Author's note: After what seemed like a terminal hiatus from PE2, I picked up the game once more and finished it a while back. I'm happy I did because it was fanfic tiiiime! PE doesn't belong to me, naturally. If it did, Pierce would've showed up at least once in beautiful CG glory.
It's Always Hot in Dryfield
"Mister, can I get an ice cream cone?" Platinum blonde bangs accentuated the cuteness in a small girl's happy expression as she appealed for a snack. She hung off the edge of the high bar counter. Her grabbing hands kept slipping because of waxed polish. No question, Dryfield's newly reconstructed Gene & Roy's saloon had one finely buffed countertop. The gloss was handy for sliding beer glasses all the way down to the end for a customer. It was also a deterrent for dangling kids, as the spunky girl proved.
The bartender, dark-haired and older --but young in comparison to most of the clientele here-- to whom the child spoke to smiled when he saw her. He leaned over to prop an elbow on the shiny surface of the counter. "Well, now, madam, this is a fine establishment. You can't just go around and throw yourself here up front and make demands."
A crease of confusion settled between her eyebrows. "I'm not making demands. I'm asking if I can have a cone."
"Where is the politeness nowadays? Kids must learn to make requests in polite language. And not leave greasy handprints on my nicely wiped counter." The man continued grinning as he tapped fingers where her hands were.
"Oh, this isn't fair! It's so hooot today..." The ten-year-old dramatically plopped the side of her head on the table as if she were dying of exhaustion.
"You aren't helping your case by doing that, young lady." He rose to a prominent height when he stopped leaning. "Now I must ask you to leave."
Her mouth fell open in indignation and her head immediately straightened. "Ehhhh? No, no, no, I need the coldness of ice cream today." She plucked herself off the tabletop and stood, proper and prim with her hands folded neatly in front of her. "Please let me buy my treat."
His hazel eyes twinkled. "Why, now I believe we are getting somewhere. Another tip to help you get what you ask: names. Do you know my name?"
There was a pause and a slight blush from the suddenly shy woman. "Um, yes."
"If you ask what you want and you add the person's name, you may reap benefits you never dreamed of." The gentleman folded his arms. "Try me. Use what I just said to you."
"D-do I have to?"
The adult turned his back to the child. "A glass of ice water, coming right up." His deliberately slow hand reached for a drinking glass on a shelf in front of him.
Protest came as a strangled noise from her throat, but words were spoken. "May I please buy a cone, Kyle? Mr. Madigan? Kind sir?" she added the titles extraneously.
Kyle Madigan about-faced, a boyish delight spreading on his features. "For you, my dear Eve, I can sell this treasure to you. But will your sister allow you to get it? I don't see her around." He raised a hand over his eyes as if to search around the saloon.
Eve's eyes lit up in excitement. "Yes, yes! She's finding something in the car."
"Are you sure she let you?" Kyle was clearly enjoying drawing things out by his toothy grin.
"Kyyyyle, pleeeease?" Eve bounced up and down on the spot, planting her hands on the counter to support herself as she did.
"Ooh, hands on the clean counter again. Sorry, no service." He shrugged and raised his palms up as though he could do nothing else for her.
About to yell, Eve then changed her mind and hoisted herself up on a padded bar stool. She switched to propping her chin up with her palm by leaning on her elbow. "You're awfully mean today."
"Am I?"
"You are." Another feminine voice answered for her. Through the dusty doorway walked in Aya Brea. Behind her, sunglassed Pierce Carradine roamed his eyes around the interior. They came over. Aya rested her hand on her sister's shoulder. The bond they formed over the past year had solidified sibling status between them, despite them not being related at birth.
Aya regarded Kyle who donned a black smock to match his dark outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. How he could wear black in toasting weather baffled her. She made due with a thin top and shorts in a bright peach color. "Are you bothering her?"
He sniffed. "Certainly not. Just giving pointers. A bartender can do this, y'know."
