[DGM] Stretching The Line [Preview]
Because he was the joker, not an actor, Lavi was the actor-crafter of carefully created masks that fit snug and smooth over the surface. He never did once apologize for that, and honestly Allen couldn’t quite blame him. After he’d disappeared a few years back, yeah he could say he was heartbroken along with just about everyone, but then no one really talked so how was he to know? Really-truly?
In a place like this people disappeared all the time. Like the trees in this concrete jungle. Trees that were being replaced with concrete ‘works of art’-why would anyone want to make concrete a living breathing material? He had yet to find the answer…and he didn’t quite care that much about it either. Time dulls curiosity as much as it fed it.
Since when had he become so philosophical? It wasn’t his forte. He didn’t sit on the tops of mountains just to meditate and think of better things. No. He’d more likely think of how less oxygen affected his brain, lungs, movements-no, he wasn’t old but it was a concern like the rest.
One that would slowly fade until he turned to dust and that wasn’t a decently pleasant thought by any stretch of the imagination. Ever. But he was still left thinking about it. It was better than the bloody documents in front of him, anyway. With threats and accusations and heavily blotted ink. Lavi would love the smell of this, Kanda would hate it and Lenalee, well, she gave him a furtive glance over the counter.
“Did you…already read them?” He could tell she was trying, really she was, and he nodded his head, “That’s…faster than I thought.”
“It says the same thing doesn’t it?” Lenalee frowned and stiffened, brows furrowing just a bit, “He’s being charged again. This time with Fraud.” He sighed and flipped through the first few sheets of heavy writing, “They aren’t even trying anymore, are they?”
“You aren’t even trying to read it, are you?” Allen’s fingers tightened but he didn’t bother to look up, focusing on the last line of text-something or other about University Enrollment and -just what on earth was that doing there?
“That’s just like saying you aren’t getting emotionally involved.” He hadn’t meant his words to sound so bitter, but it was enough to garner the wanted reaction, “If this happens again you’ll be fired.”
“But it’s just a child!”
Allen glanced down at the papers again, “I don’t see any mentioning of a child in this.”
“It says University, doesn’t it?”
Allen sighs, “So a child is someone who’s only a few years younger than you? “ Again a flinch however needed. “Calm down and think Lenalee. Please?”
He wasn’t quite sure she would, but he was willing to attempt it regardless. “I am thinking,” she sounded calmer though, which was a plus, “I…just…they don’t know!”
“And it’s because of that that you’ll label them as a ‘child’?” He wondered then-for the umpteenth time-when he became so cynical, so doubting. He could blame Cross for half of it, maybe a few more for the majority of it, but really? He glanced down at the paper again, before turning it face-down on his desk, “Look. Sorry. I…I’m having a bit of a bad day,” Again, he could see Lenalee’s shoulders relax, “How about we go out for lunch? It’s almost time for break anyway? I’m sure Komui wouldn’t mind.” He’d slacked off, of course, after he’d caught Lenalee with her first boyfriend a while back (just on a date, of course, nothing more than that) and to be honest it was almost sad that he wasn’t so protective anymore. But they were all adults now, living in the real world.
Lenalee beamed, “Of course I’d love to! Where do you want to eat?”
Allen chuckled and stood, pushing his chair back to walk around the high-topped desk, “It’s my treat and you know I’ll eat anything so you choose.” Lenalee fidgeted again, and he wondered exactly what he’d done to make her fidget so much when he got close, a simple touch to her elbow made her freeze, had it always been like that?
“W-Well…” Allen tilted his head slightly and dropped his hand, “If you…insist then…there’s this really nice place I found downtown one day, while I was shopping with Fou and Miranda…it’s called The Italian Bistro, apparently it was fairly new, but had lots of customers.” She paused for a moment and smiled, sheepishly, “If you’re in the mood for Italian I mean.”
