paixaorpg | House Call;; [active, open]

Characters: L, Zexion
Content: L is in need of someone to do work for him. Zexion's interested.
Setting: The Haja o Que Houver
Time: Afternoon
Warnings: None.

L would never have thought he'd be asking for a replacement.

It had rarely occured to him how much he relied on Watari for work, even if it was something as simple as bringing him a cup of tea, or an extra slice of cake. L had ventured out into the city several times to buy large stashes of sweets and pastries, but that couldn't last for forever: he liked to have food nearby, and he wasn't the best cook, and he had to think about what he could and couldn't do for a change. On top of that...his apartment wasn't neat, to put it lightly.

L needed a second set of hands. Someone was interested, and that was good enough for him.

He stood outside the Haja o Que Houver by the wall, attempting not to make himself overly visible out of pure habit. L was easy enough to spot, with his messy hair and slouched form, and he would rely on that for now.

The idea of speaking to this person could go over much differently than the idea of being invisible.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

In Zexion's experience, opportunities like the one that L had offered were far and few between. It offered a chance to get in close proximity to the man, and for what he assumed would be a long-term arrangement at that, and the only price he'd have to pay was to help out with some tasks he didn't mind in the slightest. Needless to say, he'd all but jumped at the chance.

Besides, Haja o Que Houver wasn't particularly hard to get to, even without the advantage of portals. Nor did run the risk of being pegged as an Organization member, his black coat long since traded in for jeans and a t-shirt, and his hair hidden away behind a carefully constructed illusion of medium-long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.

As for spotting L slouched against the building's wall, that was hardly a problem at all. There weren't all that many people that seemed to be waiting for someone after all.

"L, I presume?"

L looked up from staring out at the city long enough to face Zexion. Yes, he looked like he would do. The man had even mentioned working for little to no reward, which was very good. There was not much L had to give, besides his company and room in his apartment...and he wasn't sure the latter would be very much of a reward to begin with.

"Yes." He turned to Zexion to look up at him, giving him a small glance up and down before looking him in the eyes again. There wasn't anything unremarkable about him that L could tell from face value; whether this was good or not remained to be seen.

He turned back to the building and opened the door, stepping into the lobby. "I will be sure to keep you busy, but it won't be anything that you wouldn't be able to do," he explained. "Housework should do perfectly."

"I don't mind being busy," Zexion answered with an easy smile. While he himself was largely incapable of emotions, he'd found that people tended to react better to smiles and had adjusted his mannerisms accordingly. Besides, it didn't hurt to have such habits when interacting with those who still had their hearts, since appearing cold and emotionless was hardly conducive to conversation.

"Although I should warn you that I do have other duties that occasionally require my time. I trust this won't be too much of an inconvenience?"

"It depends."

L made his way towards the staircase, falling into step besides Zexion. (He had to keep up his manners, so as not to scare him off; leaving him behind just wouldn't do.) This was something he had not anticipated. Watari's only duty had been to take care of L, and it had not occurred to him that perhaps he had to see to other tasks as well. It was not a possibility that had presented itself to him before. His mind worked to come up with a simple solution.

"If the duties are not too time-consuming, it shouldn't be a problem. I don't require much, as I've taken care of myself up until this point; I don't want to keep you to the point where it's unnecessary. It won't be any trouble at all."

"They aren't too time-consuming." He'd have to come up with a decent cover story for why he occasionally had to disappear for a while - 'part of an amoral Organization' didn't make for the best resume entry - but it shouldn't be too hard to find something suited to his abilities and to the story he'd outlined. "The hours are a little unconventional sometimes, though."

But he could hardly refuse to come when called, or at least, not without seeming to have turned traitor, and that wouldn't do at all.

"Ah, and my name is Ian. My apologies for not mentioning it earlier." It was a lie of course, his name was only vaguely similar to the one he'd given, but he'd made sure that the name his journal was registered under corresponded to it, and there wasn't anything in his demeanor to suggest it was anything less than the honest truth.

L turned on his heel and stuck a hand out for Zexion to shake. "It's very nice to meet you, Ian," he said as politely as he could. As far as he could tell, Zexion was hiding nothing from him, and there was no reason for L to try looking for reasons why he would try. They would get to know each other well soon enough.

"Please be sure to tell me when you leave, however. If I need you and you're not there, then that could be an issue. Otherwise, you are free to come and go as you please." L wasn't going to limit him relentlessly: he would only give more incentive for "Ian" to never come back. He had to show that he was flexible...which he was.

There were no crimes to research or catch word of, only cleaning. That wasn't complex at all.

"Likewise." Under normal circumstances, he would have ignored the hand L had offered, but there were slightly different circumstances in play at the moment. It was hardly the time to let his general disregard for physical contact interfere with the matters at hand, pun not intended. Besides, he'd gone to the trouble of making the illusion of having a proper heartbeat so there was no risk in him taking the offered hand in his. Better to seem as normal as possible, after all.

Thus, a simple handshake.

"And I will. As soon as I know, you'll know."

The handshake was very quick. L wasn't used to making a handshake in any other way than he'd normally have it (merely pinching the person's hand in-between two fingers and moving it up and down), but the subject of manners rose again. It would be wise for him to put up a front, if only for the time being. Experience with the task force had only proved to him that he had a ways to go before he was socially acceptable.

He released his hand from Zexion's and began to move toward the stairs. "Very well. I'll show you what the apartment looks like so you can decide whether or not you'd want to work on it." With that, he turned and began to climb the stairs slowly, assuming Zexion was following.

"Lead the way."

There was no reason for him not follow L after all. He hardly knew where the apartment was. Or at least, not without resorting to things that would mark him as being rather less then human.

House Call;; [active, open]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject