but you were down and out of luck

[nedofpies]

Who: Ned, Meyer, Charlie
What: Meyer tells Ned that Charlie is back, Ned and Charlie talk about what Meyer was like while he was gone.
Where: House 20; the diner
When: Day 102, morning, pre-sea monster

The power is still out, which means that Ned is shivering from an unpleasantly brisk shower and having a disappointing breakfast of plain, untoasted bread. It's not as terrifying or dramatic as some of the other experiments that they've been put through, but he's not really enjoying it all that much, at the moment. He has plans to head over to Meyer's in a few minutes, but he wants to fortify himself, first, to warm up. It's possible his constant presence will grow to be an annoyance, soon, but when it does, he thinks Meyer will tell him. For now, he's more than happy to be as present as Meyer wants him to be.

Comments

[recognize_an_opportunity]

"I would have told you sooner, but with the communicators acting as they are..." He shrugs almost apologetically. For all Ned has done for him in the last couple of days, it only stands to reason that Ned should be kept up to date on the situation. He's also telling Ned, though not explicitly, that he can stop worrying so much, can stop trying to take care of Meyer's distress and deal with other things. He hadn't wanted Ned to worry himself, not had he wanted Ned to go out of his way to help, but it seemed as though, if one of them could be considered a good friend, it was Ned. That was still difficult to wrap his mind around.

"Charlie's always been lucky," he says, and then he shakes his head, because it's really not lucky, is it, to come back here and be stuck? Then again, it's more lucky than being trapped and suffering memory loss at the hands of their captors. It's all relative. "Good at defying the odds, I mean," he clarifies, not particularly wanting to say that Charlie being back here is lucky, because really, the only person it benefits is Meyer, and though he may be deeply selfish, he makes a point of not advertising it.

[nedofpies]

It's nice, to hear Meyer talking about Charlie in the way that he used to - with that tone of familiarity, sometimes exasperation, and (Ned doesn't think it's just his imagination) a kind of quiet affection that doesn't pop up when he's talking about anyone or anything else. There's no longer an echo of worry, a kind of restless loss when he says the other man's name.

Ned has less trouble than Meyer does believing in luck; he's always thought of himself as an unlucky person. He knows that plenty of other people have far worse lives than he does, that there is plenty he should be thankful for. It's not that kind of bad luck, exactly. But in the past, he's found that in situations where it seems statistically unlikely for things to go wrong, they somehow almost always do. And he manages. He's always managed, always gotten through it. But all the same, it's left him with a hint of superstition about his way of thinking.

"Luck's a good thing to have, in this place."

When Meyer half-apologizes for not telling him sooner, Ned has an inkling (perhaps misplaced, but he doubts it) that Meyer and Charlie wanted a little time just to themselves after his return. He wouldn't really blame them if they did, and Meyer does seems uncharacteristically chipper this morning.

Ned might have less of a reason for it, but this one piece of good news amidst everything that has been going wrong recently seems unusually precious to him. He wants to - needs to - make much of it. "I'm so glad he's safe," Ned says again, warmly.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

"Well, you know he was trying to get everyone to call him Lucky, when we first showed up here. He's been pushing that nickname for years. It's ridiculous."

There's that old exasperation coming back out, but it's affectionate exasperation, the kind you have for a family member or a very close friend (or perhaps someone you're romantically involved with, but he doesn't -- can't -- think about it that way.) He's not actually sure whether Charlie had introduced himself to Ned as Charlie or as Lucky, but if he'd tried to use the 'ridiculous' nickname, Meyer feels the need to give him hell for it, even indirectly. It's just another facet of their sometimes inexplicable relationship.

"Guess that means you don't have to keep as much of an eye on me anymore," he says, but it's said jokingly, almost warmly (though his version of warm is probably what others might consider lukewarm, at best.) He really does appreciate all that Ned's done for him. It's unusual, and not particularly expected, but welcomed, nevertheless.

[nedofpies]

"Lucky?" Ned hasn't heard Charlie asking anyone to call him that, yet, but it amuses him. It seems very fitting, somehow, and rather catchy as far as nicknames go. "I don't know, I kind of like it," Ned admits, smiling faintly. There's something to be said for even the most ridiculous of nicknames. "D'you have any secret nicknames I don't know about?"

He asks it with humor, just a hint of teasing, glad to have this happier version of Meyer back, glad that the two of them can joke about something as frivolous as nicknames, now.

"Guess it does."

Ned knows that his presence may have grown somewhat onerous, but he also has few doubts in his mind that it was useful, if not exactly comforting. He might not have been able to fix the situation, but he was there for Meyer, looked after him as well as he could - as well as Meyer would let him anyway.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

"Several, none of which I chose for myself."

He doesn't know whether that's better or worse, really. Despite the fact that no one who actually knows Charlie calls him by his preferred nickname, it's a reasonable nickname, as far as those things go. It's better than being given a flippant nickname you absolutely despise. His own aren't bad, per se, they're simply not something he'd ever choose to call himself.

"Let's see..."

There's an uncharacteristically amused grin as he tries to think of them, knowing that all of them will likely strike Ned as incredibly silly. Maybe he's in the mood for being silly, at the moment, which is unusual. He might as well capitalize on it while he can.

"I've been called 'The Accountant', for obvious reasons, although that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue well. 'Goldenhands', because I like to fix things, but that's not the kind of name I'd call myself. And there's always 'Little Meyer', which is awfully redundant, if you ask me."

It's true -- he hadn't gotten particularly good nicknames. Luckily, most people don't call him any of that, unless they do so out of earshot.

[nedofpies]

Ned almost cracks a joke about Goldenhands sounding like some kind of rejected Bond villain, but realizes before he does that it would be after Meyer's time, and decides it wouldn't be worth the effort of explaining the franchise. Instead, he simply grins; Meyer's silliness is infectious, and he's more than happy to catch it. The fact that Meyer can laugh off the nickname referencing his height lets Ned know it's alright if he jokes a little, too.

"The Accountant has a certain gravitas if you ask me." He gives a particularly lopsided smile and says, "If 'Little Meyer' is redundant, then 'Tall Ned' certainly would be, too." He laughs, adds, "Not that anyone's ever called me that. Tree, yes. Skyscraper, occasionally. Mainly it's just stuff like ... Pie Guy"

[recognize_an_opportunity]

"I think The Accountant really only reinforces the idea that the only thing I care about is numbers."

Although that's not such a bad idea to reinforce, if he really thinks about it. Nobody seems to take the guy in the office with the accounts book seriously, and that's always worked to his advantage. Ned may be aware of how dangerous Meyer can truly be, but most people aren't, and he'd rather keep it that way. To be The Accountant is to be overlooked, and he likes to be overlooked.

He smiles at Ned's comment, partially because he's glad Ned is willing to be lighthearted with him (he hadn't been sure he would be, considering the way he'd behaved around Ned the last few times they'd talked together -- he had certainly been heavy on the melancholy and existential angst), and partially because he's spent quite a good deal of time being impressed by Ned's height. "Pie Guy isn't so bad, either. At least it speaks to one of your talents. Besides, it's kind of catchy."