Bic, she lingered outside of the building long enough to finish the cigarette halfway; then she crunched it under her heel and headed towards her bike, the excitement growing in her belly.

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