Just your average Joe

Your resident computer guy. Part of The Manic Heart RP

[dr-keira-marzano]

Guinea Pig || Keira & Joe

[dr-keira-marzano]

She had the urge to point and giggle at him. She really did. Keira was torn between breaking her professionalism and not include this tape in her research findings. The brunette nodded as Joe rambled on about Elton John and how he was… wait! Did he just say Elton John was in his birthday suit? Keira bit her inner cheek hard so she wouldn’t burst out laughing. Oh, this session proved to be golden indeed.

It took almost all of her strength to quell the urge to release the sound of glee and cleared her throat. “Interesting,” she said, loud enough to capture Joe’s attention but he didn’t seem to notice her anymore. She took a seat at a stool nearby, watching him look confused and looking at the space in front of him – that must be where Elton John is. He must have had a “huge” part of him growing up to trigger such a hallucination. That is usually what happens one starts seeing things – the brain tends to tap on the subconscious and come out with bizarre things… like Elton John… Not that he was bizarre… well maybe a tad bit. Nothing wrong with bizarre though.

Again, she bit down her lower lip when Joe talked to “Elton John” again. Keira couldn’t help but grin when he turned to her with that cute, puppy look on his face. “Are my eyes glowing? I mean like a pair of cat’s eyes or in a demon-ish sort of glow?” she asked, canting her head to the side as she stepped forward. “Colour?”   

[joe--aldridge]

Joe literally had no clue about the fact that Keira was effectively laughing at him for his foolish, drug addled behavior. He took all of this very seriously himself, his brows knitting together when she asked the question about her eyes; as if it was a matter of utmost importance. Elton was still humming away sadly in the corner, but Joe wasn't paying attention to him anymore. "I dunno. Sort of... like you've got starlight in yer eyes," That sounded about right. They were very shiny. "Pretty," he nodded, in regards to her colour question.

Elton was still singing, something a little more upbeat finally, strains of song floating through his brain and making him giggle lightly. "He won't bloody shut up," He lowered his tone to a stage whisper, because it seemed like the thing to do. "Do you think he wants us to dance?"

Mind made up in the flash of a second, Joe nodded to himself, before struggling to get up from the chair he'd been sitting in. "Whoahh, trippy. Does the world always spin this fast?" His blue eyes were slightly dazed, features slack as he wobbled on his feet, trying to get his bearings. "Why'd I stand up again?" He asked in a slightly slurred, accented tone before his gaze fell onto the petite woman again. "Oh right! Dancing! C'mon, we need to cater to Elton's wishes, poor bloke wants to get back to his husband."

[halric-kingston]

Sticky Situation || Hal & Joe

joe—aldridge

"You’re on your own, Halric. I specifically told you not to fuck around with them and you ignored my words. This is what you get when you don’t take me seriously. You landed in this mess yourself. So get yourself out." 

Here comes the day, where Hal absolutely loathes partnering with someone who doesn’t understand the meaning of loyalty or benevolence. Sometimes he wished he dared to cross swords with this man but today was not the ideal time to craft out a plan. Rather, he has more pressing issues to deal with — like staying alive and not have bullets in his skull for that matter. He refused to die. Not today, not ever. Not when his life is turning around and having Fei in it again. He has too much at stake and of course, his mouth just didn’t know when to shut up when he needs to. 

He wasn’t exactly thinking of where he was going. All Hal could think of was to get away.. as far away as possible… as far as his lanky legs could take him. Regret was filling him up fast as his conscience starting putting out all of his options. One of them was physically begging Zach to do what he does best but that option flew out of the window. Another was to actually contact his connections and rid of the problem pronto. The hurdle with this one was which one to choose and what he could offer in return without jeopardising himself. 

Sighing noisily, Hal ran a slightly shaky hand through his dark mane as he kept glancing back, making sure he wasn’t being tailed. He was about to turn when a sharp pain met his shoulder. The impact was hard and Hal stumbled back, his shoulders hitting the wall to his left. “Hey! Watch where you’re going you lil shi—” He looked up only to find someone as tall as him, blue eyes staring back at his own. Frowning, he regained his composure quickly. “Watch where you’re going, will you?”

[joe--aldridge]

There wasn't really anywhere to go. Most of the friends he had were of the digital kind, through chats and games; the few people he'd made contact with during his short stay in London, he didn't know well enough yet to feel comfortable calling them up or going to their place and ask them for a bit of their time. As much as he loved the digital world, all the tinkering he got to do, the way his mind just got lost in the code; it got a little lonely from time to time. 

So he'd gone out, emerged from his 'lair' with the idea of going for a drink, perhaps be among people without actively trying to connect would help as well, his mind still running over his few options. Keira, though he wasn't really eager to have her start giggling about the Elton John thing again. Emrys, though he was more of a work partner and Joe didn't get the let's become friends vibe from the man; something he usually appreciated, but simply frustrated him now. Cas. No. 

A bar, alone, then. Just get a couple of shots; see if there was anyone approachable, -- though what he'd talk about, he didn't know. Most people didn't give a shite about the things he was passionate about and the thing that might be interesting he couldn't say anything about. Besides, he wasn't smooth enough to simply walk into a bar and pick someone up for tension release.

Thoughts spooking through his mind, it wasn't surprising that he wasn't watching where he was going and as he turned a corner, he didn't see the other man until they'd literally walked straight into each other. He was about to apologise, ask if the bloke was alright when the sudden sharp, almost hostile tone from the other made him step back a little, a frown growing on his face. "I could say the same to you," you arse he thought uncharitably. "No need to bite my nose off." 

His gaze focused over the man's shoulder when he heard some voices, a small group of men pointing at them, a brow arching. "Friends of yours?"

[joe--aldridge]

Computer Whiz | Skyler & Joe

skyler-bane

While his work with the Government certainly caused some excitement in his life (and a lot of undue stress), Joe was ashamed to admit he almost prefered working at the computer store. There wasn't as much pressure, he was allowed to wander off into his own mind, or do his own thing until a customer came along, usually with a trivial little problem that could be fixed in an hour. 

His ma would've told him that this was just another one of his many quirks and faults; too much pressure on him to do something and Joe would develop this stubborn streak inside his mind that just wanted to do nothing. He was almost grateful for having Emrys there now, reminding him of what needed to be done and keeping him from getting too lost inside his own brain every time he got distracted by another shiny piece of code. But it did make the days at the computer store a veritable breath of fresh air.

Even though he couldn't deny missing his equipment every time.

Hearing the bell above the shop ring, Joe looked up from the counter, plastering his generic 'hello, how can I help you' smile upon his features as his blue eyes took in the man that had just entered. "Hey there, are you looking for something or do you have a problem that needs fixing?"

[joe--aldridge]

Plots for Joe

(Computer Whiz)

Joe recently started working for a small computer store that specialises in fixing old and new computers, taking care of viruses and retrieving lost data. For a little bit extra, Joe will give all kinds of upgrades specified by the client, such as customised security, faster applications and games. Your character happens to need their computer fixed or upgraded and they come to Joe to have that happen. Can be taken by more than one character. Taken by Skyler

(404 Error; File not Found)

Joe also works for the Government, trying to find out who hacked into the database and caused the blackout. During his first day, a lot of files got corrupted by a latent virus and although he's managed to retrieve most, he's still in the dark about some things. Since the general consensus of his bosses was that delicate information and files got stolen to get sold on the internet/black market, Joe's taken to various search machines to see if he can ping a signal somewhere outside of his office hours. He thinks he's found a lead and is going to investigate. Perhaps your character has something to do with the lead, or perhaps they just happen to be there. Will the lead run to something? Will something go wrong? Or is it all a bust? How does your character help?

[adelekwong-blog-deactivated2022]

That’s not surprising. At that age, most things only have a few topics in their mind. Boys, fashion, boys… Not all girls are like that, of course, but the majority only care about that. Once she is older you’ll have more things in common with her.

I’ve came up with countless of theories, but every single one of them sound absolutely ridiculous. I am going to wait a bit and see if I can find out more about the guy before I start assuming things.

[joe--aldridge]

Gosh, my sister and boys. My ma always wants me home for family sundays, and I looked into my sister's room for a second and all I could see were... what's that band called? Direction? She freaked out on me so hard too, you'd think I'd been going through her diary. I'unno. I guess we'll see once she gets older. For now she's all about boys, fashion, and horses.

That's probably the smartest thing to do. Wouldn't want to get disappointed, huh? 

