Thanks to Victor, I arrived at work with a better state of mind. Working in a hardware store may not be the most fulfilling job, but it allows me to earn a living and support my grandmother with her rent and health insurance. While taking inventories of adjustable wrenches and high-precision glues, I had plenty of time to think and clear my mind. Until about 2pm. When Klaus appeared behind the store window, enthusiastically saying, 'Come on, let's eat at Tasty Trails, I'm starving', while making exaggerated gestures.
I know that the simple fact that he came was a form of apology for our little argument this morning. He's incapable of asking for forgiveness in such situations, and I am the same. We will simply pretend it never happened. We are both stubborn idiots. And I am even more foolish because I asked my boss for an hour to finally have lunch. Rodrigo is a good guy. And I think he sees in Klaus a little bit of who he was at 30 too. This guy has come a long way. And he might have never hired me.
So here I am, sitting at a table in Tasty Trails, the closest diner, observing Klaus devour a large vegan sandwich, as if he hasn't eaten in 10 days.
"You don't intend to pay, right?", I say.
"You invited me so I could pay for your meal".
I'm no fool, but I don't care. To be honest, I'm incredibly relieved that he came. He chuckles slightly, chewing a bite of his sandwich. He's wearing an ugly blue suit, too baggy and not at all his style, and his forehead is bloody as if he'd been in a fight. He breathes a long, loud sigh of relief, after putting the sandwich back on his plate.
"You can't imagine how difficult this morning has been for me," he says, gazing at me with sincerity in his eyes. "But I'm grateful to be hanging out with you now".
"Oh please, enough with the flattery".
There you have it: that's the closest we'll get to an apology.
"My morning was fine, not that you asked. I talked a little with Viktor, I came here walking through the park, I fed the pigeons with crumbs... I'm okay now".
Klaus nods, and I stare at his forehead: the injury seems to have clotted well, though he usually heals wounds quite rapidly. He also has numerous little white specks in his hair, like tiny polystyrene balls. I can only imagine how 'difficult' his morning must've been.
"You haven't searched the trash container for the notebook yet, have you?"
His hesitation confirms it all.
"Uh... well, no, I haven't", he mumbles. "I... I had some stuff to take care of with Five. But I'll definitely search for it. Yeah, I will. Damn, that butternut caviar is reaaally good, it matches red onions so well".
Klaus is hopeless, but now I have a smile. He sighs contentedly and says: "Five, he thinks you're really cool. He talked about you for half the way down here".
"Did he say that?"
"Well... no. He used words like 'paradigm', 'continuum' and 'curvature'. I gave up at the first intersection, but I swear he seemed to think you were really cool".
My smile stretches.
"It's mutual: me too, I find that he has a good paradigm and curvature.
"Oh, come on, he's not that sexy. He's fucking haughty... and he's 13 years old again!".
We both chuckle, then I point to Klaus's wound with a nod of my chin.
"Who did this to you?"
He shakes his head while taking another bite of his sandwich.
"Oh no one. I did it to myself. It was kind of... a compelling argument. Besides, it worked".
I finally take a bite of my cream cheese bagel. I could be surprised, but I'm used to hearing Klaus talk nonsense. What surprises me the most is that Five asked him for help. Even though I've only known Five for a few hours, he gave me the impression that he could handle everything on his own. Unless he truly has no other choice...
"Why were you helping him?", I ask, "About what?"
"Well, he promised me 20 dollars, what a scam".
Klaus didn't answer the question, but I pretend to accept his response while chewing, a hint of sarcasm in my gaze.
"Oh, alright then... looks like you'll be paying for that lunch".
Klaus makes a dramatically offended face, as if he had suffered the worst betrayal.
"No! It was supposed to be a 'give and take' trade: Five needed help, and I needed money, so I tagged along. Then, he disappeared, leaving me completely broke on the pavement outside that prosthetics lab! How stingy, huh?
He chuckles again.
"I'm so lucky it's right near your job".
This time, I can't control myself: I burst out laughing. Really, it's better out, because the alternative would be that I kill Klaus with the mustard rack. But did he mention the prosthetics lab? Meritech Prosthetics? A few years ago, I applied there as a cleaner, and they never hired me.
"Alright, seriously: what did Five need help with?"
Klaus knows that when I want to know something, I usually succeed. He shrugs. I'm certain he wasn't going to lie anyways; he has already received enough reprimands for the day.
"Oh, I didn't understand most of it, you know. I just did what he asked. He wanted me to pretend to be his father so that he could ask questions."
"His father?"
I almost swallow my cream cheese wrong.
"Wait, you would have had him at what... sixteen years old? Well, it actually happens, alright. But look at both of you, how credible does that look?"
"Hey, I wore a suit. Regie's style. What do you think about it?".
