Chapter 37: Coca-Cola and Red Berets
Well guys, it's that time of year again. School's about to be back in session, which means the next couple weeks are going to be hectic. I go to a university that's a couple hours away from home, so I need to pack up everything before I move back into the dorms. And then classes start back up a couple days later. Things are going to be crazy, but hopefully not crazy enough that I won't be able to update soon. The next update should be in mid to late September, hopefully on the weekend. I'm gonna try and update like I used to.
So, after this chapter, I'm going back on a (hopefully) incredibly short hiatus. At least for me. I really don't want to do this, but like I said, real life gets in the way, and writing has to fall on the wayside. There's no other way around it guys.
As for Europe's feelings about foreigners, I'm not making this up. Europeans are afraid of foreigners moving into their countries and stealing their jobs, and some of them can be vocal about it. They don't have much of a problem with tourists because tourists eventually leave. Valerie was definitely considered a foreigner in the countries she lived in, and it's definitely touched upon here.
Oh, and when it comes to relationships, the Japanese take it a bit more seriously. In, say, the West, a first kiss isn't so much of a big deal. Sure, it could be, but it doesn't have to be. In the East, someone's first kiss is very precious and should be done with someone you care about. Kissing is supposed to be really intimate, like how sex is in the West. There's a reason why TV Tropes has this listed as "Sacred First Kiss."
Anyway, on with the chapter!
The day had finally come.
Roughly three weeks had passed since the battle for the Sands of Time, and the items Valerie bought online had finally arrived. There were quite a few boxes, most of them fairly large. She grimaced; she wouldn't be able to reuse the cardboard when she shipped her books through her online account.
Despite that, Valerie went ahead and opened them in her room. She tried on all the clothes, happy to note that they fit her fairly well. After packing them away she held up her new Doctor Who TARDIS slouch backpack. It looked exactly like the police call box but with snap buttons and a drawstring closure. She had also bought two wallets, one bi-fold and one hinge. Both had places for money and change, card slots, and a clear ID display. Both also had an exploding TARDIS design, bright, swirling orange flames erupting out of the blue police box as it crashed through space and time in the art style of Van Gogh.
"You bought new clothes?" Valerie turned around to see Kimiko leaning against the doorframe. Standing up and smoothing out the wrinkles of her monk uniform, Valerie nodded.
"A lot of the things I brought from Switzerland were too worn out to wear anymore, so I bought some new clothes and stuff." She held up the slouch backpack. "I may have also bought some things I didn't need but really wanted," she added sheepishly.
"Well, it's okay to splurge every now and then," Kimiko mused, walking into the room. She stepped around the empty boxes and took the backpack to examine it. "It's from Doctor Who right? It's really cute, but it's kind of small…"
"It's bigger on the inside," Valerie said, barely containing a snort. Kimiko looked at her weirdly before breaking out into a smile.
"Oh yeah, that's one of the jokes," she said. "I've only just started watching the new series, so I don't know a lot of that stuff yet."
"Right, you're into sci-fi," Valerie said, holding up a hand in the Vulcan salute. Kim rolled her eyes before she spotted one of the outfits Valerie had forgotten to put away. It was a tunic with the shirt part being solid black with long sleeves and a collar that covered her collarbone. Around the waist was a skirt of square cloth patches with different designs: violet with green leaves, dark blue with red raindrops, silver with black waves, and maroon with gold suns. The skirt's hemline was uneven and soft, brushing against the thighs.
Kimiko held it up against her person and gushed, "Cute!"
Valerie smiled. "Isn't it? And it was on sale, so it gets extra points in my book."
"What's the occasion though?" the Asian asked her. "First the makeup and hairstyles, now a dress?" Her eyes suddenly widened. "You've got a crush, don't you?"
Willing herself not to blush, Valerie slowly averted her eyes. The dress fluttering to the floor, Kimiko gave a high pitched squeal that made Valerie cover her ears and cringe. Once she was done, the Asian latched onto her arm.
"Who is it? Is it one of the guys?"
"Kim, calm down. I can't feel my arm." She let go and Valerie rubbed the spot, trying to force the blood to flow again.
"Sorry," Kimiko said unapologetically. "But I'm right, aren't I? It's one of the guys."
