Adins Presents
"My Four Kings"
Today's Episode: Sharp Dressed Man
Jadeite, Nephrite and Zoisite leaned against the bar at the Four Kings Bar & Grill watching intently as the long arm of the clock ticked out the minutes. It was one o'clock and Kunzite would likely be buried neck-deep in ledgers at the accountant's office by now. Just as Nephrite predicted business was slow on such a snowbound day and even Usagi, who was arguably the only one doing any work, was sitting across from the Shitennou at the bar waiting for something eventful to happen. She twirled her straw around in a glass of diet Coke and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Nephrite asked in his usual exuberant-bartender manner, "You're not your usual cheery self today."
"Sorry," she apologized, "When it's dead like this I get bored and cranky."
"No, I don't think that's it." Nephrite inferred with a sideways glance, "Something's bothering you."
"Yeah, well I'm sure you guys already know about it." Usagi dismissed the notion.
"Know about what?" Zoisite asked.
"Come on…" Usagi said disbelievingly, but the confused looks of her employers seemed to convince her otherwise, "You mean Kunzite didn't tell you?"
"Kunzite?" Jadeite chuckled, "Usagi, Kunzite doesn't tell us anything."
"Unless it's something to do with work or finances." Zoisite added.
"Idiots." Nephrite labeled his blonde partners, "She's talking about the man-crush Kunzite has on her."
Usagi's face fell and flared up in a bright red shade. Unfortunately, as she was sitting directly across from the Shitennou, she had nothing to hide behind and nowhere to run to conceal her embarrassment. At this point she was considering slow, painful suicide by butter knife.
"Does he really?" Zoisite practically squealed, "You guys have been dropping hints for like the last month, but nobody has said anything concrete."
"Yeah, he does." Nephrite answered, "Like a Long-Island-sized boner."
Usagi's forehead hit the surface of the bar with such force that the silverware and ashtrays jumped.
"Dude." Jadeite scoffed at his elder companion, "She's right there."
Nephrite glanced down at Usagi whose head was now covered by her crossed arms as though she were experiencing a time-out in elementary school. She was doing a remarkable job of isolating herself from her immediate surroundings, but Nephrite could still see the tips of her ears which were extraordinarily red.
"You poor thing!" Zoisite exclaimed and moved around to the other side of the bar. He sat down next to Usagi and wrapped an arm around her shoulders while scowling at Nephrite, "Don't listen to them. They're just a pair of oversized children."
"Oh are you seriously trying to pull the bleeding heart routine on us, Zoi?" Jadeite scorned the younger King's actions, "Like you weren't dying to know the truth."
"Shut up!" Zoisite snapped and coaxed Usagi back into a sitting position. She was thoroughly embarrassed and didn't look anyone in the eye, "Tell me everything, Usagi. I've known Kunzite forever; I can tell what he's really up to."
"We all know what he's up to." Nephrite smirked.
"Bow-chicka-wow-wow…" Jadeite added unhelpfully.
"Oh god…" Usagi groaned and swung her head down at the bar again.
"Will you two stop it?" Zoisite demanded, "You're going to give the poor girl brain damage!"
"Fine, we'll leave you two to your girl talk." Nephrite sassed and slapped Jadeite on the shoulder, "Come on, Jed, let's hang out in front of the building and see if we can't drum up some business."
"Since its cold enough to see my breath I'm going to pretend like I'm smoking." Jadeite stated like an excited six year old and the two Shitennou excused themselves outside.
"I'm really sorry about them." Zoisite apologized for his cohorts, "They're usually not quite so overtly juvenile. It must be the cold getting to them."
"It's fine." Usagi groaned. Her head was still firmly attached to the bar.
"So what's Kunzite been putting you through?" Zoisite pried. Usagi was reluctant to speak, "You can tell me, Usagi. I have to live with all of them and I get the worst of it at home. Trust me; I know what it's like."
"I don't think he's attracted to you." Usagi replied and lifted her head off the table, "No offense."
"None taken." Zoisite replied. He suppressed a nervous twitch.
"I don't know, he's just really creepy around me." Usagi blurted out and started folding a napkin to busy herself, "He says really weird things and the way he hovers around the restaurant it's like he's always watching me, you know?"
"Well, Kunzite does have a tendency to leer over everyone." Zoisite admitted, "Did you ever tell him that it bothers you?"