"Bartender in name only." Pierce piped this in jovially. Aya snickered.
Kyle shot him a glare. "Hey, don't mar me."
"Hey, hey, really hot person here!" Eve chimed in, fanning her sweaty face.
Brazenly, Kyle gave her a fake once-over. "Really?"
Eve covered her mouth, reddening again. Aya swatted his lean arm at his pass. She and Pierce broke out laughing.
Aya looked over at her sister and good friend. "Why don't you two get a table? I'll bring your food to you."
Pierce managed to make his order coherently heard over Eve's chattering about her triple scoop delight. Aya watched Eve tote Pierce around from one end of the restaurant to the other to find the perfect spot. It felt good to sit here silently. Fatigue had been setting in over recent nights. The blonde didn't realize Kyle was inquiring how she was doing until she started when his hand briefly touched her arm.
"Weird sleep." Aya explained when she turned her attention on him and slid into the seat Eve had occupied.
"Because of me?" His husky tone joked, although his expression wasn't laughing.
Aya flushed. She admit she did worry about him when he was away for days at a time, such as this. Telling him this wouldn't make him disappear any less. It was just the way Kyle was. "Among other things." She glanced around at the six or so patrons inside the diner. "Dryfield is rebuilding nicely. I'm glad this restaurant didn't stay destroyed."
"You mean like your yellow sedan?" Kyle tossed out offhandedly. At hearing his blunt words, Aya frowned and taped her hand to her forehead. Her beautiful traveling companion had been nuked by lame NMCs on her mission to Dryfield last year. It wasn't until some months after the Shelter incident that she was able to pay off her loan and search for another car that lived up to Carrie. It was another sedan, of course. She heard Kyle fumble to apologize.
Aya sighed. "With Eve wanting to go to a lot of places, I don't know what I'd do without a car."
Bartender Kyle nodded as patron Aya released her woes. All she needed to finish the drinking image was a frosty mug of beer, but she wasn't the type to knock back liquor. "Go on."
"She wants so much. I love showing her new things and sights but the shows are like bullet trains. Non-stop." She rubbed the back of her neck tiredly. She joked lightly, "Bartender, gimme a drink?" Kyle had used the same phrase on her when they met here after their first meeting.
He chuckled in remembrance. "Nuh uh. The booze is reserved only for the sloppy and stodgy drinkers. You aren't stodgy, by the way."
"Hey, I'm not sloppy. Have you seen how I pack with limited space?"
"You've got assets." A dreaminess floated over Kyle's expression and his bicep was met with another smack. "Ow! I meant those powers you have. Who needs flares and that kind of stuff when you can manipulate fire? That's... incredible." He looked absentminded again.
"How about you? How's work been the past week?" The woman hadn't seen Kyle lately because of his help here at Gene & Roy's.
It was his turn to sigh. "Bor-ing. You would not believe how many disgruntled truckers I've had to serve. Once they heard of the renovated motel near here, they all swarmed in. Not one girl in the bunch." Kyle's face caught at his words and he cheekily laughed. "Not that I want to go out with them or anything."
Maybe he did, but Aya wasn't letting him go easily. They were really starting to know each other. After he popped up in the Natural History Museum almost a month ago, his appearances had been on and off like a light switch. There were times he'd only stay around for a day or two. This week he wasn't around at Aya's place because he was here. They've had flirty moments; a quick touch here and there, some provocative lines in passing. Quick flirtations were a norm between Aya and Kyle. When Kyle was away, Pierce was great company to be around. He got along well with Eve for the most part. The girls would have such fun that Aya could forget about Kyle's departures. Mostly.
And when the disappearing P.I. did make himself available, well, Aya thoroughly enjoyed being with him even if they didn't do much but talk. Her foresight hurt, though, knowing he'd likely jet after a short stay. If only they didn't happen so frequently.