Valerie pursed her lips. It wasn't like she wasn't going to tell her only girl friend about her newfound feelings; quite the opposite. It was just that it wasn't so long ago they were all at each other's throats, and while things had been fairly smooth sailing so far, Valerie didn't feel up to revealing any secrets to anyone at the moment. She wanted to give it some more time and think of a way to approach the topic naturally.
She also figured once she said anything, Kimiko would squeal into her ear. Valerie had wanted to avoid that, but now it was too late. She sighed; it was better that Kimiko know anyway.
"It's Rai, isn't it?"
Valerie started, looking at Kimiko dumbfounded. She was smirking, her sky blue eyes twinkling with mischief.
"You've got a thing for bad boys, huh?"
Valerie frowned slightly. "You can't really label him as a bad boy anymore."
Kimiko blinked. "…Good point."
"Besides, I'm not interested in so-called 'bad boys'. That's why I only started crushing on him recently."
She nodded and then pursed her lips. "But Rai's still kind of a jerk."
"Well, some things never change," Valerie said flippantly. At least he was better than before.
"I guess," Kimiko said slowly. "But isn't Rai, like, your first real crush or something? Wouldn't it be bad to have feelings for someone you live with?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you assume that I've never had a crush before?"
"You're too bookish to fall for just any guy."
"…Good point."
"Besides, having a crush on someone when you're a kid doesn't really count," Kimiko pointed out. "It's just puppy love. You're what, fifteen? Chances are what you're feeling could be the real deal."
"Somehow I doubt that," Valerie said dryly.
Kim rolled her eyes. "Anyway, the point is this whole crush thing is probably really new to you. I mean, I seriously doubt you've had a boyfriend before…have you?" she added dubiously.
"Yes."
Her eyes bugged out. "What?"
"Yes, I've had a boyfriend before," Valerie said as clearly as she could. The wall beside her suddenly shot up, startling the two girls. It was Raimundo and the other guys, the Brazilian holding up the rice paper wall with his bare hands.
"WHAT?!" he shouted incredulously.
"Is the wall supposed to be lifted that way?" Valerie asked, looking at the fragile wooden frame in Rai's hands.
"You should probably put that down," Clay said, putting the soccer ball he was holding on the floor. Blushing furiously Raimundo quickly set the wall back down, quickly sliding it back into place. The three boys then walked into Valerie's room from the front.
"How much did you just hear?" Kimiko asked suspiciously. The color drained from Valerie's figure, making her look like a washed out version of herself. If any of them heard even a snippet of their earlier conversation…
"Just the part where Valerie had a relationship with a boy," Omi declared, smiling at her. "I did not know you once had such a feminine occupation."
"I, uh, really wouldn't put it in those terms Omi," she said, relieved.
"But this is a surprise," Clay pointed out, tipping his hat so she could see his wide eyes. "I never pegged you as the type to date someone."
Valerie grimaced. "It's not something I like to talk about."
"Why's that?" Kimiko asked curiously.
She pursed her lips. "It didn't end well."
The four of them sat down and looked up at her expectantly. Valerie gave a long suffering sigh and sat down with them. She wrinkled her nose slightly when the odor of sweat suddenly hit her. The guys must have just come in front playing soccer outside.
"Growing up, I moved around a lot, so it was hard to make friends," Valerie began. "I usually came to a different country every couple of years, so if I made any friends I always had to leave them." She then glowered. "Not to mention that Europe has some pretty strong anti-immigration feelings. They don't like the fact that a bunch of foreigners are coming over and taking their jobs, so there's some animosity. I was born in Canada and lived in a lot of different places, so I was definitely considered foreign.
"Ah, but I wasn't bullied or anything," she quickly added before they could say anything. "More like, they just ignored me. The few kids who did try to bully me, I beat the crap out of them. So then people really did avoid me," she said sheepishly. "Anyway, it didn't matter to me. I had Eric and my books.
"Sometime during my high school years I started to make acquaintances with some of the other kids. They apparently liked the idea of knowing someone vaguely foreign. By that time though I was used to being alone, so didn't go about making any close friends."
"So where does your ex-boyfriend fit in?" Raimundo said before eating some chips. The four of them had procured snacks from somewhere while she'd been talking.
