The Magicians' Realm Chapter 53: Don't Mix, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Chapter 53, everybody! In which the characters deal with their hangovers and Yami goes "dude, where's my cape?..."

And for the record: chili, cheese, and raw onions is the patented hangover cure for my parents, but also makes a good dish to have sober—granted, it's been a while since my parents have had enough to get drunk, so confirmation on whether that is the hangover cure is a little spotty. ^^; And the notion that really good food looks like dog food comes from my Dad, who told me that once.

Movies this week are The Legend of Tarzan and Fly Away Home:

Legend of Tarzan…firstly, Samuel L. Jackson is hilarious in this, simply because he's so out of his element—the whole theater burst out laughing twice at one scene because of his reactions. Secondly…you don't realize it, but you spend the whole movie waiting for the Tarzan yell, and then when it finally occurs, there's a moment of fist-pump and yes! Like the Lone Ranger movie when they play the William Tell Overture. Thirdly…it's quite obvious to me now why Tarzan is one of my Mom's main men. :D

Fly Away Home is a 1996 movie about a girl who finds a gaggle of orphaned goslings, raises them, and then her and her father fly with them so they know where to go when they migrate. It's a wonderful movie my family and I can watch again and again without it getting old, and there's always that moment when the song in the movie plays that we get a little misty-eyed.

Angiembabe, thanks for the review! Yes…I'm still not quite over it, but it was good he got the time he did (and I know I'll see him again in Heaven, so there's that….And he gets to be in my stories, so…). Ah yes—right up until it's time to clean. XD Yes, that's a good thing…and kind of based on my parents' experiences (they've told me a hundred times if I ever did the stupid things they did, I'd be tied to the bed—understandable, honestly). Yes, it's nice to see a natural response to something. :D And yes, booze does seem to have that effect—glad the chapter came across all right, despite being long. Yes, it's adorable. :D

FicReader, thanks for the review! Yes she was….To answer your question…firstly, some factual errors which bugged me a little, like the fish being delivered to the whale shark enclosure when whale sharks, in fact, eat plankton. Secondly, I wasn't fond of having some of Marlin's growth from the last movie being nerfed in this movie, and how he was penalized for reacting like any parent whose kid was nearly killed in an easily avoidable situation would. And it kind of felt like Cars 2, where it was more of a fun romp focused on a side character. It was a fun movie, and the scene where she finally encounters her parents is really strong; it just wasn't a movie that really stuck with me like their other movies. Moving on—eh, sometimes. :) Of course! Yes, in that regard Yami is based on my own family—first time I tried wine I told Mom it needed tomatoes and garlic and then started listing how we made marinara. XD Yes, that would be a shame—and good Yami! :D

Fromtheashtrees, thanks for the review! Yes, Yami is playing the role of designated driver here. :) Yay, I remembered! And ick—hate that sort of weather. If it's going to be lousy, it could at least have snow. It does somewhat. And that was good—sort of, I suppose. Yes, cram in that goofing off! :D

References:

Original characters, + setting © Kineil D. Wicks (myself, not the girl in the story)

Teana woke up the next morning feeling disoriented. This wasn't her apartment.

It took her a few moments to realize she was in an opened recliner, a black blanket draped over her. A few more moments, and she remembered that she had gone over to Yami's for the day. And the night. Oog—what was in that booze?

She sat up slowly—well, aside from a minor headache, she didn't feel too bad. She was pretty sure she'd know if she had been…ugh, she couldn't even think it.

She forced the recliner down into its closed position and stood up, clutching the blanket. Oh good, only a little dizzy. She absentmindedly started folding the blanket—

Wait a minute.

She held up the tie fastener, with its peculiar spread and knot that looked like a smirking bat.

"I don't believe this," she muttered, folding it the rest of the way and then looking around. Voices were coming from the next room, so she tried there.

She shortly found herself in the kitchen, where Yami was making coffee and toast—the latter of which was extra toasted. Kineil was at the stove, cooking something else and looking a tad more alert than Yami at the moment.

"What's that?" Teana asked, feeling her nose wrinkle at the smell.

"Breakfast," Kineil replied. "Yami, stop trying to make toast before you burn the house down."

Yami did so, settling for staring at the toaster as it cooled.

"What kind of breakfast?" Teana asked, looking at the mess in the skillet.

