kaisou | intro!

Entry tags:

caesar zeppeli

intro!

WHO: Caesar and the network! (Also Caesar+Mercedes)
WHERE: Mercie's car for the closed prompt, also the network
WHEN: Early March
WHAT: Caesar and Mercedes just got to town!
WARNINGS: I'll update this if something comes up

shortly after arrival - closed to Mercedes
[It's been one hell of a week. Finding out just what, exactly, had been going on, getting out of there, spending so much time on the road...

... It doesn't feel real, honestly. But it is real, and now he and Mercedes are in a strange town on their own and... their younger siblings aren't here. This is what they're doing for the foreseeable future. They can focus on their goal in the upcoming days, but for now...

Mercedes had gotten out of the car to check something after they'd pulled over, and Caesar... just slumps a bit in the passenger's seat, burying his face in his hands. He'll still be like that when she gets back in.]

un: c-z; video
[There's a blond studying the camera with a faint frown before he sighs and closes his eyes.]

So. Is the app that apparently downloaded itself to my phone as soon as I got within city limits something I should be worried about or was that just complimentary?

[... That's it, that's the whole post, apparently.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She stays right here holding him. It's a bit awkward with him still in the car, but that's fine. Caesar needs to release.

It's been a very long week. A very long several years. Mercie continues humming softly, letting her long hair hide Caesar from any potential nosy passerby. She certainly won't be the first to pull back.]

[Caesar will eventually calm down, though he doesn't pull back quite yet.

It might be a little selfish of him, but... he knows Mercie will let him have this much.

... He doesn't feel like he particularly deserves to be selfish, not after all this time, but he knows better than to say anything to that effect.]

[Of course she will. He can have all the time he needs. And then some, for luck.

Whenever he eventually indicates he's done, for now, she's got that same soft smile as always.]

Little bit better?

[He pulls back a bit, rubbing at his eyes.]

A little. [He bites back the apology at the tip of his tongue because he knows he doesn't have to, but it's still difficult.

He should be better than this.]

Good. We'll keep working on it, alright? Things will get better.

[She'll pull away, enough to retrieve a tissue from the glove compartment, and start drying Caesar's face.]

... Yeah. Thanks.

[He manages a smile, but it's tired and weak. He's tired.]

We should probably figure out what we're doing for dinner tonight.

[But he certainly isn't weak.]

Hmm... We don't have much we can cook with. How do you feel about splurging, just this once? To celebrate arriving.

That sounds good. What're you in the mood for?

[He digs out his phone, taking note of the app that is still downloading--that's been downloading since they got within city limits, weird. Well, he can check that out later.]

... Plus, depending on where we go, we can probably at least get another meal out of any leftovers.

Hmm, somewhere with generous proportions... How about breakfast for dinner?

[They do have a budget, but let's take a night off from worrying about it. Just have a good time.]

That sounds amazing.

[He finally manages a grin as he starts looking up places, holding his phone so Mercedes can look as well.]

[Excellent, that's what she was hoping to see. New city....lots of options.]

Hmm... It would be nice to find some kind of mom and pop shop diner.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too... [Keeping an eye out for those in particular...] Anything catching your eye, Mercie?

Hmmm... Oh, that one looks cozy!

[They could use a cozy atmosphere. Normally Mercie lets others make the decisions, but...maybe Caesar needs her to be a little more assertive, right now.]

[And normally Caesar's just fine making the decisions... but not having to worry about it for a little bit is nice.]

That one, then? Alright. I'll get the directions.

Okay. Hopefully it's good, and close to the apartment.

[She'll go get back in the driver's seat that's been her home for the last week.]

It looks like it's close the apartment, at least.

[He leans back in his seat to look at some of the reviews.]

Let me know if you spot any red flags before we get in there.

[Buckling up, and off we go! To the diner.]

Mm, will do.

[And so he's quiet for a while, reading through the reviews. Eventually, he speaks up--]

Looks like the reviews are all pretty positive, at least. And the photos people've taken make the portions look huge. We'll definitely get another meal out of what's left, I'm pretty sure.

[Which is honestly kind of a relief.]

Excellent.

[Just as they're pulling into the lot, too! Time to go get some gigantic pancakes,]

[And in Caesar's case, a massive omelette that he can only eat half of before he has to tap out.

It's as the two of them are getting back to the car afterward that Caesar... slows to a stop as soon as he can see into it.

And he's just.

Squinting into the backseat.]

[And milkshakes. Or parfaits. Some delightfully indulgent treat that barely counts as a beverage.

But, hm.]

Caesar?

[He's going to start investigating the car for signs of potential break-in, but when he hears his name, he just. Silently points into the backseat.

One TV would be weird enough, but why are there two?]

[She peers in through the window, already wary of a break-in. What else could make Caesar act like this?

But, uh, that's. Um. ???]

Is that....a TV?

Two of them, if my sight's not failing me.

[He takes a step back, scratching his head.]

And no signs anyone's gotten into the car, either.

But....why? And how?

[Did someone just have two TVs to get rid of in a hurry??? She'll unlock the car properly, maybe they should check those out before they go back...]

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