Oi... sorry this chapter took so long, I've been bored, preoccupied, lazy, and had the computer taken in for awhile among other things. Try and Relax
After she was done packing Alica decided to change her outfit, since what she'd been wearing earlier was all torn up from her transformation. She wiggled out of her torn up pants and shirt, thinking that she was very glad she hadn't been wearing one of her favorite outfits. Her underclothing seemed fine, so she left that on while she found another outfit. It reminded her that this would be her third shirt so far this morning. In the middle of her dressing she heard a knock as her door. She scrambled to pull her pants up as she ran to answer it. Long was on the other side with his suitcase, he'd obviously finished packing. "Yes?" His face turned bright red as he stood there looking at her, and she wondered what could possibly be wrong.
"Um... Alica, you're... uh... shirt is missing."
"Oh!" she cried, realizing that she hadn't quite gotten in on yet. She hastilly threw it over her shoulders. "Heheh... sorry."
"Ai ya! You really ought to be more carefull what you answer the door in. What if Van had come to check in on you?"
She frowned and replied, "It wouldn't be the first time."
"Oh really? He checks on you often then?" He had to wonder if the same sort of thing ever happened when he was around. "Kinky, sadistic bastard." he muttered under his breath.
"Every so often he'll pop up." she admitted. "Usually he brings my medicine refills, but he went away, which is why I ran out."
"I see..."
She sighed sorrowfully, wishing it could be otherwise. "Anyway I'm packed."
"Well, we've still got an hour... but it shouldn't take that long to get to the airport, should it?"
"I'd recommend getting there as early as possible, with the new security checks and all... plus we gotta make sure the tickets are ok, ne?" He nodded in agreement.
"Alirght, let's get going then." Then he picked up his suitcase and headed for the elevator with Alica trailing after him. He waited by the elevator for her for a second, and then they got in and he pushed the button to take them down to the parking lot.
"We'll be taking my car of course."
"You ever get the window repaired?"
"Damn, I forgot all about that..." Then he mumbled something incoherent, cursing himself for forgetting to repair his car. Then again he really didn't want to be out in public while he was being watched for anyway, so there wasn't much he could've done. "Oh well, anyone who tries to steal my car will be better off dead."
"Want to take mine then?" she offered, hoping to keep him out of trouble.
"Alright." She nodded and fished the keys out of her pocket. The elevator landed on their floor shortly and they picked up their bags again and got out.
"Uh, you go ahead and lead." he requested. "I'm not sure which one it is." She took the lead and walked him over to her jeep.
"It's this one." she said with a smile. She was very proud of her Jeep, it being her favorite vechicle and all. He simply nodded and waited for her to unlock it. She took her bags and threw them in the trunk before unlocking the doors. He did the same, and then got into the passenger side of the car. She was already there, and she reved the engine and they rode off into the city.
"When we get there, want me to see if I can get us bumped up to first class?"
"Sure." he agreed. She nodded in reply and then leaned back in her chair and sighed in relaxation. She really enjoyed driving her car. Long also leaned back and looked out the side window, watching idly as the city passed by. They got there pretty quickly and she found a nice parking spot before they stopped and got out of the car. They pulled their bags out of the back and walked into the airport. Their larger bags were checked in and Alica dragged him over to the ticket counter.
"Let me work my magic." she said. So he handed her the tickets and watched as she headed up to the counter. He couldn't hear much from where he stood, but only a few minutes later she returned with a smile on her face.
"I take it your magic worked?"
"Very well, they lets us get the private VIP box."
"Nice work." he stated, genuinely impressed.
"Yes... want to head in? Maybe hit a magazine store before going on?"
"Sounds good." She nodded and they headed past the security to all the little shops inside the airport. They browsed around the shops for a few minutes untill their flight was announced and they went in and took their seats. She asked for the window seat and he let her have it, quite content to sit on the other side of their private box. They took off shortly and enjoyed the peaceful journey. They were both so caught up in excitement of the trip that they forgot all about their plans for killing the people they hated for a moment. Alica looked out her window into the sky for a minute, wondering what the rest of Long's family was going to be like. They sat in the plane enjoying the ride without comment for awhile, she yawned in boredom.
"Getting tired?" he asked.
"Yes..." she admitted. "I hate long flights."
"Unfortunately it happens to be a necessity in this instance."
"That's true." she paused for a moment before she went on. "At least we're in a private box."
"Yes, it is nice that we don't have to put up with unruly passengers."
"Or crying infants."
"Indeed..." he trailed off, making a face at the mere mention of it. She groaned in agreement with his obvious distaste. "It seems you don't like children anymore than I do."
"Well, they are cute once they aren't babies..." she expounded. "it would be the first few years that would wear on me."
"I see..." he nodded. "Personally I haven't much experience with children of any age, so I feel a bit uncomfortable around them."
"Understandable."
