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Lu and Nolan - Backdated
Nolan has sent three NolPhones to Lu, who doesn't want to accept them.
Nolan frowned a little as he read the message he had received on the school's network. He rarely enough got any direct messages, so he had checked it fairly quickly after receiving the notification. He had about ten minutes before his next meeting, and nothing to prepare for it. So he sent her a request for a video call, still through the school's network.
Orange Lu was looking up showtimes at the theatre in town when the request for a video call came through, and bit at her lip as she looked to see who it was from. Maybe one of the others would be better - but no one else was there, so she went ahead and accepted the request.
"Hi Nolan," she said as his face appeared on the screen. "What's up?" Maybe if she stalled someone else would come.
"Lu," he greeted her with a small smile. Orange eyes, check. "I thought I'd check in, and make sure you realize three phones isn't much of a bill for me to foot." He sounded vaguely amused that that was her reasoning. When you made as much money as he did, three phones was a drop in the ocean, really. Never mind that for him, it was just production cost.
"Oh no, we know that. I mean, big picture? NolCorp can afford it. But so can Brande Industries." Lu smiled and shrugged crookedly. "My grandma always used to say what was worth having was worth working for, and, well, Dad says pretty much the same thing, in his own way. I think they're right, y'know?"
That was a great motto to live by, but it did raise one question for Nolan. "And you've been friends with Shinobi for years?"
"Umm," Lu's face warmed and she looked awkward. "Well...there's not a lot you can do about Shinobi? I mean, I've tried, but I don't think he really gets it. Or he pretends he doesn't, because it's not always so much he wants to just give stuff away to give it away. He kind of wants to tell off his dad by doing it?" Her jaw set with more resolution than she normally showed. "It's just really too bad Sebastian doesn't ever listen. But he's kind of an awful person."
"You're kind of very nice, aren't you," Nolan replied, soft-dry. Sebastian was much worse than 'kind of awful'. He was curious how the other Lus might have described him - her mutation would likely prove fascinating for a long time. "How do you know I'm not giving things away because of my own daddy issues?"
"Because it's not your dad's money, it's yours," Lu answered promptly. She figured that much was obvious. "You earned it."
"And I can't work out my deep-seated daddy issues with my own money?" Nolan dryly asked, honestly not sure what kind of logic that was. All it meant was that he wasn't working them out the same way Shinobi did. Then again, he wasn't going to press it much further than that; it would just invite questions about his father. "How about letting you have them for the production cost, then?" he offered instead. "It's all the money they're costing me."
Lu bit at her lip, feeling bad that she'd mistaken his reference to his "daddy issues" as a joke, and considered his counter offer. It seemed okay to her - she wasn't entirely sure Neutral would be okay with it, but then, she'd answered the call, so it was her decision. "That seems fair," she acknowledged, and offered a smile. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," he answered with one of his brief, slightly dry smiles. "We can work out a payment plan, so you won't have to return them to me."
"I'll talk to Sis and have her call you about it," Lu promised. "She usually handles that kind of stuff." Hopefully Neutral would set up separate plans for each phone, so that Purple didn't try to get out of paying her share, but that was something they could work out between themselves; there wasn't any reason to bother Nolan with it.
"Of course," he answered, his tone almost business-like. But then it softened as he asked, "How are you doing?" The school could be a bit of an adjustment, although he didn't think her life had ever been quite as luxurious as his. Or Shinobi's.
"Oh, pretty good," Lu assured him. "I mean, I miss my dad and Reese, and it's kind of hard to get used to people meeting all three of me and knowing it? But most everybody's been really nice."
Nolan nodded. "Good." That was about the extent of his socializing skills, at least with another teenager. "I'm glad it's going well. Despite the weird."
Lu laughed. "Things are always kind of weird. Anyway, you must be busy? And I should probably go find the rest of me and go to class." She smiled crookedly. "I feel like I'm skipping if I'm not there. Though no one would care, probably."
"Are you actually attending classes together?" Nolan asked curiously, realizing he had no idea what kind of bond they shared, and if they could share knowledge each of them acquired.
"Well, we don't have to?" Lu admitted. "I mean, when we join back up, we get the updates anyway. But that kind of feels like cheating, y'know? So mostly at least Neutral and I merge up and go." She shrugged. "Purple doesn't care about anything but hand to hand, really, but she always goes to that and phy ed, at least. And sometimes to some of the others." Mostly, admittedly, so she could check out the guys in the class (and sometimes the girls) but at least she came.
Nolan did not, in fact, know, or perhaps he didn't feel as if cheating was such a bad thing. Not in this particular case, anyway. They were all Lu, weren't they? Given what she'd just explained. "That's very honorable of you," he settled on, with a small smile. "Insisting on going."
Lu blushed. "Oh, it's Really not - I mean, I like classes anyway? Except the hand to hand one, but the other two say I have to go to that one, just in case something happens again? Because just waiting to be rescued is damsel in distress-y, and it might not always work anyway. But other than that, it's kind of fun? I haven't been to school in ages."
Nolan still didn't think there was anything fun about school, but he was aware that his experiences had not been common. "I'm glad that you're enjoying it. Don't let me stop you from going, then. And get in touch for that payment plan," he added, with a helpful half smile.
"I will!" she promised. "And thank you again- both for the phones and for understanding." She smiled once more, then closed the connection.
Hi Nolan,
It was really sweet of you to send me the new phones - you have no idea how much I appreciate the thought. But Nolan, I really can't accept them. I wasn't comfortable taking three from my dad; I'm even less comfortable accepting them from you. Just because I can't share with myself doesn't mean anyone should have to foot the bill.
