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Tweak says, "Chicka chicka yeaaahhh."

Mickey plus three (plusthree) wrote in we_float,
@ 2010-05-15 20:41:00

Entry tags:

character: charlotte meadows, character: ganesh surendar, character: mickey o'hare

Who: Char and Ganesh
When: Saturday afternoon, May 15, 2096
Where: the group house
What: meetings
Rating: likely PG
Status: private/incomplete

New clothes were bliss. Music outside her own head was bliss. Waking up in a warm bed that didn't have bugs and being able to take a hot shower was absolute bliss. And the best part was that most of them time, they were completely alone here while everyone else worked things out. When she'd woken up, she'd gone through the notes the others had left, put away the mess Andy had left and aired the room out from smoke, then went down into the common room to crank the music.

She danced cheerily as she sang, a hairbrush held up like a microphone as she belted out the lyrics to a favorite pop song, her voice soaring with the music, letting it override the noise inside her mind. Loud as it was, she didn't hear when the door opened, and someone else came in.

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plusthree
2010-05-17 03:11 am UTC (link)

"Oh, I don't mind. Mickey will mind," Char laughed at that. "But really, if we're all living together, Mickey's going to have to get used to everyone seeing all of us. Does coffee include something to eat? Feed me and you can ask anything you want. If I don't feel like answering, I won't."

She unfolded herself to stand, and cocked her head to look at him. "And do I get to ask you questions as well?"

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	itsticking 2010-05-17 03:15 am UTC (link)
	"Anything you like," Ganesh said happily. "I like to talk about myself and unlike most people, I admit to it." He led her out the door and out onto the street, marching them across the sidewalk. A mild breeze was blowing, the scent of salt and cigarette smoke in the air. "Do you start or should I?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

plusthree
2010-05-17 03:22 am UTC (link)

Char breathed in happily, glad to be in clothes that fit and feeling like she actually put a good face forward for the first time in such a desperately long time. "I just like talking. And being with people. It gets tiresome locked in with the music and the newsfeeds, and no way to express it."

She moved with a cheerful step alongside Ganesh. "You can shoot first. Go for it."

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	itsticking 2010-05-17 03:28 am UTC (link)
	"Alright." He swung his arms lazily as they turned the corner. "You said you wanted to be a singer. What's your favorite song and why?" He grinned. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

plusthree
2010-05-17 03:33 am UTC (link)

Her jaw dropped in mock horror. "I'm only allowed to have one? That's just not fair. If we're talking classics, it's Defying Gravity, which is ancient history but has these lovely soaring notes that are just wonderful to sing, not to mention lovely lyrics. Modern stage is oh... Roses, from a show my friend wrote back in high school, just because he wrote it for me. Pop is Into the Night, hands down, because of the part where she just goes off on that riff in the middle and it's all eerie and I still haven't managed to get it right."

Her thumbs hooked in her belt loops as she looked over at him. "What kind of an engineer are you?"

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itsticking
2010-05-17 03:42 am UTC (link)

"I was hoping to get a song out of you," Ganesh laughed. "I hadn't realized singing was so much work." He scrunched his mouth a little as he considered her question.

"Robotics. We build robots, not androids--no one's really mastered that yet, though the Japanese keep trying--but robots that perform functions humans can't or won't." His arms remained at his sides, swinging slightly. "In my case, it's forensics. Robots that go into dangerous situations to diffuse bombs or to enter a hazardous place. And sometimes, I build toys for Pablo's daughter but that's because I like toys." Ganesh grinned. "Or perhaps it's just watching Maya open them that I like. She's so bloody serious, always."

He stopped at a shop and opened the door. "After you." Walking up to the counter, he asked the barista to "surprise" him, then waited for Char to place her own order before continuing on. "Do you go to school now?"

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plusthree
2010-05-17 12:20 pm UTC (link)

Char ordered a chilled mocha drink and a blueberry muffin, then hesitated immediately after, hoping she had enough change in her pocket for it and unsure whether the offer to talk over coffee had included Ganesh paying for it since she didn't have pocket money from this new gig yet. Maybe if she just ignored the whole problem it would magically go away and he'd pay...

