More KatxMarik chapter. Sorry, needs to happen. Beer and tobacco use. Lots of embarrassment. Next chapter will try to focus more on Atem and Yugi.
Yugi had called Mkhai once he and Marik had gotten home. He was now trying to explain the phone conversation to his roommate, but the other teen seemed to be completely disinterested.
"So according to Mkhai, the game they play is some type of massively multiplayer online RPG. He said we're going to need a decent computer though if we want to try it. Apparently mine won't be good enough. He referred to it as a 'potato'," Yugi said, slightly confused at the last part.
Marik nodded his head slightly, not really paying attention to half of what his roommate was saying. He was just staring at the ceiling while laying on his bed.
"Are you still blaming yourself for what happened back at the arcade?" Yugi questioned, noting his friend's continued melancholic behavior.
Marik didn't answer, lost in his own world of thoughts.
Yugi began to reach over to try and shake his friend back to reality, but the notification tone on Marik's phone did it for him. The blonde looked at the screen, sitting up quickly as he read whatever message had come across. He then jolted to the end of his bed, grabbed his jean jacket and rushed towards the door.
"Hey! Where are you going?!" Yugi shouted down the stairs after him.
"Out." the other teen replied curtly.
Yugi heard the front door slam as Marik hurried out it, followed by the sound of the Egyptian's motorcycle engine roar to life before heading down the road.
"What was that all about?" Solomon asked while coming into view at the bottom of the stairs.
"I don't know, Grandpa. Something happened earlier while we were out, and I think he's still upset about it," Yugi replied while coming down to stand beside the elder.
"Maybe he just needed to go out and clear his head then. I'm sure he'll be back later. He has a key to get in, so it shouldn't be a problem if he comes home late."
"I hope you're right, Grandpa. I know just before he left he received a text from someone, but I don't know who."
"That's curious, but I'm sure it's nothing. Marik seems capable of handling himself. I wouldn't worry too much," Solomon said while placing a reassuring hand on his grandson's shoulder.
Yugi looked towards the door his friend had hastily exited only moments before. He knew his grandfather was right about one thing: Marik could take care of himself. Yugi would just have to wait until his friend returned to find out the details behind the sudden departure.
Marik stopped at the curb next to the house, double checking that the numbers next to the door matched the ones in the text he had received. Confident that it was the same address, he pulled his motorcycle into the drive and turned off the ignition.
The house itself wasn't anything too elaborate. Like all the others on the block it was a simple two-story with an attached garage and a small bay window next to the front door. The curtains were closed, but a short silhouette could be seen casually walking by.
He had to admit, he was beyond nervous. After earlier though, something kept screaming at him to contact Kat and try to apologize. He felt that if he had thought about his words before saying them, maybe Kat and Bakura wouldn't have gotten into a fight and she would have never said the Pharaoh's name aloud. When he had received the text asking if he still wanted to come over along with an address, the screaming inside pretty much threw him out the door. Now he was standing on a doorstep, trying to figure out if he should actually be here. The screaming kept pushing him forward though, forcing him to raise his hand and press the button for the doorbell.
"It's open!" he heard from the inside. Marik took a deep breath and slowly opened the door, peeking his head in before fully entering. He looked around, but the tiny elemental was nowhere to be seen. He could have sworn it was her voice that had invited him in? He carefully closed the door behind him, and observed the area he had entered. The house wasn't too big, he determined, but was perfect for one or two people. The door entered into the living area, the left side with the bay window had a shelf built into the wall that housed numerous books. There was a piano in front of that, with a guitar not far to the side. Behind that wrapped a set of stairs that went up to the second floor balcony that had two doors, bedrooms Marik presumed. The other half of the living area had a low table with a large cushion for a seat. There was a large screen in front of it with a computer tower and large speakers hooked up to it. On the table was a keyboard and mouse, along with a laptop off to the side.
"How much do I owe….you…." Kat had entered in from a swinging door not far from where the living area split in half below the balcony.