"I can't just tell him that!" Usagi jumped at the suggestion, "He's my boss!"
"Well, technically I'm your boss, too." Zoisite corrected her, "So are Frick and Frack out there." He motioned to the door outside where Nephrite and Jadeite stood, "If it's making you uncomfortable you can tell us. We'll set Kunzite straight."
"I just don't want to cause any drama." Usagi sighed, "This really is a great place to work; I have fun when I'm here and you guys have been really great to me." She turned her head and looked at the clock for something to do, "I don't want to drag you into this."
"Hey, you're our responsibility when you're here!" Zoisite told the young employee, "If there's something going on that's making you uncomfortable we have to put it right!"
"I appreciate that." Usagi told him genuinely, "But I think it'll be alright."
"Obviously not if it's got you this worked up." Zoisite disagreed.
"I planned on dealing with it myself tonight." Usagi replied and Zoisite detected the slightest hint of mischief in her voice.
"Kunzite isn't working tonight." Zoisite reminded her.
"I know." She replied, "He asked me to go with him to the dinner at the Chamber of Commerce."
"He did?" Zoisite asked and stared blankly. He was simultaneously surprised and incised that Kunzite would invite Usagi instead of one of the other Shitennou, specifically himself.
"Yeah, he called me this morning." Usagi explained. Zoisite again saw a faint glimmer in her large blue eyes telling him that he was not privy to some part of Usagi's story, "I think it'll be a good time to address the situation."
"Address the situation?" Zoisite repeated. She was speaking too business-like for his tastes now; she was definitely planning something.
The sound of the door opening and the whip of the wind outside interrupted their conversation. Jadeite and Nephrite reentered the restaurant with a trio of elderly women between them each with fogged-up glasses as they undid their bonnets and babushkas.
"Zoisite, get a fresh pot of coffee going for our guests!" Nephrite ordered happily.
"I'll be right back to take your orders, ladies!" Jadeite announced and he ran in the back room to change out his jacket for his apron. The three women thanked him and tittered amongst themselves.
"You both into older women now?" Zoisite whispered to Nephrite as he reclaimed his position behind the bar.
"On a day like this you've got to squeeze the most out of every sale." Nephrite answered, "And two handsome young men like Jadeite and I just about have their blood pressure to critical levels. They'll spend twice as much!"
"Isn't that a little dishonest?" Usagi asked and scrunched her brow at the question.
"All business is a little dishonest, Usagi." Nephrite told the young woman, "I call it the Hooters Philosophy. Why do you think a place like that even exists? It isn't for the food."
"It's a strip club without the stripping." Zoisite droned in disgust.
"Right." Nephrite agreed, "And I'll bet you if they built an identical restaurant that served the same food but without the scantily-clad coeds that Hooters would make at least double the sales every day."
"Well obviously." Zoisite rolled his eyes, "You idiots go there to gorge yourselves on cleavage and wings."
"And now our little Don Juan over there is going to make sure these blue-hairs gorge themselves on a whole bunch of shit they don't want just because he's so damn suave with them." Nephrite elaborated and gestured to Jadeite who was taking the old ladies' orders while laughing and carrying on with them in an obviously forced, over-the-top sort of way.
"Incredible." Zoisite laughed somewhat distastefully.
"First rule of sales is to treat your customers like royalty." Nephrite said haughtily.
"Even if that involves lying to their faces?" Usagi asked.
"Especially if it involves lying to their faces." Nephrite agreed, "What's a good salesman but a good liar? It's all about getting you to buy what you don't need."
"You amaze me, Nephrite." Zoisite told the elder King, "I don't remember you ever being this underhanded even in the Dark Kingdom."
Nephrite's eyes snapped to Zoisite's immediately. The younger Shitennou took a step back and his eyes also went wide with surprise. Usagi looked on seeming somewhat confused by their behavior.
"What's the Dark Kingdom?" she asked.
"Nothing!" Nephrite was quick to answer and fabricated a quick cover, "It's a club we worked at when we were still in college."
"Oh, I see." Usagi said, "Dark Kingdom… What was it, some kind of Goth nightclub?"
"Sort of." Zoisite answered and grinned sheepishly.
"Hey, Usagi, could you run to the back and get me another tank of CO2? I think the one up here is about to run out." Nephrite asked and quickly tried to usher her away from the bar.
