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murder by numbers - justin pendleton

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[As soon as it becomes apparent that the City is more crowded than usual, Justin does what is, for him, the unthinkable: he makes a post. There's no deliberation, no planning, none of the typical reluctance to interact with the world outside of his very small comfort zone.

Just a rushed public service announcement.]

If you haven't been here before, this is the City. It's difficult to explain and you likely won't be here long enough for an explanation to matter. Stay calm. You'll only be here for a day or two.

If you have been here before, try to set a decent example.

[But that's not the real reason for this post.]

Euphie? Are you here?

[ooc: Fourth wall post! Very much open, even if your name isn't Euphie. Absolutely anything goes, including face twins/movie spoilers/telling Justin he's a fictional character. Hit him up on the network or feel free to run into him somewhere in the City.]

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I do. We're saying that a lot. I guess we must really mean it.

I don't know if repetition necessitates sincerity. I mean it, though, and you do, too.

[He doesn't mean to speak on her behalf, of course, but Euphie must mean it. Justin can't doubt her.]

Have you spoken with anyone else?

I do. [More of that smiling of hers.] Oh, yes, there were a few people. Neil was one of them. And Ken and a man I hadn't met when I was here before. Peter.

[That smile. Euphie is going to kill him.]

I don't know a Peter, but Ken's a good person Who do you have left to see?

I missed Cain and I'm not sure who else is here, but I know a few people aren't back. [Her brother, Suzaku, Yuri.] I really just want to spend the rest of my time with you.

[He wishes he could tell her that she'll be able to see everyone she missed again someday. Unfortunately, the afterlife doesn't seem to work that way.] I can't protest. I'm yours every minute you want me.

That could be a lot of minutes. [No it couldn't, but it will be all the ones she has to take.]

I don't mind if you don't.

I'm happy.

Ah, your place is close, isn't it? [Warm can be nice.]

So am I.

[Mark the calendar! Justin was happy!]

It is, and Neil and Todd shouldn't be home yet.

[That calendar is getting big pink hearts all over this day on it!]

Just you, me, and your cat. It sounds romantic.

There will be flowers, too.

[Because there are always flowers in his room. That has to up the romance a little, right?

They reach the apartment and Justin opens the door for Euphie.]

That's nice. Do you always have those? What kind?

Orchids, mostly. The exotics, not the more common varieties that grow well under most conditions.

[His small orange tabby saunters out from under the sofa, stretches, and sits to evaluate Euphie. It's hard to tell if she remembers Euphie or not.]

So pretty! I always liked having flowers too and plants. [Of course plants also make her think of her first City boyfriend, Ken. Things had ended so poorly and abruptly with him. Still, it's only a flicker in her expression before she spots the cat.

Euphie moves to the kitty immediately and sits down across from her right then and there.] Meow.

[He doesn't comment, but he does smile when Euphie addresses the cat. There's something painfully endearing about her lack of self-consciousness and willingness to be child-like.

The tabby trots over to Euphie, tail held high and curved with curiosity.]

She didn't have a name for months, but now it's Electra.

Electra? What a pretty name. And exciting. What made you choose it? [People words for Justin because he is a people. She holds her hand out for the kitty though.]

It's the name of a cat in a book Neil gave me.

[Electra sniffs the offered hand and then nudges it with her head, seeking affection.]

Oh, that's cute. Good book? [Yes, yes, the petting goes here. Nice kitty!]

Not my usual read, but it was okay. [He'd lend it to her if she was staying--but no, now is not a time for thinking about that.

The cat acts like she's been love-deprived her entire life. She's lying.]

What is your usual read? I don't think I know. [Euphie will just have to sit on the floor and let kitty obtain lap status.]

Oh... um. I like literature from the Decadence Movement, but I'll read almost anything.

[Electra promptly makes herself at home on Euphie's lap, rolling onto her back and twisting is a way that only a cat can make look comfortable.]

Decadence movement? [She looks up at him, curiously while her hands remember to keep the kitty happy.]

Nineteenth century, Europe... France, famously. The writers pushed stylistic and topical boundaries of the time. Most of them weren't recognized for their work until after they'd died.

[The cat is very pleased and purrs audibly.]

That must have been hard for them at the time, but it's good they were writing what they wanted to write even if others weren't appreciating it.

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