Arivah Davus:
Naru bit back an aggravated cry. With shaky hands, he uncapped a red pen and drew a long, jagged red x through the map's image of a lake. Leaning forward, he allowed his raven hair to slump over his navy-blue eyes, which were growing icier by the second. He needed to find him. Gene. His other half. This time he didn't bother to smother a growl, rolling the map up angrily, crinkling and ripping the edges of the paper as he did so. He stuffed it randomly into one of his drawers, and let out a long, breathless sigh. He needed to get a grip fore going back to research. As time went on, the days did get easier. His newest team helped with distractions, especiall Mai, but the determination never truly ceased. He had to find his body. He needed to. It was the only way he was ever going to be able to get on with his life. Besides that, he owed it to Gene. Tapping the bright red pen against the desk, he listened intently to the silence of SPR's office. It was rare, but much needed.
Silence.
His eyebrows furrowed when the word echoed through his mind yet again. There was usually the loud bantering of the priestess and monk, accompanied by Yasu's playful antics and Mai's fuming and incoordination. His lips pressed together into a firm line, watching his doorway. He expected a shadow to skim along the light on the door, but it never did. He strained his ears to hear Mai's huffs as she went through paperwork, then tried sneakily to get her homework done. There was no sign of his bubbly assistant, making him ponder if she had snuck out early. He got up, stretching his arms behind his back. Just the thought made his already icey eyes function into a full-out scalding glare. However, if she had managed to slip past his office, Lin's room, and out the front door, he would be slightly impressed.
It seemed that Mai was incapable of being quiet and having proper footing. Surely she would've tripped before she even made it halfway. The boy rolled his eyes at the thought, continuing to tap his pencil along to the beat of the ticking of the clock. That was strange. He had never heard the clock make a tap of noise. He blamed that on Mai. She honestly attracted loudness and trouble. Anywhere she went, ghosts and danger flocked to her like moths to lighting.
If she had left, he was going to dock her pay.
Naru crossed his arms when he noted that it was as quiet as ever. Not that he minded, but there was evidently something wrong that breached this overwhelming silence. There wasn't even the clatter of the teapots from the kitchen, suggesting that she hadn't been busily making him some tea.
He'd give her a minute. Turning back to his book and chair, he waited, re-reading the same sentence over and over again as his mind went over a list of all the worst possibilities.
He gave her half a minute.
"Idiot," he muttered on his way to the door. "Bloody idiot." She always had to distract him from his much needed work. Whether it be loud or silent, she always had to be danger-prone.
He twisted the knob, escaping from the room.
Mai looked up at him, cinnamon eyes greeting his. "Oh, hey, Naru. What's up?"
He was confused, something that was not common. Mai was simply sitting there on the couch, eyes interlocked on a book. She was being...quiet. She was...reading. Actually doing something productive. "I'm surprised, Mai."
"Why's that?" she asked, eyebrows crinkling.
"That you actually have enough brain-cells to know what a book is."
Her face flamed and satisfaction flittered in Naru's stomach. She set the book angrily down, lips twisting into a scowl. "At least I'm not some narcissistic jerk who can't take his eyes away from the mirror!"
There was a reason (Gene) he carried around a mirror with him, (Gene) but Mai didn't need to know that. She didn't need to know who he really was, or his back-story. That was his business. Noll wouldn't call it lying, just declining to tell his assistant the full and complete truth. He smirked condescendingly at the girl, "It is rather a nuisance, isn't it? Although I'd say your inability to get any productive work done is more obtuse."
"You're a jerk!" She looked like she was refraining from throwing the book at him. His grin deepened at the thought. Mai had been close from losing her top plenty of times, but he wondered if she would get frustrated enough to chuck a hard-cover at him. "And I am doing something productive! Reading. I thought you liked reading."
He turned back to his room. "I want tea in five minutes, Mai."
"Why you-"
"And I do like reading," he cut her off. "I like literature that actually excels my intelligence, unlike whatever illogical book your holding."
The brunette protested quickly, crossing her arms tightly against her flat chest. The crimson tint in her cheeks hadn't vanished, making the conversation much more interesting. It was too easy to get Mai flustered and Naru relished in that. She bit roughly down on her bottom lip, trying to stop herself from escalating the fight. As expected, her little tactic didn't last long. The words ended up tumbling from her lips anyway. "You don't even know what I'm reading!"
"I know it's stupid, idiot."
She grumbled, and he heard multiple pages being flipped as she scanned the entries written. "It's by a professor named Arivah Davus. It's about scientific research and ghosts. I thought it was something that would interest you, but I guess I-"
Naru, however, had gone tense at the doorway. "What did you just say?"
"I said," she repeated, her voice edged and cutting with irritation. "It's about scientific research and ghosts."
"Not that," he dismissed, turning around to meet her puzzled eyes. "Who is the author?"
Her face scrunched up in distaste as she struggled to read the English name, her finger grabbing a strand of chocolate hair and tugging it behind her ear. "A-rivah Davus." He rolled his eyes at this. Her English skills were never something to be proud of.
"Oliver Davis?" he corrected, trying to stop the pleased smile that was working its way to his lips.
"Yes," she declared in a sheepish voice, only fueling to Noll's contentment. "Sorry not all of us are good at English, Mr. Smarty-pants."
Naru stifled yet another smile. She had been reading his books. "What is your opinion on the book?"
Her expression brightened at that, holding it up proudly. "It's great! It's all scientific-ey and stuff, but it talks about ghosts a lot, too! I bet I know more than you do," she exclaimed, a hint of retort creeping into her tone.
"I highly doubt that, Mai."
"I was only kidding, Naru." She hugged the book tightly, smiling all the while. "It's amazing! Arivah Davus is now my favorite author."
He had to face the wall to hide his bark of laughter. When he faced her again, he was stoic as ever. Meanwhile, Mai was earnestly turning the pages, eyes lit up with eagerness. She glanced up at him curiously, tilting her head slightly. "Have you ever read A-arivah Davus before, Naru?"
"No, Mai," he opened the door to his office, yet again smirking. "I can't say that I have."