"Afterall I only have one sibling, and it's been a long time since she was a child."
"Ahh." Alica nodded, not really surprised that he didn't have any experience with children.
"She's in her mid-teens now." Long said, as though it were an explanation for something. She nodded again, suddenly reminded of something.
"I used to have a sister..." she remembered. "I have no clue where she is now."
"Oh really?" he was a bit surprised. He'd never heard mention of a sister, and wondered who this sister's parents were. "One of Van's siblings, or something else?"
"No, she was with my mother..." she corrected. Long nodded, he hadn't really been sure. He had heard that Van had siblings once, but they'd died in a car crash. He couldn't remember anything else about them though, not even their sex. "but I don't know where she is. I haven't seen her since the day father took me back."
"Ah, I see..." a tone of saddness entered his voice. "did you know her well?"
"Not really... she was very young."
"A shame..."
"I am going to try to find the halfway house while we're here." she suddenly decided. "I believe it's in the same region we're heading to."
"Did I ever ever tell you where we were headed?" Long suddenly wondered. He was pretty sure he hadn't, and if he hadn't told her then how could she know where they were going?
"No, but I assumed it would be somewhere around Hong Kong since Tylon's main Chinese headquarters are there... am I right?"
"Right on the button." he replied with a smile and a nod. He realized that he should have expected as much. Afterall she was a Tylon, and not just any Tylon, but the daughter of the last CEO and the sister of the current one. Of course she would know all about their headquarters, especially near a place where she once lived. "I suppose that would be an easy enough conclusion to reach... well we could certainly stop by it while we're there."
"If it's ok..." she added. She really didn't want to impose or detract from his trip, but at the same time she had a desperate need to know if her sister were really there.
"Of course, it's the least I can do."
"Thanks." she said, smiling and tackling him with a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.
"Oh, don't mention it. Afterall what kind of friend would I be if I denied such a simple request?"
"Thats very true."
"May I ask what you intend to do if you happen to find your sister?"
"I honestly don't know..." Alica admitted. She really hadn't thought that far ahead. In fact, she hadn't thought about it at all untill Long had mentioned his own sister. It was all just a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing. "I just want to see if she's even alive."
"Alright then..." he agreed. "I guess we'll find out."
"But first you should touch base with you parents."
"Yes, of course. Well stop by their house first..." he quickly agreed, thinking that it wouldn't take him long at all to get thing things he needed. Then he realized that she had said 'parents'. "luckilly my father won't be there."
"He was at the labs earlier," she remembered, "he couldn't get there this fast could he?"
"I doubt it. He had no way of knowing we were going to leave either. And I think it's probably likely he'll stick around the lab and work. He's a workacholic you know."
"Ugh," she groaned. "so I see."
"He always has been." Long explained. "My father never had much time for his family... he was always working."
"That's terrible."
"Truthfully we were glad to have him gone, because once he got home he was always in an awful mood."
"I forsee pictures of abuse." Long smiled sadly, and sighed at the memories.
"Luckilly I was often able to distract him from my mother and sister. They usually would only recieve marginal beatings when compared with the ones I took."
"You poor thing." she sympathized, cuddling into his shoulder. He returned the gesture, finding a bit of comfort in the face of the memories of his past.
"It doesn't matter..." he replied, trying to dismiss it. "I was better able to handle it than they were. He is a coward for beating on them if you ask me."
"Indeed." she agreed, noodding.
"Someday soon he will pay for his stupidity." he insisted, his pain at the memories quickly turning to anger, as it often did.
"Can't wait."
"Neither can I..." he agreed, sporting a wicked grin. He reviewed it once more in his mind, how he would make the man suffer for all the wrongs he'd done. She caught the look on his face and started laughing, and he laughed with her, not even stopping to wonder why she'd started laughing in the first place. It was the only relief he had left, to assure himself that some day the nasty old man would get what was coming to him. Then she turned to him and smiled, and he smiled back. He completely forgot to question her about it, but simply accepted her companionship. "Unfortunately, once he's gone I'm going to have to leave." he suddenly warned. She blinked in confusion, wondering what had brought that on. "Once he's gone I take the rest of my family and go into hiding. That is my plan." She nodded a little, reluctant to accept it. "When that time comes I shall truly miss you, Alica."
"The same can be said here." she said, with a melancholy sigh.
"It won't be for awhile yet," he assured her. "I still have a bit of money to save up... maybe in a few years."
"Ahh I see." this time followed by a sigh of relief.
"I must be certain I can support them once we're out..." he elaborated. "it would be foolish to risk making an appearance."
"Unless you want to chop your hair and get a dye job."
"Ugh..." he groaned, grabbing his ponytail and holding it protectively. "If anyone so much as brings a pair of scissors anywhere NEAR my hair..." he purposely trailed off and then growled angrilly. She laughed at him.
"I wish I had a camera... thats soo funny!"
