Apartment Hunting (Zach) Dec 28th AM

[Chiba Mamoru]

When Mamoru had left Usagi’s office the evening before, he had quickly arranged for his things to be taken to a new room. He didn’t even want to spend one night that close to Usagi, knowing that he could never have her. He was in a very dark mood and so he didn’t bother being nice to whomever he spoke to. In fact, he was fairly certain he had probably managed to prompt a few people into tears with the scathing looks and words he had given them when things weren’t moving as quickly as he wanted. At the time he hadn’t particularly cared for their feelings very much, he was miserable and so therefore they should be as well.

The moment everything had been arranged to his satisfaction he had sent everyone away and simply brooded in his new rooms. He didn’t want company, not even that of his faithful Shitennou, and so he had simply sat there mentally berating himself over everything that had happened or more precisely he sat there and sulked long into the night. However, sometime during the night he had come to the conclusion that he couldn’t stay here. Half way across the palace wasn’t far enough away and he needed to move out, he couldn’t take the chance of running into her or her senshi.

Therefore, bright and early the next morning he had made an appointment with a realtor office in order to find himself a new apartment. He then had proceeded to get ready for the day. He glared at his normal purple attire before deciding that he never wanted to wear it again. It also held far too many memories of the future he had glimpsed and so he chose instead a nice pair of slacks and a dress shirt. After he had managed to get dressed, looking as impeccable as he always did, Mamoru left his rooms and hurried off to his appointment with the realtor. He still had his car and so he drove himself there, not wishing to be anywhere near anybody that had anything to do with the palace.

As Mamoru arrived at the office and made his way inside, he smiled politely at the realtor and gave his name, ignoring the surprised look she gave him upon recognizing who he was. He took a seat and informed the girl that he needed an apartment as quickly as possible. Mamoru knew that it probably would take a little while to find an apartment to fit his needs, but he hoped that it wouldn’t take too long. He really didn’t want to spend anymore time in the palace then he needed to.

[Zacharie Babineaux]

Now that the negotiations were complete on the movie, which would take about a year through its entire productions, Zach needed a place to stay on a more permanent basis. Sure, hotel suites were nice but one got a little tired of them eventually and they were more expensive in the long run than a normal apartment--even if that meant the hassle of setting up a residency. Normally he would have left this sort of thing up to his agent (what else was the man good for?) but today Zacharie had thought a little independence would do him good, and would keep him from wanting to smash the piano to bits. Still grinding his teeth over the fact that there was a key on the damn thing that just would. not. tune., Zacharie made his way across town to the only English-able Realtor he'd been able to find. It was possible to rent an apartment without one, of course, but this was the best way to do things when you weren't entirely capable communicating complicated ideas.

More than a little apprehensive about the place he was about to go into, Zacharie was well surprised when it turned out to be a fairly classy sort of establishment. He'd have to leave the maid a little extra on her tip in thanks for the suggestion.

One of the women greeted him, asked him if he wanted coffee and directed him to a waiting area. He took the coffee and sat down on a pleasantly stuffed couch, blue gaze roaming about the room and the agents busy plucking away at paperwork or speaking with clients. Of those, it was a particular man near the back which caught Zach's attention. Observing him openly and without the slightest remorse for staring, Zachary couldn't help but wonder what it was about the man that was so remarkable.

Perhaps it was that appallingly mismatched outfit. It was an eyesore and a large insult to this establishment--whomever he was, he was in desperate need of a personal shopper. Or a few slaps with Vogue For Men. Other than that there was nothing that really stood out. Typical Japanese man (they all looked alike), typical height, typical stature, and typical demeanor. Hn. Zacharie drank his coffee.

[Chiba Mamoru]

Mamoru was becoming increasingly irritated with the agent he was working with, although he kept the irritation to himself. There was no real reason to yell at the person simply because they were having difficulties finding him the apartment he wanted as quickly as he wanted. It had been a long time since Mamoru had been forced to go apartment hunting and he had forgotten how difficult it could be to find the ‘perfect’ place.

As he was sitting there scowling at the agent he began to get the feeling that someone was staring at him. Mamoru glanced around the room irritably, though it didn’t take him long to spot the foreigner that was so openly watching him. He glanced curiously at the man, noting absently that there was something familiar about him. Mamoru didn’t know that many blondes and this guy certainly wasn’t one of his acquaintances and so he briefly wondered what it was about him that did feel somewhat familiar . It was the same sort of feeling he had picked up from that stranger that had been interrogated by Lucan a few days before.

