A Sense of Confusion
"Yeah..." Long agreed, laughing at her words although he seriously doubted that they'd be lucky enough that Van would get stuck on the island. Eventually he would be back, even if it wasn't right away. He he held Alica close and wondered at the circumstances that had brought them there. Van taking off all of a sudden, Stephen going on some conference, it all seemed just a bit too convenient the way they'd simply left. He knew better than to doubt Alica's word on the matter, but it was still too good to be true. In any case he doubted it would last very long. "But eventually Stephen will be back. I don't think I'll be able to look him in the face."
"What do you mean?"
"I, uh... thought you two had something going on..." he replied, thinking back to the other day when they'd been drinking. He supposed that it wasn't her fault that Stephen had happened to be the closest on hand to comfort her at the time. Long had felt a bit jealous, but it had been own own decision to sit up in his chair while they took the couch. "but maybe I was just jumping to a conclusion for no good reason?" she nodded. "I guess I was getting a bit jealous of the attention you gave him."
"Ah, I see."
"I know I can be a pain in the @$$ somtimes..."
"No, I can understand where you got it from... but really, we're nothing more then friends, and I take whatever friends I can get in this hell hole."
"I'm a bit reluctant to make friends myself..." he explained. "Hesitant to trust people I guess."
"I can't blame you. Some people simply take longer, that's all."
"Nothing I can do about it I guess." Alica nodded and he cuddled her a bit, she sighed happily.
"Its been a while since I've had the chance to do this."
"I've never really been this close to anyone outside my family before. I'm not really this close with them anymore either." she nodded in agreement.
"My father kept me to busy to have any real boyfriends."
"I was always shy to begin with, and after I became an assassin I was too busy."
"Now though perhaps that could change."
"Maybe..." he mumbled, starting to get confused. Didn't she just say that we're nothing more than friends? But now we're back at the boyfriend thing again...
"I'd like that."
"I think I would too." Long admitted, smiling down at her. He liked being close to her, but at the same time he was afraid of it. And still afraid of Van. What would happen once her half-brother returned? Alica nodded and looked into his face, and he hugged her close and sighed contentedly. He decided he could forget about Van, if only for a little while. She slid one hand up to his collar and opened his shirt a little, laying her hand on his chest and feeling his pulse. He blinked and gasped, shocked by the touch of her fingers against his bare skin. Then reached up and covered her hand with his own, glancing down at it and wondering why it felt so good there. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling, and leaned back in his chair.
"You gonna fall asleep now?" she wondered.
"Not unless you want me to..." he replied, smiling.
"I don't mind, I'm kinda coming down off of my high myself, and this is very comfy."
"Yes it is." he agreed. She nuzzled against him and closed her eyes, and he wrapped one arm around her and sighed happily. He could already feel his conscious fading, so he fell asleep on the chair, with her in his arms. They slept through most of the night that way, with very little tossing or turning. (There wasn't any room for it in any case.) And they both slept fairly well. They were comforted by each other's presence, conscious of the fact that in the cruel world they lived in, they were no longer alone. Long awoke first the next morning, to the soft glow of morning light pouring through a window behind him. At first he wondered where he was, and the realized that she was still laying on top of him and they had never left the chair.
He looked down into her face, and reached one hand up to play with her bangs, gently brushing them out of her face. He couldn't help but wonder how he really felt about her. He felt her hand, still resting on the skin just below his neck. It made him a bit uneasy, so he gently moved it away and buttoned the collar back up, instantly feeling relieved. He genuinely enjoyed the time they'd spent together, but somehow he was still uncertain about how close to her he really wanted to be. With any luck, perhaps it won't go any farther than this, he thought. He couldn't help but wonder what Alica really wanted from him. He wanted to please her, but at the same time he didn't want to make himself uncomfortable. However, he was also painfully aware that just about any form of human touch usually made him feel that way.
She stirred a bit in her sleep, probably getting ready to wake up. He lied still, reluctant to wake her just yet. He wanted to reason out his feelings for her first, but somehow he was unable to grasp their meaning. He didn't know what he was looking for at all. Which feeling meant romantic love and which meant simple platonic companionship? He had no basis for comparison, no system to help him define them and sort them out. He lacked any experience with them or knowledge of them, which was why he usually tried to avoid them at all costs. He looked down her her once more, so helpless in his arms. He could crush her life with one blow. Obviously, she trusted him, which was so much more than anyone had ever given him before.
"Jing, wu qin.*" He said, bending down to kiss her forehead.
"Huh?" she asked sleepilly, rubbing her eyes.
