Warnings: AU, yaoi
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Insolent Angel
Part 3
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"I can't believe that woman! Of all the incomprehensible, strange, stupid things to do--!"
'You can't exactly blame her,' Yohji's subconscious retorted in Manx's defense, 'Especially since you made that scene. She either thinks that the statue has some sort of dark hidden power, or that you're insane. I'd bet on the latter.'
Yohji glowered and mentally told his voice of reason to shut up. Leaning back into his chair, verdant eyes shot the white marble figure a glare.
"It's all your fault," the man jabbed a accusing finger at the statue, "Why didja have to be so weird? And now, because you made me have that mental breakdown, I'm stuck with you for who knows how long! And on top of that, I'm not even getting PAID!"
The marble angel, in its sitting position on the floor, remained hautily silent.
"ARG!" growling, Yohji slammed a fist into his desk. A few loose sheafs of paper fluttered placidly toward the floor.
Realizing that he wasn't going to get a retort --much less a response-- Yohji threw up his hands, and flopped angrily down on the bed.
"This sucks. This royally sucks. I'm going to bed, and you--" another withering glare at the statue "--can do your damned disappearing act and vanish during the night!!"
Promptly blowing out the candle, Yohji rolled over to face the wall.
Then turned.
Then shifted.
Then sat up and fluffed his pillow.
A few hours later (after an avid bout of tossing and turning), faint snores filled the room..
Had Yohji been awake, his keen hearing would have picked up the sound of marble grating against marble, and the unmistakable scratch of quill against paper.
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The morning began as normal as any day.
Upon waking up, taking a back arching stretch, and stumbling out of bed, Yohji did not --in his sleep-hazed senses-- deduce anything of amiss in his room. Upon his return from the shower, however, lent a different observation.
Bending down to pick up the papers he had scattered in anger, Yohji noticed an extra addition to the sheets of blank paper. On every sheet, a single line had been scrawled across the page.
The handwriting, at first glance, appeared childish and rather incoherent. Under a close scrutiny, however, the letters was cramped, but well practiced --as if the person had been writing with a uncooperative hand.
Yet another mystery to add to
"Superas ad auras, hymnos angelorum," Yohji read aloud to the best of his ability, before looking quizically around the room. Latin. "Just wonderful. The one language I absolutely don't get." a soft sigh. Then, softly: "Asuka would have gotten it."
The paper crumpled under Yohji's fist.
A few seconds later, the door swung closed.
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"Mou, YOHJI! Put those back!" Omi made a jump for the plate of meat pies. Naturally, he missed.
Yohji chuckled, his spirits lightened by the familiar routine of Omi-baiting, "What'll you give me for it?"
"How about I won't demand payment for your mile-long tab today?!" another angry jump.
"Hmm... good bribe, but I'm not selling."
"Yohji! Those were specially ordered! Give it back!!" the blonde boy made a frantic jump.
Lifting the plate above Omi's grasp, Yohji stepped back a few steps, turned, and was about to run away with his prize when Omi's foot stepped firmly down on his toes. Yohji winced, tripped, and crashed into a stool.
The plate of pies, of course, went flying.
"YOHJI!!!"
"No, no, I got it!" In one practiced motion, Yohji regained his balance and caught the plate. In a few movements of his arm, the man had managed to land most of the meat pies on to plate.
The last pie however flew wide over Yohji's reach and landed with an assertive splat! on a customer's shoulder.
"Ah! I'm terribly sorry!" Omi sprang into action. Grabbing a towel, the boy ran over to the customer and did his best to mop away the mess on the man's shoulder.
"No, it's okay, I get stuff splattered on me all the time!" the man's brown eyes were laughing beneath unruly chestnut bangs, "I'm just glad I'm not the cause of it. Again."
Yohji bit back a snicker.
"Well... If you want compensation, it's all Yohji's --that man over there's-- fault." Omi pointed to Yohji.
Yohji whistled an innocent tune and pretended that he wasn't holding the incriminating plate of pies.
"So," Omi grinned, "if you want him to buy you breakfast, a new jacket, or maybe a house, know that he's held liable for fulfilling your every wish."
"Well... a house is tempting..."
"Don't be modest, demand a mansion!" Omi chirped in.
Yohji's eyes widened, then narrowed in a glare at the blonde boy. Setting the plate down, Yohji raked a hand through his hair. "No offence, but I ain't buying you a house unless you're getting married to me. And since you're male, and I'm male, that's not possible."