Marik raised his hand slightly, attempting to wave. "Uh...hi….." It was obvious she hadn't expected him.
She stared blankly at Marik, a cigarette hanging from her mouth and beer bottle in one hand, some cash in the other. Her hair was down, a few strands hanging loosely in her face. She was dressed for comfort in an off the shoulder rocker tee and a pair of pajama shorts. She began to open her mouth a few times to say something, motioning her hands slightly as she tried to work out why she was seeing the Tomb Keeper in her living room. She gave up and turned straight around back through the door she had entered from, peeking quickly for a moment after to make sure she wasn't imagining things, then vanishing back behind the door.
Marik slowly walked towards the door, not wanting to alarm the elemental on the other side. He pressed the door open and shoved his head in cautiously. Kat was leaning back against a kitchen counter, eyes wide in confusion as she took a long drag of her cigarette.
"Based on your reaction, you weren't the one that texted me, were you?" he questioned quietly.
Kat continued to stare wide-eyed ahead, still thoroughly confused, shaking her head slightly.
Marik fully entered the kitchen, looking around. Most of it was taped off with notes that said things like 'Don't even think about it!' and 'You'll be the one dealing with the insurance adjusters if you burn the place down!'. He assumed they were from Mkhai. The only things she apparently was permitted access to besides the sink was a single cupboard, a section of counter with a coffee pot, and the fridge.
"You weren't kidding about not being allowed in the kitchen," he commented.
"Nope." Kat replied curtly.
"If you don't want me here…" he said slowly. Marik wasn't sure what he should do. A part of him wanted nothing more than to stay, but Kat's reaction to seeing him wasn't exactly what he had expected. If anything it was making him really uncomfortable.
She finished her cigarette, throwing out the butt in the nearby garbage. "I'm gonna level with you. I never had any intention of actually bringing you here. I was just trying to rile Kura, which obviously worked a little too well," she said quietly, taking a swig from the bottle in her hand.
"Can we talk about that?" Marik was still a bit confused on what exactly had happened between the two.
"Not much to talk about. I got my first day off in nearly fifteen years, spent some time with a great guy, wanted more but wasn't going to take advantage. I went to someone to help relieve my frustration, he had an attack of conscience and told me to scram. Disappointed, I decided black out drunk was just as good. Then I decided to be a bitch about everything...and here we are." Kat's tone was low and bitter, though it was obvious her coldness was directed towards herself.
A blush formed across Marik's cheeks as he realized that the 'great guy' she was referring to was him. The blush burned hotter still as he thought about the fact that afterwards she had wanted 'more'...with him. "Oh…" was all he could say.
"I apologize. I shouldn't have gotten you involved in our petty squabble. I have a bad habit of not taking other people's feelings into account." She took another drink of beer, still not looking at the Tomb Keeper.
"It's okay. It's my fault anyway for bringing up the subject of staying over. I wasn't thinking before I said it."
Kat glared at Marik. "Don't you dare blame yourself," she said coldly. "I'm to blame. I'm always to blame. I know better, yet I keep making the same stupid mistakes."
Marik was taken aback at her tone. It was almost as if she were talking to the Pharaoh. He hadn't intended to upset her, and it felt strange having her speak to him that way. Not knowing what to do, he decided maybe it was best to leave. He suddenly felt humiliated for wanting to come here so badly.
He turned and began to leave, stopping upon re-entering the living area. The contents of the table now had a few additions. There was now a dish with koshary piled on it, along with a plate of kabobs. There was also an extra sitting cushion placed next to the table.
Kat walked out to investigate why he had stopped. "It appears we've been set up," she stated upon seeing the table.
"By who?"
Kat took a seat near the plate of kabobs, then motioned for Marik to do the same next to the koshary. Once he was seated she took the computer mouse, clicking an icon on the large screen in front of the table. A few seconds later Mkhai appeared on the screen, who was focused intently towards a different screen at the time. Kat waited patiently for her brother to take notice, taking the time to start eating the food before her. Marik followed her lead. After several minutes had passed, Mkhai finally noticed the screen off to the right of him.
