*WHAT* INSERTION?

by Curtis Wildcat

Chapter Four, Part B

It's Just You

"...You got me. By all accounts, it doesn't make sense."

/-/-/-/-/

(Cue theme)

/-/-/-/-/

Place: A short distance from intended destination

Time: Late morning- - -early afternoon

"Where is this place, anyway?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. "When you asked me to switch back, I thought that meant that we'd gotten there already."

We can't let people see you during the day, Curtis told him as he walked past numerous stores. There have been people who've seen me today. If by any chance they saw you in the same getup I'm in now, someone might get suspicious.

Phibrizzo floated silently within the pillar, not saying a word and not even listening to them speak. He wasn't sure why he thought like this, so... so angry with himself and the world in general, wanting to just stay hidden. He felt like his very self... not just his self, but his very identity was in danger. Ever since he'd came to this world, it had been one mishap after another; he felt that if this went on, he'd just keep acting out of character until one day he'd never stop. This worried him.

What is happening to me? he asked himself. Why am I questioning what I am after just one terrible encounter with a human female... albeit one that displays kleptomanic tendencies from time to time, but still a human female? I'm supposed to be Ruby Eye's most powerful supporter! Humans are supposed to be below me!

But if that's the case, why am I so upset with myself for my actions... and so afraid of the unknown? If I'm supposed to face life head-on, what's keeping me from doing so?

"Hold on one second," Inuyasha was saying to Curtis, who was staring dejectedly at the seemingly empty sporting goods store that they'd gotten to. "You mean people actually make a living by playing those games?"

Yeah, I'll say, Curtis thought. It's rather silly, isn't it? It's a wonder that- - -wait a second. Inuyasha, did you hear someone tailing us at all when we went over here?

"Yeah. It didn't seem threatening, so I didn't say anything about it." Inuyasha's ears twitched. "In fact, I do believe she's standing right behind us."

That was all the warning Curtis got. Someone behind him tapped his shoulder, applying some force to it. "Hi, kid," a female voice growled.

Curtis slowly turned around. Phibrizzo pulled his head up a fraction, the strange voice interrupting his thoughts. There's something about that voice that doesn't sound human, he thought to himself.

The figure that had tapped Curtis was brown-skinned and stood at least two feet taller than him. She was wearing blue jeans and a long-sleeved sweatshirt, which was strange considering that it was actually a mild day. Long gray hair hung off her head in a heavy braid, nearly reaching her knees; a baseball cap was perched above narrowed blue eyes, and a yellow headband could be seen beneath it. At the moment, she was staring down at him with a strange smirk on her face.

Curtis hesitated to speak to her, a bit put off by her appearance. "Um... yes?"

The figure folded her arms. "You wouldn't, by any chance, know anything about a strange noise I heard about ten minutes ago, would you? At the repair shop back there?"

Didn't we start ten minutes ago? Curtis asked.

"It wasn't any sooner or later than that," Inuyasha said, annoyed.

Hold on. I think she's right. "Probably. I think I may have been the cause of it." Which was true; he'd suggested this trip to the store in the first place.

"Funny," the young woman murmured suspiciously. "I didn't think anyone could've gotten off the roof that quickly without using the ladder first. Instead of footprints on the ladder, I found some fallen leaves where there shouldn't have been."

"Are you a detective, lady?" Curtis asked. "Just curious."

The woman's eyes widened, and she held out her hands nervously. "No way," she said to him. "There's no way I could be a detective. I just wanted to know about stuff, that's all. In fact..." she pointed behind Curtis at the store. "I work in that very store you're standing outside of!"

That'll make it easy. "Great. Could you let us in?"

The woman twiddled her fingers nervously. "Well, I'm supposed to be off work today. The manager and his employees are in the back of the store counting inventory, and they didn't want me selling stuff without one of them watching. I don't think they trust me," she said, finishing her explanation with a whining edge to it. She muttered under her breath: "Accidentally damage a baseball bat, and they mark you for life..."

"Oh, come on," Curtis begged, sweatdropping at the woman's aside. "I can pick out what I need and pay for it. You don't even have to help me! Could you please let me in?"

For a moment, the woman looked like she was going to argue. She abruptly caved in without warning, though. "Aw, I never could resist kids," she said, a wide smile evident. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a key, then executed a mock salute. "Come on in. Miss June is at your service!" She unlocked the door, then ushered him in.