"You fell asleep on me you know." She blinked in surprise and looked around the room a bit before looking back up at him and smiling.
"Oh. Good morning."
"Good morning."
"Hm... what time is it?"
"I have no idea. No room for a wrist watch with these weights on..." he looked up at his wall clock. "Eh, around 8AM. You didn't have any meetings to be at, did you?"
"Huh?" she asked, still a bit groggy. "Oh, no. Not at all." She stretched her limbs and yawned a bit. "I was just curious."
"Well, if you'd let me up I could make us some tea... and maybe some breakfast. How does eggs and toast sound?"
"I'm gunna run to my room realy quick to change and freshen up a little."
"I probably ought to do that as well..." he agreed, hoping he hadn't gotten too sweaty during the night.
"Heh... a shower couldn't really hurt for either of us, I suppose." he nodded in agreement. "Soo... meet back in 20 mins?"
"Sure." he agreed, nodding. She nodded back and then climbed off him and walked out the door. The first thing he did was utter a huge yawn, and then he proceeded to stretch his arms and legs, arching his back out of the chair's seat. It helped relieve his tired and cramped muscles. Won't do that again anytime soon... he thought. As much as he enjoyed the emotional comfort that her presence brought, the physical discomfort was annoying. Maybe if we tried the bed, at least that would be more comfortable... When he realized the implications of what he was saying his eyes widened in surprise. Um, no... Wouldn't want her getting the wrong idea. We're still just friends afterall... aren't we? It occurred to him that he ought to talk with her about it, just to make sure they were both assuming the same thing about their relationship.
That might be a difficult thing though, since he suspected that she wanted to take things a little farther than he did. He couldn't be sure of course, her words and actions confused him completely. So he didn't know what she really wanted from him, but it seemed like what she wanted was more than friendship. Then he supposed that it didn't really matter so much what category they were put into, no one knew about them anyway. It wasn't the emotional feelings he had that bothered him so much. It was the fear of what might happen if she decided she wanted to take their physical relationship to the next level. He balked at even so much as the thought of it. He tried to figure out why it scared him so, maybe because he was such a loner in the first place. He felt nervous about any kind of human contact, but especially that kind.
He got up off his chair, deciding that he'd thought quite enough on that subject for the moment. He reminded himself that he'd better hurry and get himself dressed since she would be returning to him shortly. It turned out that the twenty minutes she'd given him was more than enough. He had no trouble conserving time and could shower in five minutes. He went about the task of cleaning himself quickly and efficiently, disciplining himself against the urge to soak in the warm water and savor it's comfort. When he got out he checked himself in the mirror as he did everyday. He noted any sign of facial hair and carefully shaved it away since he would not permit it to ruin his customary clean-shaven look.
When it was time to get dressed he selected a red shirt with golden trim and some black pants, both in the style of his usual formal Chinese attire. He paired them with gold and black hair ties and a golden belt across his waist. He even had red and black wrist and ankle weights to match the set, but decided not to wear them since it was unlikely he'd have any work that day. If anything could be said of his style of dress, it was that he looked sharper than a razor blade and finer then the most costly bottle of wine. Indeed he had his own individual style, a style that could neither be matched nor duplicated. He went into the kitchen and prepared some tea, and started cooking the eggs before he heard her knock on the door. When he answered it he saw that she had also chosen to dress primarilly in red and black that day. Appropriate colors for our line of work. he thought.
"I'm back." she announced, smiling happilly just to be there.
"Good," he said, nodding and motioning her in before closing the door. "I've got the tea ready, just started on the eggs. Go ahead and have a seat on the couch."
"No prob." He walked into the kitchen to get her a cup of tea and handed it to her before going back to his cooking. She took a sip and recognized it as the same tea from the other night. "Good stuff."
"I drink it all the time myself. If you get tired of it I've also got some apple juice and orange juice in here to go with breakfast."
"Nah, if I need a change I'll just put a pinch of sugar it." She sat down on the couch and looked around the place a bit. It wasn't much different than it had been the first time she'd seen it. In fact there were no new decorations and it looked just as plain as usual. But someohow she'd gotten used to the look of the place and found it comforting. "Nice place."
"Thank you..." Long replied "still a bit barren, but not bad. However I'm afraid I lack any kind of dining table at all, and I don't even have any TV trays, so we'll simply have to use the coffe table to eat off of. Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all." She replied. He put a few pieces of bread into the toaster and checked on the eggs.
"How many eggs do you want?"
