Walking Through the Apartments

Neal had decided to take a walk down the streets of Los Angeles, wanting to enjoy himself and maybe meet new people. After his few encounters previously, he decided he wanted to attempt being more sociable and would try making more friends. Having just had a seminar here, and needing to go to another one tomorrow, he would have no pressing obligations at the time. He was wearing his white suit, the jacket completely unbuttoned and the vest all the way buttoned. His green eyes wandered with a slight daze, not searching but observing the surroundings. He didn't need to worry about anything anyways, his memory was nearly perfect and he could recall just about every detail of every day.

He was carrying a black satchel across his chest from the right shoulder, letting it rest against his left side. In his right hand he carried hot chai tea from one of the areas nicer establishments. His white hair blended well with his suit, and the black shoes were a good break from the rest of the color. He was hoping that there would be somebody along the streets who wasn't in such a rush, that would be willing to talk or at least could use some help.

He was in a section of apartments at the moment, looking for somebody that he could help out. Perhaps there would be somebody moving in, perhaps there would be a person on a slow walk to one of the local food establishments. Whatever it was though, he hoped that he would find somebody that wouldn't be completely against socializing at the moment.

Neal looked around when he heard the car pull up, it seemed like they might need some help. While it wasn't what he was dressed or prepared for, he would do his best to be of assistance if she wanted any. He quickly made it over to the other side of the street, avoiding vehicles. He was making his way toward the vehicle, when a woman stepped out. Aside from the hair, she looked normal enough. The purple tank top and some blue jeans were not uncommon anywhere in the U.S..

'Well, I guess I can see what can be done to help her out.'

She spoke to herself, likely about the car having sputtered out of life. Unfortunately, Neal was not in a situation to help with the fixing of the car. While he knew that he could fix the car, he was not dressed for it. He never liked working on cars very much anyways, he found it a menial task, and one that he had trouble doing. He was not strong enough to do most work on cars, and even though his intellect allowed it, he was barely strong enough to be considered the average human. He pushed his way through the crowd toward the woman that had pulled up in the vehicle, hoping that he'd be able to help her out somewhat.

'I can't help her with fixing the car, but perhaps I can help her move the luggage if it isn't too far.'

He could tell that she was quite perturbed with the vehicle after it had died, and found it almost funny how she associated human emotion with the car. While it was a common thing for people to do, he rarely did it himself. His intelligence being something that hindered his sociability as much as it had assisted it when he was younger. She drank some water and then poured it down her head, probably getting very thirsty and hot. While he was not a stranger to it, his durability and immense stamina were capable of keeping him from feeling exhaustion under most normal circumstances. The heat was an irritant, but it did not immensely bother him.

'I don't mind help out, but I really hope that it won't be too far. I am too weak to carry anything heavy, and even lighter things are somewhat heavy. Luckily I don't need to worry about hurting myself carrying anything. If I can't carry it, I simply won't be able to lift it.'

As she began smacking her head against the steering wheel in her car after a failed attempt at starting it, he figured that he would do his best to help her do something. He began walking over to the car, and would tap on the window. He hoped that she did not attack him, as he really wanted to avoid any serious confrontation if he didn't need any. He didn't look very menacing anyways though, very thin, wearing a suit and with white hair. Somebody not examining his face would think him a frail old man. Still though, all this helped in not warming up very quickly.

Neal look at the car, then at Uzma. He wondered if she would be willing to work on the car herself if he were to give the instructions. 'Well, I suppose I could try to help fix it. I don't know if she has the tools or parts to fix it though.' He would back up when she made a motion for him to, and the door would glide through the air. He was grateful that his body wasn't exhaustion, and that he didn't need to worry about sweating through his suits.

As she stepped out, Neal would ask her a couple questions about the vehicle. "What were the symptoms of the car dying? I heard some sputtering, but was there anything else? If not, at this heat, I would guess that the catalytic converter went bad. On the other hand, it could just be an oxygen sensor. I could help with the oxygen sensor, but there aren't any car part stores close by that I know of." He looked her over closely, wondering what kind of work she was in to. He was a world renowned genius and guest lectured at multiple colleges and universities.

