Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. Volume 12 would be out in English.
Chapter 28 – Drama, Dancing, and Drunk Wednesdays
-0O0-
A few days later, Mai Taniyama hid in her SPR cubicle and shook her head in wonder. Lin Drama strikes again. Of course, this time the drama included more than one Lin.
Lin's father stood in the office bullpen, suitcase in hand, waiting for his son to come back from lunch. Mai had already introduced herself... and apparently, her sensei's glare was inherited. Quailing a bit, Mai's assistant training came to the fore, and she tried to show Lin Senior into his son's office.
But he refused to follow, instead giving Mai a look that could have melted the flesh off her face. "Taniyama?" he asked finally, his accent heavy. "That is a Japanese name."
At that point, Mai ran for it. She ducked into her cubicle, turned her back on Lin Senior's piercing glare, and sent Yasu a panicked text. He needed to get his ass back to the office floor and handle this situation.
Hold on... Mai's eyes widened. Why don't I just ask Martin to deal with it? Mai was up and inching toward the professor's office when Lin (Junior) stepped off the elevator... with Madoka. Uh-oh.
Mai raced toward them, hoping to intercept the onmyouji before his father saw him with his girlfriend. Given the elder Lin's attitude about her nationality, Mai had a nasty suspicion about this sudden visit to England. "Over here!" Mai hissed, dragging both of them into a side hallway.
Naturally, Lin was annoyed at being accosted by his student. "Taniyama-san, what on Earth are you –"
"Your father's here!" Mai blurted out quickly.
Her sensei paled. "Seriously?"
"Yes! He's outside your office!" Mai bit her lip. "I tried to get him to wait inside, and I was going to ask if he wanted a drink, but he…" she trailed off, not wanting to talk Lin Senior down to his son.
"I can imagine," Lin drawled.
"Your father?" Madoka asked interestedly. She immediately made to peek around the corner – but Mai and Lin pulled her back. "What's wrong?" she asked, confused. "I mean, he's about to meet me, anyway, right?"
Lin looked pained. "Yes, I suppose he is."
Madoka looked between the grim Lin and the wincing Mai... and put two and two together. "You think he's going to hate me," she accused.
Mai had never seen Lin look quite so gormless. She tried to help. "Well, he already hates me, and all I did was introduce myself."
Madoka gave Mai a laser beam glare. "Is this a Japanese thing? Is that what you two are trying to say?"
"Unfortunately," Lin replied, clenching his fists.
"You said that you told your family we were dating!" Madoka hissed furiously.
"And I did."
"So then why would it be a problem...?" Then Madoka's face cleared. "Oh. I see. They disapprove of our relationship, and your father has actually come all the way to England to remind you."
Lin said nothing.
His girlfriend sucked in a shaky breath, fighting for composure. "Go say hello," she said bracingly. "Maybe he's just here because he misses you. I won't turn a father-son greeting into a scene..."
The onmyouji raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
"Yet," Madoka finished sharply. "You have ten minutes, Koujo. Then I'm coming in, whether you like it or not."
"I'm positive he at least wants to meet you," Lin noted.
"Well, doesn't that sound promising," Madoka observed scathingly.
Lin opened his mouth – and thought better of it. He merely nodded to both women before exiting the hallway.
As Madoka stomped toward the break room, Mai's fingers were already dialing Luella's number. She was going to need help. But just as Mai put the phone to her ear, Naru and Professor Davis came around the corner.
"Are the lot of you playing hide and seek today?" Martin asked good-naturedly, his eyes on Madoka's quickly retreating form.
"Ah, no... we have a bit of a problem," Mai said hurriedly.
Naru exchanged a glance with his father. "What kind of problem?" he asked.
But Mai only held up a finger. "Oh, hi Luella!" she trilled nervously into the receiver. "Um, are you busy right now?"
Luella's husband and adopted son stared at Mai, both mystified.
"Well, it's just... Lin-san's father is here," Mai announced, pulling on her shirt. "And well, remember that big fight about introducing Madoka-san? Well, it turns out that Lin-san told them about her while he was in China... and it didn't go so well. And now Lin Senior is here at SPR, and we think he came to, like, publicly shame Lin-san for dating her. And Madoka-san... well, Madoka-san's not happy."
Martin and Naru groaned simultaneously. An unhappy Madoka made for a very unpleasant environment.
Mai listened hard for a moment. "No, they haven't actually met yet, but Lin-san wants her to go in there... no, I don't think it's going to go well. The guy already hates me for daring to say hello!"
Naru raised an eyebrow. It was rare for people to dislike Mai. But then again, Lin got his anti-Japan issues from his family. And while Lin's animosity had softened over years of extensive contact with Japanese people, his parents had no such ameliorating experiences.
"Yes, please come up here!" Mai begged. "I really think I'm going to need you, Luella. I can almost guarantee that I'll be keeping Madoka-san from throwing a high-speed camera at Lin Senior's head within the hour."
Martin closed his eyes in displeasure. Maybe he should send Madoka on a field expedition for a few days. In Ireland.
The lift across the way pinged, and Yasuhara stepped off. "So Lin's Japanese-hating dad is here?" he asked. "This is going to suuuuck."
"For once, I completely agree with you," Naru noted tonelessly.
"Oh, please!" Mai derided, hanging up the phone and glaring at the complainers. "It's not like any of you are going to deal with it! You'll all go hide in your offices, and lock the doors!"
The three men looked at one another. "Yes, I suppose we will," Martin admitted.
"But I don't have an office!" Yasu whined. "Though I could lock myself in the lab..."
"Cowards," Mai declared. Then she sighed. "Professor Davis, I'll need permission to be an unproductive employee for a bit. I reckon that Luella and I will be very busy with Lin Drama this afternoon."
"Keeping one of my best employees out of jail for assault is hardly unproductive, Taniyama," Martin mused. "Feel free to ignore your duties for as long as you like."
"Lin Drama," Naru reiterated in a dead voice.
"I know, right?" Mai rolled her eyes. "Who would have thought it was even possible?"
-0O0-
And oh, was it possible. As expected, the introduction had not gone well - and three hours later, Mai and Luella were still trying to calm the master ghost hunter down.
They were not succeeding; Madoka was in full angry-rant mode. "Funny how Lin-gong has never come to see his son, even though Koujo's lived in England for effing years. But now that precious Lin Junior is dating me, he shows up!"
"Madoka-san –" Mai started.
"And to do what?" the three-quarters hysterical woman continued. "Make sure I know he doesn't think I'm good enough for Koujo?!" She paced the floor of Mai's living room, refusing to sit or drink her tea.
"Madoka," Luella tried. "I'm sure that –"
"I mean, come on!" Madoka cried. "I have a doctorate from one of the best universities in the world. I'm from a good family, I'm decent-looking, and I'm technically his son's boss! What does he want, a duchess?"
"Somebody not Japanese," Mai muttered sadly.
"Oh, riiiiiight!" Madoka threw her arms up. "It's not even me personally – it's just our entire race that's unacceptable!"
Luella sighed.
"Which is bollocks," Madoka hissed furiously. "I know Japan did awful things during their campaign in China – but I wasn't even born then! It's ridiculous to assign responsibility to me! That would be like blaming the current owners of a haunted residence for problems caused by hundred-year-old spirits!"
Mai couldn't help but agree. She also wondered if Madoka had said any of this to Lin or his father.
"You know," Luella cut in loudly, "Instead of going to the office tomorrow, I think we should go out."
The master ghost hunter was briefly diverted by this non-sequitur suggestion. "Like go sightseeing, or something?"
"Yes, that's good idea," Mai agreed fervently, trying to pull the conversation away from the Lins. "But where will we go... and how will we get out of work?"
Luella raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Martin tell you to take as much time as you needed?"
"Yes, but I think that was just for today," Mai reasoned.
Mrs. Davis smirked in a very Naru-like way. "We will simply cite a hostile working environment."
"Er, I don't think that argument will work," Mai laughed. "We show up to hauntings almost hoping for a hostile work environment."
"Lin-gong's picture might be next to 'hostile' in the dictionary," Madoka murmured as she slumped onto the couch.
Mai took in her unusually dejected expression. "We'll just tell the professor we need a shared personal day."
-0O0-
Typically, Mai waltzed into the Davis kitchen as if it were her own.
So as Naru watched her edge forward like she was tiptoeing around a landmine, he had to bite back a smile. "The Lins aren't here yet," he informed her knowingly.
Mai relaxed instantly. "Thank goodness," she breathed, falling against a wall. "I'm just here to collect your mother. Hopefully we'll be out of here before Junior or Senior arrives."
Naru raised an eyebrow. "Collect my mother for what?"
"Ah, Miss Mai," James greeted as he came down the back stairs. "Mrs. Davis asked me to tell you she'll be down shortly." The butler looked a bit unsure for a moment before adding, "She also requested that I ascertain whether Miss Madoka is 'feeling well enough' today."
Mai giggled. "Yes, she's okay. She's waiting in the car with Yasu." Her eyes twinkled. "She'll be fine to drive, so you're off the hook."
Naru was puzzled. And slightly annoyed at Mai's heretofore unnoticed familiarity with James. "Fine to drive where?" he asked rather sharply.
At that moment, a broody-looking Lin entered the kitchen, followed by his grim father. Mai froze and inched towards the far wall.
Coward, Naru mouthed, repeating Mai's epithet for him from the day before.
She stuck her tongue out... while striving to hide behind the refrigerator. Naru smirked.
Lin followed Oliver's eye-line and found his student cowering in the corner. "Taniyama-san," he greeted her. She jerked as if struck, and Lin sighed internally.
"Um, hello, Lin-san!" Mai said brightly. "And... good morning, Lin-gong."
The frightening man only nodded slightly. Mai swallowed hard.
Lin jumped into the breach. "Were you all waiting on our arrival?" he wondered curiously. During the huge fight they'd had on the phone, Madoka had said something about not going to work today. Lin had assumed that Madoka would also bypass the usual Tuesday breakfast at the Davis house.
And she had, technically – Madoka was eating in her car instead of at the table. Lin had attempted to get her attention as he walked up the drive, but she just flipped around in her seat and addressed Yasuhara.
Mai correctly identified what Lin was really asking. "We aren't going to the office today," she informed him. "Since Yasu and I are starting school next week, Luella thought it might be a good idea to head up to Cambridge for a look around. We've never been, you see, so Madoka's going to show us around." She noticed that Lin Senior was glaring at her again. Mai wasn't sure whether he was annoyed because she was Japanese, or annoyed because she'd brought Madoka into the conversation.
Mai was sure, however, that enough was enough. "We figured that Madoka-san was a good choice for guide," she continued archly. "Not only did she graduate from Cambridge with her doctorate, she is by far one of the most amiable and efficient people I have ever had the good fortune to be acquainted with." And with that, Mai turned on her heel and walked out.
She felt a brief moment of terror over reprimanding Lin's scary father... but it was quickly replaced by glee as she remembered the shock on his face. Lin had looked similarly nonplussed.
Naru, on the other hand, had been fighting a smile. Mai bit her lip excitedly, hoping that she hadn't imagined the proud gleam in his eyes.
-0O0-
Another Testing Day was over, but Mai was the exact opposite of tired. She hadn't trained with Lin this morning, and the balance of her qi seemed upset by the diminished usage of PK-MT. The overexcited muscles in her hand twitched as she waved goodnight to Martin and Luella.
Her onmyouji master was away on an unexpected vacation. Lin Senior had expressed a desire to see more of England, and his son had obliged. They were currently in Wiltshire, visiting Stonehenge and Old Sarum. Mai supposed it made sense that men from a family of traditional Chinese sorcerers would want to visit places that were closely related to ancient magic.
And apparently, this ill-timed adventure was Mai's fault – Lin Senior had gotten the idea from her speech about sightseeing in Cambridge. Since Madoka was super-pissed that Lin was allowing his father to lead him around by the nose, Mai didn't know whether to be chagrined at having inadvertently caused another drama... or pleased that Lin Senior had followed her lead.
Across the room, Madoka watched Mai shift restlessly in her chair. "Er, Mai-chan – are you alright? You're sorta... twitchy this evening." Was she getting vision warnings?
"Oh, I'm fine." Mai smiled sheepishly. "Every once in a while, I get like this after testing. I didn't have morning training with Lin-san today, so my qi is sort of confused." Madoka's eyes narrowed at the mention of Lin, and Mai hurried to keep talking. "When I use too much power, I get tired; but I don't use enough power, the excess energy kinda rolls through me all night." Mai's arms shook briefly. "It's annoying."
Naru studied Mai for a moment – she was indeed rather 'twitchy.' "Why don't you practice PK skills outside, then?" he asked. "You should be able to expel the energy by using it."
Mai looked interested at this prospect, and turned to her head researcher... only to find Yasu grinning like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. Uh-oh. That look never boded well.
"While that's a fine idea..." Yasuhara began, glasses flashing, "I reckon that we've been doing nothing but practicing with your PK skills, working at SPR, and preparing for classes."
"Okay... so?" Mai asked (despite knowing it was a mistake to encourage him).
"So... I think we should put your excess energy to more recreational use, Mai-chan," Yasuhara finished, grinning even wider.
And then Mai realized where he was going with this. "No way," she replied with finality, locking eyes with her assistant.
Naru and Madoka exchanged confused looks.
"Oh, come on, Mai-chan!" Yasuhara whined. "There are only a few days left of vacation! This is probably the only chance we'll get until term ends!"
"You mean the only chance you'll get," Mai retorted testily. "I am perfectly fine without resorting to that."
"But Mai-chaaan! We haven't done Drunk Wednesday in months!"
Naru froze.
Madoka choked on her tea. "Drunk... Wednesday?" she repeated faintly.
"Ignore him," Mai told her in a hard voice. "He's obviously gone crazy."
"I have not! Come on, Mai-chan, let's do Drunk Wednesday tonight!"
"What exactly is a 'Drunk Wednesday?'" Madoka asked.
Mai groaned. There would be no stopping Yasuhara now.
"Well, as you've noticed," her best friend began gleefully, "Mai-chan sometimes finds herself rather twitchy after testing. She also has trouble sleeping when she's like this. One night, Bou-san woke up at four in the morning to find Mai-chan wide awake and pacing in her bedroom like a crazy person. So in true rock musician style, he decided to make use of drugs!"
