Chapter V – Having 'The Talk'

"…and so I ended up in that tree." Nicole finished her story while planting a huge smirk on her lips. Watching Saya as she burst out laughing, it made her chuckle herself as well.

"So, you want to make me believe a huge stone gargoyle kidnapped you and hanged you up there?" the girl said while wiping a tear away. Nicole gave her a huge grin before making a tongue out face and tilting her head to a side.

"Nah.." she said a few moments later. "I just got scared and climbed higher to hide and see who was coming this way."

"Wow, you sure are a big liar, Nicole."

"Yup, and I'm proud of it!" the girl rose her fist into the air and grabbed her bicep as if she wanted to show Saya all her strength. The two girls ended up giggling once more.

Its been almost 30 minutes since Nicole was discovered from her hidden corner, and saved as well, by Saya and Hagi. Just like the teenager said right after she was on safe ground again, the two of them started to talk, and of, course, the first question she was asked was why she climbed up in there at all? Nicole thought that gargoyles were the perfect ones to blame, so she made up a quick story. Hopefully she bought the joke and realized she was no thread. Nicole and Saya remained under the tree, sitting down and enjoying its cool shadow. Hagi did nothing more but lend against its wooden trunk and leave the metal coffin thing lay next to him. The male didn't seem to take part at the conversation. In fact, Nicole almost forgot once or twice he even was there, right behind Saya.

After the giggling season ended, Nicole wiped away a tear and remembered about the quite man again. Rising an eyebrow she tilted her head so she could see him better, but still she didn't had a good view on his face.

"Why is your guy mute as a fish?" she asked rudely as she pointed a finger towards him. Saya stopped her laugh as well with a little 'oh'. It was quite clear she wasn't expecting this kind of question. From that angle, Nicky was convinced he heard her question and even flinch a little at it. But still, no words whatsoever… after a short moment of silence, Saya spoke first.

"Hagi is a man of few words." She said with a rather serious and guilty look on her face. Nicky's eyebrow rose itself even more. "And he is my friend, not 'my guy'." She continued as she put a certain accent on the last two words. The teenager's mouth dropped open as she moved the lollipop to the other side of her mouth with her tongue. Yes, surprisingly she still had it in her mouth.

"Oh, yeah..sorry." Nicole apologized, but it was evident she didn't truly mean it. But she decided to continue with her interrogatory; "So..whats with the coffin thing?" she asked as her gaze moved towards the metallic case between Saya and Hagi. Inwardly, he put a hand on it, almost protective. Nicole's eyes grew a little wide. It was one of those moments when she was so thankful to Maria when she thought her a few things about body language. That little gesture meant that thing was something important for the man, something he wanted to keep a secret maybe. Once more, Saya asked her question.

"It's a cello." She said softly. "Hagi can play it really good."

"Oh, nice." Another moment of silence came between the girls before Nicky asked another question.

"Can I see it-?"

"I am afraid you can't."

Much to her surprise, Saya herself flinched when she heard the voice. Both girls turned their heads towards him. Nicole's eyes went wide as her jaw dropped as well. One more second and her lollipop would've feel from the corner of her mouth. "At least, not now." Hagi continued as he turned his head slightly and shot Saya a questionable look. The other girl just remained silent as she watched the two of them communicating without words. They were defiantly hiding something… Her attention was drawn back to reality by Saya's question.

"Um..well, where do you come from, Nicole?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. New York." She replied monotone as she moved her gaze towards her toes.

"Wow that sure is a long way from here… don't you miss your friends or family?" the slayer asked as she tried to be polite but it seemed that she missed something. If she was here it meant…

"No, I don't really miss my friends." She told her while wiggling her toes inside her huge skating shoes. "And my old ones passed a while ago. Car accident."

Saya, put a hand to her mouth. Maybe she done a bad thing asking that. Someone who suffered such a loss should not be reminded that in their first day at an orphanage. But what made her curious, was the calm and careless voice Nicole used when talking about them. It was rather odd.

