Chapter 58: Back In Black
It's now 3:15 PM, and you know what that means! School is over for today, and the rest of the day is free. Shocking, right? Anyways, everyone of the group of 8 had agreed to come over to Chris's house, as per the invitation of Zoltan. Before they all went together, there was a little something to do beforehand.
"Hey, remember what I told you at the party?" asked Skylar to Chris.
"Hmm... something about your parents, right?" stated Chris.
"Yeah! Here, lemme bring ya to them, this won't take long."
With that, once the two of them go out the door, Skylar brings Chris to the car that the former usually goes home in, which was a dark-green colored 4-door car of medium size. Skylar's mother sees her daughter approaching, and says, "There you are honey!"
"Hey mom, I would like you to meet my friend here." said Skylar.
"I assume you're talking about that bloke next to you?" asked the mother. "Well, my name is Freya, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, my name is Chris." responded Chris. "Me and Skylar have been hanging out for a while, I would say, and she got the idea of introducing me to you so... here we are!"
"Ha! Always the one taking the step, Skylar is." states Freya. "I would introduce you to Rob, but unfortunately he isn't here with me right now."
"That's fine. But that actually reminds me, I invited Skylar to a quick hangout today, so... is it cool if she comes over?" asks Chris, hoping that she would be cool with it.
"No worries lad, as long you're treating her right, I have no issues. If you aren't... expect trouble! But otherwise, yeah." responded Freya. "Skylar, call me when the hangout is over alright? I'll head over to pick you up when you're done."
"Roger. We will heading out now, catch ya later mom." said Skylar.
"Of course honey. Love you, and have fun you two!" commented Freya, as she made began to make her way home.
Chris and Skylar both started their route to join back with the rest of the group, and the latter asks, "So? You feeling good? I told you it wouldn't be a problem!"
"Okay, maybe I just wasn't very sure of the whole idea, seeing as sometimes, oh my goodness, parents can freak the heck out when their kids take a larger connection to someone." explains Chris. "Good thing we kept the whole thing under the radar."
"I told you, until you're fine with the whole idea, I will not say anything about us being official. Nothing bad about that, trust me." said Skylar, giving Chris a light punch to his arm, making him laugh a bit.
"Fair enough. Let's get back to the group."
That, they do. Eddy is the first one to speak, saying, "So, to your house, eh Chris?"
"Yep! My dad is waiting for us, so let's get going!" responded Chris.
With that, everyone begins their trek towards the residence of Chris. After around 5 or so minutes, they all get to their destination, and Double D knocks on the door lightly, for everyone's sake. In around 3 seconds, Zoltan comes out, and is surprised to see the rather large gathering, for a group of friends that is.
"Wow, boyo, you weren't lying when you said that you've made some friends here." said Zoltan towards Chris. "I assume the girl next to you is... Skylar, correct?"
"Yeah, nice to meet you, umm... Chris's dad." responded Skylar, unaware of his actual name.
"Haha! Call me Zoltan, no need for a Mr or whatever name, just my normal, unaltered name works!" said Zoltan while chuckling a bit. "Come in everyone!"
Everyone comes in and takes a seat with their respective partners, in different areas of the room. Ed, May, Double D and Marie use a whole couch, while Lee and Eddy share a couch together, with Skylar and Chris seating next to them. Zoltan grabs a chair, as he left the more comfortable seats to the lads, and so, he clears his throat, after which he says, "So. I have a bit of a story for you eight, but before I tell it, mind introducing yourselves, ones who haven't yet?"
"I'll do it for us all, my name is Lee, and over there is May, and Marie." said Lee, pointing at the respective sisters. "We're the Kanker sisters, and we've been here for quite a while."
"Gotcha, can't believe we've barely been here for what, a month, and there's already a large group of people here. Such is life..." responds Zoltan, saying afterwards, "Well, I shall you all now about how I learned the martial arts that I presume you've seen my son do, and I also presume he has told the story as well?"
"I have actually. You can just tell them about your perspective, as I only gave a general explanation." stated Chris.
"Very well then. At first, I couldn't apply for any classes, due to the fact that I wasn't quite yet the age required to learn said moves." explains Zoltan. "But just because you can't run yet, doesn't mean you can't learn how to walk, and that's what I did. The reasons for wanting to learn them can vary from person to person, but for myself, while yes they were rather interesting to me at a young age, they were also a really good way to teach yourself good defensive and offensive maneuvers. I wanted to be a more prepared man, in the event that I would need to defend myself, a loved one, or someone in need of help. I've had a handful of instances where I've helped others, but only one was rather... dangerous. Chris remembers it clearly."
"I do. The one where that robber tried to rob a grocery store, and you stopped him." said Chris.
Zoltan share a sigh before saying, "Had i not learned what I had learned, I don't know what would've happened. It's always to be best prepared, than it is to have regrets of what could've happened. Learning the moves themselves is a rather special experience, dare I say it, as your body gets to be used more it is does otherwise. I'll also mention it helps train other things aswell, such as your reflexes, how you can predict certain attacks, and much more. Teaching it to Chris was another experience on its own. I must say, at first he struggled to get a handle on it, but his progress shot up more drastically as time passed, which made me proud. I had kept one thing in mind before teaching it to him however. Never teach it to be used in a malicious manner."