"Sure." She agreed, "Be right back."
As soon as she hopped off the stool and was out of earshot Nephrite closed the distance between himself and Zoisite and practically forced the younger king back into a wall as Nephrite's cold blue eyes drilled into his.
"What the fuck was that?" he demanded forcefully.
"I'm sorry, it just slipped out!" Zoisite answered panic-stricken from his slip-up.
"Things like that don't just slip out, Zoisite!" Nephrite shouted in a whisper, "God damn it, I thought you had more self-control than that!" He shook his head disgustedly, "For Christ's she's Sailor Moon!"
"She was Sailor Moon, Nephrite." Zoisite corrected the elder King, "And I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me; you know I wouldn't intentionally talk about that in front of anyone but us."
"Jesus…" Nephrite sighed and turned away still livid, "And you tried to bitch at me for dating Lita?"
"I said I was sorry!" Zoisite repeated.
"You're lucky that she doesn't seem to remember anything." Nephrite added, "Despite the fact that she wears the ginzuishou around her neck."
"None of them remember anything." Zoisite recalled seeing the senshi together a few days ago with none of them recognizing the others, "We're the only ones that have any memory of our past lives."
"And I thought we were trying to keep it that way." Nephrite grumbled and started absentmindedly arranging glasses.
"Why don't they remember anything?" Zoisite wondered aloud and let his gaze drift.
"What does it matter, Zoisite?" Nephrite demanded and slammed a mug down on the counter, "Just let them be and don't question it."
"Doesn't it bother you at all?" Zoisite asked his uncaring companion, "They fought against us for so long; we saw how close they were and how much they were like us in their bond." Zoisite looked wistful and glanced towards the ceiling, "Why are they deprived of the companionship that we share?"
"Who knows, Zoisite?" Nephrite gave a defeated sigh, "All I can tell you is that it's not for us to worry about. As far as that goes, we're here to protect Mamoru just as we did in the past. The senshi are in another universe from us entirely."
"Are they?" Zoisite wondered, more of an indirect thought than a question.
"Hey, what are you all talking about?" Jadeite asked as he joined the two behind the bar.
"Nothing." Nephrite and Zoisite both answered looking cross and angry at each other.
"Jeez, fine." Jadeite pouted and looked up at the clock which read a mere 1:20 PM, "Could this day go any slower?"
Rei had left for work at least four hours ago and Ares sat in the kitchen staring up at the cordless phone that hung on the wall about five feet above him. Getting out of his cage was a simple enough maneuver since Luna was a free-roaming pet and could help him undo the clasp on the wire door. She paced around on the table nearby with a worried expression marring her frisky feline features.
"If you get paw-prints on the wall she's going to be furious." Luna warned the dog below her.
"I need to get in contact with the Shitennou, Luna." Ares informed her as he continued staring at the phone, "So unless there's another phone somewhere in the house this is what we'll have to do."
"She's going to know you were out of your cage." Luna reminded him, "If she reinforces the door it's going to be even more difficult to get you out again."
"I'll take my chances." Ares said, "Are you ready?"
Luna only nodded in reply. Ares jumped up against the wall with his front paws anchoring him for balance. His snout was a good six inches away from the phone. Luna leapt gracefully from her perch on the nearby table and landed precariously on top of Ares' head. Her claws held her fast and the dog let out a painful yelp, but she ignored it for the moment. She reached up with one paw and knocked the cordless phone off the cradle and it dropped to the floor where it bounced on the carpet and settled neatly facing up.
"That worked well." Ares grunted against the pain of Luna's claws, "Can you get off now?"
Luna snickered to herself and jumped down. Ares followed suit thankful that his paws didn't leave any noticeable prints on the wall and he nosed his way over to the phone. The line appeared to be open and it was making a low droning dial tone noise.
"Can you dial it?" Ares asked and Luna nodded, "Alright, call the Four Kings Bar & Grill."
Ares recalled the phone number from the stored memories of Mamoru and Luna carefully dialed with her slim paw one number at a time. She hit the wrong digits several times and had to start over, but after a few tries the phone began to ring and a familiar voice picked up on the other end.
"Four Kings Bar and Grill, can I help you?" asked the chipper voice of Usagi.
Ares looked up at Luna who wore the same surprised expression. They had both expected one of the Shitennou to answer. Ares cleared his throat and tried his best to create a different tone for his voice, but he was unable to do much thanks to the curious powers that allowed him to speak in the first place.
"Hello, is Zoisite or Jadeite available?" he asked.
"Umm… yeah." Usagi said slowly and then paused, "Is this Mamoru?"
Ares shut his eyes and silently cursed to himself. Despite his best efforts Usagi recognized his voice. The part of him that was Mamoru screamed out to keep talking to the young woman, but Ares knew that exposing her any more than was necessary would be dangerous and counterproductive.
"Yes." He replied, "But I'm in a hurry, Usagi. I really need to talk to one of them."
"Alright, I'll get them." Usagi agreed and sounded extremely upset, "Is there something wrong? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Ares hurriedly replied.
"I've been trying to talk to you for a while." Usagi admitted and offered a good-natured jab, "I was beginning to think you're trying to avoid me."
"No, of course not." Ares replied wanting to end the conversation, "I've just been very busy."
"Okay, well you should come in for coffee or something one day." Usagi told him, still holding out the hope of getting to know the strange man better.
"I'll do that." Ares promised in Mamoru's stead and instantly regretted it.
"Good." She chirped, "Hang on, Zoisite is closer."
She set the phone down and Ares let out an exhausted sigh. Luna looked just as tense and was obviously excited to hear Usagi's voice, but wisely stayed silent. After a few moments the receiver changed hands and a new voice greeted them.
"Mamoru!" Zoisite called with obviously false enthusiasm, "What can I do for you?"
"Zoisite, it's Ares." The dog spoke into the receiver and laid his long, floppy ear against the earpiece to hear the reply.
Zoisite stalled in his tracks for a moment and stuttered, "A- Ares? Really?"
"Yes, really." He assured him, "I need to talk to you. Are you alone?"
"Yeah, the others are busy." Zoisite said. Ares could hear his confusion, "How are you using a phone?"
"Long story, but I had some help." Ares answered and winked at Luna who rolled her eyes playfully, "Something is up with Mamoru. I was walking with Rei this morning and he showed up out of nowhere, almost like he was stalking her."
"Oh dear…" Zoisite groaned on the other end.
"He asked her out to some charity dinner tonight." Ares added, "Mamoru shouldn't be interested in anyone but Usagi. I think he might be doing this intentionally!"
"A charity dinner?" Zoisite zeroed in on that detail instead of the others, "At the Chamber of Commerce?"
"Yes." Ares answered, "Why, do you already know about it?"
"Just about everyone in our little circle of friends is going." Zoisite told him, "Well, Kunzite got invited, but the rest of us are crashing it anyway." He chuckled slightly and then his voice suddenly lost all warmth, "Oh no."
"What?" Ares panted.
"Kunzite is taking Usagi to the dinner." Zoisite spoke in hushed monotone.
"Kunzite?" Ares asked practically barking and his hair stood on end, "Why is Kunzite taking Usagi out to dinner?"
"I don't know!" Zoisite answered, "I haven't been able to sit down and think about it, but apparently Jadeite and Nephrite have been teasing him about having a crush on Usagi for a few weeks."
"What the hell?" Ares yelped astonished and practically enraged, "Has Kunzite lost his mind?"
"Oh god, I can only imagine how this makes you feel!" Zoisite cried in his reality-detached way.
"Don't worry about me." Ares ordered, "We need to find the source of all this idiocy. Mamoru is interested in the wrong person and Kunzite… I don't even know what to say about him right now."
"It's a bit strange, isn't it?" Zoisite asked.
"Strange doesn't cover it." Ares replied, "You said you're going too, is Jadeite?"
"Yes and so is Nephrite." Zoisite reaffirmed their roster, "We'll be sure to keep an eye on things."
"I wish I could be there!" Ares growled in a frustrated tone, "If I could be in the same room with Usagi and Mamoru maybe fate would take over and clear this whole thing up for us."
"We could try to sneak you in." Zoisite suggested.
"No, that's too dangerous." Ares disagreed, "I already had to escape from a cage today; I don't want you breaking into Rei's house. We'll just have to wait and see."
"Okay. If you say so." Zoisite deferred to the dog's decision, "By the way, we've been meaning to come see you, but Rei hasn't called us yet or given any indication that she wants to take us up on our offer to help out with her schedule."
