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It's Been a While (MPC 42)
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Post by Bonetrousled? on Jul 28, 2017 5:51:39 GMT
Really, Elliot couldn't imagine why this would be important to anyone but himself and his immediate family. Isaac sounded bored to tears by his own graduation, and that was for himself! (He was fine with Maia's, though. Gee, I wonder why.) In fact, if it wasn't for wanting to ensure he'd see Asher again, Elliot would have spared him the torment. It'd be rude to rescind right after being told yes, though, so Elliot grinned and bore it. "Thank you," he said. "I'll make sure to let you know if I'm doing anything fun after. You know, to make up for the part where we sit in the heat and I get a paper."
Did Asher look . . . nervous? How? Regardless, Elliot found his new gig really cool. "I'm so happy for you!" Elliot chirped, smile bright. "C'mon, you gotta share the details. What's it like? Are you nervous?" Sure, Asher's start in the business was rocky. But this was his very own decision! He was his own Asher now, and Elliot couldn't be prouder. Still, it was no wonder Asher wanted to be secluded. People bugging him over his newfound fame would have been the worst.
At least there was some joking between serious topics like that. Elliot snickered as his poorly thought metaphor was tossed back at him. "Yeah. And lumber gives me a stomachache," he deadpanned. Still, was that more food promised? Elliot would hold Asher very closely to that. "Had somewhere in mind? Never been to LA before, but I'd love to visit you," he said. Wait, he didn't mean to put that you there! He meant to visit! Oh well, too late now.
It sounded like Asher was on the same page as him. Good. If someone as cool as Asher agreed, surely someone actually in Elliot's league would too. But did that mean Asher was single? How? Seriously? "Their loss, if they're going to let someone so amazing go like that," Elliot insisted. "And I mean, it's better than putting all yout heart into making something work that just . . . doesn't. I know you'll find someone worth it eventually. I mean, you're you! You have to, right?"
Clearly, Elliot had a lot of faith.
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Post by Asher on Jul 28, 2017 9:36:18 GMT
Heat? Oh, right. Graduations could be quite the warm experience. Literally! Asher had mostly forgotten that! It was a good thing he liked the heat! "Sounds good," he agreed, half-tempted to put the information into his phone. It should be fine. Surely, the redhead wasn't going to forget something that important!
Just like Elliot apparently found Asher's job to be important. "I can't say too much about it," he admitted, "it's a series based off of some comics. Sure would be a funny coincidence if you happen to find them in my car." Oh, yes. A coincidence. That's what it would be. "They're doing the origin story first, though. So I only have a scene after the credits." Oh, was that too much of a spoiler? Oops. It didn't look like anyone was close enough to listen in, anyway! "Which is how I had been avoiding the paparazzi," he mumbled, under his breath, before more pleasantly adding, "It's a main role, though. I think it'll be fun." But, was he actually nervous?
Shaking his head, the actor thought over what he had already learned about the role. "I don't think there's anything to be nervous about. Except the fans," or, more likely, the 'family' that he had! "It's going to be really weird to have a stunt double, though. They're worried I'll get hurt." If only he could put, 'turns into a giant rabbit' and 'has survived monster attacks,' on his resume!
"But it is good fiber," he contradicted, with a smirk. Probably not worth the splinters or stomachaches, though! "A few ideas, actually," the man hummed, while debating which options would really be the best. "Depends on your preference. Casual or formal. And what kind of food you want." Playing with the corner of the menu, there was a slight hesitation before adding, "there's a gathering at a private club, for a charity I'm part of, coming up. I mean, you'll probably find the business-y part boring, but that doesn't take too long, and the food is good." This was a really stupid offer, wasn't it? Elliot wasn't going to want to be stuck around a bunch of strangers! If only Asher had thought about this a little more! "If you want to be my," word choices! Caution! "Guest, you could come with me." Oh good. The term 'date' had been averted! Success! It seemed that he hadn't fully processed Elliot's slip of tongue, when he was busy making sure that he didn't make one, himself!
