(A/N: welcome, dear readers, to chapter 21 of Elisir. I do hope, after the active previous chapter, that a less action-y chapter, such as this one, will not deter you from my story. Please read on…)
Elisir
by The Great Red Dragon
Chapter 21
"Blind, Intoxicated Rape"
"Puncture Wounds of the Retina"
"Gangbang Slaughterhouse"
"Heart-Hungry Arachnid"
"Drowned in Torrid Bile"
"A Cacophony of Hate"
"Massacre by the Worm"
"The End of the Putrid Faith"
"Screaming, Choking, Dying"
Niki read the tracks off of various albums as he re-examined Gomora's shelf of CDs. He did so out of boredom – his cigarettes were long-gone, the television was void of anything of interest, and he didn't want to leave the apartment (for both the reasons that it had long since become dark outside, and that he had identified taking walks with a negative feeling…due to obvious experiences).
He thought to himself, as he shelved through the collection of gross CDs, that this wasn't the best choice to spend the very late evening, either.
"Surrogate Born-Again of the Devil"
"Knife Molestation"
"Incised With Razorblades (Makes You Go Crunch)"
"Underground Gorefest of Abominations"
"Spines Split Down the Middle"
"Hammered to Bony Splinters"
The titles were grotesque. The illustrations of the album covers were of some things that Niki might have terrible dreams of. He didn't even want to know what the music itself sounded like.
Niki had yet to identify any manner of appeal to such a genre, and what Gomora so very enjoyed about it, enough to fill his entire shelf with, was still eluding him. Rightfully so, he had told himself – what would make anybody want to listen to descriptions of rape, murder, and mutilation, by the voice of something that was so diabolical, it couldn't be heard anywhere else, was beyond him.
Nothing else was to be found in Gomora's shelf of CDs – nothing remotely melodic, sane, or easy to listen to…all there was blood and sadism.
…And what in the world was "I Ate the Spine of Misery to Escape the Pain" supposed to mean?
There was a sound at the door. Niki turned just as Gomora pushed it open and stepped inside of the dimmed apartment. Despite the darkness, he clearly appeared to be tired, and his face looked absolutely worn.
"Oh…Niki…hey, there", he said slowly, in surprise, but sounding each word as though he were very exhausted.
"Still up?..."
Nikita nodded and carefully replaced the album which he had been observing back upon the shelf.
"…Checking out my albums again?", the red Experiment asked, a touch of hopeful amusement in his bushed voice.
"Y'know, there's no shame in being interested…if you ever want to, just slide one of those into my stereo and give it a listen…you just might enjoy it."
"Gomora…", Niki began slowly, still surveying the filled shelf beneath the stereo.
"May I ask you something?"
"…Of course", his host replied, with renewed interest and awareness as he stepped closer to Niki.
"What's up?"
"Why do you listen to this kind of music?"
Gomora paused in his step, surprised at the nature of the question; it wasn't what he had been expecting (it wasn't the first time, though, that his choice in music had come into question by someone else: Argo, having visited his apartment before with Aries, had before very politely wanted to know what possible enjoyment could be reaped from such utter filth - it had been surprising for Argo to release a word of such magnitude, but the question had only come up after he had asked Gomora to turn the music down, on the account of that it made Aries erratic).
"Well…why not?", he replied with a shrug.
"I mean…people like all kinds of music. I just like this kind."
"…Gomora, this isn't music – it's just crashing and grunting."
"…Who're you to judge?"
"All that these songs are about is rape and torture…how can you listen to such things?"
"…It's not a really distinguishable sound, Niki – you really can't hear too well what's being said in most of the songs."
"What's a title like…'Cannibalistic Obsession' supposed to mean?"
"…Somebody actually asked what's in the nakku."
The two Experiments looked upon eachother; Niki still appeared betwixt an emotion of disgust and skepticism, while Gomora looked upon Niki with something suggesting a touch of discomfort.
He sighed softly, and began walking towards Niki again.
"Look…", he began slowly, adjusting the shelf as Niki stepped aside.
"I know it's not the popular deal, what I listen to…and I can see why it's sick; I know that this stuff is perverse and disgusting…but it's what I listen to. I enjoy it."
He moved towards the direction of the couch; without being asked, Niki followed him as he sat down.
"…But why do you?", the smaller Experiment asked.
"Why do you like it?"
The red Experiment shrugged again.
"It's better than a lot of the other stuff", he answered.