"I take great pride in my hair..." he muttered defensively.
"I noticed."
"Then you must have also noticed how furious I was when Fox touched it..."
"I know, heheh..."
"No one touches my hair." She poked at his hair, unable to resist.
"Hey!" he cried, using his free hand to shoo hers away while still clutching his ponytail protectively with the other. She just laughed at him even more. "I meant what I said..." he replied, losing his composure in the face of her laughter. "Heheheh..."
"Your face though, wouldn't look good with short hair." He gave her a questioning look. "It's too... long... pardon the... unintetional pun." He blinked, a bit confused.
"Well... no one's ever going to find out what my face looks like without the hair anyway..."
"Very true."
"No matter what happens I'm never going to cut it."
"I would hope you don't. I'd never recognise you then."
"I don't think I would either." he admitted, with a good-natured grin. She smiled back. "I would say the same goes for you as well..." he added. She blinked in surprised.
"Really?"
"Well I certainly couldn't imagine you with short hair..." She nodded.
"I don't intend to cut it."
"No barber's shops for us." he said, playfully.
"Indeed," she agreed. "though trims are necessary."
"True..." he agreed, trailing off because he couldn't think of any more to say. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. "I'm always very carefull who I trust to do the trimming... can't have anyone trimming too much you know."
"Indeed." she agreed, poking at his hair again.
"Stop that!" he demanded, grabbing his ponytail and flipping it over to the other side, hoping she couldn't reach it.
"Aww, but your hair's so soft."
"But... I don't like people touching it..." he moped, almost sounding a little whiny. "I suppose I'm being a bit obsessive... but I can't help it."
"Awww... alright." she pounted a bit and sat back down in her seat. They were silent for a moment, content enough to keep to themselves. Alica began to wonder what it was going to be like to meet the rest of Long's family.
"So, Long... what do your mother and sister look like?" He turned towards her and paused to consider the question for it.
"Well, they look typically Asian I suppose. Black hair, brown eyes, light skin. There really isn't much to know. My mother and sister both have a rounder face then mine, which I obviously inherited from my father..." The last few words he'd said contained a hint of animosity before he trailed off, he obviously resented the resemblance.
"Ahh... That makes sense." she agreed with a nod. She could remember well enough that they shared the same long face.
"Meh..." he grumbled. "Unfortunately I do take after him a bit." Then he scowled.
"We all have bad points... at least you make it attractive."
"Hm... I think I'd rather be ugly than look like him, but I have little say in the matter." "But if not for him you wouldn't've inherited such good looks." she persisted.
"I suppose I ought to be glad I'm not an exact replica." he reluctantly agreed.
"True, there are some differences." she admitted, remembering how he looked. "I think his eyes were different."
"Yes, his eyelids are pretty flat... another common Asian trait. My mother has nice round eyelids, like mine."
"You've definately got his face though, and his cheekbones, and his eyebrows."
"They're angry looking, aren't they?" he asked of the latter. "Ironically appropriate I suppose."
"His lips are thinner." she remembered. "That combined the the eyelid thing makes him look alot less attractive than you, and more emotionless. Plus he's gotta be at least twenty years older, I noticed his hair had some grey streaks."
"Yes, he's getting old." Long agreed. "Closer and closer to his death, but much closer than he thinks."
"I noticed that he wears his hair the same way you do." she commented, hoping to distract him.
"It's also quite a bit shorter in back. Not more than 4 or 5 inches past his hair tie. I must have at least a foot myself. That really bothers him you know." he snickered. "Yes, he really wishes I would cut it."
"Oh, I see..."
"Just one of the many reasons I'm obsessive about my hair." She impulsively reached out poke at it again. "Ah!" he cried, grabbing his ponytail and holding it protectively. "What did I just say? No touching!"
"Aw... but it's so pretty!" She objected, reaching for it again. He pulled it farther away and petted it a bit, as though it were some kind of live animal. She sighed and sat back in her seat, giving up her pursuit of his hair.
"Wonder when the food will arrive."
"Yes, food sounds good to me right now..." he agreed, his stomach growling in anticipation. In a few minutes a waiter came by and took their orders for the food, Long ordered an entire meal, complete with a one-pound steak for himself. Then he asked Alica what she wanted and she ordered a turkey dinner. They sat and relaxed in silence for a few minutes while the food was prepared. And once it came Long handed Alica her tray immediately before ravenously devouring his own food. She thanked him for her food, and he simply nodded in reply and kept on eating. She stared at him a bit shocked, having never seen him eat like that.
"When did you eat last?"
"Uh, I'm not sure..." he replied between bites. He took another bite and chewed it down before continuing. "I think maybe last night. I never did eat breakfast or lunch."
"Oh my... eat then." He nodded to her and kept eating, so she also returned to her meal. She finished fairly quickly, having been pretty hungry herself. As fast as Long was eating it took him even longer though, since he'd ordered so much food. He finally finished a few minutes after her and then leaned back in his seat, patting his full stomach.