[david-aslanov]

It is convenient, but sometimes far from safe - you are right… I usually want to know what is hidden behind what, if I already am a part of something. 

But are they actually working on it… 

Everybody should have this one hobby, that field they would know a lot about. The world is so vast we can’t know everything, but when we have a passion we don’t need “everything”.

[joe--aldridge]

Easy isn't always good. I like to stay informed. Perhaps it's also a bit of a control issue, eh? 

I dunno, mate, it's not like I'm working for the Government. I hope they are, I think that's the best I can say. That's true! I do wish I were a better cook, at that; best I can do is Spaghetti Bolognese. 

[dr-keira-marzano]

Guinea Pig || Keira & Joe

[dr-keira-marzano]

"Then you should sit tight and behave," cringing slightly at how motherly she sounds towards him. That was certainly not appealing. Her teeth bit down her inner cheek to prevent herself from laughing out loud when he questioned her about the tapes. Instead, Keira squinted at him, thinking of all those times she sat at home, watching the tapes over and over again with a tub full of popcorn. Those were happy memories — suddenly she missed that. Keira couldn’t help but smirk at Joe. "Maybe one too many times. I mean if it’s truly hilarious, it’ll get repeated a few times."

Feigning an offended look, Keira jutted her chin forward. “I am very trustworthy,” Keira nodded, successfully suppressing the urge to poke her tongue out at him. Maintain professionalism — mission accomplished. “Whatever happens in this room, stays in the room, Mr Aldridge.”

Keira disposed the syringe and the alcohol swab she used just now and then turned towards Joe. She must have looked like wide-eyed and expectant because the next thing he said was about knowing when — Oh, there it is. She fought the urge to smile when he started hallucinating and spouting nonsense. This was her favourite part of trials, watching and noting down her participants’ response. Usually she would abstain from interfering with her observation but Joe somehow looked like a lost puppy who’s convinced that Elton John is with them.

"Is he?" Keira asked, dark eyes twinkling with amusement. "What does he look like? Is he wearing his usual sunglasses and earring?" She pretended to note this down on her clipboard when in truth she wanted to giggle and and grab some popcorn. She moved away slightly, humming Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word loudly— the song seemed to be apt since she lied about the sting. After several seconds of humming, she stopped. "Did you hear that? Is he singing a song?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

[joe--aldridge]

Admittedly, Joe was feeling very, very pleasant inside and out. Now if only Elton could stop his caterwauling and he'd actually feel fantastic. His ma had always had an inappropriate relationship with Elton's music, putting it on way too often, -- and sometimes even getting a little starry eyed whenever his rendition of 'My Song' came on the radio. So to have Elton here in the room with him, was just another sign that his ma had wormed her way too deeply into his subconscious. 

Not in an Oedipus sort of way, of course. Gross.

"Like-- Elton John," Joe replied dreamily, though his brow furrowed in confusion as his gaze tried to focus. What else was Elton supposed to look like? "He doesn't look like he wants ta be here, tho'." His accent started rounding out a little, a soft hint of Welsh showing through, courtesy of the years he'd been living and studying in Cardiff. "I mean, he dosn't have a shirt on, p'rhaps he was about to get off?"

He really didn't want to be the one to interrupt Elton from doing the hanky-panky. He wasn't that cruel of a cock block. Tilting his head to the side, his lips pursed slightly as Elton started singing another song. Was he trying to determine how to apologise to his gay lover for promptly vanishing from the room right before getting down and dirty? "It's all right, Elton. He'll forgive you," Joe said sagely, not even noticing Keira in the room anymore. 

He blinked and Elton disappeared, making Joe smile. With that same dopey and sort of stupid looking smile, he turned towards Keira. "I'm not a cock block," He informed her gently, before his features brightened and he sat up a little. "Your eyes are glowing!"

[joe--aldridge]

Years Have Passed | Caspian & Joe

[caspianwaitforitturner-blog-blog]

"You’d be surprised," Caspian said. He’d been surprised himself to discover how involved the FBI was in London’s current affairs, "I know a guy that got sent here even before the blackout. They ain’t bad people. Probably not all yanks either, you could be an FBI spy, for all I know," he teased, eyeing Joe with mock suspicion. Caspian smirked at Joe’s retort and shrugged. "One can dream. Also, James Bond ain’t even FBI, so you totally could be." That being said, Joe had never seemed to be that type of guy, in Caspian’s opinion, he was much more of a ‘brains behind the operation’ person.