"Sleeping pills?" Naru guessed.
"Alcohol," Yasuhara corrected merrily. "Two glasses of Suntory Hibiki, and she was out like a light."
Mai rolled her eyes. That stuff was nasty.
"Now, as you know, I really like going to clubs – and so does Mai-chan. We go for different reasons, but... anyway." Yasuhara grinned. "Bou-san's use of alcohol gave me an idea. The next time Mai got restless, we all went clubbing! You see, Mai-chan and Ayako love dancing – and I figured that would work out Mai-chan's muscle tension."
"And Bou-san naturally enjoys the club scene," Mai cut in, smiling a little. "He introduced us to our favorite one."
"Eventually, Ayako and I managed to get Mai-chan to drink a bit," Yasuhara continued. "We discovered that the combination of dancing and alcohol knocked out Mai's 'twitchiness' and enabled her to get some sleep." Yasu waggled his eyebrows. "And thus began the thrilling tradition of Drunk Wednesdays."
"Ayako and Bou-san are actually down with that?" Madoka asked, now grinning herself.
"Mostly," Yasuhara replied airily. "Bou-san gets a little uppity about the drinking – but only when he and Ayako aren't with us. Sometimes they have to do band gigs and doctor stuff. But we've always made it home alive and relatively unscathed." His glasses flashed. "Even when Mai-chan gets totally trashed."
"That only happened a couple of times!" Mai cried, blushing. "And mostly because you slipped me extra-strong drinks!"
"Listen to you, sounding all disapproving," Yasuhara mocked. "If I remember correctly, you usually have a good time. And I definitely remember those nights better than you do." He winked at Madoka. "Mai-chan's a real lightweight."
The lightweight in question narrowed her eyes, terribly aware of her love interest staring holes into the side of her face. "Shut it, Yasu."
But he was not to be deterred tonight. "Do you recall that extra-awesome night, Mai-chan? You know, when I had to carry you home in my arms?" Yasuhara chanced a quick look at Naru. He'd brought up this particular incident to inspire some jealousy in the emotionally-constipated ghost hunter. Time to poke the black-clothed beast some more... "Yes," Yasu continued in a wistful tone, "I caringly lifted you like a princess, and bore your mostly-unconscious body all the way back to Bou-san's apartment..."
"You threw me over your shoulder like a sack of rice, and carried me to Bou-san's car," Mai corrected archly. "After all, you had to keep an arm free to molest the future one-night-stand you were making out with."
Yasuhara snorted. "So you do remember. Yes, Yuka-chan was a lovely one. Too bad I had to abandon her at the club that night, as you chose a very inopportune moment to throw up all over the sidewalk."
Mai tossed a throw pillow at him. "Of course I threw up. I was feeling sick before you threw off my center of gravity by hauling me over your shoulder! Then I got to hang upside-down with your bony shoulder digging into my stomach." She was about to shut the conversation down... when she realized that Madoka giggling for the first time since Lin Senior arrived. Mai decided to keep talking. "And when I finally get down, I'm treated to the revolting sight of my best friend going for second base less than a foot away."
Madoka actually spat out her tea, laughing raucously. Yasuhara flipped her a napkin.
"Besides, Yasu," Mai continued, "It's not like you didn't have another chance with Yuka-chan. Bou-san told me that you guys exchanged phone numbers before we left." Her eyes glittered. "Apparently, she pulled her phone right out of her cleavage and typed in your info."
Naru closed his eyes in horror. Listening to Mai discuss Yasuhara's debauchery with such aplomb was undeniably distressing. He should never have left Japan.
"And it was the sexiest thing she did all night," Yasuhara asserted seriously. "You should start storing your phone in your cleavage, Mai-chan. And you can practice tonight! It probably takes a few tries to get it to stay put between your –"
"I have had enough of this thoroughly pointless conversation," Naru snapped, beyond frustrated. His thoughts were see-sawing between irritation with Yasuhara's banality... and an unlooked-for mental vision of Mai pulling a cell phone from her cleavage. What was even more disturbing was that Naru imagined not Mai's purple phone, but rather his own sleek black cell phone nestled between... all-thoughts-full-stop. What was with him lately?
Naru focused very hard on a photo of supernaturally-damaged furniture. "I am sitting here to look at research material for our next case, not listen to the two of you reminisce about Bacchanalian escapades," he stated coldly.
His tone instantly got Mai's back up. "Escapades? So what if Yasu and I actually do things like go to clubs, or drink a little every now and again? It's genuinely therapeutic for my PK issues! Why do you have to make it sound like something awful, Narcissist?"