"Oh, hi Sis! How long have you been connected?" he asked casually.
Kat didn't say anything. Instead she gestured towards Marik and gave her sibling a 'Care to explain?' look.
"Uhhhh...wasn't me?" Mkhai said in a guilty squeak, shrinking away from the screen.
"Is this another one of your 'experiments'?" Kat asked in an accusatory tone.
"Hey, I got THREE calls about what happened today. I figured I would try to make it better?"
"You call this 'making it better'?"
"Um...yes? I thought you would enjoy a nice date with your boyfriend."
Kat and Marik both nearly choked on their food. "He's not my boyfriend you idiot!" Kat shouted towards the screen.
"Really? Between Yugi and Bakura, I got the impression he was. Plus you're the one that referred to him as 'the hot Ishtar boy'."
Kat froze, holding a kabob mid-air, her face flushed in embarrassment. "Mkhai!"
Marik turned red alongside Kat as her brother quoted the words 'the hot Ishtar boy'.
Mkhai sat on the other side of the screen, smirking in enjoyment. He looked off to the side, presumably at another screen. "I have to admit, I've gotten quite a bit of interesting data in the past two days. Lots of endorphins and dopamine, along with increased adrenaline not caused by battle. And seeing your reaction just now alongside these readings, I can safely say that you, dear sister, are crushing hard on your little 'gamiil'."
Kat pushed away the food in front of her, then let her head fall forward onto the table with a loud 'thunk'. "You know," she said face still down, "it would have been kinder to just throw me into Ammit's mouth."
"Awe, but this is more entertaining! I have to be honest, I can't recall you ever being this embarrassed before!"
"Seriously, just bury me deep in a tomb somewhere," she groaned.
Mkhai looked towards Marik from his side of the screen. "Don't let her fool you, she wants you badly. I'm honestly surprised the two of you aren't on the floor already!"
Marik's face went from mild blush to full on red at that statement.
"Mkhai, will you please shut up already!" Kat screamed, lifting her head enough to do so.
"Sooo...I'll see you at the raid in the next hour, right?" Mkhai questioned, as though the awkward exchange hadn't happened at all.
Kat looked at the screen as though it had said something stupid.
"I'll take that as a yes. Oh, and one more thing: I borrowed a few things from your boyfriend there. I'll return them in the morning." Mkhai grinned devilishly as he held up a set of spark plugs, the screen going blank just after.
Kat groaned in embarrassment of the situation. "So, I think I'm going to anchor myself to the bottom of the Nile now. I'll resurface when your clan's descendants stop laughing," she stated as she placed her forehead back onto the table.
"Don't worry, I plan on making sure this conversation never leaves this room," Marik stated in his own state of embarrassment. "Did he seriously steal the spark plugs out of my bike?"
"Yup. And I'm willing to bet that all the ones in my garage are missing as well. If you call a cab, he'll just cancel it. You try walking, you'll mysteriously find your way back here. My brother is after data, and he'll get it one way or another."
"Can't you summon them like you did with the Millennium Rod?"
She held up the beer bottle and shook it lightly. "Alcohol dulls magic. Why do you think my brother had to bring my clothes this morning?"
"Do I dare ask how he managed to pull this all off without actually being here?"
"You could, but I'd really rather not go into the long explanation."
Marik sighed after a long minute, then chuckled lightly. "My third time being kidnapped in less than 48 hours. I'm going to have to hire a bodyguard at this rate."
"Hey, I didn't technically kidnap you at the arcade. More like 'borrowed'," Kat giggled lightly in return, lifting her face to look at him. She then stood up and went upstairs, entering through the second door. She returned a few minutes later and placed some pajamas next to the Egyptian teen. "It's going to be a long night, so you might as well get comfortable. Feel free to change whenever you feel like it. Mkhai's stuff should fit, though if you prefer something different than what I brought down, second door is the guest room. There's plenty to choose from in the dresser."