"I'm getting to that. Before I went to Switzerland, I was in France. I was a pretty quiet kid-I was always in the corner reading- and didn't talk to a lot of people, so I was surprised when Luc Blanc suddenly asked me out. He wasn't the most popular guy in school, but he did have a pretty large group of friends and everyone seemed to know his name.
"To be honest, I rejected him at first because I was actually moving to Switzerland that summer and didn't want to get into a long-term relationship. He told he didn't particularly care; he just wanted to spend time with me. I figured that since he already knew what he was getting into by dating me, I said yes."
"Just like that?" Kimiko asked, bewildered. Valerie opened a can of Calpico and took a sip, enjoying the lemon vanilla flavor. "There were no sparks, no common interest?" the Asian went on incredulously.
Valerie shook her head. "I don't know how it is in Japan, but in the West all you need is physical attraction to start a romantic relationship. And he was cute." She was pleasantly surprised to notice the slightly upset look on Raimundo's face. Perhaps he was jealous…? "Anyway, we dated for about a week. We normally met at school, and we tended to spend our breaks together."
"Did you two kiss?" Kimiko must have also seen the look on Rai's face, because she had the most mischievous smile playing on her lips.
Valerie smirked. "We did." Rai's face fell before snapping into a neutral expression. "It was quick. He laughed at how I didn't react to it." He suddenly seemed very intrigued.
Omi stopped devouring chocolate. "You did not react?" he asked, confused.
She shrugged. "I'd never been kissed before, so I wasn't sure on how to react to it. My heart never beat faster around Luc, nor did I get wobbly knees or sweaty palms. So when he kissed me I was pretty indifferent." Raimundo suddenly brightened and went back to munching on potato chips.
Valerie continued. "Like I said, the relationship only lasted for about a week. I had offered to buy drinks for the both of us, and when I came back he was surrounded by a group of his friends. That's when I found out that he'd been dating me because of a dare. I remember Luc laughing at me when he thought I wasn't there."
Everyone stopped eating and looked at her in shock. "You must leave the city!" Omi declared.
"You mean 'get out of town,'" Clay corrected him.
"That too!"
"That's awful!" Kimiko cried, biting her lip.
"What'd you do?" Raimundo asked.
"I walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder." She smiled as the memory played out in her mind. "When he saw me, he got all pale and scared. I grinned, stood on my toes, and poured his drink right over his head. While he was spluttering and the kids around him were shouting and laughing, I just walked away." She smirked. "Ever since then Coca-Cola has been one of my favorite drinks."
"You poor thing." Kimiko crawled over to her and hugged her.
"Dude, I'm over it," Valerie said, returning it. "Besides, someone had to be my first boyfriend."
"Yeah, but that's just really unfortunate," Raimundo said honestly. "No one should have to go through that."
Omi dramatically pointed a finger in the air. "We must bring the tub of ice cream for Valerie's consumption at once!"
Looking at him fondly, she let out a snort. "Dude, I'm really okay. I moved to Switzerland a few weeks later and I haven't seen him since. Besides, I only dated him for a week and it's not like I had any feelings for him. It didn't take me long to get over it." She held her drink to her lips and was about to take another sip when she suddenly realized, "I am in the mood for ice cream though. Think we can steal some?"
"I don't see why not," Clay said cheerfully. Everyone was grinning as Dojo suddenly slithered into the room.
"Hate to break up the party kids, but we got a Shen Gong Wu alert," he announced. "Time to get ready."
Everyone groaned and stood up to prepare for departure. Kimiko held Valerie back and held up the patchwork tunic dress. "You're wearing this."
Valerie blinked and went over to her dresser. She took out some unopened packets of tights and held them out. "What do you think matches best with it: black, Prussian blue, or Egyptian blue?"
After promising to tell Kimiko where she had bought those pantyhose- they were in better colors than the ones sold in most stores, and they were of decent quality at low prices- she helped Valerie get ready. Putting on the Prussian blue tights (midnight blue in some circles) she donned the dress and put on her black Chinese slippers. Kimiko quickly dabbed some red lipstick on her and helped her pull some hair from the sides of her head into short braids. She then pulled the ends to the back of her head and tied it there, so that it looked like there was a circlet at the back of Valerie's skull, with the rest of her hair flowing free. Finishing off the ensemble was the amber necklace she rarely wore. She still didn't like how it beat off her collarbone while she fought, but it wasn't a bad idea to wear it every now and then.