"Do no harm, unless needed, right?" asked Eddy.
"Exactly good chum. Either way you say it, the biggest regret you can have when teaching a certain skill to someone is when they go off to cause heaps of trouble that gets uncontrollable, even for yourself. I didn't desire to be cause of it." explains Zoltan. "Although, luckily, Chris understood it from the start, and I was glad, as he has never used it for unnecessary malicious intent. As far as I know anyways. But who's to say I haven't accidentally done that myself? As long as you learn from an experience, it's not a total failure, it's when you start repeating the error that it becomes a problem."
"Yeah. No one is perfect, after all, that's just plain bollocks, if you ask me." stated Skylar.
Double D then asks a question, saying, "Zoltan, have you and your family been threatened before, aside from that incident mentioned before?"
"Nope. Luckily, we've stayed out of trouble's way, but I can't imagine that lasting forever. But you can't worry about the worst all the time, as if you do so, you will never be able to lean back, and enjoy the better things in the life." responded Zoltan.
"Did you always have faith or whatever in your son learning and using the lessons for good?" asks Marie.
Zoltan nods his head to say yes, saying afterward, "Yes. The old should stick around to help the young, as my father, or grandfather to Chris, once told me. As long as someone else knows it, tradition can never truly be rid of, and that is something I firmly believe in."
Chris then says, "Yeah. I'll just say it right now, no matter what happens between all eight of us, we all get other's backs, right?"
"You know it my friend!" responded Ed, in a happy tone.
"It's unity, not division, that brings people together." states Zoltan. "That moment just now demonstrates why. As long as you all stand for one another, help one another, and so on, you will work well together."
"That is true." said Chris with a smile.
"Anyways, the final thing I shall mention about the arts is, while it appears simple to do based on demonstrations, it is all so deceiving when you actually put it to practice, as it becomes a whole another bull altogether." said Zoltan. "If any of you, expect Chris, are to take a class, never expect it to be easy, instead, expect the hardest of the hardest, be on your strongest guard, and keep an persistent mindset, and you will succeed eventually."
"Believe me guys, that bicycle kick wasn't learned overnight." said Chris, making everyone share a bit of a laugh.
"That is true. Either way, I believe I've spoken my piece of the arts. Chris? Remember how class ended?" asks Zoltan.
Of course, Chris remembers, which is to say, he and his father bow to each other, by putting both hands behind their backs, and bending down.
"I always enjoyed the classes we would go together. Heck, you also met that one friend there too, right?" said Zoltan.
"Yeah. He's one of the two that are coming to the school right?" asked Chris.
"Correct."
"Then yep. He was a fellow partner in the class I had. We didn't go to the same school unfortunately, but that's gonna change soon!" said Chris.
Eddy got curious as to who this person that Chris was referring to was, saying, "Who's the other guy? Or gal?"
"Well, since he, and another good friend, is going to our school very soon, you'll meet them then. I'm positive that you'll get along with them, of that I'm certain. All I'll say for now is he is another martial artist like myself, but his style is different, to say the least." explained Chris, afterwards saying, "I'll also say as well, about the whole martial arts stuff, it's not all serious. You can still have plenty of fun trying new tactics, new moves, and perhaps more creative ideas to take their your opponent! I'm sure dad knows what I'm talking about."
"Ah yes. The famous smoke bomb trick you use sometimes. It does come in handy, defensively or offensively. You are lucky that one friend helped you with figuring out what would make that effective creation." responded Zoltan, while laughing a bit.
"Oh yeah, you mentioned her before!" said Eddy toward Chris.
"Yeah, I have." states Chris. "Well, since we got the martial art aspect out of the way, how's some food sound to everyone?"
Everyone responds with a variation of yes, and with that, Zoltan gets an idea for food, as he has all the needed ingredients.
"Chris, why don't you and your friend stay here and wait? Me and your mother will make something I believe you and your friends will enjoy very much." said Zoltan.
"Sure. I have a clue what this food will be, but surprise me!" responded Chris.
With that, Zoltan joins Maria in making the food for the group of 8. Seeing as how they wouldn't mind a bit of food themselves, they also agree to make extra for the two of them, which equals to food for 10 people now. But what exactly is this food? Well, since Zoltan has a great recipe for burgers that have excellent taste, and he has since passed it on to Maria, they both agreed to make those, in a medium size, for everyone. Before the former did anything with what to put in the burgers, he asked everyone if they wanted it either plain, with specific veggies, or all veggies. It was a 50/50 split between the first two, with the only expecting being Double D asking for all veggies.
For 30 minutes or so, Maria and Zoltan both spend the time working together to get the burgers done, both effectively and efficiently. Once the 10th burger is done, they both pass them to the group of 8, depending on who asked for what.
