Chapter 21: An Evening of Blue
|Real People Offices|11:38 am|
The Real People offices were the same as ever, with Colette unveiling yet another new outfit, Juan discussing his crazy ex-girlfriend in New Zealand who thought she was a goddess, and Amara hard at work on her illustrations. Despite being tired from last night's battles, she had to soldier on. Karen announced that of tomorrow, she would be Karen Marshall officially.
"So now it won't seem like I'm lying when I introduce myself." Karen said, grinning.
"Let's hope it'll be a while before your surname changes again, eh?" Amara said, wiping away the sleep from her eyes.
"Yes! Back to the single life, again." Karen said, sighing. "If only I'd..."
"If only you'd what?" Sheila asked.
"What? Oh! I was just thinking out loud. It's nothing." Karen said, as she went back to her office.
"Speaking of love, you're meeting Zao tonight." Stella said, excited. "Where is he taking you?"
"His favourite restaurant, the Mussel Inn. Trust him to pick a seafood restaurant." Amara said, her cheeks red. "Still, it might be fun."
"Be relaxed. You don't want it to be the only date, do you?" Stella asked. "I'm sensing good vibes here. You and Zao might just make a good couple."
"That's what my father said about me and Karl. Look what happened." Amara said, sighing. "I hardly know him, but I can't stop thinking about him!"
"Well..." Stella said. "The Sun shall be garbed in black when she encounters The Fool."
"What? He's not an idiot!" Amara said, frowning.
"Read up on tarot cards after your date, then you'll get it." Stella said, laughing. As Amara kept working, she couldn't help but wonder what Zao was doing, how excited he'd be for the date, etc. She couldn't wait to get out of here and go see him.
"Hey, you two." said Lucy. It wasn't like her to talk to anyone unless she was criticising them. Amara looked up, awaiting the list of changes she'd have to make. "Colette invited me to go out to some club with her. How about it, Amara?"
"I've got a date tonight, sorry! Next time maybe!" Amara said. "Stella, you should go!"
"Me? I'm not sure if it'd be my sort of thing." Stella said, flustered.
"You should hang out with people more! Didn't you have any friends before starting this job?" Amara asked.
"Please don't portray me as a loner... Fine, I'll come. I'll prove to you I can socialise when I put my mind to it." Stella said. "Is our party only three people?"
"Party? Oh, as in group. My friend Shirley said she might join us later. You'd like her, she's pretty cool. Anyway, I must check on Juan's work. He keeps trying to put in innuendos, and I have to remind him those aren't appropriate. Ugh, what a moron." Lucy said loury, going over to an embarassed Juan's desk.
"Looks like tonight's going to be interesting. Good luck with yours!" Amara said.
"Thanks. I suspect I'll need it the most." Stella said, gulping.
|Lucille Valley High School|15:35 pm|
School had ended for today, and for Lucille Valley High, the summer break was coming up very soon, much to the students delight. Yet before that, they had exams to deal with, and then it would be the start of another school year.
"So Kyle, did your mom finally book the flight to France?" Serena asked.
"Yeah. And I only had to remind her like seventy times." Kyle said, sighing. "But who cares? I'm going to France! Hehe... Your parents going anywhere?"
"Yup. They wanted us to go to Spain, but I told them no." Serena said, sheepishly. "Okay, my language was a bit stronger than that."
"Serena-"
"Hey, don't worry about it. Only problem is, I'm home alone this summer. Maybe I can hang out with Amara." Serena said.
"Who's that?" Kyle said.
"Didn't I tell you? She's this artist girl who works on that new magazine, Real People." Serena said, laughing nervously. "She's pretty cool!"
"Oh, okay." Kyle said. "How'd you ever meet someone like that?"
"Uh..." Serena thought to herself. "Oh yeah! We bumped into each other at the memorial, and just started talking from there!"
"Oh right. You were there because of...uh, forget that. You've been hanging out with these new friends a lot..."