Curtis chuckled. At least he's playing his role as a younger kid quite well, Phibrizzo noted silently.

Miss June stepped near the counter and leaned on it as the well-rounded kid made a beeline for the golf clubs, examining each one intently. Then... he went on to look at basically every available piece of equipment in the store, muttering to himself all the while.

Cute...he must really be into sports. To think I used to be like that while I was young. If only more people considered me one of their own instead of regarding me as different... Miss June propped her chin on one hand and yawned. So what if I look like this. What's the deal?

The kid heard her yawn and turned toward her. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. I just haven't had much sleep, that's all. Go ahead and take your pick!"

The kid shrugged, then went towards the tennis section to find a racket. His search was interrupted by the "Employees Only" door opening, letting the manager- - -a blonde-haired man of about Aisha's height but over twice her age- - -into the room.

The man looked around, surprised and then displeased to see both Miss June and the kid in the same room. "Miss June, what have I told you about being here without one of us present?" he asked, sounding exasparated.

"Aw, you know I can't stand to see little kids beg!" Miss June whined. "He said he'd help himself! What's the problem?"

The man sighed, nodding his head a little. He turned to the kid. "Excuse me, young man. She's a bit of a flake. May I help you?"

"I don't mind," the kid said, shrugging. He let his gaze wander around the tennis section. "I've seen worse. And as for help, I'm sort of having trouble choosing a tennis racket."

The manager raised an eyebrow. "Really? Most of these rackets aren't made for someone your size."

"I can handle them." As he said those words, the kid's eye seemed caught by a racket hung near the ceiling. "That one right there. The purple one with the green strings. I'd get it myself, but...well, you know."

The manager raised an eyebrow, but turned to Miss June. "Could you get me that stepladder, please?"

Miss June nodded. "Right away!" she declared, hurrying behind the counter and pulling out the stepladder she needed to get. She set it down near the rackets, then stepped onto the ladder intending to get the racket herself.

Her boss stopped her, though. He placed one hand on her shoulder, getting her attention. "Not so fast, Miss June," he said. "The last two times you used this ladder, you spilled the merchandise on top of a customer. I think that kid Kudo's still stinging from the 'soccer bat' incident."

Miss June laughed nervously, then stepped off the ladder. When she got down, she saw that the kid had stepped to the side. Sweating a little, she figured that if the kid hadn't moved, she would've stumbled into him and knocked them both over. That would've gotten me fired for sure... or at least gotten me a pay cut. But I can't help it if I'm a bit clumsy!

While she was thinking this, the manager had gotten onto the ladder and obtained the racket himself. He got down and handed it to the kid. "Well, try it and see what you think."

The kid took the racket in his hands, gripping it two-handed and turning it a few times. Despite the size of the racket, he didn't seem to have any problems holding it. "Seems alright to me," he said, grabbing a canister of tennis balls from a nearby shelf. "I'll buy these, then."

The manager nodded. "Miss June, could you get the register ready, please?"

Miss June nodded. "Okay!" she said cheerfully, heading over to the counter.

She heard the kid talking to the manager in the background. Most people wouldn't of heard the conversation, but she never had any problems with how she could hear. It was problematic whenever she heard what other people were saying, though.

"Pardon me, sir, but why do you let her work here if she's as clumsy as you say she is?"

"She's a bit odd," the manager explained, sighing a little. "That, and wherever she goes, people treat her like dirt just because she's different. I'm sure you've noticed her skin color and hair. To say that's unusual would be an understatement considering her parents are both native to Japan, so you can understand why people would be against her." She slowly walked toward the counter, the kid following along behind him. "According to her, she's tried getting a job at a dozen different places. None of them were willing to hire her. Finally, I came along and decided to give her a chance."

"My parents couldn't afford to send me to high school and above," Miss June said, moping a little when they reached the counter. "And I can't walk the streets without people talking about me. This is the best I can do. I try my best. Honestly..."

"There's one thing I do like about you, Miss June; it's the reason you're not out of a job and likely never will be as long as me and my team are around," the manager said firmly, facing her.

Miss June perked up a bit. "What do you mean?"

"It's because as clumsy as you are, you don't give up," her boss explained. "You never let the incidents of the previous work day bother you, and you always come in willing to give it your best. That's what I look for in an employee, so I don't let how a person looks or otherwise acts interfere."