"That feels so much better..." he sighed, contentedly. "It usually doesn't bother me to go without food for a meal or two, but the past few days have been so tiring..." he trailed off and yawned. "And too much food makes me sleepy."
"You know... this box has a fold out bed." she informed him.
"Hm?" he mumbled, and blinked as though he hadn't heard her well. He'd never ridden first class before, so he really didn't have any idea what to expect.
"These compartments have bed in them." she repeated.
"I guess it's better than sleeping on a chair..." he agreed, she nodded.
"Though I dunno if this is a single or double bed box."
"Well, if there's only one than you can have it." he offered. "I can make do with a chair for one night."
"Um... hate to break it to you... but... if it is a single it's a double sized bed, which means the chair is also folded up."
"Oh..." he humbled. He didn't understand exactly what she was talking about, but he got the point quickly enough. And he obviously wouldn't want to deprive her of a bed just so he didn't have to lay on it with her... did he?
"Yes..." she said, catching the worried look on his face. "Well, we'll make it work."
"I suppose it's not going to be any different than cuddling on the chair..." he tried to convince himself.
"Um, if you wanted too. All I was thinking was that we'd just stay on opposite sides... but if your that frisky..."
"Oh no! Er... no. I think... I mean... I was just trying to..." he slapped himself across the forehead and paused for a moment, trying to get his words straight and regain his composure. Alica giggled, finding his uncertainty adorable. "I think that staying on separate sides is a good idea."
"Alright then." she cheerfully replied, getting up from her seat and folding it flat. He did the same with his and watched carefully as she folded the bed out from the wall. It took up most of the little box they were in, there was just enough room to walk around the sides and that was it. She laid herself down on it immediately and snuggled into the sheets, patting the spot next to her. He sighed and reluctantly laid down beside her. As it was there wasn't much extra space on the bed, they both had to stay near the edges to keep falling off. Long tried to fall asleep, but afterawhile he could feel Alica rubbing up against him so he scooted a bit further to the side. Alica figured that he couldn't keep scooting much more, and snuggled into his back, pretending to be asleep. He moved over again, barely hanging on to the edge of his bed, then finally he fell down towards the crack between the bed and the floor. She found herself unable to supress a little laughter at his fall, and he turned towards her and glared.
"You did that on purpose!" he accused.
"Aw, relax Long. Come on, get back on the bed."
"No, I'm going to sleep on the floor."
"Don't be ridiculous Long, there's barely enough room between the wall and this bed to stuff a small child into."
"I'll manage." he mumbled, trying to wedge himself sideways between the bed and the wall. The sight of him trying to stuff himself between the two was so hillarious that she couldn't help bursting into laughter over it. "Stop that! It's not funny..."
"Why do you-ha ha ha... have to be-heh he... so stubborn Long?"
"Alright, fine then, I'll get back on the bed."
"You couldn't sleep on the floor if you wanted to, but you could sleep between the matress and the wall... Hahahaha!"
"Alright, alright!" he cried, pulling himself back out. "Enough already! I'll sleep on the bed."
"Hahahahaha..."
"You'd better stop touching me though."
"I think that in this bed that's inevitable." she reminded him, her laughter finally subsiding. "But if you like I could make the touching more pleasureful..." He scowled at the offer. "Alright, I'll try not to touch you. Just get back in bed, you look ridiculous." He finally climbed the rest of the way out of the crack he'd fallen into and rolled back on to the bed.
"I haven't slept with someone in a long time, you know." he excused himself.
"Oh... so you have slept with someone then?"
"Not like that."
"Who was it?"
"Alica!"
"Seriously, who?"
"My sister..."
"Oh. So you had to share beds?"
"When we first moved into Hong Kong we were stuck in this tiny studio apartment." he explained, remembering the cramped conditions. "It was so long ago... I must've been around ten years old, my sister was four."
"Oh..." Alica stated surprised. "so she's quite a bit younger than you." Long nodded in reply.
"There was only one main room, a kitchen, and a bathroom-closet, so we were all sleeping in that room. My parents had a mattress on the floor on one side, and my sister and I had the same on the other side, we were only separated by a thin curtain. They would put us to bed early, but sometimes we could still hear them at night... I actually peeked at them once and saw more than I'd bargained for."
"Oh, I see..." she replied with a laugh. "No wonder you're so paranoid then. It must've scared the hell outta you to see your parents doing that."
"I was just old enough to know what was going on and be permanently scarred by what I saw." he added in a very serious tone that made her laugh even more. "My sister on the other hand had asked me what they were doing. 'Mom and Dad are... uh... wrestling. Yeah...' I couldn't think of anything better to say. Of course, then she had to ask me why they were doing that, which turned into this long discussion. Eventually my father heard us and yelled that we'd better go to sleep or he'd tan our hides. So we were quiet."