His hair blew in the wind, whipping it around his head slightly. He knew he should probably say more though, to let her know that he could help carry her luggage also. "Well, I could help carry your luggage also. Assuming you are just moving in. I would guess so though, you don't seem to be as ignorant of your surroundings as the locals. I don't have any qualms with that, and while I am not a bodybuilder, should be able to handle any of the bags." He took a sip from the cup of tea in his hand, and then finished it. He looked around and then threw the cup into a trash bin not far from where he stood, making a bank shot off the rim.

He was now waiting to see what she would do, if she wanted to start carrying luggage to her apartment building if that is what she was doing. He would simply wait a response, and see if she wanted the help or to look for a car parts store.

Neal listened to her speak, it seemed that the car had troubles already. A leak in the cooling system most likely, he could probably help out a little with it. As she walked, he could tell that she had some muscle. More than he had, but not too much. She was definitely no pushover in a fight, but he couldn't tell much more than that. She started talking some more, luckily her house was only right around the corner. If she had any baggage in the trunk, it wouldn't take long to get there.

As she opened the hood, he noticed that the car had stopped smoking. A good thing for the most part. He looked around, taking care not to touch anything. His clothes were not suited to partaking in the fixing of a car, but he would still do his best to find the problem at least. Using a pen from his bag, he moved some lines slightly to get a better look. 'Well, there are a few things bad, but I will only tell her what is needed for now.' He looked up at the girl and would begin telling her what was wrong with the car. "Well, the catalytic converter is bad and needs replacing. Some cooling lines are broken, and should be fixed so the car does not need to be constantly filled with water. I also suggest changing the spark plugs and checking all the circuits." He would point around when he spoke, so much like a college professor pointing at a board. He felt almost strange how he did that.

He was willing to help her out as much as he could, mostly because he had nothing to really do for the rest of the day and the college had already reserved him a posh hotel room for the couple nights he was staying. "I just realized, we haven't exchanged names. Mine is Neal, and yours is?" He would extend his hand forward, hoping she'd shake it and not let it hang. He was a bit absent minded sometimes, even for being of the smartest people in the world. He remembered everything, but could not think to ask a person's name before getting into conversation. It was strange sometimes, but he would not bother with it any longer.

He was glad that she did not remark on his care to avoid getting dirty, it was something he knew that normal people would not worry about. At the same time, normal people would not wear designer suits everywhere they went. She did ask him to help her out though, and that was something he had no qualms about. She told him to take what he could carry, something that did not bother him at all. He offered to help as much as he could, and had no intention of lying to her.

He looked in the trunk, but she had already made it to the back and pulled out a suitcase and another bag. She pulled the handle on the suitcase and then asked him to trolley it behind to her apartment, which he would do without fuss. Still, she had not given him her name, something he found a bit peculiar, but he would not let that stop him. He was not exactly afraid of the situation, very little in terms of mortal weapons could damage him. He wasn't really worried about most circumstances.

Still, as he walked while bringing the baggage along with him, he wondered what exactly she was. It was a bit strange for a person to have hair like this girls, and especially for people to not give their name when asked. Even if they were a criminal, a person would usually give some sort of name to people. It was almost like they were from another planet, which perhaps wasn't totally unbelievable. Considering that he was smart enough to make even the next in line of professors seem like mere children playing with toys.

He would wait for her to lead, since he did not know which apartment was hers and the moving men would likely find it strange to him walking into their area. Still, he wondered what this girls name was and would ask it again when he found the opportune moment. 'The luggage is even unmarked, it really makes me wonder all the more. Some kind of curiosity that I can not shake. Times like these make me wonder if being this smart is really a good thing.'

Neal gave a slight smile as he saw the one man almost completely fall apart in her hands, it seemed that she could mold men into putty with her body. Well, most men anyways. He was a man, but with as much intelligence as he had, he rarely even thought about girls or people in general. Still, he found it interesting to see other people being swayed so easily. Although, he now knew her name, it was a little less one-sided than it had been.

He followed her, ignoring completely the small flirting she was making with these two men. It mattered not to him, well at least it did not have an impact on him. Before long, Neal even had a first name to call this mystery girl. 'Uzma Williams, new Los Angeles resident. I guess I've got more I can tell her if she ends up asking.' When Neal heard her speak that Uzma was her birth name, he could hear the uncertainty; but only because he had learned to listen for people's true emotions through practice.

Walking past four people, Neal followed the moving men and Uzma as they walked up to town house. 'Nice place, it isn't bad, but it could be better. It seems some work needs to be done and everything is a little aged.' She then asked him if he lived around here. Something that he did not expect to be asked.

"I don't exactly have a home, I travel a lot for work. So, where did you move from? New York? Florida? Chicago?"

Neal intentionally broke up the names of the states so that she could give him a response. He just hoped that she would give him one.

Neal stood in the corner as Uzma went and sat down indian style on the sofa, leaving her shoes on the floor. It seemed that she didn't want to ruin the couch, as it was a nicer one and probably some of the more expensive furniture in the house. The shoes also seemed to have their own culture, being old and quite dirty. He wondered what they might have been through and why they were not yet in the trash. Then again, some people found comfort in the things that had to do with others they knew.

In response to his question, she responded with traveling also but with a thrill ride attached. 'I couldn't imagine traveling and following bands. I hardly listen to contemporary music, almost always older classical.' He gave a slight smile as if he thought it was funny that she waved her arms as she did. He did find it funny though, since he almost always did what he did for a reason.

He watched as they arranged furniture around the room, Uzma helping to make sure that it went to the right spot.

Before long, everything was in and they were bringing her bed in. Uzma signaled for Neal to follow her up, so up he would go. He looked at the signs that this place was older. The bathroom seemed antiquated, and seemed that all the furnishings were from an age long before his birth. 'I don't think I've even seen claw foot tubs anymore, and to have it open like that...' He found it peculiar, but it almost felt comfortable to be in a place that he felt was so strange to him.

When they made it into the master bedroom with her bed, Uzma asked him another question before telling the moving men where she wanted the bed. 'Trying to get me to speak it seems, I guess I will need to say something if I am to make friends.'

"Yes, I teach part-time at colleges and universities throughout the world. I am always traveling for work, never getting a rest it seems. One of the downsides to being as smart as I am."

He heard Uzma laugh when he spoke, but thought it was something that happened. When he heard her speak with sarcasm about what he said, he realized that it was what he said that caused her to laugh. 'Years of being too smart has lead me to be quite arrogant. I have dropped modesty entirely. I suppose it makes sense, but she may not suspect that it would.' He looked down at his hands with a distant gaze, one that seemed as if he was lost in some problem.

Then, she responded that teaching is fun. She seemed genuine about it, almost to his surprise. She went over to the window to look at the sun setting to the West. It was natural, the rose to the East and set in the West, but many wondered why. He never once thought to bother with that question. Who was he to question God. Nonetheless, he knew that she seemed honest about what she said, and that she thought it was interesting that he was a teacher.

Then, she responded with something that made him cringe slightly. She asked him how old he was, something that felt strange. He was not sure why, but he could feel that it was strange for a girl to be asking his age. Even in the way she asked it, he could tell it was strange. She pointed out that he was not closed with personal information, which was true. She also pointed out that she suspected him to be around twenty. He guessed that she thought that only because he was a teacher, otherwise she might have gone younger yet. He gave a small grin when she said twenty though.

"You are closer than some who guess my age for the first time, I am actually younger than you guessed though. Only seventeen, but I was not trying to be arrogant when I mentioned being intelligent before. It is simply that I have never met anybody who has ever challenged me in any field of learning. Even people are something I can study and understand better than most."

He looked up for a moment, at the ceiling as if he was glaring at the sky that he couldn't see.

"It has made me arrogant that there has been nobody who could push me aside from myself since I was but a child. When most people are starting high school, I was already pushing far into my college education with a few fields of study. I have more PH.D's than most people can dream of obtaining in a lifetime."

Neal paused for a moment, looking straight at Uzma, willing to tell her something that he had told very few others.

"To be honest, it all feels meaningless. The only thing that even keeps me sane... I shouldn't say, but the government would likely not appreciate it."