“As I said,” Allen tried not to laugh, but a chuckle escaped anyway, “I’ll eat anything. So why not? How far away is it from here do you think?” He glanced at his watch, “We’ll need to get back before too long, anyway. And we’ll need to stop by Komui’s office to tell him we’re going on lunch break.”
In a place like this people disappeared all the time. Like the trees in this concrete jungle. Trees that were being replaced with concrete ‘works of art’-why would anyone want to make concrete a living breathing material? He had yet to find the answer…and he didn’t quite care that much about it either. Time dulls curiosity as much as it fed it.
Since when had he become so philosophical? It wasn’t his forte. He didn’t sit on the tops of mountains just to meditate and think of better things. No. He’d more likely think of how less oxygen affected his brain, lungs, movements-no, he wasn’t old but it was a concern like the rest.
One that would slowly fade until he turned to dust and that wasn’t a decently pleasant thought by any stretch of the imagination. Ever. But he was still left thinking about it. It was better than the bloody documents in front of him, anyway. With threats and accusations and heavily blotted ink. Lavi would love the smell of this, Kanda would hate it and Lenalee, well, she gave him a furtive glance over the counter.
“Did you…already read them?” He could tell she was trying, really she was, and he nodded his head, “That’s…faster than I thought.”
“It says the same thing doesn’t it?” Lenalee frowned and stiffened, brows furrowing just a bit, “He’s being charged again. This time with Fraud.” He sighed and flipped through the first few sheets of heavy writing, “They aren’t even trying anymore, are they?”
“You aren’t even trying to read it, are you?” Allen’s fingers tightened but he didn’t bother to look up, focusing on the last line of text-something or other about University Enrollment and -just what on earth was that doing there?
“That’s just like saying you aren’t getting emotionally involved.” He hadn’t meant his words to sound so bitter, but it was enough to garner the wanted reaction, “If this happens again you’ll be fired.”
“But it’s just a child!”
Allen glanced down at the papers again, “I don’t see any mentioning of a child in this.”
“It says University, doesn’t it?”
Allen sighs, “So a child is someone who’s only a few years younger than you? “ Again a flinch however needed. “Calm down and think Lenalee. Please?”
He wasn’t quite sure she would, but he was willing to attempt it regardless. “I am thinking,” she sounded calmer though, which was a plus, “I…just…they don’t know!”
“And it’s because of that that you’ll label them as a ‘child’?” He wondered then-for the umpteenth time-when he became so cynical, so doubting. He could blame Cross for half of it, maybe a few more for the majority of it, but really? He glanced down at the paper again, before turning it face-down on his desk, “Look. Sorry. I…I’m having a bit of a bad day,” Again, he could see Lenalee’s shoulders relax, “How about we go out for lunch? It’s almost time for break anyway? I’m sure Komui wouldn’t mind.” He’d slacked off, of course, after he’d caught Lenalee with her first boyfriend a while back (just on a date, of course, nothing more than that) and to be honest it was almost sad that he wasn’t so protective anymore. But they were all adults now, living in the real world.
Lenalee beamed, “Of course I’d love to! Where do you want to eat?”
Allen chuckled and stood, pushing his chair back to walk around the high-topped desk, “It’s my treat and you know I’ll eat anything so you choose.” Lenalee fidgeted again, and he wondered exactly what he’d done to make her fidget so much when he got close, a simple touch to her elbow made her freeze, had it always been like that?
“W-Well…” Allen tilted his head slightly and dropped his hand, “If you…insist then…there’s this really nice place I found downtown one day, while I was shopping with Fou and Miranda…it’s called The Italian Bistro, apparently it was fairly new, but had lots of customers.” She paused for a moment and smiled, sheepishly, “If you’re in the mood for Italian I mean.”
“As I said,” Allen tried not to laugh, but a chuckle escaped anyway, “I’ll eat anything. So why not? How far away is it from here do you think?” He glanced at his watch, “We’ll need to get back before too long, anyway. And we’ll need to stop by Komui’s office to tell him we’re going on lunch break.”