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[PRP] A Little Faith In Me (Jordan/Mimsy) Goto Page: 1 2 [>] [»|]

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 4:34 am


There was a lot on Mimsy's mind.

She was always so driven, focused, and determined, but being stubbornly fixated on a goal didn't mean that her thoughts were narrowed down alongside her actions. In fact, there may have been an atypically large amount of them now, all buzzing intently, demanding attention.

Several strings of musings were dedicated to one very pressing matter, which she was beginning to find somewhat troublesome. Though she had purposely put herself in this situation, it was nearing a point that was past her gathered research.

She needed help. She knew precisely who to ask; it was admitting that she needed help that would prove to be an obstacle.

It was hard to consider which inquiries to make when she had not yet had any caffeine, so she pulled on her coat and stuffed her feet into the smiley bee rainboots and shuffled off to the cafeteria, in hopes of finding a method of coffee delivery. Maybe something instant. She wanted momentary simplicity.
PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 4:50 am


Out of all the things that Jordan missed about having actual power to the dorms, two things were the most pressing. One was showers. The other was his coffeemaker. He'd gotten spoiled, he reflected sourly, and had a staring contest with the sludge in his cup. The cafeteria coffee was invariably bad, and having had a steady supply of good coffee just helped point out exactly how bad the bad stuff was.

He took a sip and made a face. At this rate he wouldn't reach full and caffeinated consciousness for a quarter of an hour yet.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 5:16 am


What Mimsy found had been instant coffee, but was not very palatable. Not in the slightest. She tried to will her tastebuds into temporary nonexistence and turned to leave the cafeteria - until she discovered that she was in the presence of the person she intended to find.

There was no time to prepare, but she knew that she would find this kind of encounter much less suspicious than an unscheduled visit to her room. The chance that he might think the same was not worth the gamble, so she decided to learn what she could, and come back later if she needed more.

This seemed safest.

"Hello, Jordan," she greeted him, both hands wrapped around her mug. "I see that you are enjoying such a gourmet blend as well as I am. Necessity can be so cruel sometimes, can't it?"

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 9:23 am


Jordan peered blearily at the person greeting him. "Mimsy, hi," he answered. "Times of extremity call for extreme measures." He paused to squint into his cup again, eyeing the substance in it dubiously. "Still, I'm not sure we deserve ... this. World saved again, rewarded with MREs and bad coffee, what kind of thanks is that."

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 9:50 am


"It is no thanks at all," Mimsy agreed, slowly stirring her coffee with the utensil that was sticking out of the mug. It appeared to be a butter knife. "I am not sure I will ever get used to the lack of recognition. In my previous occupation, we would be attending an extensive banquet right now for our achievements. And they would potentially name the discovery of the anomaly we encountered after us."

She frowned.

"Instead, we have...'coffee'." She glanced at him and produced a crooked smile. "Oh well. How have you been otherwise faring during the outage? Have you been busy?"

Was that a safe transition in small talk? She still wasn't sure what was too abrupt or oddly-placed. It was much easier to hop into the middle of a conversation, as she had a tendency to do.
PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 10:04 am


Jordan gave Mimsy an inquisitive look, curiosity banishing some of his drowsiness. "May I ask what you did before coming here, if you're comfortable telling me?"

His expression went briefly pained. "Busy might cover it," he agreed, a little ruefully. "I've been balancing duties with keeping an eye on my guys while they weren't in their usual frames of mind. Rep's back now, at least. What about you?"

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 5:59 pm


The question made Mimsy panic much earlier in the conversation than anticipated. She paused, wide eyes staring inquisitively at him. How had he...

"Well...I...er--"

Oh. Oh! A nervous laugh slipped out past the stammering.

"My apologies. I have not yet had enough caffeine. I was an astrophysicist." Technically. "Not persistently glamorous, and always difficult work, but it was not thankless." Though she wanted to ask the same of him, she couldn't determine if 'and you?' would fit here; she skipped it, hoping he would mention it if he wanted to.