"But that's a manner of taste, again. I like heavy music – the heavier, the better. It just so happens that the heaviest music is also the most disgusting."
He had sat down on the far end of the couch, as if to hint that there was no danger in Niki having a seat at the other end. The smaller Experiment pondered this for a moment, and considered a manner of defiance in continuing to stand…but he found no sense in it (and had likewise tired a bit since the events of earlier in the day), and, eventually, took a seat, himself.
"I don't like that kind of music", he admitted.
"If it's…if I can't understand what's being said, or if what's being said is along the lines of this…I don't like. I don't really like too much music."
"Don't like music?", Gomora resounded, disbelievingly.
"I can't imagine a life without it!"
Niki shrugged.
"I like some stuff that I hear…but I've never had the…opportunity to really investigate any of it."
"I could buy you – "
"No, thank you."
Gomora's face fell at the interruption, and he looked down his chest and away from Niki.
"…Sometimes, I get frustrated about things", he said, quietly.
"Nothing specific…just frustrated, or angry, or excited about this or that. During those times, it gives me a sort of redeeming feeling to listen to stuff like this. That might be a bit difficult to understand…but that's the deal."
Niki looked over at Gomora. A tiny hint of a smile, however involuntarily, crossed his face.
"…You must get frustrated a lot."
Gomora nodded.
"It's my work. Takes it right outta me. And people. People drive me up the wall."
"Figures."
"Which part? – my work, or people?"
Niki shook his head, and looked the other way, into the darkened kitchen.
"I wish I had some relief like that to fall back on", he remorsed, not looking at his host.
"All I have are cigarettes."
Gomora wrinkled his nose at the cigarettes' mention, but he cocked his head to the side as Niki spoke.
"…I guess you have some frustration in your life, too, huh?", he suggested.
Niki didn't respond, but just sat there. Gomora took his silence for a positive answer, though; he knew that Niki remained still too detached from him for him (Gomora) to ask him any further about his life (as well as about the strange vase which he had parked by his table), but he sensed the smaller Experiment's calmness (as sad of a calmness as it may be), and realized that, following the unsettling events of the afternoon, if Niki were ever even partways open to anything, now would be the time.
"…Hey, Niki?", he asked, raising his head.
"Whaddaya say that we go somewhere tomorrow, huh?...no place special or anything, but what do you think of the two of us taking a walk through town during noon, huh? Whaddaya think of that?"
The younger Experiment raised and turned his head in surprise, though he didn't allow its maximum to show upon his face; any invitation from Gomora, he felt, was something to be wary of.
"…I dunno…", he tested, his voice slow and contemplative.
"…What would we be doing?"
"Whatever you want to do", Gomora answered, spreading his arms to enunciate his point.
"I could tour you around the part of the neighborhood in which I plow my commerce, we maybe could have lunch somewhere…we could even go and see a movie at the theatre, if you'd like. Absolutely no restrictions."
Niki wasn't sure how to reply to this.
After about three nights in Gomora's apartment, it seemed a very freeing thought to leave…again.
The realization that he had never had to opportunity to do so before, in his entire life, dawned upon him again, but he couldn't help but think that Gomora's offer was nothing more than an attempt to replace his past memory of venturing out (and returning) with a new and happier one.
…But absolutely nothing, he felt, could be gained by remaining inside of the apartment for a day longer, with nothing to do; there appeared to be no loss in doing as Gomora suggested…and Niki figured that to oblige wouldn't be considered being too nice towards Gomora.
"…When would we go?", he asked.
"Any time's fine", his mohawked host replied.
"We can take our time in getting up and stuff, and leave whenever we want to."
Niki pondered one last time, glad that the dimness slightly hid his features.
"…Okay", he answered, after a moment.
"I'd like to do that."
The shine in Gomora's face as his idea was accepted was radiant, even through the lack of light in the apartment.
"Just don't want you to get cabin fever", he joked, beginning to gently bounce upon the sofa's cushions.
Niki nodded.
"May I go to bed, now?...I'm kinda tired."
"Oh!...sure", Gomora was quick to reply, his happiness a bit taken aback by surprise.
"Okay, uh, I'll just go over and get the sheets ready and – "
"I'll be sleeping here, again, Gomora."
Surprise was renewed upon Gomora's face as Niki indicated at the couch by rubbing its cushion with his hand.
"…Are you sure that you want to?", he asked Niki, a bit of disappointment evident within his voice.
"I mean…my bed's more comfortable, and I wouldn't mind for you to…"
"It's alright", Niki assured him as he trailed off.
