Here's my longest chapter yet! I'm excited to continue this, please please please let me know what you think! As Mira and Ashley enter the party thrown for a Triceraton legend, what new things will they learn about Baxium's culture?
When Raph and Mikey walked into Traximus' apartment, the music was already blasting while a diverse group of party-goers mingled in the slowly filling living room. The overhead lights were dimmed while brightly colored moving lights flashed along the otherwise yellow walls.
"Woah," Mikey said as he took in the scene before him, eager to be apart of it. "I wasn't expecting something like this!"
Raph gave an impressed look over as well as they stepped inside to find Traximus. "Me either, actually. No way Traximus did all this."
In a group near the bar, Traximus was socializing with several creatures the brothers didn't recognize. Devy welcomed the two with open arms and a wider smile.
"Welcome to Traximus' going away party!" they greeted, guiding the two inside. "He's a bit busy right now, but I'm sure he'll say hi when he's done. We've got food, drinks, and plenty of dancing and mingling so enjoy yourselves tonight!"
Raph gave them a questioning look as he watched Traximus tell some kind of story to the group. "Isn't Traximus just going for a meeting? He's comin back right?"
"Oh, yes. But ever since he was stationed here he's barely had anyone over here if it wasn't for politics or some other matter. He was hesitant, but I know he'll enjoy himself after a few drinks!" Devy eyed some more guests that came in and gestured to the food tables. "Please, eat, drink, and party! I've got some more hosting to do."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Mikey started, rubbing his hands together as he led Raph to the table. "Who was that, anyway?"
"Devy," Raph told him, grabbing a cup. "They're Traximus' assistant. I don't know what they are but I think you'd probably get along with them."
"They seem pretty fun," Mikey said as he piled food onto his plate. "Unlike most of the other people here, there's not even anyone dancing."
As Mikey started to shovel food into his mouth, Raph eyed Traximus as his conversation wound down. "I'm gonna go talk to Traximus."
Mikey looked around at the countless strangers and realized he wasn't quite ready to mingle with so many strangers he knew nothing about and followed Raph. As a couple left the area, Raph and Mikey filled their space.
"Raphael, Michelangelo," Traximus greeted with a grin. "It's so good to see you."
"Yeah, with all the business you've been up to I didn't think I'd ever get to see you!" Mikey said. "Who knew you knew how to party!" Mikey nudged him playfully.
Traximus laughed in response, slapping the back of his shell. "You can give all credit to Devy. Though I do know how to party, have no doubt."
"I can't wait to see that," Raph chimed in, arms crossed and smirking.
Traximus returned the smirk and crossed his arms as well. "Well how about you, Raphael? Surely you didn't just come here for pleasantries?"
"Nah, I heard there'd be free food and drinks, too."
Traximus laughed and moved behind the bar to grab a drink. "Well then, by all means! Eat and drink," he encouraged, grabbing the good beers from behind the bar.
"Woah," Mikey started, taking the drink from him. "Any chance I can be an ambassador with a sweet set up like this?"
"Yeah, fat chance Mikey," Raph commented with a roll of his eyes as he took a swig from his beer.
/
The subway car still was not quite big enough for Baxium, though he did manage to squeeze in and take up an entire door space. It took moving to a few different cars before anyone said anything about him taking up too much space. Even with Mira and Ashley around, it was difficult to avoid some hurtful language thrown his way.
"I don't get why anyone even bothers being so shitty," Ashley started. "I wonder how long before they talk shit to the wrong Triceriton."
Baxium played it off as the train moved underground. "I'm used to it by now. People like you two make up for it though. Besides, we're goin to a party where there's not gonna be any of those kinds of people."
Baxium placed his hands on their shoulders with a grin they couldn't help but return. "I'm drinking as soon as I get there," Mira informed him.
Ashley nodded in agreement. "At least you'll actually know some of the people who'll be there."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Mira started. "But you could have stayed home if you wanted."
"I wanted to invite you so you wouldn't be stuck inside all by yourself," Baxium added. "I'm sure you'll have fun though!"
Ashley tried to psych herself up, not wanting to be a burden on her friend's good time. "I'll just also get drunk and dance or something."
"That's the spirit!" Mira encouraged.
Their trek into Queens was longer than they would have been comfortable with, but Baxium was able to get closer to Mira while Ashley tried not to stare. Many folks on the train also tried not to stare, some less successful than others.
After seeing Baxium take the insults hurled at him without any fighting back, Mira began to question if he was really someone she wanted to be with. While some might find his tolerance admirable, Mira wasn't sure tolerating that kind of hate was such a good thing.
Not that she necessarily had anything against soft, sensitive boys, but they weren't her type romantically. Still, he was quite the handsome Triceriton.
