Beginning: Part Three
Day Two II
Alisa moaned softly, and stirred. As she came to, she was aware of first a splitting headache, and second that she was moving.
"Narrgh... What happened?" Her blurry vision began to clear, and what she could make out was only a mask. "Jeez, what the hell!"
Immediately she was in full fight mode, and she almost fell out of the person's arms carrying her.
"Whoa! Calm down lady!" Casey turned to L. "Is she always this spastic?"
"Only when she's being carried by a man in a hockey mask after being attacked by a gang of Purple Dragons. You might wanna take the mask off once we get inside."
"Inside? But-"
"We gotta introduce you two!"
"WHAT the hell is going on?" Cried the still fighting Alisa who had just about managed to free herself from Casey's grip though upon noticing that he and L seemed friendly she had eased up a tiny bit.
"Don't worry Alisa, I know this guy."
She left it at that until the three were inside the small apartment and L motioned for Casey to set Alisa down on the couch. Afterwards he reluctantly removed his mask.
"This is Casey Jones; he's the masked crazy guy we were talking about yesterday. Weird, huh?"
Alisa was confused, and rightly so. "You two know each other?"
"He dated my sister... repeatedly. It didn't quite work out between the two of them."
"Your sister was crazy!"
"That sounds funny coming from you."
"But it's true!"
She looked at Alisa. "It isn't of course. My sister was the normal one, and obviously no normal person would date this man, no matter how much I tried to help."
"Whatever! I'm outta here!" He headed for the door but L cut him off.
"Oh no you don't! In the alley there was this guy who saved me... not that I needed saved of course!" It was easy to act tough now that it was over. "He seemed like he might have known you..."
"Sorry, no idea what you're talking about. Can I leave now?"
"I'm disappointed in you Casey Jones. You save two young sweet girls and you aren't even going to hang around to make sure they're okay."
Casey sighed. "First off, you already said you were okay. Second, she may be sweet but I know you. You're crazier than your sister!"
Smiling, L looked at Alisa who still looked a little baffled. "Great, he'll hang out for a bit then. I'm going to go get some ice for your face, you're starting to swell."
Alisa touched her face absently. It was still all a blur to her. One moment she had been in control, and the next she saw nothing but blackness. How could she have messed up so badly? She not only put herself in danger, but her friend as well. They were alive thanks to their rescuer.
She looked to the man who was standing nearby, his hockey mask clipped to his belt, and shifting uncomfortably on his feet.
"I thank you, Mr. Jones, for saving my friend and I."
She bowed her head slightly to him in the Japanese manner of formal gratitude, suddenly reminding Casey very much of his friend.
"Ah, none of that Mister stuff, ya hear?" he answered, somewhat embarrassed, "Just call me Casey."
Alisa smiled, which was rather painful for her at the moment, but tried not to show it. She was glad when L returned with ice cubes wrapped in a dish towel, and handed it to her. She pressed it gingerly to the side of her face. She closed her eyes a moment, and then suddenly opened them again as she remembered something. "Wait... There was a guy in the alley, L?"
"Yeah," L said as she leaned against the wall closest to the couch. "And I know it sounds crazy but it was almost like he was another one of those ninjas. Oh, but obviously not the bad kind since he saved me. So apparently we now have good and evil ninjas popping up all over the city. This ninja fad totally blows my mind."
"Wait, you know about those?"
"Casey who doesn't? They're all over the news these days! It's ridiculous how craptastic this city has become."
"Yeah but a lot of people don't believe the news anymore."
"Yes yes, it's all a conspiracy by our local government to keep us in fear while the crime lords running the city sit fat and happy upon their stolen profits. You don't have to have paranoia issues to realize when others do. Besides, if they were going to make something up you think they'd make up something better than ninjas." L didn't want to mention the fact that the real reason the girls knew of their existence was because they had killed Alisa's parents.
"Trust us, we believe those reports about ninjas," Alisa said, her voice holding a hint of underlying anger and sadness. She then looked to L. "We don't know the real reason why this man in the alley helped save us, so we have to be careful. Did you see what he looked like?"
L shook her head. "He wouldn't come out of the shadows."
"Damn," Alisa cursed, "Now we know he was intentionally hiding from you."
