Scene Two: Ordinary Daze
"And that's time on the round! Folks, we got ourselves a winnah!'
As the cheering continued, Edo stretched out his hand. "I guess that's that." A smile of complacency tugged his features.
His opponent rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say." Still, he accepted the handshake.
"Zack, you think I like when this happens?"
"Naw you're a cool dude but like," Zack gave his end board a pitied look. "I almost had you beat, man."
"Key word. Almost."
Their exchange was lost on the ears of the awestruck audience, who paid no mind to how Edo won at all. Zack, who looked like he'd prefer catching a wave than a game of cards, gave the audience one last friendly smile before heading off.
Edo stuck around for a while longer. Winners had certain obligations of their own. They don't amount to much, if there is no one to support them.
"Any chance the next tournament will be a bit more lax on time rules?" He asked Emeralda once he had returned to the backroom.
"Doubt it," curtly replied his manager, who was preoccupied with typing something into her PDA. "Everyone's gotta follow regulations. Especially out here."
"Kinda takes away from the spirit of the game, don't you think?" Edo asked, grabbing a water bottle from an ice bucket.
"Of course," she said, still focused on replying to whomever it was. Time and time again, Edo had to thank her for managing his email accounts. "But if you have a problem, take it up with Pegasus. Bring it up at the party next week."
"Oh right, that party." Edo threw back his head and chugged a burst of icy water down his throat. "Remind me again what that's for?"
"Just your average gathering of 'like-minded duelists', is how I believe he referred it. But for us, it means lots of photo ops."
"Save me," Edo deadpanned, dabbing his face with a hot towel. "I suppose declining's out of the question, then."
Emeralda finally put down her phone. "I RSVP'd 'Yes" weeks ago." She looked at him, her eyes shifting to sympathetic. "It'll be fine. As flamboyant as Pegasus may be, he doesn't have a total disregard for tact."
Edo had to nod in agreement. That man knew the pitfalls of too much spotlight more than anyone. "Now." He rose, his recalcitrance temporarily alleviated. "What do you say to lunch?"
"Edo, it's almost five."
"Just in time for the happy hour specials."
"You don't drink."
He smirked. "Does it matter?" He began making way towards the exit.
Being in this line of work had its perks.
Xxx
"There you are! What's taking so long?"
Asuka, who had been scrutinizing her paperwork, stiffened. She turned her head at the new arrival in her office.
"Sorry, Nina," she sheepishly replied, her cramped hand releasing the pen she had held for so long. "These reviews took longer than I thought."
"I don't know how you manage," said the redheaded girl, disinterestedly inspecting her manicured nails. "You've been here for almost two weeks and all you've done is work."
"Is that not the point?" Asuka teased. She stood up and began organizing the papers into the appropriate folders. "Not everyone here is working in name only, Nina. In fact, almost everyone isn't."
"I work," Nina protested, albeit lacking a convincing tone. "I walked all the way from the lounge to here. You're lucky I'm such a good friend."
That was a five-minute trip at most. But at the moment, Asuka felt a bit too exhausted to act pedantic. "Point taken. But hey, I still finished before five."
Nina shook her head, clicking her tongue. "You deserve better, babe. I'll talk to my uncle."
"Please, don't. The last thing I need here is special treatment."
"What's so wrong about feeling special? I love it!"
Asuka sighed. "Nothing. That's not the point." Now wasn't the time to try explaining to Nina her feelings on the matter. "Okay, I'm ready," she said, reaching for her bag.
"Perfect." Nina clapped her hands together. Her eyes lit up with a glee, suggesting that she just thought of a plan. "I know just the thing to top off your day."
Xxx
"Okay Nina, I don't know about an entire wardrobe. I mean, it's one party!"
"Correction: it's the party." Nina profoundly pointed towards the sky. She used her other hand to smoothly coast along the freeway. At least, she managed to for about a minute before they were met with another bout of the L.A. rush hour traffic.
"It's basically going to be a work event," said Asuka. "I'm sure I'll be fine."
"'Fine'?" Nina arched an eyebrow, firmly gripping the wheel even though they weren't moving. "You can't just show up to my uncle's ball wearing a regular outfit. I mean, all the famous duelists are gonna be there!"
Asuka's eyes widened. "What, like everyone?"
"Yep! The Duel King will definitely be there, I heard. And Mai Kujaku, she's the Queen of dueling if there ever was one. Oh, and I know he totally hates these kinds of things, but maybe Seto Kaiba will have a change of heart and show up in his Blue-Eyes jet. Wouldn't that be exciting?"
Evidently, Nina couldn't contain her enthusiasm.
"That does sound exciting," Asuka casually replied. Even she had to admit that the prospect of being surrounded by world-famous duelists sounded appealing. This could be the chance to make some useful connections. Especially before college starts.
"But what I'm looking forward to," Nina practically sang, her eyes sparkling, "is none other than Edo Phoenix!"
Asuka's eyes perked up. "He'll be there?" Though she probably could have guessed when Nina mentioned that everyone will be in attendance.
Nina flipped her hair. "All the more reason to get dressed up, right?" A cocky smirk then graced her features. "Say, don't you guys know each other?"
Asuka knew where Nina was going with that emphasis. "Hardly. We've only talked like once or twice."
Nina looked relieved. "Then…you wouldn't mind introducing me? Since…" You're not interested in him.
Well, true. But at the same time, not an untruth.
In the two weeks since she first arrived in Los Angeles, Asuka hadn't given Edo a second thought. Since he had been in first class, once she had exited the arrival gate, he had already left. It was a non-issue; by no means were they close enough that'd he wait for her at the end of the flight.
L.A. was massive, sprawling. She had no expectations whatsoever of running into him, as their reasons for being in the city diverged into separate directions.
And now, she would see him in a week.
Asuka gave Nina a determined smile. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask."
It was such an asinine reason to approach him once more, but Asuka couldn't help but anticipate the encounter.
The traffic light in the distance finally turned green.
"Great!" Nina exclaimed, as the procession of cars resumed moving. "Rodeo Drive, here we come."
Asuka watched blankly at the quickening surroundings. Vivid sights blurred as they drove by. Much like how her first two weeks transpired.
Only on that night would that flow of constantly pilfering scenes jerk to a halt.
A/N: Uneventful, I know. But I was putting this off long enough considering it was meant to be a filler chapter anyway, showing a bit of their daily lives in L.A. Stay tuned for the next update when the "good stuff" happens.