"My patented hangover cure," Kineil said. "Chili, cheese, and raw onions, with some scrambled eggs for good measure. Works like a charm, and tastes good, too."

"I think I'll suffer, thanks."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it."

"I'm sure," Teana said, before turning her attention to Yami.

"You shouldn't treat this like it's a common blanket," she chided, holding the bundled cape up. "It's a symbol of your station, not a rag."

Yami looked up at her, taking a few moments to register.

"You don't seriously think I wear that to bed, do you?" he asked. "I figured it was doing more good there than hanging up where it usually does."

"And what if I soiled it?"

"Huh?"

"He's in denial about girls vomiting," Kineil supplied.

Ugh. "Please don't say that," Teana said—what with that smell, it wasn't helping her stomach.

"What would you rather me say?"

"Don't enlighten me. You," she said, handing the bundle over to Yami. "Put this on."

"Yes, ma'am," Yami said, obliging.

"Good," she said, sitting down before noting that she needed a cup for the coffee she was reaching for. "Where are the cups?"

Yami handed her one. "Thank you," she said.

"No problem," Yami said, fastening his tie—or trying to; Teana was of the impression that he wasn't good at this sort of thing first thing in the morning and after some drinks. "So—any thought to my proposition?"

Teana's heart froze—what did she agree to last night? "What?"

"About you living here."

"What?"

"He wants to know if you want to stay here," Kineil clarified. "You can't have my room, by the way."

"I already told you no," Teana said.

"I know that," Yami said, frowning down at his tie. He had somehow succeeded in tying a knot around his finger. "I was just—well, I thought maybe if you saw the place—"

"I told him you wouldn't, but no one listens to genius," Kineil said.

"And how are you sober already?" Teana asked her.

"I would say it's because of the fumes from this," Kineil said, putting some of the concoction on a plate, sprinkling it with raw onions, and then putting the plate and a fork in front of Teana. "But it helps that I don't drink as much as the rest of them. Marik and Bakura not sharing definitely helps there."

"Hmm," Teana said, trying to look anywhere but at the plate in front of her. She finally settled upon Yami, still struggling with his tie after untying his hand.

"Here, let me," Teana said, unable to watch anymore. She stood up, crossed over, and pulled Yami's shoulders down to her level so she could fix the tie.

"I would have gotten it eventually," Yami said, holding his chin up.

"I couldn't take it anymore—it was like watching a man drown."

She finished it up and gave it one last tug. "There—all done."

Yami stood up, brushing his tie. "It looks good."

"Thank you."

She turned—

And noted Kineil watching, Hephaestus in the door—both with peculiar expressions on their faces.

"Uh," Hephaestus noised.

Teana waved them off, red-faced, and sat down at her previous seat, eating to avoid saying anything. About the third bite, she remembered that this was the food she was trying to avoid.

She was aware of Kineil watching her as she swallowed. "Not bad," Teana observed. "Once you get past the ick factor."

"Hey," Kineil said, shrugging. "The best food in the world looks like dog food."

"Except for that time we served Vulcan real dog food," Hephaestus observed.

"You did what?" Teana asked flatly.

"That's not even the funny part," Kineil said, giving Hephaestus a plateful of food. "The kicker was that he didn't realize it until he asked for seconds—and then we pulled the can out."

Teana pointed her fork at Yami, seated across from her. "And this is the sort of environment you want me to live in?"

"I'm fairly certain they wouldn't do that to you," Yami said, then looked at Kineil as she put a plate in front of him. "Would you?"

"It depends on how funny it would be," Kineil responded.

"It wouldn't be funny at all," Teana informed her, rubbing her face. "What time is it?"

Yami patted his pockets, looking for his pocket watch; Kineil simply looked at the clock on the wall. "A little before seven. Why?"

Five words that flung Teana into an instant panic. "AAA! I'm late for work!"

"Woah! Hold it!" Yami yelped, catching her as she spun around and jumped out of her chair at the same time—Hephaestus managed to catch the chair and keep hold of his food at the same time. "You can't run into work like this!"

"I can't be late!"

"Can't you take the day off?"

"I've got three jobs going on!"

"You can take off one day on the first one, at least—get yourself together a little, don't you think?"

She forced herself to take a deep breath, realized she had to concede the point. "All right," she sighed finally. "I…I'm going to have to make a call then—and then go freshen up…where's the bathroom?"

"Go to the living room," Kineil said, pointing with a spoon. "Take the first door on your right, then the second door on your left."