"But why didn't you tell me about that earlier?" she wondered.
"Well, it's been ten years since it happened, so it must've slipped my mind." he honestly replied. She nodded and curled up in her blankets.
"We really ought to get some sleep before we land." she reminded him. He nodded and curled into the blankets on his side of the bed and tried to drift off to sleep.
"Um... Alica, you're... uh... shirt is missing."
"Oh!" she cried, realizing that she hadn't quite gotten in on yet. She hastilly threw it over her shoulders. "Heheh... sorry."
"Ai ya! You really ought to be more carefull what you answer the door in. What if Van had come to check in on you?"
She frowned and replied, "It wouldn't be the first time."
"Oh really? He checks on you often then?" He had to wonder if the same sort of thing ever happened when he was around. "Kinky, sadistic bastard." he muttered under his breath.
"Every so often he'll pop up." she admitted. "Usually he brings my medicine refills, but he went away, which is why I ran out."
"I see..."
She sighed sorrowfully, wishing it could be otherwise. "Anyway I'm packed."
"Well, we've still got an hour... but it shouldn't take that long to get to the airport, should it?"
"I'd recommend getting there as early as possible, with the new security checks and all... plus we gotta make sure the tickets are ok, ne?" He nodded in agreement.
"Alirght, let's get going then." Then he picked up his suitcase and headed for the elevator with Alica trailing after him. He waited by the elevator for her for a second, and then they got in and he pushed the button to take them down to the parking lot.
"We'll be taking my car of course."
"You ever get the window repaired?"
"Damn, I forgot all about that..." Then he mumbled something incoherent, cursing himself for forgetting to repair his car. Then again he really didn't want to be out in public while he was being watched for anyway, so there wasn't much he could've done. "Oh well, anyone who tries to steal my car will be better off dead."
"Want to take mine then?" she offered, hoping to keep him out of trouble.
"Alright." She nodded and fished the keys out of her pocket. The elevator landed on their floor shortly and they picked up their bags again and got out.
"Uh, you go ahead and lead." he requested. "I'm not sure which one it is." She took the lead and walked him over to her jeep.
"It's this one." she said with a smile. She was very proud of her Jeep, it being her favorite vechicle and all. He simply nodded and waited for her to unlock it. She took her bags and threw them in the trunk before unlocking the doors. He did the same, and then got into the passenger side of the car. She was already there, and she reved the engine and they rode off into the city.
"When we get there, want me to see if I can get us bumped up to first class?"
"Sure." he agreed. She nodded in reply and then leaned back in her chair and sighed in relaxation. She really enjoyed driving her car. Long also leaned back and looked out the side window, watching idly as the city passed by. They got there pretty quickly and she found a nice parking spot before they stopped and got out of the car. They pulled their bags out of the back and walked into the airport. Their larger bags were checked in and Alica dragged him over to the ticket counter.
"Let me work my magic." she said. So he handed her the tickets and watched as she headed up to the counter. He couldn't hear much from where he stood, but only a few minutes later she returned with a smile on her face.
"I take it your magic worked?"
"Very well, they lets us get the private VIP box."
"Nice work." he stated, genuinely impressed.
"Yes... want to head in? Maybe hit a magazine store before going on?"
"Sounds good." She nodded and they headed past the security to all the little shops inside the airport. They browsed around the shops for a few minutes untill their flight was announced and they went in and took their seats. She asked for the window seat and he let her have it, quite content to sit on the other side of their private box. They took off shortly and enjoyed the peaceful journey. They were both so caught up in excitement of the trip that they forgot all about their plans for killing the people they hated for a moment. Alica looked out her window into the sky for a minute, wondering what the rest of Long's family was going to be like. They sat in the plane enjoying the ride without comment for awhile, she yawned in boredom.
"Getting tired?" he asked.
"Yes..." she admitted. "I hate long flights."
"Unfortunately it happens to be a necessity in this instance."
"That's true." she paused for a moment before she went on. "At least we're in a private box."
"Yes, it is nice that we don't have to put up with unruly passengers."
"Or crying infants."
"Indeed..." he trailed off, making a face at the mere mention of it. She groaned in agreement with his obvious distaste. "It seems you don't like children anymore than I do."
"Well, they are cute once they aren't babies..." she expounded. "it would be the first few years that would wear on me."
"I see..." he nodded. "Personally I haven't much experience with children of any age, so I feel a bit uncomfortable around them."
"Understandable."
"Afterall I only have one sibling, and it's been a long time since she was a child."
"Ahh." Alica nodded, not really surprised that he didn't have any experience with children.
"She's in her mid-teens now." Long said, as though it were an explanation for something. She nodded again, suddenly reminded of something.
"I used to have a sister..." she remembered. "I have no clue where she is now."
