Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne.
Chi-Town Nights
Chapter 3:
Crazy Girls
= - Marks poetry
Her boots clicked out a catchy rhythm on the cement, her hips keeping the beat as she strode down the busy sidewalk. A young girl slightly shorter hurried along at her side, a little unnerved by the bustle of the city. But the two had done this dance before, hopping around the newspaper stands, hydrants, and trees lining the boulevard. Cold air brushed their cheeks, their breath crystallizing before their faces. Attention was shot their way as they weaved with a familiar ease through the crowd. Perhaps it was the short plaid skirt the taller girl wore, sleek and tight against her shapely thighs. Along with the matching bodice hidden only slightly by the black jean jacket, she was the perfect example of the college students littering the city with their defiance and spirit. Her companion was just as pretty, though in a purer way with her green skirt and white sweater, secured comfortably in a white jacket. They both stood out in their own way, one in the mysterious depths of her eyes and the other in the delicate face framed by angelic light brown hair. Stepping down onto the street, the girls hailed a taxi and disappeared into the yellow transport. The noise was muffled within the quiet interior of the cab. Lucky for them it was clean and sported a yellow maple leaf-shaped air freshener on the mirror.
"Barnes and Noble," Lani smiled at the driver, "Please and thank you." She sat back with a contented sigh pulling the messenger bag over her head.
After several moments of silence Lani studied her friend with an intent stare, "You want my opinion?" Hitomi started, looking from the window to the woman next to her. The force behind her gaze unsettled the girl for a moment and she dropped her eyes to the beige floor. Lani had that odd affect on everyone she met. It was something in the way she kept her expression so still, and her eyes veiled yet curious.
"Mm, yes," Hitomi finally nodded, looking at the woman with quiet desperation. Her friend cocked her head to the side slightly, eyeing her pensively, like a kitten unsure of its prey. Kitty cat indeed.
"Brandy and herbal tea," She said, digging in the bag at her side. Pulling a packet of Egyptian Licorice tea from her satchel she smiled with a shrug. As she handed it to Hitomi she sighed, "This works, or you can use Chamomile, or Peppermint, the key is the brandy."
"Oh," The girl blinked looking at the small brown packet, "Thank you."
"Get the Irish stuff, it's stronger," Lani insisted, then shook her head, "Oh you know the liquor store near Celli's? Wait- your not old enough- oh well, no worries, I'll get it," She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. It occurred to Hitomi that it was rather perfect that she had asked Lani, seeing as how alcohol was in the mix. She shook her head, biting her lip as she felt a flood of guilt tap her with an accusing finger. Sure Lani was a bit wild, but it didn't mean she knew the history of all liquor ever produced. Well at least not all of it.
"But you're not old enough either," Hitomi protested stuffing the tea into her purse.
Lani smirked, "Oh shut up, you know I practically run AA."
"Yeah, but only mooch off the wealthy members," She returned with a teasing smile. They both laughed, and lit with their enthusiasm even the driver smiled.
The twenty from the day before had gone to the driver, and when she had said, "Keep the change," he smiled and thanked her. Walking away from the cab she had laughed picturing the look on Folken's face had he seen her tipping so generously after the ten dollar and sixty six cent ride. Wicked she thought of herself as she linked arms with her peer and headed toward the bookstore.
After an hour of silent reading in the fiction and religion/philosophy aisles the pair met in the café.
"I don't know, Yaya," Hitomi swept a lock of her hair behind her ear, "Sometimes I think it'd be easier if he were still in Fanelia." She sighed looking down at the cup between her hands. The smell of coffee was somehow soothing and she looked up to watch the clerk pour a bag of beans into the grinder. Chewing on a coffee stir Lani smiled faintly at the girl.
"Yaya thinks you're kidding yourself," She said softly, one eye hidden by the curtain of her black hair. Hitomi turned her attention to the woman across the table, waiting patiently for her to explain. "It's foolish to think that he would be happy without you. What would come from days wishing you were with someone too far away? Not a damn thing. It's just a reminder that we're lonely. Sometimes it's nicer to trick yourself into believing that's not true," Slowly her head rose slightly, to look Hitomi in the face. She smiled, "You're such a sap."