"Two are fine." He nodded and checked on them, deciding that they were done. The toast popped up momentarilly and he spread butter over it. Then he set up both their plates and set them on the coffe table along with the few pieces of flatware he owned. he had to go back into the kitchen to get his tea, and then he sat down beside her to eat. She seemed a bit surprised that the eggs were hard boiled and sitting up in little egg holders. "I was kinda expecting them to be scrambled or something." she explained.
"That's just how I like it, does it bother you?"
"They're fine." she replied, using her spoon to crack open the shell.
"Alica... there was something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Uh, well... I wanted to discuss our relationship. I've been a bit confused lately and I'm unsure of specifically what level it's at." She looked over at him and smiled at his efforts to keep calm about something he was obviously so nervous about. She waited for him to say something more, but instead he looked over at her as though searching for some kind of answer.
"If you're trying to ask me to tell you what level it's at, then I don't know anymore than you do." He seemed dissapointed with the statement, it only confused him even more. "Don't you think we should both decide that?" she prompted. He considered it for a moment, while eating his eggs, and then nodded solemnly in agreement. "Well, like I said last night I think I would like it if we got together. I'm not really sure... but I want to play around with the thought for awhile. What do you think?"
"Well... I suppose I like how things have been going lately. However, you must know that I have this unreasonable fear of physical intimacy." She couldn't help but chuckle at the statement. His use of formal words in an effort to distance himself from the subject was futile, and to her it was funny.
"Hahahahaha... Yeah, I noticed."
"You're laughing at me." he looked stricken.
"I'm not laughing at you, Long... I'm laughing with you." she honestly insisted.
"Then why am I not laughing?"
"Because you have no sense of humor, you know that?"
"I suppose..."
"It would do you some good if you'd loosen up a bit, don't take life so seriously."
"'...don't take life so seriously.' she says, as though I have a choice in the matter." he shook his head. "I cannot help it. As an assassin my life is dreary and I find none of it humorous."
"I'm not asking you to turn psychotic like Fox and laugh while you're killing people. Just laugh at your own stupidity once in awhile. Or, since you never seem to do anything stupid, laugh at the stupidity of others."
"Stupidity is not a laughable thing."
"Bwahahahahah!"
"There is nothing funny about that!"
"Your so serious it's funny, heheheheh..."
"I think you're losing it."
"And I think- hehe- that you've been cooped up in this mad house too long, Long!"
"Now stop that! My name is not humorous either!"
"Yes it is! Mahahahah..."
"How ridiculous."
"I'm really sorry. He he... Can't help it!" Long shook his head in annoyance and ignored her in favor of finishing his breakfast. Eventually her laughter calmed down and she finished her breakfast off as well. Once they were both done he silently picked up their plates and took them into the kitchen for cleaning. "You're not mad at me are you?"
"I'm not angry, although I'm seriously concerned about your mental condition."
"Meh, it's under control."
"I was trying to joke."
"Oh... well you need to take that serious tone outta your voice if you're joking."
"No, you're right. I have no sense of humor at all."
"It's a shame. Intelligent people such as ourselves are often capable of a fine sense of humor, you just need to try and develope it."
"I feel that such things are a waste of both time and effort."
"You seriously need to chill. Maybe I'll take you out somewhere today. Wouldn't hurt you to have a little fun you know."
"Fun, what is that?"
"Mwahahahahah! There, you see! That was funny!"
"I'm serious, I seem to have forgotten what it is."
"Hahahahaha!"
"I can't even remember the last time I went out somewhere and enjoyed it."
"Stop, stop! Hehe... You're gunna make me bust a gut!"
"I was only telling the truth."
"You're hilarious!"
"It's not funny, it's pathetic. I haven't even a trace of a social life."
"Hahaha... Well, we'll just have to fix that then."
"I don't know if I want that fixed. Besides, we have to go down to the freak room soon."
"The meeting room?" Alica assumed. "What's the use? Van's not gonna be there."
"I'd like to see the looks on the other assassin's faces when they find that out. Don't you think it would be amusing?"
"You're amused by some of the strangest things, aren't you?" He smiled.
"Are you coming?"
"If you're going then there's no reason to sit around up here by myself." As soon as he was done washing their dishes they left his dorm and headed down to the waiting room. They got in a little later than the usual appointed time, and everyone else was already sitting around and waiting. There was a feeling of tension in the air, as there often was in this room. It was as though they'd interrupted some kind of argument. So they sat down in their usual places and glanced about the room, waiting for someone to break the silence. It didn't happen right away, which gave them all some time to think.
