...And on...
A Weird Welcome
Ed gave Jet directions to the residence of Appledelhi Siniz Hesap Lütfen. The trip was slightly unpleasant, with a man, a kid and a dog all crammed into the pod of the Hammerhead. He was relieved when they finally arrived at their destination. As the ship opened, Edward gleefully leapt out, followed by Jet who carried Ein in his burly arms. Setting the dog on the ground, he turned to the humble residence before him and followed Ed to the door.
"Sally-sal!" Ed called as she steadily knocked on the front door. Jet stood behind her curiously. After a short while, the door opened and a woman stood in the threshold.
"Oh, hi Ed. Your father lost you again?" she said lamely.
"Yep!" Ed replied with not so much as a sigh of remorse.
"You should stay close to him, Ed. You know how terrible he is at remembering you're with him on his trips." Sally looked up and noticed the bald, muscular man wearing a puzzled look. "Did this man bring you home?" she asked the hacker.
"Sally," replied Ed, "meet Jet-person! Ed stayed with him on his ship the Bebop before Ed found father-person. He's here to visit Ed!" Jet took it upon himself to speak.
"Nice to meet you," he said with an awkward smile.
Inside the humble abode, the three of them, Edward, Jet, and Sally sat around a coffee table drinking tea and munching on sweets. Ein silently waddled around the room sniffing here and there only to eventually curl up into a beige, furry ball and take a nap.
"By the looks of this place I wouldn't guess that Appledelhi would have a housekeeper," Jet said. "Uh, in terms of size, I mean," he nervously corrected.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sally replied with an understanding smile. "He likes to keep liquid assets. Especially living in a house on Earth. He'd probably move to another planet if he wanted to, but his passion is here. Some passion if you ask me," she smirked.
Jet nodded. He bit into a small lemon-flavored cookie, glancing at the woman across from him. She was older, perhaps in her mid-forties, and somewhat stout. Her hair was short, voluminous with thick, wavy curls. It was a pastel pink, an aging pink.
Edward sat next to Jet on the bland floral sofa, merrily humming as she stacked cookie after cookie in the palm of her hand. "Edward! Cut it out! Those cookies aren't all for you! If you drop them it'll be a waste!" Sally motherly scolded. Jet hadn't noticed Ed's cookie tower until a part of it fell over his arm. Ein was close by, lapping up a few tiny cookies that had hit the floor. With a giggle, Edward fell to her knees, assisting Ein in licking up cookies. Sally gave a sigh as Ed disappeared behind the coffee table. Jet smiled, nostalgically remembering all of Ed's antics while she was a Bebop resident.
"She certainly takes some getting used to, doesn't she?" Jet asked with a smile.
"That she does," Sally replied. "So," she continued," Ed's told me all about you and your crew. She was so excited at the idea of you visiting. Tell me, where is everyone else?"
"To be quite frank, I'm really not sure," Jet slowly replied. "After Ed ran away, I guess you could say we had a bit of a falling out, for reasons unknown." He spoke softly, trying not to steal Edward's attention from Ein and the lemon cookies on the floor.
"I see," Sally said, deciding not to ask any more. "I might say that I've never seen Ed happier, but she seems to be this way all the time. Sometimes I wonder if the kid ever gets sad," she smiled. Jet looked down at the redhead, whose little tanned nose was just barely touching Ein's cold, black rhinarium.
"Yeah, she really is a piece of work," he sighed lamely.
Jet's attention was suddenly drawn by the sound of the front door creaking open and slamming shut. Heavy footfalls followed the crash of the door and grew louder as they grew closer. Who else should step around the corner than Appledelhi Siniz Hesap Lütfen himself! The large man made his way into the living room where Jet and Sally sat. The mere presence of Appledelhi seemed to dwarf the room. As Jet's eyes met those of the big man in the doorway, he couldn't help but notice a feeling of strange resentment. Perhaps it was the fact that this man had nearly given his former partner a concussion upon their last meeting that gave him this unsettling feeling. It was an acceptable reason. Jet left it at that.
"Say," Appledelhi said, his voice aimed at Jet. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"
Ed peered from behind the coffee table as she heard her father speak. "Father-person!" she shouted. Springing to her feet, she ran toward the gargantuan man.
"Hey, Francois!" he grinned, scooping the girl into his massive arms. He swung her around a few times, miraculously missing the decor that Jet and Sally just knew would hit the floor. He placed the girl down next to him and she threw her little arms around his torso.
"You remember Jet-person, don't you?" she said, looking up at her father. "He's the one I stayed with until I found you!" Appledelhi was silent for a few seconds.
"Oh yeah!" he suddenly shouted boisterously. "Thanks for taking care of my daughter! ... Or was it my son?"
Jet was unsure if he was wearing his poker face at this point. He felt like he was staring at this man as if he had three extra limbs. "Uh, don't mention it," he said slowly. This guy seems even denser than I remember, he thought.
Good ol' Jet! Ya gotta love him! I know I do!