A bit of scene practice became...a bit more than that XD There is more to come I promise.
Before anyone asks, No, this is not Nya, this is an oc who has no name, and no real story for the most part. She's just here for the joy of it.
In this work, I took a lot of inspiration from The Monkey's Paw, the song Omnia Sol, and the short story The Hitchhiker, just so you know what my thought processes were here. :) Either way, I hope you enjoy Inexplicably Fortuitous, and my practice works. ^.^ People tend to enjoy things I'm not necessarily proud of. This was very self-indulgent.
It was late that night when a visitor came from the thick rain storm, and knocked on the door of a small house in the middle of nowhere, pulling the drab grey hood further over their head, concealing themselves in vain, the rain having soaked them to the core. She had seen there was light on inside, and only wanted to be warm for a little while longer, shivering outside, cold winds driving the rain to her. She waited, hearing someone inside shuffling towards the door.
As she leaned against the brick wall, using it to avoid some of the downpours, she watched the door, listening to several locks being undone, before it opened, just enough for a young man with auburn hair to peer out, his blue eyes tired. "What do you want...?" He sounded as tired as his eyes looked, and the young woman straightened herself out, standing a little taller, shoulders back, as if someone had taped a ruler to her back as a child, to give her good posture habits, as if she was suspended by an unseen string.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late at night but I don't have a ride home, and this storm doesn't seem to be relenting..." She spoke softly, but with a certain urgency to her voice. "I was wondering if by chance you would allow me to stay for a while? At least until this storm relents?" He looked her over, seeing the water drip from her clothes, from her shaking fingers, before nodding, opening the door fully. "Thank you, Mister...?"
"Just...call me Jay," He said, letting her in, closing and locking the door behind her. "Usually, there are more people here, but not tonight... They had something they had to go to, and I wasn't feeling too good."
"I...I'm sorry." She had undone her dark coat, and was hanging it on the coat hooks by the wall, a few other jackets and coats hanging there as well, most of them empty. She pulled her hair out of the tight updo it was in, shaking it out, only a few strands soaked halfway down, as opposed to her whole head. "I understand how it is, being left alone..."
He gave her a sideways look and walked into the kitchen. "I've got some tea going if you'd like a cup." She followed behind him, smiling softly.
"I'd be most appreciative if you did..." He pulled out a chair for her, going to get two teacups, before bringing over the boiling kettle. "Tea does the soul a lot of good..." She watched him closely as he poured each of them a cup, the steam rolling up, hitting her in the face in a pleasant, warming way, and she spoke again as Jay took the kettle back over to the stove, to let it sit on a cool burner. "Pearl?"
"Excuse me?"
"You're drinking tea with a special kind of pearl essence in it, why?" She looked down at the tea, then back at his startled face. "It's not a bad thing, but I have to ask why... It's not exactly a happy person's tea..." She wrapped her hands around the cup, relishing in the warmth it gave her.
He shrugged, sitting across from her. "My Sensei said it would help me. I don't wanna be rude, but my plans were to just drink this and go to bed..." He took a sip, wincing a little at the taste, before adding a bit of sugar. "It's not super good on its own, but some sugar makes it better..." He looked up to see her taking a big sip, visibly brightening at the taste, as if radiating from within. "...Or are you a tea aficionado who is fine with bitter stuff?"
That got a giggle out of her as she set her teacup down gently on the table, hands staying wrapped around the cup, not letting go. "My father used to drink something like this when he felt overwhelmed...he would let me have some too. It was our special thing." She brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear, smiling down at the light colored tea. "We brewed ours to be stronger. Much stronger. It masks the taste the pearl gives."
He snorted again. "Good to know..."
"So why are you drinking the sad man's tea?" She asked again, taking another sip, the tea easing away the chill in her body. She relaxed in the chair, toes curled up beneath her chair, shoulders down. "You seem too young to know enough sorrow to need this..." Jay shrugged, looking at her from across the rim of his cup, sipping the hot drink down, just wanting it to be done with. "Surely you can share with me a story...Even in trade for one of mine?"
Jay shook his head as he finished his cup, the near-scalding liquid sitting heavily in his stomach. "I'm pooped. I'm gonna show you the guest room, hand you a change of clothes, show you where to put yours and then I'm turning in." The hints of a smile turned up the corners of his mouth, but it didn't linger for long before hiding again. "Again, not trying to be rude, but..."
"No no, I understand." She smiled, sipping at her tea again, savoring the memories. A small girl with a long black braid, sitting on her father's lap, stealing a sip from his tea cup, and she's giggling. Once again, she looked into Jay's eyes. "I thank you for your hospitality...even to a stranger." She set the cup down, running her fingers through her hair, giving him a soft smile.
He smiled, taking his cup to the sink. "Good to see someone appreciates me..." He walked out, going to the guest room, making sure there were blankets, turning the light on for her, before he padded across the hall on the balls of his feet. He hesitated for a few seconds, before opening Nya's door, slipping in to get a pair of pj's out of her drawer, plain black pants, and the big cheesy sweatshirt from Mega Monster Amusement Park. Carrying them back across the hall, he left them on the bed, going to see the strange woman again, going to look over the whole kitchen, making sure all burners were off, that the tea pot was emptied, that everything was ready so he could sleep. The tea's relaxing, tranquil effects were starting to take over, and he needed to go to sleep soon. Within the next fifteen minutes before he passed out where he stood. "The room with the light on, that's the guest room. I left some clothes you can change into..." He blinked once, twice, before noticing the cup on the table, still half full. Steam rose off of it in light curls. By the door, the shoes were gone, but on the hook, the dark jacket still hung, no longer dripping wet. Instead, it was dry as could be, and Jay could see the fine, small details on it. Small stitches embroidering a pattern in a somewhat shimmery shade, only a hair lighter than the jacket.
"What...?" He looked around for her, even looked out the windows into the rain, the guest nowhere to be seen. "...I must be dreaming." He mumbled tiredly, shuffling back to his room, dimming the light in the kitchen, just in case she returned.