I think I should go buy a spine at the local 24/7. To all those who asked for a story based on my ficlet Nighttime Activities, this is the next part. And YES, I will keep going. sigh
Important notes: As the first intent was to keep this a one shot, I'll have to use this chapter to set things a bit before the action begins. This part contains no warning, I think, because if you got through the first chapter, then you should be fine reading this. Also, a very important note regarding the characters' ages:
Link is 24. Kafei is 24. Zelda is 23. Malon is 23. Sheik is 25. The reason Zelda shouldn't be working in the nightclub, as mentioned in the first part, is because she is not 24 yet. The Hylian standards are different, and since the people from there live longer, their adult age has shifted to 24, age of maturity. To clear things up, this does not keep anyone from working, nor from having ordinary lives.
Another note, I speak of eye treatments which include wearing red-tinted contact lenses. These lenses are merely meant to correct the eyesight, and eventually heal any imperfections. This information is not crucial to understanding the story, however.
Disclaimer: Ha. Ha. Ha. Yeah right.
Quote of the Day: "It's so beautiful outside! It's snowing!" "I'm feeling sick. I think I should go barf in the snow . . ."—SW and IP.
Nighttime ActivitiesPart 2: Enter the Best Friends . . .
By CM
Link sighed, opening the thick glass doors. Almost immediately, he was assaulted by a strong scent of coffee. He took it in, knowing that it would be the closest he would get to the real thing this morning.
He had a meeting just before noon, and a report to give in on the latest transactions . . . He rattled the list of things to do or attend to in the day in his mind. He still had to complete that form and revise the latest version of the second addendum to the agreement with the order . . .
And he had to run a phone call to the Kigali's, just in case they were still nervous about the case they'd given. He honestly thought of handing it over to Kafei Dotour.
Speaking of which, the funky young man rounded the corner and cheerfully waved at him. Kafei was shorter than him, but not by much. He had allowed his colorist to make his black hair reflect with purple. It was rather strange, and Link didn't really know what to think about his eyes either. The eye treatment Kafei was receiving included wearing red-tainted contact lenses, and the now scarlet irises stared back at everyone intensely. It took some getting used to, but after that, it was really pretty cool.
Link and Kafei went to shake hands, but at the last minute, they did a high-five. A woman that passed by them sighed, exasperated, and the two young men snickered. They'd gone to college together, and had therefore grown into habits.
At twenty-four, Link and Kafei were now colleagues in the agency, and shared most of their tasks, filling in for each other when necessary. They strolled down the hallways towards their shared office.
Kafei was eerily silent this morning, though he seemed pleased. Link raised an eyebrow and waited. Almost immediately, without even seeing Link, Kafei spoke.
"I met this girl―"
Link sighed loudly, rolling his eyes, cutting him off. "Okay, Romeo, I can guess the rest."
"Not this time. She's got this special something."
"Yeah, like all the others before."
Kafei glared at him, red eyes thinned into slits. "Will you listen until the end?"
Link shrugged, palms raised upwards, and he said nothing else. Kafei took a breath, turning a corner right before him.
"It's like this. I was at the coffee shop on the twenty-sixth street. You know, the one hiring new personnel?"
"Yeah."
"Well, she's their new waitress."
"You've fallen for a waitress?"
Kafei scowled at him. Link's eyebrows shot up, he was smiling, raising his shoulders as though to prove his innocence.
"I'm asking you to shut your trap and wait until the end of the story," Kafei growled.
"Fine, fine."
"So I had her as a waitress, and she and I started off this conversation about the 70's music. She's a fan too!"
"Okay. I thought one weirdo per city was enough, but now I have the proof that things don't work by percentage."
"Yeah, this city is too small to have such a high ratio of imbeciles named Link."
"I'm the only one!"
"Exactly. Can I proceed?"
Link sighed. "Please do, Casanova."
"So I ordered my coffee, and she just walks away to comply. I swear, she's got this dreamy way of moving. She doesn't walk, she saunters,like she doesn't really know where she's going."
"Okay . . ."
