Yes, I know, it took me awhile to get this one up. I've been pretty busy lately though, it's not my fault. Anyway, thanks again to all the wonderfull people who leave feedback. And to anyone to whom I promised an appearance of their character, that's gonna take awhile, sorry.Father
"When are we leaving?"
"As soon as the next flight I can get out of here. Probably in a day or two. We won't be there very long, just long enough to grab a few things and then leave." he explained. She nodded and followed by his side as they walked to the elevator. "Once I get up to my dorm I'd like to have some time alone to study my new assignment." she nodded her acceptance of it, even though she really didn't want to be left alone. The truth was that even though she didn't miss her half-brother at all, she did miss her new friend Stephen and was feeling really lonely and depressed. She didn't want to left to deal with those feelings by herself, she knew there was always a chance she'd get self-destructive. She wouldn't try to force the issue however, if he needed his private time then so be it.
As they walked the sound of footsteps came up behind them. At first they both ignored it, since the building was fairly well populated for the most part. It could have been just about anyone. The footsteps got closer and closer, approaching in a calm, unhurried manner. Finally Long felt someone tapping on his shoulder and turned back to see who it was. Immediately a look of disgust registered on his face. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the other, his lips curled up as though he were about to hiss or growl. Alica didn't notice untill he stopped, and then turned back to see a tall, dark-haired Asian man who somewhat resembled him.
"Ni hao, Long." the man greeted
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"An ying gai yao ni tong yi.*"
"Just answer me."
"Shi na he ni zhi jing tai ba ba? Bao you ni bu chi?" the man shook his head in disaproval and made a clicking sound with his tongue. "An shi zher gei yi tong li you ni shi.* Now, will you introduce me to your friend?"
"If you're quite finished..." Long grumbled. For her part Alica was relieved that the man seemed to speak some English, albeit with quite a strong accent. She didn't want to sit around listening to a conversation she coldn't even understand. "Alica, this is Lin Lei. Lin Lei, Alica. There, you satisfied?" Lin Lei offered his hand and Alica shook it.
"He has such terrible manner, a shameless man. Does not know how to address his own father." she simply nodded in reply, anxious to get her hand out of his grasp. So this is the father I've heard so much about, she thought. She immediately disliked him, despite the fact that she seldom judged people so quickly. His formal manner was cool and detached, but it seemed as though it were only a cover to hide some sort of inner animosity. He nodded and smiled at them politely.
"What do you want?" Long asked, anxious to be rid of him.
"Shame, shame... You disgrace the Shin family." Singh Long growled at the man and grabbed Alica's hand.
"I'm not going to listen to another moment of this scolding!" he explained, turning around and hauling her down the hallway. He couldn't stand being in the other man's presence. "Who does he think he is anyway? Barging in here and ordering me around..." he grumbled, mostly just talking to himself to let his feelings out. Alica listened anyway, and sped up her pace to match his, so that she wasn't being dragged anymore. "He'll get what's coming to him one day."
"Well, I guess can see now why you hate him so much." she offered. He stopped to look at her for a moment, and almost smiled. Then he heard his father's voice calling from behind and started off again, walking as fast as he could go without breaking into a run.
"I do not wish to speak with him. Not ever." Long expounded. "He knows that I try to avoid him. That's why he sometimes sneaks up on me like that. Usually I can avoid him. Even when we're both at home we work different hours, I'm usually gone when he comes home and sleeping when he gets up and leaves. It's got to be really bad luck that Stephen came to work here right after I did. Unless he somehow arranged it..." Alica shrugged, she really didn't know if he could have any influence over such things. They got to the elevator and climbed in, watching Lin Lei walk slowly towards them as the doors closed. He didn't seem to be in a big hurry to catch up, but maybe he didn't have to. "And why isn't he gone to that conference with Stephen then? Is it just for doctors?"
"I think it is."
"Damn." he cursed. "That clinches it, I'm getting out of here as soon as possible. I'm sure not hanging around with him on the loose. Maybe if I'm lucky I won't run into him again. I hope no one's told him which dorm I'm staying in."
"Stephen could've done it." she admitted. "You didn't tell him not to, Long."
"I hope he didn't. I don't have to patience to put up with that man." It was quiet for a moment, untill the elevator dinged when it reached their floor. They waited patiently for the door to open, letting another man in before they stepped out. Then they walked together untill they got to Alica's door and she turned to open it. "Alica... I think I've changed my mind. Would you like to come over for a bit?"
"Sure." she replied, smiling brightly in happiness, and to hide the relief she felt. He nodded and gently took her arm in his own and lead her down the hall towards his room. She had no doubt that it was the encounter with his father that had changed his mind. Did he want company because he was afraid he would stop by again? What would happen... Alica wondered, if he did stop by and no one else was there? Would he be able to control his anger, or would he try to kill him? She didn't know, but she didn't want find out. Apperently he didn't either. At least, not yet. When they reached his door he unlocked it and held it open for her, so she went in and sat down on the couch. After closing the door he went straight for the kitchen, probably to make himself some tea.