"I don't know, Mai-chan, I like the sound of that," Yasuhara chimed in. "I vote we officially change 'Drunk Wednesdays' to 'Bacchanalian Wednesdays.' Better yet, 'Bacchanalian Escapade Wednesdays.' That might be too long, though – I can't imagine saying it all correctly once drunk. How would we toast?"
"Ugh, both of you are ridiculous!" Mai yelled. "Naru, get a grip; Yasu, shut up. I'll just go back to the apartment and exercise, or something."
"You'll probably klutz out if you exercise while angry, though. Do you really want to end up in the hospital again?" Yasu asked, glancing at Big Boss again. He was staring angry holes into a police report. Maybe the jealousy-enticement was working...
And Yasu got another brilliant idea.
Though he generally respected Lin's opinions, Yasuhara did not feel the 'leave Naru and Mai alone, and it will work out' theory was getting them anywhere. And Lin wasn't exactly doing well with his own relationship at the moment – was he really qualified to give romantic advice? Besides, Yasu preferred to take an active role in achieving his desired ends. And they all sort of know about Avery now, so why not? "You've been such a spoilsport lately, Mai-chan," Yasuhara started sadly. "You used to like going dancing."
"I still like going dancing!" she claimed.
"Then why haven't we gone in so long?" Yasu shot back. Mai fell silent, but Yasuhara didn't need her to answer. He already knew it was because Mai's relationship with Avery had begun and ended at a club. "I guess... you're still not over That Person." Yasuhara's face was serious, but he grinned inwardly as Naru's eyes snapped up from his reading to fix unblinkingly on Mai.
Who in turn gaped at Yasuhara, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "What?!" she finally screeched.
"Well, your aversion to clubs – and going out in general – started right after you broke up with That Person," Yasuhara reasoned. "I can only imagine your continued lack of enthusiasm stems from lasting breakup depression."
Dark blue eyes studied Mai from across the room. Naru had been operating under the assumption that Mai was 'with' Gene. But 'That Person' couldn't be Gene. There was the obvious physical issue – a ghost couldn't have been Mai's date to a wedding. And as for the present conversation – Yasuhara was blunt, but he wouldn't be so cavalier about a deceased person so dear to everyone in the room.
Naru stared out the window, trying to make sense of all this information. Was it possible that they weren't together? Mai and Gene had both insisted ad nauseum that they only hid their communication to keep Gene's position as 'spirit guide' a secret...
Did my brother tell Mai to move on? It was something Gene would do; he wouldn't want Mai to spend her life alone, pining for him. Naru's heart twisted painfully. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he tuned back in to the argument happening in front of him.
"I am not still hung up on A–" Mai caught herself just in time. "– on That Person!" she finished. "I just don't want to show up hung over at SPR tomorrow!"
"We have off on Thursdays," Yasuhara reminded her smugly.
Mai pursed her lips, wondering what to do. Yasuhara was sort of right; she hadn't felt like going out clubbing in Japan (That Person's favorite activity) after their relationship's messy end.
But here in England, Mai's hang-up was a bit different. Mai was a happy, but sloppy drunk – and she tended to throw up. She did not want to be sick in front of the great Oliver Davis.
Not to mention, Mai's loose tongue only became looser under the influence. She might wind up doing something really stupid... like telling Naru she loved him. Or telling Naru he was stuck with her for good if he ever wanted to use his powers again.
Neither option sounded like a good idea to Mai.
"You know, I'd like to go out," Madoka interjected. She thumbed her cell phone; three missed calls from Lin. Strike that last, she needed to go out. "Mai-chan, you and I can stay on the dance floor and work out your twitches, and Yasu can flirt it up with the ladies." Madoka's eyes twinkled. "Everybody's happy."
Mai's mood lightened at this suggestion. That sounded... pretty fun. And having Madoka with them definitely solved one problem. Yasuhara (usually) stayed semi-sober and single on Drunk Wednesdays, in order to watch over Mai. And though she was appreciative, Mai felt guilty over keeping Yasuhara glued to her side. (Though she usually rationalized it as saving some poor, unsuspecting girl from future heartbreak).
This time, Madoka could stand guard while Yasu impressed people with his accent and smooth-talking. After all, Madoka didn't need to hunt up a date... hopefully. Despite the current Lin Drama, she and the onmyouji had something serious going on. Mai didn't think Madoka was angry enough to jeopardize that. Maybe she could interrogate the master ghost hunter about it once everyone had something to drink... "Yeah, okay," Mai heard herself say. "Let's go."
Madoka smiled winningly.
Yasuhara fist-pumped.
And Naru continued reading his case file, trying not to give away that he was actually wondering over the identity of Mai's ex-boyfriend. So his name started with an A, which meant he definitely wasn't Gene. Naru wasn't quite sure how this affected his theory. He had nearly decided to scan SPR's list of known Japanese spiritualists for 'A' names... until he became disgusted with the triviality of his thoughts. Naru was almost glad that Mai was leaving for the night – she was pulling his thoughts away from the supernatural with increasing regularity.
