Chapter Four

My mind was numb as I made my home with the last of the winter's chill at my back. I'd already shucked my jacket, draping it over my shoulder, which earned me more than a few curious gawkers, but I didn't pay them any mind. I just wanted to get home, take off my work clothes in favor of a pair of sweats, and then flop on my bed to space out for a while. I needed to wind myself down... maybe even drift off to sleep for a couple hours, too, since God knows I needed it something awful.

I've never really felt like the city was my home with its towering buildings and stifling air. I still dreamed of open skies and endless seas, after all... but a part of me knew it was nothing more than that, a simple dream. That's all it would ever be for someone like me, and I was beginning to accept that as a fact.

Working for minimum wage at a dead end job with holes in the sole of my tired, worn out shoes, I knew it wasn't going to be getting any better for a laid back guy such as myself. Still, it wasn't too much of a problem. Working there kept a roof over my head, and I had food in the cupboards... for a short time anyway. Isn't that always the way, though, when it comes to life? Everything is temporary, so you have to enjoy it and be thankful for what you have as long as it lasts. That's the only reason we keep on living, I guess.

However, that doesn't seem quite right, now does it? That's because that's not how it is... at least not for me.

Sure, I don't make the big money, and I'm stuck sorting mail to be taken in or sent out. That doesn't matter to me all that much, though. We can't all be at the top of the ladder which is something I've come to learn with time. If we were, there'd be no one to hold the ladder for us at the bottom while we make our assent, and then it'd come crashing down from under us. Without the losers, there can be no winners.

As I made my way up to the seventh floor of the converted warehouse, which now housed studio apartments for those of us on the lower rungs of society, I just had to laugh at myself. After all, I never would've thought of myself as the deep thinking sort, waxing philosophies like some ol' gray beard who spent the last forty years of his life just watching and waiting as the world passed him by. That didn't sound like a bad life now that I think of it, though...

Fitting my key into the lock on the door, I glanced up to see a small note tacked to it. Under my breath, I muttered a small prayer that it wasn't an eviction notice since I'd just realized I'd forgotten to pay last month's rent. It wasn't like I didn't have the money, of course, but these things had a bad habit of slipping my mind at times. However, upon opening it up, I sighed with relief to find that it wasn't anything more than a memo stating the building was under new management. It would seem my rent would now be going to an 'Ann Walters.' Must've been old Doug's daughter or something...

Unless Mrs. Walters was once again walking amongst the living which, sadly, I doubted very highly.

"Kuu!" I called out cheerfully as I made my way into the apartment. "I'm home!" However, upon briefly scanning the space for my companion, I raised a brow to find my little buddy was no where in sight, and I curiously began to wonder where he could've gone off to. Being that it was winter, all the windows were closed, so I knew he couldn't have gotten out that way. Even if they were open, he'd still have to deal with flying through the screen. Soon enough, though, I heard the familiar sound of the flutter of winds, and not too much later, I felt him land gracefully on my head.

"There you are," I mused with a smile, glancing up towards him. He merely cocked his head at me in reply, but I could tell he was happy to see me since there seemed to be a smile of sorts on his tiny beak. "So... what did you do today?" I asked, slipping out of my slacks as quickly as I could manage without tripping myself. God, I hated dressing up... especially just to sit in a stuffy office all damn day.

He didn't say anything as he flew towards the window that gazed out over the harbor. Once he'd landed on the sill, he only tapped the glass lightly with his beak, and then he turned his little head to look up expectantly at me. I complied, of course, since I was a bit curious to what he was gawking so earnestly at.

At first, I didn't really get what all the fuss was about. I couldn't see anything of particular interest other than the fishing boats that were docked at port for the season, but he pecked at the glass earnestly once again. After straining my eyes for a bit, I could just make out a small figure at the end of the farthest pier, but I didn't really know why he was so intent upon me taking notice of it. Therefore, I questioned him skeptically with a raised brow. When he nodded that that was indeed what he intended for me to see, I sighed heavily, yet I still picked up the binoculars resting on the window sill. I always had them handy since, unfortunately, our home wasn't right on the water's edge like I'd wanted.

Because of the distance, it was still hard to make out the lone figure even with help from the instrument, but I can't say that what I did see impressed me all that much, either.

Well, I could definitely tell it was a woman, a slender one at that although her billowing skirt and jacket made it a bit more difficult to discern whether or not that was really the case. However, when she happened to turn to head back to wherever she'd come from, I gotta admit she had quite the pretty face. Even then, though, her long hair got in the way due to the wind, and just as soon as it appeared, it was gone again.