"The first thing I'm going to do is find some airplane tickets." Long informed her. He was that anxious to get away from his father. Alica glanced idly around the familiar room as he got a couple mugs down and started making the tea. She wondered what was going on between Long and his father. She knew about their past, but what about their more recent interations with each other. Why does Long's father follow him? Why does he want to talk to him so much? What is he trying to accomplish? Is he searching for his death? He must know how his son feels about him... She thought about asking a few of those questions out loud, but realized that Long probably wouldn't answer them. It didn't seem like he wanted to talk about anything except his hatred for his father.
"I'll get the first flight I can find out of here, no matter what the cost!" he continued. "I'd hate to waste money on something extravagant, but I must get away from that man!" She noted the strained sound of anger in his voice, and his particular choice of words for describing his father. It was cool and detatched, but only in a manner that gave away the effort used to make it so. Listening to him, she could almost feel the distance between the two, as though it were the soft touch of cold fingers being dragged over her skin. It was an eerie feeling that made her face scrunch up and nearly forced her to shift in her seat. "One day I will bring him his death. He will be the only kill I will ever truly revel in. I will delight in using his blood to coat my hands, to splatter like paint over my body... and the ground, and the walls... and anything that gets in my way! It will be everywhere! Covering the room with it's gleaming red-"
"Um, Long... can we talk about something not quite so insanely homicidal?"
"Oh... I'm sorry. You obviously don't want to discuss my murderous fetishes, do you?"
"No, I dont."
"Alright then, let's just talk about getting out of here... hopefully as quickly as possible."
"We could both use a little time away from here." she agreed.
"Care to toast to that?" he asked, walking back into the room with two cups of tea.
"This is all you ever drink, isn't it? Sure..." He handed her a cup and sat down in his chair.
"To an all too insufficiently extended respite from the eternal damnation of Tylon." he suggested, raising his glass.
"Cheers." she agreed, raising her glass as well. They both took a big gulp of the warm, bittersweet liquid.
"And now, to business." he announced, getting up from his chair and taking his tea with him into his bedroom.
"What business are you doing in there, Long? Are you trying to suggest something?"
"Ridiculous! I'm simply going to make use of this heap of worthless electronic hardware that I call my computer."
"Oh, you've got a computer in there?" she got up and walked into the room, spotting him at a little desk hiding in one corner. There wasn't a whole lot on it at the moment, just a little black laptop. No printer, scanner, copier, or fax machine. Then again one could hardly expect him to carry around such things, and he had moved in on short notice. She obviously hadn't noticed the desk or the computer before, but then again she had good reason not to since the last time she was in the room Long had been naked on the bed, covered by nothing but a few blankets. "Hm... you never struck me as the technological type... then again from the sound of your description I doubt you appriciate it much."
"I don't really enjoy it as much as some people seem to, but it has it's uses." he replied. "I think it's much easier to buy things off the internet than to go driving around town, wasting time and money and dealing with the unruly general public. In any case I've found this is by far the most preferable way to shop for airfare." She nodded and watched as he signed on to the internet and pulled up a few various sites. He had obviously done some traveling before. Most likely business related, since he didn't seem the type to go off on vacation. "There doesn't seem to be anything open untill tomorrow so far... how dissapointing." Alica sat down on his bed, fell back and stretched out her tired muscles, and then relaxed.
"You've got a nice comfy bed here Long."
"It serves it's purpose." he muttered absently, engrossed in his search.
"You know, it wouldn't hurt you to relax a bit." He stopped what he was doing for a minute to turn and give her a critical glance.
"And I suppose you have some specific suggestion in mind?" She patted a spot on the bed next to her. "Do I have some strange effect on your hormones?"
"You know it." she replied, smiling brightly.
"Well, I am a bit preoccupied at the moment." he reminded her, turning back towards his work. "Besides which I'm not ever going to sit with you on that bed. Too suggestive."
"Aw... I just wanted to cuddle."
"That can be done elsewhere, and at a later time. I said what I meant, I'm getting those tickets now."
"Of course, I wasn't trying to stop you..."
"You're just starved for attention aren't you?" he asked, turning around to look at her again. She shied away from his gaze, unwilling to admit to her need for attention. She didn't want to seem too needy or too lonely, but sometimes she couldn't help acting that way. "You've been acting like that quite a bit lately." She nodded softly, seeing that it was futile to deny what he already knew. "Well, don't let it bother you, wo de qin. I shall have time for you in a moment." She smiled, realizing that he'd called her 'my dear' in his native tongue again. She liked that, and she felt really privilaged that he cared enough about her to set aside some of his time, even if it wasn't right away. He turned back to the computer, most likely comparing prices before deciding which plane tickets to buy. She laid back on the bed and waited patiently, staring at the ceiling, happy just to be in his presence.