For the first time since he'd come there Long wondered why his chair was situated where it was: catercorner to Fox's vanity. He wondered why it couldn't have been put across the room, or at least on the other side. He supposed that if it bothered him so much to be close to Hans that he could always go and sit on one of the couches like all the other people did. But the truth was that he was too stubborn to give up his recliner. And then he wondered why it was always left open for him. The others obviously had the chance to sit in it if they wished, although once he got there he would certainly order them out. Perhaps they already realized how possessive he was of his chair. If that was so and it was such an easy thing to figure out, then why couldn't Stephen have realized the same thing?
"Hey, Long." Greg said, requesting his attention. #318 glanced over at him with a look of mild annoyance. "You can still turn into a tiger, right? Wanna join my circus?"
"No, I do not." he replied coldly, looking away.
"Oo, now you're in for it dear." Fox wanred. "He won't stop badgering you about it for weeks. You know that dumbass is so stupid that he doesn't even realize that he is a Zoanthrope himself?"
"Somehow that does not surprise me." Long replied.
"I had this great idea for a show, you could be the main attraction! C'mon whadda ya say!?!"
"I said, no."
"But just think about how the crowd would 'Ooo' and 'Ahhh' when you transform, you've gotta join my circus!" Singh Long grumbled a bit and seemed to pull something out of his pants pocket. With a quick flick of his wrist something metallic gleamed as it sailed through the air. It buried it's self in Greg's ridiculous top-hat, the impact so hard that it was knocked into the wall and pinned there. Once it was over everyone looked up to discover that the object was a throwing knife. Greg pulled it out of the wall and his hat and stared at the pointed tip in shock.
"You see that point?" #318 asked.
"Yes." Greg replied.
"Ask me to join your circus one more time and one just like it will be buried several inches into that thick skull of yours. Get it? You will if you don't shut up, dumb@$$."
"I get it." he replied, dropping the knife on the floor and scowling at the hole in his hat.
"Not bad... for a beginner." Bakuryu commented. "But as a master ninja I've been throwing stars for years. I could kill with them."
"I can kill with knives too." Long replied coldly. "In either case it works better than hairbrushes, hm?"
"You're just jealous because I though of throwing things in this room first!" Fox claimed.
"What an absurd notion." Singh Long said, chuckling. "To think that I would ever be jealous of you for any reason is quite ridiculous." After that the room went silent for a moment, since no one cared to contest Long's last comment. Then Vark entered the room, walking into the center and couching to get everyone's attention.
"Van has gone on vacation." she announced. "You are all dismissed for three weeks, except for #318."
"Wo hooo!" Greg shouted. "A three week vacation, yeah!"
"How dull." Bakuryu complained. "I shall simply have to find a few odd jobs to occupy my time."
"Not a bad idea." Fox agreed. "I haven't had a decent kill in weeks. If only you'd never shown up!" he glared at Long for a moment. "What does Van want with you, anyway?"
"Good question." Alica added, glancing over at Vark.
"#318 is to meet me in Van's office in five-" she was interrupted by a ringing sound, and pulled a little cell phone out of her pocket. "Hello? Oh, Van! Yes, I was just telling them... You want me to what? Yes, of course..." She took the phone away from her ear and covered the speaker for a moment. Then she walked over to Long's chair and handed him the phone. "He wants to talk to you." she explained, shrugging. As soon as he took the phone she turned and left the room, as if sent on some errand. Singh Long cautiously lifted the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Hello Long," Van's formal voice greeted over the phone. "got a little job for you in my absence."
"Will it take up the entire three week period?"
"Hm? Why do you ask?"
"I was hoping to go back to China for a few of my things, I would only need a couple days."
"Well... I think the only way I can let you do that is if you leave as soon as possible. I'll need you here during the last two weeks of my vacation."
"May I ask what for?"
"Certainly. Vark should be arriving with a folder full of information detailing the assignment any moment, but basically I need you to keep an eye on things while I'm gone. Vark will be there for the first week, but after that she's coming down here, so I need someone to watch over the building in my absence."
"I would be honored to bear such a responsibility." #318 stated, stunned that he'd recieved such an important assignment. They waited silently for a minute untill Vark got back with the folder. He informed Van about it and gave the phone to Vark, at which point Van's voice became very loud while scolding her about having taken too long to get the folder. Long opened the folder up and studied it briefly before deciding that he'd need more time and the privacy of his dorm to finish. Finally Vark hung up the phone and Singh Long got up and headed for his dorm, Alica following afterward.
"You're not gonna leave me alone with these freaks are you?"
"Hm... Well he said I'd have to do it this week, I can't wait untill Stephen's back."
"Ask Van to arrange for the stuff to be shipped to you then."