Her mouth twisted into a bitter and a little angry expression before it smoothed out again. "Hardly. I was dragged away before I finished my sophomore year, and it isn't exactly easy to make it through school when we're jobless and homeless and I can't guarantee I'll be around for exams. And online means having a proper identity and a better connection than I've got here." She shrugged, the one shoulder pointing briefly towards her ear with a bob of her head. "Plus, three geeks and a musician don't exactly make for a coherent course selection, even if we tried to get one degree between us all."

Alright, enough of the pity party, at least having it in public. "How old is Maya? It's so cool that you're still involved with her, even though Pablo's your ex. I mean, kids don't get unattached just because their parents do. Why's she so serious? Do you like kids?" Which was more than one question, but they all went together into one jumbled series of thoughts on a topic.

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itsticking
2010-05-17 02:05 pm UTC (link)

He paid without her saying anything, having simply assumed that was how it would be. He had money, she didn't. Ganesh didn't think much about material things most of the time and he was too concerned about her question.

The man's face scrunched up a little as he thought of how to explain Maya.

"Ay- yes, I like kids." And the smile on his face backed up his words. "Maya's five. She was born during the divorce process. I never actually raised her or lived with her, though... I would have liked it. I think." His tone of voice had gotten more thoughtful. "She's serious because her father's losing his memories. He's got AG and has had for two years. Her mother-Elena-isn't dealing with it well so I pick Maya up and take her for visits."

Ganesh sighed. "I may have hated the bastard once but that doesn't mean he ought to rot in a bloody nursing home."

He realized they weren't yet sitting and tugged her over to a table. Taking a seat, he looked up at her rather than drinking his coffee. "Do you have any family?" It wasn't clear if the question was appropriate or not but he asked it anyhow. It was easier than going on any further about something she probably didn't care to know.

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plusthree
2010-05-17 02:27 pm UTC (link)

Char slid into the chair opposite Ganesh at the table. "Four brothers -- two older, two younger -- a few aunts and uncles and a slew of cousins growing up. I haven't seen any of them in eight years, of course." And as much as she loved them and loved remembering them, it was bittersweet and not something she wanted to linger on.

"That's a good attitude, though, to still care about him even though it sounds like things ended badly." She hesitated, taking a sip of her drink before picking apart her muffin and popping a bit of it in her mouth to savor the sweetness. Once that was gone, she said, "Two questions, because the first you might not want to answer. Was Elena part of why you had to break up with him? And what's AG?"

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	itsticking 2010-05-20 01:18 am UTC (link)
	"She was, in a way. We had an open relationship and I thought that it was fine," Ganesh said bluntly. "It wasn't as fine as I thought." He paused, then said, "AG causes... memory loss." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	plusthree 2010-05-20 01:39 am UTC (link)
	"I could look it up, but I don't want the noise," Char admitted with a tap against her temple. "I'm sorry to bring up bad memories." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	itsticking 2010-05-20 01:53 am UTC (link)
	"It's fine," he sighed. "I just don't talk of it often. There's nothing... to be done." Ganesh shrugged, then grinned, "Perhaps I ought to ask you to tell me one of your secrets." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

plusthree
2010-05-20 02:03 am UTC (link)

"I don't know how secret any of it is, but it's a detail, I guess. There are four of us. Mickey -- he's the Ace -- then Andy, Jimmy, and me. I'm the only girl. The others aren't nearly as talkative, or well, not in the same way. Although you're an engineer, so maybe you'd get on with them better than I do," Char admitted. "I'm the only non-logical person in here."

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	itsticking 2010-05-20 02:09 am UTC (link)
	"Being an engineer doesn't mean you're logical," Ganesh pointed out. "Actually, it can mean you're bloody fucking useless at emotional shite." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	plusthree 2010-05-20 02:14 am UTC (link)
	"They might be that, too, although I think Jimmy's pretty emotional. Mickey and Andy are... well, they're boys." Char shrugged. "You? Logical or emotional?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	itsticking 2010-05-20 02:16 am UTC (link)
	"That depends on the situation." He sighed. "Emotional more than I'd like to be." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	plusthree 2010-05-20 02:20 am UTC (link)
	"Well, it's not like a faucet where you can turn it on and off, usually," Char pointed out with a small smile. "Being emotional isn't a bad thing. It's a human thing, and connects you with other humans. Like music. Or art. And it probably means that what you do has heart, too, which could be good." (Reply to this) (Parent)

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