"If you're bored you can go into the front room and watch television or something."
"I'm fine." she replied, unwilling to leave his presence. After just a few minutes he was done, and shut the computer down before getting up form his desk.
"So... you're pretty lonely without Stephen around, even though you hardly know the man. Although, I admit he seems a good-natured and friendly sort. And even though your brother's gone you certainly can't miss him... so what could possibly account for this strange behavior?"
"It's mood swings I guess." she replied, dismissing the matter with a shrug. Long shook his head, he wasn't buying it. "I was pretty worried when you said you were going to leave. I don't want to be left here alone."
"I guess I can't blame you for that." She patted the spot next to her on the bed once more time, but he shook his head in refusal of her offer and walked out into the front room.
"You know Long, that can be done anywhere."
"I figure there's less a chance of it happening out here. Besides, there are certain subliminal images and suggestions associated with... Oh never mind."
"I know what you're talking about." Alica admitted, finally getting off the bed and stepping into the front room. "I just think it's silly. No one's going to behave any differently just because they happen to be cuddling on a bed instead of a recliner."
"And do you know that for certain?" he inquired, looking straight into her eyes to see that she answered him honestly.
"Well... uh..."
"Better safe than sorry."
"I don't think there's anything we could do that would make me sorry."
"Then please be gracious enough to respect my wishes." She looked a bit shocked, sad the he would even presume that she wouldn't.
"You know Long, I really don't know any more about relationships than you do. Just because I joke about it a little bit doesn't mean I'm going to take advantage of you. You take my jokes a little too seriously, don't you think?"
"I'm paranoid." he reminded her. "And you enjoy scaring me, don't you?"
"Maybe a little." she admitted, snickering. He shook his head in dismay and picked his assignment folder up off the table before sitting down in his chair to study it. "So now you're going to ignore me again?"
"My assignment is important." he stated coldly. He hadn't said that it was more important than her, but the way he was paying more attention to it made it seem so. However, she refused to be ignored. So rather than sitting down on the couch like she was supposed to she crawled onto his lap, snuck under the folder, and nestled into his chest. "Persistant, aren't you?" She just smiled and twisted around to look at the folder.
"So, what kind of work's Van got to keep you so busy?"
"You know, I don't believe you're supposed to be looking at that." He closed the folder.
"Who's gonna know?"
"That's not the point."
"What is the point then? You're gonna hold it back from me just because you're obeying orders? Even though the orders come from a man you distrust and even despise? Van's not gonna be back for three weeks, and even if he was here he'd never find out."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Come on Long."
"Alright..." he acquiesced, opening the folder back up again. "I suppose anything that Van doesn't become informed of immediately might not seriously injure me."
"You could've just said that what Van doesn't know won't hurt you."
"That is not my style. Such statements are overly simplistic, not to mention cliche." She just shrugged, realizing that his elaborate statements were one of his better personality quirks. Then they looked over the papers together, carefully reading all the instructions.
"Looks like you're gonna be taking over in his absence."
"Overseeing the entire complex and supervising operations to maintain disipline and order." he elaborated. "Or, more basically, asserting Van's oppresive presence in his absence in order to ensure that his employees will remain obedient and stay on schedule."
"Doesn't that sound like a fun job?" Alica asked sarcastically. "Looks like you get to play Van for a day."
"Not for a day, for two whole weeks. This could be amusing."
"I think it's going to drive me up the wall if you start acting like Van."
"In which case I promise to remain true to my own unique and somewhat odd personality."
"You're not odd." she defended. "Well, maybe a little. But you make oddness look sexy."
"That, in and of it's self, is an odd statement." Alica started laughing at the comment, so hard the tremors from her laughter shook him as well. "What can you possibly find to be humorous about that?"
"Your verbosity is hilarious!" She laughed even harder.
"Desist in your use of such words immediately! You're beginning to sound like I do and it's rather annoying." She just laughed louder, holding onto her stomach as it was beginning to ache. "Stop that as well." he commanded, losing his composure and starting to giggle. "Your laughter is contagious!" Finally he broke into laughter, although he was still desperately fighting the reaction. "Quit it!" he poked her lightly in the side with his index finger, in a futile effort to get her to stop. "Haha... I demand that you discontinue this activity at once!" he pleaded, which only made her laugh more. "Cease this maddness!" he cried, poking her again.
"Ahh, that tickles!"