"Thanks. I'll probably do that after I finish eating. At least your brother managed to bring my favorite meal from back home," Marik said smiling, trying to put a positive spin on his current situation.
"Leave it to him to track down that bit of info," Kat said in annoyance. She grabbed her phone and started typing a message. "Just letting Kura know the situation so he can keep your roommate from freaking out when you don't come back tonight."
"Probably a good idea, seeing as I didn't really tell him where I was going. I just kind of took off." he replied, disappointed in himself for leaving the way he had.
Kat sent the message, then retrieved her plate of kabobs from where she had shoved them to. She plucked a piece of meat from one of the skewers and popped it into her mouth, then finished off the remainder of the nearby beer bottle. "I'm going to need a lot more of these before the night is finished, no offense."
"None taken."
Kat stood, taking the empty bottle with her to the kitchen. She returned promptly with two more, placing one in front of the boy beside her as she sat down.
"You are aware that I'm only sixteen, right?" Marik commented.
She looked at him with a bored expression. "You really want to be stuck here all night sober? If you thought Mkhai was bad, wait until you hear the raid team. I'm not saying you should get wasted, but a beer or two might make things a bit more tolerable. Besides, I don't have many drink alternatives to offer. I guess if you really don't want it, there's water and coffee. If you're feeling adventurous, I have rum."
"I guess one won't hurt. Besides, I wanted to be a normal teen, and normal teens do stuff like this anyways, right?" he questioned while inspecting the bottle.
"From what I've observed, yes. Plus look at it this way: Culturally, beer was a preferred alternative to water in Kemet. Most people started drinking it at a very young age. You technically come from that same culture, so it's not really that big of a deal."
"That is very much true…" Marik realized, smiling at Kat over the moral loophole she had suggested. He took a sip of the amber liquid, finding it surprisingly sweeter than it smelled, then took a deeper drink. He finished the bottle quickly, feeling slightly light headed after.
Kat noticed his hazed expression. "And that is called being buzzed. Finish eating. It will help absorb the alcohol. You'll still feel relaxed without feeling all floaty."
Marik did what she suggested, feeling less light headed the more he ate. After he had finished, he stood up cautiously, still being slightly affected by the drink. He then worked his way upstairs to change into the clothes Kat had provided, returning in a pair of loose pajama pants and a tank top. He was about to return to his seat, when he noted that the tiny elemental had vanished from hers, as had the dishes from their meal. He peeked into the kitchen, finding her puffing away at another cigarette.
"Wasn't sure how you were with the smoke, so I figured I would keep it in here," she stated.
"It's your house."
"And right now you're my guest, which in case it isn't obvious, I don't get many of."
"I would have never guessed," Marik commented in a joking manner, which prompted Kat to smile in amusement.
"I'm starting to think you're already a bit too comfortable with your situation gamiil. Dare I explore how comfortable you might become?" she questioned flirtatiously.
"Um, not that comfortable," he replied nervously.
Kat took a final drag and tossed the butt. "Well, I wasn't insinuating that, but…."
Marik turned a nice shade of pink. "Neither was I!" he choked, not wanting to admit her question had indeed brought 'that' to the front of his mind.
Kat giggled, taking him by the hand and leading him back to the living area. She then took his cushion and placed it directly behind hers, overlapping the edges. "Sit here."
He looked at her curiously, but did as she asked, sitting with one knee up in the air and the other outstretched. Kat sat directly between his legs, pulling him in closer by the extended leg. This caused Marik's cheeks to feel like they were on fire, and certain parts of his anatomy to react in ways that he hoped wouldn't be noticeable.
"Um….maybe not so close….?" Marik asked nervously.
Kat leaned into him, looking upward and smiling. "I've lived around guys my whole life. I'm used to it," she stated, referring to the stiffening body part. "If it bothers you that much though, just picture Kura's face earlier when I told him staying the night was your suggestion."
