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Chapter 6: Apologize
--Willy Wonka--
"You did it again didn't you Mr. Cocoa Bean?" questioned Iris signing in an almost sarcastic fashion giving him an annoyed once over and crossing her small arms.
"Did what exactly Iris?" Willy questioned innocently before studying his cane where he had once clasped Odette's hand and finding his face heating again.
"You're going to keep annoying that girl and chase her off…Charlie is her friend too it would hurt his feelings. Its not like she's trying to take him away from you, I actually think Charlie wants you to like her." Iris signed seeing Willy pause in his study of the cane and glance down at her with narrowed suspicious violet eyes.
"Why would he be interested if I liked the silly artist or not?" Willy questioned moodily before tapping his cane lightly in the palm of his hand and then returning it to lean on. "I don't get along with girls and Charlie's friend is no exception…she's to frustrating." He muttered watching dark eyes following his every move and wondering what was going through Iris's mind at the moment.
"You are still naïve Mr. Cocoa Bean." Signed Iris in exasperation before glancing up at the ceiling wishing for help. "It's funny though that you find her frustrating, she said you were an impossible enigma…Charlie wants you to like her and you can figure that reason out on your own." She signed before waving her hand to cut off his attempt at protesting. "Go apologize to that woman now…and please don't be yourself." She signed rolling her eyes and stepping aside pointing to the now slammed bedroom door across the room and tapping her foot impatiently.
"Apologize for what?" Willy asked ignoring the narrowed eyes following his movement to slip back into the elevator. "I didn't do anything…I'm just irritating her is all." He said with an amused giggle startled when Iris grasped his pant leg and motioned rather violently to the room. "I don't want to go there." He said pouting and glancing down at Iris with a sour look on his face.
"You go apologize to that girl, or I will do it for you…you won't like what I say on your behalf." Iris signed with a mischievous grin.
"Fine." Willy muttered crossly before stepping into the room and glancing around curiously. He glanced over his shoulder watching Iris shut the door, but knew she would wait until things were settled and frowned annoyed he had been blackmailed by his own worker. "Why do I have to apologize, she's the one that…oh never mind." He muttered walking cautiously to the now closed bedroom door and stared at it curiously.
--Original POV--
"Annoying self centered man." I thought walking into my closet and tossing various pajamas around trying to find my comfortable ones. I was so angry at Willy Wonka at the moment I didn't even understand why, all I knew is he felt as if I was invading his territory and I felt like an intruder at the moment. Charlie had gotten me into this mess, but it was all innocent in fact I had a feeling he wanted me to like Willy Wonka, but at the moment I would have rather smacked him until he went cross-eyed. I paused in my shuffling through the closet and glanced up staring out into my room swearing I had heard something at the door. I grasped my pajamas and tossed them on the bed cautiously making my way to the bedroom door and eyeing it suspiciously.
Knock, knock
"Iris?" I questioned hesitating on the door handle and realizing the knock was further up then Iris could have reached. "He wouldn't dare." I thought glaring at the door feeling my anger building.
"No…I…that is…I come to say something." Willy managed his voice muffled from the other side of the door.
"What more territorial remarks, or to just be annoying?" I wondered glancing at the door for a long while and sighing before I opened it revealing Willy standing there, he was nervously tapping his cane and had met my eyes when the door opened. For once Willy looked agitated or annoyed but I didn't think it was my fault. "What do you want Willy?" I questioned sighing miserably.
"Nothing." Willy thought remembering Iris was right outside waiting for him to relay how it had went and got the sneaky suspicion she would ask me as well. "I come to apologize…I'm sorry for upsetting you this evening." He managed feeling an odd taste in his mouth and wishing he could now walk quickly away and forget it ever happened.
"Talk about flooring someone." I thought studying Willy suspiciously seeing him lower his eyes studying the floor beneath our feet. I couldn't believe Willy had just apologized and it made me wonder who did the prodding, but for the moment I figured I would just accept it, maybe he wasn't as evil as I once thought. "Thank you for the apology Willy." I stated softly glancing out toward the kitchen and thinking the day over. "Would you like some hot cocoa?" I questioned curiously watching him glance back up at me apparently surprised at the offer.
"Um…okay." Willy stated with a small smile watching as I shut the door excusing myself for a minute.
--Willy Wonka's POV--
Willy studied the now closed door hearing shuffling around inside the room and turned to glance around the room watching the door hesitantly open. Iris stood there glancing over at him suspiciously before walking briskly into the room seeing the coast was clear.