Speaking of dates, why would Elliot think that Asher would have any luck with them? "Elliot," the redhead hummed, "if you haven't noticed, I'm a little weird." Well, at least Asher was fully aware that he was eccentric! Though, 'little' was definitely an understatement. "Maybe they all just have some common sense." Fingers tapped lightly on the menu on the table, while flashing a warm smile. "I mean, you have to admit. If you had the choice between someone like me, or a completely normal person, you'd go for the normal--."
At this point, a waitress finally came over to the table to take their drink orders, derailing the conversation, and potentially saving Elliot from an awkward response. "Just coffee, please." Did Asher really need that much caffeine in his life? Probably not, but it was going to happen anyway! Once the waitress would get Elliot's drink order, she'd scurry off to go fulfill their requests.
Yellow eyes lifted to look at the ceiling, seeming to have forgotten what he had been saying before. Ah well. Must not have been important! "Have you figured out what you want to eat?"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jul 29, 2017 3:59:59 GMT
(. . . Agh crap I posted on the wrong mobile) It sounded like Asher was under some sort of nondisclosure agreement. It also sounded like Asher very much didn't care about the nondisclosure agreement. "Well, I'll try not to snoop around too much," Elliot joked, smirking conspiratorially. What role would be regulated to just an after-credits scene, though? Elliot wasn't much a comic reader, but he knew those movies were always ending in teases for what was to come in the sequel. "So, main villain of the sequel, then?" Elliot asked. If that was the case, it was really impressive! Already trusting Asher so much that they'd feel comfortable using him as the next movie's big hook was seriously cool on the part of the executives, even if it meant Elliot would have to wait for the sequel to really see his friend's big break. "If they're using you as the big hook, I know they already love you. And they've got every reason to do that. You're gonna do amazing, okay?" Elliot said, the smile on his face warm.
It sounded like the fans were the only major worry. A shame Asher couldn't just use a holosuit. Wait, hold on a minute. "Maybe a holosuit?" Elliot suggested. "I'm sure by now at least one of your forms plays nicely enough that they'd be okay taking the reins so you can look completely like someone else. Although I guess even then you wouldn't quite feel like you, huh?" Why did Renamon have to be so much more complicated than Veemon was? Still, Elliot had to laugh as Asher brought up the subject of stunt doubles. If only people knew the depths of their secret lives.
Asher had a few suggestions for meals (including lumber, which stole a laugh from Elliot), but a charity club in particular seemed to come to mind first and foremost. Why did Asher have to be part of so many incredible things? Elliot was trying not to swoon at how cool and hard-working he was. With the invitation on the table, he almost accepted all too quickly. "I'll be there," he said, voice determined. Who knows? Maybe him being there would make all the long-winded, business-type stuff a bit less boring for Asher. Something told Elliot that he wasn't quite the type for sitting around for a long while.
Unfortunately, Elliot's attempt at cheering Asher up about romance seemed to be brushed off a little. Was Asher really weird? Okay, so maybe he kind of was. But at the same time, it seemed more charming than anything. Their first meeting may not have been the best, but after that day Elliot was practically swept off his feet by how kind, helpful, and selfless Asher was. That made up for any and all quirks, to the point where Elliot was finding it hard not to be swept up all over again. He opened his mouth to say something, but then the waitress arrived. "Oh! A water for now, please," Elliot said, smiling placidly.
Asher may have forgotten their conversation up to this point, but Elliot wouldn't. "I wouldn't go for the normal person," he said, blushing a little as he looked down at his plate. "You're so much more engaging, and way kinder, and really just one of a kind. Why would I ever want to trade that away?" Hopefully, Asher would at least assume he was talking hypothetically! That was all he was trying to imply there. Seriously! "I think I'll have the Parmesan and shrimp steak," he added, as if he didn't say anything earlier. "You?"
