Chapter the Second: Of Star Wars and Carrier Pigeons

(AMENDED NOTE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE READ BEFORE: THE STORY HAS BEEN CHANGED, WITH THE PARTY NOW A HALF-O-WEEN PARTY INSTEAD OF A HALLOWEEN PARTY. NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE.)

Ren Tsuruga was ambushed by an unnerving stare as he exited the men's restroom at L.M.E., having finished some business there.

Calm, wise eyes gazed back at his own surprised brown orbs. Their owner was nearly as tall as he was (which was surprising, considering his own monstrous height), and wearing exotic clothing reminiscent of the Middle East, contrasting with his own casual designer clothing.

"An invitation for you, Tsuruga-sama. It is from the President." The president's secretary pulled a scroll of parchment paper tied with a golden ribbon from the depths of his loose outfit, presenting it to Ren as though it were an Academy Award.

"…Thank you," Ren said with a dazzling smile, taking the scroll as though it were a ticking time bomb. "May I ask what this is an invitation for?"

The secretary shook his head solemnly. "The president requested you read it in private. He will be in touch if you have further questions."

Ren's face lit up even more, looking as pleased as anyone to be alive. "Is that so? Thank you. Tell the president that I will."

"I shall relay that to the president. Good evening," the secretary said, bowing.

Ren returned the bow, smile still plastered to his face. Behind the mask, he was contemplating what sort of atrocity the president was plotting. One could only imagine…

Once he returned home much later that night, Ren sat at his kitchen table, confronted by the now-opened scroll. As he read the flowery calligraphy, his expression changed from one of dread to amusement.

"Half-o-ween?" he said aloud, enjoying the absurdity of the word. "I don't even celebrate Halloween."

He sighed as he allowed himself to be swept away by phantoms of the past. The last time he had seriously celebrated Halloween was nearly ten years ago, as a very different person. As Kuon, before Kuon was overcome by darkness. This Kuon Hizuri was eleven years old, shining and bright, worthy of the title "Prince of the Fairies." He had his moments of darkness, but he kept the darkness at bay with the power of the Force.

Eleven-year-old Kuon Hizuri was a closet Star Wars fan. Though his parents were artsy, sentimental indie film aficionados, Kuon was a sucker for anything with a decent story, robots, and really cool fight scenes. Star Wars fit the bill to a T.

That year he had been planning to go as a spy inspired by the latest James Bond movie, which his father had a cameo in. If there was one thing Kuon Hizuri was not, it was a geek. No, Kuon Hizuri was the cool kid who supported his parents in all of their many endeavors.

The night before Halloween, Kuon was sitting at the counter in the Hizuri kitchen, pretending to do homework but really fantasizing about what it would be like to actually ride the Millennium Falcon. Suddenly, a paper bag was dumped in front of him.

"Wha—I was doing homework, I swear!" Kuon shrank in terror from the imposing height of his father.

Kuu Hizuri shook his head sadly. "Is my son too busy to accept the present his daddy brought him from work?"

"No, I—"

"Then what are you waiting for, Kuon? Go on. Open it already!"

Carefully opening the bag, Kuon pulled out a soiled V-neck shirt. "What is this, Dad…?"

"Idiot, there's more in the bag!"

Rolling his eyes, Kuon pulled out a wrinkled black vest and tight navy pants. "Um, okay?"

His father sighed. "I thought you would like it… I commissioned the costume designer of the TV show I'm working on to make an authentic-looking Han Solo costume for my darling son, but I guess he doesn't appreciate it…"

"Dad-!" Kuon could never tell if his father was seriously disappointed or just joking. One of the many disadvantages to having an actor for a dad. "But how'd you know? I love Han Solo!"

Kuu chuckled mysteriously. "I have my sources. Now go try it on, while I go get my camera!"

"I'll change, but no pictures, Dad."

"Come oooonnn!"

Now in a somewhat melancholy mood, Ren returned to his perusal of the president's invitation, reading it aloud.

"'In addition to your attendance on May 1, you will grace fellow partygoers with a live performance, along with other L.M.E. talents.' Okay…." Ren's hopes were sinking as he prepared for the worst. "'Your assigned performance is an abridged stage version of Disney's film Maleficent. Your role is King Stephen. The script shall be sent to you via carrier pigeon as soon as time allows.' Oh, great."

At that moment, there was a timid knock at his door. Glad to escape from the unexpected stress caused by the president, Ren crept towards the front door. He peered through the peep hole and was surprised to see Kyoko Mogami clad in a long feathery dress, a golden envelope tied to her wrist.

"President…." he seethed. How did she get into the apartment building in the first place? Someone dressed like her would never—but then he remembered the terrifying power with which she had commanded some poor soul's bike when she was his substitute manager and on a quest to preserve the impeccable record of the Never-late King.

Kyoko knocked again, her eyes belaying her uncertainty. Suddenly she twitched, assuming a smile not unlike that of a door-to-door salesperson.

Ren opened the door with a matching smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Mogami-san? It's awfully late, and I would have had something prepared if I had known in advance. But come in, come in," he said, ushering the girl-who-didn't-look-that-much-like-a-pigeon into his apartment.

"I… am here at the request of the president to offer an important package to you, Tsu-tsuruga-sama!"

To be continued...

A/N: Thank you for all the faves, follows and reviews! I apologize for the lack of a real posting schedule. As I work out more of the rest of the story, hopefully updates will be more often than monthly. I decided to change Halloween to Half-o-ween because it's more president-like and it's no longer Halloween, so I hope that doesn't throw anyone for too much of a loop... Also, was my way of separating segments by lines good or is there another method that you guys prefer? Any constructive criticism would be much appreciated! Thank you again, and may you have a fantastic day. :D