"We should go home and change, Mai-chan," Yasuhara suggested. They needed to get going before Mai changed her mind.
"I'll drive you to your apartment, and then I'll go get myself dressed. And I'll call a taxi," the master ghost hunter decided. "That way I can drink a little, too – it's been that kind of week." Maybe Madoka should text Lin that she was going drinking with Yasuhara - that ought to freak her boyfriend out nicely.
Then again, Madoka would feel bad if Yasu wound up injured by the voodoo doll Koujo would make of him... "We should probably come back to this neighborhood," she said. "There's a really great club a couple of blocks from here."
"Sounds good," Mai enthused. She was starting to think this was a really good idea. Her still-jangling muscles agreed. Besides, as long as Mai didn't end up drunk in front of Naru, there was nothing to worry about...
"Ooh, and we can pick you up on the way, Noll!" Madoka cried excitedly.
Mai promptly froze in terror... and practically collapsed in relief when Naru scoffed and fixed his mentor with an incredulous stare.
"You must be joking. I've hours of work to do," he said darkly. "Though even if I didn't, I certainly wouldn't waste my time at a club." Naru spat the last word as if it were something nasty he'd accidentally eaten.
Madoka rolled her eyes. "Fine, be a killjoy." She flounced toward the front hall. "Let's get moving, then. Mai-chan's got a lot of energy to dance out, and I've got to text Koujo some pictures of me with hot guys on the dance floor. See what he makes of that."
"Make sure at least one of the guys is Japanese," Yasuhara advised. "But not me. I want to live."
Mai couldn't help but giggle as she followed the now-positively-effervescent Madoka Mori out the door.
-0O0-
Rainbow spotlights spun in continuous erratic circles, sliding across Mai's face and reflecting off of her sparkly gloves. She could feel the tension leaving her body with every roll of her hips, and beamed at Madoka and Yasuhara as they whirled and grooved beside her.
Mai was also tipsy enough to be transfixed by the way the glitter on her gloves caught the light. Madoka had bought them for her (along with several other new pairs), and labeled them 'night on the town' gloves. They were black, like most of her scar-covers, but with silver glitter and small jewel studs scattered across the fabric.
As the song ended, Yasu used Mai's distraction to filch the empty glass from her hand. He headed for the bar, and Mai rolled her eyes. She just knew that refill was going to be stronger than its predecessor. And Mai was already pretty drunk – she'd clumsily tripped into Madoka at least twice.
Speaking of Madoka... "Ne, Madoka-san!" Mai yelled in Japanese.
The master ghost hunter grinned. Just like how Mai tended to revert back to her native tongue when tired, drinking seemed to have a similar effect. Two shots and a glass of strawberry vodka lemonade resulted in a slurry mix of English and Japanese. Good thing Madoka spoke both fluently. "Mai-chan, why don't you just call me Madoka? Aren't we close enough for that?"
"But you still call me Mai-chan!"
"That's just because you're so cute. Definitely a Mai-chan."
Mai giggled adorably, proving Madoka's point. "Daijoubu! Ne, Madoka?"
"Hai, Mai-chan?" Madoka asked with a grin.
"How serious are you and Lin-san?"
Madoka raised an eyebrow. Alcohol made Mai braver. "Well... we're seeing each other."
"Oh, come on, Madoka! I know that already!" Mai had seen it the first time Madoka walked through the door of SPR Japan... and Lin voluntarily came out of his office and smiled. "I meant that it seems pretty serious! You wouldn't be so mad about the family thing if you weren't planning on being a part of it someday!"
Definitely braver with the alcohol, Madoka affirmed. Next time, she would force Noll along. Maybe Mai would unthinkingly kiss him in a great show of alcohol-induced daring, and all this dancing around each other would be over.
"Hmm," Madoka replied aloud, eyes sparkling. "Your questioning techniques need a little finesse, Mai-chan. But since you're obligingly calling me Madoka, I'll answer." She grinned at the rapt expression in Mai's eyes. "I rather hope it's getting serious – I've been trying to pin that man down for years!"
Mai burst out laughing. "Yeah, I can see the problem there! Lin-san is so... Lin-san." There really wasn't a better way to describe it.
Madoka snorted. "Indeed. The only person more inept with interpersonal relationships than Koujo is Noll."
"Ha!" Mai barked. "Isn't that the truth! Mou, I don't know if anyone on Earth could pin Naru down! He probably thinks relationships are an inex... inexpli... inexplicable nuisance." Damn tricky English.
"I'd say you're about right," Madoka agreed. It did sound like something Noll would say. However... "I would imagine that someone could pin him down." She stared hard at Mai.
"I don't know," Mai shook her head, uncomprehending. "Masako-chan couldn't even get him with blackmail. That was pretty hard-core," she finished in Japanese.