"You're making a disbelieving face. Let me finish."
"Go on."
"And she's got this gentle air about her. I swear. And she's clumsy as hell. It's really cute."
Link stopped dead in his tracks, staring open mouthed at Kafei. The young man walked a few steps before looking back at Link questioningly. The blonde man raised a trembling finger and pointed at Kafei with a twinkle in his eye.
"You just called a girl cute!"
Kafei blinked, before rolling his red eyes and walking into their office. Link followed, grinning like an idiot.
"Oh man, I never thought I'd ever see the day!" A look from Kafei sobered Link up. "You're not kidding."
"I'm not."
"Holy crap."
"Her name's Anju Cojiro."
Link nodded thoughtfully. "Nice name. Good girl. Maybe you'll keep her for more than a few weeks."
Kafei snorted, sinking into his leather seat and dropping his suitcase on the floor beside him. He propped his legs up on the desk in front of him and watched as Link opened his suitcase and pulled out several files.
"I don't know. I asked her if I could meet her after work. She said she couldn't talk about that on her shift, but that her day ended around 5:00 pm. So that's a goodbye to you."
"Right, I'm not offended. I've got work to finish up anyway."
"Uh-huh. Then it's falling into place."
"I guess." Link fell into silence, checking a few lines in a document. "Oh, hey, do you want to take up the Kigali's case? I'm already working on something else."
Kafei sighed and watched as Link threw the file onto his desk without looking up. He opened it and scanned through it summarily. He frowned, but nodded.
"Alright, I'll do it. What are you working on?"
Link looked up furtively, but immediately lowered his eyes again, clearing his throat. Kafei leant forward, smirking. A long silence followed, interrupted by a flip of a page, a scribble of a pen on paper. Kafei was waiting.
"You're not off the hook, blond-o."
Link looked up, a faint flush tainting his cheeks.
"Oh? Did I say I was?"
"What's her name?"
Link chuckled nervously, falling into a coughing fit. Kafei threw him a pen, and Link broke into a loud laugh, whacking at air with a file he picked up from his desk. A sheet fell out of the folder and flittered over to Kafei's feet. The young dark haired man bent over to duck a penholder, and picked the paper while he was near. He turned it over and sat straight again, eyes trained on the writing. Link was standing behind his desk, staring at Kafei with a frozen smile. Kafei threw him an amused look, smirking.
"Zelda Harkinian, uh?"
Link licked his lips, averting his eyes.
"Um, no?"
Kafei snickered, folding the loose sheet into an airplane and throwing it back at Link. "Nice try, Romeo."
"Screw you," Link muttered, unable to hold back a faint smile, unfolding the paper and smoothing it out. "It's not like that."
"Does she kiss well?"
"Hell yeah― NO! KAFEI!"
The dark haired young man was laughing hysterically. Link's face was getting gradually redder as the seconds ticked by. He glared at his friend, who was watching him with mirth filled eyes.
"It was just a series of events that added up to a certain meeting of the . . . facial cavities."
Kafei scowled, disgusted. "That's gross," he chuckled. Link shrugged, his pale blue shirt stretching on his square shoulders. Kafei put his chin in his palm, thoughtful. "You and I both have someone in our sights, then. We must be synced together."
"Like women syncing their PMS?"
"I hope not."
Link chuckled.
"I don't know. We're coming of age. It's about time. Hey, Kafei," he declared, leaning forward, "if these girls are the ones for us . . ." Kafei looked up. "We give them all we have. We hold on."
"Are you eager to get married or something?"
Link frowned. "No. I didn't think of it that way. I was opting more for the 'finding the One' kind of thing."
Kafei snorted. "You're hopeless. Listen up: in today's world, there's no 'One' for you, me, or anyone. The concept of having the perfect counterpart is outdated. It doesn't exist. Get that in your thick romanticized head."
" . . . I'm sure I can find the girl for me."
"Uh-huh. Sure, Junior."
Link's eyes snapped up, staring at Kafei with a shocked look. Kafei glanced at him, and raised a brow at his bemused look. "What?"