"Hey, he may have had a good reason," Casey defended.
She shifted her gaze to the vigilante, raising her eyebrow in suspicion. "And how would you know?"
"I don't," he answered, a little too quickly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Alisa narrowed her eyes at him. "You're lying. You know something, and you're going to tell us."
L eyed Casey closely. "What do you know?"
"Nothing!"
"Well that's true..." She received a look from Alisa that clearly told her now was not the time for jokes however. "Buuuut I still don't believe you. Alisa here is a pretty damn good judge of people so if she says you're lying then I gotta believe her."
"Hold on a second, who are you gonna believe? Her or me? Who have you known longer?"
"Who goes around in a hockey mask hitting bad guys with sports equipment?"
"Who used to talk to giant rabbits?"
L paused. "That was low y'know."
"Yeah, sorry. Look, I don't know who this guy was okay? If it makes you feel any better I'll be on the lookout for anything weird... weirder than normal that is."
"Great. Until then, we have to watch our backs every moment," Alisa grumbled, "Like I didn't have to do that before."
She stood up, gave a hasty bow to Casey, and went to her room. They heard the door close with a muffled bang.
"That went well."
"Yeah, well you gotta understand some things about Alisa. She's not exactly got the easiest happiest life, and she's already got a bit of a vendetta against these crazy ninja guys anyway. So today didn't really help."
"What do you mean vendetta? What's she got against ninjas?"
"Long story... and one I probably shouldn't be the one to tell. Thanks for saving our asses today Casey, I guess you're free to go now. You are also free to stop by every now and then, y'know to make sure we're alright and such."
"Asking me out on a date?" He grinned at her, which only made L laugh.
"Only you could make that association. Goodbye Casey."
She ushered him out the door and locked it behind him. Afterwards she headed towards Alisa's room and lightly tapped on the door. When she got no response she let herself in.
"Hey, you okay?"
Alisa sniffled, and wiped her good eye with the back of her hand. "Yeah, I will be." She took a deep breath. "This is my fault. We should have just turned back, and none of this would've happened, but I wasn't going to let a bunch of low-lives scare me."
"It's not your fault." L stepped further into her room.
Alisa shook her head. "Yes, it is. I put you in danger; I put us in danger. That ninja could may well be from the Foot."
"Why would a Foot ninja go out of their way to save me though? It doesn't make sense that he'd do it to gain my trust; I don't even know the guy. I could run into him in the street and not have any clue. And he definitely had a chance to kill me if he wanted to, we were alone in an alley for crying out loud," L explained. "I dunno, I know I'm not exactly the best judge of character in the world but I don't think the guy is a threat. As for Casey's reaction... I'm pretty sure there's something he's not telling us, yeah. Casey's a good guy though... a little weird but a good guy. If he knew that guy and knew that he was up to no good he'd tell us."
She sat down next to her friend and put her arm around her shoulder. "And babe, don't worry about putting me in danger, I seem to find it well enough on my own. I was more worried about you, how is it that you had three guys against you and all I had was one fatty?" She bristled. "Y'think that was there way of saying they didn't think I was tough enough? Bastards! I swear you just can't be tough in this town unless you're flying around putting the mad ninja smack down on people."
Alisa smiled at this remark, but it was short-lived. Her expression became somber again. "So maybe this guy isn't from the Foot, but why won't Casey tell us anything? I know he doesn't understand, but it's important." She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "I don't want to be scared again. I don't want to have to watch every shadow."
"Well I didn't tell him for one thing. I figure it's not up to me to decide who needs to know your life story. He knows that you have an issue with the Foot... not that I specified. Just my luck he'd want to know what I know about them or something, and all I know is what you've told me."
L stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling, which was water damaged and not really something you wanted to stare at for a good period of time. "Maybe the guy's like, deformed or something, Hunchback of Notre Dame stuff, y'know? He did seem pretty short... broad shoulders too. That's all I could really make out... though now that I think about it when I passed him to get to you I put my hand on his shoulder and it... I dunno it didn't feel normal. It didn't even feel like he was wearing a shirt come to think of it."
She bolted upright. "Great! I was saved by a naked midget hunchback ninja! Just my luck!"