"I wouldn't hold your breath." Ares sighed, "I've only been here a little while, but Rei seems extremely stubborn and, um… territorial?" He didn't know the exact correct word, "She's very private; I've never even seen her talk on the phone to anyone but her grandfather and co-workers."
"It seems odd that she'd agree to go on a date with someone like Mamoru, then." Zoisite noted.
"This whole situation is odd." The talking dog reminded him, "Zoisite, I'm afraid something bigger is happening here than just a case of a missing Crystal."
"Don't worry; I'll keep an eye on it." Zoisite promised and was now speaking with the power and authority of a Shitennou which served to considerably ease Ares' apprehension.
"Good." Ares answered more easily, "I'll try to contact you again tomorrow."
"Sounds good." Zoisite agreed and struck a hopeful tone, "Be safe, Master. We'll handle this."
"You be safe too." The canine prince echoed, "Talk to you soon."
With that Zoisite hung up and Ares lifted his head away from the receiver. He shook his head a few times and shrugged. Luna nudged her face into his line of sight.
"You're thinking about how to escape, aren't you?" Luna asked intuitively sensing Ares' silent pondering.
"I'm thinking that I need to take a more active role in all this." Ares answered, "And I can't do that while I'm trapped in this house."
"As much as I sympathize with what you're going through I have to advise against it." Luna offered, "I don't know what would happen to Rei if you disappeared."
"What do you mean?" Ares asked and recalled Luna's cryptic warning from a few days prior, "You mentioned this before; what's wrong with Rei that makes you treat her like she's as fragile as a Faberge Egg?"
Luna looked as though she wanted to answer, but at the last moment she twisted her head away and squeaked out, "I'm sorry, Prince. I can't explain."
"I don't like secrets, Luna." Ares grumbled, "I've encountered a lot in the short time that I've held the Golden Crystal, but something tells me that there's more to be seen." Ares looked grim and his eyes were downcast, "I can't shake the feeling that something wrong happened to all of us."
"I wish I could help, but I know as little as you do." Luna said truthfully.
"That's what worries me." Ares told the feline guardian, "We died and lost our memories, but you didn't." Luna gulped at that statement, "What's hiding out there, Luna?"
"I don't know." Luna admitted, but was still upbeat about it, "Hopefully nothing."
Ares didn't reply. Of course he hoped it was nothing as well and that his overactive, canine-imprisoned imagination was just running away with him, but experience taught him that it probably wasn't nothing. Before long something would have to give. He just hoped by then he could sort things out.
"Okay guys, I'm taking off." Usagi announced as she put on her coat to leave the restaurant, "I'll see you all tomorrow."
"Oh, you'll see us before then." Jadeite said under his breath. Usagi didn't hear him and left without another word.
"Right." Nephrite said and punched his hand, "Let's get this place locked down."
"I'll count out the register. Jadeite, you shut everything down in the kitchen." Zoisite said and Jadeite nodded. Nephrite was already busy turning the bar stools upside down.
"So what do you think about Kunzite asking Usagi to this dinner?" Zoisite asked.
"Did he?" Nephrite answered with another question, "I was just joking about it this morning, I didn't know he actually followed through."
"Yeah, he did." Zoisite replied, "And Usagi is pretty upset about it. I think Kunzite makes her feel more uncomfortable than she lets on."
"He probably does." Nephrite answered.
"Well?" Zoisite asked expectantly and placed his hand son his hips.
"Well what?" Nephrite reacted and came back behind the bar to turn off the CO2 system.
"What are we going to do about it?" Zoisite clarified.
"I'm not going to do anything." Nephrite told him and Zoisite offered a blank stare, "Don't look at me like that, Zoisite, what the fuck business is it of mine who Kunzite tries to bone?"
"It's your business when that person is our Master's fated soul-mate." Zoisite snapped back.
"Well if it's fated then it really doesn't matter what Kunzite does, because it'll all work out in the end, right?" Nephrite recounted his logic, "So I'm not going to bother sticking my nose in his business."
"What if it's fated that Mamoru wins Usagi's heart this time around by killing Kunzite in a jealous rage?" Zoisited postulated.
"Then we re-name the restaurant the Three Kings Bar and Grill and collect on his life insurance policy." Nephrite answered with far too much ease.
