A/N: So sorry it took so long to update! Due to lots of life-y kind of stuff, I couldn't get online for months. But the next chapter is just about ready to be uploaded too. ^.^ Let me know how I'm doing! Do the Japanese words need translation or am I using them appropriately enough to be understood? Not a very long chapter but I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 7
Movin on up
It was going to be a late lunch, the girls had been gone for hours enjoying their shopping trip. After their little talk they wandered around the grocery chatting while they shopped. Noodle told Lihn some of her fond memories, and some of her not so fond ones. They pointed out their favorite foods to each other and laughed about some of the strange things Americans eat. Finally, they made their purchases and headed back to the condo.
Lihn turned the BMW into the driveway next to a white box truck. "Expecting a delivery?" Lihn asked Noodle who shook her head negatively. They each grabbed an armful of brown paper grocery bags and headed toward the door of the condo. Two men in uniform shirts that they didn't recognize shoved their way through the door and past them carrying luggage.
"That's MY bag!" Noodle said watching them load the bags up on the truck.
" Kinasai, let us find out what is going on." Lihn was walking backward talking to Noodle and didn't see the man come out the door carrying Murdoc's bass case. He didn't see her either as they collided, sending one of Lihn's grocery bags to the ground. A sack of flour all but exploded as it hit the concrete walkway, "Baka yarou!" she cursed in Japanese out of habit.
"'Ere!, Be careful with 'at! It's worth more than your life, mate!" Murdoc's grumpy voice shouted out the doorway. Lihn was crouching down trying to retrieve the bag she'd dropped without letting go of the two she held. "There you are!" his was voice even more irritated as he advanced on her, "Where the hell 'ave you been? And who told you to take MY car?" His attention went from Lihn to her adopted niece, "Noodle! You know you can't just up an' leave like 'at. It's dangerous for you out in public and who was there to protect you? Skinny Mini over there? I don' think so! Somethin' could've 'appened to you and what kind of position would that leave us in, eh? No position, I'll tell you that for free." Noodle tried to bury her head in the bags she was carrying and walked on but Murdoc only followed her continuing to admonish the poor girl.
How could anyone get used to that? Lihn thought, finally managing to pick up the fallen bag. She dodged a couple of the workers as she made her way to the kitchen. Murdoc was still going on about how inconsiderate it was of his guitarist to put herself in jeopardy. Didn't she know the band needed her? She set the bags on the island counter next to the ones Noodle had been carrying. "What is going on?" she questioned no one in particular, brushing flour from her pink shorts..
"Please, be careful wif 'at, I got it in India, s'irreplacable, mate." 2-D was following closely behind a short, stocky man carrying a large instrument case. "I could, you know, carry it m'self?"
"Dullard!" Murdoc hollered in their direction, finally distracted from his little charge. "Let the movers do their job!"
"Movers?" Lihn's brows knit together in confusion.
Murdoc turned remembering her, "You. Where d'you get off taking my car AND my guitarist with out askin me?" He stepped closer to her, intimidatingly.
Lihn looked up into his mismatched eyes, unafraid, and raised an eyebrow. She decided to ignore his rude behavior as it seemed to be normal for him and pulling the keys to the car from her pocket, she shoved them toward him. "Why do we need movers? Are we leaving?"
His strange eyes immediately changed from angry to delighted, "Because my dear," he snatched the keys from her hand and tossed them up to catch them again, "I bought a house!" he said triumphantly. "And not just a house, a mansion! Big, gorgeous place, befitting a rock star such as myself." Noodle glared at him from across the counter, "And the others, of course." he grumbled, leaning back against the counter. "You're gonna love it, and I got it for a steal! Something bout it being haunted or other, but no matter," he waved a hand dismissively, "it's great. Huge rooms, Olympic size pool, a sauna, a room just for our instruments so's we can practice, keep on our toes, so to speak. That ought to make Tubbs happy." he trailed off distracted by a commotion in the front room, "What now?" he growled, "It's so hard to find good help." He stalked out of the kitchen yelling before he even knew what he was yelling about.
It wasn't long before they were stepping out of the convertible in the drive way of an enormous mansion. The front lawn was almost large enough to play a game of professional football. The drive way led to a large garage and split off somewhere to the side of the house. Murdoc shut his car door and turned to face them, spreading his arms like a game-show girl, "So? You love it right?" He was grinning from ear to ear.
"Who is going to live here?" Lihn wondered aloud, her eyes wide. She craned her neck to see the second story, a covered balcony seemed to wrap around the entire house. There was a grand porch leading up to the enormous front doors. The doors were stained almost black and trimmed in gold. They stood out oddly from the red brick the rest of the building was made of. The longer she looked at it the more she didn't like it.
