Album 2, Track 1: "Not Back on It, Joe, Still on It"

[Nico Rivera-Park]

Nico was well-familiar with the character flaws of this particular building. Where the creaky steps were. Where the loose tiles were. What doors made what sounds. Unfortunately on this night, he was also an overtired optimist, so when the door made the sound it was always going to make when it opened, his only recourse was to silently curse himself for forgetting to WD-40 the damn thing ahead of time.

"Nico! Just Nico! Nico who likes not being blind." He stepped into view with both hands raised, smiling as though this were an entirely routine visit and his pulse hadn’t just attempted to exit through his throat. With Sophie next closest, he decided to try and cut his losses and give the other three a better chance of evasion. “Well, not JUST Nico,” he added, shifting aside enough to acknowledge her without exposing any more of the doorway than necessary. “But Sophie is also best enjoyed with functioning eyes.”

Nico kept moving toward the office, trusting momentum to accomplish whatever subtlety had failed to. Unfortunately, he was now acutely conscious of every footstep behind him, every potentially incriminating rustle, and the fact that he had positioned himself like a man attempting to conceal a refrigerator. He made himself lower his hands.

“Figured I’d catch you before you left. So, you know. A generous window.” The familiar clutter of Priyah’s office gave him something useful to focus on. His eyes made their usual circuit. Mugs, desk, assorted paperwork, and whatever might conceivably qualify as dinner. Then Priyah herself. The influence of The Abyss aside, he was already worrying about Priyah's physical and mental wellbeing; seeing her here brought the more immediate concern back into focus.

Was she all right?

“Have you eaten? Since this morning when I MADE you eat, I mean. We could order something. My treat.” Perfectly ordinary. A normal question he would have asked on any other Friday. Which apparently wasn’t enough, because his mouth continued without clearance.

“And while we’re waiting, maybe you could walk us through what the stream’s been doing? The dropouts, anything weird in the logs. I thought another pair of ears might help.” He gestured toward Sophie, then caught himself glancing back at the entrance. A fraction too quickly, he looked forward again. “But food first. Troubleshooting on an empty stomach blows.” He leaned against the office doorframe and attempted to look comfortably settled as his brain scrambled to remember how human beings stood when they weren't trying to hide shit... though it simultaneously occurred to him that he had offered dinner, technical support, and a conspicuously obstructed doorway within about twenty seconds. His smile acquired a sheepish edge.

“I’m kinda making this sound like I need you to sign something. Sorry. Long week.”

[Sophie Michaud]

Nico was well-familiar with the character flaws of this particular building. Where the creaky steps were. Where the loose tiles were. What doors made what sounds. Unfortunately on this night, he was also an overtired optimist, so when the door made the sound it was always going to make when it opened, his only recourse was to silently curse himself for forgetting to WD-40 the damn thing ahead of time.

The shriek of hinges shot through Sophie's ears, sounding a thousand times louder than it actually was, and her face crumpled into a pained wince.

Sophie had jumped at the suggestion that she could join Nico in trying to distract Priyah. Nico was warm, comfortable, friendly, accepting - and she knew that the fact that he was that way towards just about everyone didn't mean that it was any less genuine. So he was nice to spend time with in general.

And in a situation like this one in particular, Sophie would rather be closer to him. She hadn't had any visions exactly, but the little off-key jangles of uncertainty at the back of her mind were a little louder right now than they had been for a while.

"Nico! Just Nico! Nico who likes not being blind." He stepped into view with both hands raised, smiling as though this were an entirely routine visit and his pulse hadn’t just attempted to exit through his throat.

"Um. Hi." From behind Nico's shoulder, Sophie offered a shy little smile and even smaller wave, ducking her head away Priya's gaze. She was enough taller than him to still be clearly visible, even in the dim hallway - while her black dress and hair might fade into the shadows, her pale face and the silver sparkle of her headband caught every stray bit of light that came her way.

With Sophie next closest, he decided to try and cut his losses and give the other three a better chance of evasion. “Well, not JUST Nico,” he added, shifting aside enough to acknowledge her without exposing any more of the doorway than necessary. “But Sophie is also best enjoyed with functioning eyes.”

As the complicated compliment made its way through the interlocking spinning wheels of her already racing mind, the smile evaporated into a startled "Oh!" as her cheeks began to flush pink.

Nico kept moving toward the office, trusting momentum to accomplish whatever subtlety had failed to. Unfortunately, he was now acutely conscious of every footstep behind him, every potentially incriminating rustle, and the fact that he had positioned himself like a man attempting to conceal a refrigerator. He made himself lower his hands.

“Figured I’d catch you before you left. So, you know. A generous window.” The familiar clutter of Priyah’s office gave him something useful to focus on. His eyes made their usual circuit. Mugs, desk, assorted paperwork, and whatever might conceivably qualify as dinner. Then Priyah herself. The influence of The Abyss aside, he was already worrying about Priyah's physical and mental wellbeing; seeing her here brought the more immediate concern back into focus.

Was she all right?

“Have you eaten? Since this morning when I MADE you eat, I mean. We could order something. My treat.” Perfectly ordinary. A normal question he would have asked on any other Friday. Which apparently wasn’t enough, because his mouth continued without clearance.

“And while we’re waiting, maybe you could walk us through what the stream’s been doing? The dropouts, anything weird in the logs. I thought another pair of ears might help.” He gestured toward Sophie, then caught himself glancing back at the entrance. A fraction too quickly, he looked forward again.

Hastily, Sophie stepped into the place where Nico had looked, hoping that maybe Priyah would just think that he'd been gesturing towards her. (And hoping even harder that she could resist giving her own backwards look.)

“But food first. Troubleshooting on an empty stomach blows.” He leaned against the office doorframe and attempted to look comfortably settled as his brain scrambled to remember how human beings stood when they weren't trying to hide shit... though it simultaneously occurred to him that he had offered dinner, technical support, and a conspicuously obstructed doorway within about twenty seconds. His smile acquired a sheepish edge.

“I’m kinda making this sound like I need you to sign something. Sorry. Long week.”

"Y-yeah," Sophie agreed.

She still felt a little off-balance, each word a little out of tune. Maybe it was the compliment, or the confusion, or the urgency of trying to figure out what was going on, or the need to protect Nico, or those tiny jangles of danger that were always at the back of her mind, just out of reach.

Or maybe it was just the struggle to come up with plausible things to say that weren't lies, because she knew that if she tried to lie, it would just be even worse.

Agreeing with Nico. That would be safe. Safer.

"Um. Yeah, food first. Um. How about Neighbors' Noodles?" she offered, suggesting one of the go-to takeout places near campus - beloved for having decent-quality food, very generous portions, and fairly low prices. She knew that she could afford to treat much more than Nico could, but he'd gotten there first and she wouldn't step his toes. At least she could try to steer towards something that wouldn't strain his wallet too much.