Her mind focused instead on the thought that 'busy' did not cover what he applied it to. That seemed like a horrifying amount of responsibility over too many other people.

"That sounds incredibly difficult," she admitted with sincerity. "I wish you good luck in continuing that balance, and am glad that Rep has returned to a more normal mindset."

Her thumbnail tapped the mug erratically.

"My own duties are present, as always. Working on my research has been next to impossible with the lack of reliable power, however, so I have found myself with more free time than usual." The tapping stopped. "I have been spending the majority of that time with Robert, which is a task in itself. I am sure you understand what I mean."

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:24 am


Jordan blinked. Why did Mimsy look so nervous? Had he struck a nerve asking about her past? He was opening his mouth to apologize, but she preempted the apology by stating she'd been an astrophysicist; that information distracted him from her brief nervous twitch. "Damn, that's awesome," he said admiringly. "The hard sciences have never been my strong point, but I like to follow what I can. I was studying psychology at Cal Poly when I was approached, myself."

You want her to think you're smart, Ferros observed with some amusement.

She's an astrophysicist. Of course I want her to think I'm smart, Jordan replied, embarrassment edging the thought.

His eyebrows tilted and the corner of his mouth tipped up at the mention of Robert. "Robert management is quite the job," he said gravely.

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 4:29 am


That sound of admiration in his voice made Mimsy feel more nostalgic than usual. That was a nice sound, when paired with something she was so invested in - it made her years of tireless work feel validated.

"I was very fond of it." With a chuckle of amusement, she tilted her head. "Interestingly, psychology has always been very difficult for me to grasp. I tend to blindly make guesses, which goes as well as you might think it would."

The knowledge of his field of study comforted her, and she felt just a little less concerned about asking for help. Or gathering information from a credible source. Yes, that still felt better than 'help'.

"It certainly is," she slowly admitted. "Actually, ah...if you have a few moments to spare..."

Her smile went nervous again.

"The more time we spend together, the more ill-equipped I feel for the, um, 'management' position. Since you have proven to be quite knowledgeable about the subject, I hoped that you might be able to offer some general advice. I would be happy to return the favor, of course, should you ever need it."
PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 4:39 am


Jordan took a sip of coffee, then scowled briefly down at the cup, reminded why he hadn't been doing so. He smoothed the frown off his face before looking back up at Mimsy. "Your knowledge base is different," he nodded.

His eyebrows lifted a little when she requested advice. "Certainly," he said. "He's a friend of mine, so I can probably help you figure out what to look for by way of his behaviors, at least. What's up?"

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 5:57 am


When Jordan agreed, Mimsy sighed in thankful relief, anxiously tapping at the mug again.

"Thank you." She smiled. "I truly appreciate it."

None of her planning had quite made it this far, so when the time came to actually ask something, she found herself facing a wall of possibilities. There were so many tiny things that she still failed to figure out, but...maybe she should start more broad.

"How do you understand him?" The words were out of her mouth too quickly, and she laughed apologetically. Too broad. "Sorry. I presume that I must be missing some cues. I find that with increasing frequency, he responds to my questions about him as if the answers should be amply obvious. By now I have determined that there either must be a publicly posted information sheet, or I am failing to catch the information the first time."

She stared into the coffee. Clumps were floating to the top.

"He is always very patient, and answers me regardless, but I feel as if I should be as observant of him as he is of me."

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 10:48 am


Jordan folded his hands around his mug, interlacing his fingers, and studied Mimsy's expression and posture as she asked her question. She frowned slightly, a look that implied frustration, determination, intent curiosity; her shoulders were set at a stubborn angle, and she leaned forward slightly as she asked her question. Robert, he thought, was a problem to be solved, and she was turning all her resources on the inquiry. Out of boredom? Curiosity? Interest? Something else?

He mouth twitched a little at her addendum. "There's no information sheet," he said. "Which is something of a pity. It would simplify things. What cues are you looking for when you're with him? I need to determine what you are already detecting to give you advice on what else to look for. Verbal cues? Body language? Expressions? Emotive gestures?"