He had already turned back to the agent, when realization dawned on him. He actually did know one blonde that resembled this foreign stranger, a blonde that was currently residing in a stone in his room. Zoisite ...

Mamoru turned back around in his chair, the search for an apartment flying from his mind as he now openly returned Zach’s stare. He studied him carefully deciding that although the hair was shorter then Zoisite’s was, there was a definite resemblance between them both. Ordinarily he probably would have dismissed the notion as simply coincidence. However, after hearing Jadeite’s story the other day, there wasn’t anyway that Mamoru’s mind could dismiss this as mere coincidence. If there was any possibility that this man could be Zoisite’s ‘other half’ then Mamoru had every intention of speaking to him.

He glanced back at the agent briefly to say he would be right back, before getting up and stalking over to where Zach sat. On his way over he wondered exactly what he was suppose to say to the man. It wasn’t like he could just say, excuse me sir but I think you might possibly be the reincarnation of my buddy who’s soul is currently stuck in a rock at the moment.

The man would think he was insane and rightly so.

By the time he had reached Zach, the only thing Mamoru could come up with was a lame, “Good morning sir ...”

[Zacharie Babineaux]

The man had noticed he was watching him. Zacharie briefly flirted with the idea of being embarrassed at being caught then dismissed it; too boring and obvious. Besides, the man should get used to being stared at for all the wrong reasons if he continued to choose to leave his home dressed like that. So, rather than looking away or blushing like a girl or any other variety of "normal" responses to being caught red-handed, Zacharie simply smirked.

And then the man got up and wandered over. Zach had just enough time to register the thought "Oh shit, I've caught another queer" before the man opened his mouth.

Zacharie promptly sucked down a gulp of coffee. "Good it is not certain to be, but correctly morning is true." He hated Japanese. As musical as the language was, the structure made no sense! He hated it almost as much as he did the clashingly striped shirt the man in front of him was wearing. Unable to help himself, Zach found himself blurting: "Shirt horrendous is; no purple! Pallid does it make your skin and circles beneath the eyes it draws."

His brain caught up with his mouth a moment later and reminded him that he was trying not to look gay.

[Chiba Mamoru]

Mamoru ignored the smirk. He didn’t particularly care that the man had been staring at him, in fact he had originally figured it was because he was or at least had been ‘the future king’.

He blinked in confusion when Zach opened his mouth to start speaking, attempting to follow along with the strangely worded sentences. He figured that it was probably because he was a foreigner and still had trouble with Japanese. This didn’t pose a problem, Mamoru was fluent in English. He was about to admit to this when the man blurted out how awful he found his shirt.

Irritation flickered briefly in Mamoru’s gaze before it turned into amusement. He was becoming more certain by the minute that this man might possibly be Zoisite’s other half. They both seemed to have a tendency to insult his choice of clothing.

Making certain to speak in the English language for the other man’s benefit, he replied, “You are not the only person to tell me that I have an awful fashion sense. He believes that I should let someone else pick out my wardrobe. Anyway, the name is Chiba Mamoru and you are?”

[Zacharie Babineaux]

An English speaker? Well, if he was going to be hit on at least he'd be able to fully understand it. It was... something, anyway. Zacharie lounged back on the couch, chin tipped just enough that he was able to look up at the man's face. Not that this 'Chiba Mamoru" was a very tall person.

"You should probably listen to him, that's exactly as I would recommend. You're giving your team a bad name."

He sipped his coffee again, pulling a slight face at the after-taste of it. Why was it so hard to find a good cup of joe in this country? Well it was a real estate office, he shouldn't have expected anything much. After a moment the man offered a hand, as was perfunctory to his people, "Zacharie Babineaux."

[Chiba Mamoru]

Mamoru grinned and said, “I have to find a new apartment before I can bother getting a new wardrobe. I’m afraid people will just have to accept whatever I currently have in my closet for the time being.”

Mamoru shook Zacharie’s hand, knowing the foreign custom for what it was. He glanced briefly back over at the agent to make certain that he wasn’t currently needed over there before turning back to his companion. For the sake of making conversation he quickly asked, “So have you been in Japan for long?”

[Zacharie Babineaux]

The man didn't seem to be getting weary of beating about the bush with his flirting. Zacharie sighed, mentally, and decided to play along. Perhaps if he acted dense enough the man would take it as rejection without having to be told bluntly to sod the hell off. "New apartment, new wardrobe.. and you may want to see about that hair cut, it doesn't do you justice. It'll be like a whole new life," Zacharie smirked faintly and waved one hand at a chair put in the same cloister as his current seat. It was awkward to have a conversation with someone standing over you. "Just a week or so. Settling in for a slightly longer haul, however--buisiness."

