[FIN] The Lonliest Number (Lex & Izaya)

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

The traitor in the trainee uniform ate alone in the cafeteria for once. He actually made sure to choose a time when few were likely to be there and a spot where he was mostly out of the sight and presence of others. He ate his food in silence, his gaze distant as his mind wandered. What would he do now? What existence was this? Was it even worth living?

No, he couldn't think like that. He still loved humans and still loved watching them. Until he found a way to watch them even after death, he wasn't ready to die. Even in his current situation, he could continue his hobby. Even with one working eye, he could still observe his precious human beings to his heart's content. He could even leave the base, now! This wasn't so bad...  

[Shaddaling]

The thing with working in an environment like the labs, there was schedules. Lots of schedules. Lex usually wouldn’t eat now but schedules had to be kept and he was starving. So he gathered his food and found a seat, carefully shredding the bread into pieces to dip into the soup as he pulled out his reading material for the day. Popular science was a light read but still informative. He ate carefully as he read the article.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

Speaking of humans...there was one now.

Izaya had thought he'd seen him around before, possibly, but had never actually met the man face-to-face. Reading while eating? Perhaps he was a workaholic like Aila. Or maybe he just really loved his job like Faleen. Or maybe he just didn't like wasting time while eating a late meal on auto-pilot.

Whatever the case, the informant felt his own curiosity stirring, prompting him to go over and introduce himself. Picking up his partially picked-at tray of food, he went up to the fellow and raised a hand in greeting.

"Hello," he said nonchalantly. "Mind if I sit here? It's a little lonely over there by myself." Nevermind that he himself had picked that place specifically for that reason. What could he say? He was full of contradictions.  

[Shaddaling]

Lex paused, setting a finger on the magazine to mark his spot as he looked up and blinked, twice. Well, this was new. Usually he was the one approaching others, not the other way around.

"Hello, and not at all. There is plenty of room." He motioned to the space on his left, a preference to keep people away from his blind side. Which was why he choose a spot on the end of the table.

"I'm Pulse, or Lex." He gestured half heartly with a bread stick before turning back to his meal.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Thanks," he answered, surprised at the other's friendliness. "I'm Nakura. Do you have a preference between Pulse and Lex?" Taking the seat indicated to the man's left, he put down his tray and put a piece of sushi in his mouth.

Drat...if it hadn't been his right eye that had been replaced, he could probably have seen what Lex was reading with his peripheral vision. Now that that had been reduced, though, he had to turn his head a little more to get a glimpse. Not quite as subtle as he would have liked.  

[Shaddaling]

"Not particularly," He admitted, picking up his spoon to take a mouthful of soup. He took a few mouthfuls and paused, noting Nakura movements. "Its just a back copy of Popular Science, covering the use of fluorescent proteins in animal research." Glow Kittens. Adorable and just so thought provoking.

He paused looking at Nakura plate and then up, curious. "Is the sushi good here? I been debating on trying it but I didn't want to court possible food poisoning."  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Ah...I see. So like bio-luminescence?" the man asked, thinking of creatures that produced a natural light. Ledian, Starmie, Umbreon...Jirachi? Perhaps things of that nature. Maybe the bio-engineers in the lab could apply such sciences toward any pokemon instead of just specific ones.

"Eh?" The question caught him off-guard. "Oh. It's not as good as the sushi from this place I used to frequent in Camphoreon, but it's not bad. I've been eating it for five years and I'm still alive." Barely. "Want to try? Say 'ahhh' ~!"

Holding out a pair of chopsticks that had a piece of a nigiri roll trapped between them, he smiled flirtatiously at the other man, ready to feed him.  

[Shaddaling]

"Very much bio-luminescence used to track stem cell growth though I believe they were going to attempt to use it in virus research when using cats," Lex replied, motioning with his bread stick and paused.

"Ooh, that is very nice to know. Camphoreon is such a long way away to merely get sushi from." Delicious, delicious sushi but still. He paused and laughed before leaning forward, politely taking the piece of roll with his lips and pressed it forward with a finger.

"Mmhm," he chewed and swallowed, giving a slight laugh. "Forgot how good these are, though I do have a preference to norimaki sushi then nigiri." He lazily licked his finger and smiled brightly. "Thank you."  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"That...would be interesting," he commented, thinking about his Purrloin and if they glowed. At least he might be able to find them easier, he supposed, but there was a reason humans were his main love and not pokemon. "What practical use might such research have, though? Wouldn't that be similar to Umbreon?"

Izaya shrugged at the comment about Camphoreon. "I was born and used to live there, so I know it pretty well." He'd wondered vaguely if the man would have made a comment about why he'd been eating sushi at the base for five years and still be in a trainee uniform, but evidently not. Perhaps he was too immersed in thoughts of his book. Or sushi.