By the time the trio had arrived at Traximus' apartment, the dimmed lights had already been turned off, the music was thumping loud enough to hear from the elevator, and some of the partygoers were even dancing.
Being the last to arrive, Devy was no longer around to greet them, but Traximus noticed as soon as his old friend walked in.
"Baxium! Welcome!" Traximus greeted with open arms from the edge of the crowd. "I thought you'd never make it!"
Baxium grabbed his outstretched hand as they did an old handshake. Though Traximus was clearly drunk, he managed to pull it off without error. "Of course I wouldn't miss this! I just had to bring some special guests," he said as he introduced him to Mira and Ashley.
"Come in and enjoy the party with everyone else!" Traximus led the way back into the crowd as Baxium placed his hand around Mira's shoulder and the three followed him in.
Around the dance floor were aliens and mutants of various identities ranging from tall and purple with big hair, to small(er) and yellow with little hair. Some had several long armswhile others had fewer stubby arms, and every now and then some kind of tail would wave about behind someone. It was quite possibly the most diverse crowd in the smallest space that Ashley or Mira had ever seen. Every single body in the apartment was moving to the music, even if they were simply tapping their foot with a plate of food in the corner, and there wasn't a single person who looked like they didn't want to be there. Ashley just hoped she wouldn't be the first one to change that.
Traximus stood up next to the dj, towering above everyone as he took the mic and the music quieted. "I hope you are all having a great time!" His words were met with cheers from the crowd. Ashley snuck away from Baxium and Mira to grab some food so she could plant herself against a wall, but Bax and Mira remained near the bar where Traximus had left them.
"Now that all the guests I expected are here, I need us to clear a space for one of my personal favorite Triceraton traditions," he directed with a devilish smirk.
"Aw man," Baxium groaned before looking behind the bar.
"What is it?" Mira asked curiously. She watched as he pulled out a jug of eie and a tall glass from behind the counter.
"Oh nothing," he started with a smile. "I just need one of these before he calls me out for bein late."
Still confused, Mira watched him down a very full 8oz glass of eie as if it were nothing more than an easy shot while Traximus continued his announcement.
"Baxium! You know the rules. The last to show faces off with the host. So let's go!" Traximus returned the mic to the dj as he hopped off the set up. The crowd had spread out and without the pressure of dancing, Ashley returned to her friend just as Baxium was leaving.
"What's going on?" Ashley asked.
"I have no idea," Mira replied. "When did you get food?"
"Just now," she said as she continued eating and gestured to the food table.
"They're about to fight," a familiar voice said from behind them. When they turned to see who it belonged to, they saw Raphael sitting in a stool at the bar.
"What are you doing here?" Mira asked curiously. She hadn't seen him on the way and he had just moved in above them, hadn't he?
"I could ask you the same thing. I'm a friend of Traximus," he said as he reached behind the counter to grab himself a drink. "What're you doin here all the way from Brooklyn?"
"We were invited by a mutual friend," Ashley said. "Why are they fighting?"
Just as she asked, the crowd started to cheer. When they turned to look at the spectacle, Traximus and Baxium were locked together, hands pushing against one anothers' shoulders and their horns tapping together. As close together as they were, it was clear how small Baxium was for a Triceraton. Still, he held his own as he pushed back against Traximus and forced the crowd to give them more space.
"I forget what it's called, but they do this at almost any party if there's enough of 'em," Raph contiued after finding a drink that suited him.
"That's interesting," Ashley commented as she sat down on the stool next to him. Mira remained standing as she watched Baxium get pushed onto the ground and slide closer to them.
"First one to get pinned down loses," Raph said just as Baxium moved out of the way of Traximus' charge.
Ashley nudged Mira as the crowd began cheering for Traximus. "Well who are you cheering for?"
Once Mira started cheering for Baxium, Ashley did as well. The apartment was filled with the cheers from the crowd. Ashley and Mira were so busy watching the fight that they didn't even notice Mikey moving toward them. As he maneuvered through the crowd, Raph stared at Mira. He knew that he recognized her from somewhere, but just couldn't figure out where.
"Hey! What're you ladies doin here?" Mikey greeted drunkenly.
Mira gave him a glance but as Baxium pushed Traximus against a wall she became much more enamored with the fight. Ashley, greeted him with a smile and a wave before turning back to the fight as well. "We gotta see who wins," she told him.
Raph continued to watch Mira as the memory cogs in his brain went to work, and Mikey took the liberty of cozying up between them. "Yeah, these Triceraton parties, am I right?"
Just as Traximus pinned Baxium to the ground, Raphael suddenly remembered. The brief amount of time he spent in a school when the world was starting to get used to the idea of mutants and other non-humans living in harmony- what a joke it was. But then, here he was in a respectable penthouse partying it up with who knows how many different races.
The world was different when he first met Mira, that's for sure.