Caspian nodded in agreement, knowing exactly what Joe meant about getting sick of Cardiff. Cardiff was a big city, an interesting one too, but when you’d grown up there among the same people and drama it became annoying. “I was thinkin’ ‘bout goin’ back, after what happened with the blackout and everythin’,” Caspian admitted, “But then I realised I’d prob’ly have to see my mum more often.” Joe had witnessed the charming bond between Caspian and his mother, not that it wasn’t obvious to almost everyone he’d known that their relationship was strained.

"Mhm, he hasn’t got time for much these days, still livin’ back in Cardiff too." Caspian wasn’t all that surprised to hear that Lennox and Joe lost contact, the only point where they’d been slightly closer than acquaintances was when Joe had briefly helped out Caspian. He smiled softly as Joe spoke. Yes, he supposed he did look better than the last time they’d seen each other, but having it noticed assured Caspian much more. 

"I dunno if you heard ‘bout ‘everythin’," Caspian said slowly, "Lotsa shit went down. Like lots. Then I went to rehab like…3 years ago? That’s what brought me here,” he explained, shrugging nonchalantly. If it had been anyone else, Caspian probably would have avoided sharing that information but Joe was aware of what had happened to him, so Caspian wasn’t uncomfortable sharing that. “I’m doin’ okay though, think bein’ on my own’s done me some good, y’know?”

[joe--aldridge]

"Should I be concerned that you're apparently familiar with someone from the FBI?" His tone was lightly teasing as he cocked an eyebrow. "How much trouble did you get into these past few years, Caspian?" Joe didn't think Cas would ever do something to get FBI involved in his 'case' though. Or at least, he wouldn't claim they 'ain't bad people' if they had. So there was a light smile tugging at his lips as he eyed Cas, letting out a low laugh. "No, mate, I'm not spying on ya. You're not that cute."

Nodding lightly as Cas expanded on the topic of Lennox, Joe didn't feel that broken up about not keeping up with the bloke. Even back then, he'd been mainly interested in the man sitting across from him right now. Or perhaps interest wasn't the right word. He'd been curious. 

Perhaps not entirely for the right reasons, but he could make up for that now by trying to be a friend instead of a gawker. 

"I followed the trial," Joe admitted, in a soft tone. "I won't deny havin' felt sorry for you, back then and that sort of being the reason why I helped you out. Everything that went down was just all sorts of wrong," He shook his head, giving a light shrug and then a small nod when Cas spoke about rehab. Considering what the bloke'd gone through, developing an addiction didn't even make him surprised and that was just wrong too, in the big scheme of things. "So yeah, I am glad you're doing better."

Taking a sip of his brew, Joe quirked his lips and let his eyes take in Caspian's arms. "I remember, the one time you actually did talk to me was when I asked you about the tats. I'm guessing you did some of those?" 

[adelekwong-blog-deactivated2022]

That I am. Really? She sounds cute. How old is she? Everyone has that certain topic that they love talking about. If you heard me ramble about my job, you’d definitely think that I need some Xanax in my system.

That’s the thing; she didn’t say anything. I tried to get her to tell me why she had that, but she refused to talk. I actually had to spy on her to find out that my brother was living here.

[joe--aldridge]

She just turned 16 two months ago. We're not really close, but that's mostly the age difference, I think. I've got about 11 years on her. Oh yeah, that sounds like me. And then once you're on the job, it's like you get lost in your own world.

Oh wow, sounds like a serious secret. Do you have theories? Or are you going to wait until you've urm, gathered more evidence?

[adelekwong-blog-deactivated2022]

Well, congrats on the job. I’d be feeling the same way if someone offered me a job at Valentino I’d be as happy as you.

Not exactly. My mother had me right before she had me and never told me existed. I found a sonogram while digging around for some papers and confronted her.

[joe--aldridge]

Thank you. You're in the fashion industry? My little sister would love you. Sometimes she starts talking in this fashion lingo that sounds like a foreign language to me and then I finally find out why people look at me like I grew an extra head every time I start in on computer systems.

Shite, I'd be curious too, if that happened to me. My ma' 'n da are still together, though, so I doubt I'll ever come across a sonogram of a secret brother I never knew I had. What did she say?