"No." Long shook his head. "I must go, but if you would like to accompany me you could. You could come and meet my mother and sister if you like."
"Alright." she agreed, seeing that there was no way she'd get him to stay. Besides which she convinced herself that it would be good to get away from the hellhole that was Tylon's main building, if only for a little while.
*Awaken, my dear.
"What do you mean?"
"I, uh... thought you two had something going on..." he replied, thinking back to the other day when they'd been drinking. He supposed that it wasn't her fault that Stephen had happened to be the closest on hand to comfort her at the time. Long had felt a bit jealous, but it had been own own decision to sit up in his chair while they took the couch. "but maybe I was just jumping to a conclusion for no good reason?" she nodded. "I guess I was getting a bit jealous of the attention you gave him."
"Ah, I see."
"I know I can be a pain in the @$$ somtimes..."
"No, I can understand where you got it from... but really, we're nothing more then friends, and I take whatever friends I can get in this hell hole."
"I'm a bit reluctant to make friends myself..." he explained. "Hesitant to trust people I guess."
"I can't blame you. Some people simply take longer, that's all."
"Nothing I can do about it I guess." Alica nodded and he cuddled her a bit, she sighed happily.
"Its been a while since I've had the chance to do this."
"I've never really been this close to anyone outside my family before. I'm not really this close with them anymore either." she nodded in agreement.
"My father kept me to busy to have any real boyfriends."
"I was always shy to begin with, and after I became an assassin I was too busy."
"Now though perhaps that could change."
"Maybe..." he mumbled, starting to get confused. Didn't she just say that we're nothing more than friends? But now we're back at the boyfriend thing again...
"I'd like that."
"I think I would too." Long admitted, smiling down at her. He liked being close to her, but at the same time he was afraid of it. And still afraid of Van. What would happen once her half-brother returned? Alica nodded and looked into his face, and he hugged her close and sighed contentedly. He decided he could forget about Van, if only for a little while. She slid one hand up to his collar and opened his shirt a little, laying her hand on his chest and feeling his pulse. He blinked and gasped, shocked by the touch of her fingers against his bare skin. Then reached up and covered her hand with his own, glancing down at it and wondering why it felt so good there. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling, and leaned back in his chair.
"You gonna fall asleep now?" she wondered.
"Not unless you want me to..." he replied, smiling.
"I don't mind, I'm kinda coming down off of my high myself, and this is very comfy."
"Yes it is." he agreed. She nuzzled against him and closed her eyes, and he wrapped one arm around her and sighed happily. He could already feel his conscious fading, so he fell asleep on the chair, with her in his arms. They slept through most of the night that way, with very little tossing or turning. (There wasn't any room for it in any case.) And they both slept fairly well. They were comforted by each other's presence, conscious of the fact that in the cruel world they lived in, they were no longer alone. Long awoke first the next morning, to the soft glow of morning light pouring through a window behind him. At first he wondered where he was, and the realized that she was still laying on top of him and they had never left the chair.
He looked down into her face, and reached one hand up to play with her bangs, gently brushing them out of her face. He couldn't help but wonder how he really felt about her. He felt her hand, still resting on the skin just below his neck. It made him a bit uneasy, so he gently moved it away and buttoned the collar back up, instantly feeling relieved. He genuinely enjoyed the time they'd spent together, but somehow he was still uncertain about how close to her he really wanted to be. With any luck, perhaps it won't go any farther than this, he thought. He couldn't help but wonder what Alica really wanted from him. He wanted to please her, but at the same time he didn't want to make himself uncomfortable. However, he was also painfully aware that just about any form of human touch usually made him feel that way.
She stirred a bit in her sleep, probably getting ready to wake up. He lied still, reluctant to wake her just yet. He wanted to reason out his feelings for her first, but somehow he was unable to grasp their meaning. He didn't know what he was looking for at all. Which feeling meant romantic love and which meant simple platonic companionship? He had no basis for comparison, no system to help him define them and sort them out. He lacked any experience with them or knowledge of them, which was why he usually tried to avoid them at all costs. He looked down her her once more, so helpless in his arms. He could crush her life with one blow. Obviously, she trusted him, which was so much more than anyone had ever given him before.
"Jing, wu qin.*" He said, bending down to kiss her forehead.
"Huh?" she asked sleepilly, rubbing her eyes.
"You fell asleep on me you know." She blinked in surprise and looked around the room a bit before looking back up at him and smiling.
"Oh. Good morning."
"Good morning."
"Hm... what time is it?"
"I have no idea. No room for a wrist watch with these weights on..." he looked up at his wall clock. "Eh, around 8AM. You didn't have any meetings to be at, did you?"
