Late April 2012, Geneva, Swizerland

[damncompass]

The door opens, probably miraculously on Joshua's living room. The chaos isn't as bad as in the bedroom, but there are notes and papers all over the desk around his computer, and a few books lying on the couch across from the TV.

"Sorry about the mess. One of these days I'll clean. Really."

Comments

[claudiometer]

"Oh, okay, Fanta I can live with. They have strawberry?"
(European soda is weird, that's all. They don't believe Mountain Dew needs caffeine; what's the point?)
"Dude, I never said you had to like him. It's just, you know, kidnapping a guy and then establishing a working relationship with him, you make peace with some things." It's not that Artie burned Claudia any less - after all, he dumped her in the tender arms of the foster system. But still.
Mmmmmmm, food. This is where she skewers some meat and veg.

[balancingminds]

Charles pauses as he listens,

"Yes, they do. That can help but doesn't come easily. I'm currently dealing with some personalities that don't work well together. It can be come painful when as I do, I want everyone to like each other."

[damncompass]

Joshua waves down the waiter, conveys Claud's wishes, and the waiter nods, and goes off again, to return at some point with a Fanta.

"From what I've seen, they've all found a way to work well together." Joshua shrugs. "I'm just an outsider. I'm allowed to not fit in."

He pauses for a moment as he skewers some cheesybread. "There has to be some way to get people to work together even if they're really different."

[claudiometer]

"Oh, bullshit you're not allowed to fit in. If you weren't allowed you wouldn't have made it in the door and you know it."
Mmmm, Fanta and fondue.

[balancingminds]

"She does have a point. People show far more with how they act then how they think. And in theory, I could do that but it wouldn't work for the long term."

[damncompass]

"Hush, Claud. That's not what I said. I meant that I'm allowed to not fit in because I'm not actually part of the team." Joshua shrugs. "Well, I was more wondering if there was a better way to create a team and get people to work together. God, I'm not communicating tonight."

[claudiometer]

"Oh. Oops. But you're more part of the team than you know."
She can't help him if it's CERN problems, but since he seems to be planning to move on anyway...

[balancingminds]

"She's right," He leans over and taps Joshua on the side of his head.

"Stop being so hard on yourself. Its unwarranted."

[damncompass]

Joshua shrugs and takes a piece of meat and lets it sit in the oil for a bit. "Yeah, yeah. That's what people keep telling me." There's an undertone of 'I do not think that means what you think it means'.

[claudiometer]

"Because it's true."

[balancingminds]

"And we will keep on telling you until you believe it."

[damncompass]

Joshua rolls his eyes. "Oh, come on you two." He sighs. "Alright, alright. I'll hush at least."

[claudiometer]

"Good. Because we're right."
Mmmmmmmmm, cheesybread.

[balancingminds]

Charles nods and doesn't talk as he wants to eat, Joshua will realize his own worth someday.

[damncompass]

The meal goes on, Joshua falling silent and awkward for a while as he consumes the fondue.

Eventually, the waiter comes, taking away the cheese and oil and bringing out fruit and chocolate.

[claudiometer]

Mmmmmmmm, dessert! Om nom nom.
Nothing like fresh chocolate-covered strawberries.

[balancingminds]

Charles taps Joshua on the nose as he goes for a strawberry,

"Please don't sulk because we think you deserve better than you think you do."

[damncompass]

"I'm not sulking! I'm just... quiet! Claud's the noisier one!" He pauses. "Ok, so I have gone quiet, but..." He flails a bit and eats a strawberry for good measure.

[claudiometer]

"That's what you always say, brother dear."
There is dessert to be had, and it is nomful. But still.

[balancingminds]

"I think there's context I'm missing but for now, dessert. How goes the translating?"

[damncompass]

"Slow." Joshua is relieved to have something else to talk about other than what he sees as his failings. "Half the time I'm not really sure if I'm saying what I'm actually trying to say or not. French is an awful language to try and learn on the fly."

[claudiometer]

"Unfortunately, someone else is going to have to do that read-over for you."
Claudia's made sure it makes sense in English, which it does.

[balancingminds]

"I can do that. My French is solid enough that I should be able to catch any glaring errors but you should also have one of your colleagues look it over."

[damncompass]

"Thanks, Charles. I'll definitely take you up on that. My dissertation advisor will help too, but I'd much rather not turn in a translation mess." He's already sent off the English version, but he knows that the translation's mostly up to him.

[claudiometer]

"You're not running it through Babel Fish and taking what you get as truth. You should be okay in the end."
There are worse places to start than muddling through with a dictionary.