"Yeah, I guess. But now I'm all yours. Let's grab dinner. How about Chinese?" Serena said, grinning.
"Sure. As long as we don't have to use chopsticks." Kyle said, jokingly. "It's been a while since I went to Takanawa. One time, I was with Matthew, and...I was trying to tell him about manga. Unfortunately, he stumbled across the...adult ones."
"What do you mean by adult?" Serena asked.
"Let's just say the schoolgirls were doing things they weren't supposed to do in a place they weren't supposed to be doing them." Kyle said, shuddering.
|Takanawa - Shiori Street|17:30 pm|
Takanawa was New Motus City's Asian district that contained many different cultures, with Japanese, Chinese and Korean being the most dominant. The area offered plenty of interesting sights, such as the traditional shrines and temples. Serena and Kyle had spent over an hour in the maze that was the Takanawan Market, with some rather peculiar and wild items. They also checked their favourite manga store, and eagerly purchased some Fairy Tail keyrings.
Now the two of them were in the fairly modern Shiori Street, which was populated by bookstores and and a library. In the distance, they could see the striking buildings that were Tachibana University, the city's highest ranking educational institution. Founded 145 years ago by a group of some of Japan's finest scholars, the faculty proudly boasted of it's success.
"Do you think we'll end up going there some day?" Kyle asked. Not surprisingly, the entrance exams there were incredibly difficult, where 5% of entrants managed 90% or higher. Only seven people had managed 100%, and they had gone on to become incredible successes in their chosen professions.
"Hah, you wish! My old man would throw a fit if I told him I wanted to go there. You should see their tution fees." Serena said, grinning.
"Yeah, my mom would do the same. Anyway - oh crap, hide!" Kyle said, as he wheeled himself behind Serena.
"Huh? Hide from what? The Akatsuki?" Serena said.
Soon, she saw what Kyle was hiding from. Nearby was Dan Kinglsey, eating curry. Judging by his blue jacket and cap, he was still working. He noticed them, and waved. As he came towards them, Kyle tried his hardest to stay out of view.
"Kyle, you're in a wheelchair. I'm a little insulted that you think I'm big enough to hide behind." Serena said, rolling her eyes.
"Um...Hi, Mr Kingsley!" Kyle said, nervously. Serena just shrugged, trying to smile at her friend's shyness.
"Is he still calling me that? It's just Dan!" Dan said, smiling. "Blaine was saying you needed his help with your homework. How'd that go?"
"Great!" Serena said, grinning. "I got the second-best grade in the class, and the teacher almost had a heart attack."
"Bet your parents are pleased, huh?" Dan said. Serena looked at the ground, sighing. "Oh. Never mind then. So, you lovebirds on a date?" he asked.
"Um...I...we..." Kyle muttered, blushing.
"Ha! No, we're just friends!" Serena said, laughing. Kyle's face remained as red as a tomato, even more so as Dan gave a knowing wink. "So are you on your break?"
"Yup, then I have to go back to my usual route. I just thought I'd come here for a change, and get the new Sex Meteorite album." Dan said. What kind of band name is that? Serena thought, but she just laughed. "Oh yeah, sorry about last time." he said, looking at Kyle, who had moved in front of Serena now.
"Last time?" Kyle asked. "Oh right...I didn't know you and Matthew-"
"It's fine, seriously. Listen, I have to get going. But maybe I'll see ya again. Don't worry, I'm not dangerous. Most of the time." Dan said. Kyle, hesitating, nodded.
"Okay. Take care, Dan." Kyle said, shaking his hand. Dan just laughed, and left.
"We keep bumping into those guy, don't we?" Serena said, giggling. "Oh look, there's a GameVault! Let's go!" she said, running into the nearby game store.