"Nephrite!" Zoisite snapped at his companion's blasé answer.
"Don't get defensive and bitchy with me, Zoisite." Nephrite batted the other Shitennou back down, "There's nothing we can do. Kunzite's old enough to make his own decisions and so is Usagi. If we get involved we'll be no better than he was when he took the Golden Crystal."
Zoisite didn't have a comeback for that and Nephrite seemed satisfied enough with his silence to drop the topic. Jadeite reappeared a few minutes later and they both noticed he was already dressed in a finely tailored black suit with a black silk tie.
"Where did you get that?" Nephrite asked dumbfounded.
"I know; it's nice isn't it?" Jadeite replied, "I completely forgot I had this thing stashed in the basement."
"That's what you wore to Mamoru's college graduation three years ago, wasn't it?" Zoisite asked as he looked over the black suit, "It's about as dated as his Honda Civic."
"How can a suit be dated?" Jadeite questioned as he checked his reflection in a polished glass mug, "It's a black jacket and pants. All suits look the same to me."
"Of course they all look the same to you." Zoisite sighed inwardly.
"I'm sure we'll all be impressed with whatever ungodly overpriced ensemble you show up in." Nephrite said and began mock gagging over his bar.
"You should talk, Nephrite." Zoisite admonished him, "You let your girlfriend rip the sleeve of an Armani jacket that I'm sure cost you upwards of a grand."
"I'm going to have it repaired." Nephrite shot back, "And I own one suit, Zoi, not a closet full like you."
"Yes, but you still bought the best you could." Zoisite winked.
"That's one indulgence, it hardly counts." Nephrite countered, "You spend all the money you ever have on new clothes and shoes and trendy bullshit that goes out of style two weeks after it appears on the market."
"That's how you get noticed at a snobby, upper-crust engagement like this dinner." Zoisite said and struck a pose, "Everybody is going to immediately drop what they're doing when they see me."
"Because they'll all think you're a woman." Jadeite tacked on. Nephrite laughed and Zoisite scowled. There had been plenty of times in their shared past when Zoisite was mistaken for a woman. It was comedy gold for the rest of their group, but it infuriated the youngest King like nothing else.
"Go get changed." Nephrite ordered, "Lord knows it'll take you long enough."
"Nephrite, you're not going dressed like that I assume?" Jadeite inquired.
"No, I'm going over to meet Lita at her place." He explained, "Apparently she has something for me to wear."
"That's a little creepy. Haven't you only gone out with her once?" Jadeite asked as he adjusted his cuffs.
"Officially, yes." Nephrite agreed and had to admit it was a bit strange.
"Well, good luck with her." Jadeite offered and stared at himself in the glass reflection again, "God damn it, I feel like such a badass tonight!"
"Too bad it's just the clothes." Nephrite shot back and collected his cell phone and keys off the bar, "I'm going to hail a cab and head over to her place. We'll meet up with you at this thing."
"Hey, did you come up with a cover story for us?" Jadeite asked before Nephrite reached the door.
"I came up with a cover for me." Nephrite replied, "You dicks are on your own."
"What?" Jadeite cried as Nephrite exited the restaurant with a howl of laughter.
Zoisite stuck his head out of the back room and asked, "What was that about?"
"We need to think up a cover story for ourselves." Jadeite said quickly, "You know, to actually get into this thing. We're not on the guest list."
"I thought Nephrite—" Zoisite started to speak, but Jadeite shook his head, "That bastard."
"Uhh…" Jadeite wracked his brain for a good lie, "Oh! We're criminal psychologists. That sounds important enough and we could probably bullshit our way through it pretty easily."
Zoisite wasn't listening. His eyes were darting all around the room and finally the last thing they landed on was one of the blue towels that Nephrite used to wipe down his bar. Zoisite looked up at Jadeite, specifically his old black suit, and scowled.
"Is that a no to the criminal psychologists?" Jadeite asked.
"Call a cab." Zoisite ordered, "We need to run home and see if I have anything else you can wear." He quickly looked over Jadeite again and tisked, "God, I hope you're close enough to my size."
"What?" Jadeite stuttered and clutched at his jacket, "Why? What for?"