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if I need to edit this let me know <3

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 12:16 am


The lack of an information sheet was to be expected, but was still a bit of a disappointment. As he went on, however, Mimsy's expression brightened. This was exactly the sort of method she'd hoped to use, and she hadn't even needed to ask!

The trick would be playing this game without being too indicative of her own social shortcomings; but for a game like this, it was worth the risk.

"It is a pity," she agreed, tilting forward even farther, though her posture was considerably more relaxed now that the conversation was on a more comfortable level. It was so much easier to talk when she felt as if she could speak freely.

"I was attempting to reference some more standard cues of social interactions - actions that would be indicative of friendship versus affection, statements that dictate a certain level of closeness. The problem with Robert is that he seems to err on the side of extremity." She laughed, still a tangle of nerves. "He has insisted upon hugging me since we met, and is always very excited to see me, for instance, despite my previous lack of reciprocation in both of those circumstances. There is a smile, like..."

Pausing, she tried to imitate it, fell horribly short, and decided to settle on describing it.

"A visible indicator that seeing me has somehow significantly improved his day, perhaps? And he seems to only say what he truly means: even if it sounds unbelievable, it is meant to be believed. I suppose I am uncertain whether or not these have escalated, or if I am simply noticing them with greater frequency." She glanced up at Jordan with a tiny, relieved smile of gratitude. "I am willing to discuss further specifics, if need be, of course."

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 5:44 am


Jordan listened thoughtfully, noting that the faint taut edge to Mimsy's voice remained, though some of the tension had gone out of her posture. The smile she tried to imitate looked forced, but he recognized the description. It surprised him a little. He hadn't known that Mimsy was becoming Robert's close friend. That would explain the comment about feeling unqualified; anyone who got close to Robert tended to need to learn some management techniques.

"Robert seems to feel everything very intensely," he said. "The hugging is an extension of that. When he likes someone's company a lot, he's going to hug them. He doesn't hug everyone, but he does hug people he likes." He considered the statement, reviewing his memories. "I'd say it's a sign that he trusts you to some degree." A smile quirked the corners of his mouth. "He's likely to pick you up and carry you somewhere at some point, if he hasn't already. I've never figured out how to discourage that. Best course of action is to accept it gracefully and get your revenge later if you feel you need to."

"You're correct that he only says what he means. I don't think I've ever heard him lie. Not deliberately, at any rate. If he tells you something, that's the truth as he knows it." He tapped his fingers on his coffee mug absently. "I can't say if you're noticing these signals more or if they've escalated, since I haven't observed you interacting. Now that you're noticing, though, you can take current experiences as a baseline from which to measure. He doesn't seem to be able to conceal his emotions very well, so it shouldn't be too difficult to tell what he's feeling at a given moment. It might seem like exaggeration, but it isn't. It's just Robert." He shrugged, smiling a little. "I'd say, given what you're telling me, that he's pretty fond of you."

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 9:25 pm


Something about hearing a confirmation from Jordan of Robert's intense feelings for everything authenticated many of the thoughts that Mimsy had been uncertain about. Her eyes lit up with interest as she began to form the connections she'd missed before - about hugs, which seemed more beneficial than not now, and signifiers of trust, and the previous effectiveness of long-term plans.

"Interesting! I didn't consider the possibility that those displays of affection correlated with multiple reasons. I imagine that you will be the first to discover the best method to discourage it, but I will gladly share any information if I happen upon it." Any remnants of anxiety were now gone; she was almost entirely lost in his words and her thoughts, so there was no need to concern herself with appearances.

As a result, it was very obvious that she began to linger on the concepts he presented her with, sometime around 'he only says what he means'. She abandoned the rest of the coffee and folded her hands in her lap, slowly nodding as she processed everything.

"Yes, this will now provide an adequate baseline," she agreed, trying to return the smile. "If I am not overstepping my boundaries by asking...what do you mean by 'fond'? In which way? Could you compare it to anything that I might be able to use for reference?"

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THIS IS HALLOWEEN: Deus Ex Machina Training Facilities

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