Damn, I've been so busy, plus without an internet access and working at random times. Oh well. It is giving me some time to work on some other projects. And play a lot of video games! Well, I'm almost a month late, but at least its' not a month!
For those of you surprised to see this story back up: I never said this was going to be a one-shot story! It's not! The plan was to write another chapter for every Saint Patrick's Day and showing what some characters might be doing. This is all supposed to happen on the same day or night to possibly the next day. Also, you might see a few stories that connect. Maybe I'll get brave enough and throw some Disney Characters in the mix!
As for this year, it's my favorite character, Naminé! I don't get to write her enough, so I like any chance I have to give her a spotlight. As much as I love her, she is quite a shy thing and doesn't like to be wffritten about much. And her chapter is going to be small…for now. But I'll have her appear earlier or later, depending on how many drunks I decide to write. After all, this story has become sort of my Birthday Gift to myself, and I just let the words flow!
Disclaimer: Still don't own Kingdom Hearts and still am not earning any money from any of this.
Naminé slipped back into her loft, quickly running to the kitchen area to check on her meat. She had set the burner on low simmer when she left, but any number of accidents could have happened while she was away. Before she entered the small eating area, she dropped her purse down on a chair while sliding off her coat. It made a home on the couch.
The unique smell of corn beef and cabbage boiling filled her nose as she walked closer to the stove. Naminé slipped on an oven mitt and lifted up the lid. She sniffed the food, just to be sure, and was happy to smell and see the progress of the food. It smelled wonderful and looked the appropriate colors; the beef was a beautiful reddish shade, the marble of the fat was a slight orange color that complemented the actual muscle very well; the cabbage took a clear color, and the added pieces of potatoes and carrots made it seem as the completed meal it should be. To be sure, Naminé grabbed the large, prong fork stuck in the knife block and poked the meat. It was all but done. She turned the dial up just a few heats higher, deciding to let it cook slowly for the next fifteen minutes. If she wanted to, she could serve the meal as it was and it would be enjoyable. However, the meat was yet to practically fall apart from itself, so it needed a bit more time to tenderize. She set the fork to the side and covered the pot again. With everything checked, she headed back to the living room and started to straiten up the small mess she produced.
Today was Saint Patrick Day, and Naminé was looking forward to a quiet night to herself. It was not a national holiday nor was it a religious celebration quite much anymore so; she did not feel obligated going anywhere tonight. She was a shy girl and not a heavy drinker meaning nothing in the holiday attracted her attention. Actually, she hardly touched a drop of anything with alcohol in it except the occasional toast for (more important) celebrations. The most she ever consumed was half a bottle of some sort of fruity cooler on her twenty-first birthday.
Once she had sorted everything out in the room, Naminé turn to see her landline phone and was surprise to see the message box blinking. She clicked a button and was surprised to hear nine messages were stored. Naminé had a cell phone, but she only used it for emergencies or incoming call. As it was, she lost the code she needed to get into the voice mail. She simply told everyone to either call Roxas or leave a message at home if they could not get a hold of her. Then again, it already nine o'clock at night and she just noticed she forgot to charge her cell phone…again. She hoped nobody needed her.
The first message played while she plugged in her cell phone to the charger, "Hello, this is an automatic voice mail to remind the residence that the fifteen of the month has passed. The final noticed will go out on twentieth. If you have not paid yet, please contact the head office if there is a problem. Thank you and good-night." Naminé chuckled at the message. Not because she was worried about her rent or anything to do with the actual message. It was simply the fact that it was her own voice playing over the machine.
Naminé's home was in a small apartment building given the name of C. Oblivion. It was not a too expensive place, but whoever designed it certainly like monotone. The original walls were black, white, or shades of gray instead of the standard off-colored beige. Any designs were either something simply as lines carved into the lower panel molding or lights with glass work with complicated curves and points sticking in lovely ways. It seemed very fashionable for the price, but there was the little fact that its foundation laid over ten miles away from anywhere noticeable and each loft held the size of half of a trailer. The history she was told was the property had been own by someone who wanted to create a new set of condominiums from some old farm property. However, the house market bubble burst and the dream went down the toilet.