"Aha! I shall tickle you into submission!" he declared. Alica screamed in glee as his fingers wiggled into the sides of her stomach. She struggled in his grasp, trying desperately to break free. After a few minutes she suceeded, tumbling over the side of the chair. "Ha! Now at least you have a reason to laugh." He laughed at his own statement for a moment and then abruptly stopped, as though it reminded him of something that ruined his mood. Alica continued laughing for awhile, oblivious to his plight untill she started to calm down. "That was disturbing." Long commented.
"Aw, you mean it wasn't as good for you as it was for me?" she teased, picking her self up off the floor.
"Alica." he complained.
"What's wrong? What put you in such a bad mood all of a sudden?"
"My father."
"Huh?"
"Something I said reminded me of something he used to say... ugh, I think I'm going to be sick."
"What was it?"
"I said that you had a reason to laugh because I tickled you. It reminded me of how he used to get angry when we were training. If I didn't get a move right he would punish me, and if I cried he'd say something like: 'I'll give you a reason to cry!' and then..." He purposely left the sentence unfinished, leaving it to her imagination. He couldn't stop the memories from flooding back, all the times he'd failed and been beaten to the ground. He was only a little boy at the time. He couldn't stop himself from crying, and that only made the man more angry. He could remember it as well as though it had happened only hours ago, when in reality it had been years. He could almost hear his father's words in his head, and feel the pain as his fists pounded into his body.
"The bastard." Alica commiserated.
"One day I will give him a reason, a reason to wish he'd never been born."
"Long, maybe we should change the subject, hm?"
"We don't have to talk about it if you want," he agreed, "but I can't help thinking about it." She realized that his memories of his father were pulling him down, so she climbed back on top of him and snuggled into his chest in an effort to comfort him. He brought one hand up to gently stroke her back, holding her to him and finding comfort in the warmth of her touch. He tried to relax and let his thoughts drift as the minutes passed by, but they always returned to his father. He couldn't seem to get the man out of his mind, not matter how much he wanted to. His father was the reason he was often cold, bitter and angry. It was his fault that he was forced to kill for Tylon, his fault that their family had any contact with the company in the first place. Long's entire weary existance was his father's fault, and so he despised the man, even as much as he hated himself.
"You feel any better yet?" Alica asked, shifting a bit under his arm.
"I will never feel any better, not untill that man is dead."
"Kill him then. End his irritating existance and be done with it."
"I cannot... not yet. But when the time comes I shall truly revel in it."
"Why not yet?"
"The time has not yet come for such action. I have his death planned out, meticulously." he explained. "Whenever I see him I go over it, again and again in my mind. But the timing must be right, or else everything will fall apart. Besides, my mother and sister are still living off his income, remember? Unfortunately that makes him indispensible... but only for the moment."
"Damn... So, what are you going to do once the time does come then?"
"You actually want to discuss it?"
"Well, I might not enjoy listening to you talk about killing every single person who pisses you off, but bastards like your father and my brother are a different story. Death is the least they deserve."
"The same could be said about us, I believe."
"True... but we wouldn't even be in this position if it weren't for the ones who put us here."
"All the more reason to get rid of them." Long agreed. "Well, you already know the basics. Once I have enough money to support my mother and sister myself my father is no longer necessary. If my father were alive when I asked my mother and sister to leave I believe they would have some doubts about leaving him behind anyway. I think it goes without saying that I'm not taking him. Besides which I've been lusting after his death for quite come time. However, if they were to discover that I had killed him, or perhaps happened to witness his death they certainly wouldn't trust me. So the difficulty then is how to kill him without either of them discovering who did it. I thought about taking him down into the cellar and locking the both of us in, but if I did my mother and sister would surely suspect something. Perhaps they would even hear him scream, I can't have that.
"If I tried to kill him when he was at work I would most certainly be caught, and after work he hardly leaves the house. At first I thought that the best thing to do would be to take him out sometime during his daily commute back home. The problem with that is that all the streets he travels through are fairly crowded, there would be too many witnesses. Now, if I wanted to I could kill him very quickly in the parking lot, if it were deserted. A simple hit on the right spot of his head would do, but I don't want it to go that way. I want to have plenty of time to play with him first. I want him to experience first-hand all the pain he's put me through."
"What are you going to do then?" she wondered, realizing that getting rid of the man posed some serious problems if he didn't want to be caught.
"It must have been an incredible stroke of genius when I thought this up, it's the perfect plan." he replied, his mouth twisting into a sinister smile that made her want to cringe. "It's really quite simple." He paused for effect, and then began his description of it. "I'll wait untill he gets off work and is heading for his car in the parking lot. I'll simply go up to him and say that I want to have a talk with him. He'll be too shocked to question me, I think. So we'll both get into his car and I'll request that we drive off into a nice, secluded area... HAHAHAHAHAHA! And then the fun begins!"
