The Art Of Theft
Chapter Two: Friends, Nothing More

He fakes laughter and pulls out the dress for me to see. "I want you, Chiyo, to wear this."

My eyes widen. He grins.

"On date night."

"You sonuva…" I whispered, and slowly shied away. I backed up tremendously, as if Luke had rabies, and he was on a mission to bite me. I automatically gulp as I hit the wall. He still has that smug grin on his face, obviously enjoying himself. "I'm not going to do it."

"Oh come on Chiyo. You need the money…"

"I need the money…"

"You want the money…"

"I want the money…"

"So, are ya' up for it?"

I sigh, walking up to the counter and leaning forward. "Not if you paid me double."

"How about triple?" he leans, and his face gets extremely close to mine. "This is one fiddle that says, 'play me'."

"T-triple!?" I gasp, and I do the math in my head. "Fifteen thousand gold!?"

"That's all I can go for, though."

"N-not a problem…" I whispered, and I imagine myself with all that gold. My eyes water. I give in. Hell, it was only for one day, wasn't it? Even if that day was the single most important day of the year for me. Even if it was the time I had to look the most professional because the Gourmet sometimes stopped by, and he would judge my café. He had done this last year, and I received an 'A' grade. After he had published his review in the local newspaper, my clientele had doubled. I had learned a few tricks since then, but I did wonder what kind of grade I'd get if the Gourmet figured I was a cosplayer and my café closely resembled a cosplay club.

I shuddered. "I… I don't know, Luke."

"Oh come on, Chiyo. Tell you what, and this is my final offer. Selfish git."

"…I'll ignore that last part."

"You see that 'Help Wanted' sign on your door? I'll take care of that," he smiled innocently, and I knew he was up to something. "Last offer."

I thought about it. Money and help? Hell fucking yeah. "Alright, it's a bet."

"Oh, yeah. I'm not finished."

I raised my eyebrows. "What are you saying now?"

"You never agreed to hear my part B in this wonderful little scheme of mine. And now that you accepted part A, you have to accept this too."

"You fucking douche bag!" I yelled, pointing at him like a madmen. He leaned back on his wooden chair and sighed, shaking his index finger at me.

"You have to take a girl to… date night. Dressed in your pretty little skimpy dress." He slowed down on the last part of that sentence, letting the words sink in slowly but smoothly.

I twitch, my temper skyrocketing. "Luke, I swear I'll bash your brains in and declare you dead."

"Oh dear. That would blood-stain your skimpy dress."

"I'll risk it."

"Anywho, Mai is available, isn't she? She's got a thing for you, right? There we go, easy date. And you'll be wearing matching dresses!" he placed both his hands on his cheeks and smiled happily. "Aw, how cute!"

"N-no… not… not Mai. Anyone but Mai…" I plead, and he shrugs.

"Everyone else in the village is taken. Unless you wanna go with someone like Gil."

"Luke…"

"Oh! Yes… hot farmer girl just got here. I don't suppose she's got a date," he winks. "And seeing how you don't have one either, Chiyo-san, we make it even and it's happily ever after. Her farm is along the dirt path behind your café. …Follow it. Well, good luck!" he exclaims happily, and gets up off the chair walking towards the exit.

"Luke, why do you do this to me?" I mutter, hoping he wouldn't hear me.

"I have my reasons, Chiyo."

I roll my eyes. "…I-I'll see you there."

"It's a date."

Her "farm" is tiny.

I roll my eyes at the two patches of dirt that could be called fields if they were twice their sizes. There is a lone cow grazing nearby, and not much else. The cow seems content at its present state though, and I smile at it despite myself. There's a tree to the right of me, and I can see large oranges peering out through its leaves. I smile; oranges were my favorite fruit.

There's a house staring at me opposite from the entrance, and it's shabby. Its wood was old and forlorn, and the windows were tainted black. There was a doghouse right beside it, though practically in the same state as everything else on this plot of land—

Useless.

"Oh! I-I didn't expect anyone here!" a voice exclaims behind me. I clock around and stare at a young girl, about my height. Her brown eyes twinkle with amazement at another person being here. Her short brown hair was adorned with a black ribbon, and the pale green that emitted from her clothes had a charm.

