nexus_crossings | (no subject)

Some days are better than others.

On Bad Days, the Nexus' resident schizophrenic is hardly recognizable. He's a mess of garbled and slurred speech. Delusional rantings. Unkempt clothes and wild dangerous eyes. The world he sees and hears so far different from reality. He shouts at shadows, throws rocks at the birds, claws at his hair as though he's trying to rip himself out of his own body.

Joshua tends to go somewhere by himself when he's having a Bad Day, though. He's very very used to hiding his condition and pretending to be normal. There are Good Days, too.

Days when he has a part time job, a put together appearance, and a friendly temperament. A life to his eyes that seems so small and fragile and full of hope. Joshua has a few bags with him when he comes to the Nexus today, frowning thoughtfully at the address written down he's supposed to be delivering to.

"You'd think in a meeting place between all worlds and times, prank callers would get more clever than 'Seymour Butts'." With a sigh, he dumps the address in the nearest rubbish bin and takes a seat on one of the couches. So much for his delivery.

"So, does anyone want to commit some petty identity theft for a free meal?" Hell, he'll pretend to be Seymour Butts if it means a free bowl of IceBear's soup. He's going to snag a freshly baked croissant out of the bag first though and pull off a piece of it. "Alternatively, what's the best prank you've ever pulled?"

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The catch is obviously not being stated: he wants to set up a dangerous game show where people are kidnapped. To have a really great show, scenery is important and Josh would fit that niche perfectly, especially with this newly announced statement of having a mental condition. The teen seems less likely to question his murderous tendencies in comparison to a normal person. So when Josh refuses the offer, he's visibly taken back.

"I think you have the perfect personality for it." He shakes his head. "Hey, I won't force you to make a decision you're not comfortable with, but the offer stands in the future."

Placing the half-eaten muffin on a nearby table, he reaches for a pen and paper which have been left behind. Writing down a phone number and address, he offers the information to Josh calmly.

"Reach out to me if you change your mind."

What Joshua doesn't know certainly can't hurt him! His hesitation comes from years of his parents telling him exactly the same thing. Just be normal for one evening, Joshua. This is a very important event so we need you to not have an incident. Think about how you're making us look, Joshua.

"Y..you're serious." Josh looks down at the paper and then back. Sinks his teeth into his bottom lip while he thinks for a moment before hesitantly holding out his right hand to shake.

"I'm...I'm Joshua Washington. By the way."

"There's no point in joking about something like this." He's a low patience kind of guy, so dragging out a needless conversation is pointless. The muffin is reclaimed while Josh has a moment to let things sink in, until a handshake is offered. It takes him a moment to respond and return the handshake, mainly because of the awkward name situation. He's been calling himself Josh, but since he's taken to doing bad things anonymously, maybe its best to come up with a second alias.

"Dave." The last victim he killed provided him with a lot of amusement, and now, an acceptable name. "It's a pleasure to meet you Josh." He's keeping up a normal smile while shaking hands, thankfully not getting too excited over this possible new recruit.

"Now that you know I'm serious: is the offer still something you need to think about?"

"Okay Dave. Yeah. Good."

Josh is very much going to scrawl the name 'Dave' on the paper he was given because it's pretty rude to forget your potential employer's name in just about any job offer situation he's ever been in. There is no real suspicion of any ulterior motives at play here. The man has been nothing but kind and understanding, so far as Josh is concerned.

He folds up the paper and sticks it into his flannel shirt pocket.

"I uh..I do? but for..other reasons. I gotta check with my housemate and work out some stuff, but I'll call you once I get my shit sorted?"

"Sure. The sooner you find out, the better."

Although he'd prefer to have an answer now, impatience and all, he's willing to give this time. It's very hard finding the right people to bring into his 'business' circle, but the payout seem worth all the effort, given how many goody-goody people exist in the Nexus. Speaking of work, there's a buzzing sound coming from his jacket pocket, followed up by a slightly audible notification song.

He doesn't even seem fazed by the interruption, quickly removing his cell phone in order to glance at the incoming message. If Josh does try to read over his shoulder, the text seems completely innocent, talking about friends coming over. In fact, he's smiling and oohing to himself, before realizing that he's actually sitting next to someone instead of being alone. Oops.

"Sorry Josh, but work calls. Have to meet with some promising clients to see if they can handle my creative ideas." He stands up, offering his hand to Josh politely. "If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call me."