I give Klaus a pointed look, and he puts on his fake offended expression before reminding me of his forehead.
"Hey, I deployed all of my talent for dramatic comedy, and as I told you: it worked."
I can see that he actually enjoyed the adrenaline rush of this nosy mission.
"So, what worked?"
I'm used to receiving information out of order.
Klaus finishes his sandwich in one huge, final bite before licking his fingers, and he gazes at the neon lights on the ceiling.
"He just wanted to investigate a potential lead there, about..."
He breaks off, hesitant to say the words while eating.
"A glass eye".
"A glass eye?", I frown.
"Yeah, a glass eye - you know - round. Um... spherical... globular... with an iris and everything..."
"Yes, I know what a glass eye is, Klaus, but what kind of potential lead is that?"
It's indeed the weirdest thing I've ever heard of while eating a bagel. But knowing Five, I'm certain it's not something trivial. And what comes next reinforces this idea in me, because Klaus adds 'a small detail' while sitting crosslegged on the red padded bench:
"He found that stuff in the future".
The waitress glances at us sideways as she brings hot dogs to another table, but she looks like she's used to hearing all sorts of things during her working hours. She primarily checked if we were drunk, but we're not, though one can always wonder about Klaus.
"A glass eye from the future", I repeat, but in all honesty, I'm taking the thing seriously.
I know it's possible that Five could have brought anything back from the future. But why would it be crucial enough for him to take KLAUS along for the investigation? Unless the eye is of lesser importance compared to the person it belonged to. Belongs to. Will belong to. Whatever.
"Did you find out anything about it? You said 'it worked'. You can have my fries if you tell me".
Klaus didn't wait for permission, however, and a bit of disappointment crosses his face.
"No, the response didn't match my performance, it's a shame". The guy couldn't tell us who the eye belonged to. It was much ado about nothing. This eye hasn't even been manufactured in the present time yet, damn it".
Hearing that, I relax a little and go back to eating.
"Well, there's nothing to do but wait, then, I guess. Five didn't tell you anything more about it, then? Maybe he doesn't know anything else either?"
Klaus shakes his head no.
"He didn't say anything more, he just thinks it's a clue to something. After we left, he started spouting his usual gibberish. He mentioned something about someone losing an eye within seven days and claimed it would lead to ~the end of the world~".
He chuckles, but this time I stop chewing for good.
"What did you just say?"
I almost hope he's high, but I know he's not 'that much' right now. He's already dismissively waving his hand as if trying to brush off this conversation.
"Oh it's Five we're talking about, so it's probably... ~metaphorical~. We're not going to make a big deal out of it. Aren't you going to eat your pickles?"
"No, no, you can have the pickles. And what if it's not metaphorical?"
I blink.
"Oh, come on, Rin, you're not going to fall for this end-of-the-world conspiracy stuff, right? It's just Five's way of having fun. He was away for a looong time,leaving behind the love of his life, there in the future. He needs some distraction at this prosthetic lab, that's all. It's a tough week for all of us, you know".
The waitress looks at us askance again.
"I don't think it's metaphorical, Klaus".
This time, I don't have an appetite anymore. Klaus can have my pickles and the rest of my bagel, which he quickly takes.
"Okay. If it's the end of the world, will you stay home? It's going to be interesting".
I'm flabbergasted, but Klaus rests his chin in his hand.
"What? Look at the bright side. No matter what Five does, we can assist. You can contribute too."
This argument feels like a cheap shot, and Klaus isn't finished with me.
"Come on, you promised to support me this week! And now, with the end of the world looming, show me some ~empathy~!"
My jaw drops at such a deceit. Me, 'lacking empathy'? I recall the moment I almost cried for him while talking to Viktor over coffee. However, I shake my head and chuckle. Besides, I packed clothes for 8 days. I let out a sigh. A prolonged one. A very, very long sigh. But from the expression on my face, Klaus has already discerned that I will stay, and he squeals with delight.
"The apocalypse is going to slaaaay!"
"Do you want a dessert?"
His eyes are already fixated on the dessert menu, I won't have to tell him twice. However, after scanning the page from top to bottom, he hesitates, uncertain if he can order everything he wants.
"So, uh...", he murmurs, "regarding this whole 'who pays for our meal' thing..."
I roll my gaze toward the neon lights on the ceiling. I doubt I'll survive until the apocalypse, even if it approaches soon.
"I'll pay".
And as Klaus claps his hands gleefully below his bloody forehead, the whole room can hear him exclaim:
"Yay! Raspeberry cheesecake and a double vodka soda!"
Notes:
It's a paradoxically light scene, considering that it heralds the end of the world. But let's look at the bright side!
Chronological markers: this scene also fits like a deleted scene from season 1 episode 2, around 36:24 (after Five leaves in a taxi).
Any comment will make my day!