"How did it go?" Iris signed curiously seeing Willy glancing around the room more nervous then she had left him.
"Ok." Willy signed trying to remain quiet for the moment. "She invited me to stay for hot cocoa." He fidgeted nervously seeing Iris glance up at him suspiciously before a small smile crossed her face.
"Good…now she doesn't want to beat you senseless any longer." Iris signed seeing his eyes widen in surprise at this comment. "I doubt she would have because she respects Charlie too much." She signed seeing him visibly relax. "I'm going…be polite and don't get cute." She signed with a scolding fashion watching Willy stare after her with a pleading look and giggling upon shutting the door.
"She left me!" Willy thought feeling panic again taking effect over his common sense and glancing around the room as it started to spin out of control. "I need to calm down, before I go down." He thought closing his eyes and taking several deep breathes.
--Original POV--
I stood in the middle of my room and shut the closet door quickly before scanning over everything wondering why I had returned to my bedroom to begin with. "I needed an excuse to absorb his apology." I realized leaning against the door and taking a couple of small breathes. I stood there for a long moment trying to figure out why Willy was getting on my nerves so easily and what Charlie had been up to since the moment I come to the factory, after a long while of puzzling over the days events a thought struck me. I nearly choked when the thought come to me but suddenly my eyes widened and I glanced at my reflection in the mirror of the dressing table near the closet. "Charlie is trying to play match maker." I realized observing as my face seemed to light up in shock. I had never really got along with guys much especially the ones on the normal side, Charlie was using his knowledge of me against me and was apparently also doing the same with Willy the problem was I didn't know if I liked how his idea was working or not, so far Willy Wonka had annoyed me a great deal but I didn't think I disliked him, but I didn't like him in the aspect Charlie was aiming for either.
"My head hurts." I murmured banging my head lightly against the door and flinching at the sudden jolt I caused. "Ow." I mumbled turning to stare at my door for a long while remembering Willy was waiting on the other side for the offered hot cocoa and possible truce between us. "I need to talk with Charlie." I muttered opening the door and stepping into the room as quietly as possible.
Willy was standing in the middle of the room apparently attempting a breathing exercise and forced me to pause glancing him over curiously. "He must have panicked again." I thought wondering what triggered it. I walked over to the kitchen area leaving him to his thoughts worried I would scare the crap out of him, I then started to prepare the cocoa on the stove pulling down two blue mugs and glancing around for the spoon to stir in the chocolate mix. I smiled faintly glancing up seeing Willy jump aware of something changing in the environment and started to scan around the room, before finding the familiar player I had noticed earlier sliding in one of my CD's which had been placed in a neat stack next to the machine. I started to tap my foot to the beat of the song watching Willy again jump at the sudden noise and stared around for the source before noticing the player was running and hesitantly sitting at one of the stools at the counter. The beat of "Footloose" moved throughout the room, but I was concentrating more so on the hot cocoa so as not to burn it, I wasn't the best of cooks if I didn't keep sharp track of things.
--Willy Wonka's POV--
Willy cautiously observed Odette stirring the cocoa mix and listened intently to the odd song, he hadn't really paid much attention to music or other forms of entertainment because he was usually pre-occupied with candy making and keeping track of his and Charlie's schedules. The song had an interesting beat and he found himself glancing down at his tapping foot with an amused smirk on his face wondering exactly what was so fascinating about the artist, and her unusual way of preparing things around her. Granted he found her extremely irritating, sometimes to intent on her drawing, but then again he was the same way when it come to his candies, and he found the fact that she had a sharp wit almost as irritating as her sudden presence in the factory. Willy couldn't like this girl, he didn't care what Charlie had in mind or what Iris seemed to see in the strange girl, she was by far too complex for him to understand and he did not like the idea of trying to figure her out, or did he?
"I'm so confused now…I don't like her invading my life or taking Charlie's attention." Willy thought startled when steam greeted his intense violet eyes and he glanced down at a mug of steaming hot cocoa under his nose. "Thank you." He found himself murmuring before daring to glance up seeing a small amused expression hidden behind a warm mug.
"Don't look so perplexed…you loose your mischievous twinkle." Odette warned turning her attention to the music and listening to another song called "Mambo #5". "A penny for your thoughts…I'm good at listening." She offered seeing Willy study her for a long moment with suspicion before taking a sip of the hot cocoa and allowing a brief smile.
"You're too observant for your own good little girl." Willy stated tapping his fingers lightly on the counter seeing her frown at his comment.