On the plus side, it was a buyer's (or renter's) market and Naminé was able to get her little piece of heaven on a lease dirt-cheap. She also had a connection to the now manager of the property and was able to get the place. And the best part; it was rent controlled. There were two floors with four rentable rooms on each floor. Currently there were five renters in the household. On the top floor with Naminé were two other residences while the bottom floor held two dorms shared by two people each. There was the downside to the lovely home; the connection to rent the home was through employment and Naminé had to share it with her co-workers, including being neighbors with some of her direct supervisor's supervisor. The price was worth it, but still made for uncomfortable interactions.
But tonight everyone was out. Or if they were around, they would not need Naminé for anything important. Naminé was an artist, but only true masters succeeded in committing to it full time. And even they eventually found other outlets. Naminé's steady hands came useful for straight lines as well as natural lines. Her official job was drafting work. However, her job was not merely draft. The scope of her work went beyond that. She did not simply draw a bunch of maps or picked pretty paints for a new living room. She did those tasks. She also put grout down on a kitchen floor for acrylic tiles, lined drafty windows with a calking gun, or grabbed a sledgehammer to bash a wall down to open a new doorway. Her work was mostly for the local historical societies who wanted a professional designer without the professional price. She also worked for some friends of friends if they really needed help with non-profit deals. She had an additional "night job," but after learning that out of a dozen other people she worked at her night job with, including several who had several years of schooling, she was the only one who actually replaced a pipe in the past, her night job was a super for the buildings in the area. Meaning she was also the one to remind everyone of their own personal responsibilities to the building, including rent.
The second message popped up once she straightened up for the night, "…click." Naminé paused for a moment, wondering if it cut off. Unfortunately, Naminé did not have a caller idea with either the phone or the answering machine, so whoever made the second message was lost to her. Probably a wrong number. Nevertheless, she made sure to listen carefully for the next couple of messages; just to be sure it had nothing to do with anything happening for the celebration on Wednesday.
There would be a small feast tomorrow, which would include her brother and various cousins and friends to visit at the center of town. The community had an Irish history and those roots still clung strong. Naminé decided to paint green streaks in her hair for her own little taste of shamrocks. She was going to help arrange flowers and the tables earlier as well as bring in a dish.
Another celebration would be held later in the day at the larger building down the block from her house. Of course, block was a relative term. The house stood a five mile from her residence. Those invited were her co-workers. Tonight, they were either at their own respectable homes or, which included a large chunk of the people she lived around, were out doing badness knows what.
She had already made a helping of corn beef and cabbage that chilled in her fridge until it would be needed. Naminé was going to store the next batch she just made. She finally turned of the burner and merely let it cook the rest of the way in the slowly cooling water.
The third messaged played out as Naminé pour herself something to drink. "Hey Naminé, this is Olette. I know you told all of us that you wanted a quiet night in, but I don't want you to feel like we are abandoning you. Just to remind you that if you still wanna take that offer, we'll be at the Irish Nacho tonight. Give Roxas a pinch for me when you see him! He's probably not wearing anything green." Naminé smiled around her cup.
Pence, Olette, and Hayner were friends of hers, but probably more so her brother's group then anything. They always invited her along and…Naminé felt guilty not to accept the requests most of the time. Of course, she did not feel like going to a bar to drink possibly over-colored beer with a bunch of other rowdy drunks, even with Hayner and Pence around. She did not do well with crowds, especially more loose ones.
She dropped her cup in the sink and washed her hands. They were not dirty, but she was going to move around the food she prepared for herself and other people she cared about, so she wanted to make sure her hands were spotless. Naminé would probably need to wash her hands after storing the meal. She planned to relax and do some private work tonight.
The fourth message played out while Naminé dried her hands, "This is your Superior speaking. I am going to remind each and every one of you that if any of you call in sick tomorrow, it will not be tolerated. I do not care for your tomfoolery for Saturday night; it is none of my concern. Again, for those of you who are schedule for Wednesday, you will show up for work. Unless you have received a call tonight and are working tonight to the morning or are other relieved of your task, then Wednesday you are excused. BUT NONE OTHER. Thank you, and have a pleasant and safe evening." Naminé had to sigh and roll her eyes up.
