Okay, so a few things about this chapter - there's a lot of bad language. Like words that I wasn't really going to include in this story cause I feel like cussing in fanfic about series that don't usually have fowl language sounds misplaced, but here I felt like it needed to make an impression and an impact, so if anyone really doesn't like that either don't read it or try to ignore it. Also - yeah. It's been a hot minute since the last chapter. It took a while before I could really get this one off the ground cause this wasn't the original direction I was going to take the chapter. But anyway, I hope you at least enjoy it a little.
The First Annual BBA March Mania Commencement Banquet kicked off the festivities with a bang. While the majority of the tournament would be held in Japan (with the exception of the mainland Asian prelims), bladers from all ends of the world were allowed to participate. A few notable people and their plus-ones were invited to the banquet, but otherwise it was an open event for any participant or support member willing to shell out a hefty donation. Naturally, all former and reigning world champions were invited, given they remained in good standing with the BBA, as well as certain figures in the Beyblade community who endorsed the revival of the sport and the BBA after the events of BEGA.
Not everyone could make it. Ray made sure that any unfilled spots were reserved for the kids in the community house who wanted to attend, though. The situation was difficult, as the banquet took place a few cities over, which meant an hour and a half car ride in a van with all ten people – six of whom who were beside themselves with excitement, having never been to an official BBA event before – in their best black-tie suits and dresses. By the time they arrived (fifteen minutes early, with Ray's surprising proficiency in gear-shiftin' and traffic dodgin'), the sun was going down and all were ready to start the celebration. They got in line at the entrance and, after receiving their nametags, filed into the banquet hall and found their assigned seats.
The hall was set up with large round tables spread evenly apart, with smooth white tablecloths and elegantly folded burgundy and teal napkins adorning the surfaces. Kai, Tala, and Ray found themselves at the same table as Katsuya Khurana, Jonah Roy, and Camila Garcez, but Max was with Tyson, who had just flown in from Vancouver, Renée Lefebvre, Hatsu Kaiyo, and Rudy Forster. Soon after they arrived, other parties came shuffling in. A few more people (none of very remarkable background) sat down at the two tables, but they seemed to be more experienced and less naïve than the other occupants of the room. Kai thought they'd get along just swell.
At the front of the room, Kai noticed Mr. Dickinson ascend to the small stage and make his way to the glass podium, where he adjusted the microphone and spoke into it. "Ahem – If I may have all of your attention, please," he started. "This feast marks the beginning of a new era of Beyblade. After the unfortunate occurrences of the past year, we in the Beyblade community feel it necessary to reform the sport, especially in professional circles, in order to bring back the joy and unity it has historically produced. In the coming year, we at the BBA plan to – "
Kai turned around in his seat to look exasperatedly at Tala, who'd taken to poking him in the shoulder. He had a mischievous grin on his face. "I have to pee. Will you come with me?" he whispered. Kai gave him the most irritated, bored expression he could muster. Tala rolled his eyes in his typical obnoxious way. "I have party juice. If you're down for a good time, come to the bathroom two minutes after me. If you wanna sit here for another hour listening to Dickinson talk about how great the BBA is, don't do anything." Tala quietly excused himself from the table and made his way to the back of the ballroom where the men's room was. Kai inwardly groaned. Leave it to Tala to break the only code of conduct at the dry banquet by bringing alcohol (or at least, he hoped that was what 'party juice' was), especially as Kai was trying to cut down on his use. Fuck! I know I shouldn't but—
He rose, attempting to be as subtle as possible in his haste, and hurried along the sides of the room towards the back. He wasincredibly disinterested in whatever Mr. Dickinson was going on about – oh, and now another guest speaker. Brilliant.
Pushing open the heavy door to the restroom, Kai spotted Tala right away (how could he not). "Oh, thank god. I was worried your prude ass wouldn't be visiting me here tonight after all. I was getting ready to take it as a personal offense," the latter declared.
"Come off it. I'm ready to party."
"Geez, don't need to look so eager about it." Kai had a need, and he needed it now. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Kai replied, "I just want to have a good time."
Tala snorted. "That's rich, coming from you." He pulled a flask from each breast pocket of his coat, giving them a little shake. "Oh, well. This lick-werehere is a fancy white whiskey imported all the way from the hills of the Appalachia from a skittish family by the name of Kirk who I happened to meet in a distillery a few months back. It is a lovely fragrant mix of fermented corn and jet fuel, with a proof higher than I can count to. The liquid is a beautiful crystal clear that could easily be mistaken for water. Now I have one thing to ask you – are you ready?"