"Almost forgot! Who would like some water?" asked Zoltan, receiving 4 hands up from the group. He also gets one for his wife aswell, making it 5 cups as a whole.
As the group of 10 are eating, Zoltan states, "Apologies for the fact I couldn't have a large enough table for us to all eat at. I'll try to have that here once I can!"
"It's all good, this food is killer!" responds Eddy. "How did you learn this?!"
"My father is the one to thank for that. I changed it just a bit, but it remain the same recipe either way." said Zoltan. "You can use the ingredients here to make a fast, yet great burger, in the event you need a quick lunch or meal."
"Man, where can we learn this?" asked May.
"Perhaps another day, I'll teach you all how it's done. Trust me, it's not a difficult process, easier than charging at a bull that ready for the pounce!" responded Zoltan.
"Alright dad, relax with the bull comparisons, I don't even think most of us here even get it!" said Chris, laughing a bit, afterwards taking another bite.
Everyone spends around 5 to 10 minutes finishing up their burgers, after which Zoltan says, "Well, if you all wish to hangout here for a while longer, I have no issue with that, as it's only four PM."
"Hmm... that reminds me of something. Eds, remember that one time when we spent sometime watching hilarious atrocious movies?" said Chris. "Well, why don't we rewatch one or, maybe two of them, with the new guests?"
Chris tried to word the last sentence in a way that doesn't imply any romantic tones or whatever, wanting to keep it a bit of a secret, for his sake, and everyone else's.
"Heck yeah! It's freaking hilarious!" responded Eddy.
"Let's see what you boys get up to watching!" stated Marie, while chuckling.
"I promise you Marie, it isn't anything that would get the story an M or MA rating." responds Double D. "It's more just for laughs, if anything."
And so, the very large crew decide to watch one of these said movies, and needless to say, laughing and mocking of the film ensues, at the acting that looks like student-film level... actually nevermind, those films would probably STILL be better. Oh yeah, and the effects? Yeah, to say that they appear cheap is an understatement in itself my friend. There are other aspects that were funny to the crew, but the two mentioned before were the major ones to write home about.
After 70 or so minutes, the movies ends. The short length of the film was something the crew also mocked aswell.
"Dude! Is that even a feature film length? Because I don't even think it is!" stated Chris.
"Usually a film lasts around ninety minutes, but this one didn't seem to last more than 70 minutes without its credits, which we skipped." said Double D. "This movie seems to have a rather... troubled production, to say the very least. There has to be a director's cut that gives more time to the movie, correct?"
"I doubt we're gonna find it, but man, that was a blast!" stated Eddy. "I'd pay more to watch more like that! Especially with all of us!"
"You said it. Dumb movie, but good to laugh at." responded Lee, chuckling a bit.
Double D, wanting to change the conversation, asks, "Chris, I was going to ask this question before, but then the food portion of the hangout came along, which, I must say, my thanks to your father for the food. The main question I would like to ask is, when will the fellow friends of yours be arriving to our school?"
"Ah, well, my dad didn't give me a very specific answer, to be honest with you." responds Chris. "All I can infer, so to say, is that they will be arriving most likely next week, if I'm to be... more realistic. Again, not to worry, I'm sure you all will get along just fine."
"Guys!" yells out Ed. "I just remembered something!"
Everyone states at Ed with a face of wonder at what exactly he remembered, and he says, "Remember that machine we were working on at the very beginning of the story?"
"Oh yeah! The transportation thing!" said Eddy. "Is that thing even practical to make, in hindsight?"
"Eddy, I have already explained to you how this idea was rather impractical." responds Double D. "Besides, the houses aren't even far apart to warrant that construction!"
"I got an idea instead. Why don't we change the machine's purpose all together? How about... ah! Speakers maybe?" stated Chris.
Marie joins in on the conversation, saying, "That sounds great, but is this only you four, or all eight of us?"
"If you all want some privacy, that's fine, just let us know." said Skylar.
Well, ain't that a strange situation! Double D initially took confusion to Marie's statement, but he realized that... none of the girls even knew about that thing until literally today! Of course, he plans to invite them all, seeing as... 16 hands are better than 8 hands, right? Besides, the more people there are working on it, the faster it will go, basic math really.
"While I am aware that you all have not participated in this machine whatsoever... we do plan to make it from scratch, so, would you all care to accompany us to it?" stated Double D.
"You betcha!" responded all four.
"Where is the machine though?" asked Chris.
"Don't you remember?" responds Eddy. "It's in Double D's backyard, that's when we met you!"
Chris then gets that classic "ah ha!" moment, as demonstrated by the look on his face, then says, "Roger then. Let's all go to it then!"
Before they all start making their way, Chris tells his parents, "I'll be back soon, take care okay!"
The two parents wave to say goodbye to all their guests, and Zoltan gives a thumbs up to everyone aswell, thoroughly enjoying his fair share of time with the large crew. Both of the parents are glad with the group that their son joined, so to say.
Speaking of the group, onto Double D's house, and into the backyard, to begin the official rework of the machine, into a good speaker!
Sounds like work! Oh wait...