Technically, Xemnas was not her boss. He just happened to be her boss's boss. In fact, he was the head of the company of her 'night job' as well as the purchaser of her home. Legally, Naminé supposed the shareholders owned it, but she handled building permits of the land, not the buying power the property. Then again, she often wondered the legalities of the association, but some things were better left unexplored.
Naminé went back to the stove to start packing the meal away. She was a little hungry, so she decided to grab an orange, knowing she would probably have to wash her hands again. But biting the juicy piece of fruit made her slight hunger vanish and made her mood brighten. What to do for tonight? She had a nice, new charcoal set, but she recently got some clay at half price and though she was not an expert of 3-D model making, Naminé was eager to learn a new medium and get her hands a little dirty.
The firth message played out as she ate her orange, "So, Naminé. Hi. Um…yah, Sora was supposed to call you, but he apparently didn't. And I know, um, Kairi mentioned it to you, but in case you want to…you can come down to the island. We already have a bon-fire up. So…yah. Bye." She recognized the voice as Riku and grinned slightly around the orange.
Naminé thought about calling back, but figured that they were already in the swing of things. If she called Kairi, then the girl would spend the whole time trying to convince her to come. Naminé knew that she was a pushover and Kairi was much a pusher. Not in a bad way; on a normal day, such a push might be appreciated for Naminé's reclusive nature. However, tonight was a night of promised leisure to herself and she would not tempt anyone to change that. If she called Sora, the phone conversation would never end. She adored Sora as much as Sora adored her. He was happy and peppy and they both had similar views on many subjects of the world. But while Naminé was reserved, Sora was gregarious. Naminé loved he would go out and make a five new friends in five minutes, but problems came when he tried to introduce them to her. Sora was also a known phone hog, so she would not get him started. If she called Riku, well, that would be in quite an opposite manner of Sora or Kairi. Riku hated talking on the phone. There were long and awkward paused that would result since Riku was not one for small talk. Yet, every time a person tried to end a conversation, Riku would bring up something that would lead to a few seconds of chatter, and then…more silence.
Naminé put her snack down, went over to pull the pot out of the crock-pot heater, and moved it in the fridge. It was already covered and since she was not going to cook anything else in device for tomorrow, she left as is.
When she closed the icebox door, the sixth message play out, "Hiiiii Naminé, thish is Axel. So, um, I'm just callin' you to let yah know we won't be, like, dropping over anything. But dooon't worry, we're gonna, um…walk or something. Or get a cab osometin…uuuuuuuumm, yah, so don't worry. But, um…damn, I was gonna say something else 'cause Roxas told me to tell you but he's gone and uuuuh…I'll jusch callu back. Kay? Kay. Alrigh'night." Naminé looked at the machine with concern for a moment before letting out a sigh. Oh, she had a bad feeling in stomach.
Naminé did not have a clue on what her brother or his boyfriend were doing or where they were. She remembered Roxas seeming to be anxious about the evening and mention something about chemistry. Naminé loved and adored Roxas. After all, they were twins and started life together: There was no closer bond they had besides with each other. She also loved Axel. She became friends with Axel soon after Roxas did but before they went beyond friendship. He was outgoing, but did not get annoyed with her more reserved nature because of it. She gave them encouragement when they announced their relationship to her and was happy that they could be together in such a way. Naminé moved out on her own first, but Roxas would always come over and usually crash with her for a couple days to a couple weeks. Naminé never minded. In fact, she enjoyed having his company. They would joke openly or teased each other. She liked acting like the dotting sister who took care of her brother without being told that Roxas had legs and could get his own stuff, just like Roxas liked doing those macho things like fixing the fridge even if he did not know a Phillip's from a slotted without being judged as less of a man. Then she moved to her current place and Axel because a guest as well. In fact, Axel stayed with her without much of an invite, and sometimes without Roxas. She did not mind that, either. Naminé liked Axel being around; even though her friend had nearly burnt her kitchen down once and did not exactly know that it's not polite to put the dirty dishes back in the cabinet, he tried to be helpful and if she felt even a little down, he made it his personal goal to get his dubbed "in-law" a smile on her face. It also made her feel safe stayed around, especially after the robbery at one of the other buildings (the next day after the crime was report, Axel came over with a baseball bat, various movies, and a pizza. She still had the baseball bat). In addition, with the both of them there…the little apartment felt like a warm home. Naminé looked around the room and frowned. The only moments it was…annoying to have both of them present was when they forgot that while she was open to sharing…she did not appreciate when she found them around her apartment…enjoying each other's company too much. Just because they lived in the small home part-time did not mean they could use the kitchen counter in any way they wanted to. Unless they were trying to make a surprise dish, but nothing else!
