Alban was a bit surprised when he saw Shizuka enter the car with a modest kimono coupled with a replica of the cybernetic ninja's helmet from the critically acclaimed Iron Gear franchise. It was tacky, to be sure, but he couldn't help admire her courage for trying something so unique. "I love it! Silver Fox is my favorite character from Iron Gear actually. I've always wondered she looked like outside of her suit... Guess I know now!" he told her with a chuckle, silently wondering if that last sentence sounded vulgar or not. Before he forgot, he reached into the backseat and grabbed the tickets from the bag his mother had given him. Alban slipped them into his pocket without really looking at them and hit the gas pedal.
8:30 PM
The duo managed to make it to the party, albeit slightly late. Finding a parking spot was rather difficult, which forced them to make a short hike to the front door. Alban didn't mind it though, it was kind of nice just walking with Shizuka and chatting about their holiday experiences. Neither really appeared to be going to a formal masquerade, but they were in this together, even if it looked like they were making a guest appearance at an anime convention.
At the front door, they were asked to present their tickets. Obliging, the Frenchman pulled them out, although, much to his embarrassment, four condoms fell out from his pants' pocket and spilled onto the ground. The door greeter tilted their head at him, definitely judging him. Al's face went red with embarrassment as he quickly bent over and threw them into his pocket. Shizuka probably thought he was a creep now. "I... give these away at parties, so people practice safe... well, you know." he lied, trying to save his hide. He didn't mean to lie, it just slipped out.
Somehow, Alban managed to keep his cool until they were inside, trudging through the crowd. First things were first: the bar. He lead the way over to the busy area, flagging down the bartender. "Can I get some drinks over here?" he asked, trying to decide what he wanted. Before Al could ask for something in particular, his eyes caught the sight of a scuffle on the dance floor. A young man with glasses had just pushed a very familiar looking woman out of reach from a brunette woman, who was obviously irate for one reason or another. Alban wasn't concerned with whatever drama was happening there. Instead, he focused on the young woman that had been pushed away, the lady that he presumed was Lucille's mother. A sudden flurry of anger flushed through him. What the hell was she doing here?
"Uh, sir? What can I get you?" the bartender asked him, dragging Al back to reality. Without reading anything, he randomly chose what seemed to be a bottle of some light blue substance, assuming it was juice. "I'll take a tall glass of that, and whatever she's having." Al told the man, his eyes going back to leering at the Korean woman from far away. The bartender glared at the Frenchman like he was crazy before doing as he was asked. Al had planned on taking Shizuka onto the dance floor, but with that bitch out there, there was no way that was happening. Huffing, he finally detached his leer and gazed around the rest of the room. Another familiar figure stuck out in the corner, near a window. Though she wore a bunny mask, he could recognize her figure and hair anywhere. She was conversing with a dark haired man, trying to make the best of her experience. "Hey, it's Lucille's violin instructor!" he ecstatically told Shizuka before downing his entire glass of "juice." Again, the bartender looked like he was watching an insane man.
With that, he grabbed Shizuka's hand and led her through the chaos. "Her name is Maribelle. She's one of the orchestra professors at the academy, and she's an absolute sweetheart. You'll love her, I promise." Alban reassured Shizuka, trying to get over the fact Lucille's mother was in the building. Waving over to the brunette woman, they closed in. As they got closer, a sudden feeling of euphoria hit him, as if he'd had 5 shots at once. "Hey, Mari! It's so great to see you. You look great. And hello to you too!" Al greeted Mari and the other man, an increasing amount of joy in his voice. Whatever he had drank, it was making him smile exceptionally goofy now. Without letting them respond, he reached into his pocket and gave Mari a condom, giving her a wink and nudging Kazu. "Practice safe sex, you sly succubus, you!"
The drink he had was hitting him hard now, and Alban subconsciously knew it. He hadn't expected that drink to be this strong... Silently, he prayed Shizuka wouldn't be too appalled by the drunk side of him.
As Shizuka entered Alban's car, she felt a twinge of regret that she wasn't familiar with the character whose mask she wore, though she was glad Alban didn't find her getup unacceptable. Relieved, Shizuka chatted with Alban during the drive, noticing that the mask distorted her voice slightly. As they were entering the ballroom, Alban dropped some condoms while taking out his tickets. At first, Shizuka wasn't sure what they were, having seen them so rarely, but Alban's 'explanation' that he handed them out to promote safe sex confirmed what they were in Shizuka's mind. She was a little startled and wasn't sure whether what he said was true or not, though she figured that maybe it was just an extreme safety precaution.
But when they reached the bar, Shizuka noticed something in Alban that she hadn't seen before. He was staring at a woman on the dance floor with what Shizuka could only identify as hatred. "I-I'll have the same," Shizuka said, unsure what had come over Alban. As if to distract himself, Alban noticed 'Lucille's violin instructor', and dragged Shizuka along with him to greet her. Shizuka went along willingly, glad that this took Alban's mind off of whatever was bothering him. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Maribelle," Shizuka said, being polite. When Alban handed Maribelle a condom, she believed what he had said earlier, though she blushed, wondering if he was being less than tactful, even though he was promoting public health.
As she put the cocktail to her lips to take a drink herself, she caught a strong scent of alcohol and suddenly it hit her; Alban was drunk. Shizuka quickly put the drink down without touching it and held Alban's shoulders, directing him to a seat. In a way she as relieved, she didn't know how to dance and now she probably wouldn't have to make an attempt to do so. Though she didn't drink much, she remembered some advice from her father, who enjoyed his beer, about ways to suppress drunkenness, one of which involved getting food in the stomach. As a waiter passed by with a tray of food, Shizuka quickly went over and grabbed two small plates, putting them on the table that she and Alban now shared with Maribelle and Kazu. "Here, let's have some hors d'oeuvres and enjoy ourselves." She sat down and looked around the room, content to just people watch and keep an eye on Alban.
The cool breeze that gently flowed through the window calmed Kazu’s uncomfortable feelings. This was the best place to be as more and more people came through the doors. He really didn’t like crowds. He only came here because Amie was coming. But he still didn’t know where she was. He was also hoping to meet other people, but perhaps this was a bad setting.. Although..
Kazu didn’t expect anyone to approach him, especially not a woman in a beautiful dress. Her eyes were green, much like his, however they seemed to have more a sparkle to them? Perhaps it was just his imagination. She was quite beautiful, even though she had a mask on. He would’ve given her a smile in return, had his mask not been full faced. He merely nodded in agreement to her questions before bringing out his phone. He quickly typed out a message for her, showing it to her. ”Yes, the view of the stars is quite nice from here. Are you enjoying the party?”
From behind her mask, Maribelle raised a brow as the man pulled out his phone. “ Rather rude…” was her first thought, though she became purely confused once he offered for her to view the phone. To her surprise he had written a response. Was he unable to speak? Sick with an awful sore throat, perhaps? Why would anyone come to the ball while sick?
“ Well, I’ve just arrived but it looks quite nice.” She turned back from the window to look at the ballroom once again. “ Maybe he doesn’t speak English.. but can understand it?” Her mind kept going through a list of logical explanations as to why this man would not speak to her and instead used text messages. She turned her attention back towards him, her eyes scanning his mask. “ Have you come to the ball alone?” Suddenly she realized that may have been rude to ask. “ I-I… If you don’t mind me asking, of course. I’ve come alone myself.” Her cheeks flushed, feeling embarrassed at her own poor manners. “Well, sort of… I came with a friend. She’s… off somewhere.”
Kazu realized that he might have come off a little rude. He’d been told that people think it’s bad manners to bring out your phone when speaking to others, but it was his only mode of communication, unless they knew sign language..
He nodded slightly at her question before typing on his phone again. He showed her the screen again, ”Yes, I came alone. I was looking for a friend, but I don’t see them anywhere. I’m not too comfortable with crowds, so I came over here instead. I apologize if it seems rude for me to use my phone, but I am a mute, so I have little means of speaking.” It said in some length. He paused for a moment before adding something else to his message, ”Perhaps you would like to dance?”. The question seemed pretty out of the blue, but he didn’t want a lady to feel bored at a party like this. Also he was quite confident in his ability to dance. A change of pace.
Maribelle read over the message on his phone, suddenly feeling awful at her presumption that he was being rude, though smiling at his offer to dance. At least that meant that he hadn’t considered her as coming off rude to him. It had been at least three years since she had actually danced and it had been with her scummy ex-husband, unfortunately. “ Sure, let’s dance.” She lifted the edge of her dress and began walking out toward the dance floor, but a man’s voice suddenly resounded throughout the ballroom which made her pause.
“ Shut up, you’re making it worse!”
Maribelle turned her attention toward the voice just in time to see a dark haired man hoist the woman who had been making out in the middle of the dance floor with another man earlier over his shoulder and carry her out. With what sounded like a taser? People’s surprised gasps and watching them scurry out of his way confirmed that. “ Trouble in paradise?” She wondered, glancing back at her mysterious masked friend with an amused look on her face. “ I wonder what that was about…” She giggled, then turned back with all intention of going to the dance floor until a familiar voice broker her focus.
Kazu gave the woman a slight shrug as if saying that he wouldn’t have a clue. It was a little strange to hear a taser go off in a party like this, but he paid little attention to it. Something weird was bound to happen at such a big party and he wasn’t about to stick his nose where it shouldn’t be.
“ Hey, Mari! It’s so great to see you. You look great. And hello to you too!”
Alban, the father of one of her students whom she gave private lessons to. She smiled upon his arrival, the man’s joyful composure rather intoxicating. In fact, he probably was intoxicated.
“ Al!” She could recognize those blue eyes and mess of blonde hair anywhere. While Al greeted her new masked friend, Mari turned her attention to the woman at Alban’s side. “ Pleased to meet you, I’m Mari.” She was probably obligated to introduce herself to her client’s girlfriend, wasn’t she? She reached out her hand for a handshake, but instead of a hand Mari received a square piece of plastic. Looking down, Maribelle’s green eyes grew wide. A condom. In her hand.
“Practice safe sex, you sly succubus, you! ”
Maribelle face instantly flushed; even behind that rabbit mask you could see her embarrassment. She hadn’t had sex in at least a year! And she wasn’t going to have sex with this man she had just met! She closed her hand over the condom and quickly shoved it back into Alban’s hands. “ N-nononono… you’re mis-mistaken Al…” She laughed nervously. Was he always this way outside of the usual client/teacher relationship?
The exchange between the two, whom he now knew as ‘Al’ and ‘Mari’, was quite a cheerful one. Kazu gave the Al a slight bow in greeting, but didn’t attempt to say anything else. He had caught a glimpse at what was given to Mari. It was a small square packet, it didn’t really click in his mind as to what it was, since he only saw it for a second before it was shoved back into the drunkard’s hand. It was only when Mari had said ‘no’ about five times in quick succession, he realized what it was. Good thing his mask covered his now, slightly pink face. He turned away a little, his body trembling slightly as he tried to suppress a laugh. Not that anyone would hear it anyway.
After a few minutes, they had found themselves sitting at a table, the masked girl had picked up some food from a waiter that passed by. Kazu wasn’t particularly hungry, not that he could eat or drink to begin with. He followed rules quite closely. One of those being, that he couldn’t take his mask off until the party was over. Or something to that effect. Instead, he decided to relax a little in his chair. I guess we’re not dancing then.. Slightly disappointing, but it’s not like he could step between two friends just to get what he wanted.
Seeing a waitress pass by, Maribelle reached out and took a glass of pink moscato wine from her tray. “ I’ll be content with only a friendly drink, thank you.” She cleared her throat, trying to gain composure. “ Why don’t you introduce us, Al?” She nodded towards Alban’s uniquely dressed girlfriend, trying a distraction.
A smile never left Yutaro's face as the two of them were swept away by the music. Honestly, it was refreshing to have a dance partner as talented as Sabine. Whenever he danced with most girls they would either simply do the basic party dances, otherwise he'd have to watch the girl's feet as well as his own. The first song seamlessly transitioned into the next, a more lively piece with a certain quiet intensity to it that mirrored what Yutaro was feeling right now. He grew more brazen with his twirls, able to read Sabine's rhythm, adding a beauty to their dance that made it almost as enjoyable for onlookers to watch as it was for him to perform.
He listened as Sabine shared her story of how she learned to dance. It was quite touching to hear how her father let her use his gym like that, putting aside his own interests so that she could do what she loved. If only mine were so selfless, he thought, but then immediately shook those thoughts away. He was here to have fun and forget about that. "Your father sounds like a very kind man," he said, twirling her and then bringing her back in to continue the conversation. "And your cousin must have been quite a charming gentleman as well if he could win such a lovely heart as yours." At that, Yutaro realized that he was letting the whiskey do a bit too much talking; he was here to share a dance with her, not to woo her. No more flattery, He told himself.
Their eyes locked, trying to peel away one another's masks and see past those shadowy occlusions. In a way, Yutaro was grateful that the masks would have to stay on; if he saw those shining emerald eyes unobstructed by her disguise, then letting her go would be more difficult than it ought to be.
"You're not bad at all. How'd you learn how to charm girls like that, Yutaro-san, or am I your first?"
"I suppose you could say I've learned from experience," Yutaro replied, all kinds of witty retorts and compliments running through his head. No, keep it cordial, Ryoki's waiting for you. "I haven't really been in a steady relationship since I broke up with my ex three years ago. After a while, the introductions and the flirting just started to come naturally. I bounced around a lot, so I got quite a bit of practice. As for the dancing, took a class in it at the university to fulfill my Phys Ed requirement. Turned out to be pretty useful." He hoped those words would be enough to douse the fire that was growing between them. Bringing up his ex, admitting to being a player, and giving a lame story about learning to dance at school was sure to get him friendzoned. God, he never thought he'd see the day when he wished for that.
Yutaro gave Sabine one last twirl as their dance came to an end. He was panting a bit from the intensity of it, but was still smiling. Now came the crappy part; it was time to let her go. He brought her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss, and then let go. "Sabine, it has been an absolute pleasure dancing with you. I'm sure you'll have no trouble sweeping some lucky guy off his feet tonight. I'll see you around."
The woman was indeed quite convincing in her impersonation. Shou was about to bow his head to her and apologise profusely, mentally scolding himself for letting the wines get to him and clouding his perception and-
Oh! So it really was Ryoki after all. Crisis averted
"How could anyone forget, indeed..." her words made a blush blossom on his cheeks that he attempted to hide with a nervous little cough, and then a more easygoing smile again. "Likewise. Your dress is enchanting." he commented, taking her cue of crossing her leg on top of the other as a sign of her ease. Cautiously, he took the seat just beside hers, about to say something about the last time they'd spoken, "It has. How have you be-"
And then, the little lady with Ryoki spoke. ...the raven haired woman wouldn't have been the only one to spit her drink out all over the table at the assumption.
"Oh, no! Not at all!" the professor laughed, blush beginning to creep up again. Of course, there was very little that would have dissuaded him, or anyone else for that matter from being her boyfriend...
Her boyfriend, huh...
"Ah, yes." said Shou softly, shaking himself out of his train of thought. He only just caught the girl's 'onee-chan' comment, and looking the blonde over, was confused at best. As a man of genetics, dominant and recessive genes aside, this was...
He came to the conclusion that it might have been a friend who fondly referred to Ryoki as 'big sis', and not actually her sister. Silly professor...
She even acted nothing like Ryoki, demure and clad in white as she was...wait, an actual bridal gown? "It's wonderful to meet you, too." Shou began, flinching a little when she introduced herself as none other than a Mochizukki. So they were sisters...
The man drew blanks for a couple of seconds, before it hit him. Adoption was a thing. It had completely slipped his mind.
"...miss Mokyu. I would call you 'Miss Mochizukki', but Ryoki has already claimed that title from me, hah." Here he offered the much younger girl a gentle smile, and stood up, then bowed his head down low to greet her in respect.
Of course, happy circumstance happens to everybody. It was at that moment that two lollipops happened to dislodge themselves from his top-hat, landing right on the table. He had completely forgotten he was wearing actual candy.
...Alex would have laughed.
"Oh goodness! Forgive me." he chuckled, holding out the two lollipops, cherry and green apple, to the two ladies. "...here. A peace offering, Mokyu. I'm not horribly frightening, I promise. Just horribly clumsy, hah. You can ask my students from time to time."
As Shou went to answer Ryoki, out of the corner of his eye, a brunette in an elegant white dress had come and, looking quite miffed, taken a seat at their table. Perhaps Shou would recognise her as the woman who photographed him and Amie. Perhaps not...
"I came for the atmosphere," he admitted, honestly. "I also have always wanted to come to a masquerade ball." Here, he told a little white lie. It was much more his romantic fiancée who dreamt it. He'd live her dreams till the day he'd die, though. However, dressing up was a big plus!
"And you?"
He let his eyes wander. To the couples on the dancefloor enjoying the more upbeat waltzes, in particular a brunette woman with her darker haired partner. And then to the stressed out woman who didn't look like she was even from the country. Maybe she was lost? Didn't know Japanese?
...she appeared to be fine. Anyone in designer clothes would always be fine, anyway.
"Appears we have company." his voice was down to a mischievous whisper as he sipped from his goblet. He looked at the two Mochizukkis in turn. "...who seems to be worried about something. I wonder what happened. I might ask."
...completely oblivious to the episode with the taser on the other side of the ballroom.
"Pardon me, miss." Shou spoke out to get the woman's attention. If she'd turn to him, she'd notice his silvery hair and brown eyes warm with concern. Nobody deserved not to be having a good time, after all.
"Is something the matter? You appear a little...correct me if I'm wrong, a little shocked about something..."
Kyle raised an eyebrow to his friend and sighed before giving her a small smirk, "Alright, at least let me put a shirt on first," he shrugged his arm out of her grip and proceeded to pick the button up shirt on the ground. Giving it a quick dust he buttoned the shirt together as they started walking, then unbuttoned the cuffs, rolling the sleeves up along his arms. Despite the cold of January, tonight was surprisingly warm, perhaps good luck for the new year to come? The way tonight was going, he had his doubts about that.
"God, whatever am I going to do with you?" This wasn't the first time he'd followed this path down with Amity, whenever her 'Yandere Mode' activated she was a pretty scary person, but Kyle wasn't afraid of her so much as afraid of who she was going to hurt. Eventually she'd come down from that to her more usual personality, bright, bubbly and giggly, like she didn't just try to stab that student in the arm with a #2 pencil or taze some photographer for not giving her any photos. At this point, Kyle was simply used to it and rolled with it, so if his friend wanted ice cream, then they were going to get some.
They emerged from the alleyway, checking to see if any other pedestrians were out and about, while it still seemed clear, they slipped from the shadows, back into the light of the city. Their search began, and Kyle decided to ask her about the events of the ball, preceding the nearly committed assault of course.
"So you and Shou seemed to have had a nice dance, I didn't realize you knew him." His eyes scanned the buildings, most places appeared to be closed, it both being late and the dawn of a New Year on the horizon seemed far more appealing to most than working through it. "Are there even any places open?"
Amity Bellerose
"You'll do what you do best, Kyle-chan!" Her heels resounded in the alleyway as she looked up admiringly at her friend. Time after time, he never failed to be a comrade and a great support. Sure, when he intervened with her love goals, it pissed her off but she had no right to judge him. She probably was ten times worse when he fell for a girl. The idol recalled a time when she interrogated Julia only for her to laugh and make Amity feel silly about herself.
With a giggle, Amity winked, "You'll love me~" No matter what they went through, they'd forgive each other at the end of the day. Kyle was one of the few people that learned how to work around her sudden changes and she was grateful for that, flaws and all. Sometimes she wondered if he was too good of a friend to her. He cared too much and she wasn't the most stable person to deserve such kindness.
Entering the hustle and bustle of Shine City, the two friends walked onward to some place...any place... for Ice Cream. She held his arm and looked ahead at some of the people walking and enjoying their night. It was surprisingly a beautiful night. She didn't know much about Shine City, so it was up to Kyle to lead the way. She thought to herself as the silence between them filled the air, should she ask what happened with Nori? Or should she let it be?
Her face flushed red when he mentioned Shou-- that hunk of a lady killer she was so lucky to dance with. If only she had pictures of tonight's events...
"O-oh. You know him too?" Her grip around his arm tightened, perhaps this was a good thing he knew the man she just met but absolutely knew he was her one, true love. If Kyle inquired more, should she be truthful or should she make something up? She didn't want to lie to her friend though. He could see right through her lies. The idol decided to leave the Shou inquiry alone until he further investigated.
"It is kind of late. We could go to a convenient store and buy some? Go back to my place and enjoy my Jacuzzi." She wouldn't mind staying outside for a little longer. Her backyard to her estate was peaceful with a garden, a gazebo, a pool, a jacuzzi... all that nice stuff.
Kyle Parker
He smirked at his friend, placing a hand atop her head and tousling her hair a bit, "Yea, I will, that and keep you out of trouble." He couldn't stay mad at the girl, while not an innocent person, she wasn't exactly a bad one either, though using the word 'misunderstood' would be a bit of a stretch, Kyle just felt she hadn't found...the right person. For as long as he could remember, whenever Amity was romantically interested in someone she'd act this way towards most any woman who even looked at her love interest. The same reaction was also received towards most any woman Kyle was interested in, though he knew it was only because she was looking out for him, even if she took to extreme measures to show that care and affection.
At his mention of Shou her grip on his arm tightened and his eyebrow raised a little curiously, "Not particularly well, no. I only met him a couple of weeks ago at a cafe he's actually the reason I-" he cut his words short, he didn't want to think about her right now, "Well I also sold glasses to him too, but that's another story, other than that I don't really know much about the man, although he seems to have a good air about him."
That was his honest opinion, though he hadn't actually had a real conversation with him other than at work the one time, he didn't sense anything bad about the college professor. He was personable, had a kind attitude, definitely a respectful one, very unlike the men that Amity would normally go for like back in their schooling days. If she was interested in him, which given tonight's reaction was probably a definite, he might actually be someone worth going for and might even be able to help find Amity some peace in her...reactions. The future was indeterminate, who knows what was to come, all he could do was remain hopefully optimistic.
"It is kind of late. We could go to a convenient store and buy some? Go back to my place and enjoy my Jacuzzi."
"That's not a bad plan, I think we could do that," Convenience stores, even on New Years, tended to be open fairly late, though the poor individuals who worked them weren't always the most friendly, with good reason of course. "There's a store not too far from here, prices are decent too, we can get some then get a cab to your place." As they continued to walk, Kyle asked the obvious question, "So is Shou the reason you nearly had that girl frothing on the ballroom floor?"
Amity Bellerose
He was the reason I? Kyle didn't finish his story, grrr!
...She'll ask him later about that for the idol needed to know everything and anything about her Shou! It's good to know that he goes to Kyle's job for his glasses though.
The mention of a cab made her grimace, "Ew a cab..." Amity thought back to the conversation the trio shared with her and how odd it was for them to allow Amity to have complete freedom. Kyle then inquired more into the incident earlier this evening, jumping up in place "OH!" and unintentionally changing the subject, Amity chirped, "That reminds me!" Letting go of Kyle's arm, she sent a group text to her trio saying: I'm okay, Kyle will take me home.
Within seconds, she received texts: Liam: Thank him for me. Luke: WOOOOOO! Renee and I say HI! Also.. don't expect us home till some stupid time. Hope you're having fun.
Smiling and holding the phone to her chest, the idol assured, "Cab is fine." She didn't want to disturb her trio. They finally got a day to themselves. The idol wasn't going to spoil that for them. Turning the screen of her phone back on, she switched her phone to camera mode and turned it to Kyle's face.
*FLASH*
"Man, flash ruins night pictures." She took flash off and made sure night mode was on and turned the phone back to his face and cooed, "Liam says thank you." She took another picture *snap* Looking down at her picture, the idol quickly put a filter on it and then sent it out to the trio. Once again, she received texts within seconds.
Liam: Looks like he changed and that you left the party early. Perhaps, that's for the better. Luke: LOOKIN' GOOD KYLEEEEEEEE. Tho... what happened to the fancy suit? Renee: Ignore him. Be careful.
Amity couldn't help but chuckle at the dynamic of her trio. All so different, but all with a heart of gold. Bringing her attention back to the Shou question, she answered truthfully, "Yes and no. I wanted pictures. It doesn't matter if Shou was in them or not. She was so mean to me. She could of said no to me more respectfully. Though, regardless of how she phrased her words, I'd still taze the bitch."
Before she knew it, they reached the convenient store. Digging in her purse for money, she took out forty bucks assuming it was enough to pay for whatever.
"That's enough right? For ice cream and whatever snacks you want? We're good on alcohol." She waited for him to respond as she slapped the money into his hand. When he finished responding, she purred, "I'll probably stay here. I don't want people to stare at me. I can call the cab while you're inside!"
Kyle Parker
She didn't answer his question, instead opting to bounce off his arm and went about texting someone before snapping a photo of him, the flash temporarily blinding him.
"Man, flash ruins night pictures," she said disappointingly, "Liam says thank you."
"And is quite painful," he stated, rubbing at his eyes before blinking them open, "Tell him I said, you're welcome."
She snapped another picture of him, this time without the flash, she went about doing some things on her phone while they walked. Eventually she turned her attention back to him and answered his question about Shou, it was definitely an honest answer and Kyle couldn't help but shake his head at her friend's response about 'tazing the bitch'. He found it amazing at how much and how little the woman changed in the few years they had been apart, he had missed his friend, though he had hoped that she'd have calmed down a little. The convenience store upon them, she put some money in his hand and asked, "That's enough right? For ice cream and whatever snacks you want? We're good on alcohol." She waited for him to respond as she slapped the money into his hand.
He laughed a little, "Yea, definitely enough and then some, I could buy myself food for the week with this...here," he handed half the money back to her, "We can use this for the snacks," he said waving the yen, "And that we can use for the cab home."
When he finished responding, she purred, "I'll probably stay here. I don't want people to stare at me. I can call the cab while you're inside!"
"Sounds good, anything in particular you want?"
"hmmmmmmm maybe red velvet flavor...and chocolate!" she exclaimed, "maybe even some hohos..." her eyes widened at the prospect.
"Got it, I'll be out in a couple," he told her as he started walking into the store.
"Don't forget the gummy bears~!" she shouted after him.
Amity Bellerose
10:00PM
The idol sighed as she and her friend walked to the front door of her estate. She was grateful the taxi man brought them to the front of the house rather than the front of the gate... that would have been terrible and tedious. The party probably already started the club music to kill the rest of the time until the New Year. Her right hand went up to touch her lips, thinking about Shou and a New Years kiss... her body shivered with just the thought. But no. She had to ruin it by a taser. Though, she wouldn't have changed her actions for the world.
Amity would have to write Shou a letter and apologize for leaving. She hoped he didn't find out about the incident.
I just really wanted pictures...
Grabbing her own set of keys, she unlocked the door. Before the door was pushed open, the idol turned to her friend, "All the servants are off for the night or in the Guest House having their own little party, so it's just you, me, and this big ass house."
Once the door was open, her mansion was in complete darkness- which wasn't a usual sight. Silence filled the large building. Clapping her hands, the lights switched on blaring at them. Her house was like a incomprehensible masterpiece. Liam knew what made the idol feel most at home, which was art. The ceiling was painted of some well-known art pieces and the mansion's architecture on the inside was extremely intricate. The idol liked to mislead people so no one would expect that this would be the interior of her estate. Her estate exterior was modern and simple, while the interior was full of history and art. Sure, it was a bit of her parents' fortune but that's the least they could do for her since they were never around.
"Alright, go borrow Liam's trunks. I'll meet you under the caveout back~" She didn't realize how sexual her words could be interpreted but then again, Amity was always a bit oblivious. Past the cave/pool area was acres of garden and nature to get lost in. The guest house was near the Gazebo if she wasn't mistaken.
The idol scurried upstairs to get her swimwear on. After she finished changing, she went to her inside bar (because she had one inside and outside), which was in the basement by her home theater and her game room, which had two bowling lanes, a pool table with a fireplace near by, and other fun, classy games like a poker table and foosball! Surprisingly enough, the closest thing Amity had to any sort of video games/arcade was her computer in her bedroom and even then she did not game. The idol has never been to an arcade, mostly due to Liam believing games would rut her brain. She was, however, a movie fanatic.
Going to the bar, she looked at all the alcohol choices. Uhhhhhhhh.... where was Rupert when you needed him? She went to grab a big bag and started placing random drinks inside.
I guess, I'll grab the rum, the vodka, the gin, the whiskey, maybe some juices to go with them...
The bag was getting really heavy.
Alright... I think this is good...
She slowly made her way to the cave. When she arrived, Kyle wasn't there yet. Maybe he was getting them snacks and food from the kitchen? Putting the drinks down, she went to her outside bar and got glasses (they hadn't stocked the outside bar yet with drinks). She decided to be a dork and grab her Renaissance goblets... yes, Amity has been to a Renaissance fair, quite a few times actually. She's even been to DARK AGE TIMES! She loved the knight shows and the food! These goblets were pretty hefty - fit for Kings!
Once she returned to the Jacuzzi, she began laying out the bottles on the rim so her and Kyle could make drinks while they were in the warm water. Amity made herself a mix of peach rum and ice tea. She'd let Kyle choose his own poison.
Kyle Parker
The ride back to Amity's estate wasn't too bad, though Kyle could tell she was uncomfortable travelling in such, if he had to put a word to it, 'peasantry'. They used the rest of the money to pay the cabbie and then some, making him a very happy man on New Year's Eve, the man gratefully bringing the two to front door of the mansion before driving off. They entered, Amity explaining that it would just be the two of them that evening before telling him to get swimming trunks from Liam's room upstairs. They climbed the stairs and they split, Amity going to her room, and Kyle going to Liam's, leaving him to his thoughts. Her words were certainly...implicative, though he'd sobered enough by then to not think too strongly on them, she was his best friend, nothing more, and the two of them were going to have a good night together, nothing more.
Entering Liam's room, he found his clothing placed on the dresser and neatly folded, he'd have to grab those later. For now though, he began rifling through the drawers, finding a simple pair of black swim trunks, something he could always rely on Liam about, was that his wardrobe was fairly simple and consistent. Stripping himself down, he rolled up the shirt and pants placing them on the dresser, his boxers went on top of his clothing and he pulled the trunks on him. Exiting the room, he didn't see Amity anywhere and decided to make his way to the kitchen so he could grab a platter or serving tray or something for their snackage.
The size of the kitchen was unbelievable and the way the lights reflected off of the marble almost made the room look like a living kaleidoscope, truly it looked beautiful and already he could tell this house was way nicer than the one back in the States. He grabbed a tray and placed on it the bag of snacks, he didn't need to waste using any bowls or anything like that, the bags being the perfect container already. The food mostly consisted of junk stuff, chips and doritos, hohos and devil dogs, a couple boxes of pocky sticks, Amie's gummy bears and of course their containers of ice cream, plus a couple of spoons. There was a bottle of coke in the fridge that he snagged too, rum and coke was always a tasty combination plus...a lemon and a handheld juicer, he could make use of that.
The tray now full he was flabbergasted at how huge the backyard was, there was a guest house off in the distance, Amity giving him a couple of points of reference to help him find her in this huge place. He started walking down the pathway off towards that direction, it wasn't until he reached the cave area she had mentioned that he was truly blown away, he had been in Amity's hottubs and jacuzzis before, but nothing compared to how nice this one even looked.
He whistled low, "I guess I hadn't realized just how big this place was," he set the food next to the nice display of alcohol she had set up and stared at the two goblets, "So I guess we're playing the role of nobility tonight then?" he chuckled. He started looking through the collection of bottles, gin, vodka, tequila, triple sec, simple syrup...and of course a nice fresh bottle of 151, thank god he brought that lemon. He frowned however when he realized there was something missing, "Now this won't do..." he walked over to the bar area and pulled out two normal sized shot glasses and one nice big double shot glass, he also grabbed a cocktail mixer, he'd need that for his 'juice'.
He first juiced the lemon, careful to remove any seeds and pulp from it before tossing it into the mixer, then proceeded to add the other alcoholic drinks and the simple syrup, two parts non-alcohol to one part alcohol, using the shot glass as a measuring device before quickly rinsing it out and adding ice to the mixture. A few shakes of it and he poured the cocktail into the goblet, raising it up he proclaimed, "There, a nice full goblet of 'ye olde Cronk juice'," and took a sip of it, the alcohol was strong, but the flavor was tasty. He then got into the jacuzzi, the nice warm water bubbling up underneath him, his back placed firmly against the water jets as it propelled itself against him, he was in heaven and it had been far too long since he'd done anything like this with the pop idol.
"When was the last time we actually did this, sit down and relax with each other?" He asked taking another sip. He'd pace himself now, being in his friend's presence, though by the end of the night he was expecting that this wouldn't be his only drink and that he'd get far, FAR drunker.
After Mari nervously croaked out that he was mistaken after her relationship with the man next to her, Alban was guided over to a chair by Shizuka. He leaned back, relaxing his head against the crest rail. To the others, Al looked tired, as if he were about to fall asleep. Though the world was slowly collapsing into a blur, he heard Shizuka mention something about hors d'oeuvres and a plate slide in front of him. “As a kid I used to call hors d’oeuvres, whores-day-oovers.” he mumbled out, partly in English.
His swimming vision saw Mari grab a glass of wine, and his father’s words of wisdom echoed in his head: ‘If you'ré drunk, drink until you can't remémbair anytheng. Zen you 'ave an excuse fair all la dumb thengs you did befaire.’ Al whispered “Oui, capitaine.” in French, making a half hearted attempt to salute. Following Mari’s example, he also took a glass, swirling it in his hand before downing it all. Then he heard the voice of his daughter’s mentor ask him a question.
“Why don’t you introduce us, Al?”
Alban froze there for a second before he finally raised his head. The professor was gesturing towards Shizuka. “This is Shizuka and she is my…” The blonde man quickly began to shovel food in his face, trying to speak at the same time. Whatever he had attempted to say came out as garbled, incomprehensible mess.
Behind her mask Mari carefully watched Al, noting the way he stared up at the ceiling and muttered to himself. She had never seen him like this before; he was always so composed and cordial when dropping off his daughter for private violin lessons. Although the more she watched him, the more amused she became. However, her constant sipping of pink wine certainly helped in that department.
“ So your girlfriend then? I didn’t know you had a girlfriend Al! How long have you been dating?” She automatically assumed that the girl next to him had to be his girlfriend. She was trying to take care of him by sitting him at a table and offering food to the drunk, after all.
Taking another sip of her wine, her emerald eyes gazed over the wine glass and surveyed the ball room. Suddenly a deep chested laughed pierced her ears, all too familiar. Instinctively Maribelle turned her head toward the sound, eyes settling on an athletically built man sitting just a few tables away. Maribelle’s heart dropped into her stomach and for a moment it felt like all time had stopped. She stared at him, stunned, but he didn’t seem to notice. Despite his black mask, she knew his face instantly. She had gazed upon it for so many years with so much love, and now it had turned into nothing but horrible disdain.
Just next to her ex-husband was another person she could feel only hatred for. His lover, of course. The woman he had left her for. Ruined a happy marriage and cheated on her for. Maribelle had hoped that they would have broken up by now, but apparently-
“N-no, I don’t have a girlfriend! She's just a friend!” Al spoke in the midst of her inner turmoil, trying to make it clear he and Shizuka weren’t dating. It was way too soon to jump that shark. Strangely, as soon as he said that, Maribelle appeared to look at him with a wild stare. Was she really that shocked to hear that news?
“ WHAT?!”
Maribelle nearly choked on her drink, unable to stop her outburst. The woman next to her ex-husband had been wearing a black flowing dress, but it was easy to see that she was pregnant, and rather far along too. Heart racing, Maribelle turned her attention back on the table and suddenly downed her entire glass of wine in one giant gulp. “ Uhm.. Al, dear, would you mind walking with me to the bar?” She stood up abruptly, making it clear that he didn’t really have a choice in the matter.
Once he stood, Maribelle grabbed his arm and started marching with him over to the bar. “ Order me a gin and tonic, please. Make it strong… I’ll be right back.” She left Alban at the bar and disappeared in the direction of the restroom. Her hands were shaking from adrenaline; caused by a rush of nervousness and anger. She needed something to mellow her out.
As she reached the restroom Maribelle locked herself in a stall and rummaged through her clutch bag. Inside, where change would usually go, Maribelle had saved a few pills of Valium that her doctor had prescribed her inside of a zip lock bag. Popping one, she dry swallowed it and then made her way back out to Al. She would be feeling a lot better in about thirty minutes.
Alban was awfully confused as he stood at the bar. Maribelle had just led him over here, just to order her a gin and tonic? Or was there something more to this? He wasn’t really in the state of mind to question it though. “Hey, bartender, I need a gin and tonic. With um… 3 shots? Yeah. 3 shots sounds strong enough.” he requested, rubbing his forehead all the while. “No, wait. Make that a gin and tonic, and I’ll have some shots. Just lay em out with whatever, and I’ll just take em as you give them to me.”
As Al leaned against the counter and waited for the bartender to make the drinks, he overhead a silver haired man talking to "Su Long", the assumed mother of Lucille. "Is something the matter? You appear a little...correct me if I'm wrong, a little shocked about something..." the man was saying. The Frenchman let out a loud scoff. “I wouldn’t waste my time on someone like that, buddy. Your friend, Su, needs to pack her bags up and go back to Korea.” Al snidely commented, obviously drunk and trying his damnedest not to glare at the two. With all the noise around him though, he wasn't sure they heard him. Maybe that was for the best. @MyCatGinger@BlueAjah
Finally, the bartender came with their drinks. A flight of shots for Al and Mari’s gin and tonic awaited them. Where the brunette had run off to, the blonde didn’t have clue. Why had she dragged him over here?
“ Al!” Maribelle lit up with a smile, clearly in a better mood than previously. “Thank you! Oh, shots too?” Not waiting for an answer, Maribelle took three of the six shots and threw them back one after the other. She giggled and cringed after she finished, “ Those certainly were strong. ” She grabbed the gin and tonic and turned to look over to where her ex-husband sat. Slyly, Maribelle slipped her arm through Alban’s and clinged to his side. There was no way she would allow her ex to see her dateless at a party like this.
“ We need something a little more lively to dance to, don’t you think Al?” She looked up at the taller blonde man at her side, eyes beginning to glaze over from the mix of alcohol and narcotics. Had he always looked so attractive? Somehow, she had completely forgotten about the two they had left back at the table.
Al blinked once and in a blur, Mari had taken shots and now had an arm laced through his. She was visibly very close to him, almost flirtatiously. Panic flooded his mind subconsciously, but physically and mentally he didn’t react. Instead, he picked up the remaining shot glasses and kicked them back, faster than she had. He would not be outdone by her!
Gagging, his visage turned to face hers, not noticing she was glaring at him quite intensely. “Yeah, you’re right. This music is way to slow. I gotta go fast right now.” Al told her in agreement, flashing a very intoxicated smile her way. His eyes searched the venue for DJ Dangermouse, and once they had been found, he marched off to get this party shifted into 5th gear, Mari practically attached to his hip.
“Hey, DJ! Get this show started, maaan! I can’t handle this slow crap right now. It’s making me lose my buzz!” he slurred out, waving his hands in the air. Right now, Al seemed more like a party animal rather than the usual composed man he was. Apparently, the piano man heard him and gave Alban an awful leer that was met by Al’s own deadpan stare. The shirtless DJ gave him and Mari a thumbs up though, and there was a transition from slow dance music to the bouncing bass of club music. Al was starting to get to the point of intoxication where he wasn’t exactly sure where he was, and he drunkenly put his arm around her waist... Mari, on the other hand, was just reaching euphoria.
Taking deep breaths, Suzy slowly sipped the glass of water and focused her mind on tasks that needed to be done. Groceries needed to be bought, one of her deadlines were soon approaching, and she needed to upload the photographs from tonight. Creating lists calmed her down, helped establish the feeling of order.
Breathe in. Breathe out. She repeated these steps over and over again. Until a rather deep voice shattered whatever concentration she had gained in the past five minutes. Suzy turned to find the same chocolate eyes from her photos.
The one who had danced with...her
At the question of her well-being, Suzy’s face flushed with embarrassment and frustration. Did she truly appear anxious? Could anything possibly get worse? She hated not feeling in control or flustered. If she let her jumbled mind take control, she would be lost in a endless hole that only led to Wonderland. Everything needed a plan. However, when things like this happened, how was she supposed to stay perfect?
Breathe In. Breathe out. She reminded herself once again.
Suzy took a sip of her water one last time before responding to the man. She let her lips form into a smile. Before words could even escape her mouth, a slurring voice interrupted. Suzy’s sharply turned to find an absolute mess. Even from where she sat, she could smell the disgusting stench of liquor. The drunk called her ‘Su” and warned her to return to Korea. Suzy’s eyes widened with complete disapproval and bitterness.
“Excuse me?” She called out loudly to the useless worm. “How dare you speak to me in such a manner? You should learn how to control yourself before divulging into the temptation of liquor and making such statements. I’m not sure who this “Su” is but--.” Before Suzy could finish lecturing the man, he simply stumbled away with a girl. Suzy sighed in frustration, she’d had enough of this preposterous party. Rising from her chair, Suzy turned to look at the man from earlier. It was a pity they couldn’t chat longer, she wanted to find more information about the psychotic creature that had attacked her but she needed to leave this party before she went insane. She smiled at the man one last time.
“Thank you, but I must be going.” She began to walk toward the exit to collect her things and purse, where she would send a very upsetting message to the host. @MyCatGinger@Viciousmarrow
Ryoki's eyes trail as Suzy left, a smirk appearing on her face. "She didn't seem too happy to see you. What on earth did you do to that poor woman, Mister Matsuoka?" She teases, though without the intent to ruin the mood - a light-hearted and cheery act, it was. She had given both the lollipops to Mokyu, knowing how much she loved candy and sweets, and the young maiden began suckling on them like a baby to a mother's tit. It was actually rather remarkable to see someone so engrossed in the food in which they ate. "I came because my father got invitations, being one of the big-league rich people in Shine City. The family hasn't had a proper get-together in quite awhile, so we saw it as a good opportunity to all come together. I just hope I actually manage to get some sleep next year, because for the past month or so, I've had to pull a multitude of late nights in order to get work done."
Ryoki paid very little attention to the world around her. She was almost enthralled into the conversation, and, strangely enough, not with flirting. In truth, this was simply because everything else that was happening wasn't all too interesting; people had started to waltz, though she was more interested in the faster dances. She knew Kimasu was, too. Mokyu, however, wasn't much of a dancer...
"It seems like people have started waltzing." Ryoki points out, taking the time to stare at some of the dances. She could've sworn she saw Yutaro among them, though simply forgave this as creative thinking. 'Nah, that couldn't have been him... He'll find me, remember?' With a grin, she returns her complete attention to Shou. She certainly wouldn't deny him if he wanted to ask her to dance; that was out of both courtesy and curiosity to see if he could actually do it. "So, what have you been up to since our last encounter, if you don't mind me asking? I've noticed a serious lack of calls or texts. Then again, that may have been because I haven't had the chance to check." A cute giggle, followed by yet another matured, gentle smile. This person, though certainly Ryoki, was much calmer than she was before.
Shizuka was a bit flustered when Maribelle assumed they were dating, but calmed when Alban denied it; after all, they'd only known each other for a few weeks. He was just a customer she had who took her to a fancy dinner and they've been in contact since. Thinking back on it, it was a rather unusual circumstance, but they were just friends. But then, Shizuka saw a hatred in Maribelle's eyes, the same hatred she had seen in Alban's only moments before. Maribelle suddenly dragged Alban over to the bar, leaving Shizuka in confusion. Afraid that they would get into some sort of drunken trouble, Shizuka turns to Kazuma and bows apologetically, "P-please excuse me," she says before taking off after Alban and Maribelle.
Shizuka wanted to advise Alban that he should cut back on the alcohol consumption but it was already too late. By the time Shizuka catches up to the pair, they're already wrapped around each other and completely inebriated. Shizuka stops dead in her tracks for a few moments as a hollow sensation slowly grows in her chest. Shizuka begins to rationalize in her mind, "Of course, she's Lucille's music teacher so they've known each other longer. And we're just friends, he invited me here as a courtesy. I-it's good that he's seeing people, it means he's getting over Lucille's mother leaving him. This is good for him, zi should be glad he's in a relationship, and I should support him all the way." She sees the two completely enamored with each other walk towards the DJ and request a music change. "Still, he seems quite drunk, but he was my ride here. I at least have the responsibility to make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous like drive intoxicated. I-I should...stick around and...wait for him..." Shizuka thought to herself. A pair of dancers suddenly bumped into her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She realized that she had frozen in a very awkward and in-the-way spot. Bowing to the dancers who had already moved along, Shizuka quickly made her way back to the table where Kazuma sat, bowing to him again, "S-sorry for leaving like that."
Shizuka sat down and, with slightly trembling hands, pried open the mouth-guard of her helmet. She reached for some of the food that she had gotten and took a bite. It was surprisingly tasteless.
Sabine wasn't one to be so easily turned down. She knew Yutaro had a lady friend, but Sabine was closer to needing more than a few friends in Shining City. For one fact, Sabine wasn't sure if the Tiny Snowflake café was going to hold up against that Kettle place, and she was goong to need a lot of convincing to get past her past troubles.
She couldn't possibly lay her predicament on any one pers, be it Zac, Kyle, Vern, Yutaro, that one waitress...and most definitely not Nori, but suppose she got a little help from everyone...
Romance wasn't as much her objective as much as her sanity without drugs. Back over there, she had no family, no real friends to rely upon. All there was were drinks, unsafe sex, and stacks of cash to pay off for the next kilo.
Einstein said expecting anything different from the same routine was insane, so...wouldn't this be insane?
Would it be sane for a girl to pursue a man already taken?
"Yutaro-san, before we go..."
Inadvertently, she had gripped his shirt, and was quick to squeeze tightly so as to avoid letting him escape.
"...I...if you want to talk more, I'll be working at Mochavine. Don't be a stranger because of tonight, okay?"
Kazu wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but Mari's sudden outburst certainly caught him off guard. He wondered if she was seriously surprised at Al's response or if she was thinking of something else. He didn't make any move to go after the pair as they made their way to the bar. Kazu simply nodded in response as Shizuka excused herself from the table. He glanced around quickly in a slightly comical way, making sure nobody was looking. He lifted his mask slightly and took a gulp at the drink that he had taken from a waitress a moment before all this drama happened. After taking the satisfying gulp, he re-adjusted his mask. He had just put it back on as the shorter girl came back. He nodded at her in response to her bow. She seemed a little flustered? He could see her hands tremble as she opened her mask's mouth piece. How odd. He was jealous. He wanted a mouth opening too. Next time he comes to a party like this, he'll drill a hole into the mouth so he can sip with a straw. He nodded slightly at his own idea before focusing back on what was going on.
He moved a little closer to Shizuka, pulling out his phone, typing on it before showing it to her. "Is everything alright?", he was quite concerned about this girl, she seemed.. Troubled by something. Perhaps he should try ask her to dance? Maybe she doesn't want to dance.. Who knows.
"You're going hard I see!" Amity stuck her tongue out and joined him in the Jacuzzi leaving her drink on the edge. Her eyes closed as she embraced the warmth of the water. This was really nice. Slowly sinking into the pool of water, she stopped when her eyes reached above water level. Sure, it was a bit hot but her body could handle it.
"When was the last time we actually did this, sit down and relax with each other?" Slowly rising back up, Amity, who now had a pinker tint on her body, grabbed her drink and looked at her friend. Kyle sat across from her taking his time with his drink, that would change soon enough. When they're together, they're reckless, but at least they're reckless together. Taking leisure sips, she thought...
Hm. When was the last time they saw each other? He was always one year ahead of her, but then again she went to highschool one year earlier. The last time they really relaxed like this was when Kyle was 18 and she 17.
"It's been five years, Kyle. Five long years. But hell, it flew by pretty fast." Her eyes never left his. One thing that Amity was great at was looking at people when she talked. Her expressive eyes could communicate anything that was on her mind and they were strangely beautiful to look at. Her eyes were like an ice wonderland where one either felt trapped in it or didn't want to escape. They captured those who met with it and they held them surrender until she let them go. The stare was soft and appreciative, one that she only shared with Kyle for being her dear friend. Bringing her goblet back to her tender lips, she downed her drink and changed the mood NEAR IMMEDIATELY!
"Okay that's enough of slowness for one night! Time to pick up the pace." Grabbing the shot glasses, she put random hard liquor in each glass not really paying attention to what the substance was. Surprise! Surprise! Making her way to Kyle, she grinned and passed him a shot,
"I guess... you didn't last in university and decided to drop out and do your own thing, yes or no?" This was a little game her and her friend played to catch up. Their letters to each other didn't say much besides silly nonsense. They left the more important facts for when they were in person, "The reasoning behind my guess is..." she sat close to her friend and looked at the ceiling of the cave, "You never seemed to like school in general. Going to Uni was ambitious of you, but I never believed you were that type, you know?" She waited patiently for her friend to prove her wrong or right. The loser takes a shot.
Kyle Parker
"It has been that long hasn't it?" he leaned back, his arms slung over the side of the pool and took another sip. His drink was strong, could have definitely used some ice, but he needed its strength, diluting it with water would only be more of a hindrance. He met her gaze and noted her icy blue eyes, their strength awe inspiring, they demanded respect and attention, yet whenever she looked at him, they always held a different tune, a much softer one. Kyle had always been a sucker for eyes and hers were no exception, they were quite lovely, but he had to wonder why others saw fear in them, yet he saw the beauty?
Suddenly and without warning, Amity shot back the entire goblet of her drink, the mood completely changed, somehow, he knew this was to be expected with the amount of alcohol they had. Pulling the shot glasses she poured him a drink and began asking him a question.
"I guess... you didn't last in university and decided to drop out and do your own thing, yes or no?"
'Shit, that was fast...' he thought before pounding back the shot, whiskey, he could tell from the taste. "Damn, damn, damn, yea, school was always just so...repetitive, tedious, boring..." he shrugged, "That's when I found work out here with Mr. Hiroshi at the glasses shop, I get to learn AND be productive, its not often that I have a boring day anymore." He reached over for the tequila, pouring himself another shot.
"Right..." He closed his eyes, five years.... "You've starred in at least four movies since we last saw each other, at least three of them were the lead roles." he raised an eyebrow to his friend, expectant of her answer, "I know it takes a while to make a movie, but you've always made quick work of your acting career."
Amity Bellerose
"Aw, Kyle, you pay attention to my IMDB?" She brought the shot glass up to her lips and down her throat it went. Her face immediately squinted. Whiskey was the only hard liquor she couldn't handle shooting down. Waving her hands in front of her face, letting the strange, intense feeling go down, she let the strong sensation pass. Making a "blehk" face, she tried to gain her composure - her eyes a little watery from the intensity. Yet, Amity didn't cough. She had enough practice to not cough up her liquor - especially with Kyle.
"Woo, I hate whiskey!" Her stomach felt the deep seeded feeling of the alcohol settling in. She poured vodka in her shot glass and began explaining to her friend why she wasn't in any more movies, "I'd be in more if I wasn't trying to transition to TV. That's where everything is heading to nowadays! TV and the web." Puckering her lips and narrowing her eyes, she thought about the next 'guess' or 'assumption'.
"This might be a little serious one but... I'd like to believe Nori is the first girl you've been truly interested in since Julia. Not saying you haven't dated or anything, but you get what I mean." Concern fell on her face because she knew that today was not the best day for him. The wound was probably still sore, but for her own sake, she needed to know how important Nori was to him. Perhaps, in the near future, she could try to help him resolve his issues. All she wanted was for Kyle to find happiness. Julia was so important to him and if Nori was just as important to him as Julia was, the idol would help him at all cost to make them work.
While she waited, she lightly swayed the shot glass in her hand.
Kyle Parker
Kyle laughed when she realized what she was drinking, whiskey was never the best drink of choice for the young idol. He was interested in what she was saying about her work, but he was always interested in people's work, what their passion was, what drove them to push themselves to better themselves at their work. When people talked to him about their jobs, or even when Kyle watched people worked, he'd divert his attention 100% to what they were doing, finding it just so...fascinating. He wasn't prepared for Amity's next guess though...
Kyle blinked a couple of times at her, 'yep, gonna need another one for this...'
Reaching over he grabbed the large double shot glass and poured a mixture of vodka and rum into the glass before downing it all in one swig. The burning sensation was extremely intense and he gritted his teeth, thankful for the distraction. Why the double shot? One, because she was right, two because the truth hurt, he needed to forget, for at least one night. Regaining his composure he sighed, "Yea I am, there's just something that...I don't know, I've got this feeling inside me, it just tells me that there's just something about her, something that's worth it all. The way her eyes light up, the little dimples that she gets on her cheeks when she's smiling, she lights a fire in me and I think I see some of that fire in her." 'This isn't helping...' Kyle sighs, looking at his friend with saddened eyes, "Doesn't really matter at this point, she broke up with me before the ball, said she had 'things she needed to take care of'. Damn it all if this is what I get for pouring my heart out to a woman."
The alcohol was taking more of an effect on him, "I don't know Amie, I don't want to give up on her, but I know she's not telling me everything, she doesn't want to...I can't help but feel worried because of that." The corner of his mouth pulled back into a slight frown, "Surely you understand though, I saw the way you and Shou danced, the way you held each other, you've got that feeling about him too don't you?"
Amity Bellerose
Amity felt her heart break the more her friend talked about this girl. Her feelings were conflicted. She hated her and wanted to pull her by the hair all the way to some river and drown her forcefully but at the same time... This girl... really put a spell on her friend. Though, Julia was less harsh to him. His ex at least ended everything on good terms. Was it bad she couldn't help but compare Nori to Julia? First impressions were really important and Nori kind of blew it. Her hand held tight to the shot glass, trying to hold in her anger.
Scooting closer to him, she rested her head on his naked shoulder taking in everything he was saying.
"I don't think you should quit. If you want something, you should fight for it. At least until you have closure and you can move on. You have every right to worry. I wonder though..." She thought back to herself and being an actress. Female were complicated but they were complicated for good reasons. Nori wouldn't have even bothered to come over her estate if she didn't care for Kyle, but then suddenly she breaks up with him? Something was definitely fishy... it was like she was pushing him away for his own protection.
Her face grew red when he mentioned Shou again, "Oh-ah. Maybe? I feel like I fall in and out of love more than you... I don't really know what is real, to be honest. Your love transcends anything I've ever experienced. Shou feels different... but I'm not sure. He really made me feel important but..." She didn't look like her self. Her disguise is what he loved, not Amity Bellerose, the pop sensation! Her eyes looked down at the water and her finger ran over it slowly. She was an actress through and through.
Lifting her head up, she turned to the edge of the Jacuzzi and put her shot glass down. The idol then grabbed the bottle of peach rum and brought it to her lips and took a nice swig of it. Fuck the goblet.
"Why so serious!?" she giggled, hiding her doubt.
Was Amity actually doubting her love interest? This was truly weird... perhaps tonight was just an angsty night for both her and Kyle.
Kyle Parker
"I want to, but its also like...I tried to fight for her, like I said I laid everything out and..." The alcohol was really hitting him pretty hard, his hand going to his head and scratching it, "Sorry, words are hard, but I think you get it."
She leaned her head against his shoulder and he relaxed into it, he was used to this kind of contact with her, though the alcohol was definitely lowering his inhibitions to feel even more comfortable with it. It felt kind of nice, being this close with someone, he could lay it out to her and not feel like he was saying anything wrong and she knew she could tell him anything too and he wouldn't judge her, maybe scold her sometimes, but only cause he wanted her to come out a better person because of it. He knew people took advantage of her cause of her status, when people found out she was an idol, they treated her differently, but he saw the human behind the celebrity, and not ONCE did he put up with any of her bullshit, and he'd call her out on it too.
"Oh-ah. Maybe? I feel like I fall in and out of love more than you... I don't really know what is real, to be honest. Your love transcends anything I've ever experienced. Shou feels different... but I'm not sure. He really made me feel important but..."
'Wait, what?' He stared down at her, did he hear her wrong?
He saw her reach over for something, he wasn't sure what, oh, more alcohol, she drank it. "Why so serious!?"
He blinked a couple of times, "Sorry I was just...taken a little off guard there, what do you mean, 'my love transcends anything you've ever experienced'?"
She had the right idea though and reached over for the bottle of rum in her hand, taking a nice big swig of it.
Amity Bellerose
The alcohol was taking it's course. For a tiny person, Amity had a high tolerance for alcohol but right now, her mind set was: get drunk. Get drunk fast. She brought her finger to Kyle's cheek and gently brushed it, "Kyle, Kyle, Kyle! You think too much. I just mean, when you look at a girl you're so fuckin' genuine. Bitches be lucky to date you. Have I ever gone steady with anyone? NOPE! Because they're either assholes or I scare them away." Her face had a permanent blush on from the alcohol. It was getting pretty hot in here too. She grabbed a different bottle (since Kyle took her rum) and went for swig of Tequila? Welp.
"I'm just saying. I don't get it! I don't get love. I want love, don't get me wrong. But I just don't get it." Putting the bottle down on the edge, she crawled on top of him, going straight to his face. Her light blue eyes inches away from his, "I don't care if you laid everything out. You don't feel happy. There's something missing, right?" She pinched his cheeks, "Kyle doesn't give up on people. He didn't give up on me!"
She brought her head intimately closer, her body rubbed up against him, and her cleavage was his for the viewing. Brushing her nose on his, the idol asserted, "You want her. Drill your love into her damn soul until she can't say no." She pushed a little away but her body was still pretty much on top of him, "I don't care what you say. Nori likes you. She LIKES you."
Suddenly, Amity broke into a character and acted a break up scene, "Do you really think I enjoy seeing your face? It was fun while it lasted, but I don't want to see you again." Her words were broken and tears were building up in her eyes, "Just leave me alone, Kyle. I don't have feelings for you, okay? And you're making this harder for me than it should be." Amity turned her back to her friend and crossed her arms. By now, she actually was crying, "Just go... just leave me alone."
Slowly, Amity began walking away to the other side of the Jacuzzi to see how much he'd react with what she just threw at him.
Kyle Parker
Her words were making a lot of sense, even in his drunken state, but she was getting really close to him, and when she got on top of him, he couldn't help but stare. Her eyes were piercing, her flesh felt hot, hotter than the water surrounding them, her cleavage was exposed to his vision and her tiny nose brush was adorable. Despite all the distractions, he understood her words, he wanted to fight for Nori, he didn't want to give up, damn it all if he couldn't get close to her right now, but he wanted to help, whatever, however he could. Wait, what was she doing? Was Amie...crying?
Were he sober he might have picked up that she was trying to make a point, but he felt legitimately sad that his friend was crying. Was she...'Jealous of his and Nori's relationship? Wanted Kyle to herself? Wanted to feel that love from Kyle?' Amity was right, he did think too much...but he could at least comfort his friend.
Standing up, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around his friend, pulling her close to him, an intimate bond shared between the two, "Its like you said, I don't give up, not on anyone, not on my friends and not on you either. You'll find that person, the one who makes your heart feel elated, the one who you'd live, breathe and die for, love is finicky, heartbreak sucks, try and try again, and never give up." He rested his chin on Amity's pink curls and planted a tiny kiss on the top of her head, he really couldn't stand to see people cry.
Amity Bellerose
With an expression of disbelief, Amity was stunned trying to comprehend the fact that Kyle didn't catch onto her act. He even made the conversation about her! This wasn't about her love life, this was about his. Her tears immediately dispersed and her face was back to normal - she was definitely a talented actress. Taking a deep breath in, she wiggled her way down his arms and into the water.
Bringing herself a small distance away from him, she rose from the water, her hair now completely wet as she brushed it out of her face. She looked at her drunk friend and shook her head, "Kyle, those were fake tears." She was trying to get a point across, but perhaps her friend was far too gone?
Walking back to him, she brought her head up to look at him, "I'm not the one that's giving up." Wrapping her arms around his stomach area, she sighed, "Why don't you listen to your own advise?" His advice about love and not giving up was spot on, but her friend probably didn't realize how wise he actually was, "If I say leave me alone, I mean stay by my side. If I say go, I mean don't go." Pausing, she brought her arms to his shoulder (standing on her tippy toes) and brought him down to her level.
"Girls are complicated and I think you're right, Nori is hiding something from you. If it brought her to the point of breaking up with you when she obviously cares, it's because she doesn't want you to get hurt."
Resting her head on his forehead, the idol whispered, "When you love someone, you do what you think is best. But that's the problem. We always think about ourselves. What if her best is wrong? What about you, Kyle? It takes two to tango. And, I believe she needs you." Her breathing was light and her eyes were closed as she waited for her friend to respond.
Kyle Parker
"Oh...I see," He started giggling, how could he be so dumb? No, wait, not dumb, just drunk.
She moved closer to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, pulled him to her level, her forehead felt wet and heated against his. The words Amity spoke, despite his drunkenness, still made sense to the American youth. Girls were complicated, but even though Nori didn't want him around, he couldn't help but feel Amie was right in that she did need him. He thought back to their break up earlier, she tried to push him away, tried to make him angry at her, lied to his face, and he still came after her, yet she still didn't want him around because...what?
"I guess I can't help but be afraid for her because I don'tk now what's going on...I know that...that she likes me, and I know she's not telling me things, but you're right, I think she needs me and honestly...I kind of need her too. As for what I want to do, whatever she's trying to protect me from, I want to protect her back just as much, I want to be there, by her side." Kyle didn't know what the future held for him, he didn't know if his job would last, he didn't know if he'd end up sick and diseased, he didn't know the day he was going to die, but still he held his head up high. Whatever was going on in Nori's mind, he wanted to make that mindset clear to her, he wanted share that way of life with her too, to not be so afraid of what tomorrow would bring and live in the moment, in the today. Kyle's hand placed itself on Amie's shoulder, gripping it lightly, he rubbed his forehead into his friend's, "Thanks...Amie, you're a good friend,"
With his body as low as it was in the water, he could feel the temperature rising higher in him, if he remembered correctly, hot tubs were supposed to make you drunker if you drinking in them...hm...
"Its getting kind of late, dontcha think? We should probably get out of this and settle in for the night...we can bring the booze and the snacks with us."
He pulled away from his friend and stepped out of the jacuzzi, lending a hand to the pink haired girl so she could step out safely as well. His body was dripping wet, but he didn't care, he was feeling really good right now. Grabbing the rum, he gestured towards Amity, "Shall we?"
The two friends realized they forgot about the ice cream. They were so caught up in alcohol and friendship that the the main reason why they were here in the first place was incredibly melted. As they walked away with snacks and alcohol, Amity ate gummy bears while Kyle ate Pocky. They had left the melted ice cream for a maid to clean up in the morning.
As Yutaro turned and began to walk off, he felt something tug on his shirt, and he had a pretty good idea what it was. Perhaps he was delusional to think that it could have been an easy goodbye, just two strangers sharing a dance and parting ways. But Yutaro had felt it while they spun about in each other's arms, and he couldn't blame Sabine for pursuing it; were he not already starting a relationship with Ryoki he would have pursued it as well. He let out a quiet sigh before he turned and faced her, hearing what she had to say.
"...I...if you want to talk more, I'll be working at Mochavine. Don't be a stranger because of tonight, okay?"
There was a strange tone in Sabine's voice that Yutaro wasn't used to hearing. It wasn't flirtation or infatuation, nor was it the timid bashfulness that was so common in more modest women. There was a sad ring to her words, as if she were desperate, as if she couldn't bear to lose the tenuous bond that the two of them so briefly shared. Yutaro mulled over his response for several seconds before answering, then decided that, for better or worse, he was not cruel enough to sever all ties with this woman. "Well, I visit Mochavine pretty often," he said, "so I'm sure we'll see each other again. And..." Yutaro knew he would regret this next part, but the subtle distress that he saw on Sabine's face and felt in her grip invoked a kindness in him that he hoped he wouldn't regret. "...I work as a dealer at the casino. Feel free to drop in and say hi."
Dammit Yutaro, you already have a girl. Why are you inviting another one into your life?
It's alright. Nothing's going to happen. She'll just be another friend, like Yumeno.
Are you sure she's thinking the same thing?
I told her I'm with somebody.
But you also shared a dance and invited her to see you at work.
I invite lots of people to see me at work. Everything will be fine.
It better be...
"So, Sabine, instead of saying goodbye, I'll say see you later, alright?" Yutaro gave her one last smile, hoping that answer would suffice, and then turned away once again. No more thinking about her tonight. Now it was time to find Ryoki. He slithered his way around the dance floor, but didn't see anyone that look quite like her, so he turned his attention to the tables. Maybe she was waiting for him before she started dancing...
It was a crazy situation. What else was I supposed to do?
Apologize to the stranger, and look for your girlfriend.
He shook the guilty thoughts away. OK, maybe he took a bit too much liberty in the way he interpreted their deal; he certainly hadn't mistaken that woman for Ryoki, and he probably shouldn't have danced with her, but it was over now. He'd spend the rest of the night with Ryoki and that would be that.
Until Ryoki sees you talking to Sabine at work...
@Delta44Yutaro didn't want to continue that line of reasoning, and fortunately, he didn't have to. He finally spotted Ryoki sitting at a table socializing with a couple other people. It was pretty obvious now that he saw her; she was wearing the same dress that she had on their date except she adorned it with her signature scarf. He was somewhat relieved to see Ryoki chatting with another gentleman; the relief from guilt overpowered whatever small amount of jealousy might have otherwise crept up. However, sitting with her was an unfamiliar girl. A friend of hers? A mischievous grin crept across Yutaro's face. Why take the direct approach when he could take the fun one.
Without making eye contact with Ryoki, Yutaro walked over to Mokyu and gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder. "Excuse me Miss," he said, disguising his voice so that it sounded deeper; hopefully Ryoki wouldn't see through it right away. "I'm trying to find somebody, and I was wondering if you saw her. She has long black hair, beautiful eyes, and from what I've heard, she's very good at poker." He spoke loud enough so that Ryoki would be able to hear him, hoping that his last clue would be a giveaway, telling her just who the stranger bothering her friend was.
It felt nice standing there wrapped in another person’s warmth, Alban’s arm around her waist bringing her in close. How long had it been since she had been held like this? The rest of the party began to seem like a blur and all that was there was Alban and his warmth. She leaned her head into his side, her mask being pushed slightly to the side. She closed her eyes as he screamed at the DJ to liven the party up. Was the room spinning or was that just her?
Just as the bass started pounding from the speakers Maribelle opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of Shizuka returning to the table. Oh, right, she had left both Alban’s “date” and the mysterious mute back at the table… the table only a few feet away from where the enemy sat. All feelings of peacefulness fell away and Mari raised her head away from Al’s chest; determined. Perking up, she pulled away from Al and twirled herself in front of him. “ Why don’t you show me some of your dance moves?” She laughed, unable to imagine Alban being able to dance at all - much less to pop music. In fact, even she had no idea how to dance to this type of music. She was more of a classical dancer, but unfortunately the previous waltz music seemed like it was putting the guests to sleep. Now, as the beat started, people began pouring in from their tables and to the dance floor. Including her ex-husband and that conniving wench, she noted from the corner of her eye.
Drink in one hand and Alban’s hand entwined with her other, Maribelle shimmied herself backwards to the beat of the music all while laughing at herself and the confused look on his face. Once again, she had completely forgotten about the two sitting back at the table. Her world was starting to look like a spinning blur aside from Alban standing in front of her. It was enthralling; why hadn’t she mixed Valium with alcohol before?
Al was bewildered at Mari’s forwardness, but he was so intoxicated right now that he was just rolling with the punches. He flashed a drunken grin at her before he pulled her back to, a hand on her back. “You’d be surprised, ma belle.” he told her, a coquettish tone coating his words. His other hand flew to the drink in her grip, fingers curling around hers. Suddenly, his right leg slid back, lowering the woman very close to the ground, his lips very near hers. Al’s indigo blue eyes peered into her emerald orbs, a soft, tantalizing expression upon his face. “Mademoiselle, I was taught the tango at an early age. I can dance with the best.” Alban confidently declared before pulling her back to her feet.
While he was a bit off his game, on account of being heavily intoxicated, Al managed to lead Mari in a somewhat impressive rendition of tango nuevo, a club music-inspired version of the classic dance. They stepped and twirled, locked in an alluring performance. As Al was quick to notice, his partner also knew the steps to this dance. Sure, they may have stumbled every now and then, but for drunk people, they did an awesome job. It was a truly intimate experience for him, who was used to dancing with his mother. A few times during their dance, he was sure they were about to lock lips. Unfortunately, towards the end of the song, they accidentally bumped into a couple.
The couple they ran into was made up of a rather robust looking man with a black mask and very pregnant woman. The man seemed to give Al a look down before proceeding to glare at Mari. Thinking nothing of it, he kept a firm grip on her hand. “Ah, pardon us.” Al apologized in slurs, about to lead his lady back into their performance.
Unfortunately, their intimate dance had to come to a crashing halt. Icy blue eyes pierced hers, sending chills through her body. Luckily for her, she was too dazed to register the fear it would normally cause. She straightened up and turned away from Alban, squaring up with the broad shouldered dark haired man glaring at her. She stood at least a foot shorter than him, but wasn’t about to back down. “ Chad.” Her eyes moved from the man, to the pregnant woman looking awfully offended next to him. “ Stacey.” Her voice oozed with hatred. Her eyes moved from Stacey’s face, down to look at her round belly with disgust.
“ So this is who you’re running around with these days, Maribelle?” Chad was looking at Alban now, obviously sizing him up with no shame. He clicked his tongue, as if unimpressed. “ I know you’re not the most attractive man, but I’m sure you could do better than this harlot.”
That was it, she had had it. Seething, Maribelle stepped in closer to the couple. “ Harlot? HARLOT?!” Though she was a tiny woman, her voice easily raised above the music for people in the general area to hear. “ THIS HERE IS YOUR HARLOT!” She pointed at the pregnant woman next to him, eyes never wavering from her ex husband. “ You’re disgusting, Chad.” The temptation to punch him in the face crossed her mind, but she thought better of it. Instead, “ THIS is a real man. THIS is a man of HONOR.” She gestured to Alban, then turned her glare to Stacey. “ I hope he rips your cold fucking heart out too, you bitch.” In her high and drunken haze, Maribelle was unable to stop herself, and with that she threw her gin and tonic into Stacey’s face.
“ Let’s get out of here, Al.” She grabbed his hand and began to march out of the dance floor, leaving Chad and Stacey to clean up the mess.
Alban’s fists clenched and rage boiled up inside him when this asshole tried to talk down him. Chad was a big man, but Al was drunk and ready to rumble. Before he could get to scrapping though, Maribelle took him by the hand, storming towards the front door.“Bouffe ma queue calisse de fag.” [Too vulgar to translate] the Frenchman swore, disgustingly spitting at Chad’s feet as he was taken away.
When they were past the crowd and out the door, he felt the cold air greet them, a welcomed sensation compared to the stuffy town hall. “That was your ex, I presume? He didn’t look so tough.” Al chided, still half tempted to go back inside and fight the man.“I’ll go back inside and kick him in the teeth for you, if you want.” He placed a hand on her cheek, woozily standing in place. “You know I’ll fight for you.” The words came out with a romantic air about them, and his other hand took hers, tightly squeezing her palms in comfort.
Somehow Alban was able to make her hostility fade away almost as soon as they exited the ballroom. She smiled as he threatened to fight him, nearly laughing. Had Al ever been in a fight in his life? “ I know you would. Thank you, mon cheri.” She knew a bit of French herself. As he caressed her cheek she leaned into his hand, taking in the moment for a brief second and placing her hand over his. Despite the bouncer (@Saarebas) standing outside the doors seeing everything, it didn’t feel like anyone was around. Maribelle normally wasn’t one for public displays of affection, but she had the urge to raise up on her tippy toes and kiss him.
“You know, you look much better with that silly mask off.” Al chuckled, grazing his hand upwards and taking the mask off her. In the moonlight, she looked heavenly, especially accentuated by his inebriated mindset. Had she always been this gorgeous? All the times he had seen her, had he truly never noticed this? “Mari…” he whispered into her ear before swooping down upon her lips like a bird of prey, holding her tightly to his form. Filled with a mixture of faithful passion and lustful romance, their kiss lasted for what seemed like an eternity. He forgot about everything around him, focusing solely on the woman in front of him.
Al had clearly read her mind, placing his lips on hers. A drunken kiss, but probably one of the best kisses she had ever had. Was that the alcohol or Valium talking? Did it even matter? She trembled under his touch, kissing him with a fiery passion that she had forgotten she was capable of. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself in closer. Slowly she pulled away from the kiss and leaned in until her lips hovered just beside his ear. “ Shall we go to your place?”
“Hey, love birds, you need a cab? $25 and I’ll take you back to your place.” a cabbie shouted out, parked outside the town hall.
Catching on to Mari’s suggestive tone, he grabbed her by the hand and led her to the cab. He knew he had his mother’s car, but he was definitely in no shape to drive tonight. The two of them had gotten lost in a fantasy, drunk and stupid. As they left, Al couldn’t help but think he was forgetting about something... or someone...
While Kyle was in Liam's room cleaning himself off, Amity was in her own bathroom staring at her naked body in the mirror. The world was moving ever so slightly. The alcohol was definitely starting to kick in but this was only just the beginning of one fun night. Before she jumped in the shower, she thought to herself...
I wonder what Kazu~ is doing.
She hadn't known him for long but she really did enjoy being around him. It would be nice if he could come over and spend the rest of New Years Eve with Kyle and her.
Giving into temptation, she picked up the phone and went to the contact Kazuzu~. The idol knew his full name was Kazuma Watanabe but it was just too much fun adding a "Zu" to his name instead of a "Ma". Amity couldn't help but be a little childish sometimes.
Knowing very well he won't be able to respond to her, she listened quietly to the ringer. When he did pick up, but only silence was his response, she chirped happily, "KAZUZU~" Her eyes stared at the mirror, looking at her body up and down. And yes, her words may be a little slurred but it was still very much comprehensible, "I had to leave the party earlyyy. I WAS IN A DISGUISE like a white ninja! Either wayyyy. You should come over! I'm with my bestie and we're gonna play some games. If you're with anyone, bring em too! I'd love new friends. EVERYONE CAN SLEEPOVER! I have the house to myself and it's so exciting. Don't worry about packing, I has all the things! Okay~ I see you soon! I go showerrrr now." @Rekaigan
Hanging up, she looked at her small chest and sighed, "I'm so tiny."
With that, she put her phone in her bathrobe pocket and then went to her bathroom's music system and pressed play. Conveniently her "DANCE DANCE MUSIC" was the most recent playlist she listened to.
The playlist started with one of her favorite songs about:
English translation: Don't drink too much
Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for partying!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for drinking!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for partying!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~Oh~Eh~Oh~Eh~Oh
Hey Boy! Let's dream a dream of grandeur! (Hoo hoo hoo hoo) You've got friends like us here, Baby. Hey Girl! Let's go past the limit, (Hoo hoo hoo hoo) Because tonight has it going on! Say yeah!
"Do!" is for, "Chug it all in one gulp!" "Re!" is for, "Chug 'em all down nonstop!" "Mi!" is for, "Chug with all of us!" "Fa!" is for, "Chug until you puke!" "Well then, are you ready?" Grab your glass! And Grab your dreams!
Don't you, don't you, don't you think it's fine? It's not like you need to think about it, right? Don't you think it's fine to drink until morning, Tonight? (Drink up. Drink up.) Tonight? (Drink up. Party night!)
Don't you, don't you, don't you think it's fine? Don't you think that -Gorgeous Mode- is fine? Don't you think that it's fine to dream? Nervousness? Yeah, B-B-Bye!
"Don't drink too much."
Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for partying!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for drinking!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for partying!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~Oh~Eh~Oh~Eh~Oh
Hey Boy! It's okay to find love out there. You can just find a reason for it later, Baby. Hey Girl! It's okay to open up your heart, (Hoo hoo hoo hoo) Because you've got it going on! (Drinkommunication!)
"Do!" is for, "Chug it all in one gulp!" "Re!" is for, "Chug 'em all down nonstop!" "Mi!" is for, "Chug with all of us!" "Fa!" is for, "Chug until you puke!" "Well then, are you ready?" Grab your glass! And Grab your love!
Don't you, don't you, don't you think it's fine? It's not like you need to think about it, right? Don't you think it's fine to drown in the love, Tonight? (Drink up. Drink up.) Tonight? (Drink up. Party night!)
Don't you, don't you, don't you think it's fine? Don't you think that it's fine to splurge for just one day? Tomorrow, and the day after! Money, Money? Yeah, B-B-Bye!
Don't you, don't you, don't you think it's fine? It's not like you need to think about it, right? Don't you think it's fine to forget it all, Tonight? Tonight?
Don't you, don't you, don't you think it's fine? It's not like you need to think about it, right? Don't you think it's fine to drink until morning, Tonight? (Drink up. Drink up.) Tonight? (Drink up. Party night!)
Don't you, don't you, don't you think it's fine? Don't you think that -Gorgeous Mode- is fine? Forget it all. Nervousness? Yeah, B-B-Bye!
Forget it all. Nervousness? Yeah, B-B-Bye!
"Don't drink too much."
Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for partying!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for drinking!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for partying!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~Oh~Eh~Oh~Eh~Oh
(One more time!)
Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for partying!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for drinking!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~ (A night for partying!) Whoa Oh~Oh~Oh~Oh~Eh~Oh~Eh~Oh
"You guys are the best."
Her bathroom door was cracked and the music resounded out and into her bedroom. The volume was high enough to even reach the hall. The idol began washing the salt and long night off her body. Amity loved showers and baths. It wasn't odd for her to wash herself multiple times a day if she had time. That was part of the reason why she had both a pool and a Jacuzzi. Being in water and just water against her body gave her a feeling of tranquility. This also explained why she smelled like some type of flower or fruit all the time. Her favorite scent was Sweet Peas!
Finishing up, the idol put on her bathrobe and went back to the mirror. Staring at her skin, the idol grumbled, "Man, Amity, you need to get more rest." Touching her face, she grimaced hating the fact she had dark circles under her eyes. Soon after, Amie applied face wash and scrubbed thoroughly, finishing everything off with a *Splash*.
"I cannot possibly allow myself to sober up!" The idol had to hurry and get ready so she could get more alcohol in her. Scurrying to her closet, she dived to the section where her pajamas/nightgowns/and sleepwear were at.
With a puzzled expression, she bit her lip, "Well, I invited Kazu over..."
Suddenly, there was a personal dilemma the idol needed to leap over. Why was choosing a outfit so hard? She usually never had this hard of a time choosing an outfit... ESPECIALLY with sleepwear.
Kyle would get mad if I wear something like this... but I get hot so I don't want to wear something like that... it's almost the New Years... I could be a little festive... I wonder if Kazu would think this is cute on me...
After a long debate of what was appropriate or not, the idol decided to wear her kimono-likenightgown. She thought it was appropriate for New Years Eve and hell, she wore worse things on stage for her fans. Plus, Amity was a cutie no matter what she wore. Under her kimono, she'd wear light green, lace undergarments.
After her nightwear was fully decided (and she changed into it), she began blow drying her hair and applying product to her curls so they wouldn't frizz up.
Kyle Parker
Hot water rained and drenched his entire body, his head was pressed firmly into the cool tile of the shower wall and he just let himself feel the water as it came cascading down his back and into the drain below. Steam rose up all around him, the scalding water a soothing mercy to his skin and muscles, he really did enjoy hot showers and at Amity's mansion, he literally didn't have to worry about it ever running out of hot water. He remembered a time when he had taken a two hour shower at her place back in the States...he also remembered Liam not being amused at all about it. That thought made him drunkenly giggle a little, Liam was way too serious tonight, hopefully he had a good night with his date...speaking of which...
Kyle's eyes opened to watch the water swirl like a vortex down the drain and his thoughts wandered to his and Amie's conversation earlier, about Nori and how he should keep fighting for her. He sighed, but smiled, he wanted to forget about her tonight and yet he ended up talking about her instead and still couldn't forget, despite having achieved the same drunken state back before having to drag his friend away from the ball. He decided then and there to at least let her know that he was thinking of her.
Stepping away from the wall he immediately stumbled back to the other end of the shower and his back pressed against the opposite wall. Reaching out for a towel he dried his hands before reaching his phone, conveniently placed on the shower railing. He didn't particularly care about water damage and fuck it all if his phone dropped in the water at this point, he just wanted to get the message out there.
'Hey, hope you're having a good night. Left the ball early, hanging out with a couple of friends, call or text if you need anything. And in case I'm too drunk to say it later....Happy New Years.' @Narcotic Dollie
The part about hanging out with friends was a bit of a lie, he was hanging out with Amie, but he didn't really want to tell Nori that, unsure of how she'd feel about it. Sighing again he placed the phone back on shower railing and reached down for the bottle of peach rum he had brought with him, bringing it to his lips to take another swig before putting it back down and resuming with his shower. Kyle had found a pair of checkered black pajama bottoms among Liam's things. Coupled with his t-shirt and green wool hat, he was fairly comfortable. He decided to grab his clothing, not wanting to bother Liam in the morning if and when he decided to leave.
Walking down the hall he could hear the music blaring from Amity's chambers, the door itself was open so he knew it was at least safe to walk in. Looking around he saw that her closet door was open, approaching it he knocked a couple of times, before he stepped inside.
"Yo," he said, hand raised high in the air before he side stepped and leaned back against the door frame. He eyed her up and down, her pale legs were quite revealing in the cute outfit she was wearing, he didn't want to think on that too much. Taking another swig he asked the young idol, "So what's the plan for the rest of the evening, bud?"
Amity Bellerose
After she was done blow drying her hair, Amity put down the machine and jumped up happily when she heard her friend's voice. Giving him a twirl, she grinned, "This fine? I had the hardest time of my life! But I think this is pretty New Years-ey, don't you think? Plus, I just have too many pajamas." She huffed at the thought of her struggle.
Walking to her friend, she took the bottle away from him, "I'll take that." and brought it to her lips. Then with a little flirtatious tone, she joked, "Oh Kyle, we've indirectly kissed so many times tonight." Her eyes were seductive, though it was purely her being a tease to her friend.
Rolling her eyes at the thought, she took the bottle with her and drank some glorious rum. Going to her heavenly bed, she shrugged at his question, "Drinking games, that's what we're doing." Handing him back the bottle, she bent over and opened her nightstand, her upper thighs were definitely revealing. She pulled out a card deck and slapped it on the bed, "I was thinking we play Kings and maybe beer pong, but that's if you want to go downstairs. We can always bring a fold up table up here. Hm... Truth or Dare. There's just so much we can do!"
The little idol got excited at the possible prospects for night that she didn't realize she hadn't told Kyle she invited Kazu over. Most of these games were better in groups and he probably thought his friend was insane just offering it to the two of them. They'd get stupid drunk - real fast.
Taking in his expression, the idol jumped up on top of her bed in surprise. Looking down at him, she exclaimed, "Oh yeah! I forgot! My friend is coming over."
Kyle Parker
"Yea I think you're fine, its cute," he shrugs. She takes the bottle, taking another drink of it before making a quip about indirect kissing, were Kyle's face not already flushed from all the alcohol he had consumed, his blush might have been more prominent.
"Christ, Amie, do you have to say it like that?" He scratched his head as he accepted the bottle back from her, it was unsurprising that she wanted to continue their night with more of the rum and other bottles. He followed her over to her bed, averting his eyes as she bent over to retrieve something from her nightstand. A pack of cards was tossed onto her bed and she rattled off suggestions for them to do things. Now not that Kyle didn't want to get drunk really quickly, but all of the games she was suggesting were more meant for multiple party members and even though it took two to tango, he wasn't sure if his liver would enjoy that much drink all at once.
His eyebrows squinted in concern, wondering if maybe she was more drunk than him, until she suddenly jumped onto the bed and exclaimed, "Oh yeah! I forgot! My friend is coming over."
"Your friend?" he raised his eyebrow curiously, "Who?"
Zac normally wasn't one for such formal affairs. If he could avoid it, there was no way he'd wear a tuxedo. However, after seeing that invitation, he had decided, 'Hey, this could be fun. Not like there was anything going on tonight, anyway.' And, if he had to be honest, he was having a pretty good time. After all, he did enjoy times where a bunch of people were gathering, whether it be at a ball or a party like the ones his old friends were famous for.
Being the friendly guy he is, it didn't take him long to easily strike up a few conversations with some of the other party-goers. As he chatted with a few, he couldn't help but find himself glancing out toward the dance floor, to the young woman in the black mask. There was something about the way she moved that seemed familiar to him. After thinking for a few moments, it dawns on him who she was.
After she and her dance partner parted ways, Zac watches the woman walk off before turning to the pair he was speaking with, having turned to watch the woman while the two he was chatting with spoke among themselves. He apologizes and wishes them a good night before turning around and disappearing into the crowd.
He wanders for a bit, occasionally stopping to talk with a person here and there. He made the mistake of asking if they saw a woman in a black mask, to which the person he had asked gave him a strange look before telling him to be more specific. After a few minutes, however, he finally finds her. Walking up to her from behind, he gently taps her shoulder and says with a smile, "After seeing you dance at the club, I didn't expect to see you waltzing, Sabine."
He moved a little closer to Shizuka, pulling out his phone, typing on it before showing it to her. "Is everything alright?", he was quite concerned about this girl, she seemed.. Troubled by something. Perhaps he should try ask her to dance? Maybe she doesn't want to dance.. Who knows.
At first Shizuka wasn't sure that Kazuma was trying to communicate with her since she was somewhat lost in thought, but when he kept his phone's screen pointed at her for such a long time it dawned on her that he wanted to show her something. Shizuka wondered if he communicated in this way because the music suddenly got really loud and it became hard to think, let alone hear, but she read his message. "Y-yeah..." Shizuka said, but then wasn't sure if he could hear her so she raised her voice slightly, "I-I'm fine...just...I was just worried for Alban is all, he seemed pretty drunk, but at least Maribelle is with him..."
Suddenly a row started on the dance floor, causing Shizuka to turn to look. Alban and Maribelle were slinging insults with another couple. Then Alban and Maribelle stormed off. Shizuka got up again, feeling a slight desperate annoyance at having to get up and run around twice on account of Alban. "I-I'm so sorry..." Shizuka began apologizing to Kazuma for leaving him alone at the table for the second time today, but wasn't sure what she was going to say or why she was even trying to follow Alban at this point. She ran after the two drunks, out the door, calling, "Alban, wh-what happened? What's wrong? W-Wait!!!" but the music was too loud and Alban was too intoxicated by both the alcohol and the company of his current partner to hear Shizuka. Before she could catch up to them, Shizuka tripped and fell forward onto the hard marble floor. By the time she recovered from the shock of falling and lifted her head, she saw Alban and Maribelle enter a cab and leave. She just lay there for a bit, completely bewildered at having been abandoned. She could rationalize Alban dancing with Maribelle, she could rationalize that there was nothing going on between herself and Alban other than a simple friendship, but she had a hard time rationalizing that he'd actually forget about her and about the fact that he had driven her here. She hadn't really paid attention during the drive here and wasn't sure what part of the city they were in. She could make a guess and she could use her phone's GPS, but she didn't know if walking to the academy was a viable option. She could take a cab, but at this point, in a numb daze, she simply didn't want to think about anything. Picking herself up gingerly, Shizuka absentmindedly straightened her dress and walked back into the building. As if automatically, she wandered back to Kazuma's table and sat down wordlessly. Right now, she was glad her ridiculous helmet covered her entire face.
Shou was about to say something, when the table was interrupted by a young blonde gentleman, whom Shou was nowhere near as drunk as. He spoke to him to not waste his time with this woman, which left the professor confused. He was about to ask who the gentleman was, but he stumbled off again, leaving the professor scratching his head in confusion.
Presently, the woman who he was speaking to, only grew more disgusted with the party, and politely(as possible when near fuming, or...no, she wasn't quite, but her passive aggressive nature despite her cold composure spoke volumes) excused herself. Shou found himself a little disheartened. He sipped from his wine, eyes never leaving the brunette as she strode away, before Ryoki spoke to him again.
“I don't quite...know.” was his reply to her. Had he really done something so horrible? Maybe he came off too strong. He was visibly distressed, despite the darker haired woman's attempts to keep the atmosphere light.
Shrugging his shoulders, he tried to turn his attention back to the ladies at his table with a curt smile. “Is that so?” he responded to her reason for coming, a little hollow, hand absently swirling his glass of wine. Where was his date? ...was she really his date, after just one dance? Was she standing him...up?
The thoughts made his expression grow as hollow as his words. “I...me.” he caught onto bits and pieces of what she was saying. The waltzes had just ended, and though beautiful, they had progressed into a lively tango. The man relaxed into his seat, noting Mokyu devouring the lollipop. “I went home for the break.” he nodded, “I spent some time with my family, who live close by, but I don't get to see as often. It's quite unfortunate...I totally understand being as busy.”
As he was speaking to Ryoki, a man with very familiar black hair came up to Mokyu, but Shou didn't know where to place it. Smiling to himself at the gesture, he took another sip of wine. He hoped he hadn't been occupying too much of Ryoki’s time, especially if she'd wanted to dance, because his mind was running elsewhere.
“I promise to call.” Shou said suddenly, a little on edge at the brawl that began on the dancefloor. He downed the last of the wine of his third goblet of the evening, shuddering a little as he flashed Ryoki a semi-’fine’ smile. He wanted to find his date. ...he was nervous. He'd have liked to leave. The professor had a tendency towards paranoia time and time again. “Thank you so much, Miss Mokyu, Miss Mochizukki.” he flinched as he stood, gently bowing to them. “I hope the rest of your evening passes wonderfully.”
Tipping his hat to them, he turned on his heel and made a beeline for the door. Some fresh air would do him some good. It always had. His date was nowhere in sight, which one served to hurt him further.
You put your trust in someone, and you get stood up. ...they always have to leave, don't they? Everyone left. Everybody.
Little did he know the circumstances behind her departure.
He embraced the fresh air as it lapped over his cheeks lovingly when he stepped out the door that the two stoic faced (masked?) doormen held open. His hands were thrust into the pockets of his suit trousers and he shivered against the cold, but he was outside, at least. It was beyond refreshing.
As he was there, he noticed the brunette woman from earlier, standing out in the cold. Gentleman as he was, he was inclined to approach her, and to put his coat around her shoulders but refrained. He'd rather apologise to her, first.
And so he would.
“(...hello.)” he said, in English this time, lithely crossing the distance between them. He stood before her as to not startle her, and held his hands out in a ‘wait!’ gesture. His words were lightly accented in Japanese, but he tried damn near hard to make his speech at least comprehensive to a non-native. “(I'm sorry.)”
Little did he know who he was speaking to, of course. She wasn't just any rich foreigner, that was for sure.
“I'm sorry, I really am.” he repeated in his mother tongue. A lot less awkward, and a lot less stumbling over his words in his inebriated state. He must have looked like an idiot.
“I'm sorry for anything I did, Miss.” he mumbled, eyes shying away from hers. He was usually a lot less inhibited when buzzed, but something about this woman demanded his respect. “I did not mean to ruin the evening for you.”
All the way to the guest area, Suzy managed to stay calm and collected. With everything that had happened, she just wanted to snuggle up behind her covers and sleep. Screw the Near Year, if this is what she had to deal with for the next two months, she couldn't wait until it was over.
The moment her petite fingers hit her phone though, an email describing the events of the night was sent to the mysterious host of the party. Clutching her camera and purse, Suzy made her way to outside of the party.
A startling gust of wind made her shiver but she immediately ignored it. The warm comfort of her car was just 50 steps away. As her high heels clicked against the pavement, a familiar voice called out to her from behind.
Once again, it was the handsome man who she had taken pictures of. He walked up to her, and began blabbing about an apology in English. Raising her eyebrow, Suzy found it a bit funny he was trying to communicate with her in English. Of course she knew Japanese though, why else would her photography company send her here? Normally, Suzy would have been annoyed at the ignorance of the man but she found it to be quite cute for some reason.
It had been a long time since someone had actually cared even to apologize to her. If someone did, it would be either obviously fake or an attempt to get on her good side. This man’s plea however, felt genuine and sincere. She couldn’t help but smile. Replying in Japanese, Suzy said, “It is not you who ruined my night, I can promise you that. That woman you danced with earlier, do you recall her name?” She asked politely, hoping to get some information on the chaotic girl.
At her smiling at his attempt in English, Shou only dug his gloved hands further into his pockets with a nervous little laugh. She seemed to be scrutinising him, with her deep, dark brown eyes. She even seemed a little amused…
“Ah, you can speak Japanese…!” he sighed in relief, evidently easing up a little and releasing a breath he didn't know he had been holding. “...I should have expected, hah. I-I'm really relieved to hear that.” He genuinely was. Now, he could stop mentally beating himself up over being the reason someone's New Year started horribly. He could finally look this woman in the eye properly, more of the man he usually was, if a little blurry eyed and on the route of heavy intoxication.
She wasn't much shorter than him, but with the unforgiving clack-clack-clack of her presumably designer heels against the ground, he guessed she would have stood a little shorter. It was endearing in its own way…
Focus, Matsuoka!
“A-aah, you were...watching us.” his cheeks, already warm, went a little hotter. Which finally made him realise how cold it really was outsi- And he was holding up this woman in the cold. How uncouth.
“Forgive me.” he apologised under his breath, reaching for his suit jacket and - despite any protest she may have had - reached around her shoulders. Intentions innocent, he draped the jacket over her small frame. It hung off her, courtesy of being too large, but it was definitely warm. He immediately shoved his hands back into his pockets with a little nervous cough. “I-I realise...it's quite chilly out here. Forgive me; I won't allow you to catch a cold because of speaking to me, Miss.”
“Anyway…” he reached up to scratch the back of his head with a bashful smile, cheeks and nose still pink against the cool air, even more due to the alcohol in his system. “Her name was Amie. I...haven't seen her since the dance, though. She told me she had to be right back, I got us drinks…” he trailed off. “...mm? Why do you ask, Miss?”
“My name's Shou, by the way. ...sorry for keeping you out here in the cold, heh.”
She watched curiously as the man’s shoulders relaxed when she spoke his language. It was another reassurance as to why she spent endless nights staying up late to learn Japanese. Language was her one way into getting information in foreign places. It was also quite fun when people talked about her, not knowing she understood their every word.
A breath of wind brushed against her skin again, causing her whole body to shiver. The man must have noticed for he swung his jacket off and carefully placed it across her shoulders. Any form of resistance was ignored, try as she might. Part of her was a little surprised. It had been a long time since anyone has genuinely showed her a speck of kindness or a form of concern. Whenever she opened her mouth, people tended to flee. Sighing, she pulled the jacket against her tightly, grateful for the new form of warmth.
“Amie? So the two of you are not married?” Suzy had some doubts to the girl’s claims but now it was justified. She had been lying all along, typical of a crazy psychopath. The only question she couldn't answer was why the woman would possibly want the photos. “Well, this Amie left in the hands of a mysterious American a while ago.”
Suzy carefully watched the man’s reaction. What was their relationship? For some odd reason, she desperately wanted to know. “How do you know her? If I were you though, I would stay away from her,” She paused, unsure how to word the next piece of information without sounding odd. Instead, she chose to ignore it and let him continue the topic if he wished to.
“Ah, Shou. It's a pleasure. Fill free to call me Suzy,” She gave him a slight smile and snuggled against his jacket.
“Married?” Shou repeated, his eyebrow quirking at the woman. Truth be told, the fact that she did look just like Alex made him want to shout and cry ‘Yes, I love her, and I'm the luckiest man alive to be married to her!’. Unfortunately, his heart sunk instead, and he forced a melancholy chuckle, “No...we aren't. We must have looked that way when we were dancing.”
At the mention of her leaving with someone else, Shou couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. His cheeks went warm again and so did the tip of his ears, as he uninhibitedly swore under his breath. “...I see. I did not know she was such a woman.” Somewhere he felt cheated, lost and abandoned. She had lied to him, only to go home with someone else. Shou did not possess her, certainly, but he thought at least… At least…
His sunken eyes seemed to suddenly find the floor very interesting, for his head remained droopy following the revelation. He only looked up again when the young brunette spoke again. “To be honest, I just met her at this party tonight.” he admitted. It was a little embarrassing for sure. Shou felt like a schoolboy, having been made fun of by the entire class for some small reason. He froze, however, when she continued. Something about her words was oddly...ominous. “I would do well to avoid her…? I can imagine why now, but did something happen between you and her, miss…” “...Suzy.” he offered her the same melancholy smile from earlier, fawn-brown eyes betraying his feelings, glossy as they were. “You definitely are foreign, hah. Which is odd...are you a friend of hers? I...please, do tell me. Is something going on with Amie?”
The moment Suzy’s mouth spoke the truth, Shou instantly reacted. He completely deflated, letting his shoulders shrink and his eyes darken with despair. Shou’s head even fell to the floor. It was like someone he had loved passionately had walked out of his life.
Suzy couldn’t understand his reaction at all. He cared about Amie, enough to feel upset at her disappearance. It was troubling, really. They had danced one time and he was already head over heels for her? What sort of manipulation did she possess? If she was being honest with herself, Suzy felt a tange of jealousy that Amie could get one man to love her with a single dance.. Suzy couldn't even get a man to smile without keeping her mouth closed.
Shaking her head, Suzy reminded herself to focus. There was a task at hand that needed to be accomplished. Who is this Amie? She wasn't married but she was psychotic, insane, and a liar. From her clothes, it was obvious she was from a high up class and was extremely wealthy. How rich though? Obviously, the girl had some mental issues if she could turn into such a feral beast yet she was able to hide it from those around her. She made a note to check mental conditions with such symptoms when she returned home.
She directed her attention back to Shou, almost forgetting he was still standing beside her. It was hard attempting to tell him the incident. What would she say? “Your lover tried to taze me” would go real well….
“Shou, I'm not sure how to word this so I think I'll let you figure it out on your own. I can promise you that I am by no means, this woman’s friend. Perhaps you could call me the opposite.” It seemed relatively fitting that she found an enemy within the first weeks of staying in Shine City.
“It doesn't matter. I'm afraid, this girl who has captured your eye is not all as she seems. If you wish to remain safe, you'll take my advice and never come near her again. Wherever she is, I'm sure she's fine. However, you won't be if you go too close,” She gave him one long look before deciding to leave. It was truly time to go. A well-deserved, hot shower was waiting for at home.
“Thank you, Shou, but the night is late and I must be going,” Suzy handed the warm jacket back to the man and began her trot to her car waiting within the parking lot.
“I...see.” he repeated solemnly. Enemies, huh…
“Wait, Suzy, wha-” he began, flinching at her lingering gaze and the look in her brown eyes. Something told Shou that this woman was being pretty genuine. He therefore wanted to know more, needed to know more. She was already walking away when the jacket was thrust back into his hands and he was left speechless.
“At least let me drive you!” he called to a Suzy too far away. He was drunk, though conveniently having forgotten… Perhaps it was better she ignored him. It didn't leave a good taste in his mouth though. Sadly, he watched as she entered her car, and his head drooping again, he made his way back to his own.
...the emotions Shou felt were far from positive. Frustrated, upset, betrayed, frightened…
Who are you really, Amie…? ...and what did you want with me?
At first Shizuka wasn't sure that Kazuma was trying to communicate with her since she was somewhat lost in thought, but when he kept his phone's screen pointed at her for such a long time it dawned on her that he wanted to show her something. Shizuka wondered if he communicated in this way because the music suddenly got really loud and it became hard to think, let alone hear, but she read his message. "Y-yeah..." Shizuka said, but then wasn't sure if he could hear her so she raised her voice slightly, "I-I'm fine...just...I was just worried for Alban is all, he seemed pretty drunk, but at least Maribelle is with him..."
Suddenly a row started on the dance floor, causing Shizuka to turn to look. Alban and Maribelle were slinging insults with another couple. Then Alban and Maribelle stormed off. Shizuka got up again, feeling a slight desperate annoyance at having to get up and run around twice on account of Alban. "I-I'm so sorry..." Shizuka began apologizing to Kazuma for leaving him alone at the table for the second time today, but wasn't sure what she was going to say or why she was even trying to follow Alban at this point. She ran after the two drunks, out the door, calling, "Alban, wh-what happened? What's wrong? W-Wait!!!" but the music was too loud and Alban was too intoxicated by both the alcohol and the company of his current partner to hear Shizuka. Before she could catch up to them, Shizuka tripped and fell forward onto the hard marble floor. By the time she recovered from the shock of falling and lifted her head, she saw Alban and Maribelle enter a cab and leave. She just lay there for a bit, completely bewildered at having been abandoned. She could rationalize Alban dancing with Maribelle, she could rationalize that there was nothing going on between herself and Alban other than a simple friendship, but she had a hard time rationalizing that he'd actually forget about her and about the fact that he had driven her here. She hadn't really paid attention during the drive here and wasn't sure what part of the city they were in. She could make a guess and she could use her phone's GPS, but she didn't know if walking to the academy was a viable option. She could take a cab, but at this point, in a numb daze, she simply didn't want to think about anything. Picking herself up gingerly, Shizuka absentmindedly straightened her dress and walked back into the building. As if automatically, she wandered back to Kazuma's table and sat down wordlessly. Right now, she was glad her ridiculous helmet covered her entire face.
Truthfully, he didn't hear much of her response as the music got significantly louder, thankfully he was good at reading lips. He wasn't entirely convinced that she was alright, but he decided not to push any further than he already had.
His gaze followed Shizuka's, settling upon a rather drunk couple who had started to shout at another slightly more sober looking couple. It was Al and Mari having a go at the other couple, for what, was beyond him. Even if he did know what it was about, he wouldn't want to get involved. His image of Mari's respectable character cracked in his mind. Perhaps she was more unrefined than he had initially thought. Although, he knew that alcohol did all sorts of this to people.
He got up from his chair as a reflex when Shizuka chased after the drunken couple that had left in quite a hurry, but he stopped mid action as his phone rang. It was Amie. He felt confused, but happy at the same time. What an odd time to be calling him. Why would she call him? He wasn't able to respond to calls anyway. Kazu shrugged slightly and answered it while Shizuka was gone.
"KAZUZU~" A cheerful, energetic voice went off into his ear. He jumped slightly in surprise, almost dropping his phone. "I had to leave the party earlyyy. I WAS IN A DISGUISE like a white ninja! Either wayyyy. You should come over! I'm with my bestie and we're gonna play some games. If you're with anyone, bring em too! I'd love new friends. EVERYONE CAN SLEEPOVER! I have the house to myself and it's so exciting. Don't worry about packing, I has all the things! Okay~ I see you soon! I go showerrrr now." And with that, the line went dead. He could tell that she had been drinking quite a bit, her voice was slightly slurred, but it was still the same Amie he'd met at the park. Maybe a little more chipper? He tapped the phone on his chin in thought. I'm not with anyone tho- His thoughts were cut off when Shizuka made her way back to the table.
He quickly typed out another message, showing it to her when she sat back down. "A friend of mine invited me over to her house for tonight, she said I should bring someone with me. Would you like to come along? She said we're going to play games and sleepover." He flicked his mask up momentarily, giving her a kind smile and a nod. As if to encourage her to come along. He knew it was a little odd to invite someone he didn't even know, but he felt like it'd be a nice end to such a strange night.
“I don’t know.” Oliver shrugged. “Never really was one for soft drinks.”
He was really more into fitness, and didn’t like to fill his body up with trans fats and sugar. Maybe that was why his fridge was so barren. He only ever bought vegetables and lean meat. But, considering this was a little social between the two of them, and that he had just agreed to take her in as his new roommate, he supposed he would indulge just this once.
“Give me that soda from Australia, ‘Bloke’ I think it was called. Apparently it’s made with real koala bear blood.”
“...what?” Nori blinks, dumbfounded, but sure enough there is a six pack of sodas in the fridge called ‘Bloke’ with the words, “Now with Actual Kola Blood!” advertised in bright red lettering over the front of the can. “...is that even legal?” She asks, but she retrieves the can anyways and sets it down in front of Oliver before plopping back down into her seat.
“So, do you have any sort of house rules I should know about?” Nori questions as she pops the top on her rootbeer and takes a sip.
“Well, considering I had been living on my own up until today, I’ve never really given any thought about it.” Oliver replied, resting a hand beneath his chin. “Nothin’ ridiculous, but if I had to create one it would have to be to just clean up after yourself.”
He cracked open his can of soda, taking an experimental swig of the concoction. “Well, it tastes like cherry.”
He smacks his lips together.
“Damn, I should’ve been an Australian vampire.”
“Really?”
Nori leans across the table and takes the soda, giving it an experimental sniff before she takes a swig. “Oh,” she says, eyebrows raised in disbelief. “That's sweeter than I thought it would be. Koalas everywhere should be terrified. If the general public finds out about this they’ll go extinct overnight.”
The DJ slides the can back over to the detective and opens the box, pulling free a slice and taking a quick bite. A string of cheese doesn't quite get severed and it’s strung out between her and the pizza for a second, but Nori takes her off hand and breaks it, stuffing it into her mouth as well. “S’good,” she tells him around the mouthful.
“Glad you like it.” Oliver chuckles, reclining in his chair as he takes out his phone. “I’m gonna have to go back through some old records, find out if there was something I missed.” He tugs on the collar of his shirt, turning to her. “We’re gonna have to go get you a key for this place. If you really wanna help, go get me the green file from my office cabinet. Passcode for the lock is 6969.”
There was something that didn’t stack up. The Weatherman he knew killed people using a sledge hammer in the rain. This time it looked more like a crazed arsonist. Perhaps his methods were changing?
“Or I could just keep the one you kept under the mat,” Nori retorts, finishing her slice and licking the grease from her fingers. She was still kind of hungry, but decided it was probably best to hold off on anymore pizza for now. Both her and Dangermouse had their monthly measuring coming up and if either one of them was so much as an inch over their hire on size they could be terminated.
Mr. Beauregard was a firm believer that love handles don’t belong on DJs.
---
A little while later Nori is settled down in the middle of the living room with various stacks of paper scattered around her. She's got the case files separated between gender, then sub categorized by cause of death.
There are more female deaths, but not by much, and most of them die from blunt force trauma. But there are the occasional one-offs. Strangulations, stabbings, and one particularly gruesome drowning.
The case she’s reading over now is the murder of Alessandra Goretti. Nori undoes the paper clip that holds the case file together and pulls the photographs free, gingerly beginning to leaf through them. The top one shows the victim when she was still alive, a sweet smile on her lips and her doe like eyes shining with good humor.
’What a lovely woman,’ she thinks, trailing a finger over it before flipping to the next one and visibly recoiling. This one was taken right after Alessandra was discovered and the beautiful woman is almost unrecognizable due to the brutal beating she must have endured.
“I’m haunted everyday by those files.” Oliver murmured, leaning up against the doorway. “It’s like a list of every mistake I’ve ever made, all the failures conjured up over a lifetime of misery and regret. The file you’re looking at right now, well, every day I die a little inside when I look at it.”
He sighed.
“That was my best friend’s fiancee. I can’t face him anymore. I’ve been drowning the experience with alcohol and cigarettes, trying to fill the cracks that she left in my life. We were good friends.”
He smiled, his cerulean orbs moist.
Yet he didn’t cry.
“She used to read palms; those we happier days.”
Nori turns her head, glancing back at the detective in the doorway. “I’m sorry,” she tells him before looking back down at the case file. “She seemed like an accomplished women, from everything I've read here. A professor of any sort at such a young age, let alone one of Nuclear Physics, is pretty impressive.”
Nori gathers up the case file, clipping the pictures back in it and laying it gently into her ‘Female--Death by Blunt Force Trauma' pile.
“So far his MO mostly seems to be bashing people up with a sledgehammer. But there are a few that don't seem to fit together at all, like that one,” Nori explains, pointing to her lone drowning case. “Atlas Ashgrave, thirty nine years old. They found him face down in the toilet with both of his ears removed and stuffed into his mouth.”
“Plus, he was covered in bite marks,” the blonde adds, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Why is this one so different? Are we sure that the Weatherman had something to do with it?”
“Well, for one it matches the rest of the cases in the same regard that it was raining at the time. Whether or not this is purely coincidence is something yet to be seen. I’m starting to wonder if maybe he’s beginning to catch on to his predictability and is changing his methods as a result, or just wants to kill people in different ways to break up the monotony.”
He took a sip of ‘Bloke.’
“I’d place my money on the former option any day of the week. By the way, did you ever test whose blood it was on that message of yours? God forbid there’s a corpse rotting on the street somewhere at this point.”
“Also, do you have a vehicle to get from place to place? If not, I have an old scooter you can use for back and forth shit if you need it.”
“I just took the picture. I thought the police were gonna take me more seriously, so I didn't figure I needed to do anything else,” she admits, shooting the detective an apologetic look. “By the time they got there the rain had already washed it away, so there wasn't anything to collect.”
The thought that maybe the blood on her door had been from a victim and not from The Weatherman made Nori feel sick.
The DJ rearranges herself so that she is sitting cross legged and pondered Oliver’s offer of the scooter. “I haven't been on one of those since I was a kid,” she admits. “I guess it might be nice though, for when I have to get groceries. And it'd be cheaper than taking a cab.”
He's being so kind to her that Nori begins to wonder if she's taking advantage of him a little bit. He was giving her a lot of freebies. “I could pay some rent, if that would help you out. You probably haven't worked at all this last week, you know, because of the whole going into shock thing. I don't mind.”
“Hell, most my money goes to vehicles.” Oliver chuckled, grabbing another slice of pizza. “And no, I'm fully aware that I'm giving you a bunch of stuff. Don't worry, you won't have to pay a dime except for the groceries you get. God knows what kind of food you eat. I like filling my tank with protein shakes, mostly. But seeing as I've been out for a couple of days I really need the carbohydrates.”
He stood up, cracking his neck.
“Your boss sounds like an asshole, so I can help you with keeping fit if that's what you aim to do. Gotta a little gym with some weights and a punching bag down the hall, have a treadclimber too.”
“As for money, I'm always given a weekly stipend by the government for tracking down illegals and tax evaders. So I'm never hungry or homeless. The big money comes from cases, so I might take another one of those while I'm helping you out.”
“Hey, I don’t eat junk food!” Nori defends, sticking her tongue out at him as she picked up another case file and started to filter through it. “Just a lot of fruits and vegetables. And coffee,” she explained. ’You’ve got to have money to buy crap food,’ she muses, eyes shifting down to the next case file. ‘Arsenia Slaughter,’ was her name, which was sort of funny in a twisted way, considering how she died.
She had been nineteen and one of the best female soccer players in Japan. She had just been recruited to the national team, but got caught in the rain one night on her way back from practice and that was that. She had apparently fought back, her knuckles bruised and some off her nails ripped free from her clawing at him.
The rain had washed away everything by the time they found her. Nori adds it to the pile.
“A home gym will be nice, since I’ll be using your scooter. The hours of dancing work pretty well for keeping me from getting too chubby,” she tells him, looking up from the files. “Could you train me?” she asks suddenly, meeting his eyes. “Just in case I ever meet him and I don’t have a gun, y’know?”
“Well that all depends if you can handle the pain.” Oliver replied flatly, crossing his arms as he pointed behind him, down where the hallway ended and the gym began. “What do you feel like you need to work on? Is it cardio or weight training? Are you looking to tone or build muscle? That’s all the questions I need answered. I don’t need you dying after running a mile, nor can I have you messin’ up your back because you lifted the wrong way.”
He paused.
“As for teaching you how to fight, well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt. Although with a guy that size, you’d want to run the fuck away until you find a gun.”
Reaching downwards, Holland picked up another file, this time going over a politician by the name of Atasuke Kishimoto. He was a high profile city official from Tokyo who had visited Shine City in order to discuss green energy with the Mayor. Needless to say, his limo got caught in the rain as he was leaving. They found it a few days later , empty, blood splattered across the leather seats.
“I won’t go easy on you because you’re a girl, Miss Haywood.”
“It's been a long time, but I did grow up on a wheat farm, Detective Holland. I know a little bit about manual labor and pain,” she responds, wrapping her flannel shirt a tighter around herself. It really was like an ice box in here.
“So I'm probably not gonna throw my back out. I guess cardio would be my weak spot. You can help me come up with a routine, yeah?” She asks, raising up onto her knees and swiping the case file from Oliver, putting it into her, ‘No Body’ pile.
“And of course I’ll try to run first, but...,” Nori pauses, swallowing before continuing, “...just in case, it would be better to be ready.”
“...and I don't expect you to go easy on me, Detective Holland. I'm sure The Weatherman won't either.”
“Good.” Oliver nodded. “We’ll start soon. I have to figure out which route to take so that we’re not tripping over traffic cones and cracks in the sidewalk.”
He rubbed his fingers together with the hand the file used to be, blinking blankly at his empty palm before turning his attention to the DJ on the floor. Well, the girl certainly had an assertiveness he hadn’t been expecting. She reminded him a lot of himself back in the day.
Hell, he would bet money that she doesn’t take no for an answer.
“Anyway, as you can see, the Weatherman doesn’t seem to be sticking to just rain anymore. He’s getting bolder, doing higher profile crimes and murders to see if he can get away with it. Yet still, he manages to leave and get away without leaving a single strand of DNA or piece of evidence. It’s quite impressive, really. What do you think about it?”
“I can't tell if he’s really smart and always covers his tracks, or if he's just lucky,” Nori remarked, humming as she glanced over her completed stacks. The amount was staggering. Twelve victims over the last three and a half years and it seemed like The Weatherman was becoming more brazen each time.
“I think the change is good. He’s perfected the sledgehammering ones at this point, but these,” the blonde gestures towards the miscellaneous death piles, “He’s not as good at those. You're proof enough of that. You're the first victim to survive, after all.”
“He’s gonna mess up soon, I think, but I'm sure neither one of us wants to wait around for that,” Nori says as she pulls out her phone and checks the time. “It's getting late and all my clothes and stuff are still at my place,” she informs, flicking her golden eyes up to meet his blue ones. “I don’t suppose you could give me a ride?”
“Oh, no problem at all.” Oliver replied, retrieving his keys from his pocket. “We’ll take my car.”
As the two of them entered the garage of his apartment, he couldn’t help but strike up another conversation, pointing the keys and unlocking his vehicle as he did so. “So, what’s with the face tattoo? You trying to be like Mike Tyson or something? It’s actually kinda...cool.”
He enters his car, patting the seat next to him. “So, where ya headed?”
“My place is on the south side of town, down on Mare Street,” Nori explains, tugging the door open and plopping down into the passenger street. Once she's settled the blonde brings her hand up to her left cheek, letting her finger trail over the flowing design that adorned it.
“I've always wanted to be a DJ, even when I was little. I got my first set of turntables when I was seven,” she explains, dropping her hand. “I thought it was gonna be easy to get a job at the radio station or the club, but I was wrong. Turns out Shine City is full of aspiring sound mixers.”
Nori chuckles, slipping her toes out of her flats and putting her bare feet up on the dashboard. “Mr. Beauregard was the only one that honestly considered me, but he told me I needed something special, to set me apart from all the other applicants. So I went out and got this.”
“I was really lucky, actually. I just gave the tattoo artist free reign. She could have royally fucked up my face,” Nori admits, her toes flexing as she gives Oliver a sheepish grin. “But a lot of people like it. Well, except my dad, but that's just because he's a stick in the mud. The next time I went to see Mr. Beauregard he hired me on the spot.”
“Do you have any tatt--oh,” Nori stops herself, cringing at having asked the question out loud. Even if he used to have tattoos, the fire probably erased them. “Sorry, Detective Holland, I didn't think that one through.”
“Actually, Miss Haywood, I do have tattoos.” Oliver quipped, giving the DJ a quick glance before returning his attention to the road ahead. “They are…,” He paused, shaking his head as if recalling some embarrassing memory. “Quite ironic.”
“I can show you them once we get back.” Oliver offered, smirking behind his bandages. “My arms are pretty fucked up, but you can probably still see em’.”
“I’d like to see them,” Nori answers, glad that she hadn't offended him. “I do love a good tattoo.”
He notices her feet propped up against his spotless dashboard, but doesn’t say anything. After all, he did fail her and let her house get burned down. Call him a pushover, but he felt an obligation to let her do as she pleased for the time being.
“So, I’m sure you miss that Kyle friend of yours.” He began, keeping one hand on the steering wheel as he reached for the pack of cigarettes in the cup holder. “You sure you’ll be okay without him?”
He placed a cigarette in his mouth between the bandages, resting the carton down before turning his head. “Can you light this for me?” He mumbled through closed lips.
“It’s for the best,” the blonde replies, referring to Kyle. “Would I like to see him? Sure. But him not being a target is more important than that,” she finishes, running her hands up and down her thighs to try and warm them up. Hopefully the heater would kick in soon.
“Do you think it's a good idea for me to see anyone right now?” Nori asks, turning her head and raising her brow at him. The DJ sees that he’s got a cigarette in his mouth and is murmuring for her to help him light it. The blonde reaches for the lighter in the cup holder and leans over to try, but the car is drafty and the flame keeps going out.
Nori gives it a few more tries before eventually getting frustrated with it and pulls the cigarette free from his lips, placing it gingerly between her own. The tattooed girl gets the lighter started, cupping her spare hand around the flame and inhaling, successfully starting the cancer stick. She grimaces and her nose scrunches up in displeasure as her mouth is flooded with the taste of tobacco and nicotine.
“Here,” she coughs, leaning over again and holding it out for him. “Those things will kill you, you know.”
“Uh…” Oliver starts, at a loss for words. “Thanks.”
He takes the cigarette from her, placing it back between his lips and taking a nice long drag. “Much better than breathing in smoke from a fire.” He chuckles, exhaling through the slight crack in his car window. He turns, and, noticing her discomfort, cranks the dial for the heater all the way to right, hot air quickly blasting through the vents and warming the car.
“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” The Detective states flatly, shrugging his shoulders. “I mean, if I can get cooked like a fuckin’ steak in a burning building, then I’m sure I can smoke all the cigarettes in the world.”
He looks at the GPS displayed in the centermost console, his eyes narrowing as he peers out the window. “Are we in the right place? Seems kinda...run down.”
Absentmindedly, he places a hand on the gun strapped to his hip, making sure it’s secured in it’s holster and hadn’t fallen out. “I’ll get out with you.”
The heat starts to fill the cab of the car and Nori sighs, letting her head fall back against the seat, her eyes slipping closed. “Thank Christ,” she murmurs, already feeling much warmer. “I was positive that I was gonna get frostbite.”
The DJ doesn't fight him anymore over the cigarettes. He was a grown man, after all, and it was his business. She just hoped he wouldn't do it too much in the apartment, or he’d at least crack a window.
“Yeah, we’re in the right neighborhood,” Nori confirms, tapping on her window and pointing at an especially seedy apartment complex. “That's it there. You can tell because most of the windows are out on the top floor. They haven't gotten around to fixing them yet.”
“I’ll get out with you.”
“Oh, you don't have to do that, Detective Holland,” Nori reassures, unbuckling her seat belt and putting her flats back on. “I really don't have much, it won't take long at all. You can stay and keep warm, if you want.”
“Nonsense.” Oliver replied, getting out of the car and adjusting the holster on his hip. “Let me just turn these on, and I’ll let you grab your stuff.”
He leans into his car, flipping a switch on the dashboard, blinking as red and blue lights suddenly flash to life on the front and rear view mirror. “Alright, now you can go. I’ll wait outside as to not invade your privacy. I’ve seen places like these. Punks stay far away from the crimson and sapphire comin’ down the highway.”
A smirk formed on his lips, and he stared at Nori, smiling at her with his eyes.
“Plus, I told you I’ll protect you. It’s the least I can do, after all, as you said, you have lost everything. I need you to get back on your own two feet.”
All of a sudden, he stares hardly, turning around and crossing his arms, the badge dangling from his neck lying flatly on his broad, kevlar covered chest.
“Take your time.” He gently speaks, despite his appearance.
“Or would you feel safer if I tag along and leave the car running?”
Nori stares at his back, a weird emotion churning in her belly. She wasn’t sure what it was. But it was sweet of him, to want to protect her so much.
Without saying anything at first, Nori leans back into the car and flips the lights off. “C’mon Oliver, we don’t need that. You’ll scare off anyone that tries to mess with us with that scary look and gun off yours,” she teases, nodding towards the entrance. “Let’s go.”
They make it through the front door and she leads them to the stairwell, explaining, “This building is so old that it doesn’t have a lift. Sorry, we’ll have to hoof it.” Eventually they make it up to the third floor and Nori stops, sifting through her purse to find her keys. There is a large man sitting in a wheelchair in front of the door across the hall, staring at them listlessly.
“That’s Rahelio,” Nori tells the detective, unlocking the door. “Don’t mind him, he just likes to be out here sometimes. He doesn’t really have much to say.”
The blonde finally gets the door open and she lets Oliver go in before her, locking the door behind them. “So this is it,” she explains, scratching at her nose, suddenly embarrassed. It wasn’t much, just a hallway really. But it had a bed and a kitchen, so it worked for her.
“Well,” Oliver began, looking around her apartment. “It’s practical. Hell, it’s got all the essentials too.” He began to pace around, looking at all the little nifty knick knacks and whatever cool stuff she had within the confines of her little apartment. It as just like a college dorm, only it was in the most seediest part of town rather than in the middle of the city with all the nightclubs and high lifers.
“Nice place you got here, how much did this even cost you a month? I mean, I’m actually kind of impressed that there’s an apartment that looks like this in this shithole. It’s pretty well intact as well.”
He fumbled around with the bandages around his arm, tightening them as he continued. “Take your time. I don’t know how much you have, you know, girly things.”
“It’s pretty cheap. Just $450 a month. I paid extra so I didn’t have to share my bathroom with my neighbor,” she admits, pulling her two duffel bags back out from under the bed and beginning to repack everything. “Not a lot of girly things right now,” she answers him, pulling open the drawers and moving her clothes over to the bags.
There isn’t a lot there, but it’s enough to get her through a week without having to laundry. She’d have to borrow some clothes from Jen for her work shifts though. Her dad hadn’t bought her anything that was skanky enough to live up to Mr. Beauregard’s standards.
Finished with her clothes Nori moves on to her bed, folding up the quilt her mother had made her for Christmas and carefully tucking it away with her other belongings. “Do you think we need these?” the DJ asks Oliver, opening the kitchen cabinets and shaking a stack of paper plates at him.
A roach crawls out from the depths of the sink and Nori stomps it quickly. It makes a sickening crunch under her flats.
“Bring it all.” Oliver replied, somehow managing to find yet another cigarette, already smoking it by the time she turns around. “You won’t be coming back to this place. Might as well cancel the rent and save yourself some cash.”
He watches as she squishes the roach, exhaling a thin line of smoke before looking at her. “Very classy. Just do that to some street punks and you’ll fit right in.” Oliver shrugs his shoulders, heading off to her kitchen and opening her fridge.
“Oh, you didn’t tell me you had a bunch of...TV dinners?” He questions, unsure of himself. “I can see why you lack skills and finesse in the culinary arts, Miss Haywood.” He smiles, letting her know he’s joking.
“We must find a place to put all this in the car.” Oliver reminds her, wondering if there was more than just two duffel panks. Ah well, he could always make some space.
“Yes, ha ha, we get it, Nori can’t cook,” she replies, sticking her tongue out at him cheekily. “The front office left those for me,” explains, motioning towards the TV dinners. “Somehow they figured out my last place burned down. I didn’t realize that meant they'd give me freebies.”
“It’ll fit, all the furniture belongs to the complex,” Nori tells him, finished with the packing in this room. She crosses over to the bathroom and when she opens the door another roach scurries out, clearly the brother of the other one.
Nori curbstomps him as well. She has no mercy.
“They get honry at night,” she quips, flipping on the light switch and gathering her toiletries. “Y’know, you never answered my question earlier,” Nori starts, coming back to the bed and dumping her toothbrush and shampoos into her bags. “When I asked if you thought it was a good idea for me to see anyone, I mean.”
“Well, if it were me, then I’d try my best to keep in contact with them.” Oliver finally replied, turning his attention away from yet another dead roach. “After all, even if a killer is after you, it’s not like he’s going to systematically hunt down and kill every single individual you see on the street. No, he’ll go after the one’s that love you the most.”
He lifts up his arm, giving it a light stretch. “And by that, I mean texting and whatnot is fine, but actually seeing them in person? Big no no.”
Another roach scurries out from underneath the sofa, abruptly stopping as if looking up at Oliver with beady black eyes.
He stared at it.
It stared at him.
He stared at it.
It stared at him.
Crunch!
“So like I was saying,” He continued, wiping off his boot, “If you think it’ll be okay to contact them, then I’d do so. But coming from personal experiences, I’d say stay out of it completely.”
“That’s what I thought too,” Nori answers Oliver, a little sadly. She leans over her bed and grabs the picture of her mom and dad off the nightstand, carefully packing it away as well. “I’m not sure if it would be fair to text him. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to work out all of…this,” she continues after a moment, gesturing to herself. “It’s wrong of me to ask him to wait. I shouldn’t lead him on.”
Her eyes are hot again. She wipes them on her shirt sleeve and gets back to packing.
“Is it alright if I change into something else? These are falling off of me,” Nori informs him, tugging at the pair of pajama pants Oliver had loaned her. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”
“Of course.” Oliver nods, his gaze softening as he notices her wiping her tears away. “You can change into whatever you want. Take as long as you need, make yourself as pretty as you want too.”
He exhaled, flicking the rest of the cigarette into the sink and washing it down the drain. “Of course, I don’t think that’s possible.”
He smiled at the little quip of his. Sure, it was very unprofessional, but she looked so upset.
“I’m sorry, I’m joking. You shouldn’t dwell on the past.” Oliver patted her on the back. “The first rule of being a detective is to be unreadable. It’s not your fault if your emotions get the better of you. Sometimes, it’s okay to cry. Do you know what I mean?”
Nori snorts at his joke, but gives the Detective a timid smile as he reassures her. “Thanks, Oliver. For everything.” She goes to give his shoulder a gentle pat but stops herself, barely letting her fingers brush over his kevlar vest.
’Best not,’ she thinks. ’I might hurt him.’
The pale girl brushes past him so she can get to the bed, sorting through her bag and selecting her clothes before going over to the bathroom. “So, this is a little janky,” Nori informs, gesturing to the door. “You can close it if no one is inside, but there isn’t enough room to do it if someone’s in there. So, don’t peek and all that cliche shit,” she finishes, waiting for the older man to turn around.
“Whatever you say, Boss.” Oliver sighs, turning around and crossing his arms. Women these days. They take these things sexually all the time. Come to think of it, it was always about sexual tension during his most recent experiences. The Casino, that raven haired lady Rokomoko (or whatever the fuck her name was), and agreeing taking the case to wait in Nori’s apartment. Oh yes, these sort of things always had a habit of landing him in sticky situations.
Speaking of sticky, he was feeling a bit peckish. Sure he had just eaten dinner, but he was out for days.
‘I wonder if that donut place downtown is still open.’ He wondered, placing a hand underneath his chin.
He’d have to find out later.
“This isn't so bad,” Nori starts, shrugging out of her flannel shirt and folding it, before moving on to the borrowed undershirt. “You're not trying to peek at all, are you? It's like you're a mannequin!” the blonde chuckles, wadding up the shirt and chunking it at him.
Nori shimmies out of the pajama bottoms and pulls on a beat up pair of blue jeans that she usually left on the farm for when she visited, along with a long sleeved cream colored top. The DJ gave herself a once over in the mirror and scowled when she realized she was still wearing the makeup Amity had picked out for her. “Alright, I'm decent, but give me a minute to wash this gunk off my face, alright?"
“I like it.” Oliver mumbles under his breath.
“Really? I thought the lipstick kind of looked whoreish.”
“Exactly why I like it.” He responded, a shit eating grin forming in his lips.
“...so...you like it when I look like a hooker?” She asks, blinking owlishly.
“Hah, no. Clean yourself up.” Oliver smirks, placing yet another cigarette in his mouth. “Whoever did that deserves a punch in the throat.”