"Sure!" Kyle said, as he followed her. Despite Dan towering over him, he didn't seem so bad after all. In fact, he reminded him of Matthew in many ways. Of coure, they were brothers, but it was more than that. It was the way he looked at him, with that kind glint in his eyes and a warm, genuine smile. Rather than dread it, Kyle was looking forward to seeing Dan again.
|Legarte Harbour - Mussel Inn|19:00 pm|
Unlike the other world, the Harbour remained a bustling place. With all sorts of ships during the day, including some incredible cruise ships, it was a popular tourist attraction. Plenty of fish were around here, which explained why this was Zao's favourite place to be. She could just imagine him staring into the water, in awe at all the species swimming beneath the surface.
Amara showed up, in a short black dress and some gold jewellery. She didn't normally wear make up, but tonight she made an exception. Would this evening go according to plan? She received texts earlier for good luck, such as the one from Nathan...
Don't be nervous. You'll do just fine. Granted, you barely know this man, and I knew Priscilla for years before our first date. So perhaps I don't know exactly what to say to help. But just take it easy.
And the one from Serena...
Yo! Order the lobster! You might like it! Also, have fun!
And the text from Blaine.
make sure u ware make up :P
What's he implying? Jerk...
"Okay, here we go...Zao, I'm coming for ya." Amara said to herself.
Inside the Mussel Inn, a number of other guests were eating. She looked around, and she soon saw Zao sitting at a table in a rather fetching black shirt.
"Over here!" Zao said, and she quickly ran over. "Good to see ya, sexy. I wasn't sure if you still wanted to come."
"Of course I did. I mean, it was a little sudden, but I'm glad you invited me. I really like it here." Amara said, even though she'd never been inside before. Smart, Amara. Lying to him on your first date. "So, how was your day?"
"Great! Good haul today. Mostly sea bass. Common, but tasty." Zao said, smiling. "How about you? You're at that magazine company, right?"
"That's correct. Currently, I'm the artist for Real People. One of my co-workers is Stella Cleon." Amara said, and Zao looked surprised. "You know about her?"
"Yup. Seems to be popular. Let me guess. She tried to predict things about tonight?" Zao said, smiling.
"Without permission. One of the things she said was "Avoid the swordfish to avoid feeling squeamish"." Amara said, and Zao nodded in approval. "What?"
"Nothing. Just saying, she's right - the swordfish here is so bland, even with their special sauce. Here, let me tell you what's really special here..." And so, Zao went through the entire menu, discussing the merits of each recipe.
"Okay, Zao! We should probably order now!" Amara said, a little embarrassed. Zao just laughed it off, and after ordering, Amara tried to relax a little. This was her first date in a while, and she didn't want to make a bad first impression. Zao didn't seem fazed by anything, though. He wasn't quite like the other men she had been involved with.
"So, apart from the magazine, what else do you do?" Zao asked, still cheerful. Amara wondered if he ever stopped smiling. Although she was smiling too.
"Art may be my work, but it's my hobby as well. I love drawing and painting, even photography. Now that I'm a graduate, I've been perfecting my technique, and I think I'm improving every day. Someday, I'd love to open my own art gallery." Amara said, dreamily. "There'd be nothing better than people coming to see all my artwork and going 'Wow'. You know what I mean?"
"Sounds awesome. My parents wanted me to go to college so I could be some kind of engineer and stuff. I just wanted to be like grandpa. He was a fisherman too." Zao said, his smile still not fading. "Man, I miss him."
"Oh...I'm sorry." Amara said, embarrassed.
"Sorry for what? He just went to Mexico last week!" Zao said, laughing. Amara couldn't help but laugh too. She was a little annoyed, but Zao's ability to stay cheerful just warmed her heart. "Anyway, you got any other cool friends at work?"
Later That Evening
"You're a bit of a klutz, aren't you?" Amara asked, as Zao got sauce on his shirt again.
"It's okay, it'll come out. After five washes." Zao said, somehow still smiling after an hour. Amara wondered if he could even stop smiling. Luckily, the Mussel Inn staff were familiar with Zao and were used to his messy eating, so it wasn't too embarrassing. Just then, she got more texts.