"I'm not a little girl…twenty-four is by far from little." I stated with a note of annoyance placing a hand on my hip and sitting the mug carefully onto the counter. "You clearly didn't apologize of your own free will…why are you so annoying?" she muttered turning and skipping tracks on the player before spying mischievous violet eyes glowing with laughter behind her.
"You act like a little girl…and I'm ten years older so you are a little girl still." Willy stated with an amused giggle noting her eyes narrow at him. "Wait I meant six years older." He remarked redoing the math and rolling his eyes at her now amused expression.
"I thought you were closer to ten, you act it." Odette retorted taking a sip of her cocoa and leaning on the table seeing her direct approach had annoyed him and he leaned away.
--Original POV--
"Only you would retort that way." Willy remarked wrinkling his nose in annoyance and leaning to the side on his palm "I would say maybe five would fit your wit." He remarked sipping his own cocoa and seeing her frown in annoyance.
"Maybe so…but I've outwitted you several times." I retorted sitting my mug into the sink after rinsing it out and placing my hands on the counter glaring straight at amused violet eyes. "I'm not taking Charlie away Willy, He wants me to learn to like you…I have no idea why, but don't make this any harder then it already is. I already wish you would drown in your own candy." I muttered taking his cup and rinsing it out placing it in the sink and taking a deep breath.
"Drown?" Willy thought clearly seeing he had done exactly the opposite Iris had asked him to and again annoyed me which would mean another confrontation and forced apology. "Why does Charlie want either of us to like one another…just because he has friends doesn't mean I have to like them and you don't have to like mine." He stated a note of curiosity in his voice.
"True." I stated wondering if he had many friends with his lack of personality, but keeping the thought to myself. "I still wonder how you're going to deal with a gym full of obnoxious teenagers and not run for your life." I stated with amusement seeing Willy had nearly forgotten his agreement to chaperone the school dance. "I hope you can handle that pressure."
"Gobstoppers, she just had to remind me." Willy thought freezing with a very sour look on his face forgetting to retort back. Willy thought that over for a long moment, large crowded gym, full of several teenagers, dozens of them, music, contact with other people, and worse having to stand in the middle of it all with me. Willy groaned miserably at the imagery and allowed his head to fall forward onto his arms ignoring his top hat that rolled across the counter expecting to hear it fall, but noting it didn't. "She caught it." He thought peeking briefly out of the confines of his arms and watching as I gently sat it down beside him observing him with a very firm straight face, which meant I was desperately trying not to laugh. Being surrounded by teenagers was one thing, but the more Willy thought about it the more he hated the fact he had ever agreed to it. "I can't do it." He thought glancing up seeing my eyes were highly amused but I was still managing a straight face.
"I can't go to a gym full of teenagers and face of with Charlie's friends and teachers." Willy muttered finally returning his hat to his head and sighing miserably. "It's not funny." He grumbled flicking his hand irritably in my direction.
"Probably not…there's also volunteered parents chaperoning the dances too." I said smiling faintly at his attempt to annoy me and rolling my eyes.
"Pa-par-moms and dads?" Willy questioned groaning again and returning his top hat to the counter again burying himself in his arms with a resounding echo of candy curses. "That's even worse!" he thought aware of a gentle tap sensation on his arm and springing to life nearly falling off the stool.
"I think I understand why Charlie wanted me to go…I think he expects me to keep you from having a nervous breakdown." I stated seeing Willy's eyes narrow at this before he snorted in irritation. "It won't be all that bad…I promise to annoy you the whole time." I said seeing he wasn't amused by this and watched him grasping his hat.
Willy firmly placed his hat on his head and started to leave cane in hand but paused briefly at the door staring over his shoulder. I stood there with my arms crossed trying my hardest to keep a straight face and was watching his hasty exit. "This is not over little girl." Willy thought nodding before exiting the room and leaving her staring after him. Once the door was closed and I was sure he was gone for the night I sat right down in the middle of the room and started to laugh until tears were in my eyes, after a short laughing spree I stood and made my way back to my room and started getting ready for the night. I knew Willy Wonka was nervous around parents, people, social situations, and the like but the look on his face had been too much. I felt a bit sorry for him granted but at that point in the night he had irritated me so much the pity had slowly died off leaving me to my own thoughts of the dance that I was to chaperone. I knew the dance would be the next evening and still hadn't a darn thing picked out, what was worse is it was a forced date with Willy Wonka and I still couldn't decide if I liked him or disliked him, I knew one thing he was very amusing and fun to fight with.