"Huh?" she asked, still a bit groggy. "Oh, no. Not at all." She stretched her limbs and yawned a bit. "I was just curious."
"Well, if you'd let me up I could make us some tea... and maybe some breakfast. How does eggs and toast sound?"
"I'm gunna run to my room realy quick to change and freshen up a little."
"I probably ought to do that as well..." he agreed, hoping he hadn't gotten too sweaty during the night.
"Heh... a shower couldn't really hurt for either of us, I suppose." he nodded in agreement. "Soo... meet back in 20 mins?"
"Sure." he agreed, nodding. She nodded back and then climbed off him and walked out the door. The first thing he did was utter a huge yawn, and then he proceeded to stretch his arms and legs, arching his back out of the chair's seat. It helped relieve his tired and cramped muscles. Won't do that again anytime soon... he thought. As much as he enjoyed the emotional comfort that her presence brought, the physical discomfort was annoying. Maybe if we tried the bed, at least that would be more comfortable... When he realized the implications of what he was saying his eyes widened in surprise. Um, no... Wouldn't want her getting the wrong idea. We're still just friends afterall... aren't we? It occurred to him that he ought to talk with her about it, just to make sure they were both assuming the same thing about their relationship.
That might be a difficult thing though, since he suspected that she wanted to take things a little farther than he did. He couldn't be sure of course, her words and actions confused him completely. So he didn't know what she really wanted from him, but it seemed like what she wanted was more than friendship. Then he supposed that it didn't really matter so much what category they were put into, no one knew about them anyway. It wasn't the emotional feelings he had that bothered him so much. It was the fear of what might happen if she decided she wanted to take their physical relationship to the next level. He balked at even so much as the thought of it. He tried to figure out why it scared him so, maybe because he was such a loner in the first place. He felt nervous about any kind of human contact, but especially that kind.
He got up off his chair, deciding that he'd thought quite enough on that subject for the moment. He reminded himself that he'd better hurry and get himself dressed since she would be returning to him shortly. It turned out that the twenty minutes she'd given him was more than enough. He had no trouble conserving time and could shower in five minutes. He went about the task of cleaning himself quickly and efficiently, disciplining himself against the urge to soak in the warm water and savor it's comfort. When he got out he checked himself in the mirror as he did everyday. He noted any sign of facial hair and carefully shaved it away since he would not permit it to ruin his customary clean-shaven look.
When it was time to get dressed he selected a red shirt with golden trim and some black pants, both in the style of his usual formal Chinese attire. He paired them with gold and black hair ties and a golden belt across his waist. He even had red and black wrist and ankle weights to match the set, but decided not to wear them since it was unlikely he'd have any work that day. If anything could be said of his style of dress, it was that he looked sharper than a razor blade and finer then the most costly bottle of wine. Indeed he had his own individual style, a style that could neither be matched nor duplicated. He went into the kitchen and prepared some tea, and started cooking the eggs before he heard her knock on the door. When he answered it he saw that she had also chosen to dress primarilly in red and black that day. Appropriate colors for our line of work. he thought.
"I'm back." she announced, smiling happilly just to be there.
"Good," he said, nodding and motioning her in before closing the door. "I've got the tea ready, just started on the eggs. Go ahead and have a seat on the couch."
"No prob." He walked into the kitchen to get her a cup of tea and handed it to her before going back to his cooking. She took a sip and recognized it as the same tea from the other night. "Good stuff."
"I drink it all the time myself. If you get tired of it I've also got some apple juice and orange juice in here to go with breakfast."
"Nah, if I need a change I'll just put a pinch of sugar it." She sat down on the couch and looked around the place a bit. It wasn't much different than it had been the first time she'd seen it. In fact there were no new decorations and it looked just as plain as usual. But someohow she'd gotten used to the look of the place and found it comforting. "Nice place."
"Thank you..." Long replied "still a bit barren, but not bad. However I'm afraid I lack any kind of dining table at all, and I don't even have any TV trays, so we'll simply have to use the coffe table to eat off of. Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all." She replied. He put a few pieces of bread into the toaster and checked on the eggs.
"How many eggs do you want?"
"Two are fine." He nodded and checked on them, deciding that they were done. The toast popped up momentarilly and he spread butter over it. Then he set up both their plates and set them on the coffe table along with the few pieces of flatware he owned. he had to go back into the kitchen to get his tea, and then he sat down beside her to eat. She seemed a bit surprised that the eggs were hard boiled and sitting up in little egg holders. "I was kinda expecting them to be scrambled or something." she explained.
