Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+ or any of its characters
Series: Cut us Some Slack
Chapter Title: Newspaper
Timeline: No specific timeline
Genre: General
Character/s: David, Lewis, Julia Silverstein, Joel Goldschmidt VI, and Dr. Collins
Summary: There are different ways to enjoy the newspaper.
The newspaper is a part of every adult's life. When they have no time to click that remote and flip through the channels until they find the news, they grab those sheets and flip through the pages instead. The same is true with the Red Shield operatives. They've no time to sit and flip through channels so they use the newspaper instead. Somehow, reading whatever it is that's on the newspaper gives them a few moments of rest from their work no matter how tragic the news turn out to be. Whether they enjoy reading the paper or not is up to them. And whether they read it in the comfort of their own homes or not is also something that they get to decide for themselves.
Take David for example. He likes reading the paper whenever he has enough time to do so. It does not matter where and it does not matter when. What's important is the fact that he knows what's going on around him besides from the never-ending chiropteran chase. Sometimes, if he's lucky enough, he manages to find a few leads by reading the newspaper. For a man who is married to his work, finding even the slightest clue on a newspaper is something that he actually enjoys. He, like every normal being, does not enjoy the tragic news written in print. But being a man, who is struck with tragedy every single day, he is not fazed by such news anymore.
Then there's Lewis. He seems to enjoy his paper whenever he is sitting in his truck, waiting for his companions to return. He particularly enjoys it while munching down on a bagel. Just like everybody else, he reads the news to know what's going on around him. When it comes to political news, especially concerning wars, the CIA in him theorizes that some events are conspiracies and connivances. Unlike David, Lewis loves the comic strips in the newspaper. For him, this tiny portion of the tragedy sheets brings even the slightest of relief.
Julia is a different story though. She highly dislikes the newspaper. Although it is unspoken, she sees it as the accursed bearer of tragedies. For her, each page is stained with immoralities, connivances, and conspiracies. She reads it every night because reading it in the morning would only ruin the day that's still ahead of her. She has a habit of rolling her eyes everytime she reads horrible news because there's nothing new about it. Of course, there are some good news written there somewhere but she usually does not notice it because good news barely makes the headlines.
Unlike Julia, Joel reads the newspaper first thing in the morning. It's like a way to start his day. He likes getting information on current events. He usually checks the business page. After all, finances are one of the things that he needs to support the Goldschmidt business and the Red Shield. Like David, Joel also checks the news to see if there is anything that can be linked to the chiroptera. If he's fortunate enough, he'll see a few. He then declares that the information might be essential. Joel also takes the bad news rather well. He believes that all the tragedies that occur around the world are a part of everyday life but just because he takes it well does not mean he enjoys it. He, like everybody else, dislikes bad news too.
But there are people who enjoy the newspaper too differently. Like Dr. Collins. He does not enjoy reading the newspaper. He doesn't really give a damn about the current events. He does not bother reading the comic strips or the business page either. Rather, he lives in this little fantasy; the imaginary victory of winning the Nobel Prize. He does not read the paper, he fantasizes that he is written in the paper. He dreams of becoming part of history; written there in black and white. And somehow, it is a wonderful but sad way of enjoying the paper. For instead of keeping in touch with reality, like the paper intends to do, Dr. Collins is drifting away from it. Yes, he is enjoying the newspaper but at the same time, it no longer serves its purpose in his hands.
But despite their different methods in doing so, they still have one thing in common: The fact that even just for a moment, the newspaper lures them away from the stress of field work, lab work and the burdens of being a successor; unless they find something that relates to their work.