"Your couch is comfortable, too…and I don't want to keep you from your own bed."
"…Niki, it's no trouble, at all…"
"I know. If it's okay, can I sleep here?"
The renewed request sent Gomora's face to falling – an overreaction, Niki thought; after all, it was only a transferal of sleeping places.
Nevertheless, Gomora hid a sigh, and turned away, towards a pile of folded sheets that lay next to the couch.
"I'll just…I'll just ready it up for you, then?"
"That's okay", Niki said, and took the blankets from him.
"…You look pretty tired yourself."
Gomora didn't object – even in his exhausted and dejected state, he now knew better than to disagree with the guest in his apartment.
Though he didn't feel like it, he moved into the bathroom and undertook a quick shower to rid the sweat from his body, and brushed his teeth because he didn't know what better to do.
When he exited the bathroom, stripped, he found Niki, having finished preparing the couch, lying down upon it. The dimness might've provided enough lack of light for him to fall asleep in, but Gomora found his eyes open and on him.
"…Comfortable?", Gomora asked Niki.
The peach-furred Experiment nodded.
"I've already been in the bathroom."
"…Cool."
"…Yeah…I'm going to sleep now, alright?"
"Sure…sleep well, okay?"
"Yeah."
Niki turned over on the couch and faced away from Gomora, who, again, hid a sigh, and completely expelled the lights, leaving his vision a blind alightment, focused on Niki as he lay there, unmoving.
He spoke, whilst moving his lips but not making a single sound;
"Help me, Niki…whatever can I do to make you see me?"
His head alow, he walked quietly into his room and jumped upon his bed. It had been made by Niki.
In the darkness (which was no darker to him than daylight), he laid down upon the mattress, and, with a sigh, rested his head upon the pillow.
It smelled of Niki.
Tenderly, and glad that nobody could see him, Gomora pulled this pillow into his arms and held it against his face. He snuggled up with it, keeping his eyes closed so as to not reinforce the reality that it was just a pillow.
He fell asleep after a while, tilled away from his duty of keeping his ears alert for the slightest sound coming from the living room.
A few hours later, in the midst of the night, Gomora arose because of an aching stomach. Realizing that it probably was the cause of him not eating very much throughout the day, he left his room in quiet quest of the kitchen, passing the still, sleeping form of Niki in the living room.
In the kitchen, he searched the contents of the refrigerator with tired eyes until he settled on a curd sandwich in a plastic container. Though he could eat the plastic as well, Gomora downed only the sandwich whilst leaning against the fridge and followed the sandwich with a swig straight from a jug of juice.
He returned to his bedroom afterwards, surveying Niki momentarily beforehand, and quickly fell back asleep…having been completely unaware that his once-messy kitchen had been cleaned from top to bottom, with the dishes washed and the refrigerator cleaned and organized.
Niki turned over his sleep, his body still feeling very exhausted, and himself feeling slightly disappointed, in his dreams, that Gomora hadn't entered the kitchen whilst the two of them had been awake.
Mid-day sunshine streamed onto the streets of the commoncreature – a couple of districts down from the Adamantium Stay. The streets were filled-in here (in comparison to the 'safer', hollowed pits that tracked the roads within the upper-class areas), making them traversable (and not a possibility to suicide). Shops and small stores within this less-developed area had been open since early in the morning, selling products and groceries to families – a general off-day amongst the workforce ensured entire families being out on the streets, today. Vehicles were minimal in presence, and the few that could be seen tended to fly overhead, clear of the people who had decided to make the road a part of their walkway.
Gomora had parked his cruiser in a local garage on the corner of two conjoining streets. He had led Niki down onto the street, where (both of them unused to the massive amount of sunlight which the city was receiving) they had shielded their eyes before moving on further. Gomora had entered into the depths of his closet again earlier for the occasion, and had emerged wearing a sleeveless t-shirt featuring the band Carnivorous Cacophony, and orange shorts (he had vocal about the supposion that neither of them would be particularly noticeable if they were in town). Niki had remained a bit more conservative when he had borrowed clothes from Gomora (on account that his own hadn't yet been washed): he wore a plain button-up vest and a pair of zippered shorts (in which, despite Gomora's assurances that they looked alright on him, he felt very consciously uncomfortable).
Gomora led the pair of them into the streets and turned into a random direction. The red Experiment had been exceptionally jubilant as of the morning (Niki figured that his mood might have something to do with his clean kitchen, but he didn't dare himself to guess), and walked in front of Niki with gusto on the sidewalk and across the street, constantly urging him to keep up as he darted ahead, enunciating on the different venues along the street.