[david-aslanov]

People who know nothing and don’t ask too many questions are always safe. It is worse when you are one of those who can actually come up with fresh ideas and give people new solutions. But, of course, it doesn’t mean it is better and safer to be stupid and selfish. 

I’m sure they do - they turned the power back on and nothing more has happened since. Whatever that is… Their skills tell me that they needed something big.

Oh now you are talking about things I don’t understand. Hah!

[joe--aldridge]

I'd rather be unsafe than ignorant, all told. Sticking your head in the sand might work for some, but it always tends to turn out to have more negative than positive effects on societies and groups as a whole. That's why I thoroughly dislike the way some Governments are trying to keep people stupid and dissuade them from looking further than their own narrow-minded opinions.

Hopefully someone finds out what they were after. Could lead to knowing who did it. 

Don't worry. It's a bit to me like what cooking is to you and I don't understand much about that either, like I said.

[dr-keira-marzano]

Guinea Pig || Keira & Joe

[dr-keira-marzano]

Nope, she has never been good with men… or even women. Keira had recognised her deficiencies in responding appropriately to human interactions. People pointing it out to her earlier in her life weren’t exactly kind. Still, she takes what she can get even though most of the time, Keira found herself stumbling around like an awkward turtle, unsure of how to react to even her own actions. She should apologise to him later. Her mouth tend to have a mind of its own. 

"You’re safe here," she nodded. Eyeing the form, Keira noted his details, her mind whirring as she did quick mental calculations with regards to the dosage. Arching a brow at the participant, amusement crinkled her features slightly as she turned to see what he was pointing at. "Would it make it better to say that it’s not a human eye?" she deadpanned, trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably. Keira backtracked to the counter grabbing a rag to cover jar. There, that will stop distracting him. A part of her wanted to know how he will react to the jar when he’s under influence but she’ll probably keep that till later and monitor the situation. "Maybe after this whole thing, I will tell you what it is," she said with a small smile tugging on her lips.

Keira couldn’t help but chuckle when he told her about his drunk demeanour. “Don’t worry about it. Drunk, maybe pissed drunk… high up in the clouds…” she trailed off before scrunching her nose slightly, as she walked back to him. “You might even be stoned and quiet, not leaving the seat. It’s why I need to observe you,” she explained before pointing to the camera with its red light blinking faced towards them. Yes, she can do this without concentrating on his piercing blue gaze. Keira turned slightly away, prepping the syringe, extracting the substance just the right dosage. When she eventually had to meet his eye again, Keira took his arm, ignoring the feel of it in her palms, tapped the inner part of his elbow to reveal the vein. Swiping the alcohol swab on his skin, “This is not going to hurt,” she assured him before piercing the syringe into his skin, injecting the serum. Keira could feel him grimace slightly and she shrugged, Sorry I lied.”

[joe--aldridge]

"Only slightly," Joe deadpanned back, smile tugging at the corners of his lips, watching with interest as Keira covered it up, -- though Joe hadn't exactly felt disgusted by it, just curious. "That's certainly something to look forward to then," He nodded his head gravely, trying to school his features into something a little more serious, though he was sure he was failing just as hard at that as she was. 

Feeling his shoulders relaxing slightly when Keira assured him nothing he said in this room would be held against him, he gave a small wave towards the camera. "Do you watch those tapes often or just once? I can image it'd sort of be a like funniest home videos, lab edition." Certain tapes, at least. The bloke or bird who'd relived their own worst nightmares might not really fall under that category. 

Hissing when the needle pierced his skin and he could feel the clear substance of the syringe hit his veins, leaving behind a slightly achey feeling as if he'd just gotten his flu shot, Joe threw her a mock-betrayed glare, fingers lightly massaging the hurt spot. "I can see you're a very thrustworthy person." Not that she seemed so broken up about it. Grumbling good-naturedly, Joe leaned back in the chair and loosely linked his hands into his lap. His gaze shot to the ceiling, back to her, to the jars and back to her, brown eyes peeking at him expectantly as if she was waiting for him to do something weird. It wasn't really an assuring feeling, -- sort of like waiting for the LSD to kick in. Which he sort of guessed this was.

