Paige's Tech Lab

Subject: Paige's Tech Lab Sun Aug 05, 2012 9:02 pm

It had been two years since Zen vanished without a trace and one year since there had been any sign of her. One night she was there, partying and celebrating L’s birthday with everyone else, and the next night she was gone.

At the time it had taken a great toll on the brunette partner; she’d completely withdrawn from everyone. Her meals were eaten during the hours where everyone else was off dreaming in their beds, and the only liquid she seemed to consume was coffee. For a while she didn’t bother having anything to do with anyone.

There was a night where Matt had gone so far as to sit outside of her Tech Lab, waiting for Paige to emerge. He caught her at that point and managed to get her to talk and, on the same token, talk some sense into her. It was that night when she finally was away from the computer screens for a period of more than five minutes. That night she lay with Matt in his bedroom and just stared at his ceiling.

Afterwards she slowly re-socialized herself with everyone in the household and began to show her face during meal times once more. She even rejoiced with everyone when Blue resurfaced and gladly welcomed the younger girl back.

Everything was turning out well at the time. Even after getting a trace on Zen’s phone and rushing to the location only to find the cellphone and no trace of anything else, the girl managed not to revert back into hiding in her lab. That’s not to say she didn’t still change.

Now eighteen years old, Paige was different from whom she’d been. She was much more protective of all LMA members. Her attitude wasn’t nearly as bubbly and carefree as it had been. Although she retained her former character it was much more toned down. The brunette was more serious. A lot of the time she was nothing more than task oriented; definitely different.

The one thing that didn’t change was how she refrained from speaking about what she felt. Her emotions and how she handled different happenings were topics she avoided completely. The girl was extremely careful about what she said and how she acted, making sure not to give anyone any reasoning to question her on that subject. Matt was one of the few that could crack her emotional wall and therefore she was very careful around him (as well as Mino). As for Blue, Paige was careful around the younger girl to keep her from suspecting that there was ever anything happening with her. Blue was an innocent girl; the sweetest girl anyone could ever meet. Raining on her parade was forbidden.

Sighing to herself and rubbing sleep from her eyes, – she’d been working since after dinner and only just noticed that it was well into the night and that most were asleep now – Paige grabbed the mug and headed to the kitchen to load it into the dishwasher.

The brunette decided that she’d probably grab a blanket and sleep in her lab for the night as not to wake Matt by slipping into bed. Having not seen him since dinner, she assumed that he was sleeping by now and didn’t want to disturb him.

More often than not it would happen that the LMA head stayed up very late working on various things – always checking for any sign of Zen as well because she refused to give up on the search. Despite how late she toddled off to bed, she would always wake up early. There were a few nights a week where she wouldn’t end up sleeping at all for the simple fact that she couldn’t, but when asked how she slept that night Paige would always reply with a cheery “wonderful~”.

Before heading off to grab a blanket and then wander back to her lab, Paige tip-toed out to the backyard and seated herself on the railing of the deck. Her dark eyes wandered across the star-littered sky before choosing one.

Every night, as childish as it may seem, she chose a star at random and wished on it. The wish never changed, not even in the way her mind phrased it: ‘Please let me bring Ani home safely.’

Lips parted and allowed a soft sigh to escape into the breeze.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 2:22 am

A familiar face stood in front of the white plastered house.
But today, so many days after he had left Tokyo, after he had left Japan, there was no longer a boy standing but a man. The worries of the past years had left there signs on his face but it suited his character as some people said to him.

He didn't know why had come back here. There were so many memories tied to this place, memories he had tried to lock away in an attempt to keep living a normal life. If he had been just Nate he wouldn't have done so... he would have spend the rest of his life chasing Ani. But he was also Near and criminals, and most specifically Kira, didn't care that the love of his life had disappeared without a trace.

It was completely dark inside the house, which did not surprise him seeing as he had arrived in the middle of the night. He figured everyone would be asleep and it would be wiser not to startle them by ringing the doorbell right now. A little (sarcastic) voice in the back of his mind said it wouldn't be surprising if Matt had made some sort of alarm system that would unleash vicious dogs on him just to protect the girls at night.
And so Near/Nate decided it would be wisest to just walk around the house, to the backyard and sit in a chair waiting for a more suitable hour to present himself.

One could imagine his surprise to find a familiar brunette sitting there, watching the stars.
In fact he was so surprised he just stayed silent and looked at her with his head tilted slightly to the side.