"I.. sorry I asked about that." She told the girl while lowering her gaze as well.

"Don't be." Nicole's words came roughly out of her mouth. "It happened and its nothing you or me can do about that." By this time her voice gained a little 'spirit' as she spoke. Saya wondered if she was over the tragedy already. "Plus, I don't believe a family is the one who shares the same blood." Nicole turned her head and gave Saya a slight smile.

Saya was stunned by her words. In the next second she was reminded by one of her enemy's words who said he and the other chevaliers were her true blood family. A shiver ran down her spine as the memory pierced her brain. On the outside, her eyes went wide and her jaw slightly dropped open.

"Saya?" Nicole asked, bringing her back to reality.

"Huh? Yes?"

"Are you ok? You seem a little pale."

"Im ok, don't worry about me." She forced a smile as she brought her own hand to her forehead, wiping it a little. After a long sigh, she turned her attention towards the other girl. "So, tell me more about you. In the document it said you studied art."

Nicole allowed herself to chuckle a little. "Yeah, I kinda did, but not art like drawing and painting. I studied the guitar." She admitted as she changed her sitting way, positioning herself Turkish style, in the lotus position. Saya made a little admiration sound.

"That seemed interesting. Is that why you wear these clothes as well?" she asked with a hint of irony as she shot a look at her black t-shirt who had written on it "LET"S F_CK! All I need is 'u'!". Looking down at her clothes Nicole chuckled a little again. Compared with Saya she was dressed rather weird. She wore that black t-shirt who had attached to it a hoodie as well, camouflage baggy pants with a shit-load of pockets and her feet were covered by khaki and gray skating shoes each with a different shoelace color. Dark green on the left and light green on the right. Despite the heat outside, her head was covered by a beanie which was almost covering her eyes as well.

"Well, this is my style. All my friends dressed like this back home." She told Saya after a brief moment. "Plus, I can dance a lot easier if I wear baggy things." She added while grabbing the sides of her over sized t-shirt.

"Dance?" Saya questioned confused. "You took dance classes as well?"

"Oh hell no!" Nicole replied. "You really think im the type of girl who would do the tango?"

Saya scanned her companion quickly and shook her head no, with a slight smile planted on her face.

"Of course I didn't, silly! Everything I learned came from the street." Nicole almost yelled out load, again throwing her fist into the air. The other girl watched her excitement closely as allowed herself to smile. "Let me show you." Nicole added as she took from one of her many pockets her cell phone. After a little moment in which she searched for what she wanted to find, the teenager clicked on a file and music could've been heard from the little phone's speaker. Saya's eyes were pinned to the phone as Nicole already started to tap the main beat of the song with her right foot.

"Look." She said along with the singer. A second later she continued. "If you had, one shot, or one opportunity… to seize everything you ever wanted-One moment. Would you capture it, or just let it slip?"

Nicole kept a serious look and her eyes were pinned right on Saya's as she spoke. It seemed the message was somehow aimed to her very person, and the way, the teen managed to say every single verse made the hairs on the back of that slayer's neck rise as a shiver traced her spine. Saya couldn't help it and she let out a small grunt. In the next second, Hagi's eyes narrowed as they were immediately pinned on the two girls.

"Yo, His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's chokin, how everybody's jokin now
The clock's run out, time's up, over bloah"

The song continued, and Nicole let the singer say the lyrics on his own, only mouthing several phrases every now and then. Just she was used to, she moved her head from side to side or forwards or backwards pretty much like an owl did, and her free hand kept gesticulating again and again, just like a true rapper done.

"Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes rabbit, he choked
He's so mad, but he won't give up that
No, he won't have it , he knows his whole back city ropes
It don't matter, he's dope
He knows that, but he's broke
He's so stacked that he knows
When he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it's
Back to the lab again yo
This whole rap shit
Better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him"

After the very first verse, Nicole surprised Saya by snapping her fingers in front of her, making the girl jump in surprise. It was clear she was concentrating to try to understand what the man said, since he was talking really fast. The slayer wondered how in the world, did this orphan manage to keep up at such a rate, since she started to sing along right after she snapped her fingers. She watched as she made a specific sign with her hand to match each verse, such as "oh, there goes gravity" or "He's so mad". On the other hand, Hagi didn't seem to enjoy the music the way Nicole or Saya did. Because of his sharp chiropteran senses, he managed to understand more from the verses then Saya. Several thoughts ran through his head, along with questions. Was this melody addressed to the two of them? He knew it a "he" mentioned in the lyrics, but with the corner of his eye he saw Saya's reactions. The chevalier didn't knew why, but the mere attitude Nicole adapted while singing made him be prepared for an attack. Hagi had to admit, he didn't really know much about modern music, but it surely had a huge influence on someone's emotion, feelings and attitude, human and chiropteran. And the way Nicole acted now almost scared Saya.

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime! You better…

The chorus pierced through his ears. It made his eyes go slightly wide at the mere thought of the first line. Yes, it was true. For him as a musician it was necessary, even vital to sacrifice his own being to the music he played. It was mostly because of his queen and her wish to hear him play his cello every now and then, but he never thought of it as a burden, not even once. Even more, he was thankful he was allowed to enjoy the beautiful notes the instrument created. And knowing that the music was created because of his own wish, out of his own talent, made Hagi feel accomplished, relaxed and most of all happy.

But this violent tune, this vulgar and sharp melody and these tense lyrics were the things that made Nicole happy? She said she danced, but what kind of dace would be appropriate for this musical aberration? It was one of the things that woke him an interest for this orphan. But 'interest' was not a proper word; maybe 'curiosity' was better to use in her case. Even more; it was no mystery by now for a person who loved music, such as himself and Nicole, if you dedicate yourself to the music you listen, sooner or later it will become a definition for your personality, way of thinking and feelings. Hagi played the cello, a romantic and melancholic musical instrument which he loved to use to recreate a nostalgic and full of memories atmosphere. By simply touching the strings with the bow, he managed to fill the ears of the people around him with a heart-touching sound which most of the time resembled the cry of the loved one. Or, at least this was his way to think of his music.

But Nicole, what kind of person was she to enjoy this kind of music? Even more, Hagi saw that it had already become a part of her life, of her being. The way she sang along with the singer, the way her hands moved around and gesticulated at every verse, and the look in her eyes confirmed it all.

The man lowered his head a little as he clenched his teeth a little. It was rather sad to see such a fragile girl so vulgar and pretending to be so strong, when it was more then clear she wasn't.

As Nicole sang the chorus for the second time, visibly enjoying her time, the song was interrupted by a small beeping. Both Nicole and Saya made a little exclamation sound. Turning her cell phone towards her the teen read the message displayed on the screen.

"Dammit." She said after a couple of second. She let out a sigh and turned to Saya. Before she could ask her companion what happened, the slayer received her answer. "Low battery alert…"

Saya nodded her head a little as her gaze dropped on her toes.

"So, what'cha think?" the girl besides her asked as she dig the device inside one of the many pockets. She leaned her head backwards until it hit the trunk on the tree.

Saya narrowed her eyes a little at her question. She didn't truly enjoyed the song or her singing. Just like Hagi, she was thinking what kind of person would listen to such music. At some points it even sent a shiver down her spine. Still, what she truly found interesting was how calm and serious the orphan managed to be while listening and singing along.

"It was interesting, but not really my cup of tea." She finally said while letting out a nervous laugh. Nicole turned her head towards her and allowed herself to smile.

"You are not really into rap-rock, right?" she asked with a slight grin.

"No, not really."

"It's ok, I didn't even expected you to be."

Saya turned her head quickly when she heard Nicole's last reply. She didn't knew if she had to be either comforted or insulted by this remark. Instead she met once more that innocent yet confusing smile planted on the girls face. The only thing she found utile was smiling back.