"…And see this place, here?", he was saying, as he indicated at a small produce counter.
"I bought from here once, and it was absolutely wonderful. I – do you want something? They got the most amazing paperines here!"
"No, thanks…breakfast was fine", Niki replied, bringing disappointment to the face of the marketer, whom had been listening to the approaching pair anxiously.
"…And over there?", Gomora went on, pointing.
"That's a zazu place – wonderful noodles. That electronic place over there is where I buy my CDs. I could buy you something right now – and the ice cream place! We gotta go there – you just have to taste it!"
It was with feeling reminiscent of bemusement that Niki followed Gomora, actually accelerating his steps to keep up with his host. Niki doubted that Gomora always showed such fascination for a street upon which he had been, before…but he felt within himself the very same wonder for what he saw.
True enough, he had seen it before, during yesterday's walk (not the same street, though), but his second glance wasn't very tarnished at all, as he took in the sights which had been kept from him for all of his life. To be allowed to walk freely, upon his second indulgence, was beyond refreshing or enlightening…it even made the air smell better. Knowing that he could move, talk, and breathe of his own accord engorged him with a silent, placative euphoria that overrode all other feelings, and moved him to follow Gomora without objection. Even when the larger Experiment fell back beside him, he didn't object.
"About that ice cream?", Gomora was saying, leaning close to him.
"I know that you're not hungry, but you just have to try it – it'll blow you right away, I promise. It's right up there – you need to try it."
They stood afront a homely-looking shop in front of which the sidewalk was parked with occupied chairs and tables. The front counter displayed a plethora of ice cream in containers which rose and fell with each order that was taken. Busy waiters catered to customers both outside and inside (there were tables inside, as well), serving festive, chilly dishes upon silver platters as they hurried from place to place.
Just as Niki was beginning to feel impressed with how this place was pandering to him, a furry waiter, wearing an apron, appeared at his and Gomora's side, four heads taller than both of them.
"Would sirs like to be seen to a table?", he asked, formally.
"Sirs would, very much!", Gomora answered for the both of them.
"Please, please", the waiter said, as he coerced them towards an outside table impaled by a shading umbrella.
Gomora jumped happily into spindly metal chair whilst Niki tried not to make a show of climbing into his (they were both very large seats). The waiter handed the both of them a paper menu ("Sirs, sirs") and hurried away briskly, giving them time to decide.
"Great service, huh?", Gomora commented, leaning upon the shining table.
"Little places like this can't afford to be rude to their customers – they'd lose business."
Niki nodded. He enjoyed the presence of the umbrella, overhead – it was better than the sun blaring down upon his scalp (which wasn't exactly a bad change, though – the planet which they habited wasn't very famous for the quality of its controlled weather; it was odd enough that it rained in the past few days more than it had in the last two months, and to have it followed by a brazenly sunny day was nothing short of a needle in a haystack).
"Go on…see what you want", Gomora urged him, opening his own menu.
Niki opened the green, folded sheet delicately and scanned its descriptions, which were accompanied by black illustrations.
"The guarangberry cup with cream-syrup's pretty good", Gomora advised him, whilst his own nose remained buried in his copy of the menu.
"Or the opi dish with green finnel filling. Or the sundae. Or…well, I really can't find anything unappealing…besides that monchu mocha mix; I had mocha…"
Niki had only eaten ice cream but few times in his life – a few times as a dessert back in the lab, and once with Mel, who had brought him a cupful one night for no apparent reason.
Niki had enjoyed it, the few times when he had experienced ice cream – its light, frothy sweetness appealed to him, and he regretted not having chances to eat it more often. Sitting at an outside table with Gomora, with a free, open choice of ice cream-y concoctions was perhaps the most enlightening experience of their entire trip, as of so far…and, at the moment, Niki didn't feel like trying to dislike Gomora.
The past day was still fresh in his mind…but the ice cream would be even fresher, he thought. Perhaps, he thought, conly, it would be cheap and shallow to consider the ice cream as a pancreatic forgive-all to what had achieved in making him so upset the day before…but the air about Gomora seemed as integrous as ever before…and Niki believed that he had been able to tell, by Gomora's eyes, that he'd be sure to think twice before touching Niki again.
Gomora's mood was credit to Niki, he was sure…and, at the moment, Niki didn't feel like being downhearted – not with the sun and the ice cream about. For once, he felt like being content…and even this was a relatively untouched sensation in his life.