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Post by Asher on Jul 29, 2017 4:45:02 GMT
Elliot surely didn't count toward people he wasn't supposed to discuss certain matters of the movie with, right? It wasn't like he was actually saying too much about it, anyway! It was only slightly more than he'd probably be permitted during an interview or something! Except the redhead was clearly going to add bits that weren't necessarily released in too many interviews. "What, you think I look like a villain now?" Asher snickered, and shook his head. "No, like I said, the first movie's like an origin story. There's a big time jump between it and the rest of the films," he tried to explain, occasionally throwing a glance to make sure that the waitress wasn't coming over quite yet. "In the first movie, the character's still a kid." With any luck, Elliot would realize that there was no way that Asher could pull of a child. "It's one of the main characters. And," tapping his lips a couple of times, the actor gave a small smile, "the love interest, from what I've read."
But, wait, a holosuit? "That seems like it's going kind of far," he admitted, considering the idea. "I'll probably just deal with the people. I like how I look." But it wasn't a bad suggestion! Maybe, if he really got tired of the people, he would have to reconsider it!
It was surprising just how quickly Elliot took on the offer to come with him. "Are you sure? You don't have to, if you'd rather not," the man added, trying to make it so that Elliot wouldn't feel too pressured on the subject. "I mean, if you just want to see go to the club, I can still take you there whenever. There's a no photography rule and that kind of thing, makes it easier to work without a camera in your face, so the charity likes to do their planning there." Why else would they pick that location? Well, probably for a lot of reasons, actually, but that wasn't the point! "It's kind of rude to make you sit through something like that, isn't it?" Yeah, Asher really needed to think before he spoke! "Unless you want to." Did that sound a little hopeful? Nah, there was no way that Asher could actually want someone to have to deal with his boring hobbies!
After the waitress had left to get their drinks, the redhead skimmed the menu again. He really wasn't sure what he was going to eat. But, he found himself pausing when Elliot returned to their prior topic. Darn it, Elliot, Asher was giving you an opportunity to avoid answering! Placing his cheek against his palm, the man lifted his eyes back to the college student. Asher remained silent until after Elliot had answered his last question, smiling the entire time. "You almost sound like you've fallen for me," he finally teased, a small snicker escaping his throat. Leave it to Elliot to be able to word things like that! Not even glancing back to the menu when the conversation shifted again, Asher continued to watch Elliot. "I don't know. That sounds good. Maybe I'll get it, too."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jul 29, 2017 5:02:33 GMT
"Hey, the villain always gets to look badass," Elliot countered. It wasn't Elliot's fault. He didn't realize that there was such a delay between the first and second movies, time-wise. Most origin films had, like, fifty sequels suddenly happen within years of the first one. Batman went through Robins like candy right after his beginnings. Still, a big change between movies would probably be a nice breath of fresh air that most movies flat-out didn't have. "Still, that sounds like a really fun role. Bet you'll make everyone back home jealous," Elliot added, somewhat teasingly. Was it bold to basically be teasing himself, or just stupid? Regardless, it sounded like a really fun movie! "Any idea when it comes out? I'll try and get a ticket for opening day."
The holosuit idea probably was pretty far. Even if Asher made it look like himself, he'd just have a holosuit of himself. That would be creepy for a bunch of other reasons. "Yeah, you're right. I was just thinking on the idea Isaac and I had during the incident way back when," Elliot admitted. "Still, I hope people don't give you too much hassle. Shame Isaac hasn't hit the big time yet, or I'd pressure him to do something embarrassing to take the heat off of you." Clearly Elliot was joking! Right?
Asher was throwing all the objections that Elliot was thinking about his graduation. Elliot couldn't help but giggle about that. They were far too alike. It was amazing. "Hey, I might be able to make it a bit less boring for you," Elliot joked, a warm smile on his face. "Besides, you're going to be there for me at m graduation. This is really the least I can do in return, right? And I always love having a chance to spend more time with you." Would being his +1 raise eyebrows? Maybe. But Elliot would've been willing to endure weird stares in order to spend more time with Asher. "When is it? I'll make sure not to head back to Japan until it's time for the event," Elliot added, nodding. Nothing would dissuade this boy from following his heart.