So this was the "hot farmer" Luke had been blabbing about?

"I-I'm Jill! Nice to meet you!" she says after a pause. She's obviously excited, and thinking back on my first impression on the farm I wonder, for what? I bow slightly and offer to help her carry the bags that littered her hands.

"I couldn't bother you like that," she blushes, and I tilt my head to the side. I shake my head and yank the bags out of her hands, taking them over to her shabby house. She stays there stunned for a moment, and I stop dead in my tracks.

"…Are you coming?" I yell behind me. "I can't open your door with brute force, you know."

She runs past me and towards the house, and I gaze in amazement. Her actions were small and precise. It was almost …cute.

"I'm Chihaya," I say to her as I set the bags on the table. She turns on the television and begins to pack away the groceries in her small stone-colored fridge. Besides the television and kitchen, there wasn't anything else to her home. There was a door to my left, and I assumed it was the bathroom. "Please treat me kindly."

She stops her frantic shoving, and bows. "Yes, of course." she smiles. The ribbon on her head dips onto her face and she blows it away. "Would you like something to eat?" she mumbles nervously, and I chuckle.

"Yeah, sure."

She looks back her fridge and pulls out a carton of eggs. "Do you like Omelets?"

I didn't, but I wasn't about to tell her no. "I do," I lie.

She nods and goes to her kitchen, pulling out the utensils from a nearby cabinet. We're drowning in silence and awkwardness, and I clear my throat.

"How long you've been here?" I finally say."

She doesn't turn around. "Ah, I came here three days ago. Grandpa left yesterday." she bows her head down, and in a faint whisper I can hear the last part of her sentence. "He's sick…"

I gaze in her direction. "I-I'm sorry…"

She lifts her head and turns to me. "It's alright; he's going to get better."

"I'm positive."

She laughs and goes back to her cooking, adding spices and ingredients. I sigh and tap my finger on the table as silence overtakes us again.

"Master Luke says you're a great chef!"

I raise my eyebrows. "Why do you call him master?"

She stops, and tilts her head. "He said he was…" she laughs, scratching her head. "A very rich, very great traveler from the east. But secretly, he's a king from a far off land. He makes pretty girls call him Master Luke."

I roll my eyes. "Oh, jeez."

"I know. I could make me a sandwich with all that baloney."

I laugh. "…So, you fell for him?" I ask, and I immediately regret that words that come out of my mouth.

"Eh? Why do you ask that?"

"…I-I dunno."

She gives me an 'I-don't believe you' look, but shakes it off and sets two plates on the wooden table. "Tomato omelets, as good as I could get them."

I take a small bite, and wince at the hotness. She blinks at me, blowing on hers first. I look away in embarrassment as she laughs, placing a small hand on her mouth. When the heat melts away, I'm left with a taste in my mouth.

"…This is amazing." I mutter, poking the omelets carefully.

She blushes, nodding her head. "Secret ingredient."

"What is it?"

"Well," she chews thoughtfully. "The secret ingredient is… a secret."

I roll my eyes. "How are the people of the town treating you?"

"Well, besides Luke, most have been really kind. They're really happy that I'll be shaping up Grandpas' farm. As you saw before, it's kind of messy…" she raises her eyebrow. "Very messy."

"That's good. I… don't really pay attention to them myself."

"Ah, I knew you seemed lonely." she whispers, and covers her mouth. She stares at her plate.

"Lonely…?" I ask, intrigued. "Yes, well, you have a point. I've never been close to anyone. Except Luke. Maybe." I take another bite and sigh.

"I think… it's not fun to live the life you do," she states frankly, and I stare at her. "Lonely people, no matter how cold they act, just want someone around them. They want someone to break their barriers. There are different kinds of barriers and different kinds of ways to break them; but you Chihaya… You want someone to break you."

I choke on her words. I stare at her for a few moments more, and stand up. "I don't have to listen to this, do I?"

"…I shouldn't have had said anything."

"Maybe you should have. I'll be off now. Goodbye," I say, and head for the door. I hear her pleading from behind me and I can't focus on anything rather than her words. Her words—

The words that hit my barrier.

Having written the next chapter just now, it's pretty much drama!filled. So if you want it... reviews will get it there faster...

Thank you for reading, review please! :D