Kimiko had quickly changed into a black and pink diamond checkered dress with long sleeves and lacy cuffs and hem. She had put on matching stockings and white boots, and over her torso was a bright pink, furry poncho with a tail attached to the hem and a hood with animal ears. It was loud, but rather cute.
Before departing Kimiko had clung onto Valerie's arm and steered her towards the front, making sure Raimundo was able to see her. He had stiffened, his cheeks becoming pink before he turned his head away. Kimiko had smirked impishly, the effect made more apparent by her childish outfit. Valerie just gave a soft yet triumphant smile.
It took a while for Dojo to fly over to where the Wu was, but eventually they came towards a lake full of logs. There was a chute full of water spitting out more logs to fall into the lake. The chute winded down a mountain from a small factory in the middle of the woods. In the area where the chute was, only tree stumps remained, while the rest of the lush forest was mercifully intact.
Dojo swooped down near the factory, flying near Jack and a bunch of his robots that were hovering around. One of them was holding a camera, which took in the sight of Dojo flying near the ground before going back up. It was a split second, but Valerie could have sworn Jack was wearing a deep red beret over his bright, crayon red hair.
Dojo circled around, flying low, looking for the Wu. Suddenly logs were shot at them from cannons. They acted like missiles; Dojo screamed and dodged the barrage, sighing in relief. But then one leftover log came at him right in the face. He tried to lean down, but it was too late. The log scraped against his head, ripping off the scales and revealing the soft pink muscle underneath.
"That's gonna leave a mark," Dojo said painfully.
"Oooh," the monks said emphatically.
A log was then thrown at Dojo again, this one aimed at his chin. It hit, and the dragon went reeling, his head and body arching backwards in a circle. Everyone screamed and clung on as Dojo quickly righted himself…only to have the same log suddenly slam down on his head.
Everyone screamed as Dojo plummeted towards the earth-well, Valerie yelled out, "DAMN YOU CARTOON PHYSICS!" but it was still a scream. But in a flash of quick thinking, Omi took out a Wu.
"Ruby of Ramses!" he cried out, the yellow beams shooting out of the red gem. They covered the log and lifted it up before tossing it to the side. Dojo quickly shook off the disorientation and flew over the lake, where the hawk-like Shadow of Fear was sitting on a log. Unfortunately, Jack Spicer had the same idea; he was hovering dangerously close to the Wu.
"Faster Dojo!" Kimiko cried out.
"Don't you worry," the cowboy said, swinging a lasso around his head. "Ol' Clay has a rope or two up his sleeve." He threw the lasso and it wrapped around the pedestal the hawk Wu was perched on. "Come along little doggy!" he cried as the Shadow of Fear flew off the wood.
It flew past Jack Spicer, who went after it. He quickly put the wings of his heli-pack to the rope and it sawed right through it. The Shadow of Fear fell right back onto the logs.
Clay brought up his empty rope and held up the sawed through end of the lasso, glaring angrily at it. As if sensing the tension, Dojo swooped down near the pool, flying just close enough for the gang to jump off and land on separate logs. Valerie and the others were in the back, with Clay taking the lead. Jack Spicer stood at the end of the standoff, the Shadow of Fear right in between.
Jack and Clay stared each other down, wiggling their fingers in anticipation.
"Make yer move, Spicer!" Clay snarled, his Texan accent even more pronounced.
"Makeup!" Jack cried out. A female robot that looked suspiciously like one of Jack's old cheer-bots immediately came over and threw some makeup on Clay's face. Once she was gone and the leftover powder cloud settled, the cowboy looked up to reveal heavily painted lips, rouge cheeks, and long dark eyelashes.
"Beautiful," Jack commented. "Action!" Three camera-bots flew over and zoomed in on Clay with his uncanny valley makeup on. He stood there, flabbergasted, his mouth shooting unintelligible sounds as Jack took the Shadow of Fear.
"What's wrong with Clay?" Raimundo asked curiously.
"My guess is, he's got stage fright," Valerie said dryly as Jack hopped along the logs.
Noticing, Omi held up his favorite Wu and shouted, "Orb of Tornami!" A large ball of water appeared out of the lake with some fish swimming idly inside. It was a pretty sight, but he then slammed the ball back into the lake, creating a destructive ripple effect. A large surge was sent Jack's way, the logs gliding along with it. Clay was also there, screaming in shock, as he used the log he was standing on as a surfboard.