Well, except for directly confronting the subject. Elliot blushed deeply as Asher teased him about falling for him. Why didn't the water get here yet? He could practically feel himself threatening to sweat. "I-I mean, maybe a little?" he said, trying to avoid saying anything incriminating and completely failing at it. Why was he so bad at this? As soon as he realized what came out of his mouth, though, he blushed a neon red and promptly stopped saying anything else. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd recommend that steak," he finally squeaked out, voice near-invisible from how quiet it was.
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Post by Asher on Jul 29, 2017 5:29:30 GMT
"Or they look awful," the man countered, playfully. Asher would make an awful villain! Or, at least, that's what he was going to think! "I think it'll be fun, yeah," he agreed, "we're starting filming for it as soon as the next trailer's released for the upcoming one." Would people be jealous? Maybe. But Asher didn't really understand why! "I wish I could tell you more about it." But, it seemed that the actor had hit his limit on just how much he could reveal! "The first one comes out this fall. I think they're trying to get the next one out next year." If Elliot didn't have a strong chance of being in Japan when it came out, Asher would offer to take him to the premier! Or not. Sometimes those things felt a little embarrassing.
By the sounds of things, it might be a good thing that Isaac hadn't hit fame yet! How was that even going for him, anyway? Asher wasn't entirely sure just how much Isaac had put himself out there, at this point!
Why was Elliot smiling like that? Strange. "I don't actually find it that boring," he pointed out. "It'd be kind of lame to help start it, and then find it boring, right?" There wouldn't be any passion to something if he just started a project, and then kept going because of obligation or something! And, nothing could thrive on obligation alone! For a second, the man mulled over Elliot's eagerness to spend time with him, but shrugged it off. Maybe Elliot just wanted to see more of a once long-distance friend! "I don't remember the exact date. I'll text it to you after I check my calendar." It was so strange that the college student was even willing to postpone returning to Japan until afterward!
Then again, it seemed that Elliot was full of strangeness! After his sort-of-admission, the redhead froze while processing. It was a joke, right? Totally a joke. Had to be. What else could -- oh, nope. Elliot's voice was getting weird. He might have been serious! Of all the things that Asher could have said, to make things a lot more seamless, his ability to act had completely faltered. "What?" Genuine curiosity swirled through the single word, dropping his hand from his cheek and letting it fall, palm-down, onto the table. "Are you feeling alright?" Surely, Elliot had to have a fever or something!
And, finally, the waitress returned to the table. Seeming to have noticed her horrible timing, she slid the drinks onto the table, before mumbling something about being back soon, and scurrying off. Poor Elliot! He wasn't going to have the same chance at a distraction as he had last time!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jul 29, 2017 5:55:47 GMT
"Yeah, that's true. You could end up a Magneto, or a Toad," Elliot pointed out. "Although they'd have to try really hard to make you look awful. Seemed like it'd take a good year and a half before Asher's true big screen debut panned out, but at least seeing him on screen for just a minute would be cool. A shame so much of it was under lock and key, but Elliot had probably already heard too much by this point. "I'll be sure to catch 'em both when I can," Elliot said, a confident smile on his face. If he went to Shibuya it'd probably take longer for a Japanese dub to come back out, right? In fact, that made Elliot wonder . . . "If it comes out with a Japanese voice track, would you get to dub your own lines?" he asked. They might want Asher to focus on sequels, but who knows? Vin Diesel got to voice Groot in far too many languages!
At hearing that Asher didn't find it boring, Elliot looked down guiltily. He figured when Asher mentioned not wanting to make Elliot sit through it, he meant it'd be a little bit bland. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't realize," he said, hoping Asher wouldn't be offended by that slip. Still, he had been bored by things attached to subjects he loved too, so he wouldn't be surprised if the talkier parts did make Asher roll his eyes sometimes. "What's the charity for? It's really cool that you helped literally make one like that." Seriously. Starring role. Founded a charity. If Elliot was insecure about his lack of sure direction before, he really was now.
