7th Screw - two private calls

[all_wound_up]

[Video; private to Nikolai Volkov]

Nikolai-san... um, do you have a few minutes?

[Video; private to Atsuro Kihara]

[Nano is visibly nervous as her face appears on the screen.]

A-are you busy right now, Atsuro-san?

Comments

[video]

[otakuro]

Hey, Nano!

[Atsuro pops up on screen with one cheek bandaged.]

I'm busy... resting. Aha. So no, not at all. What's up?

[video]

[all_wound_up]

Oh! Um...! If you're still recovering, it's not that important...

[otakuro]

No, really! I'm really bored...

[Atsuro gives a shrug.]

I'm glad you got out of there OK, though, Nano. It was getting a little rough near the end.

[all_wound_up]

Um...

[...]

...Is it okay if I come and visit you in person? There's something I wanted to talk to you about.

[otakuro]

Huh...? Oh, yeah, sure, come on over! I can have visitors.

You probably want to talk about... whatever it is that happened out there, right?

[all_wound_up]

Well... yes, but there's something else too.

[Her eyes move nervously back and forth for a moment.]

I'll explain when I get there!

[otakuro]

Sure, alright. Take your time; I'm not going anywhere.

[Atsuro waves to the camera before signing off to await the arrival of his friend... Now what could she possibly want to talk about?]

Action time!

[all_wound_up]

[Nano hurries straight over. She needs to get this out before she completely loses her nerve. Once she reaches Atsuro's room, she slowly peeks her head inside.]

...Hello? Atsuro-san?

[otakuro]

Hey! Come on in.

[Atsuro has just been released from the hospital, but he's not totally recovered yet. He's sitting with his legs over the side of his bed, but he doesn't get up...]

You can... sit over there. Move all that stuff out of the way.

[He points to a chair currently occupied by a bunch of computer parts.]

[all_wound_up]

It looks like you've been keeping busy, at least.

[Nano smiles a little as she gets a glimpse of the pile of parts, carefully piling them up in the corner and pulling the seat closer to the bed.]

[otakuro]

Aha...

[He doesn't have the heart to tell her that's junk from when he first moved in and never put away.]

It's alright; you can just toss it anywhere. ...What did you need to talk about, Nano?

[all_wound_up]

W-well...

[She blinks once or twice before looking away, eyes casting about the room to find anything to focus on except Atsuro himself. Looking right into his face is just making her too nervous. Eventually, she settles on folding her hands in her lap and staring down at those.]

There's something I wanted to tell you. About me. I-it's the first time I've told anyone myself without them finding out some other way.

[otakuro]

Huh...?

[For all his genre-savviness, Atsuro is caught slightly off-guard and blinks for a few moments.]

Something about you?

...Oh, it must be that you're a world-champion cosplay celebrity, right?

[Lightheartedness usually eased some of the tension from this kind of thing.]

video;

[doesasordered]

Sure. What's up?

video;

[all_wound_up]

This may not be the best time to bring something like this up, but were you still looking for a job?

video;

[doesasordered]

Ah. As a matter of fact, I was. Why?

video;

[all_wound_up]

There's a grocery store from my hometown that appeared here earlier in the month that's looking for a manager. I don't think they want to let the demons run it by themselves like some of the other places since it's too big. They offered me the job, but I don't know anything about how to run a business.

video;

[doesasordered]

Ah... [He actually blinks a bit, surprised. Not just from the job offer, but from the 'grocery store from my hometown that appeared here' bit too.]

Well, I do have some experience with that, but not with a retail store. It... is really from your hometown?

video;

[all_wound_up]

Yes, I'm sure of it. All of the store's usual specials are there. Even the shark cake.

video;

[doesasordered]

I'd ask how that could be possible, but... I wonder that a lot about this place.

video;

[all_wound_up]

I'm not really sure either. But I'd know that marketplace anywhere.

video;

[doesasordered]

Well, there's no sense letting the demons take care of it. I'll help in whatever way I can.

video;

[all_wound_up]

Great! Thank you so much! I'll arrange everything with the store and let them know to be expecting you. I think they'll want me to stop in every so often to make sure everything is all right, but if you can handle things from day to day, that would be such a big help.

video;

[doesasordered]

Of course. I had been looking for a job so this should be a good opportunity. [Something hopefully quiet... demons aside.]

video;

[all_wound_up]

I'm happy we could both help each other out. Can you start on Monday?