71 Serendipity Place, Saturday Afternoon

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell needed to see the place he was going to be living in for the forseeable future. He wasn't going to have a lot of time to until later that evening - George's time of the month was tonight, and he had to deal with that - but he managed to slip out long enough to take the long stroll through town. The inner city was old in a familiar way, but here, on this side of the island, things were a little more modern.

That was fine. Mitchell could live with that. Having arrived at the house, he fiddled with the envelope that held the keys for a moment. He fished them out, unlocked the door, and went inside.

[[ for one snivelling smeghead, please ]]

Comments

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

[SNIVELLING!?!?!]

Inside, someone was straightening up already, making sure the place looked ship shape even if he was no longer on a ship.

Thankfully.

He was humming something, dreadfully off-key from the sound of it, that sounded almost like something from a very dreary sort of church choir, all long notes. As he inspected a lamp for dust, his nostrils flared in distaste.

Or maybe that was for Mitchell.

"Who in the hell are you? What are you doing in my quarters. House? Quarterhouse."

Wait, what was that again?

[chosehumanity]

[ you deserve the narrative, Rimmer. Deserve it. ]

Mitchell blinked as he utterly failed to close the door behind him. He'd smelled nothing about the house or in it, and he was fairly sure that-- "I'm Mitchell. I live here," he said, simply.

And then he did shut the door. "What?"

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

[...well, yes, but SNIVELLING?! really?]

"Nothing. And you most certainly do not," he answered, straightening with a snap of a movement.

"I do. I live here. I rented it out fair and square. You must be mistaken. I'm here for the summer, alone, happily free of--" he gave Mitchell and his ridiculously long but at least it's not in dreadlocks haircut a curl of his lip "smeghead roommates and overgrown domesticated animals with excessive wardrobes."

[chosehumanity]

[ it was that or 'weaseling' ]

"I'm fairly sure I rented it," Mitchell said, "It's probably some kind of mix-up." He was a little bit annoyed by the sudden insults.

...Also, George was not an overgrown domesticated animal, even if he was kind of a puppy dog.

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

"And I'm fairly sure you have the wrong property," he continued with a sneer, pointing to the door.

"Get. Get out. Go. Shoo."

He even made the little hand motions.

"Now. Leave."

[chosehumanity]

"I don't think so," Mitchell said, with a look that was now tending towards the dubious. He looked up at Rimmer thoughtfully, then began to stalk, slowly, towards him. "And what're you, then?"

He was somewhat sure Rimmer wasn't a ghost, but he didn't smell like anything human, either.

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

He tilted his head to peer in great irritation at the man who was slowly stalking towards him. Absently, he mentallly remarked on the man's grace and wondered if he was some sort of scruffy undercover ninja (not that he'd ever voice such a thing) before stepping back and away.

"What do you mean, what am I? Can you see?"

He tapped the H on his forehead.

"Or can't you read?"

[chosehumanity]

"I can read just fine," he said, glancing up at the letter just about once. "But sticking an H to your forehead isn't exactly an explanation."

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

Harumph.

"I didn't stick it to my forehead, it's part of--- I'm a hologram, you smegging idiot!"

[chosehumanity]

"What," Mitchell said; now this thing had taken a turn for the hilarious. "Like in films, you mean?"

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

"Like in-- are you deficient?"

Even he knew what a hologram was! Before he'd died, even! He wasn't mentioning that, however. Or using that comparison.

"You've never met a hologram before? Where have you been, under a rock?"

[chosehumanity]

"Bristol," Mitchell answered, taking the irony and making its own. "The 21st century."

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

His tone turned a little more conversational and his head tilted as he frowned.

"Fair enough."

Then he was right back to being annoyed.

"The-- and? There were holograms in the 21st century! True, they were crude, but--"

His eyes narrowed at Mitchell.

"Out. Out! Enough with the distractions. This isn't your house, and I will not have some... some primate who's unfamiliar with basic necroholotechnology bothering me while I'm trying to get this place tidied up."

And he moved to push him out the door, which might cause a bit of surprise.

He was, after all, running hardlight at the moment.

[chosehumanity]

That was surprising enough that Mitchell's back actually squarely hit the door before he was shoving straight back. "Hey! What is your problem?!"

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's the fact that for the first time in five years or so I finally have a room to myself and now some-- some--"

Wait.

"What are you anyway?"

He couldn't tell anything that might tip him off to the fact that Mitchell was a vampire. He was asking more along the lines of 'employment' or 'general place in the sea of humanity'. The better to insult him, you see.

[whoa, weird finger thing!]

[chosehumanity]

"I'm a teacher at the school," Mitchell shot back. He'd been in hiding for so long, that feeling like he was being asked about something else didn't even come to his mind in this particular scenario. "And you really don't want to start a fight with me, trust me."

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

"A teacher? At the school?"

They let teachers at the school walk around looking like that? All... schlubby and goodness, the haircut. It would give him an ulcer just looking at the thing if could have one anymore.

"You're a teacher?"

[chosehumanity]

"Yes," he shot back, "And this is my house. I'm sorry, am I straining your comprehension?"

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

"You can insult me all you like, this is not your house! Show me your papers."

He was grumbling now.

"You've probably got the wrong one or something."

[chosehumanity]

"I've got them right here," he said, fumbling into his jacket until he pulled them out. Mitchell's contribution to any team was cool (and a fair bit of brooding), not organisational skills. He shoved them at Rimmer.

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

Rimmer took them, then snatched up his own from the hall table and spent the next few moments blinking.

"That smegging goit!"

He looked to Mitchell.

"He rented us the same house!"

[chosehumanity]

"You're supposed to be my housemate?"

Incredulous face, this was Mitchell's.

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

"I'm not supposed to have a housemate!"

And yes, he was shouting. He was very much shouting. This was--

...his usual luck. Why was he surprised again?

"Smeg."

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell held up a hand in his general direction. "Listen, I don't have time for this," he said, "I'll be back later. Try..." He took a deep breath, "Try to make the best of it."

It could've been worse. At least he wasn't in any danger of giving in and biting a hologram.

[uptheziggurat.livejournal.com]

He was leaving. That was enough for right now.

Rimmer sat down hard on the couch, stared at both the papers, then mashed them both together in aggravation before tossing them over the couch.