Elliot made sure that he could take a swig of water before answering. That helped a little. Once he was done, however, he spoke all too quickly. "Oh! Yeah, yes, I'm fine," he said, somewhat nervously. "Are you doing okay?" It was a dumb follow-up, but Elliot really wanted to steer the direction of this conversation back away from this.
Maybe he'd need to think of something else. "How's Piper?" he asked, hoping not to sound too 100% locked on the subject of spending time with Asher. Besides, this was a topic Asher could go on for hours about, right?
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Post by Asher on Jul 29, 2017 9:09:21 GMT
It was weird how much faith Elliot had in Asher's ability to look decent. "Makeup and special effects can make anyone look bad," the actor pointed out, lightly. If they could make pretty actresses turn into almost nightmarish creatures, it wouldn't be that hard to make Asher into an unpleasant looking villain! Though, the next question made the man think. "They haven't mentioned anything about dubs. I'll have to ask about that." After all, why hire a different voice, if Asher could still speak the language? But, would the movie ever come out with a Japanese voice track? "You're going to watch it in English, right?" The internet existed for a reason! Elliot could always just buy an English copy!
Of course, Asher wasn't going to be offended by something like that. Anyone would think that Asher would get bored by anything actually important! "I think you'll be bored," he clarified, still smiling in an attempt to avoid making Elliot feel bad. He could really use his coffee right now. Warmth was soothing, and the actor found himself growing nervous about judgement again. "It's for," he began, tapping fingers on the menu again. Putting things into words felt kind of dumb, when it involved telling Elliot. Why did it really matter? "Youths struggling with physical or mental abuse," he mumbled, still tapping his fingers. At least if he had coffee, he could wrap his hands around something warm and stop potentially annoying Elliot!
Then again, Elliot was a little too busy trying to avoid falling into that hole that he dug himself! Despite nerves on the prior subject, Asher found his smile widening slightly. Elliot was terrible at topic-changes! Yellow eyes lifted, thoughtfully staring at the ceiling. Tone shifted from curiosity to airy, jumping back and forth between decisions in his head. "Maybe. Just... thinking about something," he hummed, wondering if the college boy would take the bait. Elliot was thoughtful and curious enough, wasn't he? Briefly, the redhead bit his lower lip, before returning his gaze to the younger man.
Leaving one hand on the table, the actor pulled his coffee closer with the other, drawing a circle around the lip of the cup with his fingertip. "Piper's great. She moved into her own apartment. Whiskers went to work with her the other day. Secret admirers. All that." Maybe that was a little less ramble-y than Elliot was hoping for! But, Asher was still more interested in the topic before this! He could ramble about Piper whenever!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jul 29, 2017 16:58:10 GMT
Personally, Elliot thought that by the time they used enough makeup and CGI to make Asher ugly, it'd be easier to just have him voice act instead. But that may have been his own biases blinding him. At least even his meager insight into the industry was able to get Asher thinking when it came to film dubs. Hopefully they'd keep him instead of having a big name Japanese dub actor replace him. It'd be weird having Asher speak Japanese while not speaking Japanese. I mean, why? "Well, I want to see the movie as soon as it comes out," Elliot added, smiling confidently. "Of course I'm going to see it in English. Even if I have to import it, or fly back to LA for the premiere."
"Time with you? Oh, I'd never be bored. Especially seeing your hard work coming to fruition like that," Elliot insisted lightly. The fact that it was for such a noble cause made it all the more important. Something told Elliot that it was a really personal cause to Asher, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how cathartic it must have felt doing something about it at the roots. "I . . ." he started, wishing he could reach across the table and give Asher's hand a gentle squeeze to reassure him. "I'm really proud of you."
