Food. It's best when grilled.

by **Michael Asters** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:25 pm

Mike was feeling unusually happy today as he sat down for lunch. Not that he really had any doubts why he was happy, but... well, it was nice. And it was funny how long those feelings could last.

by **Nailah** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:28 pm

Nailah spotted him from across the hall and made her way over, seeing a good opportunity with him sitting at an empty table.

"Hey." she says, plopping down at the table. "Someone's in a good mood."

by **Michael Asters** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:31 pm

Mike just shrugged. Not like he was going to deny it. "What can I say, I've had a good day," he said. Not like he was going to go blabbing to her if Sam hadn't told her.

by **Nailah** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:39 pm

"Yeah, I heard. Well, good late night is what I heard..."

by **Michael Asters** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:23 pm

Shit. "Ah, all right. So this isn't a random 'how're you doing' after all."

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:56 am

"Well, that too, but well... Sam was babbling about you doing some weird..." she waves her hands around "...mind-thingie last night and I thought 'That's odd, he seemed like a nice guy' and then I figured maybe I just didn't get it cause, well, I didn't the way she explained so yeah..."

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:00 am

Mike nodded at that. "Well... how did she explain it? It's probably easier to start from there," he said.

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:04 am

"That you were messing with peoples emotions to make them less sad and lonely at night and then something about white noise?"

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:20 am

"Ah. Yeah. If I'd shown her how to do it it probably would've made more sense than that," he said. "All right... do you ever put on a song you like when you're feeling lousy to make you feel better?" he asked.

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:29 am

"Well, yeah, who doesn't?"

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:33 am

Mike nods. "And sometimes it makes you start to feel better. ANd sometimes it doesn't, right? Depends on what kind of mood you're in, how determined you are to be upset about something... lots of stuff, right?"

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:36 am

"I guess?" she says, not really sure where he's going with this.

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:40 am

"Right, well that's what I do. I just turn on the music. Psychically. Some people shut it out, some people are just feeling too lousy for it to work... some people feel better." He shrugged. "People here are scared. A lot of them don't have a home to feel safe in, some of them've gotten hunted and abused a lot just for being alive. So... well, some of them just need a little boost to feel safe. So I turn on the music. So to speak."

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:42 am

Nailah looks at him suspiciously. "But you're still messing with peoples heads..."

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:53 am

"Maybe a little. But it's not like I'm digging into them and seeing what they're thinking," he said, taking a drink. "Also, I remember a certain someone not minding me messing with people's minds, so to speak, when she didn't want people staring at her on her way through the lunch line her first day..."

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:55 am

"But... like... that was totally different..." she makes a very weak objection.

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:04 am

Mike smiled. "It's a grey area, I'll give you that. But... well, let's take an outsider's perspective. Am I hurting them?"

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:08 am

"Well, no, but... it's... I mean..." she makes a frustrated grunt over not being able to figure this out. "They didn't ask for it."

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:09 am

"Most people don't," he pointed out. "Does that mean that you don't try to help anyway?"

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:15 am

"No, it's just... I don't know. It feels off." she frowns a little, though most of it is at her failure to articulate what she means.

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:34 am

"Should I stop helping them, then?" he asked, not sounding the least bit annoyed that she was calling him out on what he was doing.

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:39 am

"I... I don't know..." Her thoughts jump to Becca and how she wishes she could do something about the things haunting her girlfriend sometimes and how Mike had probably been helping her too along with everyone else. "No, I guess not..."

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:46 am

"And you just went through a lot of the same thought process I did before I started doing it," he said with a shrug. "And a lot of times after I did, too."

He took a bite of his burger, then washed it down with a coke. "So... do we move on to the usual 'threats from the concerned friend-slash-roommate?" he asked with a smirk.

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:53 am

"Right! You... uhm... I'm not really sure what the protocol is, here..." she smiles wryly. "But you better be treating her right."

"Oy... Becca would be so much better at this."

by **Michael Asters** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 6:01 am

Mike smiled. "Nah, you're doing fine. I'm not going to hurt Sam. And if I was playing some kind of game, I'm pretty sure she'd be able to tell, so you can rest easy with that, too."

by **Nailah** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 6:12 am

"Yeah, but she'd be all in-your-face and angry." she chuckles. "I mean, I don't really think you'd mess with her or anything, but if you would then, you know, grrr." she says, putting on her best 'mean' face.