Smirking at the purple-eyed man's reaction to his offer, he took a piece of norimaki from his set and held that one out next. "My my, if I'd known you were going to be picky, maybe I wouldn't have offered to share in the first place," he teased in a playful manner. "You're lucky you're so cute."

Leaning his elbow on the table, he rested his chin on his knuckles and regarded the grunt more closely. "So you're not going to answer my question about what you prefer to go by? Do you have no preference or just prefer to be mysterious?" He chuckled softly. "Or perhaps you're simply too busy thinking of norimaki and glowing cats. I suppose that's what I get for pestering a man trying to eat dinner on auto-pilot while he's reading."  

[Shaddaling]

"Umbreon does glow but that more related to its fur or glands under it not sure how it glows actually," Lex mused making a mental note to figure out bio luminescent of Umbreon. "Applying it to pokemon for cosmetic purposes is a possibility," which he hadn't thought of. "But they are using it more to figure out information about the spread of visus in this article though it doesn't go into detail if they will make the virus glow or focus on making the antibodies glow to track the bodies response."

Lex smoothed the magazine. "Its just a fluffy what going on in science piece, a bit old, but still intriguing."

"You offered," he said lightly and leaned forward and took the roll with a bit of teeth and lips and a rather pleased blissful closing of his eyes as he chewed. "Mmhm, and if I was truly picky, I would be stealing all your crab and eel."

"It is an intriguing subject matter isn't it?" He murmured and gave a sly smile. "Perhaps I was intrigued if you would use the code name or a choose the much more obvious and familiar nickname?"  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Ahh...I see. That certainly would be useful if it could be made into a reality. Perhaps it might even prevent us from getting sick or spreading germs as easily." It was a simple concept, but it would be effective; just having something to see to know the virus was there. The man calling the scientifc article 'fluffy' was more amusing to Izaya, though.

He snickered at Lex's expression as he ate from his utencils. "The unagi here is really good. But my favorite is still the otoro with hamachi as a close second." He cast the other man a crooked grin. "You certainly know how to leave an impression. I take it you do this sort of thing often, but with that pretty face, I guess it's no wonder. Not much point to having good looks if you can't flaunt them, mm?"

What a fun conversationalist. The Rockets here who chose to indulge him in such talks seemed so rare, especially those who came to know him well. New aquaintances were much enjoyable to chat with. "Oh, that's easy. I usually make up my own nicknames for the people I like. Makes things more intimate, you know?" He playfully bat his eyelashes. "Lexi-pon?"  

[Shaddaling]

"I'm not a fan of raw fish," Lex admitted and at the comment, causally licked his lips, showing a glimpse of the tongue stud. "Perhaps, or it is simply a reaction to your flirting."

Lex snorted, lips curling in an easy smile. "That is a new one, wouldn't be the first time I have been Lexi, but pon?" He questioned.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Is that so? Then why would you like sushi? Isn't that what it's known for containing?" Izaya inquired, laughing. "By 'this sort of thing', I was referring to your flirting. That you must do it a lot. Or do you only do it as a reaction to others hitting on you first?"

"Cutsey Japanese prefix," he explained. "Of course, we could go through a lot more. Lexi-puu, Lexi-chii, Lexi-tan, Lexi-pipi, Lexi-chan, Lexi-pyon, Lexi-wan, Lexi-nyan, Lexi-rin, Lexi-mun...perhaps I'll just use whatever strikes my fancy at the time."  

[Shaddaling]

"My favorites tend to be cook ingredients, crab, unagi, the vegetables of course, delicious," he laughed slightly and shrug. "I like sushi, but well, sushi is more then just raw fish."

"It really matters," Lex admitted, looking Nakura up and down. "And well, you certainly aren't hard on the eyes, Nakura."

"Was wondering if it was like chan, but most of those I haven't heard before," he waved it away and snorted. "You are liable to make me laugh then take anything you say serious with some of those."  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Maybe so, but that's the best part in my opinion," Izaya answered. "You might really like the place I know in Camphoreon, then, though. It's called 'Russian Sushi'. Aside from the usual things, they serve stuff like fried chicken sushi. Perhaps I'll take you out some time."

"Aw, you're making me blush," the man said, waving a hand at Lex in a mock 'stop it' gesture as he cupped his cheek with his other in a shy, maidenly fashion. "You should see me in my usual attire. This outfit isn't very flattering when it comes to more slender builds like mine."

Gesturing his arms out to his sides, he sighed. "Yes, well most people around here don't tend to take me seriously no matter what I say. But it's to be expected, I suppose, coming from someone as low-ranking as myself."