"If we're going to pull this off you're going to have to dress better." Zoisite grimaced as thoughts began racing and stacking up like a fast-paced game of Tetris, "A lot better…"
Nephrite had only hoped that Jadeite and Zoisite wouldn't follow him outside to see exactly what kind of taxi he was getting into. It wasn't a four-door yellow sedan; it was an obsidian black stretch limo. He hated the fact that the Shitennou shared a vehicle which always seemed to go to Kunzite first and there was no way in hell he would force Lita to drive or make her endure a cross-town trip in the back of an old Crown Victoria. He checked the mini-bar which was stocked exactly as he requested with the component parts for a Manhattan as well as a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label scotch.
Normally all of this would have come with a hefty price tag, but Nephrite had bribed a gentleman he knew at the limousine rental agency with a few free premium cuts of steak at the Bar & Grill if he could get him a good rate. Kunzite wouldn't like it when he found it, but that was neither here nor there when it came to his pursuit of Lita. Nephrite smiled to himself; he wasn't exactly wealthy, but when push came to shove he was very good at faking it and stretching a buck. The limo pulled up in front of Lita's house and he told the driver to circle the block a few times and they would be out soon. He got out of the black stretch and shuffled up to her front door as it drove out of sight. She appeared a few moments after the doorbell rang.
"Hey there." She greeted him warmly and invited him into the house, "How was work?"
"Not busy and painfully slow." He answered honestly, "Jadeite and I were literally out on the street trying to attract business."
"Any luck?" she asked.
"A few old ladies who were very interested in our bottom-round roast, if you know what I mean." He smirked. Lita laughed and invited him to sit down in the kitchen where she was busy doing something that involved a profusion of pots and pans.
"Sorry, give me a minute." She apologized and went back to work.
"What's all this?" He asked and instead of sitting he watched over her shoulder.
"It's called boilo." She told him, "It's something my grandmother used to make every year around Thanksgiving and Christmas."
"I've never heard of it." Nephrite admitted.
"I'm not surprised." She told him, "It's kind of a really specific regional thing."
"It smells interesting." He said as he picked up the scent of oranges, cinnamon, and honey along with traces of licorice, "What is it?"
"Comfort juice!" She announced happily and pulled out a handle of Four Queens Blended Whiskey from a cupboard. She opened it up and poured the whole thing into a large pot that sat on the stove.
"Holy shit!" Nephrite exclaimed seeing that much booze poured into the pot.
"Ahh, I knew you'd be interested!" Lita said and motioned for him to come closer. She stirred the ingredients around and Nephrite caught sight of the orange and lemon pulp, thick streaks of honey and several cinnamon sticks swirling in the deep brown liquid. More than that he caught a heady blast of liquor-tinged steam and his smile broadened considerably.
"Lita, what is this insanity you've concocted?" Nephrite wondered as he watched all the disparate ingredients coagulate into a homogenous opaque blend.
"It's a genuine old-world Lithuanian recipe." She explained, "Oranges, lemons, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, some currants, and a little allspice. Mix it in a little water and let it simmer for about a half hour then pour in the whiskey, but it has to be Four Queens, unless you can make your own grain alcohol." She moved the pot off the burner of the stove and motioned to a large strainer sitting on top of another pot in the sink, "Would you mind?"
Nephrite stepped up immediately and poured the near-boiling pot of Lita's alcoholic concoction through the strainer. It caught the majority of pulp from the oranges and lemons as well as the cinnamon sticks and clumps of spices. It took a few more runs through the strainer to get the entire particulate out and by that time the boilo had cooled to the point that it could be sampled. She pulled out two small cups and offered one full of the dark, cider-colored liquid to Nephrite.
"They say this stuff is a good deterrent in the winter against the flu." Lita said and put her cup to her lips, "Na zdrowie!"
Nephrite saluted her with his cup and took a big gulp of the stuff which he immediately regretted. Like a fine scotch or brandy this boilo was definitely meant to be sipped. He tasted all the parts of the recipe including the citrus from the oranges and lemons, the tart of the currants and the spice of the cinnamon and nutmeg. What he didn't taste was the whiskey. He felt the burn as he swallowed and his entire body began feeling as though he were relaxing in a sauna. After struggling through his error with the first mouthful, he took another more practiced sip and let the experience hit him again.
"Jesus." He said and smacked his lips at the nearly-empty cup. His smile was unmistakable, "This is some dangerous shit."
"I assume that means you like it?" Lita pried the compliment out of him.