((Look, a new pic for Near-kun... here, he looks a bit more like a man instead of a boy =3))

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 2:36 am

Knuckles gripped the wood of the railing a little tighter than they should have, discolouring them to be an off white. Not a moment later she released her grip on the rail and sighed once more before speaking softly to herself.

"I supposed it'll be one of those sleepless nights, then."

Paige ran her fingers through her hair, pushing the strands out of her face. Glancing at the watch on her wrist she noticed that it was nearly four-thirty in the morning and that she should probably venture off to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee before disappearing back to her lab to make it look as though she had slept some.

The girl was shocked to turn around and find that she'd locked eyes with Near; to find that he'd come back. Blinking once, twice, three times, she finally managed to formulate a sentence.

"You're back."

((Manly Near is manly. BU))

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:09 am

"... ... ...yes." Near said after a long silence.
He slowly approached Paige.
"You look horrible." He said as he stood in front of her.
Time might have changed him but he was still as direct as ever. Maybe even a bit more direct then before.
"How are things here?" He asked as he sat down next to Paige.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:16 am

She couldn't help but crack a bitterly-bemused smile with the laugh to accompany it when he spoke.

"I suppose I do," she replied. "As for everything here; it's fine. Speaking of which, they'll be happy that you're back."

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 1:25 pm

This place felt more like a home than the apartment Fey had previously resided in when the death of her parents had occurred.

The sense of loneliness was decreased to almost nothing, and the memories of her parents' face no longer gave her those sleepless nights. It was all thanks to the members of this household-- her new family --for being so considerate and protective. Mino was like a motherly figure to her, serving up meals that would make her go crazy at the beautiful aromas that would fill up the rooms. Fey felt like she could just run into Mino's arms and have all her worries just disappear. Then there was Paige, with her wonderful smiles and careful words said at the right times, always making her smile and laugh and start the day off with a cheerful beginning. Her kind, caring, and bright personality made Blue want to work so much harder in returning the favor of an infinite debt. Especially in these days; Fey knew that there was just something off about Paige. She couldn't put her finger as to what it was, but she wanted to ensure that Paige was alright. She had a feeling it was because of Ani's disappearance, because the girl felt melancholic towards that topic too. But she knew that she had to stay strong and hopeful; they'd find her. They would.

Besides, Fey still had many regrets of the past. How she'd just left without telling them the true intent of her departure. She could've at least told them, since she did trust them more than anything. But worrying them even more than they already were would make her feel completely sad. They'd been kind enough to welcome her back with warm smiles rather than the cold stares she really deserved; she didn't want to make the same mistake as back then. She still hadn't managed to find a way to strike up a normal conversation with Mello. He'd be all distant, only choosing to reply with one word answers. She had to patch things up with him, eventually.

Fey could go on and on with a list of compliments for the others that resided here, but she really did need to finish up her homework. It was already this late at night, and her senior year was important to her. Higher grades were essential, and she wouldn't stop working hard. She needed to help and support everyone here; her part-time job at the game shop didn't even seem like much. The girl tapped her pen on her chin and stared at the single question at the bottom of her Math textbook; a groan left her lips. Math was always one subject that held her back. "...What...am I trying to solve for...?" Her voice came out as a low whisper, mainly because she was still used to having Mino around. Things got a little lonely, even though she was within the same house. The question began to grow all blurry. After a few failed attempts, the girl grabbed the textbook and pushed herself up and off the chair. Even though she hated to trouble the girls, she wondered if-- by any chance --one of them would be awake at this late hour. She wasn't very hopeful of it, but she decided to try and look. A little exercise for her legs would be nice. The darkness was a little dangerous, because she nearly tripped upon several things in her way.

Just when she lost all hope for any awake individuals, the very faint mumbling coming from outside alerted her. Her lips formed into a wide smile when she spotted the back of Paige's brunette hair. As she grew closer towards the door, she also noticed the white head of hair; it was Near. Fey eyed the two, acknowledging that they were probably in a much more important conversation than what she intended on asking, so with a light smile, she turned around to leave.

Sadly, she was sure her presence was acknowledged when the side of her foot hit a couch by a wall and caused her large textbook to fall with a slam. *OH GEEZ.*

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:38 pm

Upon hearing two distinct thuds from inside the house, Paige turned to see Fey in the living room. Placing a smile on her face, she excused herself from her conversation with Near and slipped back into the house, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Fey, what're you doing up? It's four-thirty in the morning, girlie." The brunette answered her own question when she spotted the textbook on the floor. "Math again? Your teacher must be evil or something."

