It wasn’t like she was sitting around and waiting for him to call her back. No, not at all. No, she wasn’t keeping her NetVice open on the edge of the spare bed while she sprawled out across the floor and pieced together packets for Newcomers who showed up suddenly. She wasn’t checking it to make sure it had power or that it was still on or if she had missed anything either. It wasn’t like she was looking forward to talking to someone, especially someone interesting, to help her get her mind off things.
She wasn’t admitting it at least, but that was what she was doing.
There was something about the dreams she had that morning that had her on edge in general. The headache she picked up as well didn’t help either. Sylar on the network again had set her into a mild (ha) annoyance that put her thoughts into the wrong place and-- ah well, the point of calling anyone at all was to help her distract herself from those thoughts, right? Her decision to call Will actually surprised her, but she was looking forward to talking to him again anyhow.
In the forty six minutes it took for him to return her call she had already had three cups of tea, sorted another stack of 30 packets and had taken something for her headache. When her NV did go off she sat up almost immediately, her hand reaching out to grab up the smaller cell phone style NV and---paused.
No need to rush. Don’t answer on the first ring. That’s silly! She thought to herself, looking at the caller ID and smiling. He called back! Turning to settle her back into the spare bedroom bed she drew her knees together and rested the NV on one for a moment. Three rings. Good enough. Flipping it open she sounded her normal chipper self.
“Hello, Will! I hope I’m not bothering you with a call out of nowhere.” because she did wonder if her most random and unexpected call might have bothered him. A strange girl sometimes, but she didn’t like to intrude on people she didn’t know well yet.
How did she know it was--Right, Caller ID. For a moment he had a chill that she was reading his thoughts from across the city and subconsciously started thinking about Jesus Christ Superstar to throw her off the trail.
The dull roar of the ocean lulled across the receiver far behind his voice, "It's no bother, I was just taking a break."
It was break-time right? He paused to crunch his abs with a bit of a shiver in his leg as he pulled himself up to peek over the edge of the boat to see if his boss was in the shack. Coast was pretty clear as old Gil Gibson was likely avoiding the afternoon swell of blue-gill that came in with the easy noon tide. Said his 'superpower' was talking to fishes, but with the memory of guppies they didn't make very good conversationalists.
"You alright?" There were a number of reasons she could be calling a dead-beat like him, but just having a chat was the last he could fathom. He didn't fancy himself very interesting, let alone enough to want to know anything past his generic name.
[She's got the power to control luck, not read mind, Will. You're alright, but yes, caller ID and the fact that she knew his number from calling it earlier. Cheerful as ever though not really feeling it deep down, she simply said]
I'm fine. I was just thinking about a conversation we had a while back and thought I should see how you were doing. Are you at work? [she sounded curious, but also careful. She hoped she wouldn't get him in trouble or anything.]
[Also... he didn't seem like a deadbeat to her. Just... interesting, like he had seen a lot in his time. She always did enjoy people with history.]
[It was good he couldn't see her face. He'd hate to know it was only the tone of her voice that sat well with him and put him at ease. He'd understand none-the-less, she'd been through what he had narrowly avoided not so long ago.]
Yea I'm pretty much here 24/7. [He might as well have lived there, and he certainly would have if he could afford a trailer. That required a bit more saving on his part. The new AGI booze-crisis was a smoking hole in his pocket.]
But I got time. [Oodles of time... whispered his subconscious.] What were you thinking?
[Oh hello, sorry about that sudden format change. Doing these on a cell phone is hard haha.]
[She tended to wear masks around most people. The more you get to know her the easier it is to tell when the tone doesn't match the expression (even if you can't see the expression). To people who get to know her she's a very open book. You just have to know the language is all.]
[She had been through a lot more then he would think, really. Still, she kept a smile in her voice... because she did like talking to him as it was.]
It must be nice out there to keep your attention so long. [or it was like where she worked and she just didn't bother to stop. At least he had the ocean...]