"How are things? If he asked you to split the bill, not a good sign!" from Nathan. Amara sighed, and checked the next one.
"Good luck! Hope the food's better than my dinner! Worst spare ribs ever! Oh, and you have to show us what Zao looks like, too!" from Serena. Well, I suppose I could show a picture, but maybe when he's not got half his sauce down him.
"hows it goin? did you remember to dress up nice? Btw was bored checkd the menu wats whitebait?" from Blaine. Amara just laughed when she got to this one, mainly since she didn't really know herself. Fish wasn't her speciality, after all.
"Someone's popular. Do I have competition?" Zao said, winking. Amara blushed, and shook her head.
"No no, just some friends asking me how it went. I dunno what the big deal is, it's a date, not an exam!" Amara said, as she finished her meal. "I'm having a good time though."
"So am I. It's been a while since I had fun like this!" Zao said, and his smile seemed to grow even bigger. Amara had never seen someone smile so much. "Been a while since I could afford to take girls here, too!"
"So do you work alone?" Amara asked, curious.
"Nope! There's the head fisherman, and the other guys, but they're all old. They only let me in because of my grandpa. If they didn't, they'd be sleeping with the fishes!" Zao said, laughing. "He's a scary dude, my grandpa! What about your family?"
"Oh, my mom died when I was little. My dad's still alive though, and he runs an oil firm." Amara said. She kind of wanted to talk about the other world, where her father was dead and her other self wanted revenge, but Zao wouldn't understand a word of that. Besides, involving this guy in such a dark and scary world was out of the question. "What about your parents?"
"Eh, they're okay..." Zao said, finally finishing. "Sorry about the mess. Most of the girls find it really annoying."
"That's okay. I make such a mess at home. There's paint all over the place!" Amara said, remembering her friend's reactions to her apartment. "I forgot to ask, what were you on the beach for?"
"Oh, that. I was just on a walk, and before I bumped into you, my parents called asking for help with their cat. Hate that thing. I mean, I don't mind cats, but this one hates my guts!" Zao said, shaking his head. "Probably because it can smell the fish and I never give him any."
"That would be annoying for a cat. Maybe you should just get some cologne to cover the smell." Amara said, as it got darker outside. "The sea looks great at night, huh?"
"Yeah. C'mon, let's get out of here and go for a walk. It's like the day we first saw each other. Magic is in the air tonight!" Zao said, looking out the window.
"Zao, I think you may be right. I've got a good feeling about this." Amara said.
|The Mole|20:30 pm|
The Mole was far cleaner in this world, thanks to a recent renovation. The clientele was also of a higher standard, and thus it was actually inviting. This might have been because of the cheap drinks and the weekly darts tournament. Blaine came in, ordered his usual - ale - and sat down, after a long day at work and a long session at the gym. He had gone occasionally over the years, but now that he was fighting for his life, he thought it'd be a good idea to get fitter. Dan was having a nap at home, so he was on his own.
"Damn. I needed this." he said, yawning. Blaine had always been partial to beer, ever since he turned eighteen. He liked to think he had calmed down since then, but now and again he and Dan would get rather carried away. There was always something memorable about those nights. The only regret he had was not having Matthew with them. He would have been twenty now, a young man. Perhaps he'd have a girlfriend, and be on his way to becoming the detective he always wanted to be. Blaine had slowly gotten used to not having him around, but he could tell Dan missed his younger brother dearly.
These days, nights without going to the other world were rare treats. It was kind of a drag on his own, he thought. Amara had a date with a fisher dude, Serena was probably with Kyle, and of course Nathan had Priscilla. From what he heard about her, Blaine gathered she must be something of a stunner.
Doomed to be an eternal bachelor, huh? Better get used to it, I guess...