She picked up the book.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:42 pm

Fey blushed in embarrassment and scratched the back of her head, sticking her tongue out childishly as Paige eyed that one question circled several times with a pencil. "Well, I didn't want to disturb you; b-besides, there's always coffee for those mornings!" Her laugh came out as a nervous giggle than a whole-hearted one. She slumped her shoulders forward and sighed. "I don't get it at all, nee-chan; I tried, but I can't seem to get it. Teachers are evil; no one believes me."

Her eyes drifted off to the silent male outside. Fey leaned towards Paige and whispered. "Hey, hey, what's Near doing here?"

((I'M CALLING YOU NEE-SAN. <3))

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:51 pm

"You should know by now that it's not disturbing me, kido." She skimmed over the question, seeing that there was only a small mistake in how the younger girl executed her formula. "How about this: I'll help you finish, but you have to go and get some sleep first, okay? You can't go around staying up all night, going to school, and then heading off to work all the time. Doing that will only make you sick."

Paige closed the text and pondered the younger girl's next question. "He came back. He'd left for a while before you came back and now he's come back too."

Smiling, the brunette ruffled Fey's hair. "Feel free to say hi, but then tupp on off to bed."

((OHYOU))

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:57 pm

Fey smiled sheepishly and tilted her head to the side, mumbling a silent 'thank you' at the kind female. Paige was always so kind and helpful to her that it made her feel guilty. "Yeah, you're right. But I need to help around to. I mean, you all work much harder than I do, so if I can't do it, well then, that's not cool." She slowly explained, lowering her head and sighing. "Thanks for being concerned though." As Paige carefully explained, everything became so much more clear. Paige just had a way of opening up one's mind; heck, she explained it better than the teacher had. Fey offered a bright smile and hugged the girl. "You're the best!"

Fey clapsed her hands in front of her and placed it upon her chest. "R-Really? I can?"

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 4:06 pm

"Fey, listen to me--" she held the shorter girl's chin between her fingers. "--no one expects you to work like we do because we know that you're still young. You're still a kid and you have a life to live, things that you want to achieve. We want you to do the things that you want to do because we know that eventually there won't be the time to do them. Don't go killing yourself just to match our work pace. Focus on school and perhaps only work on weekends; don't over do it."

The brunette patted Fey on the head once she finished speaking and handed the textbook back over.

"Of course you can say hi. But remember, off to bed right after."

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 4:12 pm

Fey parted her lips to add on, but she slowly closed them, lowering her head low. She knew it would be pointless to counter that; Paige was much more skilled with words than she was, and as the older one, she knew what was right. Fey just had this urge to catch up to them, probably because she felt like she was of no help. But perhaps her so called "positive progress" worried them more than impressed them. Perhaps now she'd listen to them and help around to keep them happy, but her debt did not have a time limit. Once she was older, once she graduated from high school, she'd definitely do something-- anything --to be part of their quest to bring justice. With an apologetic smile, Fey tilted her head at Paige. "It isn't surprising why I look up to you all as role models." The she sighed. "I'll try to relax, just for you Paige-chuu. And maybe...I should spend more time with you. I want to see you smile more, and be the one to cheer you up now." She made it evident that Paige's slight change in attitude was getting a little evident.

Fey nodded and walked over slowly towards the door, offering a small smile as the male's head turned towards her. "Nice seeing you again after a long time, Near-san." She pointed at herself. "I won't be surprised if you don't remember me."

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 4:18 pm

Inwardly cursing herself at Fey's having caught on to her change in attitude, the older girl made a mental note to watch herself more closely when interacting with the younger teen.

Paige leaned quietly on the door frame while Fey chatted with Near. She'd give it five or ten minutes before ushering the girl off to get some sleep.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 5:42 pm

It was at times like these it came in handy Near almost had a photographic memory. Especially when it came to linking names to faces.
"It's been a long time hasn't it, Fey." Near said with a polite but somewhat distant smile. "Is everyone up this night or is it just you two?? Because in that case it might be better to step inside... wouldn't want to wake the others."

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 5:48 pm

"As far as I can tell it's only us, but a certain student should be tupping off to bed very shortly, isn't that right Fey~?" Paige cracked a grin at the younger girl.

