A/N: Finally had time to write chapter 3; finals were quite distracting and I'm still rather busy. This chapter also features an OC by the name of Airi, belonging to my good friend yugioratemlover, who will be appearing quite frequently in this story from now on. If you like her, please check out the story Sister of Games, which features Charlotte as well.
"Honestly Yuugi, I can't thank you enough for all this." Though Charlotte had protested all the way down the stairs to the kitchen of the smaller and younger boy that it wasn't really necessary for him to feed her, out of what the dark haired duelist could only assume was the sheer goodness of his heart the purple eyed male had refused anything but the option of giving her something to eat…and well, as starving as she'd been, upon seeing a refrigerator full of food Charlotte had lost the will to argue anymore. And though it might have just been a few lunch meat sandwiches, the grey eyed seventeen year old was hardly in a position to complain about what she was being fed.
"It's nothing, I'm just happy you feel a little bit better, and Joey says you're a good person so the least I can do is give you something to eat." Oh Joey…without the blonde sitting next to her, scarfing down easily twice his weight in the strangest concoctions of sandwiches Charlotte had ever seen (really, who would have put tuna fish and peanut butter together besides Joey?) coming to look for her, Charlotte was more than sure she would have never found a way out of downtown Domino. "Erm, if you don't mind my asking, and I hope this isn't prying too much, how exactly do you two know each other? I mean, Joey's never really talked about you all that much."
"What?" Charlotte inquired, nearly choking on her cheese and bread. "Never? Joey, what's wrong with you?" Appearing somewhat startled by the obvious and rather gentle slap on his arm, the brown eyed blonde grunted, not even bothering to finish swallowing before responding in his own defense.
"I've had a lot on my mind! C'mon Char, ya' know I talk about ya' all the time! I talk about her….right Yug'?"
"Ah…not really, Joey." The light eyed teen shrugged. "I'll apologize for him Charlotte; he's a little bit…forgetful at times."
"Don't worry about it; I know he doesn't mean to slip things." Taking a bite out of her third sandwich, ham and swiss this time, Charlotte was quick to wave a dismissive hand. "Wouldn't be surprised though, if it's already gotten him in trouble."
"Hey, stop talking about me like I'm not here!"
"I'm sorry Joey, did you say something?" Earning a glare, Charlotte merely chuckled and continued onwards. "We're pen pals; I first got an e-mail from him a couple months ago, wasn't it? We traded stories for a while and then I decided it would be an interesting experience to come out for a visit, maybe check out the dueling scene overseas."
"Charlotte's a professional duelist on da' American circuit," Joey mumbled out, bread crumbs flying pretty much everywhere, some of which the blackette was quick to dust off her shirt. "And ya' said ya'd be prepared ta' come over but I guess ya' weren't as prepared as ya' thought ya' were, huh?"
"Just eat your sandwich, you black hole." Charlotte teased. "I got a little confused with the signs and whatnot; I mean I studied all the basics but it's a lot different over here then it is in America so I got turned around pretty fast. And then I ran into some guy who obviously didn't know how to properly dress himself; I mean really, unless you get ready in the dark, who wears purple and green? A little pretentious if you ask me..though I'm not really in a position to judge I suppose." Seriously, what with all the strange outfits and hairstyles she'd seen in just two days alone, with her average straight black hair and chewed up sneakers it was pretty obvious that there was still a lot to be learned about what exactly constituted as proper Japanese culture.
"Wait a minute! Char, dis' guy ya' said ya' met up with…what exactly did he look like?" Shrugging, Charlotte contented herself with taking another bite of her sandwich.
"I don't know, brown hair, blue eyes? Kind of intense, and obviously he had some issues though I couldn't begin to say where they come from." True, just because the grey eyed teen was unable to place the source of such problems didn't mean she was unable to identify with them for reasons she wasn't about to divulge anytime soon, but that didn't make it necessary to take out one's problems on other people in such an overtly cruel fashion.
"Wait, that sounds like Seto Kaiba!" Yuugi was quick to exclaim.
"Now that you mention it those guys in suits may have called him something like that…should I be concerned by the fact that I punched him in the face? " And cue another round of sputtering bread fragments. "Geez Joey, say it, don't spray it."
"You punched moneybags in da' face? And I missed it?"
"Yeah, sorry. If he comes around again I'll be sure to do it a second time, just for you."
"Ya' promise?" Snorting, Charlotte rolled her eyes.
"If it'll make you happy Joey, I'll punch Seto Kaiba in the face as many times as you want." Rather a violent deal to be making, but if the blond wanted it that much then who was Charlotte to argue?
"What's this about punching Kaiba, now?" Whatever response Charlotte might have been about to make was quickly interrupted by a choking Joey and the immediate need to thump the near suffocating blond on the back with a spread palm.
"Geez Airi, you scared me!" Well the hair, if nothing else, was certainly impressionable; straight as a pin and laced with same strange color combinations as Yuugi, even to someone like Charlotte who was now just barely getting to know the smaller boy it was pretty obvious that the two were related. Actually, save for the height difference and the fact that this second pair of purple eyes were considerably more concerned and naturally worrisome the two looked near identical.
"Sorry, didn't mean to, but we can consider ourselves even for all the times you tried to scare me." When all Joey did was let out a sheepish, apologetic laugh, the slim female merely shook her head with a quiet sigh. "Oh…I see you're up and feeling better, that's good. Though I'm not quite sure why Yuugi didn't just put you in my room instead, it would have been less leg work. I'm Airi; Joey said you two are pen pals?"
"More like best friends!" Joey exclaimed after finally managing, thanks in part to Charlotte, to stop choking on his sandwich.
"I don't really think we're best friends exactly…" The blackette shrugged, though she didn't bother to interrupt when Joey continued onward.
"She punched old richie rich Kaiba in the face ya' know; man, I wish I coulda' been there ta' see it!"
"You punched my ex-boyfriend in the face?"
"Wait, that rude as hell, can't dress himself properly idiot is actually considered someone you can date?" A brief pause when Airi merely nodded. "…I feel so bad for you." Charlotte intoned sympathetically.
"Don't ya' worry," Joey assured. "Everyone does. Alright then, if you're finished eatin' then let's go take you on a tour! So ya' won't get lost again!" Sensing some obvious hesitance on the grey eyed girl's part, Joey frowned. "What, ya' don't want ta' go look around?"
"Well no, it's not that; actually I think it would be very helpful to go on a tour, at least to see the local buildings. But, you know…can you stop eating long enough to do that?"
"Geez Char, can't you be nice ta' me for like, a minute?"