"Damn..." I muttered, setting down the binoculars once again. Then, turning back to face my companion, I set my elbow on the sill and watched him for a moment or so. Kuu was a mynah bird, but despite being told that he was supposed to mimic sounds, including a human voice, he hadn't made so much as a peep from the time I bought him which sort of defeated the purpose of me getting him in the first place. After all... I needed somebody to keep me company in this dump of an apartment.

"Isn't that right, buddy?" I purred, scratching him beneath his chin. He tilted his head back with what I thought was a smile of sorts, but he said nothing as per usual. Just about the only thing that convinced me he had relations to his species was his coloring. His feathers were mostly black except for a streak of yellow across the back of his neck and two spots of the same distinctive hue on either cheek. I had to admit, though... he was a handsome, little devil when I got a good look at him. Personality, charm, wits as well...

Too bad I couldn't say the same about myself.

As if right on cue, I heard my cell phone ring, and after I rummaged through the pockets of my discarded jacket and found it, I flipped it open with ease. There was really no point in checking the caller ID, either, since I only had one person who'd bother to call me. Hell, he was the only one who even had my number in the first place.

Even then, it was just because he brought me the damn thing.

"Kai," I began with a heavy sigh, "what's up?" Sparing a quick glance towards my alarm clock, I added, "We just got out of work... Are you lonely or something?"

"Not now, I'm not!" my friend assured me, his eagerness ringing loud and clear through his voice. I already knew what was coming, but if nothing more than to humor him, I still stayed on the line and listened. Although it would be more or less the same story, there wasn't anything better for me to do at the moment. "You remember Eve from the other day, right?"

"Of course I do," I agreed with a slight laugh and a smug grin. "She's dating my cousin... You do know that, don't you?" I asked, a hint of amusement in my tone. We both know the answer, but it didn't stop either one of us before. These kind of things were to be expected by now which made it all the more fun to try and discuss the matter.

"Why do you think I even bothered with her in the first place?" he replied, no doubt grinning himself. It's all a part of the game for you, isn't it? I thought indifferently while I plopped down onto my futon. It was on the floor, but I wasn't complaining because I didn't really want to buy a bed frame. Couldn't afford it anyways... "It's like I always try to tell you, Denny," he chuckled, probably shaking his head in the process. He had a habit of giving me too little credit in these situations it seemed...

"'A woman's worth a man's interest under any circumstance,'" I quoted effortlessly. Kuu fluttered over to join me, but his black eyes seemed to mist over with disappointment when he landed on my knee.

"You forgot one thing, though," he corrected me in a scolding tone. "It's even better when there's an obstacle to over come." There was a pause before he continued on. "I gotta say that I'm starting to get bored from taking another's guy's chick, though... I think I've done this one too many times."

"Dan's hardly any competition," I explained with a wistful air. "Just in case you didn't realize it yet." Truth to be told, I didn't want to be related to that guy, but it's not like you chose your family. People don't even chose their friends if you think about it. Look at me and Kai... He was the one to find me, after all, when I was down and out, and although I was grateful, I can't say he was exactly the best person to be spending my time with. He got me into a hell of a lot of trouble it seemed...

"The three of us need to get together again some time," he mused, choosing to ignore my last statement in the process. "How about another poker night at your place this weekend? I need some extra cash to treat that little lady of his, you know!" Then Kai laughed in his usual loud and boastful way, but soon enough I heard the pounding on his wall through the speaker. Too bad I felt the need to chuckle because of it.

"Rick giving you trouble again?" I teased, knowing well enough that was the case. How any two people who hopelessly loathed each other's existence ended up as neighbors in a city this size... I had no clue.

All that I knew as that it was hilarious to watch. And hear apparently...

"Sure... just laugh your fucking ass off, Denny!" Kai shouted. Unfortunately for me, I didn't pull the speaker away in time which meant it was right in my ear. There was another more feverish pounding on the diving wall between their apartments as well as some angry mutterings I assumed belonged to Rick, but I was bored of it by now since I couldn't hear it all that well at the moment with my deafened ear an' all. "Yeah, well, I don't give a shit if your kids can hear me fucking swearing, you rotten bastard! It's not like their damn mommy's any better!

"Kai..." I sighed, switching sides with the phone. Kuu glanced up at me momentarily, but after blinking at me in nothing short of confusion, he decided to glide back over to the window sill. As he gazed outside of it, I had to wonder if that's all he did all day. Guess I wasn't very good company for the poor kid since he didn't seem to want much to do with me these days. "Calm down, will ya?"

Not surprisingly, though, it seemed that my words were only heard by the faint sound of static.