Alisa started laughing. "I think your imagination might have run away with you." She composed herself a moment later. "Some guys are short, and it sounds he may be well built. Perhaps he just didn't have a shirt on."
"Oh yeah, mention well built and no shirt and now you're interested!" She nudged Alisa. "C'mon, we didn't get our walk in the park so how about... a walk to get ice cream?"
Alisa looked at her like she was crazy.
"It's at the end of the street! We can make it that far I'm sure, and right now I think we're fairly safe from any neighborhood Purple Dragons. If you want I can always call Casey, I'm pretty sure I have his number somewhere... not that he'd be home yet..."
Alisa chuckled. "No, I think we can manage without him." She stood up, and then gingerly touched the side of her face. "You think someone will notice this? I don't know how bad it looks, but it sure does hurt like hell."
"Well... yeah they'll probably notice. But if they try to say anything I'll just tell them I had to smack you around a bit." L giggled. "Seriously though, they'll notice but it doesn't look too bad. A little puffy and a little dark but you're not a mutant or anything."
She hopped up and headed into the living room, replaying the day's events as she went. It had certainly been an eventful day off thus far but not exactly what she was hoping for. Though if she had to find a bright side it was nice knowing that there indeed was someone trying to clean up the city, he wasn't just an urban legend and he was someone she knew.
Alisa followed L out of the room, and headed to the front door. For the second time that day, they left the apartment, and walked down the sidewalk once they hit street level. This time towards the ice cream stand.
"Do you know what you want?" Alisa asked L as they strolled along.
"A little of everything? Okay maybe not... I have a vague idea. Why, you in a hurry or something?" It was a silly question, she knew damn well they should be in a hurry but she hated the idea that fear was going to drive them to staying inside all the damn time.
Alisa shook her head. "Not really. Just curious, and it helps to think ahead, even if it is ice cream. I'll probably get my usual chocolate."
L laughed. "You're so... you. NOT that that's a bad thing, it'd be weird if you weren't."
They were a couple steps away from the stand and since someone else was in front of them L took the opportunity to check out the flavors and make up her mind. Not surprisingly the girl had serious issues making decisions, though it had nothing to do with any mental imbalance. She was just indecisive, that's all.
The person in front of them received their order, and left. Alisa stepped up, and placed her order, then glanced at L. "What do you want?"
"Mint chocolate chip. Oooh and with sprinkles! Are sprinkles an option?" Sprinkles were indeed an option, because in New York City if a woman wants sprinkles then damnit she gets them.
The girls paid and headed back to the apartment complex, though upon reaching their destination L chose to sit on the steps outside rather than head directly in.
"We're close enough to the door that if anyone wants to start shit I think we're relatively safe," she reasoned. "Besides, it's still such a nice day."
Alisa nodded. "Yes, it is. We'll be okay." She dipped her little plastic spoon in the cup of chocolate ice cream, and took the moderate bite it allowed. "I never understood why they don't have bigger spoons."
"Probably another one of those conspiracies or something. Not just on a local level though this is big... bigger than both of us. In fact we're probably being watched right now so it's best that we don't say any more... if we get to close they may have us eliminated." She looked around in a dramatic fashion, partly for effect but mostly to signal she was joking. L had a pretty good handle on her paranoia and besides generally being able to talk herself down, she wasn't normally that ridiculous. "Or it could be because they're cheaper to make and so damn cute."
"Could be." The girls ate in silence for a while. It really was a nice day, despite how sour things turned earlier. There was a light, cool breeze blowing, and the sun was warm, not hot. It was a perfect day to be out.
Finally, Alisa spoke again. "I wonder if Casey will tell his friend that we're okay."
"If in fact they know each other that well, then yeah I'm sure he will. And y'know... if they really are friends then there's a good chance we'll see this guy again... maybe actually see him this time."
Alisa nodded. "I hope so too." She scrapped the last of her ice cream from her bowl, and stood up to go inside their apartment. "You going to come in, or are you staying out a little longer?"
"I guess I'll come inside. It'd be nice to hang out here a little longer but I'm in no hurry to get my ass in trouble again. Besides, it looks like it might rain again... which probably accounts for the breeze."
Before standing up she took a long look around her, paying special attention to the shadowy areas. She didn't see anything very ninja-esque but would she even if it was there?