"Oh really?" he was a bit surprised. He'd never heard mention of a sister, and wondered who this sister's parents were. "One of Van's siblings, or something else?"
"No, she was with my mother..." she corrected. Long nodded, he hadn't really been sure. He had heard that Van had siblings once, but they'd died in a car crash. He couldn't remember anything else about them though, not even their sex. "but I don't know where she is. I haven't seen her since the day father took me back."
"Ah, I see..." a tone of saddness entered his voice. "did you know her well?"
"Not really... she was very young."
"A shame..."
"I am going to try to find the halfway house while we're here." she suddenly decided. "I believe it's in the same region we're heading to."
"Did I ever ever tell you where we were headed?" Long suddenly wondered. He was pretty sure he hadn't, and if he hadn't told her then how could she know where they were going?
"No, but I assumed it would be somewhere around Hong Kong since Tylon's main Chinese headquarters are there... am I right?"
"Right on the button." he replied with a smile and a nod. He realized that he should have expected as much. Afterall she was a Tylon, and not just any Tylon, but the daughter of the last CEO and the sister of the current one. Of course she would know all about their headquarters, especially near a place where she once lived. "I suppose that would be an easy enough conclusion to reach... well we could certainly stop by it while we're there."
"If it's ok..." she added. She really didn't want to impose or detract from his trip, but at the same time she had a desperate need to know if her sister were really there.
"Of course, it's the least I can do."
"Thanks." she said, smiling and tackling him with a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.
"Oh, don't mention it. Afterall what kind of friend would I be if I denied such a simple request?"
"Thats very true."
"May I ask what you intend to do if you happen to find your sister?"
"I honestly don't know..." Alica admitted. She really hadn't thought that far ahead. In fact, she hadn't thought about it at all untill Long had mentioned his own sister. It was all just a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing. "I just want to see if she's even alive."
"Alright then..." he agreed. "I guess we'll find out."
"But first you should touch base with you parents."
"Yes, of course. Well stop by their house first..." he quickly agreed, thinking that it wouldn't take him long at all to get thing things he needed. Then he realized that she had said 'parents'. "luckilly my father won't be there."
"He was at the labs earlier," she remembered, "he couldn't get there this fast could he?"
"I doubt it. He had no way of knowing we were going to leave either. And I think it's probably likely he'll stick around the lab and work. He's a workacholic you know."
"Ugh," she groaned. "so I see."
"He always has been." Long explained. "My father never had much time for his family... he was always working."
"That's terrible."
"Truthfully we were glad to have him gone, because once he got home he was always in an awful mood."
"I forsee pictures of abuse." Long smiled sadly, and sighed at the memories.
"Luckilly I was often able to distract him from my mother and sister. They usually would only recieve marginal beatings when compared with the ones I took."
"You poor thing." she sympathized, cuddling into his shoulder. He returned the gesture, finding a bit of comfort in the face of the memories of his past.
"It doesn't matter..." he replied, trying to dismiss it. "I was better able to handle it than they were. He is a coward for beating on them if you ask me."
"Indeed." she agreed, noodding.
"Someday soon he will pay for his stupidity." he insisted, his pain at the memories quickly turning to anger, as it often did.
"Can't wait."
"Neither can I..." he agreed, sporting a wicked grin. He reviewed it once more in his mind, how he would make the man suffer for all the wrongs he'd done. She caught the look on his face and started laughing, and he laughed with her, not even stopping to wonder why she'd started laughing in the first place. It was the only relief he had left, to assure himself that some day the nasty old man would get what was coming to him. Then she turned to him and smiled, and he smiled back. He completely forgot to question her about it, but simply accepted her companionship. "Unfortunately, once he's gone I'm going to have to leave." he suddenly warned. She blinked in confusion, wondering what had brought that on. "Once he's gone I take the rest of my family and go into hiding. That is my plan." She nodded a little, reluctant to accept it. "When that time comes I shall truly miss you, Alica."
"The same can be said here." she said, with a melancholy sigh.
"It won't be for awhile yet," he assured her. "I still have a bit of money to save up... maybe in a few years."
"Ahh I see." this time followed by a sigh of relief.
"I must be certain I can support them once we're out..." he elaborated. "it would be foolish to risk making an appearance."
"Unless you want to chop your hair and get a dye job."
"Ugh..." he groaned, grabbing his ponytail and holding it protectively. "If anyone so much as brings a pair of scissors anywhere NEAR my hair..." he purposely trailed off and then growled angrilly. She laughed at him.
"I wish I had a camera... thats soo funny!"
"I take great pride in my hair..." he muttered defensively.
"I noticed."
"Then you must have also noticed how furious I was when Fox touched it..."
"I know, heheh..."
"No one touches my hair." She poked at his hair, unable to resist.
"Hey!" he cried, using his free hand to shoo hers away while still clutching his ponytail protectively with the other. She just laughed at him even more. "I meant what I said..." he replied, losing his composure in the face of her laughter. "Heheheh..."
