A Pink Corner House, Bristol, Monday Morning

[chosehumanity]

All right.

The atmosphere within the house had not gotten much better over the past few days. Just from his seat in the living room, he could feel the waves of awkward wafting off George and Nina as they went through their morning not-really-speaking-to-each-other routine; they had happily intermingled with Kate's general doom and gloom and he was fairly sure they were off making broody babies.

Nina slammed the door shut behind her as she went, though even that noise sounded awkward. George wandered into the living room with a vaguely nonplussed, yet oddly smug look on his face, and sank down on the sofa.

"All right," Annie chirped, because she was the only one in the house not affected by everything that was going on, which Mitchell would have appreciated more if it hadn't been so odd. "Black coffee--" she handed it over to Mitchell, "--weird camp... herbal fusion--"

"That's me," George said, happily, reaching over for it.

"--and another large black one." She gave Kate an encouraging smile. It was a bit big.

[[ for she who's here; light spoilers for Being Human S2E01 in the comments. ]]

Comments

[chosehumanity]

"Thank you," she said to Kate, whole-heartedly, and clapped her hands again. "They are asking for bar staff at the New Found Out."

She was clearly waiting for a big applause, or something, but-- jesus. Was it just Mitchell, or was this household going insane? "A pub?" Mitchell asked. "That's the job you've always fancied? Jesus, aim for the stars."

[vanillajello]

And now Kate was frowning at him over her coffee. "Wow. Way to be supportive, Mitchell."

[chosehumanity]

"What?" Mitchell asked, looking up. "She's not being serious--" A brief pause, as he realised the expression on Annie's face wasn't falling any. "...Are you?"

"Oh, I'm as serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer," she sing-songed.

Oh jesus fucking christ. "You can't get a job, Annie!"

[vanillajello]

Kate wasn't sure whether she really had a concrete opinion on the subject, but that wasn't going to stop her from frowning at him for the way he was choosing to express his.

"Why not?"

[chosehumanity]

"People can see me all the time now!" Annie added, appalled. "I'm not invisible anymore, christ, I'm solid!"

"You're not solid, you're squishy," Mitchell shot back, and glanced past her at Kate. "What if someone tries to touch her, eh?!"

"It's not that kind of pub!"

[vanillajello]

Kate raised her eyebrows at Mitchell, then shrugged a shoulder. "I've met ghosts who could raise a kid." As much as it hurt to think about said kid. "I'm pretty sure Annie could handle herself working at a pub."

[chosehumanity]

"Yes, because that's totally the same thing as working at a pub every day," Mitchell shot back, irritably. "Look, Annie--"

"No, you look," she snapped, pointing a finger at him. "I've been watching The Apprentice! I know the workings of the current job-market a damn sight better than you do, and nobody is going to care. You get me?"

[vanillajello]

That didn't sound like the best possible argument, so it was Kate's cue to go back to drinking her coffee and let them sort it out between themselves – for now, anyway.

It was too early for this.

[chosehumanity]

"Because at the end of the day," Annie continued, and finally the cheer in her voice was fraying a little at the edges, "It's all about just giving it a hundred and ten percent!"

She stared at all of them as if half-expecting another rebuttal, then steeled herself, nodded, and stomped out of the living room.

There was a moment of silence, and then Mitchell finally said what had been on his mind during this whole thing. "...Did that just happen?"

[vanillajello]

Kate was all out of witty comebacks. "Yes," she replied, dryly.

[chosehumanity]

"I think it's a good thing, don't you?" George observed lightly. He glanced down at his tea.

Mitchell was getting this eerie feeling that somehow things had gotten a bit out of hand around here. "Oh, yes," he said, sarcastically. "The disembodied spirit of a dead woman is getting a job in the service industry, what could possibly go wrong."

[vanillajello]

Kate rolled her eyes, then fixed them on Mitchell again. "So you just want her to... what? Stay around the house all day?" she wondered, her tone even.

It seemed like something that'd make Annie happy, so Kate couldn't object too hard, even if the idea seemed... a little weird.

[chosehumanity]

"Oh, don't pay attention to him," George said, his eyes rolling as hard as Kate's had. "He's just not coping too well with life at the moment. After all, he has no relationship, no steady career past a movie theatre no one ever frequents--"

"I had loads of people over during the Petey Sci-Fi showing!" Mitchell protested.

"...No family, no one to look after but you, and you'll be fine soon enough," George continued, unhindered, "Even the blood-lust, a struggle that's defined his life for the past few decades, is now a thing of the past. He has no one left to save, and no one left to safeguard. Let's face it, he's not coping with the fact that right now he's pretty much..."

George seemed to grope around for a phrase.

"...deadly furniture."

Mitchell stared at him.

[vanillajello]

Yeah, Kate would just be joining in on that bit of staring.

"Deadly furniture? Really, George?"

[chosehumanity]

"Seriously?" Mitchell said, in roughly that same tone of voice.

"Annie's getting a job. She has a sense of purpose now, and it must be very disconcerting when you haven't got that yoursel--"

Mitchell held up a hand. "I think I speak for both Kate and myself when I say shut up, and did you know you're being a bit of an idiot right now?"

[vanillajello]

"Idiot might be too nice," Kate remarked dryly. "He's being kind of a douche."

It was safe to say George hadn't been winning any awards with Kate over the days she'd spent here this time.

[chosehumanity]

"What? I--" George flailed incoherently for a few seconds before regaining some of his cool. ...Squeaky cool, but still. "Just because both of you are unfulfilled in life at the moment is no reason to start insulting me!"

[vanillajello]

Oh, George. Maybe you shouldn't have said that. Kate blinked, then looked incredulous.

"What, and you're fulfilled, is that what you're saying?" she asked. "'Cause as far as I can tell, your girlfriend is barely talking to you."

[chosehumanity]

"She's got some stupid thing in her head about 'helping her through this'," George snapped. "What is there to help her through? Really?"

Oh, for fuck's-- Mitchell didn't even have the words. He was worried about Nina, for christ's sakes. "I suggest you shut up now before I punch you in the face."

[vanillajello]

In a twisted way, it was kind of good to be feeling this much disbelief. It made for a nice change from... everything else.

But it didn't change the fact that George was pretty much talking out of his ass at this point. 'What was there to help Nina through', seriously?

"What? What the fuck's the matter with you?"

[chosehumanity]

George pulled an extraordinarily offended face. "Fine, I can see how it is," he snapped, getting up off the sofa. "I'm heading out for the day, don't fucking wait up!"

"George--" Mitchell tried, but the guy was already storming out the front door.

[vanillajello]

Kate just rolled her eyes and looked down at her coffee again. George could flounce as much as he wanted, as far as she was concerned.

[chosehumanity]

"I swear, I don't know what the fuck's wrong with him."

[vanillajello]

"Maybe he's regressing," she suggested, running a fingertip along the edge of her cup.

[chosehumanity]

"Maybe," Mitchell muttered, "But that still doesn't excuse him being such a complete twat."

[vanillajello]

"Yeah well," Kate drawled, "people don't generally need excuses for being complete twatwaffles."

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell muttered something under his breath, then shook it off. "What do you want for breakfast?" he said.

Smoothest segue ever.

[vanillajello]

Kate didn't really care, she wanted off this topic anyway.

She raised her coffee cup at him. "You mean this isn't it?"

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell rolled his eyes at her. "No," he said, quite firmly, "It most certainly isn't. Now tell me what you want to get for take-out or I'm making you beans."

[vanillajello]

"Oh, beans, I'm terrified," she deadpanned. "I don't really care. Food's food."

At least she was eating.