5/14/2003

12:11 PM

Logfile from Chase.

 

The Berkley Apartments - 302

Clearly, apartment 302 is a bachelor's land that knows no womanly touch. While the apartment is clean, even immaculate, it's hard to mistake the gender preferences of the decor. The main room is painted a neutral creme color with a tan border that displays many different kinds of fish around the world; On the walls, glass-windowed storage cabinets hold poles, tack and bridle for horses, nets, ropes, and any number of bestiary-related clutter, most of which can't possibly be of any use in the city. Tools hang on a cork board on the far wall, ranging from different gauges of wire to a welding torch. Contrastingly, the kitchen is decked out in warm shades of red and white, with an expansive spice set and expensive cutlery visible among the otherwise immaculate countertops. Stranger yet is the complete absence of electronics; No clock, TV, radio, or telephone grace the entire apartment, and both the table and the massive bed that sits in the bedroom seem handmade, if awkwardly so.

Obvious exits:

Exit

 

*Rattatattatap*  Mina's rapping on Chase's door, shoulders squared as she repeats to herself:  Must not be a drama queen.  Clutched in her hand is the brown envelop that the Genbu left at her house.  She was going to slip it under her door, but she detoured on a visit to 'Suki and 'Suna's place, and now her plans have changed.

 

"Just wait a sec... Mina," Chase sing-songs from somewhere within the apartment. Yeah, he figured out it was her. That sensing ability can come in handy now and again. A moment later though and the door is opening, and he greets her with his traditional crooked smile and a curious look. "Didn't expect to see you so soon. Come on in."

 

Mina hands over the brown envelope, "You forgot this at my place," she notes before crossing into the Genbu's apartment.  Not quite able to meet his gaze, she makes her way over to the couch.  "I... I wanted to apologize for last night.  I... I didn't mean to give you any encouragement or make things worse."  She flickers a nervous gaze up at Chase, biting her lower lip.  She can't come out and bluntly hit the other seishi with her feelings, so she tries to gently ease into the conversation.  "Anou... yesterday made me think and I... perhaps we shouldn't spend so much time alone, Chase."

 

Chase takes the envelope with a smirk, "Thanks. Ever think that I might have purposely left it at your place." He closes the door after her, only to follow the young woman towards the couch as well. But that smirk is turning into a frown, an almost annoyed one. "Mina," he sighs, "Please don't start in on this again. Every single time we /do/ anything together, you start thinking too much -and mostly it is thinking that I really don't like." He flops down onto the couch, slumping back. "We're alone now."

 

"Hai, hai, but that's because we shouldn't be doing any of those things together Chase," Mina counters softly, turning to face the Genbu.  "I haven't been fair to you, and I'm sorry.  I don't want to hurt you, but if I let things go the way that they're going now, you're going to end up even more hurt.  So I..."  She sighs, pausing and trying to order her thoughts.  "Chase, you know that I like you, but I can't love you.  I love someone else, and I won't give up my relationship with him."  Her voice is gentle, but firm.  Seems like she's decided that to be honest, she's going to have to stop being wishy washy.  "I... I'm sorry."  And now she'll try to rise from the couch and head towards the door, because, as he pointed out, they are alone.

 

Chase's head flops backwards to rest on the back of the couch, looking up to the ceiling but not really seeing it at all. "We've gone through this discussion before, Mina. Actually, I'm probably sure we've gone through it a couple of times." Head lolls to the side, watching her, "You keep saying that, Mina. That you like me, but you love him, and you aren't going to give up that oni. I just... I just don't understand it. Gods, you have to..." But he trails off, knowing well that tack isn't going to work on her. "Stubborn woman." He looks away from her, only to feel the change in pressure on the sofa as she rises. The teenager blinks after her, and then is immediately shooting to his feet. He quickly follows up behind her, arms moving as if to link around her waist, "Tell me that kiss meant nothing to you... Tell me that and I'll leave you be."

 

"Demo, I don't want to lead you on, Chase."  Mina shakes her head sadly only to freeze in place as the Genbu's arms encircle her waist, his warmth seeping through the soft knit of her sweater.  "Iie, it meant nothing," she lies, dropping her head so that her bangs shadow the top half of her features, her eyes closed.  "It was just supposed to be something to keep you from wondering, to cure you of your curiosity."  It's a tactic that would surely work well if she were better at lying, better at disseminating the truth.  "Anou... there's nothing to understand, Chase.  With love, it's more about emotions and not being logical, ne?"  Pulling forward slightly, she notes softly, "And I don't want to be your rebound girl."