It didn't matter that Gomora was paying for him – for once, he didn't care about that notion.
"Hey!", Gomora exclaimed, breaking him from his thoughts.
"Here come their best customers!"
Niki looked in the direction in which Gomora was indicating, and was quick to distinguish what he had been talking about – recognizable even from afar, there came the pair of Argo the Shorcan and Aries the Dragon up the street, hand-in-hand, and dressed in shorts for the weather, with the larger of the two waving to Gomora.
"Hello, over there!", his bass-like voice boomed over the sounds of the street, as he and his mate covered close to seven feet with each step.
"Is there room for two more?"
"Hi, Gomora!", Aries likewise called, waving.
"Hi, Gomora's friend!"
Niki had but enough time to sit up straight (and take note of the tiny visibility of a tattoo that appeared behind Argo's white tank-top and shirt) before the two giants had covered the distance between their two pairs and stood before them, throwing a cloak of shade over the two Experiments as effectively as the umbrella.
"A mountain in the ice cream parlor", Gomora remarked jokingly up at the silhouette of Argo.
"You two in pursuit of ice cream?"
"Indeed", Argo replied, blinking his single eye.
"Do you mind if we join you?"
"Feel free", Gomora replied, motioning towards the remaining chairs around the table.
Whilst Aries took to the seat next to Gomora, Argo settled himself carefully down into the chair closer to Nikita. The metallic device substituting his right eye momentarily flashed in the sunlight as he turned towards the smaller Experiment.
"Hello there, Nikita", he greeted him, deeply.
"I hope that you're feeling better than the last time we saw eachother?"
"I am…thank you", Niki answered, giving a slight nod as he replied.
"You didn't have to throw up again, did you?", Aries asked over the Shorcan's massive shoulder.
Niki figured that he might've blushed in embarrassment otherwise, but his mood, it seemed, remained impervious to the vocal inquirings of the young Dragon, who was gently being pushed back down by Argo.
"I'm very glad to hear that", Argo went on, turning back to the peach-furred Experiment.
"I was sure that you simply had too much to drink…I'm just glad that that notion seemed true; I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I had overlooked a more serious ailment…"
Aries appeared back upon Argo's shoulders, around which he flung his arms and grinned widely.
"But ya didn't!", he stated, and nuzzled the Shorca's thick, grayish-blue neck.
"The best doctor in the universe doesn't miss anything!"
Niki blinked as Argo gave a small blush of humility. As the Shorcan tickled a giggling Aries back into his seat (and securing a broad arm across his shoulders to prevent him from rising back out of his seat, again), Niki now began making sense of some of the happenings of the night at the club – namely, Aries making a reference to Argo working and people 'shooting and killing themselves' and Argo being the only one to inspect him after he had nearly passed out; was Argo really a doctor?
The question was answered as Argo turned back towards Niki, smiling.
"I'm a physician of the medical clinic outside of the main district", he informed the Experiment.
"I'm sorry – I should've told you that before I started asking you questions and advising you at the disco."
"…Don't worry about it", Niki assured him, straightening himself in his seat.
"He's a life-saver, y'know that?", Aries inserted, his head this time appearing from behind Argo's barrel-of-a-chest.
"Last week, at the hospital, they'd brought in a guy who'd been stabbed six times in the stomach, and Argo went right in there, and saved his life!"
The hint of a blush formed at Argo's cheeks again, and he turned towards Aries, grinning softly.
"…Not that you saw any of that, though", he told the Dragon, giving his shoulder a playful shake.
"…And I believe it was only three wounds, you shameless exaggerator…"
Aries put his arms across Argo's chest and back, his hands sliding underneath his shirt as he smiled lovingly up at the additioned face of his mate.
"I'm just glad that I have the best, strongest, and nicest doctor in the universe", he comment, leaning onto Argo's chest.
The Shorcan's face melted into an expression loveful benevolence, and, a moment later, his other arm joined its twin around the smaller Dragon's.
"And I'm just glad to have one of the most flattering, cute, and beautiful guys in the universe, too", he replied, softly.
Aries gave a murring sound, leaning closer upon Argo until they were face-to-face, gazing into eachother's eyes with a kind of dreamy separation to everything else around them.
Gomora, who had sitting quietly behind the combined figures of Aries and Argo's, poked his head into Niki view and grinned.
"Like I told ya – lovebirds", he chuckled, indicating at the embracing pair with his thumb.