Though the sun was shining brightly, there was a dark feeling creeping over her like standing under a thunder cloud. She looked out across the pristine front lawn then back toward the house. It was definitely coming from there.
The others were almost to the front doors, she could see Noodle peering around suspiciously and wondered if the girl could sense it too. Lihn hurried to catch up with the others and stopped just inside the open doors.
"Welcome to the Gorillaz American base of operations." Murdoc announced. They were standing in a large foyer. A wide set of carpeted stairs led upward in front of them. It had those banisters that just begged you to slide down them. The marble floored hall led down either side of the staircase with arched, open doorways leading into various rooms. Lihn stepped in and closed the door behind her, the feeling of not-rightness was almost suffocating.
2-D whistled in amazement. "This is pretty posh, Murdoc! You sure we can afford 'is?"
"And why do we NEED an 'American base of operations?" Russel asked, "How long you plan on staying here, man?"
"As long as it takes, mate. From here, we can really network, get to know the celebs, hob-nob, that sort of thing." he walked into the room on the right side of the hall, which seemed to be a sitting room.
Russel followed his voice filled with annoyance, "you mean, it's a good place to party, don't you?"
"Would you get off my back?, Sweet Satan!" Murdoc dramatized, He dropped onto a low couch and stuck his feet up on the coffee table in front of it. "We throw a couple parties, meet some people and find a decent director."
"Yea, and a decent writer, cos I don't know where you got that script last night, but it was shit!." Russel told him.
2-D sat on the edge of the couch near Murdoc and lit a cigarette. "yea, it made me out like a complete idiot, Murdoc!"
"That's cos you ARE a complete idiot, Doorknob!" he slapped the back of 2-D's head, knocking him off balance.
Russel bristled, "Yo, better chill, Muds, don't wanna have ta put you in your place again."
Lihn was only half paying attention to them while the other half of her brain saw Noodle jerk her head toward a room on the left of the hallway and take off into the room as if she were chasing something. What could she be up too? Lihn thought. She glanced at the men arguing in the other room, they didn't seem like they'd miss her.
She walked to the door she'd seen Noodle go through, her sneakers smacking on the marble floor and peered in. It led to a formal dining room. There was a banquet sized dining table surrounded by high backed chairs, a matching sideboard and china cabinet sat against the wall across from her. A chandelier made up of antlers and bone hung over the middle of the table. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. Why would anyone want such a thing?
Noodle was not in sight, but there was a door leading out of the right side of the room. Lihn pushed it open and found herself in a sort of butlers pantry, it was almost a hallway, lined with shelves and cupboards. There was a small sink, a microwave, a tiny refrigerator and another door at the other end. There were noises coming from the other side of it and when opened, Lihn saw a large kitchen. People were carrying things in from outside through a door on her left and disappearing into the house through a door on her right. A young woman was putting away the groceries she and Noodle had bought earlier. Another woman wearing an apron was cutting vegetables on the island counter.
"Excuse me." The wrinkled little woman stopped slicing, knife in the air and glanced at the slight, Asian woman, she yelled something in Spanish and went back to her work. A man in a suit came in from the doorway on the right, he looked at Lihn and said with a snobby lisp, 'The laundry is upstairs, you may use the servants elevator in the garage, make sure all the beds have clean linens and that there are fresh towels in the bathrooms. And for heavens sake, find a proper uniform. You can't be flaunting yourself in front of the new owners. They're some sort of rock stars, they'll never leave you alone." He slurred 'rock stars' as if it were some sort of new mold you found in bathroom toilets.
Lihn stood dumbfounded for a moment. She had been in a position of authority for three decades and was taken aback at being spoken to this way. She had been in servants positions in her past and this was just the type of person that made those jobs miserable. And why had he assumed she was the laundry girl, because she was wearing an Asian face? She was outraged. The ex-supervising doctor drew herself to her full height, as un-impressive as it was, and pulled out her haughtiest tone of voice. "I believe you have mistaken me for someone else. I am the youngest ROCK STAR'S guardian, whom I am currently seeking. If you have no information as to her whereabouts, I suggest you get back to work and stop insulting me."
The skinny butler's face paled, but he kept his voice steady, "Of course madam, I must apologize. A small girl passed through only moments ago. I believe she was headed for the great room."
Lihn didn't reply, she tossed her hair, put her nose in the air and stormed past the self indignant man. As she passed through the door she heard him mutter under his breath, "Nannies, such bother!"