"Yes, but Noll doesn't really respond well to coercion. It makes him spiteful. And besides, he wasn't interested in Hara-san."
"Naru isn't interested in anyone!" Mai countered. "I... er, pay pretty close attention," she admitted. "Wouldn't his behavior be different towards someone he liked? I'm sure I would have noticed that..."
Madoka's meaningful stare morphed into a look of dead-eyed disbelief. Different, huh? Like how Noll argues with you, ignores work for you, arranges presents for you, rescues you from danger, stares at you heatedly whenever he thinks no one's looking, and openly cares about your well-being? Wake up, Mai! Out loud, Madoka said, "I reckon his behavior would be 'different.' But what if it's already there?" Madoka hinted. "And you're just missing it?"
Unexpectedly, Mai wilted. "Do you think he likes someone, then?" she asked defeatedly. "Maybe some really smart, talented, pretty girl at SPR... I guess someone like that would be able to tackle Naru."
"You could tackle Noll," Madoka said bluntly. Mai was obviously too drunk to understand her hints. "Tackle him right to the wall and kiss him. That would probably work."
Mai turned ferociously red. "WHAT?! Ma-Madoka, I don't think that Naru would appreciate that..."
Oh, yes he would, Madoka insisted inwardly. And he would probably show you he appreciated it by crushing you into his love-starved arms.
Then again, Noll was as oblivious as Mai regarding this matter, so maybe he'd freak out... for a couple of seconds, before he instinctively crushed Mai into his love-starved arms. Madoka grinned. "You never know until you try, Mai-chan," she sang.
Mai looked unaccountably sad. "But I did try."
Wha-what? Madoka was so surprised she stopped dancing. "You... did?"
Mai nodded miserably and mumbled something. Wanting very much to hear what she had to say, Madoka grabbed Mai's arm and dragged her off the dance floor. She waved the returning Yasuhara away, and pulled Mai towards the quiet staff bathroom.
-0O0-
"Madoka, I don't think we're allowed in here..." Mai glanced around the deserted ladies' room.
"Nonsense, I know the owner," Madoka replied dismissively. "Now, explain – what exactly did you try?"
"Well, I..." Mai's expression became pained. "I confessed to Naru."
"When?" Madoka asked, mystified. They had all been watching so closely for any change in the dynamic...
"Before he left Japan," Mai whispered. "The night before, actually... I told him that I loved him... and he rejected me."
Madoka's eyes were like saucers. How could Noll be so stupid? Both she and Lin agreed that Noll's deep feelings for Mai were already in place by the time they shut down SPR Japan. Noll was an idiot scientist, but Mai's confession should have sparked the necessary neurons in his emotional center and caused him to question his own feelings. Which were there. "What did he say?" Madoka wondered aloud.
Mai sniffled. "He told me... that I loved Gene."
"WHAAAT?"
"Well," the crying psychic continued, "He knew that Gene was the one I'd seen in my dreams, with the nice smile and the caring attitude. So Naru figured that Gene was the one I loved."
Madoka was floored. "And... and he just flat-out..."
"No," Mai said, shaking her head. "Naru asked me, 'Do you love me or Gene?' But I don't think he was really asking. He had already decided in his head."
And at last, Madoka understood the problem. So this was why Noll hadn't yet realized he loved Mai. He had shut down that possibility because he thought Mai loved Gene.
"He was really very nice about it," Mai informed Madoka, voice quavering. "Naru even tried to comfort me – seeing as he thought I loved a dead person. He said I'd see Gene in a hundred years. It must have been rough for him to talk about; Naru had just f-found his b-body." She started crying again, this time with grief.
For once, Madoka did not know what to say. So she gathered Mai into a hug, and considered the information she'd been provided. Mai was right about one thing – Noll had been (comparatively) gentle and caring. "Is that when Oliver gave you the photo?" she finally asked. Madoka had seen it on Mai's dresser earlier that night when they were debating wardrobe choices; that photo was taken years before Mai met either twin, and Madoka had been surprised to find it in her possession.
"The one of him and Gene? Hai." Mai smiled through her tears. "I love that photo. Both of them look so happy, and Naru's not in mourning..." She started crying again. She was too overwhelmed to stop.
Madoka hugged Mai closer, not caring that the half-drunk teen was soaking her silk blouse. "I know, Mai-chan. It's awful."
"Poor Naru," Mai sobbed. "Poor Gene. And I don't know how Luella deals..."
"She will always mourn," Madoka said softly. "We all will. But... Gene would definitely not want us to wallow in sorrow forever. He'd hate all this crying."
Mai made a sound of agreement. "You're right about that," she murmured in Japanese. "Gene feels helpless, knowing that we all grieve for him. I mean, I still see Gene pretty regularly, and here I am crying like an idiot."
