Oh, so emo...

[Dunedin]

Dunedin sighed deeply, sitting alone in his small room in the massive under-structure that is the BPRD. Being alone was pretty much something that he was used to, and he wasn't the kind that went to seek attention. He couldn't help but feel lonely though. Being surrounded by people that were either accepting of people with "quirks" like he had, or who had them themselves almost made him want to be socially active. But not enough to actually make him want to leave his rooms.

So, he sat. He even knew that there was a baby shower going on somewhere for the big red guy and the lovely black-haired fire-starter. He should remember their names... but names tended to escape the memory of one who never needed to remember them for the bulk of his life. Shrugging at the thought, Dunedin kept surfing the net, ordering a set of new rings and another case of black fingernail polish. His supply was beginning to run low.

After another hour, Dunedin felt a rumble in his stomach and he sighed again. Running his fingers through his spiked, raven-black hair, he looked at his wall clock; it was well past dinner time. Sighing yet again, he pulled on a pair of black combat boots over his feet and headed to the door. He hated having to even head to the cafeteria, but the food wasn't about find walk down the hall, take the elevator down a floor, and head to his room. Well, there was always the possibility, he supposed... so many strange things happened here... but, he wasn't about to hold his breath.

Stuffing his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie, Dunedin meandered down the hallway towards the elevator. As usual at this time of day, he passed a handful of people... some in suits, some not, some altogether amazing to behold, some terrifying. But, as usual, nothing showed on Dunedin's face. He was cold, almost devoid of emotion, and even wen he was met with a smile and a wave, all he did was stare back and blink.

Within a few more moments, Dunedin had arrived in the cafeteria. It was almost empty now, seeing that supper had been well over three hours ago. But, it was just as well. Dunedin wasn't really one for conversation, and liked to eat his meals the way he spent most of his days... alone.

[Kasim Chionesu]

The baby shower had been fun, and Kasim had even won a prize for correctly guessing the size of Liz's waist on a piece of string. Now he held a little vase filled with potpourri in the bottom, tied with pastel ribbons around the middle, and having fake lilies poke from the top. Kasim laughed to himself as he carried it. It didn't really fit in with the decor of his room, but it was a fun prize.

And, despite the baby shower food, Kasim found his stomach burbling for food. Hmmm... The paninis had been good, but he wanted something sweeter -- Soft serve ice cream sounded like a good thing. Especially when he had to go to bed soon, since he was supposed to be up at five the next morning to help bring in some contraband that might be harboring vengeful spirits. That was always fun.

He entered the cafeteria, expecting to find it almost deserted, but instead he almost ran into the back of a young man, at least ten years younger than him, with jet black hair and finger nail polish. "Sorry!" Kasim apologized, shifting his vase to his other arm. Ok, this was a little awkward, especially since the young man was vaguely familiar. "You're... You're new, right? I remember you arriving a couple days ago. I'm Kasim." He hugged his vase to him and offered his hand. "Usually I don't collide with people like this."

[Dunedin]

Dunedin slowly turned around to look at the person speaking to him, his face as blank as a white sheet of paper, nut his eyes seemed to be filled with suspicion and questions. Why was this man even talking to him?

Ahh, an apology. How strange to receive an apology when nothing happened that required one. "No harm has been done," Dunedin said with a shrug, his Slavic accent as thick as fog. "Yes, I am relatively new here. Just barely a month have I called the Bureau home."

Seeing that he was done answering Kasim's question, Dunedin's normal routine would have been to turn back and continue his search for an evening snack. But, for some strange reason that he simply couldn't explain, he felt the urge to stay and talk. But, even despite the fact that he felt somewhat flustered, nothing showed on the boy's face. "I am called Dunedin," he continued stoically, devoid of any kind of emotion, his demeanor as cool as a chunk of glacier. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kasim."

[Kasim Chionesu]

The young man seemed a little out of it, or perhaps he was just tired. Kasim certainly did know that working with the Bureau sometimes made you have crazy sleep schedules. In fact, Kasim couldn't remember the last time he was able to sleep in or had a week where he didn't have to pull an overnight shift at least twice.

"Nice to meet you, Dunedin. I'm a relatively newbie too, but after some missions and a lot of coffee," He chuckled softly, "I'm beginning to feel right at home." He shifted the vase to his other arm once more and looked at the almost empty cafeteria and back to the young man. He did seem pretty placid. That made Kasim wonder if maybe he was a CIA agent or something fantastic, but he didn't want to pry too much. "Uh... if you're here for dinner, their chicken stir fry is out of this world."