She chuckled lightly, tearing the brown paper ring from around her cappuccino, and retorted, "So? You don't realize it but you are too," Her eyes sparkled as she challenged the woman with an impudent smile. Lani rolled her eyes with a forced laugh shaking her head. "It's true," Hitomi was adamant, "You're just as sappy as I am. You're a romantic at heart."
"Whatever!" Lani cried, laughing, "I'm just in it for the sex!" A hush fell. She had spoken during one of those abnormal moments when the room became dead silent. Her words seemed to echo in the corners of the bookstore. As usual she coolly laughed it off. With her outspoken ease she smiled, raising her voice slightly, "Yes that's right everyone! I'm in it for the sex." She noticed the rose blush coloring her friend's cheeks and raised her brows innocently. Shaking back her hair she got to her feet as she pulled her bag over her head.
Smiling widely she looked around spreading her hands, "Come on people, if the sex is good, who cares about anything else?" Scandalized an older couple shook their heads. But not everyone could ignore the woman's cheery observation. The chuckles were enough for Lani, who shrugged.
From a table near theirs a young man offered quietly, "Hell, yeah." Hitomi looked over at him wide-eyed, and then looked away, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. But embarrassment meant little to Lani, and she continued her tirade.
"Hell yeah!" She shouted grabbing her coat as she slowly sauntered towards the door. Her companion scrambled after her, her eyes on her feet as she fumbled with her purse and the plastic bag she held. It seemed that nothing could wipe away the completely mortified look from her face.
As they pushed through the double doors Hitomi muttered with a nervous laugh, "You see? That's why you're not allowed in half the bookstores in this city."
Still glorifying in the moment the woman just laughed, "Don't trip! They know me there! The manager just shook her head!" She draped an arm around Hitomi's tense shoulders, resting her head against the girl's, "You love it!" Hitomi looked irritated for little more than a moment before she broke into a smile.
Rolling her eyes she leaned into her friend, "Only with you, Yaya." The chill of winter was nothing compared to the warm laughter that bubbled around the two. They swaggered on the sidewalk like drunks, swapping insults and reveling in the positive energy surging from one another. It was easy to forget the inquiring stares they received when the lights of the city lit their way down the streets. Evening hung over Chi-Town, ever darkening as the sun hid behind the skyscrapers and office buildings. The buzz and snap of electricity mingled with the sounds of traffic. It was indeed the beginning of another Chi-Town night.
= Happy little town. But I didn't eat today. Who needs food? It'll swallow you whole. I don't care. My routine is this for now. I'm not going to change it. Walking down the street is easy on an empty stomach. Because food weighs it down otherwise. Yes, and I'm too busy to be weighed down.
I like my life this way.
And sometimes when I find myself hating what it's become I can look away. I like to look away. I look away into the sky and see the clouds. I look away and see the people. I look away into his eyes.
Such beautiful eyes. I could get lost. That sepia gaze… What a treasure for my world.
And what a world it is, where I can look away and laugh. I laughed today.
So what if I'm indecent? I love the shame.
So what if I'm conceited… Everyone else is.
But I hate it. I want to scrub the vanity from myself because it's so ugly. How can this little bitch be vain? Not when the streets were once all she had. And all I have should be all I want. But there's so much more. I want to taste it all, hold it in my hands; put it in my pocket.
Happy little town. But I didn't eat today. = Lani
"Did you eat today?" He asked pouring a cup of coffee.
"Yep," She replied dropping the pen and crumpling up the piece of paper. She tossed it into the wicker basket next to the refrigerator.
"Why don't I believe you?" He glared at her over the rim of the cup.
She smiled, resting her head in her hand, "I don't know. You have trust issues." Her hazel eyes looked venomous as they sparked gray and lapsed into a light brown. She exuded a wicked energy that curled with her lips. An image of her decked out in the attire of a Turkish belly dancer flashed into his mind. He could almost see the veil covering half her face, her eyes sensuously lined with dark kohl and green shadow. He frowned darkly, closing his eyes to banish the picture she sent. It was one of her many tricks meant to distract him.