Alisa dumped her trash into the garbage can in the kitchen, and washed her sticky hands. She walked back into living room to find L sitting on the couch, finishing the rest of her ice cream, and watching television. Alisa sat down beside her, and glanced at the program playing on the screen. It was some old daytime soap opera. "Sometimes I wish we could afford cable. A better place to live even would be nice."
"Could be worse though. We could be living off the street or something. Though I gotta admit I'd love the ability to watch something more than soap operas, talk shows, game shows and the news. Hell it'd just be nice if we could watch those with better reception!"
"Yeah, I know." Alisa got to her feet, and adjusted the "rabbit ears" on top of the television. It helped clear the picture, but not by much. The colors were still wonky. She let it go, and sat back down on the couch again. She looked over at L, who was currently engaged in playing with her plastic spoon. "Hey, how long have you known Casey anyway?"
"Well that's... complicated. He dated my sister on and off for about a year... they never lasted more than a couple months at a time but the idiots kept getting back together. Every time they'd break up it was only a matter of time before he'd come asking me to help him get her back. I only agreed because she was a huge bitch when she was unhappy so it was easier to deal with her when she was dating somebody. They broke up for good the last time I was in the hospital and he actually came and visited me when it happened. I felt sorry for the big dolt really... but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. After that I'd hear from him sporatically and he finally just dropped off the face of the planet." She laughed. "Apparently he decided that fighting crime would just be easier than trying to date my sister... and I can't say I disagree with that."
Alisa chuckled. "Probably so."
The telephone rang then, and Alisa stood to reach it. "I got it." She picked up the receiver, and spoke into it. After a few moments of talking with the caller, she looked outraged. "You want me to do what!" L turned her head away from the television towards Alisa at her outburst.
L arched an eyebrow. "This isn't another one of those porny calls is it? Though if it is I guess better you than me, I got the last one. Just hang up Alisa, it only encourages them."
Alisa shook her head, and mouthed "Not that."
"Fine," she replied into the phone, "I'll be there in an hour." She nearly slammed the receiver back down in its cradle. "I swear, I'm getting sick of this," she spat, angrily, "That was the manager. He wants me down at the diner because "sugarbuns" can't handle it, and is having a nervous breakdown."
L groaned. "Girl you need to grow some balls... y'know, figuretively of course. Only you would agree to go in on not just your day off, but hours after you were attacked by a bunch of thugs. It's not healthy y'know, if anything you should be taking days off."
"You know I can't do that," Alisa answered, heading towards her room, "And we need the money." L could hear her rummaging around, and her voice came back to her as she continued talking. "I'll be okay. I'm a tough girl." She emerged a few minutes later dressed in her uniform. She carried her shoes to the couch to put them on.
L shook her head. "I still don't like it. Look, at least promise to call me before you come home, I don't know how late you'll be and I don't want you walking home alone when it's dark." She paused. "Maybe I should walk you to work. The beating Casey gave those guys will probably mean they'll either leave you alone or try again..."
Alisa was just looking at her by now, not even tying her shoelaces anymore.
"Right... I'm not helping, sorry. Well hey, how about I walk you to work and you call me so I can walk you home. I'll work on finding Casey's number in case either of us gets too jumpy, I know I have it here somewhere."
It was amazing how she'd only just got re-aquainted with the man yet she was already referring to him as if he was their personal bodyguard. She knew he wouldn't mind though, obviously if he was willing to save strangers from street punks he'd be cool with helping an old friend.
"L, there is no reason for either you or Casey to escort me," Alisa assured, "I'll be fine. It's just a few blocks to the diner." She finished tying her shoes, and stood up. "I promise I'll call when I get there, and before I leave, okay?"
L reluctantly agreed, and Alisa gave her friend a hug. "I'll see you later tonight." She walked to the door, and exited the apartment.
Annoyed that Alisa always brushed off her feelings of doubt, L paced around the apartment, occasionally kicking a stray sock or dust ball.
"The girl never listens to me. Never! One of these days something is going to happen to her and it'll be one of those 'Oh I should have listened to L' moments but nooooooo I won't be able to rub it in her face because I'll be too busy trying to save her ass. Me! Trying to save her! I don't know what the odds are of that actually working out but y'know, die trying and all that."