[Dunedin]

So... Dunedin wasn't the only new person around here, that was an interesting fact that the two shared. Was that why Dunedin felt like he needed to continue the conversation? Or maybe it was because of the depth of Kasim's eyes... he seemed so friendly. Probably the most friendly person he had met yet during Dunedin's short time at the BPRD. It made Dunedin feel strangely warm inside.

"I have never had chicken stir fry before," Dunedin stated plainly, turning to look over at the hot buffet where several different selections of food were available. "It sounds... interesting."

Dunedin then turned his blue-eyed gaze back to Kasim's. "Are you staying for dinner?" He asked before he even realized it. The fact made his eyes widen ever so slightly.

[Kasim Chionesu]

When the young man said he hadn't had chicken stir-fry, Kasim felt like hitting himself. The accent was foreign, he might not even know what chicken stir-fry was. For a man who had spent his entire life in rapidly revolving social situations, he certainly knew how to mess them up. He seemed to be very good creating stigmas. Not that he necessarily did, but still...

"It's... It's definitely worth a try." Kasim offered, smiling. At the question about staying for dinner, his smile softened. "I already ate. I was actually coming here for an ice cream..." He drifted off, looking to the young man. He was new, and Kasim certainly knew how lonely it could be to be the new agent at the BPRD. "But I could eat again." Kasim certainly wasn't going to abandon Dunedin to eat alone in the cafeteria. Kasim jerked his head towards the trays at the beginning of the buffet and led the way.

"So..." Kasim grabbed a tray and put his vase atop it before sliding it down towards the food. "Where are you from, Dunedin? You don't sound like the USA's your native country." He smiled at the boy as he grabbed a bowl of diced green Jell-o and sat it next to the vase. He was gonna need to hit the gym hard tomorrow to burn off the extra calories...

[Dunedin]

Dunedin blinked at Kasim questioningly... if he had already eaten, why eat again? Maybe it was because that he didn't want to part ways either! That made the warm feeling within Dunedin's become even more warm. "Well... I was born in Prague," he said, wondering how deep he should go into his whole life story. It wasn't the kind of topic one would bring up when just meeting someone for the first time, right? "I have not been in the United States for very long."

Dunedin took a tray as well and looked over the choices on the buffet, biting his lip. He was usually just a salad kind of guy, not knowing what most of the hot dishes here were. But, instead, he decided to be brave and followed the example put forth by his "leader", and grabbed a bowl of green jello as well... followed by a heaping portion of what Kasim called "Chicken Stir Fry"... well, he knew what the rice was, and his vegetable... stuff... it must be the chicken stir fry part?

"So..." Dunedin said, clearing the awkward lump in his throat. "You said you were a relative "newbie" as well? I take it that you have not been here for very long?"

[Kasim Chionesu]

Kasim smiled. Born in Europe? That must have been cool, even cooler that he grew up there, listening to that accent. "I've read that Prague is... nice. And full of culture." Kasim offered, taking only a little spoonful of Chicken Stir-Fry before moving on and grabbing a banana and apple down by the cooler foods. It was pretty weak, but Kasim was sincere in the compliment.

At the end of the buffet tables was the soft serve ice cream machine, the quarry Kasim had gone to the kitchen for in the first place. He grabbed a bowl and swirled a good amount of vanilla ice cream into it, and after it was safely on his tray, he grabbed two bundles of silverware, turning back to Dunedin and offering him one. After Dunedin got his food and asked his question, Kasim turned towards the tables for a place for them to sit as he responded.

"I came here a couple months ago, fresh out of Quantaco -- Er, that's the FBI Academy." Kasim was glad he didn't just plow ahead ignorantly with where he came from -- a lot of Americans didn't even know what Quantaco was (with very few exceptions. Most who did acknowledge the FBI Academy only knew what it was because of Silence of the Lambs or other movies). "I've kind of gotten the hang of the place, but let me tell you, the first couple weeks were rough." He laughed to himself. "You spend your entire life telling yourself monsters under the bed aren't real, and then surprise! They are." He set his tray down on a table for two near one of the false windows projecting nighttime light. "I almost had a heart attack when I was introduced to Hellboy."

[Dunedin]

"Prague can certainly be beautiful... and for the most part it is filled with culture and love of life," Dunedin said gently, sitting himself across from and to the left of Kasim, unsure if sitting too close would be considered rude. "I spent as much time as I could spare wandering the halls of art museums and so forth. They have quite a selection."

