unseenspy | Appointments Post

[Whoa, not the reaction she'd expected. Norma's eyes widen with mild shock and she stays quiet for a moment. That...certainly killed the mood she was trying to create. A-Ahaha...well then. Ahem. Back on track then, shall we?]

S-Sorry...jeez. No need to bite my head off about it! [She shuffles a bit awkwardly. Great, her one chance of trying to cheer herself up and hang out with a friend, and she made him mad. Marvelous.] A-Anyway, I just wanted to go out and talk with you! I mi--...I need a bit of good company, okay?

Hmph. There are things you shouldn't joke about, you know.

[But he'll let it slide...this time.]

Fine. Where do you want to meet?

Right, right, I said sorry didn't I? [Jeez, JJ. So touchy. Though, of course, she is sorry, and doesn't know the real reason of his outburst. Norma's just being Norma, and she...really does feel guilty, deep down. Making Jay upset is the last thing she wants to do. She kinda needs him to be her support beam here.]

Uh...I dunno, how 'bout the bridge near the restaurant? We can walk around the plaza from there and stuff. I don't really know where you live, so I dunno what's closest n' stuff.

Fine, fine. Just forget about it.

[He really doesn't want to go into it.]

Fair enough. I'll meet you there.

[And then he'll close his journal and head over to the designated bridge to wait for her.]

[Norma nods and closes her journal, getting ready quickly, slapping down a note for whoever may think to pick it up and read it, then escapes her house at last. It's good to get out into the fresh air - even better to know she's got someone she likes and can trust waiting for her.

Norma walks quickly, and when she nears the bridge in question, she's panting a little bit. Honestly, she just wanted to get there as far as possible, and meet with jay as soon as she could. The sooner she gets to take her mind off things and be with her friend, the better. That's what she's hoping for, at least.]

[And Jay is waiting for her still, and he gives her one of his mischievous smirks when she arrives.]

Took you long enough.

[Norma reciprocates with a smirk of her own, before she puts her hands on her hips and sticks out her tongue.]

Oh, come on! Haven't you ever heard of beinf "fashionably late"? Besides, I live in the middle of no where! Meaning I had to walk a long way, jeez, have some sympathy, JJ! [Ah, this is refreshing already. She can laugh, and play, and joke around with Jay, and that alone makes Norma feel a bit better already.]

...Thanks. For meeting me out here like this.

Really. Being "fashionably late" isn't exactly a good thing when you were the one who wanted to meet.

[Sympathy from JJ? Ha ha ha.]

Well, you have me curious. What's the reason for this little meeting?

[Wow, rude, but Norma jut shrugs it off and moves onto the main event. There's nothing more to be said or done about her lateness, after all. Might as well get the ball really rolling...as unfortunate as that may be. Deep breath now, Norma girl.]

Well...y-you know how G-Girl got taken away a little while ago, right? [She pauses, then looks down, as if ashamed to admit.] I just needed a bit of company after that, I guess.

[Yet another kidnapping, huh? Jay hardly pays attention to those anymore, since they happen all the time. It's disappointing to hear about Grune, but she'll be back like everyone else.]

I see. Don't worry, she'll be back.

[Um, what? What is that tone? That nonchalance? That's not exactly what Norma had expected - especially not from someone who knew the woman as well as she and Jay did. It definitely set her off balance for a moment, and a startled look of anger passes her face for a moment. How can he be so calm about it?!]

You're not concerned?

Concerned? It's just another experiment, that's all. She'll be back, perhaps a little sore. We'll patch her up, and then things will be fine and dandy again.

[Except not really, because Jay really hates this place. But it's just another day in the hood. That's Luceti for you.]

[Norma tenses, and her face darkens into one of pure fury. Just another experiment? Just another experiment?! Is he listening to himself?! That's their friend that was taken - a friend from home, even! This is Grune! She's too...too naive and innocent and kind to be able to muscle out what those jerks can dish out! Norma clenches her teeth, shoulders shaking with controlled anger.

We'll patch her up, and things will be fine and dandy again.

That's it. That's all it takes, and Norma stomps her foot into the ground and positively explodes. That's not what she wanted to hear. Not in the slightest. Not from Jay. Not from one of her and Grune's closest friends.]

Are you even listening to yourself?! How cheap do you think my crystal eres are?! Patch her up and it'll be better?! Like nothing happened, huh? JJ, that's a load and I know you know that! You've been here longer than I have, you know these jokers don't mess around with us. They hurt us a lot more than just physically! And G-Girl's different than you and me - she doesn't think like us. She's a good person! She won't understand what's happening to her like we would! [Norma takes a bold step forward and jabs her finger in Jay's chest roughly. She's not playing around either.]

Don't you ever devalue the crap that we go through through like it's something we should get used to! Like...Like things'll just turn out a-okay with time! And don't you ever, EVER SAY YOU'RE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS!!