Kyle leaned in closer, his hand inching out for hers. Aya sat back before his gesture made contact. "I'd like to place an order."
Her subtle dismissal of his affection was met with a startled blink. Kyle pulled himself up and cleared his throat. "Uh, right."
Once the order of three sweet treats were handed to her, she saw Pierce waving her over to their table.
"I saved ya a window seat." Pierce pulled out a chair for her.
Aya gave him his ice cream and napkin to free a hand to accept the chair. She knew how much he liked window seats. Him riding shotgun in her sedan over the past year after the ANMC debacle was proof enough. The 30-year-old constantly fought with Eve over who got to sit up front. Victory was on his side today. Aya's amusement over watching a grown man argue with a kid knew no bounds, but this afternoon their arguing felt more draining than usual. She had tried not to show her annoyance when their raised voices made it hard to concentrate on steering on the road.
As soon as Aya handed over Eve's precariously balanced tower of scooped ice cream to her, Kyle smiled from across the room when the child's eyes lit up. "Sprinkles! Thaaaanks!" She waved to the oh-so-generous bartender who miraculously got a hold of rainbow sprinkles somehow. Tasty decorations for snacks were a luxury in this barren restaurant known primarily for its copious selection of alcohol and not much else. Unless the Einhander pinball machine counted. It was a miracle another one of those was found.
Chalking up a cue at the billiard table located in front of the bar, a grizzled trucker with greying hair chuckled. "Hey, why don't I get sprinkles?"
Kyle good-humoredly remarked, "Sorry, old man. The stuff doesn't mix with rum. 'sides, it looks better on ice cream. "
Aya watched the exchange between the two men. Kyle was a pretty nice guy when he wasn't keeping busy trying to put the moves on her. Not serious ones, of course. He liked the banter and Aya did too, mostly. Casual conversation was typically all he had room for before his leavings. Aya was getting used to it. Kyle was the Moving Man.
Pierce was tapping her shoulder. When Aya focused on him, he pushed up his sunglasses. "So what's next after we eat?"
Gary Douglas came to mind. The gun enthusiast had been caught up in the massive explosion coming from space last year. His expertise on guns and equipping the right parts were a blessing to Aya. His firearms had saved her life more times than she could count. She voiced this suggestion.
The technical genius tapped his chin. "Douglas... you mean the weapons guy with the dog?"
Eve eagerly sat forward, bubbly at the mention of a canine which was normal and not a grotesque mutated being like the uglies back in the Shelter. "Is the dog cute? Is he friendly? Can I see him?"
Pierce stared quizzically at her. "You can't visit someone just to see their pet!"
Eve's teeth had absolutely no qualms chomping a big bite of freezing strawberry from her icy tower. Her mouth half-full, she shook her cone at him. "But I've never seen a real dog up close. They're always behind glass at the stores."
The next thing Aya knew, those two psychos began arguing. She ignored it the best she could and licked at the spoon of her gooey caramel sundae she guided to her mouth. She spooned in four mouthfuls before their voices were drowning out the hum of chatter from the rest of the diners. Attention was being drawn in by meal eaters and that was easy because there was hardly anyone in here. Eve kept insisting seeing a real dog she could play with would be much better than not having anything to talk about with such an aging man as Douglas. Pierce retorted back how people came first and pets were like side dishes in the main course of personal interactions. The connection of dogs to food caused Eve to make a disgusted face, but oh no, Pierce didn't mean for his words to be taken like that...
Aya's headache was becoming a migraine. With a jerk of her head the napkin in front of her flamed. The fire was merely the size of a plum. It easily snuffed out when she slapped a hand on the singing tissue. The burning ceased so instantly that nobody outside of the table noticed. The glow froze the bickering in place and all she got were shocked, wide-eyed stares.
"Uh, y-you ok?" Pierce questioned, concerned.
"Sis?" Eve asked tentatively.