"When will I know when it, -- oh." Joe blinked. His entire body suddenly felt light, floaty. Like a candle in the wind. "Where did the Elton John suddenly come from?" His voice sounded weird to his own ears; deeper. Was he turning into Elton John? He sure hoped not, he didn't think he could pull off the purple glasses and glitter suits as well as he did. "Is he with us?" 

[joe--aldridge]

Years Have Passed | Caspian & Joe

[caspianwaitforitturner-blog-blog]

"Oh, really?" Caspian laughed, "What are you FBI now or summit? ‘cause they seem to be turnin’ up all over the place. Not that it’s surprisin’, when you look at the state of this place." Really, all Caspian knew about Joe was that he was good with computers, it was the only reason they’d ever met. It was even like they’d been friends, it was Lennox that had known Joe and Caspian hadn’t even spoken to Joe that much. At that time, the only person he’d spoken to was his brother.

"Came all the way here to work in a computer store?" Caspian asked, giving him an unconvinced look, "Must be a pretty great computer store." Caspian didn’t intend to pry, after all he wasn’t sure he entirely liked the idea of explaining to Joe that the reason he’d come to London was because of rehab. "That’s a good point, at least. Think a lot of people are dealin’ with ‘temporary unemployment’."

A sense of relief came over Caspian when he got his coffee, he couldn’t drink alcohol or smoke much with the state of his ribs and coffee had become his main substitute for both. “Mhm, I can imagine. My rent’s gone down quite a lot too, loads o’ people are movin’ out,” for this Caspian was grateful, as he really couldn’t afford for it to be raised while he wasn’t working. “You know, you literally missed Lennox by about a week. He came up here after the blackout for a few days, brought his wife and his kid too,” Caspian explained, not even sure if Joe still spoke to Lennox.

[joe--aldridge]

Joe's eyebrows raised. "I'm not a yank, why would you even think I'd be FBI? And what do they have to do wiv anythin'?" His tone was mildly confused. He didn't really see what the FBI had to do with anything, since he hardly doubted a black out in a city on another continent was any of their concern. Unless it turned out Americans were involved in this entire disaster. "I'm not involved in secret services, if that's what you're implying. Still Joe Aldridge, not James Bond."

Or well, not really. The role of Q had always been more interesting anyhow. "The pay is pretty decent." Joe shrugged, running a hand through his dirty blond hair, keeping his face straight. It didn't matter if Caspian believed him or not, in the end. He didn't owe the boy any favors --  man now, he supposed. "And I was getting tired of Cardiff." Same people, same shite. Despite what happened over the weekend, Joe'd taken the opportunity for a change of scenery (even one that looked like the set of a war movie) with both hands. "That's putting it mildly. I've seen how Oxford Street looks like." Shaking his head as if to emphasis what exactly he thought of it, Joe smiled up at the waitress, before taking a sip of his brew. "Hm, this is really good." 

Listening with interest as Cas told him about Lennox, Joe briefly tried to imagine himself married and with child. Lennox and him were the same age, yet the idea felt ridiculous at best. "Huh. Seems like I missed quite a few things these last years. We sorta lost contact, to be honest," They'd never been that close to begin with, so it wasn't a monumental loss. "What about you? What have you been doing? You're looking loads better than last I saw you, -- I'm glad." He was, even if the words felt sort of forced. "I thought about you sometimes, wondering how you were holding up." That already sounded more genuine and was also the truth.

[lucasafelix]

I officially need a new secretary. I’d put an ad in the paper but only nitwits tend to respond to those. I’m at my wits end here. I never quite realize just how strenuous Imogen’s work was. At least I gave her plenty of gifts to acknowledge her ethic.

Dare I say I miss the woman?

[joe--aldridge]

Looking for new staff is always such a hassle, innit? I'd say you should still put an ad in the paper or on the internet, since it's the easiest way and for every ten nitwits that reply, you might actually get someone who will be worth your time. What does the job require?

[joe--aldridge]

Years Have Passed | Caspian & Joe

[caspianwaitforitturner-blog-blog]

Caspian had been as surprised as Joe, to find that he still had the man’s number. It was a random number saved onto the phone and Caspian figured out later that he must have had it because the phone he had used to belong to Lennox. Caspian and Joe had never been ‘friends’, when they’d known each other Caspian could barely bring himself to speak to his family, let alone strangers. That said, Joe had been one of few people that hadn’t made Caspian feel utterly uncomfortable…especially after what had happened.