"And I'll make the call," Yami said, shooing her towards the living room. "You go do…whatever it is you have to do."

"All right—don't screw this up," she said, pointing at Yami as she left.

"You got it."

*/*\*

The boys were out romping around, for which Jenna was grateful—not that she didn't love her kids, but they tended to leave destruction in their wake without realizing it.

The house was presentable looking again, and she had just finished folding the laundry, smoothing the last shirt out and depositing it in the basket.

And it's not yet noon, she mused, looking at the grandfather clock. Well, there was a Tarzan book calling her, she was sure—she could hear the yell. But first—hurry up and throw these clothes on their respective beds, and then she'd be swinging through the jungle with a wild man in a loincloth.

She opened the door to the boys' room, stepped in—

Heard scrabbling.

She froze, looked around, waited….

There it was again.

"Rats," she muttered, throwing the clothes on the bed, shutting the door, and then getting a towel from the linen closet and shoving it under the door. She was going to have to get Greg to hex them out—she was not having rats in her house.

Although…she could do it herself….

She sighed and rubbed her face. Her side of the family's continued existence depended upon the Administration thinking they were just Commoners with an unfortunate last name. She didn't think they had spying spells on them, but their continued existence depended very much on keeping the sham up.

She clicked her fingers twice, just to see the sparks come up. Good, still there.

Now if only she could use it.

She grabbed the book and camped in front of the teleradio, playing with the knob until she found something action-oriented. She needed an escape, and if Tarzan couldn't swing her out of there, then maybe Zorro could.

Because right now, their worlds of fiction were so much improved over her life.

*\*/*

It took a few false starts—combination hangover with not knowing where Teana worked beyond a diner near the tracks had given both Yami and the operator a field time. But finally, Miss Dale had him hooked up with the diner phone, which was answered with a very brusque "What?"

"Hi, does a Teana Gardenier work there?" Yami decided to ask—might as well make sure.

"She did."

"Did? Past tense?"

"She didn't show up for work today."

"Ah, see, that's why I'm calling—she's got a bit of a headache and can't make it. She tried, I'm telling you, but the general consensus is that she needed a sick day because she wouldn't be worth much right now."

"Well she can take all the sick time she needs."

"Really? That's nice of you."

"In fact, tell her to enjoy it, because she's fired!"

Yami actually had to hold the phone away from his ear on that one. "Wait a minute," he said, bringing the phone back to his ear and talking quickly to keep the guy from hanging up. "Why is she fired? It's one stinking sick day!"

"And what's it to you?"

"I'm her…." Her what, pray tell? "I'm her friend."

"Her drinking friend?"

"Her friend who is asking you very nicely to let her have one sick day, because it's not the end of the world."

"The answer's still no, bub."

Yami ran hot just then. "You know, I hate to play it this way: who do you think you are?"

"What's it to you?"

"Because I'm about to tell you just who I am: Yami Skellington, Head Mage. And while you're busy spluttering and trying to backtrack—" as he was. "Just so you know, Miss Gardenier won't be having to worry about coming into work, because you're going to be under investigation for the foreseeable future—I bet your customers would love to know just what kind of rat runs the joint!"

And with that, he slammed the phone down, feeling very justified.

It was swiftly followed by horror.

"I just lost Miss Teana her job, didn't I?" Yami asked, turning to face his friends.

"That's what it sounded like," Hephaestus said.

"You're a dead man," Kineil opined.

Yami started flailing his hands. "Quick! What do I do!?"

"Un-fire the guy?" Hephaestus guessed.

"I can't do that! The guy's a jerk—and if Teana finds out—" he glanced over his shoulder, expecting her to materialize as soon as her name was mentioned.

"Don't panic—here," Kineil said, handing him a cup of coffee. "Now think—you're having him investigated, correct?"

"That was the threat, yes," Yami said, taking a drink.

"So act on it—get it moving fast, so as far as she knows, it was coming for him anyway."

"Okay," Yami muttered, tapping his fingers on his mug. "So how am I going to get this moving fast? Technically it falls under Administrator jurisdiction—I can recommend an investigation, but…."

Kineil waved him off. "So we get an Administrator to get the ball rolling—preferably one who likes to cause a stir anyway."

There was a moment while they processed just who fit that bill.

"I have a call to make," Yami said, putting his coffee down and picking up the phone.