The man at the counter gave a small chuckle and seemed to bite back a retort. Instead, he offered his hand. Yohji shook it.
"I'm Ken Hidaka --and I'd like breakfast please."
Yohji gave a mock-servantile bow, "Yohji Kudo. How would you like your eggs, sir?"
"As expensive as possible!" Omi chirped in.
"Umm..." Ken pretended to think it over, "What the kid said."
"Omi! You're not helping!"
"Who said I had to? Oh, and Yohji?"
"What?"
"You owe me 1074 gaelons ...and 63 sylvirs." the blonde boy's face was smug, "Payment is due next Friday. No exceptions."
Yohji cussed. Colorfully.
The morning was no longer as entertaining.
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After watching Ken scarf away his breakfast using his money, Yohji's pride was in shambles. He could usually win these little teasing games with Omi when it was one-on-one, but now the kid had someone else on his side.
Not to mention that Omi had finally set a deadline for his (infamously) long tab.
This was war.
Once Omi's back was turned serving other customers, Yohji slung an arm around Ken's shoulders. "Now that you're done with breakfast and all, wanna take a walk with me?"
The brunette raised an sardonic eyebrow, "I thought your motto was 'you're male, I'm male --no can do'."
"It still is."
Ken shrugged. "Fine by me --where to?"
"Oh, you know. Around. You're new around here, right?" Yohji got up to leave and Ken took the hint to follow.
"Is it that obvious?" the other man winced as they stepped out into the streets.
"Well, you haven't tried to lift my purse yet. That has to account for something." Yohji gave Ken a rakish grin, "This is Riverside afterall. The 'rules' here aren't as proper as the nobles have it up on the Hill."
Ken shook his head, "I'm not from the Hill... and besides, if all Riversiders are as bad as you say they are, then why hasn't anything been stolen from me yet?"
"You sure about that?"
"Wha--? Of course I'm sure!" the brown-haired man dug into his pockets and pulled out a full pouch. "See?" A triumphant --and utterly naive-- grin.
Yohji sighed dramatically and gave a sigh for emphasis. "Judging from the odd angles of the bulges in this money purse..." Yohji snatched the pouch from Ken's hand, hefted it into the air, and then deftly caught it again, "...as well as the weight and sound of its contents..." Yohji opened the pouch and presented it with a flourish to Ken, "...you were cleverly, but most definitely, robbed."
Within the purse, rocks had replaced whatever money it once held.
Ken gave a startled yelp. "B-but when --how --why me?!"
"Probably because you looked like an easy target." Yohji tried his best to look consolidating, all he could manage was an amiable smile. At least he managed not to smirk at the other man's misfortune. "Did anyone bump into you on the streets?"
"I passed the market on my way here--"
"Let me guess," Yohji held up a hand, "There was a big crowd and you couldn't help but bump into people."
"Yeah! That's right--" Ken stopped, then gave Yohji an annoyed/angry/petulant look, "Are you mocking me?"
"No, no, not at all." Yohji clapped a hand on Ken's shoulder, "This sort of thing happens to everyone in about the same way. Think of it as Riverside's welcome, if you will."
"But why would anyone risk it when they saw I brought this along?" Ken gestured at the broadsword that hung sheathed at his side.
Yohji shrugged, "That's why they took the time to replace your pouch with rocks. It's too fool you long enough so that you don't give chase. Of course," Yohji gave the other man a surveying look, "that's assuming you know how to use that thing."
"Of course I do!" Ken indignantly huffed, "I wouldn't be carrying it around if I didn't."
Yohji approved of that motto. He himself used it, afterall. "Good. Now tell me you didn't bring your entire fortune with you in that purse."
"I'm not that stupid!" Ken paused, then sighed, brown eyes downcast, "Problem is, I don't have much more right now. I was planning to get lodgings today, and my next stipend isn't going to come for another few days."
Things were going according to plan and Yohji congratulated himself for it. As it were, he did not possess the money --right now, anyway-- to fully pay off his tab. If he got Ken to plead Omi for an extension, then Omi would have to accept, if only for the sake of satisfying a customer. Though the boy was young, he was also one of the long-time workers of The Canary... and as a worker at the center of a web of information networking in Riverside, Omi held human --albeit theives'-- integrity in high value.
Which is why, Yohji suspected, he himself had been allowed to stay unchecked for so long at the inn in the first place.