Kai rolled his eyes. "Obviously. I was waiting for you to finish fawning over the goddamn moonshine. Are we going to drink or what?"
Tala held the flasks against his chest, murmuring, "Slowly, young Padawan, we must proceed slowly. This here moonshine has twice as much alcohol as your strongest Russian vodka, and you might very well get wasted. I'm warning you to easeinto the liquor, as this ain't yo momma's whiskey."
They stared at each other for a total of two seconds before Tala handed Kai his flask and, unscrewing the caps, both began chugging the concentrated liquid at once. Tala let out a ghastly hiss, and Kai started coughing after a few seconds. "GODDAMN THAT BURNS!" Tala screech-whispered. They ran to the sinks and flushed water down their throats before continuing to throw back the whiskey. The liquid tasted awful, worse than anything Kai had drunk before. As an afterthought, he realized how lucky they were that no one else decided to come into the restroom just then.
After they emptied the flasks, suspending the openings over their mouths to get the last drops and sucking them dry, Tala was already starting to get tipsy and Kai really had to urinate. As he emptied his bladder into the nearest urinal, a thought struck him. What am I doing?He ignored the thought for the urgency of his next thought. I'm getting pretty goddamn drunk.He laughed, splashing himself.
"Tala. Tala! Are you drunk yet?"
His red-headed friend hobbled over to the closest urinal and, unzipping his pants, whipped it out. "I-I'm thirrrrsty." He aimed for the bowl but came up short by about a foot. Kai giggled.
"Fuuuckman I'm - I'm like getting really fucking wasted," Kai said, making a concerted effort not to slur his words. "What the fuck did you say this stuff was again?" He felt disoriented and dizzy and like he didn't know whose hands were whose.
"Man-oh-man I don't fucking know is just a alcohol whaddaya want from me?" He threw his hands up as if to express just how much he didn't know, which of course made both Tala and Kai fall onto the floor in hysterics.
They laughed for a good bit, and then Kai came to his senses. "Dude. Dude. We should probably go back to the thing." He didn't know why it mattered, but he knew that he was becoming more inebriated by the minute and soon he would not be able to walk in a straight line. He looked over to his friend, who had his head in his hands.
"Dammit Kai." Tala sounded like he was about to cry.
Kai suddenly felt very annoyed and very upset. He couldn't understand why Tala was being emotional all of the sudden. It made him uncomfortable and itchy and like he really wanted to leave but couldn't because the world was spinning too much at the moment. He slightly inched away from the sad boy, trying to be subtle. Fortunately, Tala didn't seem to be paying much attention to Kai's actions at all.
"We just fucked up didn't we?" he quietly sobbed. At this point Kai tried standing up but began to sway as soon as he did. "GODDAMNIT DO YOU HATE ME OR SOMETHING!" Tala shouted into his lap. The sound reverberated around the tiled restroom.
"Tala. What's the matter with you?" Kai probed cautiously. He could not deal with an onslaught of drunken feelings right now.
"Sometimes I feel like you hate me because you never talk to me like you used to when we were kids and you act like you never want to be around me cause you're better than me and it makes me feel sad ok just shove it ok?" he slurred. Kai prayed to any gods out there that he would just die on the spot. There was no response. He decided to proceed carefully.
"Tala…"
"Just fuck off, Kai."
"Tala."
"What did I just say."
"That… you have feelings?"
Tala laughed manically. "Oh yeah, that's right, you're an Abbey kid, you hide your goddamn feelings 'till it makes you sickand then when one of us is finally man enough to let it show you try to make us push it back down! You're the problem with us! You're what's wrong with us! You were always so goddamn perfect. You were Voltaire's pet! You let the rest of us suffer so that you wouldn't have to and now that we're out you just shove it in everyone's face that you think you're so much fucking better than us! Well you're fucking not, you faggot, so maybe you should just take a hike," he ranted, surprisingly soberly. Even in his uninhibited state, he may have said some things and used some language he didn't mean to. Half the things he said just flat-out weren't true. Tala sighed. There was silence. When he looked up, Kai was nowhere to be seen.
Oh yeah! Also I made a poll on my profile. Check it out! And I wrote this long hefty thing also on my profile about beyblade fanfction and whatnot so if you're bored or enjoy what I make (like, at all. seriously. in the least) take a gander!