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 Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:39 pm
If one of the guys had called him up to ask for just a little help, for a small favor, whatever the exact words had been, Al-Janah probably would have said 'no'. It was sexist, and more than a little bit, that a female voice on the other end had made him hesitate and shift uncertainly and finally cave in to give her a hand.
The mirror, it turned out, was heavy, and Al-Janah fought down a grumble at this fact, absolutely certain that his end of the burden was worse than Navi's. If not for the strength provided by his uniform [which was really ******** cool, still] he probably would have dropped his end, and the glass would have shattered. The end of that errand. So far, that hadn't happened, but there was time yet.
"...doesn't the community center have, I don't know. A bathroom with one of those big wall-length things...?" He wasn't whining. Or, rather, he wouldn't call it whining. Navi, on the other hand, might have her own opinion on the matter.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:01 pm
Why had Lydia called Veer for his help when she actually knew Josh a little better? Perhaps for a chance to get to know another of her team mates more, or perhaps because Josh's phone had gone straight to voicemail when she'd attempted to call him first. She didn't know what he was doing, really it didn't matter to her, but it did sort of take him off the list of available male helpers. Quinn probably would have been a good choice as well, but her room mate was already gone on patrol, and Lydia didn't want to call her back just to help carry a mirror.
Besides, she didn't really want Quinn asking her any questions about why she wanted a mirror inside the community center. The boys, she figured, wouldn't ask. Even if they did, she probably could have come up with a believable story. Considering how close she and Quinn had been getting lately, she didn't think she could lie to the girl and have it stick..
Not that she was happy about lying to begin with, but she somehow doubted her fell Dark Mirror senshi would appreciate her less then professional interactions with a certain Eternal Senshi of danger.
Don't ask, don't tell..
So it was a matter of circumstance that placed Sailr Al-Janah on the opposite side of the full length mirror Navi had bought. "They have mirrors, but not full sized ones." Whining or not, she answered his questions with nothing but thankful politeness. "It's easy to break in there, so I figure it's a good place for a convenient exit." Or Entrance..
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:20 pm
"Yeah, except that someone's going to be like 'why the ******** is this mirror here?' and then the janitor will toss it in the basement..." He was grumbling again, definitely, wincing as the mirror slipped a little in his fingers. Strength did not necessarily mean an ability to manhandle awkwardly-shaped bundles around. It didn't mean he was a good mover. It definitely didn't mean he enjoyed this.
"Or, I don't know, it's a community center. Don't kids play basketball or something there?" He was probably thinking too much about television, anime, movies, games. Media representations of community centers as places where down-and-out kids learned to overcome all odds. Mostly, of course, by playing basketball.
He shook his head, rolling his shoulders a little. "And how are we going to get inside, anyway?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:44 am
Pale flesh pinched along the bridge of her nose, more out of amusement then annoyance. There was a quality about Al-Janah that made him likable, Navi wasn't sure what it was, but despite his bitching she simply couldn't get irritated. "The janitor won't touch it because it'll already be in the basement. There's a huge room down there with all sorts of storage in it, they won't even notice a mirror turning up."
She blinked at him as he described every out and down community center from every movie she'd ever seen. "Stereotype much?" She smirked, adjusting her grip on her end of the mirror so it was kinder on her fingers. It didn't help much.
"There is a basketball court, but there's also an auditorium, music rooms, and other rooms for community projects or freelance workshops." Because it wasn't as if she'd explored the place or anything, nooo.
When asked about how they'd be getting into the building Navi grinned, and there was the slightest hint of an apology in her eyes as she looked across at him. "There's a window on the roof that's unlatched." They were going to have fun getting the mirror through it, and down safely. Not to mention all the stairs.. Maybe there was an elevator somewhere she just hadn't seen yet.
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:15 am
That actually drew him to a halt -- sudden enough that Navi was going to have to struggle to keep her end from hitting the floor, to keep the mirror from smashing. His expression, now, wasn't just mildly frustrated but genuinely annoyed, his eyebrows pulling together and mouth pinching at the corners.
At least he kept his voice down, hissing instead of shouting.
"We have to lug this ******** thing onto the roof? It's a mirror!" Okay, maybe that rose a little bit. He clutched at his end tighter now, annoyed. "It's fragile! It doesn't travel well! Especially not down off the roof."
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:29 am
The sudden halt was not expected, and Navi ran right into the end of the end of the mirror with a startle grunt, then had to scramble to keep from dropping her end. "Al-Janah!"
Her questioning protests died on her lips when she noticed his expression, and she stared back at him with as much feigned innocence as she could possible muster. Being as she was petite, pale, and ginger haired it wasn't all that difficult.
The annoyed his of his voice made her wince, and for a moment she looked just the tiniest bit sheepish. "Unless you know how to pick the locks on the front doors." That would just be amazingly convenient. "You don't, do you?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 6:43 pm
"...no. I know how to brute force my way into databases, maybe, and exploit back end glitches, but all my expertise is in virtual doorways." His jaw shifted, still frustrated, looking her over and trying desperately not to be taken in by that sheepish expression, the feigned innocence. If he'd had a sister, maybe he could have pulled it off. As an only child, though...
"How the hell are you planning to get us up to the roof? And more importantly, the mirror?" Al-Janah shook his head and, for the moment, set down his end of the mirror against soft glass, turning in place to look around them and make sure no one was watching.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:51 am
"Shame," she frowned. For just a moment she thought perhaps they were going to have an easier time of it, but alas, no such luck. Oh well, they still had her original idea to work with at the least.
