[open, narrative]

[in_verbatim]

What the people in the Nexus did was ruin him. It's as simple as that.

Last year it was only mental. He'd wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, his body shaking, thinking about Crane and fire and bugs, and he blamed this place. He slept with the lights on. He was miserable, but he was okay, he was still kicking, and that was what

Comments

[jmlevitt]

The knock on the door is really only a formality at this point. Jeff knows Soze is home, Soze knows Jeff is here. But there's importance in manners and ritual, and Jeff follows this one to the letter.

"I got your message," he says to the closed door. Another formality. Why else would he be here, after all?

He doesn't bother to hide how tired he is. That little formality wouldn't fool Soze anyway.

[in_verbatim]

The door opens quickly enough. He knows Jeff isn't here to hurt him. It's a part of his condition that he actually appreciates. Some things are nice to know.

"Great," he says, flat. His movements are a bit quicker than usual, his voice slightly more hurried. "Just come in."

The apartment, like the one he had rented while borrowing Jeff's body, is incredibly sparse. There isn't any furniture save for the chairs (and the bed in the other room), though this one at least has a refrigerator. There's a healthy stack of newspapers in the far left corner. He left his coffee cup by the leg of one of his chairs. That's about it.

[jmlevitt]

He's already taken the seat opposite Soze's before he even notices the coffee cup. He doesn't comment on Soze's hurried behavior, and simply leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together. "So what can I do for you?" he asks, his tone just as flat, watching Soze with bloodshot eyes.

[in_verbatim]

He moves towards his own chair, but he doesn't sit down. Instead, he walks behind it, running his hand over the edge of the seat as he goes. He stops when he reaches the rung at the end. He doesn't look at Jeff. He purses his lips.

"Who was I fucking?"

...why no, this isn't usually how he starts his conversations.