[Projects 2 and 3] Open and Closed!

[evowhisperer]

Who: Blaise, Cesar, and you!

Where: Marty's Gourmet Soda shop, Gateway City

When: Soda shop: Within a few days of the 16th, give or take.

What: Cesar and Blaise meet in person for the first time!

Warnings: Talk about Ryu (and all sex-discussion related warnings)

Status: Open! Blaise and Cesar's thread is closed.

 Marty's Gourmet Soda shop is a warm, pleasantly crowded affair. The counters are heavy wood, the stools are the sort that attach to the floor and rotate back and forth. Cheerful big-band music plays over tinny corner-speakers, and a young cashier behind the counter taps away at a cash register that might be older than he is. 'Stu' reads his nametag. He's a handsome young man, and whenever Stu smiles a girl by the door sighs happily.

 

Stu isn't paying attention just now, since he's leaning forward over the counter to squint at the cellphone presented to him.

 

"A, uh... Oh! Sure, sir, one Exprezzy Espresso, coming right up!" He straightens and rattles off a price, scrawling letters on the side of a cup.

 

Cesar takes the phone back and fishes out change, passing it across the counter. Cha-ding! Coins are handed over. Cesar pockets the change and backs out of the way, already reimmersed in his phone.

 

He won't look up until his name is called.

 

"Fizzy coffee! Cesar S!"

-----------------------------------------------

Who: Tony, Cesar, and you!

Where: Cesar's apartment, Gateway City

When: A few days after their text conversation.

What: Cesar and Tony meet for a suspense-ridden intercourse of science.

Warnings: Needles, what is essentially a low-key version of unregulated human testing. Also, underaged drinking and drunk shennanigans.

Status: Closed

It's another door with another number on it. This time the hallway outside has rows of doors on both sides of the walkway, and potted plants stand as greetings by several welcome-mats along the way. Cesar's door has no plant, but it does have a welcome mat. It has no words--just a generic pattern.

It's quiet. A pair of children can be heard playing in the distance, and a tabby cat cleans itself by a door some apartments away. There's no smells or sounds from the apartment, this time.

Comments

[sparklingscarlet]

Blaise stares for a good solid moment after Cesar does the signaling. Just when it looks like he didn't understand, he speaks up.

"Yea, we saw each other on the Network. When I was talking to Ryuzaki." He tries to give a smile, but he's not sure what Cesar's reaction to a kid who snubbed his advice is going to be. Cesar might even notice Blaise is a little tense and might be ready to shake at about any time. Blaise doesn't usually do alot of what he did on the Network. He's usually obedient to a fault and gets along great with most people. Ryuzaki was just a special case, and he's really hoping Cesar doesn't take it the wrong way.

While Blaise is trying to play it casual, he did notice the slight spill and reaches to get some napkins for Cesar real quick, holding them out to him. His smile seems a little more genuine this time.

"Here."

[evowhisperer]

Cesar looks down in surprise, then accepts them and puts the cup down. He can't sign this way, but he felt like he needed a moment to regroup mentally anyway. What should he say? ... Should he say anything? 'Your new boyfriend is self destructive and parasitic, and you should get out while you can.' 'He's going to use you. Clear room in your freezer for bacon.' 'Say goodbye to your dreams of true love?'

In a rare moment of sympathy, Cesar wonders if this is what all haggard exes feel like. He finishes wiping the cup and squeezes the napkins into a ball, dropping them in the trash.

{Are you still seeing him?} he signs. Then he pauses, one hand at ready to try to shape thoughts in a miniature game of charades.

He gives up before even starting, taking a smartphone from a pocket and making a 'wait a second' gesture. The question is repeated in text, and he enlarges the text until it fills the screen, showing it to the boy. Text will get his question accross; it usually does.

[sparklingscarlet]

He stares at Cesar for a moment. Charades he can play, sign language, not so much. Thankfully, Cesar retrieves a phone and uses that as communication. Blaise gives a curious thought as to why Cesar doesn't speak. But, good terms, first, personal questions, later.

He reads the message on the phone and nods.

"I am." He remember Ryuzaki mentioning Cesar as a 'jealous ex.' He stays with minimal explanations as much as he knows how to not rub salt in any potential wounds. How effective he is at subtlety is yet to be seen. "He's really sweet. We go out regularly." He gives a smile. "I didn't think I could get so lucky."

Blaise gives a glance around the shop and spies a vacant table. He indicates said table to Cesar.

"Uhm... You want to sit down?"

[evowhisperer]

Cesar's eyebrows lift, and he looks from Blaise, to the table, to a distant horizon where answers to this question might lie. This isn't what he expected. All the plans to meet with Blaise that he'd thought up and discarded are now useless; all along he could've just tried, and of course he'll stay now that he has a chance. This kid is caught up like a blind fly in a spider's web, and even as Cesar spares a moment to mourn the quiet evening he almost had, it's certainly no more than a moment.

He nods, giving Blaise a small smile.

The table isn't very far, and when Cesar folds himself into a seat he sips his coffee, waiting for Blaise to finish settling also. When brown eyes finally move back to him he makes a vague beckoning gesture with his free hand, trying not to show the grim forboding that this conversation is already giving him. 'Go on'.

[sparklingscarlet]

Blaise follows him to the table, happily plopping into a seat. As he looks back at Cesar, he sees the gesture for him to continue. Blaise thinks a moment before going on.

"Ryuzaki is really nice to me. He says I make him feel special, and we promised to protect each other. To be honest, it almost seems like something out of a fairy tale. We have a really good connection, he said so himself. And he calls me cute, and doesn't mind my clumsiness when it happens. I kind of knocked my soda on him on our first date." He laughs a bit. "But, instead of getting mad, he... was really sweet and shared his soda with me. He said things like he's adventurous and loves a good time. I can't wait to take him to some of my favourite places. Oh! And, he is really respectable. He wants to wait until I'm eighteen to even kiss me. But he's still willing to date me. How many guys... people are like that? And he let's me hug him, and he makes me feel good about myself."

Before he knows it, his mood is lightening up and showing a bit of a daydreamy smile. His infatuation is beyond obvious at this point, and he's just getting started.