paradisalost | 034; dictated

[Ordinarily, stories about prison breaks and explosions would be right up Spike's alley. Today, however, he seems stressed out over something completely different. As if the upcoming holiday -- he hates all holidays, but this one in particular is the worst -- wasn't enough, he's been unemployed for way too long. Bills are going to start stacking up soon.]

Would it kill the castle to put out classified ads once a week?

[He tosses the open journal on the coffee table and sighs as he picks up his oversized mug. How is he going to raise money for a family at this rate? (Not that he's even dating anyone, but you know. It could happen.)]

There's got to be someone looking for a guy with virtually no experience in anything practical. [Hear that journal? He's talking to you. Great catch over here!] Maybe I could start selling jokes and see how that turns out. Or something in marketing. [Hm. There's an idea...] I could do that.

(Gwaine)

[Despite Spike's own personal crisis to deal with (that he's totally not procrastinating on right after he started), he hasn't seen him moping around the lobby like usual. Which means he's probably moping alone somewhere. And that fight with Julia sounded pretty bad from where they were all evesdropping in the next room. -- Thus, Spike will be a buddy and force him to do something he hates.]

Hey. Want to go out?

ooc - RE: Chandler/Friends loss!

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[He figured she was going to ask that next. There's a lengthy pause while Spike crosses the room, presumably to find a place to sit and not just to buy time.]

Sales. [Oh look, a seat. He'll be taking that now.]

[There aren't many seats to choose from in that room, and so, with that, she'll take the only other one left. She takes a more modern approach to her decorating; it's stylish, but minimal. Too much clutter would ruin the effect.]

Sounds exciting.

[And she's honestly trying to sound genuine. No, really. She knows he has to be more excited than he's letting on (considering, well, it's him), and when it comes to the big stuff, friends don't burst their friends' bubbles. But she cannot think of anything that sounds more boring.]

[That could be a secret strategy of his. Make is sound as boring as possible and he won't have to go into detail about what it really is. Surely that will never come up again.]

Around here, I'll take it. [You know, whatever.] So what about you? Keeping busy doing your... [...shopping, he's guessing.]

[Don't mind her while she shuffles some papers away for a second as she settles down at her desk. Nothing to see here.]

I stay busy.

[... Yep, she's avoiding discussing what it is she does, exactly. Shopping is about accurate. But it's totally legit! Really. :|]

[Noticing the shuffling... If only he knew pointing it out wasn't the best distraction technique.]

What's that?

[Really, it should be a non-issue. They're just papers, right? If he's watching carefully, he'll see that she gets just a little too jumpy about it for a fraction of a second.]

It's nothing.

[Act casual, Julia. You're good at that, right?]

[O...kay. (It's a shame his eyes are still so sharp, huh?)]

Uh huh. [Spike leans forward in his seat, watching her for a while longer.] Are you alright?

[(... Stop it, Spike. You freak people out. :|)]

I'm fine.

[No, she's not. She's really, really not. But it's not like she'd ever let something like that on so easily. She'll avoid his eyes and try to pretend he's not watching her while she searches through her things for that game she's trying to find. (It's the stupid one he likes, right?)

When she does, she turns back to him with a small smile that's a little forced. Because this isn't about facing her problems. This is about distracting her from her problems.]

As promised.

[Most of the things he likes are stupid, yes. It's funny that's what she picked to entice him to stay, but he won't mention it again.]

Is that the one I gave you? [aka the crappy Travel Scrabble that you can play on a plane... because that makes it totally possible to take with her to another world.]

[Of course it is. He gives the ~~worst~~ best presents.]

It might be.

[... And she's never actually played it before now, either. She was totally just waiting to break it open with him. Or something.]

[Consider his ego boosted.]

Still has all the pieces and everything?

[Whatever helps him sleep at night.]

Last time I checked.

034; dictated

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