He didn't really have to try hard to picture it. The memory of Bakura looking like he was going to kill the Tomb Keeper was enough to cause his 'problem' to immediately retreat into hiding.
Kat chuckled, then brought the mouse and keyboard in close. She placed the laptop off to the side, pulling up a screen with a bunch of info. Once she appeared satisfied with the setup, she selected an icon on the larger monitor. A small login screen appeared with a set of saved credentials, quickly being replaced by a game launcher that covered most of the screen where she selected the 'Play' icon. The launcher vanished, being replaced by a larger window that filled the entire screen. A list of names appeared, the top one already highlighted with an avatar to represent it moving idly in the center of the screen. Marik noted that the avatar looked like some sort of female humanoid space-goat that oddly reminded him of Bakura with it's pale complexion and matching fluff of white hair. He noted the name that was highlighted: 'Sesshy'. Kat selected the icon below the character that said 'Enter World', the screen again changing, this time to an image with a load bar at the bottom. Seconds later her avatar was standing in the center of the screen again, but smaller. Other avatars ran about, some looking like purple elves, others looking like very stout humans with large bushy beards.
"So, in case it isn't obvious, all the characters on this screen are other people. The only ones that aren't are the NPC's, which won't have a player name above their head. My character is a Draenei Shaman." she pointed out. A notification appeared in the center of the screen, which Kat selected 'Accept' to. A second later voices started pouring from the speakers.
"Hey! Look who made it!" said a shrill female voice.
"Told you she wouldn't bail this time!" Mkhai's recognizable voice replied.
"She better stay focused! I'm planning on a full clear tonight!" commented another voice that Marik almost could have sworn sounded like his roommate.
"Sorry about last night everyone. I got a bit...preoccupied," Kat apologized.
"I totally understand. I heard you found yourself a cute guy!" said the shrill voice.
Kat facepalmed, then sighed. "Yes Ahneket, I was with a guy."
"You deserve it! You needed a night out. Mkhai has you running ragged. Soooo, how was he? Don't spare the details!" demanded the one called Ahneket.
"Please don't….I just ate…" the one that sounded like Yugi commented, sounding grossed out.
"Nothing happened. We just went out for lunch and stopped by a motorcycle shop. Just two people having a day out, nothing more." Kat chuckled.
"Seriously?! Girl, you need to get laid! When was the last time anyway?" Ahneket inquired.
"Ugh...you do realize that's my mom and I have no interest in hearing about this shit right?" said the Yugi voice.
Kat froze, slowly turning her head to look at the guy whose legs she was sitting between. He was looking down at her with a shocked expression.
"Did you have any intention of telling me?" Marik questioned.
"Um...at some point…." she replied guiltily.
"Oh shit…." said the Yugi voice in a tone that suggested he knew he had done something wrong.
"OMG, I didn't realize he was there with you!" Ahneket tried to apologize.
"So, I guess maybe a formal introduction?" Kat suggested, shrinking away from the Tomb Keeper.
"Depends, is there a reason you were trying to keep it hidden, just like the Pharaoh's name?"
"Kind of…" she said in a quiet squeak.
Marik took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He wanted to know, but didn't want there to be any more possible complications in whatever plan she was trying to form against Anubis. "Can I at least get a name to go with the voice?"
"Uh, yeah, sure. Imhotep." Kat said, surprised at how well he was handling the situation.
"Any other possible family members I should know about at this time?" he asked warily.
She shook her head. "None that you will have to worry about tonight."
"Okay then. I understand needing to keep secrets. My whole clan is nothing but one giant secret. But it would be nice to not be completely in the dark. If you knew this was a possibility of me finding out, I would have preferred you said something sooner."
"It doesn't bother you that I have a son?" Kat questioned in confusion.
"I guess if I think about it, it's not that surprising. I mean, yeah, it's kinda strange to think of you as a parent to someone, but it was the same when I found out about Bakura and Ryou."
