Covent Garden Flowers, Tuesday

[shiroi_tiger]

So, this was it. Today was Nathan's last day on the island. Tomorrow, he'd be taking his chances with Portalocity in the hopes that it would be able to get him home. Not that he didn't enjoy the island, of course, when it wasn't trying to kill him, but he had a family back in Japan. He missed Higen and Magojiro and most of all Taka, and his inability to be certain that his letters were getting through was all but driving him mad.

So, tomorrow. And today he would spend his time filling orders and writing a letter to Peter explaining that he wouldn't be back. He wished him all the best, especially with another holiday on the horizon, but his time here was through.

Now he just had to get that ivy to stop trying to wrap around him and keep him in place. He wasn't convinced that it was going to miss him that much.

[Open! It's his time.]

Comments

[2_old_for_this]

Fortunately (or not, depending), Peter had a bit of extra paperwork to do and thought he might as well say hi to Nathan, so he showed up at the shop. He smiled and waved at Nathan. "Good morning. How is everything going?"

[shiroi_tiger]

"Everything?"

Nathan looked down at his letter, half written, and frowned a little, thoughtfully.

"Everything is going well enough for me, I suppose. Busy." He tilted his head and looked up at Peter again. "Writing a letter of resignation on rather short notice, I'm afraid."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter blinked. "If you need to take some time, that's fine. I can hold the job for you. Anything I can help with?"

[shiroi_tiger]

Nathan sighed, balling up his letter and throwing it in the recycling pin.

"It's not a matter of time off," he replied. "Portalocity has found a window of time during which they can get me back home. I intend to take it."

[2_old_for_this]

"Oh!" Peter gave him a relieved smile. "I'm glad to hear it, if a little jealous. That's wonderful news."

He came forward and held out his hand to shake. "The job is still yours if you're ever back, but I'll hope for your sake you're not."

[shiroi_tiger]

Nathan smiled, grasping Peter's hand and shaking.

"I appreciate that," he replied, "but as you said... with any luck, I won't be back. This chapter of my life should have ended years ago. I'm looking forward to getting back to the life I've been living."

[2_old_for_this]

"I'm glad you'll have the chance to," Peter said. "Do you have packing or anything to do? I'm happy to take over if you need it."

[shiroi_tiger]

"I'm already packed," Nathan replied, smiling wryly. "I don't have nearly enough to my name to warrant needing to take the rest of today off. When I arrived on the island, I didn't even have shoes."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter smiled ruefully. "I know that feeling. Well, I can get you your last paycheck now. Hopefully the bank here can get it to you in some form that'll be useful to you."

[shiroi_tiger]

"I would be surprised if they didn't carry Meiji Tsūhōsatsu there, all things considered," Nathan mused, tilting his head thoughtfully. "I appreciate that, Peter. Thank you for... all of this, really."

Employment had done him some good, here. Had helped keep him busy, and therefore comparatively sane.

[2_old_for_this]

"Thank you," Peter answered. "I'm glad I met you, and I've been glad to have you around."

[shiroi_tiger]

"It's been good to be around, all things considered. As hectic as this place has been, it's... comfortable."

And he wouldn't mind coming back, if he had nowhere else to be. But he very much did have somewhere he wanted to get back to. So...