Disorder in the House
Episode Three
"That's what I pay you to do!! You run this place while I'm not here!!"
"You're never here, Jun! You're always running off for nothin'!! Where you gotta go that's so important anyway?!?! Huh?"
"That's none of you're business William!"
"Yeah, I bet. I see how you're always sneaking off with those two guys everytime they come in here. What, you can't keep your pants up till we're closed?"
Jun Gasped at this man who had the audacity to question her integrity.
"You !!!..." was all she could manage before she hauled off and boxed Will square in the jaw, knocking him on his rump with a loud oomph.
"Get out, Will. Now." She stood firm, her eyes ablaze, finger pointed straight toward the door. "Don't make me throw you out."
Will scrambled across the floor on all fours, more than eager to escape Jun's righteous fury. He crawled out the door, and bolted down the street, head over heels.
"Don't worry about him, Sis. He was just mad cause you wouldnt go out with him." He didn't look up as he wiped the bar down.
"Jinpei!!! He didn't like me that way. Quit being so silly..."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Sis. You're stuck so far up Aniki's butt that you wouldn't believe Will if he told you himself."
"Jinpei!!!!" She thew a towel at him, which he caught, and began to twirl around. He wound it up tight, and popped it into the air. It made a loud snap, and a dead fly fell on the bar. Jinpei, swept it off into the trash can, and tucked the towel into his back pocket.
"You're getting good with that thing, Jinpei."
"Thanks Sis. Ryu----" Jinpei stopped mid sentance.
That was an instant buzzkill.
Jinpei's face went pale, and his eyes began to well up. Jun walked over to him, and embaced him. They hadn't mentioned Ryu since he had been killed in action three weeks ago. She and Jinpei did the best they could to keep busy with the Snack J, and there for a time, it was actually working. Jinpei cried in her arms, and it was all she could do to hold back in front of him. The team had grown apart in the last few weeks, as if they were afraid to speak to each other. The boys offered little consolation, even when they did pop in occaisionally. Joe usually had a drink in the corner, brooding alone, and Ken only showed up to mooch a free meal.
He may be Gatchaman, but he doesn't get paid for it, that's for sure.
She wiped the tears from Jinpei's eyes, and offered him a compassionate smile.
"Besides, I don't like Ken that way, and you know it."
Jinpei smirked as he posted the help wanted sign in the window (again!). "I guess you're right, Sis. If you did, you'd let him eat for free..."
8 8 8 8 8
The Snack J. Ooohh... A help wanted sign in the window... Perfect.
I open the door and walk in casually. The first thing I see is Gatchaman sitting at the bar stuffing his face. He looks like shit. It looks like he's slept in those clothes for the last week.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen...
If Gatchaman is here, that means that the rest of the team is here, too. I walk past him, to the Swallow. He's behind the bar, drying glasses. He looks up at me with a rehearsed smile, and sets his glass down.
"What can I get for you?"
"Actually, I'm here about the help wanted sign." Gatchaman chokes on his burger, and almost drops it on the floor. He takes a swig of his soda, and laughs.
"You wanna work here?? You dont wanna work here man."
"Why not?" I look over at him, as I lean on the bar.
He takes another bite, and says "Jun's a slave driver."
"I'll take my chances."
The Swan walked out of the kitchen, and came over to me. She stood in front of me, and eyed me, as if she was looking through me. A sparkle glimmered in her eye, and a broad smile crossed her face. Gatchaman shifted uneasily in his chair, and took a drink.
"Is this him?"
"Yeah, Sis. That's him."
"I'm Jun. You wanna job??"
"Yeah. I just got here from the States, and I need something to help ends meet. I saw the sign, and I thought, Hey, might as well try."
"That's great. See, I need someone to run the place for me when I'm gone."
"I can do that. I tended bar for a couple of years back home."
"Wonderful!" Her spirits seemed to lift with every word. Gatchaman sat quietly in his chair.
She extended her hand. "And your name is???"
" Oh.. Sorry... I'm Kyle. Kyle Glencourt." I hastily shook her hand and let out a modest laugh. "Thank you so much for this, Jun. You won't regret it."
"Can you cook?"
"Of course he can cook, Jinpei, or he wouldn't have come here, right?"
"Right." I take a look around at the place, and I notice The Condor sitting in the corner alone, watching every move I make.
Go ahead... Get an eyeful... you're gonna be seeing alot of me in the future... This is my time...