I must remember to speak to Murdoc about that little slug and have him replaced. She thought angrily. She took a deep breath and looked around. She was in the hallway behind the stairs and in front of her was an enormous sunken room which could only be the great room. She took the three steps down into the room. There were many comfortable looking couches and chairs. There were end tables and coffee tables and ottomans, all in complimenting shades of brown, red and orange. There was a wet bar on one side of the room and a man was setting up a rather expensive looking stereo on the opposite side of the room. And in a corner to the right of the stereo was a delicate looking piano. There was still no sign of Noodle, though, but there were two doors on the far wall.
Lihn pushed open the first one. The room looked like a small movie theater, there were about twenty very comfortable looking plush chairs set in two rows. They were facing a huge projection screen that had heavy, red curtains pulled to either side of it just like a cinema. There were even a popcorn machine and fountain drink dispenser in the corner of the room.
She shut the door and tried the next one. Here were the bands instruments. There was Murdoc's El Diablo, which he claimed was borrowed from the devil himself. 2-D's various keyboards were leaned against a wall. A drum kit was set in a corner and several pieces of electronic equipment were set beside it. There microphones and amplifiers, a violin and various smaller instruments, stools and stands. A sound board was set up in another corner and in the middle of the room sat Noodle. She was tuning the strings on her Les Paul, her back to the door. She had taken down her pony tail and her hair stuck out I every direction. Her taller look-alike slipped into the room and shut the sound-proof door. "There you are." The diminutive guitarist didn't even shudder in surprise, "What are you doing?"
She didn't stop fiddling with the keys but answered in Japanese, "I thought I saw something, so I followed it in here. It disappeared thought the wall." she nodded in the direction it had gone. The girl did not seem overly concerned and the air in the room was easier to breath, as if the cloud had gone. The girls voice brightened, "But I found my guitar, so it was not a wasted trip." she grinned up at Lihn. "I have not played in weeks, I think that is why I have felt so much stress." she strummed the strings and nodded in satisfaction. She began to play a soft melody and closed her eyes, letting her fingers dance on the strings. Lihn crossed the room and leaned against the wall the "thing" had gone though and similarly closed her eyes, enjoying the soft tune. "You play, yes?" Noodle asked in English.
"Not since college." Lihn lied.
"What did you play?" Noodle reverted back to Japanese, her fingers still plucking the strings.
"Oh, a little of this, a little of that." Lihn scuffed her sneaker through the thick yellow carpet. "Mostly piano and violin." she picked the most common things she could think of.
Noodle perked up, "There is a violin. You could play with me?"
"I do not think so. It has been so long, I would be terrible." Lihn lied again, looking at her shoes and shrugging as if embarrassed.
"Oh." The child looked so dejected that Lihn instantly felt bad. It made her think of someone kicking a puppy. Noodle stared at the floor as her tune became sadder. Lihn groaned inwardly as she crossed the room to pick up the violin and bow. "Maybe just a little." She said as she sat next to her tiny twin. Noodle looked up, her grin was like sunshine when Lihn began to play Twinkle Little Star. She was careful to throw in the odd mistake here and there to keep up with her stories. She was impressed with Noodle's talent. She had heard some of the Gorillaz music by now but was still amazed by the girls ability to compose on the spot as she plucked a harmony to Lihn's choice of song.
The old liar finished the song with a horribly off-key squeal, causing herself and Noodle to shudder. "Perhaps you should practice some more." The younger girl suggested sternly, but she was smiling.
Lihn nudged her with an elbow, "I told you as much." she inspected the violin she was holding. It had always been one of her favorite instruments. This one was a little beat up, the stain was rubbing off the neck from much use, the chin rest was smoothed with wear. "Who does this belong to, Noodle-Chan?"
"The little guitarist shrugged, "I suppose it belongs to the band, but I play it the most. I played it for the track, "Left Hand Suzuki Method"."
"Oh." Lihn had no idea what she was talking about.
"It is on our 'G-sides' album." Lihn's face was still blank. Noodle heaved a great sigh, lay her guitar beside her and reached out for the violin. She tested the strings, took a moment to tune it to her liking and began to play and upbeat melody. It sounded almost familiar and was very catchy, Lihn found herself bobbing in time with the music. The girl stopped and Lihn clapped her hands. "Lovely!" she said.
"I played the violin and guitar on that track." the girl said proudly, laying the violin on the floor next to her guitar. "Murdoc-san said he liked it very much, but it did not make it onto the Gorillaz album." she shook her head, messing up her purplish hair even more than it was. "When they decided to release the G-sides, he insisted it be on it." her green eyes sparkled.
"You are very talented." Lihn didn't want to spoil the girls mood but the oppressive feeling was creeping back over her, she took a deep breath and moved the hair out of her new friend's face, "Noodle, what did you follow in to the room? You said it disappeared through the wall."