"There's an alley running between the center and this old apartment complex, and the fire escape is almost within touching distance. Should be able to hand it across." This particular part of town was old, run down and neglected. Not particularly up to date on safety codes or security. Frankly, she doubted the center had money for anything half that fancy. Had she the money to spare at the moment, she had half a mind to donate a little something.
"I did think this all through, you know." Her fingertips tapped along the edge of the mirror. It might not have been the best plan, but it was a plan, and it was plausible. "Admittedly the mirror is a little heavier then I thought, but we should be able to handle it with the extra strength powering up provides."
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 2:52 pm
A couple deep breaths in. Al-Janah scrubbed one hand across his face, his eyes flashing from her to the building and back, and his mouth pressed into a line. He didn't look terribly amused, still, but at least he bent slowly to pick up his end of the mirror again. If DK or Orpheus had pulled this s**t on him, he probably wouldn't have gone along.
Navi was lucky she was cute.
"If the mirror drops, I'm running and leaving you with the pieces." Grumbling assent, yes, but at least he was agreeing. Impatiently, he gestured her to go forward with a quick twitch of his chin.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:53 am
Lucky and aware enough to take advantage of it. It wasn't full on manipulation, but it was borderline at the very least. She smiled when he picked up his half of the mirror again, all relief and gratitude in big, hazel eyes.
His grumbled agreement was met with a chuckle and nod of her head, and she took the lead as indicated, shifting her hands as she turned so she could hold it behind her and watch where she was going. "Fair enough, but don't go dropping it just get out of the heavy lifting." Would he do that? Hmm.
"So," her voice sounded probing. "How're you adjusting to things now?" She was curious about the rest of her teammates and how things had been going since they'd all returned. Obviously her life was never going to be the same again, but she and a couple others had been the only ones unlucky enough to have been seen being awakened, so everyone else had been free to return to their former lives is they'd wanted.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:40 am
"...adjusting?" It was probably unfair that Al-Janah had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. He was frowning down at the mirror again, fingers wiggling and shifting in the awkward bulk of his falconer's glove, struggling to get a better grip on his corner. The mirror wasn't that heavy, no; it was more to do with the long shape of the thing, and the lack of handholds. They should have put it in a box or something. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty.
He was squinting as he looked back up to her, understanding finally clicking in his expression. "Oh. You mean to the whole being a super something? It's cool, I guess. Though I haven't gotten the hang of that energy thing yet..."
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 10:51 am
"Yes that." She frowned, fingers tightening around the mirror. If memory was serving properly, and it usually was, Al'Janah hadn't been among those that had had to give up much by being awakened. She rather envied him, but she knew better then to say as much. It wasn't any of her teammates' fault she'd had to lose everything, and she wasn't going to go around making them feel guilty over it. She was actually doing pretty well with coming to terms with it and moving on.
"The energy thing is pretty easy actually. It's all just point and click." Her shoulders lifted and rolled back in a shrug. "You subdue the target, then you just aim the mirror shard at them and the wraith comes out and does it's thing. You just have to will it, and it happens." That's how it had worked for Deneb Kaitos and her at least. She couldn't say for sure if that was how it'd work for all of them, but she had to assume it was similar. "I'll go with you some time if you want." It was easier with two of them.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 5:25 pm
"Damned right you will." His tone was sharp, yes, but it was also heavily tempered with something teasing, good humor instead of anger. He raised both eyebrows, and beneath them his eyes were amused, peering across at her.
"After this bullshit you're pulling on me? You should make me dinner honey." He adjusted his fingers again, shaking his head and flicking another careful look around. They were lucky, at least, that they had an escape route literally in hand. If something appeared, they could maybe dive through the mirror before it hit the ground....
His eyes flicked back to her, suddenly. "Actually, I'm serious about that. You should make me dinner."
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 6:11 pm
"Fine, we can go out to collect energy tomorrow night or something." Probably.. Thinking back, she didn't think she'd made any plans with anyone, least none she could remember. "It really is very easy. Even easier if you can subdue your target quickly." For a petite bookworm, Navi was actually pretty damn good at take people down.
She smirked at him when he suggested she make him dinner, then stared when he made it obvious he wasn't kidding. A refusal was on the tip of her tongue before she closed her teeth around it and thought for a moment. She had sort of tricked him into doing this, and it was an awful lot of work. "Fine, what do you want? I'll make Leto help me."
Glancing aorund, she grinned as she saw the outline of the community center looming ever closer, it was at the end of the block, but they needed to head down the next alley to get down to the fire escape that would let them carry the thing up to the roof. "This way."
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:09 am
"..that's what I'm talking about!" Girl making him dinner? When Veer told his IRC channel, they likely wouldn't even believe him. Well, so be it, they didn't have to. He could enjoy it without showing off. Maybe. Or maybe he'd make sure to get a picture...
The very thought of it sped up his movements. No longer dragging his feet, Al-Janah got them going faster to settle at the bottom of the fire escape and stare up at it, hunting for some sign of how they'd get it up the ladders, around the corners, how they'd move their way up.
"Uh. Okay. So I guess we need some rope. Tell me you've got some rope, at least?" His chin dropped down so he could fix a frown on Navi.
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