/-/-/-/-/

Inuyasha looked around as the chamber, which had been a strange shade of red ever since Phibrizzo's impromptu visit with the Moores, slowly became a dim blue before turning back to normal. "Wish I knew what that's all about," he mumbled as he watched the scene before him.

/-/-/-/-/

Miss June heard a quiet cough, and she looked at the "Employees Only" door. The employees that had been counting the inventory had gathered around the door, and all them were smiling and/or offering quiet and encouraging looks. Seeing this, tears started to gather in her eyes. "Thanks," she said. "I really needed that."

Someone cleared his throat. Miss June turned her gaze down towards the kid she'd let in. "Um, as much as she probably needed the encouragement, I'd like to be able to pay for this," he said, holding up the racket and tennis balls. "Does 'anytime' sound alright?"

It was the first time Miss June had ever seen a group of people sweatdrop simultaneously.

/-/-/-/

Place: Auto repair shop

Time: Fifteen minutes later

"Jim, I'm back!"

'Jim', the kid who was examining a car within the confines of the repair shop earlier, looked up and smiled as Miss June jogged on in. "Great! It's lunchtime, anyway. I didn't think you'd like it if I started without you." He led her into a relatively small office/waiting room, opened up the fridge, and got out several bags and drinks. "I got you your favorite this time."

Miss June brightened, smiling. "Double cheeseburger?"

"And miso soup. I won't need to reheat it or anything; it hasn't been in the fridge for very long." He got out a bottle of 'Coca-Cola' and stared at it disapprovingly. "I don't know what you see in this stuff, though."

"I've got to get my calories somehow," Miss June argued. "My parents already have me drinking tea and juice four times a day, and with my metabolism that just doesn't cut it!" She grabbed the Cola from his hands, opened it, and drank about half of it before closing it up again.

Jim shook his head as he got out his own food. "Aisha," he said wonderingly, "sometimes I just don't get you."

"It's just me," she told him. "I can't help what I am."

Jim waved her off as he began eating. "Yeah, I know. I know."

/-/-/-/-/

Place: Local indoor racketball court

Time: Twenty minutes later

I must admit, Curtis said as he stood at one end of the court with his new racket in his hands, I didn't think they had one of these courts around here. Should've figured that if they liked table tennis, they'd like regular tennis too.

"It was nice of that man behind the counter to let you in," Inuyasha commented, snacking on some cookies that he'd found in Curtis's chamber while they were heading towards the court. "You trying to figure out how to do that subspace thing yourself, or do you just need practice playing this game of yours?"

Both, actually, Curtis said seriously, glancing down at his feet where the jar of tennis balls was. I haven't played tennis with any regularity in years. At the same time, I need to figure out the subspace pocket trick so I can defend myself when I'm in control. Now, let's see...

Curtis closed his eyes, checking the inside of his burrowed mind for any links to subspace that Phibrizzo may have made over the years. After a minute, he found a link that connected his mind to what was imagined to be a giant hole. I think I've found something. Hey, Phibrizzo, was this hole where you kept those orbs when you weren't using them?

Phibrizzo just nodded. "Mm-hmm." He likely still didn't want to talk to them; his head was lowered, and he still looked sullen.

That's all the confirmation I need; looks like its just big and empty now. Now, let's see if this works. Here goes!

Activating the hidden trigger in his mind, Curtis raised the racket behind his back and let it go experimentally.

No noise. The clatter of a racket hitting the floor did not register to his ears. Temporarily letting the link go, Curtis reached behind him and patted the back of his shirt. The racket simply wasn't there. After waiting about four seconds he reached behind him again and reactivated the link, searching for the racket. Finding it, he held it out in front of him. No mistake; the idea of using a subspace pocket was a go. Well, guys, it works.

"Obviously," Phibrizzo said disgustedly. With his hair floating above his eyes, it was easy to tell that he'd decided to close them for some reason. "It's my link to subspace that you're using. My influence is still there, but since I lost my primary abilities it's no more than a giant storage room."

Curtis was about to open up the canister at his feet, but stopped. Hold on. Your primary abilities? You actually have secondary abilities?

Phibrizzo snickered a little. "Yes. But you'll just have to wait until I decide to show them to you, understand? It's been who knows how many centuries since I've needed to use them, and I don't want to mess them up just because I'm a bit rusty."

"I suppose so..." Curtis opened up the canister, grabbed a tennis ball, tossed it up in the air, then gave it a good whack.