The furry waiter re-appeared from the depths of the shop, heading for the table, but his brisk steps fell into sudden unalignment as he came upon the sight of the two larger-than-accustomed males cuddling so intimately.
"Oh!...s-sirs!", he stammered, as he jaunted up to the table, holding a pad of paper and a pen.
"…Might you be ready to order?"
"Yes, I think so", Gomora replied, whilst giving a playful poke to Aries' backside to alert both him and Argo to the situation (they seemed to have drifted afar in eachother's gaze).
"Uh, Niki, y'know what you want yet?"
Niki re-scanned the menu hurriedly, trying to decide upon which of the delicacies would appease him the most (they all sounded wonderful).
"I…uh…will…have…the…", he said slowly, trying to decide.
"…the…pinyuan and kiwi dish…please."
"And I will have the…chocolate apirinin dish with the mint", Gomora added, as the waiter wrote down the orders hurriedly.
"What about you guys?...hullo, you two…?"
"Oh-!...I'm sorry", Argo apologized, freeing his eyes from Aries' to look up.
"I'll have what I always have…a chocolate rishcream shake, please…what do you want, honey?"
"Vanilla!", Aries demanded.
The waiter, glancing once more at the group of them, nodded and turned on his heel and hurried away.
Gomora, Aries, and Argo all glanced between eachother before giggling, unanimously.
"He's not intimidated at all", Argo chuckled, as Aries snuggled under his arm and against his side.
"Like I said before, these little places can't afford to be rude to customers", Gomora elaborated, rubbing his forehead as he laughed through his nose.
"Shoot, we oughta pull our shirts off and dance on the table – they'd probably allow that, too."
The three went on chuckling…and Niki, who sat back, watching the foree between friends…and partially wished that he were a part of it.
Trying to detach himself from any negative feelings, he began looking through the numbers of people seated at the shaded tables around them…for they sat there, amongst themselves in either solitude or small groups, some talking amongst themselves and some not talking at all, some looking at the table which Niki sat at and its other amused occupiers; a few faces were interested, others were disgusted.
There weren't many of them, but they had been disgusted ever since a minute after Argo and Aries had joined the table. These faces brought with them a shadow darker than the shade offered by the umbrellas, and a coldness that Niki knew of his past.
He reflected, momentarily, before turning back to the table, that he had, for most of his life, been present to two different emotional negativities which spanned the stereotypical stigmas which had always been made the center of his life – when he had been working as a prostitute, glances towards him, by his customers, had almost always displayed an almost egotistic, condemeaning smirk, both before and after the process, which seemed to speak negative volumes along the lines of "Look at you – what a sad, hopeless little bitch"; at the lab, sequel to his much-regretted 'coming out', the majority of glances and stares thrown at (along with the latterly-mentioned expression, minorly) depicted something close to "You filthy, disgusting thing – don't you dare come close to me".
The latter was the expression which he was receiving right now…and he felt glad that nobody else of his table had caught wind of it.
"Hellooo…Nikitaaa…Gomora's friennnd…"
The small Experiment perked up. Aries the Dragon was looking at him.
"Wha-?...I'm sorry; what?", Niki asked, straightening in his chair as he blinked.
Aries grinned, as he leaned across Argo's chest.
"Nikita, are you and Gomora together?", he asked, slyly, tilting his head to one side.
"Gomora says you aren't, but I think he's lying…are you?"
Nikita sat there, not knowing what to make of such a direct question.
The sheer, uncommon brazenness of this inquisition left Niki to consider whether the Dragon was entirely mentally functional…but he was more privy to give thought to the supposed answer of Gomora in respect to the same question that Aries had presented him with – Gomora, audibly admitting that there was nothing between the two of them?
Niki realized that he might've been struck harder if Gomora had answered in any other way than what he already (supposedly) had…but nonetheless – Gomora denying a relationship between the two of them (despite that the answer was entirely truthful), after what he spoken to Niki just the night before….it just didn't seem to fit. It seemed as if Gomora were denying himself something – and, knowing his host, even to such a limited extent, Niki figured that Gomora denying something between them, without so much as a hint of hope…didn't seem quite right, for some reason.
"…And why the Hell am I worrying about Gomora, again?"
Niki looked up and across the table at Gomora, who was sitting somewhat slumped-over, his eyes directed somewhere upon the table's surface, upon which he played with his fingers.
Niki swallowed heavily.
Argo, from his headset, many feet above both of the Experiments, looked from one to the other and wrinkled his brow.