*I ought to ask you the same.
*Is that how you greet your father? Have you no shame? I am here for the same reason you are.
"As soon as the next flight I can get out of here. Probably in a day or two. We won't be there very long, just long enough to grab a few things and then leave." he explained. She nodded and followed by his side as they walked to the elevator. "Once I get up to my dorm I'd like to have some time alone to study my new assignment." she nodded her acceptance of it, even though she really didn't want to be left alone. The truth was that even though she didn't miss her half-brother at all, she did miss her new friend Stephen and was feeling really lonely and depressed. She didn't want to left to deal with those feelings by herself, she knew there was always a chance she'd get self-destructive. She wouldn't try to force the issue however, if he needed his private time then so be it.
As they walked the sound of footsteps came up behind them. At first they both ignored it, since the building was fairly well populated for the most part. It could have been just about anyone. The footsteps got closer and closer, approaching in a calm, unhurried manner. Finally Long felt someone tapping on his shoulder and turned back to see who it was. Immediately a look of disgust registered on his face. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the other, his lips curled up as though he were about to hiss or growl. Alica didn't notice untill he stopped, and then turned back to see a tall, dark-haired Asian man who somewhat resembled him.
"Ni hao, Long." the man greeted
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"An ying gai yao ni tong yi.*"
"Just answer me."
"Shi na he ni zhi jing tai ba ba? Bao you ni bu chi?" the man shook his head in disaproval and made a clicking sound with his tongue. "An shi zher gei yi tong li you ni shi.* Now, will you introduce me to your friend?"
"If you're quite finished..." Long grumbled. For her part Alica was relieved that the man seemed to speak some English, albeit with quite a strong accent. She didn't want to sit around listening to a conversation she coldn't even understand. "Alica, this is Lin Lei. Lin Lei, Alica. There, you satisfied?" Lin Lei offered his hand and Alica shook it.
"He has such terrible manner, a shameless man. Does not know how to address his own father." she simply nodded in reply, anxious to get her hand out of his grasp. So this is the father I've heard so much about, she thought. She immediately disliked him, despite the fact that she seldom judged people so quickly. His formal manner was cool and detached, but it seemed as though it were only a cover to hide some sort of inner animosity. He nodded and smiled at them politely.
"What do you want?" Long asked, anxious to be rid of him.
"Shame, shame... You disgrace the Shin family." Singh Long growled at the man and grabbed Alica's hand.
"I'm not going to listen to another moment of this scolding!" he explained, turning around and hauling her down the hallway. He couldn't stand being in the other man's presence. "Who does he think he is anyway? Barging in here and ordering me around..." he grumbled, mostly just talking to himself to let his feelings out. Alica listened anyway, and sped up her pace to match his, so that she wasn't being dragged anymore. "He'll get what's coming to him one day."
"Well, I guess can see now why you hate him so much." she offered. He stopped to look at her for a moment, and almost smiled. Then he heard his father's voice calling from behind and started off again, walking as fast as he could go without breaking into a run.
"I do not wish to speak with him. Not ever." Long expounded. "He knows that I try to avoid him. That's why he sometimes sneaks up on me like that. Usually I can avoid him. Even when we're both at home we work different hours, I'm usually gone when he comes home and sleeping when he gets up and leaves. It's got to be really bad luck that Stephen came to work here right after I did. Unless he somehow arranged it..." Alica shrugged, she really didn't know if he could have any influence over such things. They got to the elevator and climbed in, watching Lin Lei walk slowly towards them as the doors closed. He didn't seem to be in a big hurry to catch up, but maybe he didn't have to. "And why isn't he gone to that conference with Stephen then? Is it just for doctors?"
"I think it is."
"Damn." he cursed. "That clinches it, I'm getting out of here as soon as possible. I'm sure not hanging around with him on the loose. Maybe if I'm lucky I won't run into him again. I hope no one's told him which dorm I'm staying in."
"Stephen could've done it." she admitted. "You didn't tell him not to, Long."
"I hope he didn't. I don't have to patience to put up with that man." It was quiet for a moment, untill the elevator dinged when it reached their floor. They waited patiently for the door to open, letting another man in before they stepped out. Then they walked together untill they got to Alica's door and she turned to open it. "Alica... I think I've changed my mind. Would you like to come over for a bit?"
"Sure." she replied, smiling brightly in happiness, and to hide the relief she felt. He nodded and gently took her arm in his own and lead her down the hall towards his room. She had no doubt that it was the encounter with his father that had changed his mind. Did he want company because he was afraid he would stop by again? What would happen... Alica wondered, if he did stop by and no one else was there? Would he be able to control his anger, or would he try to kill him? She didn't know, but she didn't want find out. Apperently he didn't either. At least, not yet. When they reached his door he unlocked it and held it open for her, so she went in and sat down on the couch. After closing the door he went straight for the kitchen, probably to make himself some tea.