When he was in his teens, he had a new girl almost every week. They weren't exactly deep relationships, but it was a lot of fun to show off his new girl to Dan. Dan, being the doting older brother, would desperately try to make Matthew go to bed so he didn't have to see the girls Blaine brought round. Yet he hadn't had a lot of luck with women in recent years. A handful of one night stands now and again, but he didn't feel as proud of thus as he did in his younger days. What he wanted now was a more meaningful relationship, but the last girlfriend he had ended things on a rather tearful note. Perhaps he was going to the wrong places...
As he drank from his glass, he saw someone sit down at the bar a few seats away. Immediately, she began angrily tapping her fingers, glaring at the bartender. Blaine couldn't help but notice her, especially her short bushy brown hair. Brunettes had always been his type. And her eyes matched, too. She seemed quite a bit younger than him, however.
Here I was, whining about being on my own, and...there's a cute lady over there. Let's try out the old Blaine charm.
"Hey there." Blaine said, smiling. The lady looked at him, and immediately shot him a dirty look. It was a struggle to maintain the smile, but he did it. "Whoa, sorry. I'm just having a quick drink before I hit home. Mind if I buy you something?"
"Do I look like I can't afford it or something?" The girl said, shaking her head. "I'm supposed to be treating my friends tonight. You'll have to try out your lame pick up lines somewhere else."
"Easy, girl. I haven't even tried one yet." Blaine said, his smile gone. "Guess there's no point now, is there?"
"Listen. I'm not in the mood for guys checking me out tonight. Please, just let me talk to my friends."
"Fine." Blaine said. "One last thing. You've got beautiful eyes."
The woman gulped, and blushed. Blaine quietly chuckled, and to his delight, he could look directly into her eyes. He wasn't making it up. 'The best thing about women always came in a pair', Dan had said once. Those chocolate brown eyes...they were full of passion, and energy.
"Uh...stop doing that!" The lady said, angrily looking away. "Thank god. Colette! Stella!"
"Lucy! Good to see you!" A blonde girl said. "Love your coat. Pink suits you. Doesn't it, Stella?"
"She tried to make me go home and change. Apparently, wearing mostly black is exclusively for funerals." 'Stella' said. "I predict we're going to have several drinks here, then move on?"
"Sure." Colette said. "I kinda wish I hadn't picked this place now...it's an old man bar."
"No kidding." Lucy said, glaring at Blaine. They quickly went to a table further away, whilst Blaine sighed, his heart sinking. Perhaps he was punching above his weight. After all, he often went days without shaving, and his hair was rather scruffy today. That, and he had just finished a lengthy session at the gym.
That's what I get for hitting on younger women. Damn. She sure is a beauty. Yet such a temper. She must be hard to live with. Wait, what am I saying? Oh, forget it. She's never gonna like someone like me.
Blaine tried to amuse himself by watching the soccer game on TV, but he could barely concentrate. He and Dan preferred watching boxing or wrestling at home, mostly because they had tried them both at school - and did rather well. As he started his second pint, he saw the girl walk up to the bar again.
"Sorry." Blaine said.
"Whatever." Lucy said.
"I just...thought you were really cute. Not just the eyes, too. You're a great looking gal. You can take a compliment, right?" Blaine said.
"I suppose." Lucy said. Her face was red again, but she seemed better at hiding it. "You're not so bad looking yourself. You could use a shave, though. And it's okay for men to brush their hair once in a while."
Blaine laughed, to Lucy's confusion. "It's strange, being praised and bashed at the same time. Have a good evening, then."
"Better than yours will be, I bet." Lucy said, and ordered more drinks.
Blaine watched as she went back to her friends, and laughed quietly to himself. Maybe it wasn't such a bad move after all. The Blaine charm was still alive - it just needed fine tuning.
|Legarte Harbour|21:00 pm|
"Gorgeous, huh?" Amara said, staring at the sea. The night sky's reflection in the crystal clear water was breathtaking, as was the sight of a cruise ship sailing by.
"Yeah. The sea's nice too." Zao said, laughing. "You really do look nice tonight. I'm glad you turned out to be awesome, too."