"…C'mon, now, Aries…", he coerced, placing a hand upon his mate's shoulder.
"That's not really a question to – "
"No, we're not."
Niki's eyes were strangely aligned as he answered Aries' initial question, as he too stared at the table.
"…We're not together. I just live with Gomora…he's been kind enough to allow me to do so."
Gomora had looked up as Niki said so – his expression was one of intricate surprise, bare of any identifiable emotional indication; he just appeared very surprised.
Aries huffed, dissatisfied, and sat back in his seat.
"…Well, if you ask me, you two should be together", he commented, after a while.
"Gomora goes to the club with me and Argo every weekend, but he never gets together with anybody. Why's that?"
Gomora looked as though he might've wanted to say something in return, but Argo spoke first;
"Oh, our ice cream comes!"
It was true: approaching their table were three furry waiters who carried between themselves the four dishes of ordered ice cream (Argo's and Aries' dishes were both quite large, in comparison to Niki's and Gomora's; their specie-al differences in size and statue must've been taken into consideration).
"Here you are, sirs", the original waiter commented as the trays were distributed among the four individuals.
"If it will be nothing more, here is the bill…"
He deposited the slip of paper onto the table. Argo reached into the back of his pants for his wallet, but Gomora, seemingly anxious to take some action of any kind, was first to do so.
"Hold up there, big guy", he said insisted, holding up a hand as he retrieved his own wallet.
"I got this…all of us."
Argo paused, frowning.
"Oh, Gomora, do let me pay for myself and – "
"I forbid it", the crimson Experiment persisted, pulling a silver credit card from his wallet.
"Besides, I just got my paycheck, and I have no other idea what to do with it."
Argo continued to frown, but only for a moment longer – then he sighed, settled back, and forced a smile.
"Okay…but the next round of drinks at the club is on me."
Gomora handed his plastic card to the waiter, who took it eagerly and swiped it through the portable reader, which he had kept beneath his smock.
"Thank you, thank you, sirs", the waiter was quick to gush, as the bill was electronically paid-up.
"Don't mention it", Gomora replied grudgily, retrieving his now-warm card.
As the waiter left (after giving a small bow), spoons were lifted around the table, and submerged into the frosty depths of the icy treats.
Gomora brought his first spoonful to his lips and into his mouth. He made a satisfied, gullateral sound, and dipped his spoon back into his dish.
"…Forgot how good this stuff is, really", he said, before he filled his mouth again.
"…Totally unfair, though, that y'two get more than us at the same price."
"Oh, you know what they, Gomora…", Argo chuckled, sucking at his shake.
"…Too much of a good thing, you know?"
"Silly – I can't get enough of this", Aries replied, between spoonfuls.
Niki remained less audible about the deliciousness of his ice cream…which was, indeed, much better than he had expected it to be: something about the lightness of the ice cream made it easily the best which he had ever tasted…it was good enough to forgive the stares from a while ago.
"Good stuff, isn't it, Nikita?", Argo asked him over his own shake.
Niki nodded, low over his dish, to keep from spilling over himself.
"Yeah…it's really good."
"Toldya", Gomora said, across the table.
Niki looked up, but his host had already turned back to his own food…or he might not even have looked up at all.
He focused upon his ice cream, again, instead of upon Gomora or anybody around him.
They went on eating (and drinking, in Argo's case), going about conversation (during which Niki answered if he were asked something, but listening more often then not). Argo appeared to be the main supplier of dialogue – he seemed to do the most of the discussing, sometimes engaging with Gomora and contending with Aries' remarks as they came, and making attempts to open Niki's mouth other than to intake his ice cream (to talk).
It slowly figured to Niki that Argo must be used to speaking to people, a lot…something about his trained ability to transition from one topic to another, not unlike a talk-show host, decreed this.
Niki thought it hard, though, to believe that Argo had a prior career in entertainment, and neither did he see such an ability, natural or domesticated, very connected much to being a doctor. He wondered…
He likewise wonder about Aries, the very unconventional Dragon; any and all stories that he had heard about Dragons being massive, dominating individuals were laid to waste by this somewhat-diminutive, talkative reptile, whose eyes remained distinctly alight, even in the sunlight, and who seemed to absolutely hang onto his mountain-of-a-mate, not even looking but an entire head's turn away from him.