"Your face though, wouldn't look good with short hair." He gave her a questioning look. "It's too... long... pardon the... unintetional pun." He blinked, a bit confused.
"Well... no one's ever going to find out what my face looks like without the hair anyway..."
"Very true."
"No matter what happens I'm never going to cut it."
"I would hope you don't. I'd never recognise you then."
"I don't think I would either." he admitted, with a good-natured grin. She smiled back. "I would say the same goes for you as well..." he added. She blinked in surprised.
"Really?"
"Well I certainly couldn't imagine you with short hair..." She nodded.
"I don't intend to cut it."
"No barber's shops for us." he said, playfully.
"Indeed," she agreed. "though trims are necessary."
"True..." he agreed, trailing off because he couldn't think of any more to say. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. "I'm always very carefull who I trust to do the trimming... can't have anyone trimming too much you know."
"Indeed." she agreed, poking at his hair again.
"Stop that!" he demanded, grabbing his ponytail and flipping it over to the other side, hoping she couldn't reach it.
"Aww, but your hair's so soft."
"But... I don't like people touching it..." he moped, almost sounding a little whiny. "I suppose I'm being a bit obsessive... but I can't help it."
"Awww... alright." she pounted a bit and sat back down in her seat. They were silent for a moment, content enough to keep to themselves. Alica began to wonder what it was going to be like to meet the rest of Long's family.
"So, Long... what do your mother and sister look like?" He turned towards her and paused to consider the question for it.
"Well, they look typically Asian I suppose. Black hair, brown eyes, light skin. There really isn't much to know. My mother and sister both have a rounder face then mine, which I obviously inherited from my father..." The last few words he'd said contained a hint of animosity before he trailed off, he obviously resented the resemblance.
"Ahh... That makes sense." she agreed with a nod. She could remember well enough that they shared the same long face.
"Meh..." he grumbled. "Unfortunately I do take after him a bit." Then he scowled.
"We all have bad points... at least you make it attractive."
"Hm... I think I'd rather be ugly than look like him, but I have little say in the matter." "But if not for him you wouldn't've inherited such good looks." she persisted.
"I suppose I ought to be glad I'm not an exact replica." he reluctantly agreed.
"True, there are some differences." she admitted, remembering how he looked. "I think his eyes were different."
"Yes, his eyelids are pretty flat... another common Asian trait. My mother has nice round eyelids, like mine."
"You've definately got his face though, and his cheekbones, and his eyebrows."
"They're angry looking, aren't they?" he asked of the latter. "Ironically appropriate I suppose."
"His lips are thinner." she remembered. "That combined the the eyelid thing makes him look alot less attractive than you, and more emotionless. Plus he's gotta be at least twenty years older, I noticed his hair had some grey streaks."
"Yes, he's getting old." Long agreed. "Closer and closer to his death, but much closer than he thinks."
"I noticed that he wears his hair the same way you do." she commented, hoping to distract him.
"It's also quite a bit shorter in back. Not more than 4 or 5 inches past his hair tie. I must have at least a foot myself. That really bothers him you know." he snickered. "Yes, he really wishes I would cut it."
"Oh, I see..."
"Just one of the many reasons I'm obsessive about my hair." She impulsively reached out poke at it again. "Ah!" he cried, grabbing his ponytail and holding it protectively. "What did I just say? No touching!"
"Aw... but it's so pretty!" She objected, reaching for it again. He pulled it farther away and petted it a bit, as though it were some kind of live animal. She sighed and sat back in her seat, giving up her pursuit of his hair.
"Wonder when the food will arrive."
"Yes, food sounds good to me right now..." he agreed, his stomach growling in anticipation. In a few minutes a waiter came by and took their orders for the food, Long ordered an entire meal, complete with a one-pound steak for himself. Then he asked Alica what she wanted and she ordered a turkey dinner. They sat and relaxed in silence for a few minutes while the food was prepared. And once it came Long handed Alica her tray immediately before ravenously devouring his own food. She thanked him for her food, and he simply nodded in reply and kept on eating. She stared at him a bit shocked, having never seen him eat like that.
"When did you eat last?"
"Uh, I'm not sure..." he replied between bites. He took another bite and chewed it down before continuing. "I think maybe last night. I never did eat breakfast or lunch."
"Oh my... eat then." He nodded to her and kept eating, so she also returned to her meal. She finished fairly quickly, having been pretty hungry herself. As fast as Long was eating it took him even longer though, since he'd ordered so much food. He finally finished a few minutes after her and then leaned back in his seat, patting his full stomach.
"That feels so much better..." he sighed, contentedly. "It usually doesn't bother me to go without food for a meal or two, but the past few days have been so tiring..." he trailed off and yawned. "And too much food makes me sleepy."
"You know... this box has a fold out bed." she informed him.