It took a moment for that to sink in, but when it did everyone gasped. Not because of Clay's sudden surfing talent, but because of the large dam blocking his path.
"Sword of the Storm!" Raimundo shouted, creating a vortex.
"Lotus Twister!" Kimiko stretched an arm out. As Clay sped towards the dam, the vortex separated the logs that made up the dam, sending them all flying. Then Clay rushed towards the waterfall that was behind the dam, rolling his log as he instinctively tried to back away. That was when Kimiko's long arm grabbed him by the back of his shirt before he plummeted to his death.
"Oof!" Kimiko grunted in pain. "They sure grow them big in Texas."
"…Was that a 'that's what she said' joke?" Valerie asked Raimundo, hopping onto a log near his. "Because that sounded like one."
Raimundo snickered once he thought about it. "Don't tell her that." He then looked over her head and said, "Isn't that one of Jack's robots?"
Valerie turned around to see a stray camera-bot filming the two of them. "Guess he forgot it. Mantis Flip Coin!" she cried out, flipping the red Chinese coin in the air before catching it. She then jumped up and spun through the air like a coin, planting her feet on the log where the camera-bot was. It had dodged at the last moment and was now flying to rejoin its master.
Of course, Valerie only saw a snippet of that. Because she had landed on the log so forcefully, she had actually plummeted somewhat into the pool. The water created a little cave around her before rushing back in, drenching her.
As Kimiko lifted Clay back to them, Valerie swore loudly in every language she knew.
Later, flying on Dojo's back
After washing off what little paint Valerie had on her face, she quickly wrung the water out of her hair and clothes and scrambled onto Dojo's back with the others. Letting the cool winds dry her off, she watched as Omi attempted to cheer the cowboy up.
"Oh, cheer up Clay. There is no shame in a humiliating defeat. Remember, it will only make you stronger for the next one."
Valerie did mention attempted.
"Yeah, thanks," Clay said dejectedly, "but I never figured I'd turn out to be camera shy." His shoulders slumped. "I feel lower than a tick bug in a gofer's belly."
"Dojo, what exactly does the Shadow of Fear do?" Kimiko asked, since earlier the rest of them hadn't bothered to.
Dojo brought out the Ancient Scroll of the Shen Gong Wu and rolled it open before his eyes. He was still flying, so Valerie figured that wasn't safe. Nevertheless, she joined the others as they climbed over Dojo's head to peer at the moving pictures.
"It allows whoever holds it the power to enter in another's dreams, and bring to life their deepest and darkest fears," he said in a spooky voice as the pictures showed a man sitting up in his bed, frightened, surrounded by sharp toothed monsters.
"Fuck," Valerie stated.
"Ha," Omi scoffed arrogantly. "Then I have no worries because I have no fears."
They all stared at him blankly before Valerie grabbed him and jumped off Dojo. They both plummeted past white clouds towards the faraway Earth, her screaming with joy, him smiling triumphantly. And then Valerie could feel the pull of a rope around her waist and the sharp tug of it when she was roughly pulled back towards the dragon, taking Omi along for the ride.
They both landed in Clay's arms. "See? No fear!" Omi crowed.
"Well, I'm convinced," Valerie said.
"And you're still damp from earlier," Clay noted, setting her down.
"And you look like you need a hug," she said, wrapping her arms around him. He grimaced and tried to pry her off.
"No, you're all wet and gross!"
"Clay needs a hug!" Valerie sang out.
"I will assist in the hugging!" Omi cried out as he cuddled Clay.
"Come here, you big lug," Kimiko said affectionately before embracing him.
Raimundo rolled his eyes before joining the party. "Aw, who needs a hug? You do, yes you do!" he cooed hilariously.
"I can't breathe!" Clay choked out.
I love making the monks huggers, it's always so cute! XD
As for Valerie dressing up, even if you're a tomboy or just don't feel like going all out with your outfits, sometimes you want to look really nice. This doesn't mean Valerie isn't a tomboy anymore-she still is- but sometimes she's gonna dress up and enjoy it. And if Raimundo likes how she looks, then he likes how she looks.
So, thoughts anyone?