He was a little conscious of how Joe would act, mainly because the last time they’d spoken Caspian had still been a complete mess. However, several years had passed and, despite everything, Caspian was much better and more confident than the kid that Joe had first met. Caspian found himself quite looking forward to seeing Joe again, he was eager to see if the other had changed as much as he had.

A part of Caspian had expected Joe not to turn up, so he was pleasantly surprised when he walked into the coffee shop and saw the other sitting there. He offered Joe a small grin, as he sat down, and smirked as he spoke. “Yeah, they think they’re all fancy here but they ain’t.”

Caspian ordered for them then sat back in his chair, studying Joe briefly. “So, what’s Joe ‘the computer guy’ upto these days, eh?” Caspian asked, a coy smile on his face, “You picked a hell of a time to turn up to London.”

[joe--aldridge]

Joe smiled in return, taking the time Caspian took to order to really get a good look in. Appearance wise, not that much had changed except for the fact that he'd gotten older and was sporting more ink; the way he held himself, though, that was different. It was good to see it, too. Joe couldn't really be classified as someone with a lot of empathic ability, but he couldn't deny that Caspian's defeated and small figure back then had pulled something on his heartstrings. Right now, though, Caspian looked to be doing well. Perhaps he didn't exactly look healthy, still a little gaunt and pale, but he was smiling. He was actually saying more than just two sullen words.

Shooting the bloke a mock glare, smile still playing around his lips, Joe sat back in his own chair and raised his brows. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." It wasn't exactly true, he didn't think. "Nah, mate, I got this job at a computer store? Of course, my start date is being postponed a little because it got looted, but I figured I'd use the free time to settle in." He lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. 

The waitress arrived with their orders and Joe took a small sip of his coffee, letting out a small hum of approval before his blue eyes flashed back to Cas. "At least I got the flat I was gunna rent for a lot cheaper than initially expected," Joe smirked slightly. "So while London has turned into a bit of a post-war ravage, at least I don't have to pay an arm and a leg to live here anymore."

[eidetic-mem0ry]

Blackout Turnabout || Joe + Emrys

[eidetic-mem0ry]

It was a relief to see that the man he was working with was just as horrible with social interaction as he was. But, that relief was mixed with concern. Emrys wasn’t sure how to work with this sort of situation. “Nice to meet you.” It came out more like it was just a reflex than a genuine kindness, but Emrys didn’t realize it until it was already after the man had told him an earful. 

"…They told me I am working with you about the Blackout. I wasn’t given a directive, I think they would rather just let me follow orders." Safe thing to do, if he knew too much, it would give more reason to distrust him. They trusted him as far as they could spit him, and he was aware of that. "…Let’s see…" 

A few clicks here, a few clicks there, and something familiar flashed in front of Emrys’ screen. He leaned forward, staring at the sudden twitch on the screen. “…Ah—I do better looking at the coding.” He muttered, switching the view he had, seeing a file that seemed to look mismatched from the rest in how it was set up. Coding didn’t match. It was close, though, only being off by one alter that meant one of two things. 

"It’s like a bomb.." He furrowed his brow, wondering who would actually have the mindset to put a timer on a possible virus. But the coding looked to be counting down. "Joe…— I think we are going to have another directive thrown our way in—" And then the bomb hit zero. A virus was set free, and it was already making its way through every file it could to corrupt and serve as a blockade to keep anyone from viewing the person—or persons—behind this. 

[joe--aldridge]

The bloke seemed to be as reluctant to be here as Joe was to have him there and for some odd reason, that actually made him relax a little. "All right, uh, just follow those instructions then," He muttered, nodding when he saw Emrys (he hoped the man was as much a wizard as the name suggested) turn towards one of the computer screens, making Joe move towards the other. 

For a moment, everything was going well. Both of them were working in silence, only occasionally muttering something and before long, Joe was already lost in the world of code and had forgotten all about his companion for the job. Characters, numbers and binary were flashing across the screen which each knew click Joe made and every time he typed something on the keyboard. He knew every single one of those signs, the commands he could type, the things he had to look out for by heart. 

It took a moment for Emrys' suddenly alarmed tone to filer through, Joe looking up with a soft "huh?" but then everything on his screen suddenly started changing, morphing and that woke him up pretty fucking fast. "You've got to be fucking..." A string of curses left his mouth, brows furrowed as he snapped back to his own screen and started typing. 