"Me? Awesome? I'm just a girl who loves painting." Amara said, gazing into the distance. Sitting by the sea, she and Zao spent a while in silence. This moment Amara wished would last forever. Just then, she heard voices from people walking by - Nathan and Priscilla.
"I'm glad we went out tonight. You've been busy lately...I'm just glad to see you relax." Priscilla said.
"So am I." Nathan said. "I do work hard, but...it makes my time off even more precious." Nathan said. He held Priscilla's hand, and smiled.
"Hey!" She said, much to Priscilla's surprise. Zao just blinked, equally confused.
"Oh, um...hello." Nathan said, nervous.
"Nathan, who is this woman?" Priscilla asked, wary.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Amara. Me and Nathan met when he saw me drawing a sketch of the river one day, and complimented me." Amara said.
"I'm Zao. Pleased to meetcha!" Zao said, shaking both Nathan and Priscilla's hands.
"Nice to meet you as well. I'm Nathan, and this is Priscilla. We just wanted to take a walk, since it's so nice at this time of year." Nathan said, relieved. Telling the truth would have been stupid, even if the Other Priscilla was fighting Shadows in the other world.
"You two look pretty loved up. Been together long?" Zao asked.
"Very. I first met Nathan when the two of us were little. It was a really crowded gathering, and we were the youngesst people there. Even then, Nathan was all dressed up. I was nervous of all the adults, and hid behind the curtains, but Nathan convinced me to rejoin the party." Priscilla said.
"I think I was bored and wanted to look out the window. You were so adorable then - when you had to go home, you hugged me and told me to call you! Of course, you're still adorable now..." Nathan said, lovingly holding Priscilla's hand.
"That's so cute! So Priscilla, your family must be pretty important too." Zao asked.
"Her mother is. Lavender Lancaster, a violinist. She's retired now, but she'll never pass up a chance to show off her talents." Nathan said.
"I was going to follow in her footsteps and write music too, but I realised I really enjoyed business studies. So I wound up in Albion Incorporated after university." Priscilla said.
"Lavender got to tutor Tara a bit. She really enjoyed that." Nathan said. Amara didn't know who Tara was, but just shrugged. Zao, as ever, was just smiling at the conversation. "It wasn't until me and Priscilla were teenagers that we started dating. Since then, we've never been apart, pretty much."
"I guess we're stuck together, huh?" Priscilla said, giggling.
"Yes, but I'm not complaining." Nathan said. "Anyway, we better leave you to it. Nice to meet you, Zao!"
"See ya, Nathaniel!" Zao said, his ever-present smile returning. "You've got some nice friends, Amara."
"Yeah, I guess I do." Amara said. The two of them were silent for a while, then without thinking, she kissed Zao. He was surprised at first, but they held the kiss tightly - neither of them wanted to let go. She just wanted to make this evening feel complete. Also, she wanted to let Zao know how wonderful it was, being with him.
"You're a fascinating girl, Miss Furaha. That was one hell of a kiss!" Zao said. "Wait till I tell the guys tomorrow!"
"You haven't been kissed before?" Amara asked. "You're quite the flirt, you know!"
"Huh? Oh. Well, usually I'm the one that kisses first. But now, a girl kissed me on the first date. This is awesome!" Zao said, and Amara sighed. Clearly, Zao wasn't the sappy type, but she couldn't help but smile at his energy. "Sorry, it's getting late. I should be getting back. Walk me to walk you home?"
"No, that's okay. Can we do this again sometime?" Amara said, blushing.
"Sure! So does this mean we're an item now?" Zao said, and at this point Amara wondered if anything could stop him from smiling at all.
"Yes, it does!" Amara said, smiling. Unsurprisingly, Zao jumped up in joy. "Well, see you soon, Zao!" she said, waving as she left the harbour. Zao was so different from anyone she had met before, and yet, she liked that about him. Deep down, she couldn't wait to see him again. Now, she had something else to look forward to when she returned from her battles in the other world.