"I do not know." the girl's brow furrowed just like Lihn's did when she was considering something. "It was mostly shadow, but not a shadow. It led me through the kitchen, and I do not believe anyone else could see it." she leaned closer to her impostor relative and whispered, "I believe it is watching us now."
Lihn nodded, "I feel it too. I think maybe we'd better find the others." Noodle nodded in agreement and stood. She leaned her instruments against a wall and followed Lihn back in to the great room. The man that had been setting up the stereo was gone, presumably having finished his job. The two girls followed the hallway back to the room the guys had last been in, but it was empty. The only sign of their presence was the used ash tray.
They decided to look upstairs. The stepped into a large hallway lined with doors. Directly in front of them was a pair of large double doors. Pushing them open revealed a large library. There were book shelves along all the walls, interrupted only by the doors into the room. The middle of the room held a heavy wooden table with matching chairs round it. There was a couch off to the left that seemed to made of the same wood with thick leather cushions on it. The other end had to arm chairs with an end table between them holding a lamp. The room smelt of leather and old parchment. The air had a heavy feeling to it, but weather it was from the strange presence or the just the normal oppressive feeling of too many words bound in one place.
Noodle walked along one of the walls, her hand trailing the books, her eyes wide in wonderment." She stopped and pulled a thick volume off the shelf. She opened the cover and ran a hand over the page softly. Her head turned in Lihn's direction, "What does it say?" she asked excitedly.
Lihn crossed the room and looked at the page. "The Lord of the Rings" by Proff. J.R.R. Tolkien" she looked at the shelf it had come from, "There are many adventure stories here."
"You must teach me English, I want to read all of them!" The Noodle gazed around wide eyed.
"Let us hope you do not have time." Lihn said under her breath. She hoped to spend as little time here as possible. "Come, let us keep looking."
There was a normal sized door and then a smaller set of double doors on this wall. As they drew closer to the second door, they could see that it was slightly ajar. Noodle was a few steps in front of Lihn and knocked on the door. 2-D's muffled voice came through, "S'occupied."
"2-D? It's Noodle." she said in English. "Are you OK?" she pushed the door slightly inward peeking around it. "Oh!" she shoved it the rest of the way open and rushed inside.
When Lihn reached the doorway she saw 2-D sitting on a toilet and Noodle was pulling a wet and bloodied washcloth away from his cheek revealing a cut under his eye. "What happened?"
"Murdoc-kun!" Noodle huffed angrily.
"We just had an argument, Noods, it's no big deal, really. I'm fine." he said, although not very convincingly.
"Well, let me check it out for you." Lihn moved Noodle aside with a hand and took the cloth from her. She turned his face up to look at it. From across the room he seemed to have two large dents where his eyes should be, hence the nickname, 2-D. But up close, she could see that the skin around his eyes was very discolored, like deep bruises that had never healed, it was such a stark contrast to the pale skin around it. And she marveled at his eyes, the whites of his eyes were actually blood red as if all the blood vessels in them had burst. It was a wonder that he could see. She tore her eyes away from his and looked at the cut below the left one. "It is not so bad." she said throwing the wash cloth into the sink and wrapping a fair amount of toilet paper around her hand. "But you need a dry compress to make it stop bleeding." she pressed the paper to his face firmly causing him to wince. "Sorry, 2-D."
"S'ok." he half grinned.
"What is your real name, 2-D?" Lihn asked, suddenly realizing that she didn't know.
"Pot," he said fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt. "Stuart Pot."
Lihn smiled broadly, "Stu Pot? I love it!" she pulled the paper away from his face. The bleeding had stopped so she retrieved the wash cloth and cleaned his face.
"Yea, well, I guess my folks had a sense of humor." he said a little bitterly.
"I think it is adorable." she tossed the cloth back into the sink and kissed his cheek like a mother whose fixed up a boo boo, "All better, Stu Pot."
He looked up at her with a grin, "It doesn't sound so bad when you say it, Lihn."
She grinned back but noticed Noodle fidgeting uncomfortably. She cleared her throat, "Stuart, have you seen anything strange since you've been in the house?"
"There's a picture in the hall of some men wif goat legs chasin some naked girls." He shrugged, "s'pretty weird, right?"
Noodle giggled and Lihn grinned, "Yes. That is pretty weird." she agreed, "But it's not what I meant." Her grin turned upside down as 2-D's stomach began to grumble. "You have not yet eaten?" He shook his head negatively. "Neither have we." she gave a sigh. "Kinasai, Noodle-Chan. The mystery shall have to wait. To the kitchen!"