There was a pause as Zacharie considered something briefly, "You look familiar. Yes.. that particular shade of purple..." Intrigued by this, the blond rubbed his chin and realized that he hadn't shaved that morning. How rugged! Well, he could pull it off once or twice, especially in the argyle he was wearing currently. Dismissing it as a fashionable faux pas, Zacharie returned to the concept that this person he was speaking to might actually be someone important. It wasn't likely, but he supposed that anything could happen. It would have helped, he thought, if the Japanese didn't look so very much alike--how did anyone ever know who they were talking to in this country?! ... perhaps the inclination towards ghastly shades of purple helped.

Purple... purple..."Ah! You're the Consort! Or at least you look like him." It was all he could do not to snicker.

[Chiba Mamoru]

Mamoru grinned faintly at Zacharie’s comments about his wardrobe and then even his hair. Ordinarily Mamoru would have probably begun to feel irritated at the fact that he was being insulted. The fact that Zacharie reminded him so much of Zoisite, might possibly be him in fact, had him unconsciously treating the man in the same manner that he did his old friend. However, if he actually new exactly what Zacharie was thinking he might have been a little bit more upset.

He took the seat offered to him, nodding in understanding that it had been business that had brought Zacharie to Japan. “What kind of business do you do Zacharie? If you don’t mind my asking that is ...”

Mamoru intended to find out everything he could about this person. If he was Zoisite’s other half then he wanted to know everything that he could. He certainly couldn’t get the information he wanted from the palace security anymore, therefore he would need to go about doings things in the old fashioned way. He would have to simply talk to Zacharie and learn everything that he could.

Mamoru stiffened slightly when Zacharie mentioned that he seemed familiar briefly wondering if his new companion was getting the same sense of familiarity that he was. However, the moment he started talking about purple Mamoru figured that it was only because of who he was in this life, the formerly soon to be king. Zacharie confirmed his suspicions moments later by actually coming out and saying that he was either the Consort or at least looked like him.

Mamoru wasn’t able to keep the misery he felt from flickering across his face when Zacharie said those words. The loss was simply too fresh in his mind for him to mask the agony entirely as he murmured sadly, “Was the consort Zacharie .... I’m not any more.”

[Zacharie Babineaux]

"Sore wa himitsu desu," was Zacharie's immediate response to being asked about his business. That wasn't any of Mamoru's, so far as he was concerned and he wasn't about to have any doubt over that fact. Rather than seem offended, however, Zacharie just grinned his normal, nonchalant grin.

At least, he considered, if this was the consort then he didn't have to worry about his being gay. ... or maybe that was why he was now the former consort. It wouldn't be uncommon, really. Deciding to give the man the benefit of doubt, but still rather curious as to why he was suddenly being grilled by an absolute stranger, Zacharie just frowned in sympathy and nodded, "Sorry to hear that, man. Explains the apartment hunting, though."

"Women," He found himself sighing in quite a cliche fashion and he shrugged, "I think we've all been there."

[Chiba Mamoru]

Mamoru simply nodded in response to Zacharie’s obvious desire not to tell him what he did. He wanted to know more about the man, but he wasn’t going to force the issue. If the situations were reversed, Mamoru seriously doubted he would have allowed this conversation to go on as long as it had. He didn’t have a great tolerance to other people wanting to know his business, which was probably how he got in this situation in the first place.

He shifted uneasily at the sympathy he saw in Zacharie’s frown, though he did nod in agreement to the comment that they all had been there. He was starting to feel rather uncomfortable with the conversation and so in an attempt to get back on to a more neutral subject he said, “As for apartment hunting, it’s certainly taking a lot more patience then I remembered.”

Mamoru was beginning to realize that he had no idea what to actually say to his companion. He hadn’t made any ‘friends’ in years, spending his time mostly with Usagi and the senshi. There was of course Motoki, but it had really been his blonde friend that had put the effort into building that friendship and the Shitennou, well that was different. At any rate, whatever the reason it was becoming apparent to him that he was terrible at making small talk.

