Empire Records and Bidet, Tuesday, well before opening

[not_entirely]

Lucas came down Tuesday morning and walked into the store and was completely unsurprised to discover Nadia and Walter curled up together and asleep on the floor. He listened to the radio, he knew there was something going on with Nadia again, and the much reduced stock of Eddie's special brownies was a pretty good indication of why they were there.

So he just stepped over them and got to work doing inventory.

[ooc: locked to Nadia and Walter. yeee-ah.]

Comments

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter wasn't an especially heavy sleeper, even after a night of brownies, dancing, and the exhausting effort of trying not to be emo. He heard Lucas and nudged Nadia.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia mumbled in her sleep and flopped an arm over Walter's chest.

[not_entirely]

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Good morning."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter nodded to Lucas and started to sit up. "Nadia, we have company."

[nadiathesaint]

"No, no deseo un pollo, gracias. . . ."

[not_entirely]

Lucas did, in fact, speak a bit of Spanish. Enough to know what Nadia had just mumbled. He laughed. "Fun night?"

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter shrugged noncommitally and nudged Nadia again. "Nadia. Lucas."

[nadiathesaint]

"No deseo un Lucas, tampoco," Nadia mumbled, then blinked her eyes open and peered at her boss. "Madre del dios,"

[not_entirely]

"Me adulan, Nadia. Do I want to know what you two got up to, last night?"

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"We needed a place to dance," Walter explained, brushing floor grit off his waistcoat. "We didn't make a mess."

[nadiathesaint]

"I didn't think you'd mind. . . ."

[not_entirely]

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "I don't. I'm not mad, so long as you didn't steal anything. I assume this has something to do with what I heard on the radio, last night?"

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter's expression tightened and he looked to Nadia rather than answering.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia's expression ressembled that of a deer in the headlights. "They reported it on the radio . . . of course they did. I should have known."

She was going to have to do a lot of explaining today, wasn't she.

[not_entirely]

"Yes. Were you planning to tell me you were leaving, or just go the job abandonment route?"

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter gave Lucas an unfriendly look. "She just found out yesterday."

[not_entirely]

Lucas gave Walter a blank look right back before turning to Nadia again.

"So when are you leaving?"

[nadiathesaint]

"Tomorrow night," Nadia replied softly. "I'm sorry. They want me to take a training program in Buenos Aires."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter watched them both, observing as Alfred would exort him to.

He'd rather be looking somewhere else. He'd rather this weren't happening at all.

[not_entirely]

Lucas nodded slowly. "And did you tell them about the responsibilities you have here? Your job, for instance."

[nadiathesaint]

"They don't care about that, Lucas. They want me back."

That wasn't entirely true, but it was true enough, and she didn't want to get into the specifics with her boss.

[not_entirely]

"'They' being the Man? You know how I feel about the Man, Nadia."

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia looked down and away. "Yeah, well, sometimes I think maybe the Man has a point."

[not_entirely]

Lucas didn't get angry. He very seldom ever did.

His expression did go more blank than usual, though.

"Never say that, Nadia. The Man exists only to hold you back. Damn the Man."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter finally stood up. "She doesn't have a choice, and this was what she wanted to do someday anyway. Don't make it any harder."

Everyone has choices. Shut up.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia looked between Lucas and Walter and stood up as well. "It's too late, anyway. I'm sorry Lucas, but I am leaving."

[not_entirely]

Lucas put up his hands. "Fine. It's your choice." He might have emphasized that last work a bit. "Have fun, see you later."

He deliberately turned to go back to his inventory. Dammit, people kept leaving.

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter put a hand on Nadia's back, but waited in silence. He'd said enough already.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia just grabbed her backpack and started for the door. She really hoped that the rest of these conversations wouldn't go this way. She'd already yelled at Pippi, and now Lucas. . . .

She didn't have a choice!

Don't you?

She paused at the door. "Thanks, Lucas."

[not_entirely]

Lucas sighed, but didn't turn around. "You're welcome, Nadia. Good luck."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

Walter waited until they were out the door to pull on Nadia's shoulder and hold his arms out to her for a hug.

Not an auspicious start to the day.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia hugged him tightly. "Everyone keeps getting mad at me."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"None of us want you to leave." He pulled back to look at her face. "Who else got mad at you?"

[nadiathesaint]

"Cally and Pippi. . . . This isn't my fault, is it? I don't want to leave, I have to."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"Pippi? That doesn't sound like her." He shook his head and pulled her closer again so she couldn't see his face. "Please don't ask me to tell you this is right. I don't want you to leave, but duty is duty."

[nadiathesaint]

"I won't. I won't ask for anything else from you. Don't worry."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"No. No. Ask. Let me help you."

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia shook her head. "You're always doing stuff for me. You don't have to, any more."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"I've never had to, and after tomorrow, I won't be able to."

[nadiathesaint]

Tomorrow. She was starting to hate that word.

"Okay."

[walter-n-wires.livejournal.com]

"There, that wasn't so hard." He gave her a squeeze before letting her go. "We can handwavily or not stop at the Perk for some coffee before really getting this day started."

[nadiathesaint]

"Yes. I don't think I can face any more people until after I've had some coffee."