Happy Friday!
So I've decided. By suggestion, Toby X Jenny shall henceforth be referred to as Jendawg. XD
Feel free to name any other (potential) crack-ships that you spot.
- K. Chandler
A dramatic spotlight illuminated the darkness.
"The Victory Gala is less than a week away, men. And we have so much to celebrate! Man."
"Yes, yes," agreed Hibiki. He led his fellow Trimens into the light, stepping out onto the stairs.
"Yes, indeed, Captain," said Ren, appearing behind him. He bowed at the waist.
"Yes, sir. Yes, sir, Boss-man!" Eve followed suit, bringing his heels together in a crisp salute.
Posed as they were, Hibiki imagined that they looked rather like something from a film poster. At least that was the look he assumed Ichiya was going for with the lighting special effects and all.
"The Trimens need to represent Blue Pegasus with pride!" Ichiya declared, performing a flawless pirouette. Hibiki had long wondered how a man with Ichiya's build managed to move like that. He'd be jealous, if it wasn't so unsettling.
"Sure thing, Master," said Ren.
"As we do every year, Mr. Ichiya," said Hibiki.
"Without a doubt, My Lord," nodded Eve.
"You boys are having way too much fun up here," interrupted a feminine voice.
Hibiki looked over the balcony to see Jenny Realight, a grin tugging at her lips. She was this year's Miss Fiore for a reason—she was as pretty as ever.
"Hey, Jenny!" Hibiki turned the lights back on with a click, making Eve blink owlishly for a few seconds.
"It's not bright in here or anything," complained Ren.
"What are you goofballs doing?" Jenny laughed.
"We are merely discussing the importance of the upcoming Victory Gala, Miss Jenny," said Ichiya smoothly.
"Oh… Sure. That's certainly what it looked like," she teased.
"What brings you all the way out here?" asked Hibiki.
"I was on my way back from a photoshoot, so I figured I'd stop over. But don't let me interrupt your… discussion. I can wait."
"Well, we can't have that, can we?" said Eve, looking towards Ichiya.
"Certainly not," declared Ichiya, looking affronted.
"Of course not," agreed Hibiki.
"Please, take your time," said Jenny, taking a seat on one of the plush sofas.
"That will be all for today, men," said Ichiya.
"Thank you for your wisdom, Teacher," said Hibiki, bowing.
"Yes, yes," chorused Ren and Eve. "Thank you for your wisdom!" they echoed.
As Ichiya exited stage left and the rest of the guys scattered, Hibiki made a beeline for Jenny.
"So, Jenny," said Hibiki, sitting down next to her. "I'm glad you stopped by to see me. I've been meaning to call, but, well…" Hibiki shrugged. He didn't offer an explanation. Jenny was always a good sport about these things.
"Uh, I was actually here to see Ren," she said gently.
"Oh… that's different…" said Hibiki.
What did she want with Ren?
"I mean, it's good to see you too, Hibs, but, well…" she parroted his shrug.
"Well, hang on a sec. What time do you want me to pick you up on Saturday? Five-thirty?" asked Hibiki. He leaned against the armrest casually.
"What for?" asked Jenny, sounding genuinely confused.
"For the Gala? What else?"
Jenny gave a tired-sounding sigh. "What happened to what's-her-name you were with last weekend?" asked Jenny, her voice cool.
"Lorelei? I don't think she was my type," Hibiki confided. "So I figured we could go together instead. Y'know. Like always."
It was true that he had been dating around lately. But he wasn't serious. They had been friends long enough for her to know that.
Jenny looked vaguely amused. "Who says I'm going with you?"
Hibiki blinked, startled. But he recovered quickly. "I just assumed," he said. Hibiki slipped an arm around Jenny's shoulders. "I mean, we go to things together all the time."
Jenny shrugged his arm off, annoyance puckering her forehead. "Not this time, Hibs," she said.
"What do you mean? I mean, who else would you be going with, babe?" asked Hibiki.
"Somebody who actually asked," she said, turning away with a sigh. "And I'm your best friend. I'm not your babe." Jenny stood up, stepping away from him. "Hibiki, you can't keep coming back to me just because it's convenient."
Hibiki winced. He didn't like it, but he had to admit that Jenny had a point. He dated around. He flirted with other girls. But she had always done the same.
They weren't actually together. Not exactly.
He wasn't sure what to call them, but did it matter? He didn't think so. He was pretty sure that was one of the reasons why their relationship worked. He did his thing and she did hers. But at the end of the day, they were there for one another, no questions asked.
So he'd just assumed that she'd be there whenever he wanted to go out. But maybe that wasn't fair...
It still hurt, though. The Victory Gala was their thing. They had always gone together, ever since the first one.
Jenny shot him a sympathetic glance before standing up. "Hey, Ren?" called Jenny. "Are you taking the Christina Advance over to Lamia Scale this weekend?"
Ren shrugged, looking up from the windowsill he had perched himself on. "Not because I want to or anything. I mean, I kinda have to pick up Sherry."
"Cool. Mind if I catch a ride? I'm meeting someone there," said Jenny.
"Whatever," said Ren. "It's not like I think it'd be fun for us to all go together."
"Perfect," said Jenny.
"Wait, hold up!" interrupted Hibiki. "Lamia Scale? Did we just lose another one to Lamia Scale?" Hibiki asked, his voice shooting up an octave and breaking on the last word.
"Looks that way," said Eve.
Jenny grinned, looking almost apologetic. She brushed her golden hair behind her ear, drawing Hibiki's attention to the flower nestled at the base of her ponytail. It wasn't the red hibiscus that she usually wore. It was a red rose, its petals preserved by a smattering of ice.
Wait. What?
Who thinks there was some kind of miscommunication somewhere? Yeah? In one of our upcoming stories, we're going to cover what actually went down between Chapters 3 and 4. Stay tuned for Matchmaker, Heartbreaker, Total Sucker. (But that's after a few more chapters of Much Ado, and another side-story called Joyride.)
On another note, guys who only want to hang out because they have nothing better to do (when you're the convenient friend who's always the second choice) are a pet peeve of mine. Mind you, not all guys are like that, but they do exist. Mazeverse Hibiki just happens to be one of them.
Next time, in [Mazeverse] Much Ado About Nothing: "C'mon. You have to go," said Gray, his tone picking up a wheedling note. "For me." Who on earth could make Gray beg like that?
Stop back next Friday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.