"Hm?" he mumbled, and blinked as though he hadn't heard her well. He'd never ridden first class before, so he really didn't have any idea what to expect.
"These compartments have bed in them." she repeated.
"I guess it's better than sleeping on a chair..." he agreed, she nodded.
"Though I dunno if this is a single or double bed box."
"Well, if there's only one than you can have it." he offered. "I can make do with a chair for one night."
"Um... hate to break it to you... but... if it is a single it's a double sized bed, which means the chair is also folded up."
"Oh..." he humbled. He didn't understand exactly what she was talking about, but he got the point quickly enough. And he obviously wouldn't want to deprive her of a bed just so he didn't have to lay on it with her... did he?
"Yes..." she said, catching the worried look on his face. "Well, we'll make it work."
"I suppose it's not going to be any different than cuddling on the chair..." he tried to convince himself.
"Um, if you wanted too. All I was thinking was that we'd just stay on opposite sides... but if your that frisky..."
"Oh no! Er... no. I think... I mean... I was just trying to..." he slapped himself across the forehead and paused for a moment, trying to get his words straight and regain his composure. Alica giggled, finding his uncertainty adorable. "I think that staying on separate sides is a good idea."
"Alright then." she cheerfully replied, getting up from her seat and folding it flat. He did the same with his and watched carefully as she folded the bed out from the wall. It took up most of the little box they were in, there was just enough room to walk around the sides and that was it. She laid herself down on it immediately and snuggled into the sheets, patting the spot next to her. He sighed and reluctantly laid down beside her. As it was there wasn't much extra space on the bed, they both had to stay near the edges to keep falling off. Long tried to fall asleep, but afterawhile he could feel Alica rubbing up against him so he scooted a bit further to the side. Alica figured that he couldn't keep scooting much more, and snuggled into his back, pretending to be asleep. He moved over again, barely hanging on to the edge of his bed, then finally he fell down towards the crack between the bed and the floor. She found herself unable to supress a little laughter at his fall, and he turned towards her and glared.
"You did that on purpose!" he accused.
"Aw, relax Long. Come on, get back on the bed."
"No, I'm going to sleep on the floor."
"Don't be ridiculous Long, there's barely enough room between the wall and this bed to stuff a small child into."
"I'll manage." he mumbled, trying to wedge himself sideways between the bed and the wall. The sight of him trying to stuff himself between the two was so hillarious that she couldn't help bursting into laughter over it. "Stop that! It's not funny..."
"Why do you-ha ha ha... have to be-heh he... so stubborn Long?"
"Alright, fine then, I'll get back on the bed."
"You couldn't sleep on the floor if you wanted to, but you could sleep between the matress and the wall... Hahahaha!"
"Alright, alright!" he cried, pulling himself back out. "Enough already! I'll sleep on the bed."
"Hahahahaha..."
"You'd better stop touching me though."
"I think that in this bed that's inevitable." she reminded him, her laughter finally subsiding. "But if you like I could make the touching more pleasureful..." He scowled at the offer. "Alright, I'll try not to touch you. Just get back in bed, you look ridiculous." He finally climbed the rest of the way out of the crack he'd fallen into and rolled back on to the bed.
"I haven't slept with someone in a long time, you know." he excused himself.
"Oh... so you have slept with someone then?"
"Not like that."
"Who was it?"
"Alica!"
"Seriously, who?"
"My sister..."
"Oh. So you had to share beds?"
"When we first moved into Hong Kong we were stuck in this tiny studio apartment." he explained, remembering the cramped conditions. "It was so long ago... I must've been around ten years old, my sister was four."
"Oh..." Alica stated surprised. "so she's quite a bit younger than you." Long nodded in reply.
"There was only one main room, a kitchen, and a bathroom-closet, so we were all sleeping in that room. My parents had a mattress on the floor on one side, and my sister and I had the same on the other side, we were only separated by a thin curtain. They would put us to bed early, but sometimes we could still hear them at night... I actually peeked at them once and saw more than I'd bargained for."
"Oh, I see..." she replied with a laugh. "No wonder you're so paranoid then. It must've scared the hell outta you to see your parents doing that."
"I was just old enough to know what was going on and be permanently scarred by what I saw." he added in a very serious tone that made her laugh even more. "My sister on the other hand had asked me what they were doing. 'Mom and Dad are... uh... wrestling. Yeah...' I couldn't think of anything better to say. Of course, then she had to ask me why they were doing that, which turned into this long discussion. Eventually my father heard us and yelled that we'd better go to sleep or he'd tan our hides. So we were quiet."
"But why didn't you tell me about that earlier?" she wondered.
"Well, it's been ten years since it happened, so it must've slipped my mind." he honestly replied. She nodded and curled up in her blankets.
"We really ought to get some sleep before we land." she reminded him. He nodded and curled into the blankets on his side of the bed and tried to drift off to sleep.