The only one who remained the very same was Hagi. Even more, his eyes narrowed themselves even more when he heard their little conversation.

Her new room was so damn silent and monotone, it reminded Nicole of an asylum. No wallpapers, no colors, no nothing! Comparing it with her old room, back in NY made the girl sigh only. Back there, the bed had black sheets with small white and gray skulls not the boring light blue ones she had here. Not to mention they smelled like old people; the smell that made Nicole wanna vomit. In her old room, there were only ten square inches where you could've actually see the colors of the walls because the rest of them were covered with wallpapers, flags, and she even glued on that old pair of red converses which helped her win their first dancing contest. All kind of pictures, drawers, broken disco balls or skateboards were gathered in a corner and the floor was nicely decorated with a fuzzy disco pink and black carpet and several clothes. Maybe it wasn't the best place to live in, but it was her own place, her identity.

But this room… What in the world was in this room?! A big fat nothing. The walls were painted with a light shade of gray, the entire floor was covered by two big carpets, one with blue flowers on it and the furniture was plain brown and old, just like the one she found in her grandmothers house. It was just boring.

Even if Nicole was planning on doing something about this, she just lay on her bed and ate several gummy bears while staring at the ceiling. She returned from her little siesta outside about fifteen ago and was currently meditating about Saya and her friend. Of course she made sure she plugged her phone to recharge it again and changed her clothes, from the baggy camouflage pants to simpler black ones and the beanie went flying somewhere under her bed. Also, after she reached the lemon layer of the lollipop, Nicole decided it was time to throw it away… outside the window.

Quickly checking the phone, she let out a sigh. It was almost noon. Closing her eyes, she tore apart the head of a green gummy bear and enjoyed its green apple aroma. Time seem to pass a lot slowed in the country side. If nothing interesting wasn't going to happen soon enough, she knew it was pretty possible for her to go insane. Which didn't sounded cool at all.

Without any kind of warning the phone beeped again. Turning her head a little to a side, she recognized the alarm as the one she had programmed to announce her whenever she recived a text message. Her eyebrow rose confused. She didn't even knew she had signal out here. Rolling on her belly, Nicole placed yet another bear in her mouth, this time a yellow one, and grabbed her phone, still plugged to the electric socket.

You have 1 unread message. Said on the screen. Nicole pressed the 'read' button without even checking who was the one who sent it to her. She had to admit, she was expecting a bill announcement or a commercial ad thing, but when her eyes met the imagine which was sent along with the text her, they immediately grew wide. The imagine was the icon for the club the Manics used to have their contests to. A black and white picture of a masked dancer doing the figure they called 'chopper' and another man, behind him mixing at a DJ table. A knot formed in her throat as she read the text bellow it;

IT had began again! Players, the next battle will take place under the great dick of London, at Rat's Hole. Dance or die once more this night at midnight!

Nicole was stunned. How in the world did she receive this? Miles away from home, from where it all started… Was it possible for this thing to reach London as well? Did it become such a world wide event in the underworlds? Or was it some kind of sick joke?? She haven't got the slightest idea how she got this, but the girl was indeed impressed of how advanced this system had to be. Nicole rose her eyes and stared blankly at her bare feet. It was a clear invite, just like the ones she got when she was with the crew. Right now it was clear she wasn't going to dance, but still the thought of going was really appealing. Still, even if she wanted to go, where the hell did she had to go? 'The great dick of London'? What the hell was that? Even more, she was now at an orphanage; how was she going to convince Gray to let her out at night time?

The girl crawled up into a ball and hugged her knees tightly. She had exactly 12 hours to think about her next move, since she had decided to attend this meeting.

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: ok, i had a huge block on this chapter so... im sorry if any of you will feel disappointed :( just to make it clear, the song is Eminem - Lose yourself(great song if you ask me ^^) also, please review! It would make me really happy^^ And from this point on the real fun begins! I can only tell you Nicole will gt herself into trouble... and it wont be pretty, especially for a certain chevalier. ^^ See you around!