waking the dead 1.0r

[piffleprincess]

[ The past few (several?) days have been...

Well, Maddie wasn't sure. Ever since the fifteenth of March, she'd sort of thrown herself into the work she was given (and volunteered for). That is to say: it has been endless days of press releases, media trainings, public and private meetings with the government (!!!), talking to people, and generally stressing herself out with worry.

Not gonna lie: It felt good to be busy.

Maddie has always been the type to go headfirst into anything that was given to her. The breaking of the veil was just another challenge she was happy to take on, especially on the side of public relations and journalism.

Of course, the downside was that she stubbornly worked herself until the challenge was overcome.

This was one of those nights. Her day was already going so well, until a tree magically appeared all of a sudden. A tree so large that it could be seen in the horizon. A tree that had suddenly thrown everyone into panic, and it was her job to tell everyone to calm their tits. In the nicest and most polite way as possible, especially to the government.

She'd just ended a call conference with a number of media outlets, giving them the official statement (in summary: The tree is on our side, no need to panic!), and repeating--emphasizing that the government will always, always be on the side of the people, whether or not they were supernatural.

This was the central message that Fidel Ramos' new Department of Supernatural Affairs was trying to get across.

So far, so good.

But even though her call conference was over, there was still a lot of work to do. Reports have to be sent to all her bosses (Jessiah Vice, Mica Torillo, the aforementioned Fidel Ramos, and since Mica hasn't rescinded her status as Minato Arisato's aide, she also sends him a report via text message that she was ok, please come back soon, how are things on your end?).

And then, of course, there was the press release that needed to be submitted to the press right now so they can include it in tomorrow's paper. And tomorrow was in about one and a half hours, and news outlets would start printing in three.

Challenge Accepted. ]

Comments

[burneddread]

[ Truth be told, he had received your text immediately. He had just been... well... busy? Busy in the Rhiannon Group sense, which meant trundling through the Dark Hour, knee-deep in Umbra.

As such, he only responds to you hours later, when he's waiting in line for his order. ]


I'll be on the way home soon. :)


[ Did he deliberately skirt around telling you how things have been?

Maybe. Or maybe he'd rather tell you himself. Try both. ]

[piffleprincess]

[ The thing is... she doesn't even notice that he'd replied. Her phone was, sadly, suddenly buried under a pile of papers, that the blinking light that should alert her to a new message was hidden.

With her phone forgotten, she kept going, writing that press release, hoping for a photo-finish deadline because local media was shit at keeping up. This release has to come out tomorrow, or heads will roll, because the Big Three Broadsheets can't even be assed to write about the goddamn Papua New Guinea tree on their own.

So there she was, in front of her laptop, fiercely typing out words and editing herself as she worked on the rush release (and silently cursing Manila Bulletin for putting her on hold for thirty minutes). After this, she plans to just fall into bed and sleep-- it was kind of a good thing that the DoSA didn't have a real office yet. ]

[burneddread]

[ Initially, he does find it odd that she doesn't answer. Then he's called to the counter, and it doesn't matter.

True to his word, after a solitary meal out on the beams of Tokyo Tower and another quick stopover, he's casually stepping into the nearest electronic billboard and stepping out of the main television screen in Manila's Rhiannon Tower. A significant number of operatives are around to greet him, and pass word down on your whereabouts. They also offer a ride back to your place, but he politely declines. He can get to your place much, much faster by foot.

(...Well, more accurately, by rooftop, but sssh.)

Anyway.

Knock, knock from your window.

Yes. Your window. ]

[piffleprincess]

[ Admittedly, Maddie was a little too focused on speed-editing the release that when the knock-knock-knocking on her window started, she jumped from her desk with a tiny little shriek, knocking her chair back. It took her a full minute of wide-eyed staring at her window to see that it was Minato.

Calming herself down, she moved toward her windows, skipping over the fallen chair to let Minato in. Still a little shaken, she leans on the sill, and breathes. ]

Couldn't you have just gotten the doorbell? You scared me!

[burneddread]

Sorry about that.

[ And looking rightfully apologetic. He sort of forgets sometimes? To act normally, that is.

Holding your peace offering up now. It's a nice, frilly-looking box. ]

I brought you something.

[ Try several somethings, aka six small mont blancs chestnut cakes. ]

[piffleprincess]

This isn't some ploy to distract me from scolding you, is it?

[ She's smiling though as she moves in to give Minato a hug. A tight hug. She hasn't seen him (or anyone) in days. It was kind of lonely. Don't get her wrong, she loved her job, but she missed everyone except Wes. ]

Where've you been? How are you?

[ She will take that box from you and open it and squee in glee because look at these cakes. ]

Where'd you get these??

[burneddread]

[ Oh, a hug? Okay then. =u= Patting you on the back once. The smile comes a little easier for him now, especially after he sees the way you react to his gift.

Feels good, yo. ]

Ginko-san's mother owns a 24/7 bakery in Kabuki-cho.

[ Although it did not used to be 24/7. That... kind of happened... after she found out about her daughter and Card things the hard way. ]

I was in the area after my shift, so I dropped in to check on her and get you a souvenir.

[piffleprincess]

You didn't have to, but thanks! And man, I wish our 24-hour bakeries have these! I don't even know what it is but it looks delicious already~

[ She swipes at the cream with her pinky for a taste-- and then remembers to let him through the window, oops. She moves aside and sets the cake box on her chair, so she can dump the papers and the notebooks on her desk on her bed and move the cake box there. ]

Oh! Want anything to drink? I think I have some fruity tea left, unless you want regular tea. Or coffee. Or just water. And I'm definitely sharing these cakes with you!

[ She'll beam at him, and ramble a little bit. It's been a while since she had a friend--or at least, someone she considers a friend-- over. Sure she's had human interaction at her new job at the DoSA, and she shuttled herself between the government and Rhiannon, but that was purely business. This wasn't. It was a nice change of pace. ]

[burneddread]

[ Gamefully stepping inside, knocking over absolutely nothing in the process and leaving no trace of dirt or anything. (Thanks for that, Kenji.) He'll straighten up, check your room out, and watch you. ]

I'll have whatever you're having.

[ You've been... busy, from the looks of it. But perhaps he shouldn't be surprised. Everyone who was willing to fight was busy now. ]