Seventh

[akapeanut]

[George appears on screen, face as neutral as ever. She's sitting in a gross, olive green booth, a plate of food in front of her. She doesn't seem to notice it. In fact, if anybody cares to look closely, it's pretty clear it's been sitting there a while. It's probably not even hers.]

I don't suppose anybody wants a tour of ghost city Seattle, huh?

Comments

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

I guess so.

[He looks around the restaurant and walks a little further in.]

It's weird with no people.

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

This is where my, uh, coworkers and I would meet up.

[She walks a little further and stands in front of one particular booth-- the one she was in before.]

This booth.

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

[Souji follows her, then slides into the booth and looks around the restaurant, like he's trying to get her perspective of the place.]

No one noticed what you were doing?

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

[She sits too, shrugging.]

I think the waitress might've had an idea. We weren't too subtle, really. You'd be amazed what people ignore, though.

[She nods to Souji's left.]

That's where Rube would sit. He was kind of the boss. The "dad". He'd give us post-its with the, you know, ETD and shit.

[She smiled, nostalgic, oddly open.]

He always got his bacon extra, extra crispy.

[...Wow, that was kind of out of nowhere, wasn't it? She shakes her head, looking embarrassed.]

Sorry.

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

[Souji smiles. The fact that she's willing to tell him this... Well, with someone like George, it's a Big Deal.]

They're like your family.

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

Well. I guess. It's just weird because I could see my real family, you know?

Not that they could see me.

[She pauses, looking down, and for once she really looks her age.]

And now they're not even here.

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

[Souji's never been close to his family, but he's leaving what became his home, and he knows it's going to go on without him So it's not hard for him to imagine what George is going through being able to see her family going on without her, or how much she might regret about her life.]

I'm sorry.

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

[She's thinking about everyone. Her mom, her dad, Reggie. The reapers. Rube. Even Kiffany.

And that's when she bends over the table and starts to cry.

Shit.]

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

[Souji can't blame her. Whatever he does now, he wants it to be the right thing.

He reaches across the table and puts his hand on her head, pushing her hair back from her face.]

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

[Unfortunately for Souji, George's initial reaction is to hiccup and freeze, more than a little startled by his gesture. But then she realizes what it means and just starts crying harder, every inch the teenager she really is.]

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

[Souji doesn't pull his hand away, but he doesn't make any sudden moves either. He'll sit there with her as long as it takes.]

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

[Eventually, she gets it all out. Her head hurts and she feels like an idiot, but she doesn't feel like crying anymore.

She wipes her face with a napkin.]

Thanks.

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

[Souji nods, offering her a small smile. He's not sure she'll want to talk about this anymore, so he decides to try a different tactic.]

You showed me this place. Do you want to see the place me and my friends would meet to work on our investigation?

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

[She nods, grateful for the subject change.]

Sure.

[She gets up.]

What were you investigating?

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

[He gets up too and heads out of Der Waffle Haus. He needs to find a rip to Inaba, but it shouldn't be too hard since they're all over.]

A serial murder case. The police couldn't do it, so we did.

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

[Uh...]

I know you've got cool powers and whatever but you're...17 aren't you?

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

Yes.

[He looks over at her. Yeah, okay, it sounds like the plot line from a manga or something. He'll give you that.]

The case had to do with our Personas.

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

Oh.

Had you figured it out by the time you got here?

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

Yes. The killer was here for awhile, but he's gone now.

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

Huh.

That's.

[She doesn't know what to say.]

Why'd he do it?

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

[Souji actually frowns for a second thinking about Adachi.

It makes him want to take a table....
┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)

AND FLIP THE CRAP OUT OF IT
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻]

It made him feel big.

lkdjskjalkjskldjklasjk

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

[She winces.]

Gross.

It's...nice that you guys were doing something about that. Uh. I mean, I wouldn't have.

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

How we got involved was complicated. But it worked out.

[He looks through a rip and holds out his hand toward George.]

This is it.

[akapeanut.livejournal.com]

[She takes his hand, cheeks flushing lightly.]

[eatsyourscience.livejournal.com]

[Souji is so used to things like this with girls. He doesn't think a thing of it.

He steps through the rip with her and they're standing in Inaba's shopping district, in front of the shrine.]

This is Inaba.