All he had to do really, was stall. Oh, he'd be expected to make a few down payments, just to convince Omi he was serious, but sooner or later, Omi'd stop nagging and his tab payments could start to gather dust once more.
Yohji turned back toward Ken and feigned pained indecision, "Well, I could help you out... but, you see, I'm already pretty low on money myself... and I'd still have to pay Omi back... but then again, I could help by... no, no, no, that won't work.... or maybe it will..."
"W-what won't work --or might work?" Ken rose to the bait.
"I could lend you money... but..." a pause for dramatics, "...that's going to take some doing on both our parts.."
"What would I have to do?" Ken grabbed the bait.
"Go back over to Omi and ask him for an extension on my payment, would you? No, don't worry, nothing long --just until I finish my current job. By then, I'll have the money and then some to pay up. As for you, since it's not that big of a deal, just ask your boarding to be added to my tab. You can pay me --with a few extra sylvirs for interest, of course-- when you get your money. Sound good to you?"
"Yeah, that sounds reasonable... thanks Yohji!"
Hook. Line. And sinker.
"No problem!" Yohji gave Ken a good-hearted pat on the shoulder, "Now I've got some business to take care of, so I'll meet you back at the inn later alright?"
"See you later!"
And with that, Yohji sauntered off whistling.
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Yohji purposely and methodically spent the day away from the inn. It was always best to lay low for a bit after someone demands something from you. Even the lowest of the pickpockets knew this lesson. Those who didn't learn became the example after the guards were through when them.
Rather than visit Shrient, Yohji gambled his time and pocket change at the Red Queen. He left the bar a bit richer in money and beer than when he had entered.
When he did finally make his way back to The Canary, Yohji did not enter by the main door. He instead braved a climb up the delicate and quite collapse-friendly trellis --which usually a sane person never did unless he knew exactly where to step, lifted the latch of the hall window, and then walked to his room.
Upon unlocking the door, Yohji felt a vague sense of dread at the pit of his stomache. Immediately, he was on alert, scanning the room as best he could by the sparse lantern lights filtering through the curtains.
He noticed it at once:
The statue was missing.
His first reaction was that it was stolen. After what Manx had told him of his employer's murder, it didn't surprise him that there were people who sought the statue. What boggled him was how. There were only two ways out of his room: the door and the window. The door led to a short hallway (with one window) and then downstairs to the main floor of the inn. To leave by the hall window would have forced the theif to use the same route Yohji had to get up, and the vine trellis would have definitely collapsed under the weight of man and statue. To think that the man had simply waltzed out the front door was also impossible. As preoccupied as Omi was with customers, even he would have noticed a man dragging a life-sized marble statue from the stairway which only held Yohji's apartment. An escape by his room window would also have been fruitless. It only led to a brief stretch of roof with no way down except by ladder, and such a ladder would have been seen in plain view from the main floor window.
As Yohji ticked off each and every possible solution, a defiant part of the mind told him of another answer. What if it was magic? What if, like the first night, someone had magicked the angel away?
Such thoughts made Yohji annoyed. Magic was something out of a bedtime story.
Magic wasn't real.
Someone real had stolen his goods. And though those goods had been reluctantly accepted, it was still a bargaining chip for payment. As his reputation demands of it, Yohji would make whoever that took the statue pay.
Out of the corner of his eye, Yohji saw movement and instantly stiffened, flattening himself against the wall. Something on his bed was moving. Yes, he was sure of it. Slow, almost awkward motions, but movement nonetheless.
A carriage took that time below to drive by and stop at The Canary. Voices, enunciated with alcohol, floated up from below along with fire-light from the torch-bearers.
In that brief few seconds of illumination, Yohji saw what --no, who-- was there.
Red hair splayed against alabaster skin. Marble wings heaved in the air. Dark eyes fixed on Yohji.
The statue was alive.
The carriage drove off into the night and the room was once again thrown into shadow and obscurity...
...but this time, Yohji could distinctively hear two sets of breath in the room.
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My god, has it really been this long since I wrote for this fic? (boggled) I figured I'd put it on hold for college applications, but as you can all tell, it's waaaaay beyond that now. I do, however, plan to finish this darn thing considering that it's been rolling around in my head for so long and there isn't even Yotan-Ayan interaction yet... ;-;
I wonder if there's anyone still reading this thing? o.o;
...and if you are, review? :3