"The first thing I'm going to do is find some airplane tickets." Long informed her. He was that anxious to get away from his father. Alica glanced idly around the familiar room as he got a couple mugs down and started making the tea. She wondered what was going on between Long and his father. She knew about their past, but what about their more recent interations with each other. Why does Long's father follow him? Why does he want to talk to him so much? What is he trying to accomplish? Is he searching for his death? He must know how his son feels about him... She thought about asking a few of those questions out loud, but realized that Long probably wouldn't answer them. It didn't seem like he wanted to talk about anything except his hatred for his father.
"I'll get the first flight I can find out of here, no matter what the cost!" he continued. "I'd hate to waste money on something extravagant, but I must get away from that man!" She noted the strained sound of anger in his voice, and his particular choice of words for describing his father. It was cool and detatched, but only in a manner that gave away the effort used to make it so. Listening to him, she could almost feel the distance between the two, as though it were the soft touch of cold fingers being dragged over her skin. It was an eerie feeling that made her face scrunch up and nearly forced her to shift in her seat. "One day I will bring him his death. He will be the only kill I will ever truly revel in. I will delight in using his blood to coat my hands, to splatter like paint over my body... and the ground, and the walls... and anything that gets in my way! It will be everywhere! Covering the room with it's gleaming red-"
"Um, Long... can we talk about something not quite so insanely homicidal?"
"Oh... I'm sorry. You obviously don't want to discuss my murderous fetishes, do you?"
"No, I dont."
"Alright then, let's just talk about getting out of here... hopefully as quickly as possible."
"We could both use a little time away from here." she agreed.
"Care to toast to that?" he asked, walking back into the room with two cups of tea.
"This is all you ever drink, isn't it? Sure..." He handed her a cup and sat down in his chair.
"To an all too insufficiently extended respite from the eternal damnation of Tylon." he suggested, raising his glass.
"Cheers." she agreed, raising her glass as well. They both took a big gulp of the warm, bittersweet liquid.
"And now, to business." he announced, getting up from his chair and taking his tea with him into his bedroom.
"What business are you doing in there, Long? Are you trying to suggest something?"
"Ridiculous! I'm simply going to make use of this heap of worthless electronic hardware that I call my computer."
"Oh, you've got a computer in there?" she got up and walked into the room, spotting him at a little desk hiding in one corner. There wasn't a whole lot on it at the moment, just a little black laptop. No printer, scanner, copier, or fax machine. Then again one could hardly expect him to carry around such things, and he had moved in on short notice. She obviously hadn't noticed the desk or the computer before, but then again she had good reason not to since the last time she was in the room Long had been naked on the bed, covered by nothing but a few blankets. "Hm... you never struck me as the technological type... then again from the sound of your description I doubt you appriciate it much."
"I don't really enjoy it as much as some people seem to, but it has it's uses." he replied. "I think it's much easier to buy things off the internet than to go driving around town, wasting time and money and dealing with the unruly general public. In any case I've found this is by far the most preferable way to shop for airfare." She nodded and watched as he signed on to the internet and pulled up a few various sites. He had obviously done some traveling before. Most likely business related, since he didn't seem the type to go off on vacation. "There doesn't seem to be anything open untill tomorrow so far... how dissapointing." Alica sat down on his bed, fell back and stretched out her tired muscles, and then relaxed.
"You've got a nice comfy bed here Long."
"It serves it's purpose." he muttered absently, engrossed in his search.
"You know, it wouldn't hurt you to relax a bit." He stopped what he was doing for a minute to turn and give her a critical glance.
"And I suppose you have some specific suggestion in mind?" She patted a spot on the bed next to her. "Do I have some strange effect on your hormones?"
"You know it." she replied, smiling brightly.
"Well, I am a bit preoccupied at the moment." he reminded her, turning back towards his work. "Besides which I'm not ever going to sit with you on that bed. Too suggestive."
"Aw... I just wanted to cuddle."
"That can be done elsewhere, and at a later time. I said what I meant, I'm getting those tickets now."
"Of course, I wasn't trying to stop you..."
"You're just starved for attention aren't you?" he asked, turning around to look at her again. She shied away from his gaze, unwilling to admit to her need for attention. She didn't want to seem too needy or too lonely, but sometimes she couldn't help acting that way. "You've been acting like that quite a bit lately." She nodded softly, seeing that it was futile to deny what he already knew. "Well, don't let it bother you, wo de qin. I shall have time for you in a moment." She smiled, realizing that he'd called her 'my dear' in his native tongue again. She liked that, and she felt really privilaged that he cared enough about her to set aside some of his time, even if it wasn't right away. He turned back to the computer, most likely comparing prices before deciding which plane tickets to buy. She laid back on the bed and waited patiently, staring at the ceiling, happy just to be in his presence.