The ball bounced off the wall, made a one-hop over the net, and was smacked again. Curtis kept this up for several minutes, not staying in one place for very long. All the while, Phibrizzo was rattling off advice. "Idiot, you're putting too much strength behind it." "Don't overextend too much. Got it?" "You have to keep moving, slowpoke!"

Curtis gritted his teeth as the both of them kept it up. Don't tell me you've actually played brass rackets before.

"Amazing how similar tennis is, isn't it? Zelas likes to play against the Knight of Ceiphied, and she's dragged me and Xellos along on a few of those excursions. I've been told my backhand's pretty mean."

Then maybe YOU'D like to take a crack at this instead of complaining in my ear. It's hard to concentrate with you doing that.

"Well, now you know how I- - -"

In that instant, Curtis initiated a Switch and disoriented his host for a second. At the same time, the ball made another one-hop over the net... and smacked into Phibrizzo's forehead. Flinching, the half-mazoku covered it with one hand and finished his sentence as the ball bounced a few meters away. "- - -feel."

"Real graceful," someone remarked sarcastically from the door.

/-/-/-/-/

Phibrizzo turned to see several people who had entered the room. The first one was easily taller than Miss June, had lightly tanned skin, was holding several rackets and a large jar of tennis balls, and had a reasonably friendly face (I don't think he looks Japanese, either, Phibrizzo thought). The other one, the one who'd spoken, was about his foster mother's height, had orange hair (which reminded him somewhat of Lina to a degree) and an air of toughness around her. Definitely not one to be messed with.

Of course, Phibrizzo didn't care. He didn't have Conan's mind, but he knew a snobby person when he saw one. Thus: "Did you just see that? I just got disoriented for a second, that's all."

"Sure, sure," the young woman said disbelievingly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to use this room. Practice, and all that."

Phibrizzo didn't move, instead folding his arms. His racket was still clutched in one hand. "Who are you?"

"I'm Nami Keeler," the woman said with a smug smile, "and I'm an attorney. The rest I'm pretty sure you wouldn't understand."

"I don't know...he does look reasonably bright," the man next to Nami spoke up, his speech accented and deep. "I mean, how many kids know what the word 'disoriented' means?"

Nami turned to him. "How much could he possibly know? He's a kid."

Phibrizzo's eyes narrowed. "This 'kid' is smart enough to recognize a stuck-up jerk when he sees one. Are you going to be rude to me, or are you just wasting my time? Because if you are, I have my own practice to get over with."

"Phibrizzo, you're really pushing it here..." Curtis warned.

Quiet, tubby. I have some steam to let off.

Nami marched over to Phibrizzo and stooped down so that the two were at eye level. "You're a real brat, aren't you?"

"You're not exactly Miss Perfection yourself." Phibrizzo grinned, the good-natured gesture at odds with his angry eyes. He held his racket behind his back, then slipped it into subspace without the two noticing. "Anyone who has the nerve to call someone else a brat must have some serious issues to work with. By the way, would you mind getting out of my face?"

"I like it where I am, thank you. I think you should just leave and let us get on with our practice. Find somewhere else to play."

"Well, I think you should get some breath mints, a pint of toothpaste and a gallon of mouthwash," Phibrizzo shot back, waving one hand in front of his face. "Your breath absolutely reeks of garlic and pepper! Yecch!"

"She threw a fit yesterday when her last client had trouble paying the bill," the man explained. "She usually works out her anger by eating a lot of spicy food. I've tried to get her to stop, but she's not the easiest person to work with. It's hard enough trying to keep her calm."

Phibrizzo's eyes lost some of their intensity. "Um, who are you?"

"Oh. I'm the second half of Keeler and Kronk, attorneys-at-law. Jonathan Kronk's the name. Nice to meet you." He put down the jar of tennis balls, grabbed Phibrizzo's left hand and shook it vigorously, then let go. "Your hand's real limp. You should put more effort behind those handshakes."

'Blink', and 'blink' again. "Oh. Uh...right." What's with this man?

"Tall, dark and dumb," Inuyasha grumbled. "That's a nice package."

"And if the name 'Kronk' is any indication," Curtis added, sniffing, "those two are a troublesome combination."

Nami stood up and turned to Kronk. "We're in Japan, not America. Try to remember to bow when introducing yourself."