If you're busy with work, I wouldn't want to bother you, but I was reminded about you today and was wondering if you would still be interested in showing me around? I haven't had the chance to snoop around the docs over there yet. [this was said with a small giggle, though she was still unsure about coming over to bother him while at work. Clearly she was trying to be careful here]
[Graham was learning. The more they went back and forth, the more his inner empath picked up on her syntax.. and often without his knowing, he would match it in a manner that would sync. Whether he did this to try and get into one's shoes was anyone's guess, but to him, it was something he just couldn't help.]
There's nicer things than this to keep me interested. [He flinched after that, wishing at times there was a filter for his stupid mouth. She sounded like wind-chimes when she laughed.]
W..why don't you come by? I'm really just.. here on call. If something breaks, I'm here. I just have this starter connection to fix, then I'm free if you want?
Is there now? [This was said with a bit of an amused teasing sound. The more comfortable she is with a person the more she was willing to tease. This? This clearly sounded amused with his statement.]
You really wouldn't mind? [She... did sound a bit hopeful and happy.] I promise I'll try to stay out of the way.
[Deep down, somewhere, she might really adore the fact that she can fluster him easy. It's a nice change to being the one so easily flustered.]
Getting paid to show a friend around? I think this sounds like a great deal. I should be able to pull off 'customer' well enough. [she was tapping hr finger to her chin, pondering this over.] And you're sure it will be okay?
[It was a feat for him, at least. Most women tended to rub him the wrong way. Or tried to superficially 'figure him out' as if it were a contest of who could make him crack. Her prying, in the least, endeared him, where most would disgust him.
Something about her.. she was so genuine. The sort of blatant honesty you would only find in the mouths of babes.]
I'll tip my boss off that you called for the regular tour, it'll be fine.
[Oh she liked to pry and learn what she could about people... mostly because she found people s interesting, especially around here. None of it was ever a game of 'figure him out' as that just... wasn't her concern.]
[If only he knew just how much of her she really showed and how much of it was a lie somewhere or another. She was getting better about that at least. She tried to hide a lot less and didn't lie so easy anymore. She... didn't mask and hide herself as much. But still... she did think of herself as a great huge lying liar.]
All right then. Today would be alright with you? [because after those nightmares this morning she'd really like some good distractions as it was...] It shouldn't take me long to find my way out there.
[There was oodles he wanted to know. And not in the way his mind would subconsciously pick her apart till she was nothing but social constructs and statistics. She could have been all of that. She could have been like his ex-wife. Strong, sweet, brutally honest with him. But she would turn on him the moment his face went from man to monstrous.
It was just a boat-ride, it didn't have to mean anything. After all, she has said she hadn't been far from the city yet.
It was an act of kindness to bring them as close to home as they could be. That's all.]
Today..Today's perfect, actually. I usually take the highway north between Sector 4 and 7 an-and then head east, you should hit the shipyard and the docks without a problem.
[That was a nice idea, wasn't it? Just to come out on the water and get a little closer to home. Home.... she hadn't seen in it years and it felt odd. The boughts of homesickness weren't as bad anymore however. With the last two friends from home gone she had managed to sever those ties to make it easier on her, but once in a while she missed it still.]
[Even if they sat on the dock, she'd be happy right now. It would get her out of the house and make her mind stop thinking about those nightmares.]
Okay then. I think I can get there just fine. So I'll see you soon, all right? [she sounded a little bit excited about this.]
She wasn’t admitting it at least, but that was what she was doing.
There was something about the dreams she had that morning that had her on edge in general. The headache she picked up as well didn’t help either. Sylar on the network again had set her into a mild (ha) annoyance that put her thoughts into the wrong place and-- ah well, the point of calling anyone at all was to help her distract herself from those thoughts, right? Her decision to call Will actually surprised her, but she was looking forward to talking to him again anyhow.
In the forty six minutes it took for him to return her call she had already had three cups of tea, sorted another stack of 30 packets and had taken something for her headache. When her NV did go off she sat up almost immediately, her hand reaching out to grab up the smaller cell phone style NV and---paused.
No need to rush. Don’t answer on the first ring. That’s silly! She thought to herself, looking at the caller ID and smiling. He called back! Turning to settle her back into the spare bedroom bed she drew her knees together and rested the NV on one for a moment. Three rings. Good enough. Flipping it open she sounded her normal chipper self.