"Like it?" Nephrite asked grudgingly, "I'm already thinking of how I'm going to steal the recipe."
"On a cold night sitting by the fire this stuff will do you right in." Lita told him and he noticed that she seemed significantly more relaxed than she had the last time they met. He could only assume it had to do with the happy memories this murderous beverage called forth.
"Well it's a cold night." Nephrite told her, "And I don't see a fireplace in here, but we can always burn a phonebook or something in the sink."
"That's tempting." She laughed, "But I haven't eaten anything yet today and you promised me that this was going to be fun, so I'm holding you to it."
"Can we bring a bottle of this stuff?" Nephrite asked and slurped down the rest of his drink.
"We'll see." She told him playfully and set down her cup, "Come here, I have something for you."
She led him to her bedroom and Nephrite's heart began to beat faster. Her room was not what he expected. The rest of the house looked like a furniture store show room. Everything was placed with a purpose. Her bedroom was more lived-in. It wasn't messy, but there was a lot filling it. What caught his eye were the decidedly frilly and feminine ruffles on the comforter that lay on Lita's bed. He noticed splotches of pink all over the room and a pile of DVD's next to a small flat-screen TV. He didn't recognize most of the titles which immediately signaled to Nephrite that they were chick flicks. The presence of the one title he did recognize, "The Notebook," proved that fact.
"Sorry, it's a little messy." Lita apologized as she rooted around in her closet and pulled out a set of clothes on a hanger, "Here, try this on."
"Right." He collected his thoughts and took the hanger, "This is the suit you told me about."
"It should fit you." Lita told him in a hopeful tone, "Come out after you change. We'll have another cup of boilo before we leave."
With that she left and closed the door to her room behind her. Nephrite didn't need the promise of more of Lita's yuletide feel-good-juice, but it was a nice gesture. He quickly stripped down feeling rather awkward taking off his clothes in Lita's bedroom and trying on a suit of questionable origin. His own shoes and dress shirt were appropriate for the dark gray slacks and the two-button jacket and after a cursory glance in the mirror, the nearly picture-perfect reflection of which perturbed him, he joined Lita again in the kitchen.
"Fits pretty well." Nephrite said and smoothed out the seams of his jacket.
"It looks great on you." Lita told him. Her voice was full of warmth and he noted that it wasn't because of the pot of booze, "Your tie is a bit crooked, though."
She stepped up to him and adjusted the tie. And as she did she ran the tops of her fingers under his chin and very slightly stroked against his neck and down his shoulders to the sides of his arms. She pulled closer gave Nephrite a slight hug which, because of having his arms pinned, he couldn't return.
"Whose suit was this?" he asked softly through the curls of her hair which hid her ears.
"It was my Dad's." She answered slowly. Somehow Nephrite already knew that, but he let her say it, "I saved a lot of his stuff, but it's been a while since I pulled any of it out."
"What made you go digging around for this?" Nephrite asked.
"You did." She told him sincerely, "I've been thinking about him a lot, especially after what you said." She bit her lip and nearly looked away, but forced herself to make eye contact, "I think I want to find out what happened to him."
"I'm glad to hear you say that." Nephrite said feeling a wave of relief after his recent encounters with Lita's spastic side. He much preferred her this way, quiet, emotional, but still incredibly strong and determined.
"Well, we probably shouldn't stand around here all night." Lita said and pulled away from the towering King, "Want another cup before we hit the road?"
"I do, but I probably shouldn't." Nephrite politely declined, "I've got a bottle of expensive scotch waiting in the car."
"The car?" Lita asked as she put on her long, familiar trench coat. Nephrite moved forward and helped her into it, "I thought I was going to drive."
"Nah." He said, "Wouldn't dream of it."
They walked to the front door and as Nephrite opened it for her she saw the huge limo parked out front with their driver waiting expectantly near the door. Lita's jaw hung open and she tilted her astonished eyes up to meet Nephrite and his cocky grin.
"You asshole!" she gasped at the luxurious vehicle he procured for the night.
"I told you it would be fun." He whispered in her ear and she couldn't help but giggle like a high school girl on her way to the prom.
She and Nephrite practically leaped across the snowy sidewalk to their ride and as the chilly winter wind blew back their auburn hair Nephrite couldn't help but grin. Everything was going incredibly well and the night was still young. No doubt this would be a night to remember.