"Cat work and secret admirers, huh?" Elliot asked. That sounded cool. It probably was all part of Piper's plan to be youngest President or Prime Minister in the world or something like that. However, if it was such interesting work, Asher must have been not rambling about it for a reason. Judging by his earlier comment, something else was on his mind, too. Maybe he had seen right through Elliot's topic change, cutting it short where it stood. "That's cool. I hope it goes well for her," he said, letting it drop.
He looked to the waitress, hoping she'd have all the answers. Instead she only had calamari. Munch.
After he was done chewing on a bit of delicious, buttery fried squid, Elliot decided that it would be time to risk confronting the subject at hand. "What's on your mind?" he asked, voice soft and shy.
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Post by Asher on Jul 30, 2017 4:20:53 GMT
Fly all the way back to the U.S. just to see a movie? That was a little much, wasn't it? Asher couldn't figure out why anyone that wasn't directly involved with the film would want to do that! "I mean, you can probably just buy it on your computer." Elliot still had a computer, didn't he? College students needed those! And, it was way cheaper than a flight to America! Even if it wasn't on a big, fancy screen!
All the little comments directed at wanting to spend time with Asher were finally becoming a bit more noticeable, though the redhead remained focused on the current topic. "Proud?" That was strange. Proud of what? Wanting to help people? Either way, Asher wasn't going to press too much on what could make anyone proud of him for the topic. There wasn't anything special about wanting to be a good person, was there? Considering the reasons for starting it hit close to home, it felt a little selfish to take pride in the matter!
"Mhmm," the redhead nodded, thinking about what his sister had already accomplished. "Whiskers might have eaten her last admirer's gift, though," and by 'might', it meant that the person trying to catch Piper's attention really shouldn't have left a bag of snacks on her desk during Bring Your Pet to Work Day! Ah well. Whiskers only complaint had been that there weren't any twist ties involved! "But, Piper's doing very well." That was to be expected from someone who once fought with teachers over one percent on their grades! Asher still swore that she should have become a lawyer.
For the time being, Asher ignored the calamari. Yep, still looked like the same questionable product from his childhood. Maybe he'd try it after finishing his little script. Or maybe he'd pretend to forget that it was in front of them. Time would tell! "Well," the man paused, solidifying his word choice, before watching Elliot's face for any sign of distress from what would follow. Lips curved to a soft, almost innocent smile. Take a breath! "Would you want to actually go on a date with me?" In a way, right now, Asher was glad that he was an actor; and, just a strange person in general. If met with rejection, he could play this off pretty easily! And if not? Well. He wasn't particularly preparing for that. Elliot was nice, but he wasn't dumb enough to want to take him up on that!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jul 30, 2017 4:52:52 GMT
"It'd take time for it to come out on DvD, wouldn't it?" Elliot asked. "And if you were about to have your grand premiere, I'd hate to miss it and not be able to tell you what I think right away. You always got back to me right away on my story ideas, and this is kind of like that too, isn't it?" Asher also didn't need to cross the globe just to give feedback on one of Elliot's stories, but Elliot's heart was way stronger than his logic-muscle.
Asher almost seemed confused by Elliot's pride. That was odd. "Of course I'm proud of you!" he said, voice cheery. "The fact that you were able to make something that amazing happen really says a lot about you. I mean, you're so selfless. And so hard-working. It's really admirable." Probably best that Elliot stopped there before he started rambling again, but at least he was able to tell Asher what he really thought of him.
If Piper was any indication, it ran in the family. Elliot snickered a little as Whiskers "accidentally" ate her admirer's gift. Honestly, Elliot wouldn't be surprised if Asher instructed the Meicoomon to be on full sabotage mode when little sister hearts were part of the equation. "I'm glad she's doing well," Elliot said. "So what kind of work does she do, anyway? Sounds like important cat business based on what you're saying," he added.