He glanced back over at the agent wondering if perhaps he should just end this conversation and go back to his apartment hunting. It was entirely possible that Zacharie had nothing to do with Zoisite and this was just a wasted effort. Well, he didn’t really believe that ... there was simply too many similarities and Mamoru was a firm believer that if one of his Shitennou had another half walking around and were capable of being reawakened then the others were as well. If nothing else he owed it to Zoisite to find out more about his possible other half. It was just, how did one go about doing that? Usagi had always been the ‘people person’, while he would much rather keep to himself.

For a moment Mamoru considered actually telling Zacharie the real reason he had come over. However, as he had thought earlier if he did that it would only result in Zacharie thinking he was insane. The last thing he needed was for the media to get a hold of a story like that, still if he didn’t do something Zacharie was eventually going to get tired of talking to him.

[Zacharie Babineaux]

The American chuckled at that, nodding faintly. "So I've been told. It's been quite awhile since I've had to... and this is said to be one of the most populated cities in the world. Especially now that the New order has settled here. Who would have ever thought it'd be the Japanese?" He muttered this last bit into his coffee as he drained the last of it from his cup.

The man shifted then and crossed his legs before him, one arm sprawled along the back of the couch as if he owned it. It was way of projecting himself that he had perfected over the years, actually--a way to walk into a room and simply own it. It was also quite amazing how well that effect worked on other people, even politicians who should have known it themselves. Zacharie's blue eyes shifted lazily back over to his companion. "You know, you gave me quite a scare. I thought for a moment you were going to try and ask me out." He really was unable to keep a hold on his tongue... yet there was just something about this man; it was almost as if he'd known him all his life.

[Chiba Mamoru]

Mamoru grinned in response to Zacharie’s comment about the Japanese and said, “We aren’t that bad of a society you know. You just need to get to know more of us and Usak .. Usagi will be a wonderful ruler once she gets use to it.”

He was always going to be proud of Usagi, for everything she had accomplished and for those that she would eventually accomplish. It didn’t matter that now the mere thought of her brought a painful loneliness to his heart, the pride he felt would never go away. However, thoughts of amusement and pride slipped away fairly quickly with Zacharie’s next words.

Mamoru simply stared at Zacharie in shock for a few moments, never once having even thought that his intentions could be so misinterpreted. It had never occurred to him that just walking over to some stranger and attempting to strike up a conversation could cause that stranger to think such a thing. For the second time since he had come over here Mamoru flushed in embarrassment as he growled angrily, “I had no intention of doing anything like that ...”

He thought about stalking away, but he found he just couldn’t stay angry with this person no matter how hard he tried. Leaning back in his own chair he added in a slightly more amused tone, “After all I’m afraid you just aren’t my type, even if you are a blonde.”

[Zacharie Babineaux]

"Not bad," Zacharie shrugged carelessly, that easy smile still drawn across his face, "it's just odd. There were numerous other powers in the political world far stronger than this little island of yours, and yet you're the one who came out on top. It's impressive. As for the Queen... she is what she is."

In a way that only American's really could, Zacharie brushed off the politics like a bird shed water. Mamoru's denial caused him a slight pang of guilt, which he again merely brushed away, save for the slight apologetic wince. Zacharie laughed, "Well, I'm glad because you're not really mine, either." His eyes slid over to where the agents were, watching to see if anyone was ready to help him yet. It didn't seem so.

"I hate this part of moving. After years of being in the business, you would think I'd be used to it by now but it's always so... dull. And they never show you the right place the first time--you have to really wheedle the A-material out of them. They'll always try to show you what is pretty, first, even if the underside of it is rotted timbers and water leaks."

[Chiba Mamoru]

Mamoru nodded at Zacharie’s words regarding the fact that it was odd that they had come out on top. He could accept that, after all it was a little surprising if you didn’t count all of the numerous things Usagi and the senshi had done for the people. At any rate, he really didn’t want to spend his day thinking of the queen and so he allowed the subject to drop as easily as did.

He shrugged off Zacharie’s apologetic smile, not really caring anymore. It had been embarrassing at first, but he really was over the misunderstanding. Mamoru glanced over at his own agent for a moment, only to find him still busy doing whatever it was that he had been doing a little while ago.

“I don’t think anyone could get use to this Zacharie, not unless they enjoyed apartment hunting for some reason.”

Mamoru nodded in agreement with Zacharie’s comment about having to wheedle the A-material out of them before adding, “I’m just hoping they currently have some good apartments for rent. I’ve been here all morning and they haven’t shown me anything that I liked yet. Tokyo is a popular place lately and so they have been having trouble finding available things that would work for me.”