The legs of her chair scraped as Aya jumped up. She set down her sundae. What did she do, igniting something out of anger? "I'm sorry, I- Bathroom break. I'll be back." She lied readily enough and beelined to the cramped bathroom which had only one toilet. Inside, Aya clicked the door lock securely and braced her hands on the edge of the sink.
How could she have used her powers so carelessly? She slipped; that was a given. Maybe it was the stress of caring for Eve lately. Stress was a catalyst for countless ailments. Was that an excuse? She cranked on the cold water faucet and splashed liquid on her face.
A knock echoed as she dried off, no doubt someone with the urge to use the facilities. Aya stayed mute. Maybe they'd go away.
Nope, the taps came again, more insistently.
"Wait a minute." She couldn't think of what else to answer.
"I can't last a minute," came Pierce's muffled urgent response. "Can you open up?"
Aya groaned. Slowly, she pulled wide the door.
Pierce grinned knowingly. He pushed back long blond bangs away from his sunglasses. "Hmm, looks like I can last longer than a minute. You're there and not sitting on the can, so why don't you git on outside?"
She complied, shaking her head at his tactic to shoo her out. Both of them stood there awkwardly, the man ready to listen and waiting for the woman to confess her troubles while she didn't feel like sharing and wasn't speaking.
Not like it really mattered. He could guess with the best of them. "If Eve is too much to handle, I could baby-sit a bit." Pierce said this confidently, but still seemed shy to offer.
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "Baby-sit? You? I didn't think you were the caring type." His search and rescue at Dryfield then crossed Aya's mind and she reevaluated her statement. He could care deeply if he was willing to hop in his SUV and speed all the way to Dryfield to find out if she was all right. Zipping past countless traffic lights, he must've been worried sick thinking of her tough battle with the fire-breathing cannon mouth monster.
Pierce nodded at Aya. "I can try, y'know."
"Thanks." She meant it. He was so supportive. "I'll take you up on it." From here, her gaze could see the edge-charred napkin on the table.
Pierce followed her line of sight. "Hey, it was an accident."
Aya frowned. It could've been worse.
He stood in front of her so she had to look at him. "Nobody got hurt. It wasn't like you wanted to burn something on purpose."
That was true. There wasn't anything intentional about her mishap. Aya smiled appreciatively. "Ever since you got shotgun in my car today you've been most helpful."
Pierce returned a smirk. "That's why I should ride shotgun as much as possible."
Aya turned to head to their table and bumped into someone hefty.
"Hey, how's it going?" Pierce asked Kyle who had walked over.
"Can I talk to you?" Kyle asked Aya, ignoring the question. The inquiring man frowned at the refusal of answer.
Aya nodded and followed him to the vacant storeroom behind the bar. When the noises of dining and people's conversations muffled after they entered the stocked condiment room, Aya looked at Kyle who was smock-free. "What's on your mind? Isn't this place employees only?"
He rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. "You might have noticed I haven't been around a ton in the past while."
She feigned ignorance. "Oh really? I didn't tell." She barely kept the sliver of sarcasm from entering her tone.
Kyle either chose to ignore it or he really didn't sense her irate vibe. "Yeah. I'm really sorry. I've had leftover business to take care after I saw you and Eve at the museum. I thought I was done before I came there but I wasn't."
Aya propped her left hand on her jutting hip. "You couldn't tell us what was going on with you? Couldn't at least confide in me?"
Guilt made Kyle lower his eyes. Hesitantly, he murmured, "There are things..."
Evasive and tricky was who Mr. Madigan was, Aya already understood. She glanced at the door that led back out to the diner. "I get it. You've got to deal with whatever it is on your own. Do what you want. Look, drop me a note before you take off next, 'k? I should check up on Eve."
She started to move away, but Kyle seized the arm on her hip. He turned her around. His warm breath skimmed her cheek.
"W-what are you doing?" Aya sputtered. His pensive gaze, so close to her own, immolated her insides.
