Take: Two

Word Count: 1,027

And in walked John Black.

Suddenly he sounded a whole lot more sinister.

Mai frowned at John, who was leaning against the doorway with his one leg propped up. He had sunglasses on, a leather jacket, black jeans and a black shirt. He was wearing a belt with a silver skull ornament as the belt buckle. His one ear was pierced with a small black cross hanging from a tiny chain. He was wearing a choker that had another cross hanging from the leather.

And to top it all off, he had died his hair black.

"John?" Mai said hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

John flipped his hair back and removed his sunglasses, putting them onto his head. "I thought I should fit into my new name."

"What new name?" Mai said, running to the kitchen to retrieve her script.

And in walked John Black. Mai blinked, "That's a typo!" She shouted to John in the main room.

"It's still a color," John said back.

Mai returned to the front room. John had draped himself over the couch.

"I'm quite comfortable with this new look," he told her.

Lin was sitting on the couch opposite, his hand never ceasing writing on his notepad. He kept looking up at John with a confused expression.

"Yo, man, where's your computer?" John asked.

Lin's hand started to shake so violently, that he broke the tip of the pencil on the notepad. He turned away from John, burying his face in his tear-stained handkerchief.

John made no comment on the matter, seeing that it was obviously easier to leave weepy Lin alone.

Naru came out of his office, the light illuminating him from behind, so that it looked like some space alien coming from his ship.

He closed the door and the light stopped, as if the switch had been turned off.

"John," Naru said, and then he slowed as he took in John's attire. "Come directly from a different shoot?"

John nodded, "I'm glad they messed up the script. I wouldn't have been able to come like this otherwise."

"Is that all?" Mai said, wiping away fake sweat.

"Mai," Naru said, staring straight into her eyes, "Make me –"

"Orange juice," Mai said, "I've got it, all right?"

"Would you be quiet and listen, Mai? I want chocolate milk."

Mai turned to look at him, raising her eyebrow. "What, are you, like, five years old?"

"I find that to be very offensive," Naru said. "Besides, I sold the teakettle. I found out that it fetched a very high price on eBay."

"You sold the teakettle?" Mai whispered, tears rushing to her eyes. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.

She went to the sanctuary of the kitchen first before she allowed herself to cry. She had loved that teakettle, how would she go on without it? If she had known, she would have bought it on eBay in a heartbeat, no matter the price, because you couldn't put a price on love.

In fact, she loved that teakettle more than she liked its owner.

But then again, it had always whistled for her just as much as the owner had. Maybe it was time to let go and move on from abusive relationships.

When she opened the cabinet, she saw that all of the teacups had been sold off. Even the delicate blue one that matched Naru's eyes. The cabinet was now full of wineglasses.

She took one down and poured the chocolate milk into it. She was surprised that they had chocolate milk. The things that appeared on set at need always amazed her.

When she returned to the main room, Naru was waiting outside of his office, looking quite impatient. As he always did.

Mai handed him the wineglass full of chocolate milk. He took a refined sip, as if it were some expensive wine.

Then the door of the SPR opened, revealing Masako Hara, wearing a gorgeous ball-gown made of silver and gold silk, a dusting of silver sparkles on her face, thick gold eyeliner, and a diamond necklace at her throat.

Beautiful was indeed the word. Or you could say that she looked like a silver-and-gold Christmas tree ornament.

Mai closed her eyes and tried hard to remember if she was supposed to wear something other than jeans and T-shirt today.

"My wardrobe got mixed up with somebody else's. That means somebody else is wearing my precious kimono." Masako put her silver and gold glove-clad hand to her mouth.

"At least it is not a wedding dress," John said from the couch.

"Who are you?" Masako demanded.

"I'm John Black," he said.

Masako's face lit up. "Jack Black? I didn't know Jack Black was coming to our show!" Masako scurried over to him and sat down beside him on the couch. "I am such a huge fan of yours!"

"No," Mai said, "Not Jack Black, John Black."

Masako wrinkled her nose. "Who?"

John tipped his nose up in an offended way.

"Mai," Naru said, bringing her back to his attention. "I forgot what my next line is."

"Um," she said, looking down at the script that was on the coffee table. "You don't have one; I just suddenly get mad at you for no reason and stalk off to the kitchen to fume. And you stand there looking like the whole world is set on your shoulders."

"All right. Ready."

Mat stamped her foot. "Naru, why do you have to be such a narcissist jerk? I hate you and I never want to see you again!"

Naru dramatically tilted his head, feeling the artificial wind rush through his hair. "That's okay. I'm used to pushing people away. Especially people like you."

"Oh," Lin said, bringing the handkerchief to his eyes. "Please don't say that you two. It makes me so emotional to watch young lovers quarrel."

"Lin," Naru hissed at him.

"Oh, right." Lin ducked his head and started writing on the notepad even faster, so fast that dust seemed to fly up from the disintegrating pencil.

Mai ran to the kitchen, but there was no teakettle there that she could come and cry to, anymore.