The man looked from side to side as if to see if anyone else was watching, but didn't respond to his partner's comment. Phibrizzo sighed exasparatedly, then turned to Kronk's other half. "You want to practice, and so do I. Neither of us want to leave this room. Unless we can arrange something, we're stuck here. You, me, Kronk, and your horrendously bad breath."

Nami stared down at him, strangely calm. "Who are you, kid?" she asked, not reacting to his insult.

"Don't say a word about my name," Phibrizzo uttered. "It's Phibrizzo Kadan."

"Marvelous." Nami smirked haughtily. "In one of my previous cases, I had met up with a lawyer named Eva Kadan. Name ring a bell?"

Phibrizzo remained silent outwardly. So my new aunt's one of them, too? Figures.

"'Figures'?" Inuyasha asked. "What are you talking about?"

Back home, the most dangerous humans weren't those like Lina Inverse, believe it or not. The scariest and most dangerous ones... were the attorneys, especially those involved with the major kingdoms. Whenever a major trial took place, they were there. I met one once. Kind of reminded me of a shark. Would you believe that some of my sister's servants actually took part-time jobs as lawyers?

"You're scaring me, Phibrizzo," Curtis muttered, sweatdropping.

Good. That was the intention. I don't know if they're actually like that here, but- - -...

Something tapped Phibrizzo's nose, and he nearly crossed his eyes staring down at it. Nami had taken one of the rackets and had tapped his nose with it. "I asked you a question, brat."

Phibrizzo blinked. "Huh? What?"

"I asked you if you wanted to settle this in the simplest way possible," Nami said testily. "Paper, rock, scissors."

"Huh?" Phibrizzo asked, exasparated and confused.

"It's either that or challenge you to a tennis match, kid." Nami placed her hands on her hips. "A rookie doesn't have much of a chance against a professional, after all."

"Jerk," Inuyasha and Curtis muttered together.

Phibrizzo shrugged. "Whatever. Winner stays, loser leaves. We're only doing this once, though. My own patience is wearing somewhat thin, if you can comprehend that."

Nami just smirked. "Heh." She lowered the racket and held out her other hand. Phibrizzo did the same.

"One... two... THREE!"

Phibrizzo blinked. So did Nami.

"What if it's a tie?" Kronk asked. "Do both of you have to leave?"

Phibrizzo had chosen paper. So did Nami. "I... had not thought of this," they both said.

"Um...maybe we could both stay," Phibrizzo suggested. "It's not exactly my first time playing this. I got distracted before the ball hit my forehead." He smirked. "I tend to have a pretty nasty backhand."

"Well then, here's what I propose. You can play against Kronk for a while, and I'll go off and practice on my own. When I'm done, though, you have to leave. Is that okay, kid?"

"Sure." Phibrizzo shrugged nonchalantly. "But don't use your breath as a weapon. I think that makes it a little unfair for the wall."

Nami frowned. "I really wish you'd quit insulting me, brat."

"And I really wish you'd call me by my name," Phibrizzo retorted. "If I'm going to be meeting up with you again someday, you need to brush your teeth more often."

"Well, what kind of name is Phibrizzo Kadan?"

"And what kind of name is Nami Keeler?"

Nami was starting to look annoyed by now. "None of your business."

"Then it's none of yours, either."

"Do your parents actually trust you to go around on your own?"

Phibrizzo's eyes narrowed. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

Nami shrugged. "Right. I'll take your word for it... Phibrizzo."

"Good... Miss Nami." Phibrizzo's eyes assumed their normal width, and he reached behind his back and retrieved his racket. "Well then, should we hit the full court?"

"Kids are really amazing nowadays, aren't they?" Kronk said to himself, smiling and shrugging.

/-/-/-/-/-/

Time: Three hours later

Place: Beika Park

(BGM - Megaman IV - First credits theme)

Phibrizzo looked around from his spot on the grass, his racket and tennis balls long since banished to subspace. For an hour he and Kronk had played against each other; while the two weren't experts, they weren't half bad, either. Following that, he'd convinced Nami to play against him for an additional hour; he knew that the older girl was in a different league, but he didn't much care (Nami admitted afterwards that she'd gotten a decent workout out of it). For another thirty minutes he watched his new acquaintances face off, then decided to take his leave.

Ever since he'd met Miss June, the words of the store manager had rung through his head. He'd kept this secret from the others, but he'd felt his self-confidence returning. Perhaps for the time being, it would be best if the sillier things that happened to him were put behind him so that he could get on with his life. No way would he let those events bother him that much again. At least, he hoped he wouldn't.