She quite often rambled to herself when she was alone. At least a hamster would give her someone to ramble to.
---
When Alisa arrived at the diner, she used the side entrance for the employees, and slipped in the restaurant. She called L, and let her know she had arrived safely, then clocked herself in. She ran into the manager as she made her way towards the dining room to start work. He noticed the left side of her face, which was one giant swollen bruise, and stared.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asked. Then he shook his head, dismissing it. "Never mind. Just get out there."
Alisa gave a curt bow of her head, and hurried into the dining room. The tall, Southern blonde-haired young woman she was to bail out was nowhere to be found, and once again Alisa knew she was stuck with double the duties. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Now wasn't the time to get angry. She had to have a polite, and cheerful manner for her customers.
---
L stretched out on the couch and stared at the crappy water damaged ceiling that ran across their entire apartment. She'd joked several times about covering it with a sheet but then that would mean she'd have to buy extra sheets. Momentarily she pushed her worries aside and concentrated on the earlier events of the day, trying to remember anything she may have forgotten.
She remembered a strange shadowy man. He was short, broad shoulders and Alisa was right he was probably well built. She'd touched his shoulder and it was bare... and the skin was very rough. It made sense for a ninja to have rough skin she supposed but on the shoulder? Was it rough or was it just dry? Did it matter? Either way she was suddenly considering washing her hands in scalding hot water.
Letting out a deep breath she stood and made her way to the hall closet which served as storage for a few boxes she had brought from her home. Somewhere in there amidst the photos and things she longed to forget was Casey's number and she was going to find it.
---
Five hours passed, and Alisa was starting to feel very tired. All the stress of the day was finally catching up with her, and her energy was nearly completely drained. Maybe she should have listened to L after all. The sky had begun to darken with the setting of the sun, and clouds, which meant more rain.
"Hey, quit slacking!" someone suddenly barked at her. Alisa turned around to find the girl, whom was named Tammy, both she and L hated, and which Alisa was currently balancing her work load on top of her own standing behind her.
"I am not slacking," Alisa replied, calmly, despite the burning rage she felt inside her.
Tammy didn't answer, but instead gawked at her. "Damn, what'd you do to your face?"
"I had an unfortunate incident with the wall," Alisa explained. It wasn't a complete lie. That punch from the Purple Dragon had felt something akin to running in a brick wall.
Tammy shook her head disgustedly. "I think you've been hanging around that mental friend of yours for too long," she sneered, "You're starting to be just like her."
Alisa angrily clenched her hands into fists. She couldn't talk about her best friend like that. "Don't you dare speak of L in that manner," she hissed, "She has more personality in her little finger than you'll ever have in that whole slutzy body of yours."
Tammy gasped, and then glared at her. "You keep talking like that, and I'll have you fired."
Alisa didn't back down. She was sick of being pushed around by these people, and she had had enough. "Well, you can tell your fucking boss that I quit." She pulled off her apron, and shoved it into Tammy's shocked hands. She then strolled out the front door of the diner.
As Alisa slowly walked down the sidewalk towards home in the night air, she knew she had made a mistake in quitting her job, but it was too late now. She'd have to deal with the consequences, and hope she could find another job quickly. She was just so tired of being a slave worker. She did so much, and she never got a break, or reward for her efforts. The boss positively fawned over Tammy, and she never did a damn thing. Alisa was just a smear on the wall to him.
She came out of her fog as she sensed something, looking up ahead, and cursed under her breath at what she saw standing under a lamp post with a bunch of his Dragon posse. Wasn't one time enough today to be attacked and humiliated? She knew he saw her, and flashed that same toothy grin at her he had given earlier in the park. She considered making a run in the opposite direction, but she knew they'd eventually catch her.
"Ahh, so we meet again, sweets," he leered at her, "This time, there's no one around to save you."
He grabbed her arm before she had time to react, and yanked her close to his dirty, sweaty body. "You and me at my place," he breathed in her ear, "Then the rest of my friends can have some fun. I know you're going to be one hell of a lay."
Alisa's eyes widened, and she screamed.