"You― No. Nothing."
With a shiver, Link got back to work and didn't emerge. Kafei didn't dwell on his colleague's strange attitude, choosing to update his brain on the Kigali case.
The stain wouldn't leave. It was greasy, dark red, and stubborn. No matter how hard she rubbed, it just wouldn't wash away. Zelda grimaced.
"What now?" Malon's voice was strained as she walked through the doors, passed her and dropped more dishes into the water filled sink. Zelda scowled.
"Lipstick. Cheap lipstick."
"Eeew," Malon snickered as she came closer. " That looks gross. What color?"
They both leant over the cup to stare at the smeared trace. Zelda frowned thoughtfully, as though contemplating the greater meaning of existence, her light pink lips pulled in a pout.
" 'Bloody skin disease'?" She suggested after a few seconds. Malon cocked her head to the side.
" 'Cherry mess'?"
"Too light. I'd say―"
"Will you two concentrate? Malon, clients are waiting in front."
"Sorry boss!" They responded in unison at the sighing patron. Malon turned back to Zelda, ready to return to the seating area, flicking a finger at her.
"Put that one aside, we'll have to keep it for DNA sampling."
A thin, pale brow was lowered on Zelda's forehead. She was staring at Malon disbelievingly, but chose to simply ignore her fiery-haired friend and turned back to the sink. In a matter of seconds, the pile of dishes had grown exponentially. Zelda sighed, tired, and got back to work.
The opaque doors flew open once more, and Zelda didn't glance up to see whom it was. She honestly didn't care. A lean figure passed behind her, brushing her arm. The young man leant over, bright red eyes focused on Zelda's work. She finally looked up.
"Oh, hey, Sheik."
His long blonde hair was tied back for hygiene purposes, and his eye treatment made his eyes an intense red. Zelda had noticed that the technology was expanding, and Sheik had also chosen to go for it. Zelda sometimes doubted he needed it, and thought that he preferred to simply wear the contacts to keep his intense appearance. It didn't really matter.
"I heard from Malon that you needed help removing a tenacious stain. Where is the culprit?"
Zelda sighed, blowing on a strand of hair to get it out of her face, and showed him the offending cup. Sheik snatched it where it was, sitting on the counter, and glared at it, looking quite humorously severe. Zelda suppressed a giggle. He flashed her a fleeting smile, before walking off with the cup.
"I'll take care of this. Be right back."
Zelda watched him go, before turning back to the sink and scrubbing. Two minutes later, Sheik was back with a miraculously clean cup, and he slammed it down loudly on the counter, sniffing proudly, crossing his arms, smirking. Zelda shot him a look, holding back a smile.
"Thanks. How'd you manage?"
Sheik raised a brow, hoisting himself onto the counter and watching her work. He grabbed a rag and started drying the dishes she'd set aside.
"What? To work for more than a minute, or to wash away the blood stain?"
"It was lipstick," Zelda sighed, rolling her eyes. "But yes, I was wondering how you cleaned it."
Sheik snickered, putting a plate inside a tray of clean dishes.
"Oh, I know of the best stain remover. And it's completely natural."
Zelda nodded, rubbing an itch with her dry arm, before continuing her work. Sheik was biting his lip, knowing he could start laughing anytime.
"And what would that tree-friendly product be?" She asked, oblivious to his fidgeting.
"Urine."
She screamed, eyes wide, almost dropping the wine glass she had been cleaning. At the same moment, the doors opened, and the owner stalked in, exasperated.
"Oh, for the love of Pete, Zelda, I can hear you out there."
Zelda, embarrassed, smiled apologetically, hitting Sheik with her wet rag, as the young man held his stomach, laughing. The boss exited, looking completely exhausted. Zelda turned to Sheik, horrified, before searching in the clean dishes rack for the cup. It was lost amongst a dozen of other identical pieces. Zelda let out a panicked, high-pitched whimper.
"Oh gosh, you maniac―"
"Come on, Zellie, I was kidding."
"I hope so," Zelda breathed, nonetheless relieved. "You almost gave me a heart-attack."