It didn't take Niki long, after some speculation, to determine that there was, indeed, a subnormal mental quality about him…given, that he was of an adequate age (although Niki didn't think that Dragon children were of this size); his presentation was very immature, even if it didn't include him being rude or of infantile mindset – his compulsiveness and lack of distance which he held between himself and Argo simply weren't traits to be found on someone of a mature mind…and this further left Niki to wonder.
He raised his eyes back to Gomora, who was listening to something that Argo was saying.
…Gomora certainly didn't seem to find either of his two friends unconventional, or at least he didn't let on to it – he just sat there, listening attentively, whilst finishing his ice cream. Argo, who had long since finished his shake, had therefore a lot to say, was enunciating upon some point or another, and Aries, regardless of whether or not he was listening, had snuggled as close as he could against Argo, and now seemed to basking in the shade as he leaned upon the Shorcan, his eyes closed and his breathing quite relaxed.
Niki, despite his open attitude, couldn't help but think to himself;
"What an odd pair…"
"What do you think, Niki?"
Niki blinked. Argo was looking at him – the sun passing over the border of the umbrella was once again shining off of his retinal attachment.
Niki figured that he might wonder about that part of Argo further when he had the chance.
"…Wha-?...I'm sorry, Argo…I wasn't…"
Argo grinned softly.
"I was talking about health care", he reiterated.
"I know – it must get very tedious, very quickly when I talk about politics, doesn't it?"
"Uh…I agree", Niki replied, before correcting himself, hurriedly;
"About the health care, I mean!...I'm all for health care. Really…"
The Shorcan's grin widened, still ever so softly.
"Indeed…", he replied, slowly.
"I still think that they should get together…", the sleepy voice of Aries came from Argo's shoulder.
"…Nikita and Gomora, I mean…"
A beeping noise sounded before anybody could react to Aries' statement, and Gomora begin groping through his pockets, hurriedly.
"Sorry…", he apologized, looking anxious.
"My work…y'know…my pager…"
Jumping out of his chair, Gomora unearthed his noisy appliance and hurried out of bounds of the ice café.
Niki watched him as he moved farther away, and Argo turned to Aries, whose eyes had been opened by the noise.
"He's becoming more like me", the Shorca sighed.
"I'll tell you…and you, too, Niki…if your occupation requires you to carry a pager, you lose so much of your life."
Niki thought about delivering a sarcastic thought towards Argo about losing a part of your life…but decided otherwise; after all, Argo couldn't know about him…and why spoil his stomach, full of the tasty ice cream, with a negative thought?
Although he did wonder what was so important, regarding Gomora's work, that he was pulled away from the table.
Gomora turned the corner around the side of the building and walked into the shadow of an overhead veranda, detached largely from the people upon the street. Clicking his beeper off, he pulled a cellular phone from his pocket and clicked a predestined button. He raised it to his large, pierced ear…which, along with the other, was laid back, warily.
"Yes?", a voice on the receiving line asked.
"It's Gomora", the Experiment answered, curtly.
"What do you want?"
"There's been a change of schedule", the voice said.
"LeFey invites you to dinner. Be at the factory at sundown, and we'll transport you to the destination."
"…I can't do that…I've got plans, already."
"Plans more important than meeting with your benefactor?"
"Tell LeFey that I can't come."
"Oh, I'm not going to do that."
"What, are you afraid?"
"You're the one who'll need to be afraid, freak."
"Pussy."
"Alright – I will tell LeFey that his favorite pet had alternate plans, grand enough to disrupt an important meeting and forego the dinner which is being bought for him."
"Yeah, you get bought dinner often, don't you?"
"Will you be there?"
"Only to give you a lesson in quissanart."
"Hmm. Indeed. Be there at sundown."
"Stop trying to sound like someone important, like LeFey's personal dick-slicker."
"The next time you receive a call of a confidential nature, I'd suggest that you take place under a more covert residence – somebody might be listening to you, up on the balcony."
Gomora looked towards the street as his cellular connection was severed…just in time to see the tail-end of a down-to-ground cruiser pulling out-of-sight around the building.
Grimacing, and hating the thought of needing to spend another night 'at work' (it only brought about complications, by now), he replaced his electronics back to his pants, he made way back towards the ice café…stopping only for a few moments to regard the status of the veranda, overhead. It was empty…
"At least for now", the Experiment thought to himself.
(A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that…amongst trying to supply more Niki/Gomy time, I wanted to give more space to introducing Argo and Aries, who will continue to have parts to play in this story; I hope I handled them presentably…and kept everything in adequate detail...
Also, sorry for the delay; I'll try and post the next chapter on-schedule.
Stay safe until then!)