Moments like these, when something unexpected came along, Joe started running on automatic. His fingers worked, his eyes saw, his brain whirred and connected and infered and he stopped being really there, just letting himself do. No real thinking involved except for the leaps and jumps his brain seemed to make without even really trying. 

This was a fucking beautiful virus, he had to give them that. "Fuck, finally," He muttered after he didn't know how long, emerging from his own mind, eyes blinking slowly. "Contained. A lot's still been corrupted, but not everything. Just have to..." Joe turned towards Emrys, "It's contained but I haven't... we still need to isolate the sequence so we can delete it from the databanks and regain access? Do you think they put in another one of those or...?"

[dr-keira-marzano]

Guinea Pig || Keira & Joe

[dr-keira-marzano]

She wasn’t exactly thinking her words through when they roll out of her tongue. “On top of me,” she said glancing away  from his gaze before her eyes widened, realising what she had told him. Keira could feel the heat rising up her neck and to her cheeks within a fraction of a second. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed, a palm flying to her mouth, horrified at herself. “NO! Not on top of me!” Okay, maybe saying that twice wasn’t helping at all. “I mean…. uh… I meant on the chair.” She hastily pointed to the reclining chair not too far away from her. “Yeah, on the chair. Uh. Lay on it… Or something. ” Her cheeks were still burning red when Keira turned away from him, approaching the lab counter to retrieve the required chemicals. 

Her heart was practically ramming itself repeatedly against her ribcage and Keira had to will herself to remain calm. Taking deep breaths, she turned again to face him. The chair was still upright and Keira manoeuvred the flip table on its side to spring up. “Fill this in for me.” Placed in front of Joe was a blank form detailing the clauses he will agree upon when he chooses to partake in this trial. “Most importantly, I need your blood type, weight, height.. just try not to lie in the form,” she said, tone laced with slight annoyance — not particularly to him but due to her previous experience. She handed him a pen and then got to work with the syringes and needles. 

"Erm, okay, just a brief outline of what.. may happen when you’re under influence," Keira started, clearing her throat to sound professional. She tried not to look directly into his blue eyes. God damn handsome men with their blue gazes. "Different people experience different things. I once had a participant jumping around and thought she was literally a kangaroo. Another started to have hallucinations about her worst nightmare." She sighed. "So, if you’re having doubts, you can still say no. If not, the only thing I have to say is, if you don’t like sharp objects, you should look away."

[joe--aldridge]

"Urm, what? Joe flushed a deep red, fidgeting with his hands awkwardly like he didn't know what to do with them. She couldn't have just said...? But she was blushing just as red as he was and then she even repeated it and Joe didn't know whether to be flattered or slightly disturbed on top of feeling awkward. He settled on a mix of all three in the end, sucking his lips into his mouth to keep from smiling even as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. Not trusting himself to speak just yet (I mean, honestly, it's not like he would mind being on top of her, but he didn't think that's what she wanted to hear right now), he simply nodded at Keira before doing as she asked and settling into that chair. 

Accepting the flip chart, his blue eyes darted around briefly. "Do you, uh, have a pen I could use?" She was avoiding looking at him, making Joe feel a little self-conscious, a soft 'ah' leaving his mouth when Keira handed him a pen, going back to doing whatever she was... doing. He probably shouldn't look too close at some of the jars lining the wall. Probably. He did anyway. "What's... that?" before adding an "oh, sorry," When she started talking instead and Joe flushed once more, quietly starting on the chart she'd given him.

Once he was done (and he hadn't lied) and it was placed on the side, Joe felt another smile threatening to cross his face at her words. "Er, I think I'll be fine. I mean, you're here to make sure I don't like, hurt myself, or anything, right?" He was sure he'd read something like that  on the chart. "No, seriously, what is that, though? It looks like it's watching me," He pointed again at the jar he'd looked at before, a look of abject fascination on his features. And then, "Are the effects a bit like being drunk? Because I get even less of a filter when I'm drunk so perhaps I should uh, warn you as well I might say some inappropriate things." Like for example, how he wouldn't mind being on top of her or what a shame he thought it was that she still wasn't looking at him, because her eyes were quite pretty.