Naminé was turning off the kitchen light when the seventh message started with an empty pause and a slight bit of static, "………… oh really now? Oh, okay. Um, yah, never mind, um, we won't be needed your assistance. Sorry for the disturbance! Bye!" Though the caller did not leave a name, she knew the upbeat voice to be Demyx.
Naminé knew something was going on tonight. And the message probably had something to do with it. And she was pretty sure Roxas was involved. And she did not want to think about it. Instead, she shook her head and though up what she wanted to do. Charcoal it was. Looking at the dark medium against the white paper would prove a perfect monotone distraction over any bad scenarios playing over her head. Naminé grabbed a smock or apron hanging up in a convenient place in case she did participate in messier mediums. She would be drawing tonight instead of thinking about her family, friends, and co-workers (even the ones she really disliked) doing anything dangerous and probably half-drunk while doing so.
The eight message played while she nervously tied the apron, "Hey Nams, this is just a reminder to you to totally remember your dish! We so appreciate that you can come and, like, hang around on your off time with us. And even though you and I don't know each other really that well and I'm actually going down a list and calling everything who is coming, I am just making sure you feel appreciated-What? What do you mean I don't sound sincere! I sound perfectly sincere, Leon! You are the one who can't talk to anyone correct. And do you notice I'm on the PHONE! It's rude! I don't care if I'm leaving a message or not, just shut up you ungrateful-" the rest of the words end by a cut of the machine. Naminé knew the peppy voice was one of the charity leaders she often volunteered for in building projects.
The group was the ones hosting the celebrations at the center of the town tomorrow. They were actually associates and friends of Sora and Kairi, but with the redhead and brunette pushing all their friends onto others, Naminé helped out at least once a week. They promoted a good cause and…Naminé liked to help and if bring a dish of corn beef was the way she could help, then she would bring that dish. Naminé smiled and thought of a monotone castle that would look perfect in monotone.
The ninth message played just after Naminé turned on the light in her private little studio, sat down, and picked up the metal case which held her strips of charcoal, "Hey Naminé…this is Roxas…um…yah. Me and Axel…we kind of in jail and we need you to bail us out. So, when you can…come get us…please? Though, if you don't…we probably deserve a night in the slammer. Or at least Axel. It's his fault. Oh, and try to keep this under wraps. " And by the time the message ended, Naminé already set down the box, walked out of the room after she shut off the light, walked over to her coat, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door.
If she was anything, she was dependable.
It was much shorter then the other ones, but I plan for Naminé' to be in other people's stories while other groups will
If you have notice in most of my AU stories, I write Roxas and Naminé as brother and sister. I love sibling relationships and they aren't done enough in fan fiction in general. It's all about romance, romance, romance! From my experience, your family relationships is much more important then a beau or belle. In fact, they can influence the type of mate you choose. Though for you RoxasxNaminé supports, I'm not saying I'm against it; I believe they are truly soul mates or soul twins. They complete each other. But, I interpreted a different way; I consider them twins because they come from Sora and Kairi (With Sora as the technical mother *giggled*) and "born" in the same place at the same time. And with Birth by Sleep pictures out, we see that Nobodies do age, but they keep close to the same hair color. Naminé has to get her blonde hair from somewhere!
If you are wondering why it a Tuesday for the 17, that is what it was last year. Basically, 2009 Saint Patrick's Day.
And yah see what I did their with the apartment building. I'm a clever person, ain't I?