41. The silence between her and Naru is stifling, even for them. Not for the first time since she started out in this business, Mai thinks some divine being really, really hates her. How else she can explain the continuous accidents and drawing the short straw? (Well, inexperience and bad luck, but whatever.) The point is, she's stuck watching monitors with her former boss all night and the unpleasant presence he's emitting got old within minutes. Unless that part's just her imagination, because the silence sure isn't.
She stands. "I'm going to make some tea."
"You've been making a fresh pot every half-hour now."
Yes, and she had to pee like crazy now, thank you very much. Mai sighs and sits down, crossing her legs and focusing on her computer screen again. Aside from the occasional odd sound through the microphone, which is the equivalent to a minor blip on radar, nothing of particular interest has occurred tonight. No sightings, no activity, not even in the stairwell where the homeowner claimed the most of the weird things had been happening. She can tell Naru's thinking it, too, so she doesn't say it aloud, but it seems what they're dealing with is a low-level spirit that ceases movement when new people are introduced to the house. Nothing malevolent or powerful, which in itself is a relief, but she has to admit it's too ordinary for her liking.
She came all the way out here for this? Mai sighs and leans back in her chair.
"Miss your boyfriend?" Naru asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Is it wrong if I do?" She's not in the mood for this. As directors of two separate branches for the same company, they've been quarreling about their difference in procedure all day. It's not her fault; she has a system, even if she's supposed to be following his lead and not the other way around.
Naru must be thinking the same. He heaves a deep sigh, adjusts a camera setting through his laptop, and flicks on a desk light to reread the file one more time. "I'm glad you found someone." He says. "He's lucky to have you."
Mai stares at him. This is Naru, right? Or has Gene spontaneously possessed him? Not that her old friend has ever succeeded or even attempted that before, yet she has to wonder. She's not used to her boss saying anything….well, nice. Then her eyes narrow a little, waiting.
As she expects, Naru raises his eyes and offers her a rare, if slightly smug, smile. "You still have good taste in men."
-0-0-0-
Author's Notes: Although there's never any real drama between these two (because I didn't want to write that), this is pretty much Mai and Naru burying the hatchet.
Ghost Hunt is owned by Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.
Durarara! is owned by Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi.