I saw a Night Vale podcast tweet and was, for some reason, struck with motivation.
So here it is. A new - completely unplanned - story. Ye.
"What kind of grown-ass man wishes only for a friend?" I asked my coworker one day, staring at my computer screen in utter disbelief.
"Um, a lonely someone?" He replied, sipping on his mug of hot coffee. "I mean, it's not that outlandish, really. Lots of people want to be popular at least once in their lives."
"No. He doesn't want to be 'popular'." I said, tapping my finger on my desk. "He wants a friend. A friend. As in, he feels he doesn't have even one friend in the whole world. He wants someone to spend time with - someone to laugh with and tell secrets to."
"He wants a date? Get him a fuck buddy."
"No. A friend."
Bakura's brow furrowed and he leaned down a little to see my assignment.
"Oh." Was all he said after reading the name. "This guy."
"You know him?" Color me surprised - whatever color that was.
"Well, yeah." Bakura looked at me, bemused. "Everyone does."
"Why?"
"You know we fly by Domino City, Japan every couple of years, right?"
"Yeah?"
"It was about ten years ago when he first spotted us going by. He was - what? Twelve, then?" Bakura paused, thinking. "Well, whatever. Anyway, each time after that first sighting, he's watched us go by. Hasn't missed once. Wishes on the Star Satellite each time he sees us."
"Okay...?" I pressed, urging him to get on with the point.
"Well, every time, he wishes for the same exact thing. 'A friend'."
"For ten years?" My eyes widened. "He's never wanted anything else but...but a friend?" The very idea of it was crazy; there had to be a time he's wished for something besides a friend. There had to. Everyone else changed wishes constantly. It was rare for someone to wish for the same thing over and over - especially for just a friend. Especially for ten years straight.
"Yeah - I know, right? He's a weird one. Maybe that's why he's alone." Bakura picked up his mug. "That's a rough assignment, my friend. Especially after just getting promoted to this job. What a way to say 'Welcome to the team'." He took a swig. "Glad it's not me, though." He added in an afterthought.
"Thanks so much." I replied, tone dripping acid.
"I'm just saying."
"Yeah, yeah. Go enjoy your bitter bean juice somewhere else."
"As you command." He simply shrugged his shoulders and walked off.
For once, though, Bakura was right. For years, I had been catching wishes from earth through my headphones, recording them in the database, and sending them up to corporate. And now - now that I was finally one of the big dogs who actually got to help the ones on earth achieve their dreams - I was stuck with a wish that I couldn't possibly grant so easily.
After all, I couldn't just force someone to be friends with him. I couldn't control how others felt. If someone had wished for, say, a dog - or to win the lottery, even... that, I could do with no sweat. But to find this guy a friend - not just anybody, a true friend...that required some creative thinking on my part. I set my chin down on my desk, sighing. What was the best way to grant it? Arrange for someone to lose their pet, and he finds it? Or maybe a chance meeting in a grocery store? It all sounded way cliche. But what else could I do? How else could I get him to meet someone - to talk to someone and build a strong foundation for a relationship? Friend were easy to make, but a best friend...a true friend was harder to find. nd, if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. I was going to find him the perfect person.
My eyes strayed over to the REJECT link. There was another idea... I could do that - just skip this wish and move on to my next assignment. Sure, it would look bad of me on the papers, but I could solve a lot of other wishes to make up for it. Suddenly, the number next to the link catches my eye. "5".
I blinked. And blinked again. Every time this wish had been recorded and sent to an agent, it had been rejected. I clicked the number, sending me to the page of previous agents who had quit the assignment. All of them were a different person. Could it be that not a one of them could have granted the wish? Or... Did the agents not even try?
A strange anger started to simmer in my gut at the thought. No one deserved to have their one wish denied them every time they hoped on the Star Satellite simply because an agent was too incompetent or couldn't be bothered with it. It was wrong. It was cruel, even. He could've had a friend years and years ago if one of these other agents had tried harder.
I stared at the page a moment longer, then clicked back to the profile. Why, though? I enlarged his photo. Why was this guy so alone? I mean, he wasn't unattractive or anything. In fact, I found his round face and small nose rather cute. So, obviously, it wasn't a matter of looks.
I tilted my head, staring at his dark purple eyes. Was it because he was shy, perhaps? Maybe he didn't know how to talk to people. But why wouldn't anyone come up to him and speak first? I closed the enlargement and read through his bio. He was twenty-two. His favorite color was royal blue, and he liked puzzles and games. He loved learning about the world, and he loved playing with animals. His parents died when he was young, and his grandfather rose him until he, too, died four years ago. He disliked prunes, TV, and injustice.
I was stumped. He seemed like a very kind person. Was he truly friendless? I couldn't imagine someone like him never once having a close friend.
"I just don't understand." I said outloud, annoyed by the fact.
"You're going to have to take a field trip if you want to solve that assignment." A voice said from behind me, and I looked around to see my rival.
"Are you here just to banter, Kaiba?" I asked. "Or do you have some useful tips for me?"
"I just gave you one, you dolt." He said, staring down the bridge of his nose at me.
"Yes, because that was so understandable."
He gave a long sigh, rolled his eyes to the ceiling briefly, and said slowly: "Go to earth. Find your client. Help him grant his wish. Come back to the satellite. Move on to your next assignment." He shook his head. "Or you can reject it and I'll take over the job for you."
"Oh, yeah." I snorted. "You're so cuddly. You can definitely make him a friend. That's you - Mr. Big Teddy Bear."
"Shove it." He said, blue eyes growing cooler. "I was trying to help you since you looked so lost and pathetic." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked away. Leaving me with my mouth wide open, about to say my witty comeback.
"...asshole." I muttered instead, turning back to my desk. But, damn it - he was right.
"Wait for me, Yugi." I said, looking at the picture again. "I'm going to make sure your wish is granted."