"Shea, a parent? Yeah right. She's more like an annoying older sister that thinks she can tell me what to do just because she brought me into this world. Mkhai is the only 'parent' in this household, and that's saying a lot," commented Imhotep.
"Im, if you'll behave for one night I'll let you open the dybbuk box," Kat stated towards the monitor.
There was a long pause. "You'll show me how to do the containment circle?" he asked eagerly.
"Yup."
"YES!" Imhotep said in a not so quiet whisper (probably accompanied by a fist-pump Marik guessed). "You got yourself a deal!"
Kat leaned back towards Marik. "Kid is obsessed with cursed objects. Has a whole collection. I had to set up an entire room full of magical wards for him to store them," she whispered.
Marik chuckled. "Sounds similar to what Bakura told me about Ryou. Apparently he was obsessed with the dark occult."
"Yeah. Good thing even with part of his soul ripped out he was smart enough to not translate anything for the boy," Kat smiled in return.
"Can we raid now? If we're doing a full clear, I want to get started asap!" Mkhai said irritably, apparently not caring about the other conversation that had taken place.
"Agreed! Let me stock up real quick on potions and regents. Ahneket, can you portal Im with you to Shatt and the two of you make your way to the summoning stone? I should be ready by the time you get there."
"Absolutely! I'll conjure table after everyone gets inside, so don't worry about grabbing food."
"Sounds good. Hey, I don't see our tank?"
"She just texted saying she's running late. She'll be on in a few minutes, so we'll summon her last," Mkhai stated.
Marik sat back, listening to the strange conversation that was taking place. He noticed that Kat quickly became oblivious of his presence, appearing to have a great deal of focus on the monitor and the voices coming from the speakers. Time passed quickly as he watched the game over her shoulder, trying to make sense of everything that was going on. He quickly deducted the roles between the tanks, healers, and the two different types of damage dealers. The lingo the players used appeared to be just shortened versions of the actual words. For example, when Mkhai called for 'Hero', Kat selected her key-bind (as she called it) for the spell labeled 'Heroism'. He learned that Mkhai played a healer character called a Druid. It was one of the purple elves called a Night Elf that healed the other players with nature spells. Imhotep also played a Night Elf, but his character was what was referred to as melee DPS(which Marik learned stood for damage-per-second) and it was a Rogue that specialized in stealth and poison attacks. Kat's shaman was also a melee, but she was able to cast elemental spells. Some spells caused damage to the enemy, others healed her allies. Ahneket's character was a human mage, called a caster. Her character cast mostly fire based spells, and could conjure up food to help heal her allies in-between fights.
As the time progressed later and later, Marik found himself feeling tired. He tried to continue watching, leaning forward and resting his chin gently on top of Kat's head (who he decided, sat at just the right height to do so). It apparently didn't bother her, as she took the time before the next fight to gently reach behind her and pull his arms around her waist (which he found made leaning on her much more comfortable).
"We're almost to the end. After the next boss group, we'll face Illidan. If we're lucky, he'll drop one of his Warglaives for Im. Then he'll only need the other one. Raids reset on Tuesday, so it'll be a few days before we can do this again. Don't worry, I'll make sure my brother leaves you home for the next one," Kat said softly to the tired Tomb Keeper.
"As long as it's not on a school night, I wouldn't mind coming over to watch again," Marik replied sleepily, unconsciously squeezing his arms tightly and drawing the tiny elemental closer to him.
Had to do a bit of geek out paragraph by talking about a few WoW classes. Also, Sesshy is one of my actual characters in World of Warcraft. I don't play as much as I used to, but the itch to play still sneaks up every now and again.
If my mentioning of the Puzzle Door in Bakura's soul room wasn't enough of a hint, the name Imhotep should be a nice give away that I am a huge fan of 'The Mummy' movies starring Brendan Frasier! Or it could just make the fact that I suck at coming up with names ('Ishtari' totally didn't give that part away).