"That's just how I like it, does it bother you?"
"They're fine." she replied, using her spoon to crack open the shell.
"Alica... there was something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Uh, well... I wanted to discuss our relationship. I've been a bit confused lately and I'm unsure of specifically what level it's at." She looked over at him and smiled at his efforts to keep calm about something he was obviously so nervous about. She waited for him to say something more, but instead he looked over at her as though searching for some kind of answer.
"If you're trying to ask me to tell you what level it's at, then I don't know anymore than you do." He seemed dissapointed with the statement, it only confused him even more. "Don't you think we should both decide that?" she prompted. He considered it for a moment, while eating his eggs, and then nodded solemnly in agreement. "Well, like I said last night I think I would like it if we got together. I'm not really sure... but I want to play around with the thought for awhile. What do you think?"
"Well... I suppose I like how things have been going lately. However, you must know that I have this unreasonable fear of physical intimacy." She couldn't help but chuckle at the statement. His use of formal words in an effort to distance himself from the subject was futile, and to her it was funny.
"Hahahahaha... Yeah, I noticed."
"You're laughing at me." he looked stricken.
"I'm not laughing at you, Long... I'm laughing with you." she honestly insisted.
"Then why am I not laughing?"
"Because you have no sense of humor, you know that?"
"I suppose..."
"It would do you some good if you'd loosen up a bit, don't take life so seriously."
"'...don't take life so seriously.' she says, as though I have a choice in the matter." he shook his head. "I cannot help it. As an assassin my life is dreary and I find none of it humorous."
"I'm not asking you to turn psychotic like Fox and laugh while you're killing people. Just laugh at your own stupidity once in awhile. Or, since you never seem to do anything stupid, laugh at the stupidity of others."
"Stupidity is not a laughable thing."
"Bwahahahahah!"
"There is nothing funny about that!"
"Your so serious it's funny, heheheheh..."
"I think you're losing it."
"And I think- hehe- that you've been cooped up in this mad house too long, Long!"
"Now stop that! My name is not humorous either!"
"Yes it is! Mahahahah..."
"How ridiculous."
"I'm really sorry. He he... Can't help it!" Long shook his head in annoyance and ignored her in favor of finishing his breakfast. Eventually her laughter calmed down and she finished her breakfast off as well. Once they were both done he silently picked up their plates and took them into the kitchen for cleaning. "You're not mad at me are you?"
"I'm not angry, although I'm seriously concerned about your mental condition."
"Meh, it's under control."
"I was trying to joke."
"Oh... well you need to take that serious tone outta your voice if you're joking."
"No, you're right. I have no sense of humor at all."
"It's a shame. Intelligent people such as ourselves are often capable of a fine sense of humor, you just need to try and develope it."
"I feel that such things are a waste of both time and effort."
"You seriously need to chill. Maybe I'll take you out somewhere today. Wouldn't hurt you to have a little fun you know."
"Fun, what is that?"
"Mwahahahahah! There, you see! That was funny!"
"I'm serious, I seem to have forgotten what it is."
"Hahahahaha!"
"I can't even remember the last time I went out somewhere and enjoyed it."
"Stop, stop! Hehe... You're gunna make me bust a gut!"
"I was only telling the truth."
"You're hilarious!"
"It's not funny, it's pathetic. I haven't even a trace of a social life."
"Hahaha... Well, we'll just have to fix that then."
"I don't know if I want that fixed. Besides, we have to go down to the freak room soon."
"The meeting room?" Alica assumed. "What's the use? Van's not gonna be there."
"I'd like to see the looks on the other assassin's faces when they find that out. Don't you think it would be amusing?"
"You're amused by some of the strangest things, aren't you?" He smiled.
"Are you coming?"
"If you're going then there's no reason to sit around up here by myself." As soon as he was done washing their dishes they left his dorm and headed down to the waiting room. They got in a little later than the usual appointed time, and everyone else was already sitting around and waiting. There was a feeling of tension in the air, as there often was in this room. It was as though they'd interrupted some kind of argument. So they sat down in their usual places and glanced about the room, waiting for someone to break the silence. It didn't happen right away, which gave them all some time to think.
For the first time since he'd come there Long wondered why his chair was situated where it was: catercorner to Fox's vanity. He wondered why it couldn't have been put across the room, or at least on the other side. He supposed that if it bothered him so much to be close to Hans that he could always go and sit on one of the couches like all the other people did. But the truth was that he was too stubborn to give up his recliner. And then he wondered why it was always left open for him. The others obviously had the chance to sit in it if they wished, although once he got there he would certainly order them out. Perhaps they already realized how possessive he was of his chair. If that was so and it was such an easy thing to figure out, then why couldn't Stephen have realized the same thing?