[Norma breathes hard after her explosion, and steps back, angry and more upset than she first was when coming out. This was a bad idea. A bad, bad idea. She should've just dealt with it on her own like she was used to.]

[Well, he certainly didn't expect fury like that. Not from Norma. After the explosion, his face sours as he takes his hand to carefully move Norma's hand away from his chest.]

Then what did you expect? Do you know just how long I've been in this damned place? I've seen this happen a million times before. This happens on practically a daily basis. People get taken, then they're returned and they recover. We can panic and worry all we want, but what will that accomplish? Nothing!!

And when did I say that I wasn't concerned? I'm simply waiting for Grune's return. If you know of a way to break the barrier, locate the Malnosso lab, and get her out, then by all means, enlighten me.

[He turns his back to her, folding his arms with an exasperated sigh.]

And to think that I was actually being optimistic...

[He could have told her that Grune was gone for good and that they'd never see her again, but that wouldn't be true. And Jay was always one to tell the ugly naked truth, no matter how brutal.]

[Norma whips her hand back, hand hovering in the air before she puts it back down. This is not going the way she had hoped - it's going the exact opposite, and more than anything else, Norma kind of want to hit Jay. She really, really wants to hit him - or something. Anything. Just beat the tar out of it until she feels better.

Thankfully, though, all that happens is the stomping of her foot, as she squares her shoulders and blows up once more. How can he say these things?! How can he really mean what he says after all they've been through together?!]

I know that! I know it won't accomplish anything, and we're powerless to stop it! I know that! [She squeezes her eyes shut, and feels moisture pour down from her eyes.] But why stop worrying?! Why just act like it's nothing - like it'll all just fix itself?! It's everything when someone you care about gets taken away! You're stuck here, thinking about what's happening to them, what kinda stuff they're going through! Pain isn't dealt just to the body, you insensitive--! It's because you're all my friends that I get so worked up! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S STUPID, OR POINTLESS, OR WON'T ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING!! IT'S BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL, THAT I FEEL THIS WAY!

[And that's it. That's all Norma can manage to scream out before everything breaks away, and she just begins to cry and whimper. She turns her back to Jay after a minute or two, but doesn't stop. It's built up to this, and finally burst out at last, with very little she can do now to stop it.]

[She's...crying. Jay is so confused now. What does she want from him? Can he even provide it? He's not Senel or Shirley; he's not good at delivering these comforting, inspiring speeches. There's a long, pregnant pause as he ponders about what he could possibly say. And then he finally comes up with something. Norma's just worried about Grune, that's all.]

...There's one thing I know about Grune. She's a lot stronger than we'll ever know. Knowing her, she'll probably take this better than any of us.

[Norma continues sniffling and coughing during the pause, her voice hurt and it was hard to breathe after all that screaming. Ugh, she just wants to go home now. Ha...haha, or whatever she'd call that house she lives in. It was a bad idea to go out, when she was all worked up - and now she's standing here blubbering after just bursting like a bubble. Honestly, who is this person she's become? This never used to happen - she was so good at being the happy, fun, smiley one! It was never like this before! Then again, she never did have so much to worry about before...]

I dunno... I dunno if I can make myself believe that, JJ. [She's been trying, though. Believe her when she says she has been trying.] S'why it's s-so hard...! I just wish I kn-kn-knew she w-was ok-kay! She's strong, yeah, but...b-but I dunno what they're doing to her. That's wh-why it's so scary to think about...

[She takes a deep breath, then another, and wipes her face.] ...Sorry I bit your head off.

[This isn't like her at all. Has Luceti changed her this much after only a few months?]

What's gotten into you? Are you breaking so soon after only a few months here? We can't let them get to us like this. We may be trapped here for years to come, but if we want to survive long enough to get home, we need to keep our wits about us.

[Harsh? Maybe, but he's saying this because he cares.]

[Norma grits her teeth, and gives Jay a dirty look. Mostly because he's right, and she doesn't like it. This is not how she usually behaves, yes, and Norma's sick and tired of it all. She also does not need it pointed out to her, either - it's like a very hard slap in the face.

Though, really, she did need the rude wake up call like that. Thank goodness it was Jay to tell her that, or else she may have exploded at anyone else.]

I'm not breaking! I'm stressed! I have a lot to worry about, okay?! It's a whole lot harder to live here than it is back on the Legacy, you know. We can't resolve a lotta the issues here, and we sure as heck can't knock out the Malno-nos, even if we really want to. I just--...I just let things build up. Things I'm not prepared to handle right now. I'm not made out of rock! [Norma pauses, and blinks, then raises her head. Aha, that was it. That was it. She's just not mentally and emotionally mature enough to handle it. And, really, admitting it feels kinda good. Embarrassing, oh definitely, but it does make her feel a less worked up.]

...But you're right. Much as I hate to say, JJ, you are the egghead, and you're right. I needa grow up a bit more.

Appointments Post

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