"You honestly think I'd do that? I'm pleased to see your opinion of me is improving."
Zelda threw him a weak glare, before getting back to work. Sheik sighed languidly.
"Zellie, you're tired. What did you do last night?"
Zelda froze. Sheik leaned over, smirking. He tapped his fingers on the counter, waiting. She cleared her throat, looking over his shoulder and pressing her lips together.
"Nothing big. I went to the club."
Sheik sniffed, waiting for more. When nothing came, he motioned for her to go on. "And . . .?"
"And what?"
"That's my question."
The doors opened again, and Malon came in, screaming customer orders at the cooks, before walking over to them. She leaned against the counter, watching them.
"What's up?"
"Zellie doesn't want to talk about her nightclub experiences," Sheik said loudly in a singsong voice. Zelda whacked him with her rag. Malon giggled, shrugging.
"She found a very nice man," the redhead revealed. Sheik made an 'oooh' sound, grinning. "And he's apparently a very good kisser." Malon poked Zelda in the arm, the blonde young woman's face having gone bright red. "So are you gonna call him back?"
Zelda let out a weak wail, but didn't answer. Malon frowned.
"Oh, come one, Zel', you have to."
"I'm not discussing this with you two," Zelda managed to mutter.
"You have to, otherwise you're taking the bus home."
Zelda looked at Malon, horrified, as her stubborn friend blew on her manicured nails, unconcerned. Sheik was laughing.
"Oh, Malon, please, you can't do that to me!"
"And why the hell not?" Malon was too confident. Zelda racked her brain.
"Um, because I don't have his business card anymore?" She sounded hopeful. Malon laughed.
"It's under your pillow back home, Zel'. You told me that. Who do you think I am?"
Sheik was watching the exchange with mirth-filled eyes. He stood down from the counter and listened intently. Malon was poking Zelda's shoulder, and Zelda was fighting back with her wet rag.
"It's the first time I see Zellie flustered," he remarked. At that, the two young women stopped moving, staring at him. Malon started giggling, and Zelda rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. He's a detective hired by my dad to keep an eye on me. It's just his job."
Sheik nodded, unconvinced.
"Right. I'm sure the gum cleaning is just part of the fine print."
"It's not like that! I thought he was a stalker, and when I stopped him, he told me about it. Then―"
"It just . . . happened," Malon sighed, putting on a dreamy look. "It's so romantic!"
"Well it's not like we did anything more than kiss," Zelda flatly remarked. "I'll probably not see him again." Then where did that gut feeling come from, telling her otherwise?
Malon was shrugging.
"It doesn't really matter, since you're hell-bent on not calling him again. Zelda, what if he's the one for you? Would you let that chance run by?"
"That's rubbish," Zelda snorted.
"I say it's not!" Malon was scolded her. "The man for you could be found in the most unexpected of places!"
Zelda glanced at her, contemplating her words, then behind Malon, staring at Sheik, who was smirking.
"You honestly believe that?"
Malon nodded, looking earnest. "If there's a guy for you, you'll find him in the place you find less likely."
"Like at a party."
"Or an interview."
"Or at work."
Malon and Sheik both paused, letting their words sink in.
"And maybe you already met him."
Zelda looked up at them, thoughtful. Something struck her as odd as she watched her two best friends. They seemed so eager to see her happy . . . It was heartwarming.
"Alright," she sighed. "I'll call him before going to the club tonight, but Malon, you drive me home."
"Of course."
"And now, back to work. We can't slack off."
"Huh, yeah. Right."
Action comes in next chapter. A bit of dwelling into setting our story better . . . Yeah.
IF you choose to review and complain about lack of coherence regarding the characters' ages, I will not take any heed. I have written an abnormally big author's note at the beginning explaining just that and a bit more, so if you still find the nerve to complain, I will not note it as I usually do.
But please don't let that crappy mood of mine keep you from reviewing. I really appreciate it, thank you.
I hope you liked this. Expect more. Soon enough. I hope.
Love,
CM.