"Not today," He opened his eyes to stare at her seriously, but she had disappeared from the stool. His eyes darted to the sunken living room as he set the mug down. She sat on the white sofa, her legs tucked to the side as she kept her eyes intently on the book in her hands. He knew this game and he was not amused. She sat so pretty pretending to have no knowledge of him in the room, but… He crossed the room with slow deliberate movements. Standing in front of her, he placed his hand beneath her chin. Lifting her head to see her eyes he spoke calmly with his usual detached air, "I'm not playing, Lani."
She gave him a patient smile, and purred softly, "Don't you have a paper to write?" Pure defiance shone in her feline-esque eyes. The clever girl knew she was pressing his nerves. She could feel the annoyance in his grip as he pulled his hand away hastily.
His cats would never defy him like this! Why he thought of them at that moment he wasn't sure, but the pain was clear for a second. It vanished beneath his cold mask, but she had always caught onto his emotions. His hands curled into fists at his sides. The chill snaked into her like a poisonous vine and she could feel the sudden emptiness. He had confused her with them again, with his angel cats, his fallen worshipers. And no she didn't mind the thought of them; she actually found them courageous. But there was something else in his eyes. It was that one thing he couldn't get past. Was she his girlfriend or his servant?
She got to her feet in front of him. Like a child standing in front of her father she faced him.
"I'm not your servant, Folken," Her words were bitter and thick with wounded pride. What a night to broach the subject again. He was still learning to accept her for what she was to him. The former arguments rung in his ears and he winced dropping his gaze to the couch. He couldn't bear to look into those eyes. Not when they reminded him so much of them. Not when there was that familiar distress within them.
He sighed bringing his hand up to his temple, "The article is due in the Science Journal less than a week from now." She pursed her lips and nodded silently.
"Kay," Her voice was no more than a whisper. Angrily she blinked away the tears and took a deep breath. She swallowed hard turning her head to the side. "Then call me when you've got time to play," Her voice was strained and mocking. She brushed past him hurriedly heading toward his room. He closed his eyes, feeling the knot squeezing tighter. He should stop her. He should apologize. Folken stood unmoving, unable to find the courage.
Lani swept into his room, swiping her bag from the bed and rushing into the bathroom. Her stomach was killing her. The stabbing pain nagged at her as she grabbed her make-up and shoved it into her bag. Her toothbrush was next. She scanned the area for any other personal items and spotted a razor, a few earrings, and small pile of clothes. When she had cleared the bathroom she practically ran into the bedroom, clutching a box to her chest. She emerged from the room, her bag over her shoulder, a pair of shoes in one hand and the box in her other. Her porcelain cheeks were flushed by that time, her thick eye lashes wet with salty tears. She stopped in the kitchen at the top of the steps, her chest rising and falling with her heavy breaths. But he was a statue. Shaking her head fiercely she bit her lip with a growl, suppressing the livid tears.
"Hire some help!" She cried, chucking a box of tampons at him. Turning on her heel she stormed out, her feet bare, and her hair flying behind her like a black cape. The box hit his shoulder, tossing tampons left and right on the couch and floor. Have you ever noticed the sound of a door slamming? The echo that follows is haunting. That sound makes everything so final. But he knew it wasn't final. There was a simple answer for her frazzled emotional state. And no, all you sexists out there can put "that" idea out of your mind. The simple answer was that she had not eaten. She had not eaten in a long time; that always tended to make her moody. But infinitely more had built up that fire. Damn lighter fluid. Was life never without its stacks of wood waiting for sparks? Yeah, whatever that means.
Author's Note: Was that bitchin' or what? Nothing like throwing a box of tampons at your boyfriend to tell him he sucks! LOL! I don't know what that craziness was! But now you have an idea of how eccentric Lani is. Please review! Oh, by the way, when Lani said "Hire some help," she meant like maids, not like psychiatric help. I just thought I'd clear that up for ya. And Yaya is Lani's nickname. Aloha!