"Phibrizzo?"

Phibrizzo focused inwards. What is it?

Curtis looked up. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About earlier."

His eyes widened ever so slightly. That's new. What for?

"When Azusa kissed you. I shouldn't have laughed, especially since I've had similar grade school-esque experiences myself. I wasn't too happy about it back then, either." He looked up at the general direction of Inuyasha's chamber, then began fiddling around with something at the back of his television. "Can't say the same for him, of course."

"...I feel a bit bad for laughing, yeah," Inuyasha admitted. "It was probably the irony of it all that set me off."

Phibrizzo thought for a moment. There is some irony there, at that. He stared upwards at the sky, which was clouding over just a little. He wondered for a bit what everyone was doing right now: Nami and Kronk; Richard and Rachel Moore; Conan and Dr. Agasa; George, Mitch, and Amy; his acquaintances from Nerima; the mysterious woman who called herself "Sherry"; Miss June, and even that police officer who first woke him up.

No use being afraid of the unknown, he told himself. I can't keep looking behind me. The problems in my future are the ones to worry about now. ...Somehow, I think I can manage. It might be just me, but I think that those people are going to have a positive impact on my life... And to think that I once shuddered at the thought of it. Heh.

He wasn't aware that the others were listening until about a minute later. "It's not just you," Inuyasha commented.

The former dark lord didn't have anything to say to that.

"We should probably get on home," Curtis suggested. "Your parents would probably appreciate it if you were home early."

Phibrizzo looked around. Everyone had their attention elsewhere, and for the moment at least there weren't any cars going by. After checking if he had enough energy for a teleport, he nodded and vanished.

/-/-/-/

Time: One hour later

Place: Kadan residence

Knock, knock.

"Phibrizzo? I'm busy cooking. Could you get the door?"

Phibrizzo nodded and got up from the couch to do as asked. He reached for the door, hesitated for a brief moment, then opened it... and stood somewhere on a line between awestruck and amazed. She's...sharp.

The woman was easily taller than Sylvia; her purple business suit and glasses indicated, simply, that she was all business when it came to her occupation. "She must've come here straight from work or something," Curtis thought aloud, pausing what he was doing; he'd had another one of his disappearances a few minutes ago, and was busy making sure that everything was still where he remembered it.

"Oh, so you must be the child that my brother adopted," the woman said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Nice to meet you; I'm Eva. How about you?"

She even sounds sharp! "Um...it's Phibrizzo." When Eva arched an eyebrow, he added with a slight blush: "Don't ask."

"Yep," Curtis sniffed, smirking. "She's definitely a lawyer."

I can definitely understand why she chose that particular job; she seems like the relentless type. Phibrizzo checked to see what Inuyasha was doing, then snapped mentally: Don't try that twice, Inuyasha. If I'm going to hug anyone... as if I'd want to... then it's going to be on my own terms.

Inuyasha stepped away from the wall, grumbling to himself.

"Miss Eva, you wouldn't happen to have a daughter named 'Rachel', would you?"

Eva stepped in and let Phibrizzo shut the door behind her. "Yes, I do. You've met her before?" she asked, switching to a set of slippers set near the door for her use.

Phibrizzo nodded. "Just confirming it. I was trying to run from an older girl earlier, and I slipped into the Moore agency to hide." He paused for a moment, then looked away. "Is it okay if I call you Aunt Eva?"

"That or just 'Eva' is fine, dear. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to talk with Sylvia for a bit."

"Sure. She's in the kitchen," Phibrizzo said, smiling as he gestured towards the kitchen.

As Eva smiled and went off that way, Phibrizzo sat down and turned his thoughts back inwards. Seems nice enough... I hope. Now, what did you say that was supposed to be?

"It's called a 'video game'," Curtis explained, indicating his television screen as he sat in his chair. He looked off to the side briefly as Inuyasha came in. "It needs the television to work. Its sole function is to entertain people. The newer games look nearly realistic, but I prefer the older games where the pictures and plots are simple." He pointed out the screen, which had the words 'Super Mario Bros.' in a brown box sitting above a small red figure. "See, watch what happens when I push the buttons on this controller..."

And so things went.

/-/-/-/-/

Chapter Four completed. Chapter Five soon to commence