“Hello, Will! I hope I’m not bothering you with a call out of nowhere.” because she did wonder if her most random and unexpected call might have bothered him. A strange girl sometimes, but she didn’t like to intrude on people she didn’t know well yet.
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The dull roar of the ocean lulled across the receiver far behind his voice, "It's no bother, I was just taking a break."
It was break-time right? He paused to crunch his abs with a bit of a shiver in his leg as he pulled himself up to peek over the edge of the boat to see if his boss was in the shack. Coast was pretty clear as old Gil Gibson was likely avoiding the afternoon swell of blue-gill that came in with the easy noon tide. Said his 'superpower' was talking to fishes, but with the memory of guppies they didn't make very good conversationalists.
"You alright?" There were a number of reasons she could be calling a dead-beat like him, but just having a chat was the last he could fathom. He didn't fancy himself very interesting, let alone enough to want to know anything past his generic name.
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I'm fine. I was just thinking about a conversation we had a while back and thought I should see how you were doing. Are you at work? [she sounded curious, but also careful. She hoped she wouldn't get him in trouble or anything.]
[Also... he didn't seem like a deadbeat to her. Just... interesting, like he had seen a lot in his time. She always did enjoy people with history.]
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Yea I'm pretty much here 24/7. [He might as well have lived there, and he certainly would have if he could afford a trailer. That required a bit more saving on his part. The new AGI booze-crisis was a smoking hole in his pocket.]
But I got time. [Oodles of time... whispered his subconscious.] What were you thinking?
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[She tended to wear masks around most people. The more you get to know her the easier it is to tell when the tone doesn't match the expression (even if you can't see the expression). To people who get to know her she's a very open book. You just have to know the language is all.]
[She had been through a lot more then he would think, really. Still, she kept a smile in her voice... because she did like talking to him as it was.]
It must be nice out there to keep your attention so long. [or it was like where she worked and she just didn't bother to stop. At least he had the ocean...]
If you're busy with work, I wouldn't want to bother you, but I was reminded about you today and was wondering if you would still be interested in showing me around? I haven't had the chance to snoop around the docs over there yet. [this was said with a small giggle, though she was still unsure about coming over to bother him while at work. Clearly she was trying to be careful here]
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There's nicer things than this to keep me interested. [He flinched after that, wishing at times there was a filter for his stupid mouth. She sounded like wind-chimes when she laughed.]
W..why don't you come by? I'm really just.. here on call. If something breaks, I'm here. I just have this starter connection to fix, then I'm free if you want?
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You really wouldn't mind? [She... did sound a bit hopeful and happy.] I promise I'll try to stay out of the way.
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S-sure.. If you act like a customer I'll be paid to have you in my way.
[Spoken as jocularly as possible. If he was taking her out on the water, at least he'd have an excuse to work and play at the same time. ]
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Getting paid to show a friend around? I think this sounds like a great deal. I should be able to pull off 'customer' well enough. [she was tapping hr finger to her chin, pondering this over.] And you're sure it will be okay?
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Something about her.. she was so genuine. The sort of blatant honesty you would only find in the mouths of babes.]
I'll tip my boss off that you called for the regular tour, it'll be fine.
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[If only he knew just how much of her she really showed and how much of it was a lie somewhere or another. She was getting better about that at least. She tried to hide a lot less and didn't lie so easy anymore. She... didn't mask and hide herself as much. But still... she did think of herself as a great huge lying liar.]
All right then. Today would be alright with you? [because after those nightmares this morning she'd really like some good distractions as it was...] It shouldn't take me long to find my way out there.
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It was just a boat-ride, it didn't have to mean anything. After all, she has said she hadn't been far from the city yet.
It was an act of kindness to bring them as close to home as they could be. That's all.]
Today..Today's perfect, actually. I usually take the highway north between Sector 4 and 7 an-and then head east, you should hit the shipyard and the docks without a problem.
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[Even if they sat on the dock, she'd be happy right now. It would get her out of the house and make her mind stop thinking about those nightmares.]
Okay then. I think I can get there just fine. So I'll see you soon, all right? [she sounded a little bit excited about this.]
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