"If you're bored you can go into the front room and watch television or something."
"I'm fine." she replied, unwilling to leave his presence. After just a few minutes he was done, and shut the computer down before getting up form his desk.
"So... you're pretty lonely without Stephen around, even though you hardly know the man. Although, I admit he seems a good-natured and friendly sort. And even though your brother's gone you certainly can't miss him... so what could possibly account for this strange behavior?"
"It's mood swings I guess." she replied, dismissing the matter with a shrug. Long shook his head, he wasn't buying it. "I was pretty worried when you said you were going to leave. I don't want to be left here alone."
"I guess I can't blame you for that." She patted the spot next to her on the bed once more time, but he shook his head in refusal of her offer and walked out into the front room.
"You know Long, that can be done anywhere."
"I figure there's less a chance of it happening out here. Besides, there are certain subliminal images and suggestions associated with... Oh never mind."
"I know what you're talking about." Alica admitted, finally getting off the bed and stepping into the front room. "I just think it's silly. No one's going to behave any differently just because they happen to be cuddling on a bed instead of a recliner."
"And do you know that for certain?" he inquired, looking straight into her eyes to see that she answered him honestly.
"Well... uh..."
"Better safe than sorry."
"I don't think there's anything we could do that would make me sorry."
"Then please be gracious enough to respect my wishes." She looked a bit shocked, sad the he would even presume that she wouldn't.
"You know Long, I really don't know any more about relationships than you do. Just because I joke about it a little bit doesn't mean I'm going to take advantage of you. You take my jokes a little too seriously, don't you think?"
"I'm paranoid." he reminded her. "And you enjoy scaring me, don't you?"
"Maybe a little." she admitted, snickering. He shook his head in dismay and picked his assignment folder up off the table before sitting down in his chair to study it. "So now you're going to ignore me again?"
"My assignment is important." he stated coldly. He hadn't said that it was more important than her, but the way he was paying more attention to it made it seem so. However, she refused to be ignored. So rather than sitting down on the couch like she was supposed to she crawled onto his lap, snuck under the folder, and nestled into his chest. "Persistant, aren't you?" She just smiled and twisted around to look at the folder.
"So, what kind of work's Van got to keep you so busy?"
"You know, I don't believe you're supposed to be looking at that." He closed the folder.
"Who's gonna know?"
"That's not the point."
"What is the point then? You're gonna hold it back from me just because you're obeying orders? Even though the orders come from a man you distrust and even despise? Van's not gonna be back for three weeks, and even if he was here he'd never find out."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Come on Long."
"Alright..." he acquiesced, opening the folder back up again. "I suppose anything that Van doesn't become informed of immediately might not seriously injure me."
"You could've just said that what Van doesn't know won't hurt you."
"That is not my style. Such statements are overly simplistic, not to mention cliche." She just shrugged, realizing that his elaborate statements were one of his better personality quirks. Then they looked over the papers together, carefully reading all the instructions.
"Looks like you're gonna be taking over in his absence."
"Overseeing the entire complex and supervising operations to maintain disipline and order." he elaborated. "Or, more basically, asserting Van's oppresive presence in his absence in order to ensure that his employees will remain obedient and stay on schedule."
"Doesn't that sound like a fun job?" Alica asked sarcastically. "Looks like you get to play Van for a day."
"Not for a day, for two whole weeks. This could be amusing."
"I think it's going to drive me up the wall if you start acting like Van."
"In which case I promise to remain true to my own unique and somewhat odd personality."
"You're not odd." she defended. "Well, maybe a little. But you make oddness look sexy."
"That, in and of it's self, is an odd statement." Alica started laughing at the comment, so hard the tremors from her laughter shook him as well. "What can you possibly find to be humorous about that?"
"Your verbosity is hilarious!" She laughed even harder.
"Desist in your use of such words immediately! You're beginning to sound like I do and it's rather annoying." She just laughed louder, holding onto her stomach as it was beginning to ache. "Stop that as well." he commanded, losing his composure and starting to giggle. "Your laughter is contagious!" Finally he broke into laughter, although he was still desperately fighting the reaction. "Quit it!" he poked her lightly in the side with his index finger, in a futile effort to get her to stop. "Haha... I demand that you discontinue this activity at once!" he pleaded, which only made her laugh more. "Cease this maddness!" he cried, poking her again.
"Ahh, that tickles!"