What Alisa didn't realize was that neither she nor L had been alone since their meeting earlier. The shadowy figure L had seen earlier was one of four, and that particular figure was currently on the roof of their apartment building grousing to himself about being completely bored. That didn't help Alisa one bit, but what did help was the fact that the entire time she'd been in the diner there had been a helpful force waiting for her in yet another one of New York's conveniently placed alley's. He thought now was a pretty good time to announce his presence.
---
L didn't really mind that Alisa never listened to her because she had no intention of listening either. Though she knew she was a little early she was heading out the door at the exact moment that Alisa was attacked. Unfortunately L had no clue this was going on, and simply whistled tunelessly as she skipped towards the diner. The shadowy figure on her roof was just glad she was finally getting out and he followed her from above.
---
"Hyaaah!"
A loud battle cry suddenly filled the night air as a bulky figure launched itself from the shadows of the alley behind them. It sailed towards the Purple Dragon that was holding Alisa captive, and was awarded a resounding smack as the figure connected with the man. He was thrown to the ground, his head smashing upon the pavement. He was instantly rendered unconscious.
Unfortunately, Alisa was also knocked down in the process. She automatically started to roll as she hit the pavement, and came to a stop a few feet away, picking herself up to her knees. She was aware of a burning sensation on her right cheek, and realized she must have scraped it. Ignoring it, she focused her attention instead on the fight developing in front of her.
She could never see the mystery figure too clearly as it fought, as it always danced in and around the shadows, but its moves were flawless and graceful; almost poetic. At one point, she heard hisses of metal as it removed something from behind its back, and she gasped softly as light from the lamp post above gleamed off the blades of twin swords.
Soon, all of the Purple Dragons were disposed of, lying broken and bleeding on the ground, and it was only the figure and Alisa left among them. The swords went behind its back again, and he slowly walked towards her, still clinging to the shadows.
"Are you all right?" it asked her in a pleasant, soft baritone voice that determined the stranger was male, "I'm sorry I had to crash in like that."
"I think so," Alisa answered, getting to her feet. She then bowed low to him, and she could sense he was surprised. "Thank you for saving me."
"You're welcome." He sounded a little sheepish, and she smiled at his humble manner. She was starting to like this guy, and she felt she could trust him enough to at least let him know the name of the one he rescued.
"My name's Alisa," she said, holding out her hand. She could feel him staring at her hand, but didn't take it. She lowered her arm again. She wasn't sure why he refused.
"I'm Leonardo," he replied, somewhat hesitantly.
Now she was concerned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he dismissed it, "I have to go now."
"Wait! May I see you?"
He made a noise that sounded like a sigh. "I don't think that would be wise."
Alisa began feeling flustered, and upset. She didn't understand why he wouldn't shake her hand, or let her see him. What did he have to hide?
"Why not?" she demanded, "Don't I at least deserve to have the pleasure of seeing my rescuer?"
"I can't," he sounded regretful, "I'm sorry." He then swiftly ducked back into the alley, and Alisa followed him just as quickly. She couldn't see him, but she could feel his presence. He wasn't gone yet.
"One day soon then?" she called into the darkness, hopeful.
Several minutes passed, and she was afraid he really had gone, but suddenly she heard his voice. "I don't know." Then he truly was gone, and Alisa was left feeling disappointed.
---
The figure on the rooftops saw the fight before L did, and didn't even attempt to hide his annoyance at the fact that he'd missed the fun. L nearly fell over when she clearly heard cursing coming from above her. Thinking it was one of the Purple Dragons she instinctively reached for her knife.
"Relax lady, I'm not gonna hurt you."
This didn't really help her relax at all. "Who are you? Where are you?" She felt like an idiot calling out into the night but this was New York after all.
The voice chuckled. "You forgot me already? I'm crushed. Go help your friend she looks a little shaken up." With that he was gone.
The realization of who the voice belonged to came to her at the same moment that she realized she should probably listen to it. Leaving her knife where it was she broke into a run and was delighted to see that Alisa was alive and alone. Perhaps the man was playing a joke on her.
"Alisa, you're okay! There was this guy... the guy from earlier I think! He was on the roof or something and-" She stopped and took a good look at her friend. "Are you okay?"