The distress came right on schedule as Asher asked his question, Elliot's blush deepening somewhat. He looked around, as if hoping the answers to this question would be anywhere but Asher's eyes. Why did this have to be so hard? "I mean, who wouldn't?" he finally stammered out, apparently thinking that was a smart way of sidestepping the issue. "You're just so . . . so . . ." Damnit, where were words? Elliot needed words badly!
"You're just so you!"
Flawless.
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Post by Asher on Jul 30, 2017 5:45:50 GMT
It was so strange that someone was so adamant about seeing a movie! "Well, if you're in America," for whatever reason Elliot would find to legitimately justify flying in, "I'll invite you to come see the premiere. Piper'll be there, too." It only made sense that his little sister would come to town for such an event! And she could justify it, since they still had their grandma to visit!
Continuing the confusion, Asher still couldn't figure out how Elliot would be proud of his accomplishments. "It's not too hard, when you have the right connections. And interested people." It wasn't like the subject was something that was too easy to laugh off! And, surely, Asher wasn't the only person that grew up in a less-than-ideal situation! "But," he added, still a bit uncertain of how to respond, "thanks." That was how one answered something like that, right? He still wasn't entirely sure.
Less confusion involved talking about his sister! "Whiskers wishes Piper would do cat business." What kind of business could involve cats? Would they wear little hats? Or fancy monocles? Or would it just be a cat food line? The Meicoomon was a lot more likely to go for the last option, rather than dress up! "She's a security analyst for a hospital." Why a hospital allowed 'bring your pet to work day' to be a thing was beyond Asher! What about kids with allergies? "Whiskers helps her. Something about her keeping up with Digital inconsistencies better." After all, who was better to help out than a Digimon for that kind of thing?
Asher continued to watch Elliot, trying to figure where the right point to stop would be. Why was Elliot avoiding eye contact? This could definitely mean bad things! Even with Elliot's fantastic word choices, Asher certainly wasn't getting much of an answer! "Elliot," the redhead hummed, trying to get his attention. Yes. Of course Asher was Asher. That was a given! Fingers folded around the coffee cup in front of him, hoping the college boy would actually look at him. "You can say no." After all, who would avoid a direct answer for something like that, otherwise? But the more stammering Elliot did, the less Asher was going to be able to convincingly pretend he was just playing around! "You won't hurt my feelings, or anything. I promise."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jul 30, 2017 14:47:16 GMT
See? That was important. Elliot couldn't visit his friend and cheer him on by buying a DVD. Technology wasn't nearly good enough for that lately. "Can't wait to be there," Elliot said, placidly yet determinedly. Who knows? Maybe Asher's Digiport plan would work after all, and Elliot would get to travel far more often by only buying one ticket at a time. Would airports get suspicious of that, though? Elliot would hate to be put on a no-fly list due to suspect activity. That'd be horrible!
"I mean, in theory, that's what group projects at college are supposed to be," Elliot pointed out. They were all supposed to be interested in research. Why did almost nobody actually do that research? "It's a lot of work getting people in gear. Especially when there's hard work involved. The fact that you're doing that while also changing lives really means a lot." Still, at least Asher accepted the compliment. Elliot smiled sweetly at him, adding a "You're welcome."
If only Elliot got to know what Asher was thinking when he described cat business. He missed a great chance to figure out the inner workings of the man's mind. Still, the idea of using a Digimon to help analyze problems with computerized systems was honestly a brilliant one. Did that mean Elliot's spirits would be able to help when he needed tech support? That would've been useful when all the libraries' computers died on finals week and he nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to access his online study resources. And a security analyst was a really cool job, too! It was also a really scary one for any security threats involved, considering that Piper was clearly not someone to be messed with. "Those poor hackers," Elliot joked. "It's great seeing you guys are both so successful. Isaac's had a few TV roles here and there, so at least he's starting to make good progress now. Moving up from infomercials, at least."
Yes, it was hilarious live-streaming the first airing of Isaac's "performance" with Maia. The two of them probably got a kick out of seeing Isaac too incompetent to operate a toaster, but he sold the role surprisingly well.