"Hey, Long." Greg said, requesting his attention. #318 glanced over at him with a look of mild annoyance. "You can still turn into a tiger, right? Wanna join my circus?"
"No, I do not." he replied coldly, looking away.
"Oo, now you're in for it dear." Fox wanred. "He won't stop badgering you about it for weeks. You know that dumbass is so stupid that he doesn't even realize that he is a Zoanthrope himself?"
"Somehow that does not surprise me." Long replied.
"I had this great idea for a show, you could be the main attraction! C'mon whadda ya say!?!"
"I said, no."
"But just think about how the crowd would 'Ooo' and 'Ahhh' when you transform, you've gotta join my circus!" Singh Long grumbled a bit and seemed to pull something out of his pants pocket. With a quick flick of his wrist something metallic gleamed as it sailed through the air. It buried it's self in Greg's ridiculous top-hat, the impact so hard that it was knocked into the wall and pinned there. Once it was over everyone looked up to discover that the object was a throwing knife. Greg pulled it out of the wall and his hat and stared at the pointed tip in shock.
"You see that point?" #318 asked.
"Yes." Greg replied.
"Ask me to join your circus one more time and one just like it will be buried several inches into that thick skull of yours. Get it? You will if you don't shut up, dumb@$$."
"I get it." he replied, dropping the knife on the floor and scowling at the hole in his hat.
"Not bad... for a beginner." Bakuryu commented. "But as a master ninja I've been throwing stars for years. I could kill with them."
"I can kill with knives too." Long replied coldly. "In either case it works better than hairbrushes, hm?"
"You're just jealous because I though of throwing things in this room first!" Fox claimed.
"What an absurd notion." Singh Long said, chuckling. "To think that I would ever be jealous of you for any reason is quite ridiculous." After that the room went silent for a moment, since no one cared to contest Long's last comment. Then Vark entered the room, walking into the center and couching to get everyone's attention.
"Van has gone on vacation." she announced. "You are all dismissed for three weeks, except for #318."
"Wo hooo!" Greg shouted. "A three week vacation, yeah!"
"How dull." Bakuryu complained. "I shall simply have to find a few odd jobs to occupy my time."
"Not a bad idea." Fox agreed. "I haven't had a decent kill in weeks. If only you'd never shown up!" he glared at Long for a moment. "What does Van want with you, anyway?"
"Good question." Alica added, glancing over at Vark.
"#318 is to meet me in Van's office in five-" she was interrupted by a ringing sound, and pulled a little cell phone out of her pocket. "Hello? Oh, Van! Yes, I was just telling them... You want me to what? Yes, of course..." She took the phone away from her ear and covered the speaker for a moment. Then she walked over to Long's chair and handed him the phone. "He wants to talk to you." she explained, shrugging. As soon as he took the phone she turned and left the room, as if sent on some errand. Singh Long cautiously lifted the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Hello Long," Van's formal voice greeted over the phone. "got a little job for you in my absence."
"Will it take up the entire three week period?"
"Hm? Why do you ask?"
"I was hoping to go back to China for a few of my things, I would only need a couple days."
"Well... I think the only way I can let you do that is if you leave as soon as possible. I'll need you here during the last two weeks of my vacation."
"May I ask what for?"
"Certainly. Vark should be arriving with a folder full of information detailing the assignment any moment, but basically I need you to keep an eye on things while I'm gone. Vark will be there for the first week, but after that she's coming down here, so I need someone to watch over the building in my absence."
"I would be honored to bear such a responsibility." #318 stated, stunned that he'd recieved such an important assignment. They waited silently for a minute untill Vark got back with the folder. He informed Van about it and gave the phone to Vark, at which point Van's voice became very loud while scolding her about having taken too long to get the folder. Long opened the folder up and studied it briefly before deciding that he'd need more time and the privacy of his dorm to finish. Finally Vark hung up the phone and Singh Long got up and headed for his dorm, Alica following afterward.
"You're not gonna leave me alone with these freaks are you?"
"Hm... Well he said I'd have to do it this week, I can't wait untill Stephen's back."
"Ask Van to arrange for the stuff to be shipped to you then."
"No." Long shook his head. "I must go, but if you would like to accompany me you could. You could come and meet my mother and sister if you like."
"Alright." she agreed, seeing that there was no way she'd get him to stay. Besides which she convinced herself that it would be good to get away from the hellhole that was Tylon's main building, if only for a little while.
*Awaken, my dear.