 

hase's heart quite literally feels as though it has lodge somewhere in his throat. He allows his arms to fall away from her as she steps away. "You aren't my rebound girl," he mutters. "You never were." There is a moment of quiet as he stands there though. A long moment. But then he is reaching for her again, moving as if to try to turn her around to face him once more. "Nothing?"

 

It's so hard to be firm, and Mina's heart hurts as Chase releases her.  Shaking her head, she refuses to turn around to face him, it's hard enough maintaining her composure with her back to him.  "Iie, nothing.  Oh, it was nice, I admit that," she adds, softening the blow, but only momentarily.  "But that's all it was... just nice."  She shrugs off his hand and starts forward again, going towards the door.  "So you see, I'm really a hopeless cause, and you should just give up on me.  On anything happening between us."  And oh, how she hates being so cold, being so merciless in her words.

 

Chase only comes forward with her, arms stretching out over her shoulders to plant his palms against the door to deny her the chance to leave just yet. "But I don't want to give up," he adds, his voice soft. Either he honestly doesn't believes her saying it was nothing, or he does believe her, and is simply in denial because he'd really rather not believe it. Whatever the reasoning, he bows his head forward slightly, looking at her.

 

Turning finally to face the seishi, trapped between him and the door, Mina pushes at him, frustrated.  "Don't you see that I'm trying to help you here, trying to do what's right?"  And yeah, now she's going to be an emotional mess.  Lucky Chase.  "You have to give up, you have to let things go, because I can't be your friend otherwise.  I don't know how, because you're dangerous.  You're bad for my piece of mind, and I don't like being so indecisive.  My heart belongs to Rathan and he doesn't deserve to worry about whether his girlfriend is being faithful or not.  He doesn't deserve to have his trust crushed because you can't give up on me."  She pauses, panting.  Looking up at the Genbu, her stormy gaze is pleading as she asks, "Please just let it go."

 

Chase falls back a pace or two at the push, watching her all the while with eyes bright with emotion. He never was good at hiding that sort of thing. Probably because he hasn't much tried. "Why, Mina? Why should I? Indecisive? You just said that kiss meant nothing to you and now you talk about being unfaithful to that oni. Gods... Mina... I think that I might already be in love with you. And now you just want me to stop? Just let all of this go? I can't..." He draws in a ragged breath though, closing his eyes momentarily, before letting out a sigh and focusing upon her once more. "Look at me and tell me I am nothing to you. Nothing more than friendship, if even that..."

 

Mina has never been good with emotion herself, and seeing how she's affecting Chase has her all knotted up inside.  "Because you'll just end up hurt if you don't."  And then he's discovered her fallacy of not thinking before she's speaking.  Trying to recover, she explains, "Demo, that is just physical, ne?  Nothing to do with the-"  She trails off, her eyes going wide at Chase's confession, and so while he's a couple steps away for her, she pivots again and heads for the door.  She can't handle the repercussions.  She hadn't realized that she was encouraging him enough so that he began to hope... Still not looking at him, she shakes her head as she places her hand on the knob.  "Iie, iie, you're just a friend, Chase-kun.  You're my best friend, but nothing more."  Must not be a drama queen, must maintain control of her objective... why is it so hard, why?

 

Chase swore to aniki he wouldn't push her and let her make her own decisions. But when she pushes at him like this, and makes decisions like these, he really cannot help himself. But, he is rushing forward once more, slamming his shoulder against the door. "Look at me when you say that," he speaks, a note of force in his voice. "You owe me that at least, Mina."

 

Mina raises her stormy gaze upwards to meet the emotional green of Chase's eyes.  Blinking back tears, her control on her emotions slipping, she repeats softly, "You're only a friend, Chase-kun.  You deserve someone better than me, someone who loves you back.  Onegai, onegai let me go."  And then she's dropping her head again, tears slipping silently down her cheeks as she waits patiently at the door.  It hurts so much and she hates that she's twisting that knife in his heart.

 

And he meets her gaze, trying to watch her as steadily as possible. But when she speaks again, looking right at him, Chase's heart seems to still. He simply stares at her for a moment longer before the light goes out of his eyes. Without another word, he steps away from the door, reaching for the knob to open it for her and yank it open. "Go then." There is almost a finality to his words before he turns away from her.

 

"Gomen nasai, Chase-kun," Mina whispers softly before stepping outside and into the hallway.  She'd done what she'd set out to do, so why does she feel so terrible about it?  Wiping away her tears, she heads slowly down the stairs.  With the finality in his voice, she knows that she won't be seeing him again, except for the Psychology class they're both enrolled in - but that's months away.  Perhaps he'll have forgiven her by then.  If not, she'll just have to deal with the repercussions of her decision.