Less well was Elliot trying to cope with all the dumb feelings he was having, looking up at Asher as Asher tried to get his attention. Did Asher seriously think that Elliot was trying to reject him? "But . . ." he started, nervously drumming his fingers on the table. "I don't want to say no. I-in fact, I'd really, really love to . ."
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Post by Asher on Jul 31, 2017 4:31:32 GMT
Was Elliot seriously planning to spend his money on a million plane tickets? It was certainly looking that way! The college boy was certainly strange! Either way, Asher would have to put a reminder in his phone about it. It would be awfully embarrassing if he forgot that Elliot planned on at least attempting to come over for it!
It sounded like group projects didn't work out as well as they were supposed to. Something like that probably drove Elliot mad! Or, he just ended up stuck with everyone's work. Probably both. Giving a thoughtful hum, the redhead debated just how difficult the process of a group project was, versus a charity. He was beginning to suspect that his progress was coming along a lot easier than it was supposed to! Then again, Asher wasn't panicking over being graded for his work. Maybe that's what made the difference.
But, now that Asher was thinking about cats and Piper's job, he had to consider how odd it looked if anyone watched her bickering with her cat over something on a computer. Did passerbys just think she was insane? The idea of obtaining an admirer, despite the likely appearance of a crazy person, was beyond him. "I've never doubted that Pip would do whatever she wanted. Just never expected her to drag a cat into it, too." Isaac sounded like he was making progress, too, though. "Even an infomercial is good for some business." And it was surely better than nothing on a resume! Maybe, eventually, Asher and Isaac would be able to be on the same show or in a movie together! But, that wasn't overly likely, considering they were currently working in two different countries!
Instead, Asher would focus on the person sitting across from him, rather than someone a ridiculous amount of miles away. Now, was Elliot just saying things to try to avoid risking still hurting the redhead's feelings? He was really waiting for another, 'but...' to follow up Elliot's last statement. "Then, why don't you say yes?" Maybe it was just creepy to have this conversation with someone that had such an age gap. Asher was so bad at thinking things through!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jul 31, 2017 5:45:56 GMT
"Yeah. Me neither," Elliot said. Digimon in the human world seemed like a bridge too far, but apparently Whiskers was amazingly good at blending in as a real cat. People seemed all too happy to discount the random feelers and crisscrossed eyes, apparently. Maybe, like with all things in life, she took the whole "Digimon are secret" thing as a challenge. "Do you still get to see her once in a while? Whiskers, I mean. The two of you were really close." She seemed more like Piper's Digimon than Asher's, especially these days, but hopefully Asher wasn't split from her too often.
Infomercials were a good start, true. Especially since, with Isaac's stature, he probably wouldn't be the ideal romance lead or action hero until he had a lot of time to prove his stripes. Comedy parts were more of a natural start for him, and the bumbling fool in an infomercial was a great way of getting it underway. "What was the role you've found silliest?" Elliot found himself asking. He was so used to seeing Asher as amazing, but he also wanted to step back and imagine some of the goofier stuff too.
Not that there was any time for that! Asher had just asked a question that Elliot really, really wasn't sure if he wanted to answer or not. What was he even supposed to say? Part of him just wanted to shout yes, yes, yes at the top of his lungs, but he didn't even know if Asher would feel that way about him. What if it would scare him off? Part of him wanted to say no just to finally force the thought out of his mind. It was impossible. Always was and always would be. Even if it was possible, Asher deserved so much better. There were far more eligible bachelors and bachelorettes than 'your co-worker's little brother,' and no matter how nicely Asher was treating him Elliot knew that it was always his role.
He finally stirred himself to talk, after a few bites of calamari to steel his nerve. "I guess I just . . ." he started, taking a deep breath. "I guess I just don't want to say anything and get my hopes up, when it's someone like me trying to tell someone as incredible as you how I feel."
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