Raphael took a long drink from his beer in an effort to prevent the past from staying too long. Times had changed, just like Mira. Although...
As he watched Traximus and Baxium shake hands, and as Baxium returned back to the bar, trying not to hang his head too low.
"I always think I have a chance against Traximus," he laughed as he put a hand around the small of Mira's back. "He always teaches me the same thing- that I don't."
Mira patted his arm assuredly as Mikey joined in. "Hey, you put up a good fight! It's not easy fighting any of you Triceritons, much less Traximus, Ambassador to Earth!" Though he slurred his words a bit, Mikey was still mostly conscious as he congratulated his friend.
"You make a very valid point, Mike," Baxium repleid with a small smile. "I bet I could take you on," he added with a challenging grin.
"Hah! You're on! I'm still Battle Nexus Champion, I'll have you know!" Mikey retorted.
"Then show us what you've got! Former Battle Nexus Champion," Traximus challenged, his voice booming over the crowd. "Care to redeem yourself by shutting him down for the night, Baxium?"
Baxium cracked his knuckles as he stared Mikey down. "Oh, I'd never give up the honor to fight someone of such high regard!"
Back in the party now, Raph shoved his brother forward. "Well go on, Mikey. Defend your honor."
"Tch, I've got this, you can stay sittin, bro."
"I wasn't plannin on movin anyway," Raph replied as Mikey entered the center of the crowd with Baxium. While the fight started, Mira grabbed a plastic cup off the counter and started pouring eie into it.
"You know that stuff's rank, right?" Raph asked. "It's more sour than a warhead."
Mira locked eyes with him as she took down half a cup in one go. Though she tried to fight the contortion of her face, a little bit still got through. "It really hits the spot though," she countered before pouring herself some more.
"You're about to get real messed up," Ashley commented in amusement.
"That's why we're here, isn't it?"
With a shrug, Ashley went for some punch at the food table. "Point taken."
Raph built up the courage to say something as Mira took down another drink of eie. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" he asked.
She glanced at him before taking another drink. "I didn't think you'd recognize me."
"I almost didn't," he said. "But your face hasn't really changed that much now that I think about it."
"Yeah, and you haven't changed at all, I'll bet," Mira retorted. Suddenly feeling awkard, she downed the rest of her drink and watched the fight just as Mikey leapt over the shoulders of Baxium, insulting him as he did so.
"C'mon Baxi!" she shouted.
Raph watched as she did her best to ignore him, but he couldn't get over just how small the world really had to be for him to see her here, as a friend of a friend.
There was some bad blood between them when he left their old school for good, but he thought that after a few years things would fade away. But Mira just sat there, her back to him while she cheered on someone else.
He shook his head as he took another drink. It's not like there's anything to be mad about. Nothing ever even happened between us anyway. We just fought and insulted each other. No need to make it weird, he thought.
He tossed his empty bottle into a bin just as Mikey got tripped by Baxium's tail swiping underneath him. Mira cheered again and Baxium wasted no time pinning the smaller turtle to the ground.
"You may be a very skilled ninja, but your cockiness will be the end of you," Baxium said while offering a hand to help Mikey up.
Embarrassed, Mikey accepted the hand and brushed himself off. "You clearly had all the advantages here," he retorted. Baxium placed a hand on his shell and led him back to the bar.
"I'll pour you a drink, friend. No hard feelings." When they returned, Baxium did as he said he would and poured Mikey a decent shot of some clear alcohol. Ashley came back with punch in her hand, seeming almost disappointed she had missed the outcome of the fight.
"I'm guessing you won, Bax?" she asked just as Mira kissed his cheek.
"Yeah," he said with a sheepish kind of smile.
"Yeah he did," Mira emphasized as she squeezed his hand, being much more physical than Ashley had seen her be before.
Baxium noticed her behavior as well and glanced at her cup. "You got into the eie I see. If you're not careful you might turn into a Triceraton." Baxium then grabbed the jug to pour some for himself.
"Who's next?" Traximus' booming voice commanded. The crowd began muttering as people tried to put together one on one teams.
"Hey, Mira," Raph started, getting her attention. "You wanna go? Y'know, for old time's sake."
Mira looked at him while Mikey, Ashley, and especially Baxium appeared concerned with the mere thought of the two of them fighting.
"Hey now, you gotta take these challenges seriously," Baxium said. "Why would you even suggest that?"
"Oh he and Mira go waaay back," Mikey chimed in. "They'd fight like every day, and most times Mira got one over on ol' Raphie here," he continued as he patted Raph's back smugly.
"Well?" Raph urged, not taking his eyes off Mira.
Mira looked at her drink while the others watched her with bated breath. She downed the rest of the eie and stood up. "Let's go, then."
Are you hype? I'm hype. Even though we all know how this is probably gonna end... Leave a review please! :D