"In any case, lets migrate to the kitchen. Sound doesn't travel in there." Motioning to the kitchen the brunette turned and headed there.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 5:52 pm

Fey nodded slowly; his memory still amazed her, no matter how many times she'd witnessed his smarts. "It's nice to see you again." The girl stuck out her tongue. "It's just the two of us; I usually sleep late, so it really isn't a big deal. Though I'm not sure about Rayne..." She took a moment to glance towards her side, knowing she'd convince Fey to head to bed. Fey held her hands behind her and tilted her head. "I think it's best we stepped inside. Besides, it's bound to get colder later on." She motioned for him to enter when Paige's suggestion sounded.

Fey childishly groaned at Paige's words. "Well, you did say 5 minutes..."

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:17 pm

Near looked at his watch.
"That means you have about thirty seconds left to chat." He said smiling.
This was what he had missed the most as he had traveled the world looking for Ani. Well technically, it was the second most of course. Ani remained on the first place, he still missed her every day and he refused to give up the search.

"Maybe you should go to bed, Fey. I don't want to be the reason you have fallen asleep during school hours. There's a difference between going to sleep late at night and still being awake at 4.30 in the morning."
He looked around as he walked inside. In a way it looked as time had frozen here, almost everything looked the same as two years ago.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:23 pm

Fey began to stumble upon her words; where would she begin--heck, what would be reasonable to say within thirty seconds? She had so much to say and so much to ask. He was anything but a distraction to her, but there wasn't much time, and she didn't want to upset Paige. So with a defeated sigh, she nodded slowly. "Alright then, I'm heading off to bed. Goodnight Rayne, Near." She had only taken a few steps before tilting her head back towards them with a smile. "Near, hopefully the next time we meet, our conversation will be much longer than this. Sorry for interrupting the two of you." With a practiced smile, Fey walked away, as she turned the corner, she came to a complete stop and lowered her head. As she carefully peeped her head from the corner, she saw the brightness in Paige's face disappear.

Her eyes grew worried, but she forced herself to carry on to her room.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:30 pm

Paige went straight to the coffee maker after Fey had left. She was starting to slip in keeping the younger girl involved in her feelings and needed to do better.

With a sigh she turned the machine on and leaned against the counter, pressing her hand to her face.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:52 pm

"You won't be able to keep her in the dark forever. She's a clever girl... And even a stranger could see he worries about you." Near said as he leaned against a counter. "Why are you punishing yourself? If you continue, you'll go over the edge."
It was somewhat ironic that the question could also be asked to himself but he refused to admit that.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:01 pm

"I'll keep her in the dark for as long as I can. I know that she worries and that's the problem. She's a kid; she shouldn't be worrying about anyone other than herself. I know what it can do to a person, especially at her age. It's more than she should need to deal with." Paige sighed.

Hearing the beep of the coffee maker, indicating that the caffeine was done brewing, she grabbed two mugs and began pouring.

"If I was going to go over the edge I'd have done it already."

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Mon Aug 06, 2012 11:17 pm

As Fey walked up the stairs, her bangs covered the seriousness that her eyes portrayed, closing the door behind her as she opened her closet and pulled out a large, heavy folder from a secret location, dropping it down on her desk as she turned on her laptop. Ever since her parents had been taken away from her, every move Kira made would instantly be recorded down by her, whether it was a simple phone call having been made to the police force or more murders. She had extensive research of Kira, which would be kept hidden from everyone else. As she scanned each and every one of the papers, eyes narrowed in deep focus as she tried to figure out something that would give her a little lead onto Kira.

Paige, forgive me for being so secretive, for keeping you in the dark about this, but... She used her finger to scroll down the internet pages, writing down important notes from news articles ...Kira needs to be stopped; I will never forgive him for what he's done to you or anyone else. I'll be sure to help the police. They'll find him...and I'll help.

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:19 am

"You do realize she's just a year younger then you? If she's a kid... Than so are you. She can't be blamed for wanting to help." Near said calmly as he added some milk to his coffee. "Maybe it's better to involve her then to find out later she's doing something in secret."

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Tue Aug 07, 2012 1:43 pm

((You have no idea how much those few sentences add onto my backstory. 8D))

Subject: Re: Paige's Tech Lab Tue Aug 07, 2012 2:02 pm

"Nate, I haven't been a kid for years." She sighed, sipping her coffee. "I don't want her to have to worry about the world just yet, she needs to live her life as her own for a little while longer. It's not fair for May to be slapped in the face by reality when she still has so many things she can do."