Madoka heaved a sigh. "You're not just crying over Gene, Mai. You're crying over everybody's grief for him." She pursed her lips. "And you're also crying over Noll, your confession, and his undoubtedly caring – but mistaken – response."
"Mistaken..." Mai repeated. "So Madoka... you know it's Naru that I want?" Her teary eyes were huge.
"Of course, Mai-chan." Madoka rolled her eyes. "Every time you guys are in a room together, it's totally obvious. What kind of investigator do you take me for?" She was relieved to hear Mai giggle.
"A great investigator," Mai assured her. "Do you think... Naru knows?"
Madoka shook her head. "Definitely not," she replied firmly. If he did, you two would be together by now. Well, probably – Noll was pretty emotionally incompetent.
Mai didn't know whether to feel depressed or relieved at this assertion. On one hand, she wanted Naru to know that it was him she loved... but she also didn't want to screw anything up. Mai didn't want to lose him with a declaration of unwanted feelings.
And that would be bad for both of them, given the circumstances of the transfer.
"Don't worry, Mai-chan," Madoka soothed, squeezing her shoulder. "Noll's an idiot scientist, but it'll all work out eventually. I estimate that you two will be making adorable psychic babies by the end of your degree program." She smiled wickedly.
"Madoka!" Mai blushed furiously at the thought of having Naru's babies. Her heart raced at the mental image of herself and Naru together, with a family of their own... Mai swooned. Emotionally and physically.
Luckily, Madoka caught her as she fell forwards. "Steady now, Mai-chan," she laughed.
Yasuhara picked that moment to poke his head into the bathroom. "Are you guys done having your girly-moment yet? Mai's double-strong lemonade isn't going to drink itself."
Madoka shifted the woozy girl and sighed. "I think she's had enough for one night. Tell you what – I'll drink that shot, and you help me bundle her into a taxi."
Yasuhara grinned mischievously. "Should we take her back to the Davis house and drop her in Naru's lap? Say we rescued her from a hot-but-aggressive guy, and that Mai begged to leave the club and return to Naru's care? She'll be adorable and in need of assistance; Big Boss won't be able to resist."
Madoka giggled, but shook her head. "As entertaining as that sounds, Mai's already been through the emotional wringer tonight – my fault. Besides," she examined Mai's half-closed eyes and dazed expression, "Mai-chan's pretty gone right now... and I'm sure she'd want to remember Noll taking tender care of her."
Yasuhara sighed. "This is going to take forever, isn't it?" He handed Madoka the drink.
"Nah," Madoka replied brightly. "Mai's ready and Noll's getting closer. They'll be together sooner than you think." She sipped at the strawberry vodka lemonade.
"Hopefully before her next birthday," Yasuhara specified. "That way, she'll have lost her virginity by twenty. I feel like that matters."
Madoka spat out a mouthful of alcohol. "She turns twenty next July! Even if they're together by then, there's no way that staid Noll and shy Mai will sleep together so fast!"
Yasuhara clucked his tongue. "Clearly you haven't been watching closely enough, sensei. Naru is going to take Mai-chan the instant they get it together. Haven't you seen the way he can't take his eyes off her – especially when she's being cute?"
"Because he loves her, not because he wants to jump her!"
"Trust me, Madoka-sensei," Yasuhara said knowingly. "They've been secretly in love for years – all that pining for each other has to be building some serious tension."
The two gossips stared one another down.
Suddenly, Yasuhara grinned. "Care to make it a wager? If you win, I'll get you that really rare incense you like."
Madoka's eyes narrowed as she considered. Then Yasu smiled tauntingly, and she cracked. "Fine," she agreed. "If we make it a year's supply of it. And if you win, I'll buy you that super-fast laptop you've been whining about."
"Deal," Yasuhara declared, teeth somehow gleaming in the dim light. "Yay, laptop!"
"We'll see," Madoka drawled. "They've been in love for years, been locked in dark places together, have slept in the same room, etc. And they haven't managed to kiss yet."
"Exactly," Yasuhara said with relish. "Once the dam breaks, that river's gonna come rushing in."
Mai returned to semi-consciousness with a groan. "I... need to lie down," she whimpered.
"Alright, Mai-chan, let's get you home." Madoka tucked Mai's head into her shoulder and steered her out of the bathroom.
Yasuhara grinned happily. "Ah, another successful Drunk Wednesday!" he crowed.
"I thought... we were calling it Baccha – Bacchanal-something something," Mai stuttered.
"Like I said before," Yasuhara noted, parting the crowd for Madoka and Mai. "Way too hard to say while drunk. Big Boss doesn't consider these things."
-0O0-
AN:I know it's practically a transition chapter, but I really needed a break from PK drama. So instead, we have... Lin DramaXD.
Okay, wanted to make sure I got this posted before my part of the US gets hit by the combination hurricane and nor'easter that might trap me in a flooded apartment with no power for days. Trying not to worry. I should definitely go food shopping, though.