Alisa shook her head, and sighed. "Not really. I had a bad night at the diner, which I will explain once we get home, and then I had those same group of Purple Dragons jump me again." She shivered involuntarily remembering that one's words. "Your shadow friend saved me." She smiled then. "He was great, and so polite. He even told me his name." Her expression grew disappointed again. "But he wouldn't let me see or touch him."
"Huh? No way, he was with me. That's what I was trying to say, he was on the roof or something. He said I should help you but he didn't say why..." She was very confused. "C'mon we need to get you home."
L put her arm around Alisa's shoulder and urged the girl to start walking.
Alisa obediently moved with her friend, feeling very puzzled. "How could he be with you if he was just with me?" Damn, just how fast could he move? She groaned softly, her head pounding too badly to make sense of it all.
"This doesn't make any sense..." She tried to think as they walked but it really wasn't working out for her. "I was walking to get you because I figured you'd like the company whether you wanted it or not and suddenly I heard this voice from above me. He sounded really pissed off about something, swearing up a storm. I didn't realize who he was at first until he acted all hurt when I asked who he was. You said he told you his name? What was it?"
"Leonardo," Alisa answered, "He said his name was Leonardo." She looked thoughtful. "He didn't sound to be the type to swear. He was very well-mannered, despite his refusal to engage in any contact."
"Yeah... that doesn't sound like this guy. I don't know if I'd call him rude but... gruff for sure. He didn't seem like the well mannered type exactly."
By now they'd gotten to their apartment and L's paranoia kicked into overdrive. Before going inside she looked around frantically, scrutinizing every movement, every sound and even every smell. She only opened the door when she was certain that no one was around waiting for them.
Alisa promptly collapsed on the couch when she entered the apartment. "God, I need an aspirin. Everything hurts." She closed her eyes, and sighed deeply. "This has just not been my day."
"I told you not to leave! But nooooo you have that damn pride and sense of honor. When will you learn that picking up other people's slack isn't your job?" As she spoke she grabbed the bottle of aspirin and poured Alisa a glass of water. "I understand that we need the money but hell a few extra bucks isn't worth you getting attacked again. What if that guy hadn't been there to save you? You can't go out doing stuff like that! I don't know what I'd do if you got seriously hurt or worse... you're my only friend Alisa so you'll have to excuse me if I'm a little over protective."
She didn't mean to sound preachy but she was trying her hardest to mask the fact that she was downright terrified. Alisa had made enemies with the Purple Dragons and it seemed they weren't going to let up now. Wasn't it bad enough the poor girl was already hiding from the Foot? How did she deserve this?
L handed Alisa the glass of water and the aspirin bottle and sat on the floor next to the couch, resting her head on a cushion.
Alisa shook out two tablets, and swallowed them down with the water. Once she finished, she set the glass and bottle on the coffee table. She then glanced at L, touching her shoulder gently. "I'm sorry," she said, softly, "You were right. I realized that before I left the diner." She sighed. "It's the reason why everything happened the way it did." She was silent for a moment, and then spoke again. "I quit my job."
"What? You... you quit? Why, what happened? Did that fatass do something to you because if he did I swear to God I'll cut is fat face off and hand it to him!" She was positively livid and turning a very interesting shade of red.
"L, calm down," Alisa soothed her friend, "It wasn't him, it was Tammy. She said some things about us, but especially you. I told her off, and then I walked out on her and her fucking boss." Her expression was angry now. "I was so damn sick of being their slave."
"You told her off... because of me?" L raised her head up only to immediately stare down at her hands. "I don't know what to say... I mean... wow." She looked up. "You quit though, that's great!"
"Yeah, well, it's not so great that I'm jobless at the moment. I just hope I can find another one quickly." Alisa sighed, and stood up stiffly. "I'm going to go bed. I'm exhausted."
"Yeah I should probably get to bed myself. But hey, don't worry about the job thing alright? I'm sure you won't have a problem finding another job, and y'know I'll be working until then."
She pulled herself onto the couch and grabbed hold of the sheet she'd never put away from the morning. "Night Alisa."
"Good night."
Alisa walked to her bedroom. She wanted a shower because she felt disgusting from being so close to that punk, but she was too tired to. She'd have to take one in the morning. She threw off her uniform, and changed into her pajamas. She slipped under the covers of her bed, and was asleep the instant her head hit the pillow.