toccata: n, A virtuoso composition (usually for a keyboard instrument) in rhythmically free style with brilliant passagework and rapid elaborate runs.
Artemis walked away from the drunken idiots snogging on the floor and tried to navigate his way through the throng of people, searching for Josh. It would be nearly impossible to find Alanis later if the entire crowd was drunk.
"Achi kaere."
Artemis looked for the sound of the voice and then looked down. A small Japanese schoolgirl looking very out of place glared at him. She was dressed in an impeccable uniform and her hair was split into two neat pigtails. The girl would have been a cute little thing if she hadn't been staring at him angrily.
"Excuse me?" Artemis said to her, unsure of what she had said. He knew a few Japanese words, such as please and thank you, but he was quite sure that it was not what the girl had said.
The little brat screamed and stomped on his foot. Artemis winced and hopped like an idiot for a few moments until the pain subsided.
"Gogo, stop! I told you to stay in the rec room!"
Artemis took time out of his mental curse of the human nervous system and noticed that Josh Anderson was standing in front of him, berating the small girl. The girl—Gogo, Josh had called her? –landed a sharp kick between Josh's legs and ran off.
Josh's eyes bugged out and he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. "Hey, Artemis. That was my little sister Gogo," he gasped finally.
"Adopted?"
Josh nodded.
"They didn't want her back, did they?"
Josh shook his head and managed to stand up straight. "Got that right, mate. I thought you weren't going to come"— here Josh managed to stammer embarrassedly—"So I didn't give you a flyer. Er."
Artemis held up a hand to silence him. "Quite all right," he said tersely. "You don't need to pretend I am in your social circle. I just happen to be in dire need of a computer. I believe you owe me a favor, Mr. Anderson."
Josh wrinkled his nose. "Mr. Anderson's my dad, mate! Don't call me that."
"And don't call me mate. Now about the electronics?" Artemis tapped his foot. He was getting impatient, and if he had to haul a drunk Alanis home, someone was going to pay.
The sudden smell of alcohol thrust under his nose told him it was too late. "Arty, have some, it's so loffly," Alanis said dreamily, draping herself on his shoulder.
Artemis glared at her and pushed her off. "Get off! This is an Armani shirt! What do you think you're doing?"
"Having a good time," Alanis murmured, gazing at Josh. "Who's your friend?" she whispered in his ear.
Josh was staring at them. Actually, if he had been staring at Artemis our young protagonist would have found himself very disturbed. However, the case was that Josh was staring at Alanis, who was staring back with the same ardent gaze.
Artemis rolled his eyes. They were both drunk teenagers with raging hormones. It figured. "Josh Anderson, Alanis Night. Alanis Night, Josh Anderson. Now can you hurry up and lead me to your bloody computer!" He would have shrieked, had he been a normal teenager, but he managed to keep his voice under control because he was Artemis Fowl, after all.
Josh and Alanis both ignored him. "Want to dance?" Josh asked slowly.
"Sure," she said, taking his arm.
Artemis felt a headache coming on. He had a project to finish, and here he was playing matchmaker to two attractive yet vacuous teenagers. It was like a bad romance novel that needed a villain.
Artemis was about to spew his diabolical wrath when someone beat him to it.
"Well, well, well," drawled a cold voice from behind them. "If it isn't the village idiot."
Artemis turned around and faced another girl who was glaring at Alanis like a nasty bug that stank up the room. She had a pointed chin and a chiseled, cold beauty about her that permeated the air.
Josh glared at her, more than a bit annoyed. "Artemis, Alanis, this is Toccata."
She diverted her icy glare from Alanis and glance at Josh for a brief moment, and the ice in her eyes melted for several seconds.
Artemis could sense Alanis tensing behind him. He broke the awkward silence. "Artemis Fowl," he said, offering her his hand to shake.
Toccata's eyes danced from Josh to Artemis, those pale eyes raking over Artemis in an appraising glance. Artemis immediately felt uncomfortable but didn't break his cool, composed, stance. Did the girl have no manners at all? The way she was staring at him shouldn't be allowed, as if he was a slice of meat she was examining at the butchery, deciding whether or not it was tasty.
"Toccata Loginov," she said delicately, holding out a porcelain hand.
Without even the raise of an eyebrow Artemis caught her hand aristocratically mid-handshake and brought her cold fingers to his lips. Meeting her eyes, he kissed her hand chastely (as any mother would have been proud to introduce her son). Artemis felt a cold chill creep down his spine.
"Russian, is it not?" he remarked, letting go abruptly.
"Why yes," Toccata purred, "How ever did you guess?"
"You have a trace of an accent," said Artemis with her former coldness, "And the name gave it away." He turned abruptly to Josh. "The computer?"
"Right this way, mate," said Josh, pointing down a hallway.
"You surely don't expect me to navigate through this maze of crazed people?"
"Come on," said Josh gruffly, walking off with Artemis and glancing back at Alanis once before he turned away.
Artemis followed, but not before he heard Toccata say to Alanis in a venomous tone, "Dear Alanis…I believe you have something of mine."
A/N: With tremendous heaps of thanks to my loffly beta, Aryn, who picked out all the references without even blinking an eye as well as naming this chapter! Yao. Keep in tune for the next chapter, which shall involve some bad cats, continuation of weird phone calls with an annoyed Foaly, and we'll check up on the Mulch/Butler situation. Oh, and for those of you who are curious, achi kaere is a rather rude Japanese phrase which roughly translates to "get out" or "get out of my way."
Due to my spiffingness to start the next chapter instead of respond individually all right here to all of your spiffy reviews, I won't post responsy thingies here unless I absolutely thing there's something the funny or interesting I need you to know about. Drink up me hearties, yo ho!