"Aha! I shall tickle you into submission!" he declared. Alica screamed in glee as his fingers wiggled into the sides of her stomach. She struggled in his grasp, trying desperately to break free. After a few minutes she suceeded, tumbling over the side of the chair. "Ha! Now at least you have a reason to laugh." He laughed at his own statement for a moment and then abruptly stopped, as though it reminded him of something that ruined his mood. Alica continued laughing for awhile, oblivious to his plight untill she started to calm down. "That was disturbing." Long commented.
"Aw, you mean it wasn't as good for you as it was for me?" she teased, picking her self up off the floor.
"Alica." he complained.
"What's wrong? What put you in such a bad mood all of a sudden?"
"My father."
"Huh?"
"Something I said reminded me of something he used to say... ugh, I think I'm going to be sick."
"What was it?"
"I said that you had a reason to laugh because I tickled you. It reminded me of how he used to get angry when we were training. If I didn't get a move right he would punish me, and if I cried he'd say something like: 'I'll give you a reason to cry!' and then..." He purposely left the sentence unfinished, leaving it to her imagination. He couldn't stop the memories from flooding back, all the times he'd failed and been beaten to the ground. He was only a little boy at the time. He couldn't stop himself from crying, and that only made the man more angry. He could remember it as well as though it had happened only hours ago, when in reality it had been years. He could almost hear his father's words in his head, and feel the pain as his fists pounded into his body.
"The bastard." Alica commiserated.
"One day I will give him a reason, a reason to wish he'd never been born."
"Long, maybe we should change the subject, hm?"
"We don't have to talk about it if you want," he agreed, "but I can't help thinking about it." She realized that his memories of his father were pulling him down, so she climbed back on top of him and snuggled into his chest in an effort to comfort him. He brought one hand up to gently stroke her back, holding her to him and finding comfort in the warmth of her touch. He tried to relax and let his thoughts drift as the minutes passed by, but they always returned to his father. He couldn't seem to get the man out of his mind, not matter how much he wanted to. His father was the reason he was often cold, bitter and angry. It was his fault that he was forced to kill for Tylon, his fault that their family had any contact with the company in the first place. Long's entire weary existance was his father's fault, and so he despised the man, even as much as he hated himself.
"You feel any better yet?" Alica asked, shifting a bit under his arm.
"I will never feel any better, not untill that man is dead."
"Kill him then. End his irritating existance and be done with it."
"I cannot... not yet. But when the time comes I shall truly revel in it."
"Why not yet?"
"The time has not yet come for such action. I have his death planned out, meticulously." he explained. "Whenever I see him I go over it, again and again in my mind. But the timing must be right, or else everything will fall apart. Besides, my mother and sister are still living off his income, remember? Unfortunately that makes him indispensible... but only for the moment."
"Damn... So, what are you going to do once the time does come then?"
"You actually want to discuss it?"
"Well, I might not enjoy listening to you talk about killing every single person who pisses you off, but bastards like your father and my brother are a different story. Death is the least they deserve."
"The same could be said about us, I believe."
"True... but we wouldn't even be in this position if it weren't for the ones who put us here."
"All the more reason to get rid of them." Long agreed. "Well, you already know the basics. Once I have enough money to support my mother and sister myself my father is no longer necessary. If my father were alive when I asked my mother and sister to leave I believe they would have some doubts about leaving him behind anyway. I think it goes without saying that I'm not taking him. Besides which I've been lusting after his death for quite come time. However, if they were to discover that I had killed him, or perhaps happened to witness his death they certainly wouldn't trust me. So the difficulty then is how to kill him without either of them discovering who did it. I thought about taking him down into the cellar and locking the both of us in, but if I did my mother and sister would surely suspect something. Perhaps they would even hear him scream, I can't have that.
"If I tried to kill him when he was at work I would most certainly be caught, and after work he hardly leaves the house. At first I thought that the best thing to do would be to take him out sometime during his daily commute back home. The problem with that is that all the streets he travels through are fairly crowded, there would be too many witnesses. Now, if I wanted to I could kill him very quickly in the parking lot, if it were deserted. A simple hit on the right spot of his head would do, but I don't want it to go that way. I want to have plenty of time to play with him first. I want him to experience first-hand all the pain he's put me through."
"What are you going to do then?" she wondered, realizing that getting rid of the man posed some serious problems if he didn't want to be caught.
"It must have been an incredible stroke of genius when I thought this up, it's the perfect plan." he replied, his mouth twisting into a sinister smile that made her want to cringe. "It's really quite simple." He paused for effect, and then began his description of it. "I'll wait untill he gets off work and is heading for his car in the parking lot. I'll simply go up to him and say that I want to have a talk with him. He'll be too shocked to question me, I think. So we'll both get into his car and I'll request that we drive off into a nice, secluded area... HAHAHAHAHAHA! And then the fun begins!"
*I ought to ask you the same.
*Is that how you greet your father? Have you no shame? I am here for the same reason you are.