Taking a bite of chicken stir fry, Dunedin's eyes widened in what could only be a surprised amazement... it certainly WAS delicious. He continued to eat as Kasim spoke, hearing only a few words from what he was saying. Realizing how rude he was being, he set his fork down and picked up his napkin to wipe off his chin. He nodded when Kasim told him about his and Hellboy's first meeting. "Things are quite different when you ARE said monster under the bed... I'm sure the meeting was just as apprehensive for Hellboy. Despite his brashness, he does have feelings under that trenchcoat."

[Kasim Chionesu]

Kasim turned the axis of his body to face Dune as they sat, because it would be kind of awkward to be facing ahead but talking to the side. He smiled at Dunedin's words of his native city. "It sounds wonderful." He said, his head nodded. "If I ever get the chance, I'd love to travel. I'll certainly have to hit up Prague."

Kasim shoveled a spoonful of Jell-O into his mouth, pushing it through his teeth into his cheeks before swallowing it. That's how he had eaten Jell-O ever since he could remember. Chewing was overrated anyway. He smiled at Dunedin's intuition. "I haven't seen it, but I heard he can be a real love bug when he's with his wife. They're expecting twins pretty soon." He nodded. "It's comforting to know that a lot of what you fear when your little is just like you. Only they have certain strings attached." Kasim swallowed another spoonful of Jell-O before adding, "And it makes you pretty disappointed in just being a human sometimes." He chuckled.

[Dunedin]

Ah. So that's who the baby shower was for. Perhaps Dunedin should have made an appearance, maybe played a little violin for the party at the very least. Oh well, too little too late now. He hoped that his presence wasn't missed. But, he did feel extremely stupid that he was none the wiser that the couple was expecting. It would be a most interesting child birth.

Kasim's last comment made Dunedin pause and he lofted a brow. So, Dunedin assume that Kasim was just your average human... and a handsome one with a dazzling smile and playful, sparkling eyes...

Dunedin blinked and turned back to look at his food... why was he thinking such strange thoughts about one with whom he shared the same gender?? The idea was interesting to say the very least, and it made Dunedin's throat feel tight and dry. "Ahem..." he said, clearing his throat before returning to his meal. "Being a normal human should be considered a wonderful thing. A blessing, even."

[Kasim Chionesu]

Kasim felt a little ashamed at Dunedin's words, for he had assumed that Dunedin was one of those rare average humans in the Bureau that wasn't a suit or administrative staff. He guessed he had been wrong. If anything, working at the Bureau for the past months should have taught him not to read a book by his cover, and he still had done so anyway. And yet he still wasn't quite sure whether Dunedin was or wasn't because of his wording.

"Do you know from personal experience?" Kasim asked, offering a kind and encouraging smile. "I know I'm really lucky. I can take a night off, go into Trenton, and nobody knows what I do or who I am. Red and Blue, they don't have the same kind of luck. They're stuck down here." Kasim nudged a globular piece of Jell-O with his spoon and finished with, "They're not Clark Kent, they can't put on glasses and live a normal life."

[Dunedin]

Dunedin nodded between bites of his meal... he did have experience. For a moment he remembered the men who had come for him when he was still very young. How they were going to take him to sell to the highest bidder. He remembered the shadows seeping from him, wrapping around the, killing them. He could remember the anger and horror that had been imprinted on his mind through the touch of his soul self. Soon it began to make him pale, his fork falling from his fingers. Why was he doing this to himself? He needed to forget the past, move forward!

"I wish that perhaps, one day, our friends who are 'trapped' down here, as you say, will have their chance to coexist," he said, his voice (albeit flat and expressionless), became quiet... almost solemn. "It is shameful that humanity has forgotten what once was... whom they share their earth with. We seem a foolishly selfish species, do we not?"

[Kasim Chionesu]

Kasim's brow furrowed as Dunedin's already fair complexion lost what was left of its color. His fork clattered to the table and Kasim's lips parted. Was he ok? Kasim went to speak and ask if he was alright but Dunedin spoke and words left the FBI agent. Kasim's lips pressed together and he bowed his head almost in reverence at his words. Kasim swallowed before he spoke, his food forgotten.

"There's books and records in the library here about long ago, when the humans vowed to stay to the city and the fantastic creatures to the forests." Kasim said softly. "I don't think we're foolish. Just greedy. Some of us..." His eyes looked up at the cafeteria ceiling. The BPRD was trying to keep the peace. Were they greedy? Were they foolish? Were they trying to make things better or worse? Kasim had never thought these thoughts before, but Dunedin had simply pulled them out from him. "Some try to make it better, I suppose. I wonder, I really wonder if we'll be able to perform such a thing peacefully."