It's no reflection on the product - trust me, I'll be buying them myself once I can afford two more. :)
If you're not around today, I'll have Shinobi put them in your room.
Thanks again!
Lu
Nolan frowned a little as he read the message he had received on the school's network. He rarely enough got any direct messages, so he had checked it fairly quickly after receiving the notification. He had about ten minutes before his next meeting, and nothing to prepare for it. So he sent her a request for a video call, still through the school's network.
Orange Lu was looking up showtimes at the theatre in town when the request for a video call came through, and bit at her lip as she looked to see who it was from. Maybe one of the others would be better - but no one else was there, so she went ahead and accepted the request.
"Hi Nolan," she said as his face appeared on the screen. "What's up?" Maybe if she stalled someone else would come.
"Lu," he greeted her with a small smile. Orange eyes, check. "I thought I'd check in, and make sure you realize three phones isn't much of a bill for me to foot." He sounded vaguely amused that that was her reasoning. When you made as much money as he did, three phones was a drop in the ocean, really. Never mind that for him, it was just production cost.
"Oh no, we know that. I mean, big picture? NolCorp can afford it. But so can Brande Industries." Lu smiled and shrugged crookedly. "My grandma always used to say what was worth having was worth working for, and, well, Dad says pretty much the same thing, in his own way. I think they're right, y'know?"
That was a great motto to live by, but it did raise one question for Nolan. "And you've been friends with Shinobi for years?"
"Umm," Lu's face warmed and she looked awkward. "Well...there's not a lot you can do about Shinobi? I mean, I've tried, but I don't think he really gets it. Or he pretends he doesn't, because it's not always so much he wants to just give stuff away to give it away. He kind of wants to tell off his dad by doing it?" Her jaw set with more resolution than she normally showed. "It's just really too bad Sebastian doesn't ever listen. But he's kind of an awful person."
"You're kind of very nice, aren't you," Nolan replied, soft-dry. Sebastian was much worse than 'kind of awful'. He was curious how the other Lus might have described him - her mutation would likely prove fascinating for a long time. "How do you know I'm not giving things away because of my own daddy issues?"
"Because it's not your dad's money, it's yours," Lu answered promptly. She figured that much was obvious. "You earned it."
"And I can't work out my deep-seated daddy issues with my own money?" Nolan dryly asked, honestly not sure what kind of logic that was. All it meant was that he wasn't working them out the same way Shinobi did. Then again, he wasn't going to press it much further than that; it would just invite questions about his father. "How about letting you have them for the production cost, then?" he offered instead. "It's all the money they're costing me."
Lu bit at her lip, feeling bad that she'd mistaken his reference to his "daddy issues" as a joke, and considered his counter offer. It seemed okay to her - she wasn't entirely sure Neutral would be okay with it, but then, she'd answered the call, so it was her decision. "That seems fair," she acknowledged, and offered a smile. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," he answered with one of his brief, slightly dry smiles. "We can work out a payment plan, so you won't have to return them to me."
"I'll talk to Sis and have her call you about it," Lu promised. "She usually handles that kind of stuff." Hopefully Neutral would set up separate plans for each phone, so that Purple didn't try to get out of paying her share, but that was something they could work out between themselves; there wasn't any reason to bother Nolan with it.
"Of course," he answered, his tone almost business-like. But then it softened as he asked, "How are you doing?" The school could be a bit of an adjustment, although he didn't think her life had ever been quite as luxurious as his. Or Shinobi's.
"Oh, pretty good," Lu assured him. "I mean, I miss my dad and Reese, and it's kind of hard to get used to people meeting all three of me and knowing it? But most everybody's been really nice."
Nolan nodded. "Good." That was about the extent of his socializing skills, at least with another teenager. "I'm glad it's going well. Despite the weird."
Lu laughed. "Things are always kind of weird. Anyway, you must be busy? And I should probably go find the rest of me and go to class." She smiled crookedly. "I feel like I'm skipping if I'm not there. Though no one would care, probably."
"Are you actually attending classes together?" Nolan asked curiously, realizing he had no idea what kind of bond they shared, and if they could share knowledge each of them acquired.
"Well, we don't have to?" Lu admitted. "I mean, when we join back up, we get the updates anyway. But that kind of feels like cheating, y'know? So mostly at least Neutral and I merge up and go." She shrugged. "Purple doesn't care about anything but hand to hand, really, but she always goes to that and phy ed, at least. And sometimes to some of the others." Mostly, admittedly, so she could check out the guys in the class (and sometimes the girls) but at least she came.
Nolan did not, in fact, know, or perhaps he didn't feel as if cheating was such a bad thing. Not in this particular case, anyway. They were all Lu, weren't they? Given what she'd just explained. "That's very honorable of you," he settled on, with a small smile. "Insisting on going."
Lu blushed. "Oh, it's Really not - I mean, I like classes anyway? Except the hand to hand one, but the other two say I have to go to that one, just in case something happens again? Because just waiting to be rescued is damsel in distress-y, and it might not always work anyway. But other than that, it's kind of fun? I haven't been to school in ages."
Nolan still didn't think there was anything fun about school, but he was aware that his experiences had not been common. "I'm glad that you're enjoying it. Don't let me stop you from going, then. And get in touch for that payment plan," he added, with a helpful half smile.
"I will!" she promised. "And thank you again- both for the phones and for understanding." She smiled once more, then closed the connection.