Kyle's voice was intensely quiet. "What I want." He tilted her chin in his other hand and crushed a rough kiss against her mouth.
Aya couldn't even blink because her brain wasn't catching up with this second's daily happenings. When she figured out he was kissing her, lips on lips, she was staring at his face again. His cheeks were flushed but he seemed happy. He didn't release her arm.
Kyle stared keenly at her. "I told you before that I had things to tell you. Well, that was one."
She gulped. What did that kiss mean?
He read her thoughts because he then said, "I wanna be with you. I wanna be with you and be the real me. Not... not the me I was when I met you." His eyes were clear amber.
"What other you?" Aya softened at his confession.
"The one who wanted to deceive you every step of the way. No, not every step." Kyle shut his eyes, struggling for words. "Like every other. When I got to know you, it was every other step. Then the steps got farther spaced. I didn't want to lie anymore." He looked at Aya.
"Kyle..." Aya reached out with her free hand to touch his cheek, but he grasped it to still it.
"If you're fine with sticking around to figure me out, then I'm good." His voice had grown gruff.
"Doing things your way, hmm?"
"You got it."
"I'll consider it." Her accepting expression said otherwise. Of course she wanted him to be around more often.
Kyle closed in for another lip lock. Aya pushed a stern arm against his chest. "Hey, someone could walk in."
"Nguh. I'm off work. It's been nothin' except grouchy men all day. Lemme have a break."
The warm nuzzling of Aya's neck broke her will to protest. She began to giggle at his tenacity as he pecked his way up to her earlobe. Her hand pressed on his chest started to stray lower to his belt. Saucy, Aya Brea was. At least, that was the impression she wanted to give to drive Kyle mad for the next hour.
A fine job she did too, for he breathed a tad harder. "Changed your mind about seeing a show?" he teased, uttering words heard what seemed like a lifetime ago. His fingers drew circles on her waist. His tickling mouth lowered to Aya's bosom where her neckline dipped low.
Her breath caught. Wasn't she supposed to be teasing him? Aya dropped her voice low to match his. She gingerly tugged on one of his belt loops for good measure. "Dunno. Is there any chocolate around?" Her hands edged downwards onto his upper thighs.
"I've got some!" chirped an all too unexpected girly voice. The lovebirds started at hearing an interloper. Sneaky Eve stood at the doorway, a beam on her face. Aya cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed, but Kyle's cheeks flamed beet red. Little kids shouldn't walk in on adult situations, especially when said situations were physically enticing. He hadn't been around Eve much. Kyle broke away and faced opposite from the spying squirt.
"Eve, er-" Aya really tried not to laugh at Kyle's obvious discomfort at his observable display of lechery. She smoothed her clothes and turned to Eve. "Do you need something?"
Eavesdropping Eve pointed at her sister and Kyle. "You and you. Me and Pierce want to visit Mr. Douglas. Well, I want to see Flint."
Aya traced the side of her mouth with her tongue at imminent innuendo. "Coming, Kyle?"
There was a grunt, a sign that meant the man understood her secret and entirely unfunny joke. "I gotta go to the bathroom." He wheeled around and darted out the doorway past the girls before they could stop him.
Eve looked at Kyle scamper away, then at an amused Aya. "Is that a yes? And why is everyone going to the bathroom?"
Aya's hearty laugh resounded in the metallic room. Life had to be made up of great moments such as these. She patted her younger sister on the top of her head and walked out to see Pierce standing nearby.
Pierce raised a brow. "Trouble in paradise for the big guy?"
Aya glanced at the closed bathroom door, where behind it Kyle was probably calming down. The how could remain a mystery. She nodded. "So, a visit to Gary sounds good. We'll bring Kyle along."
Eve was cheerier at the prospect of a bigger band of people to be with. As soon as Kyle stepped out Eve ran and hugged him tight around the waist.
-- THE END --