CHAPTER 7
THE DATE
The sky was calm and empty. Not a cloud in sight and the stars glittered like hundreds of diamonds sewn into the night sky. Across the face of the sea, the moon light struck a silver trail while the wind rushed across Cal's body. He didn't know how it was possible, being able to fly without a Para-mail, but it was such a nice feeling. A sensation of being free and unbound to anything. He could go anywhere like this. Suddenly, the cool breeze was replaced by a wave of heat, and he looked up to see a wall of flames surrounding him on all sides. He tried to escape but now it was as if he was suspended helpless in mid-air. Behind the fire, something moved, and Cal was able to make out a stocky figure leaning against an invisible wall.
"Gramps!" he cried. Gaz weakly looked up and Cal saw that beneath his ribs his shirt was soaked with blood.
"Cal," he whispered, his face white as a sheet and devoid of any emotion, "why didn't you help me?"
"But…you told me to run!" Cal answered, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Gramps I swear I was going to come back for you!"
"I thought I taught you better," Gaz slurred. "To be a man…but you left me to die. I'm ashamed to call you my grandson." The fire separating them suddenly flared up and when it cleared, Gaz was gone.
"Gramps!" Cal yelled. "No please! Don't go!" He tried to move but it was if his body was paralyzed, dangling in space like a puppet on a string.
"Please…please Gavin…don't let them kill him…" That voice. Cal had never heard it before and yet it was somehow familiar. Something moved in the flames and Cal squinted his eyes for a clearer look. As he watched, the flames manifested into the same burned face that had been haunting him, it's blistered lips opening to unleash a scream that was so shrill, Cal felt as though his head would split in two.
"No, not again, please go away." Now the face was twisting and morphing into something huge and ugly. The nose vanished into the face, teeth grew into fangs, the burned skin shifted to rust shaded scales, and the eyes split into glowing clusters of four. Cal looked up in terror as the Corvette towered over him. The reptilian beast's wings extended to the width of the sky before it pulled back it's short neck and thrust its jaws right at him. On instinct, Cal jumped back with all his might and as he did the back of his head hit something hard as stone.
Cal's vision exploded in sparks as he clutched his head and landed on something soft. Someone shrieked and as Cal looked up, he saw roughly a dozen or so girls standing around him in little more than their sleepwear.
"Oh my, are you okay?" one girl asked.
"Yeah I guess," Cal groaned as he rubbed his head. He must have banged his head against the wall when he jumped in his sleep. "What are you all doing in my room? Did I miss role call?" The girls didn't answer though Cal noticed one of them had hidden a camera behind her back.
"Err…no we just…we were worried about you."
"Is your head alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just had a nightmare is all." Cal said. As he rubbed the bump on his head, Cal felt his bed creak and he looked up to see some of the girls had perched around him.
"Are you sure?"
"You poor thing."
"We can make you feel better if you'd like."
"Would you like a massage?"
"Did you really take down a Corvette all by yourself."
"You're so brave."
"Guys wait stop!" he pleaded as their arms began entwining around him.
"Hey quit hogging him!"
"You're the one being greedy!"
"Let me hold him!" Thankfully, the sudden blare of Arzenal's wake up horn echoed from the hall and Cal felt their grip begin to loosen.
"Aw, just when it was starting to get good."
"Hurry before the Inspector catches us."
"Catch you later." All the girls quickly ran out of his room and Cal stared after them in shock. 'What is wrong with them?' he wondered. 'Girls are weird.'
Finally alone, Cal changed into his training gear and, after making sure the coast was clear, hurried on to the outer yard before he got caught again. For once he saw that he wasn't the last one to arrive. Zola, Salia, and Vivian were already waiting for the rest of the squad. They may have been excused from combat duties for the day, but morning training was still in effect.
"Morning Cal!" Vivian waved.
"Well good morning handsome," Zola said with an evil grin. "Did you sleep well."
"Sort of." Cal sighed. Salia noticed the exhaustion in his voice and wondered if the sedative Maggie had given him hadn't worked as well as it should have. Zola however already knew what had happened and tried her hardest not to laugh as the rest of the squad appeared from out of the stairwell.
"Morning everyone." Ersha greeted. "Cal are you feeling better?"
"Yeah I'm fine Ersha. I just want to focus on today."
"That the spirit." Naomi cheered, giving him a playful punch in the arm before she noticed the slight red shade on his lips.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he noticed the way she was looking at him.
"Hold still," she told him. Naomi rubbed her thumb along the edge of his mouth. Upon closer examination, she immediately recognized Zola's lipstick and shot her a menacing look. As did Salia when she caught on. Hilda meanwhile smirked in triumph. Zola had come back rather quickly from Cal's room last night with a sour look. She could only guess that he wasn't able to meet her expectations. Well, at least that meant her position as Zola's favourite was no longer in danger.
"Well it looks like someone had fun last night." Rosalie joked.
"Couldn't have been much judging by how quickly she came back," Hilda replied. Morning training proceeded as usual, though Cal found himself thinking back to his first combat and how he had almost died. Salia was right. What they did wasn't a game. If he didn't train as hard as he could then he'd get himself or one of his friends killed. Even worse, he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Gramps.
Thankfully, now that his injuries were healed Cal was able to operate at 100%. During the run with full gear, he now was able to keep pace with the others and even managed to nearly catch up to Zola until she saw he was closing the distance and she shifted into high gear to beat him over the finish line. Sparing sessions however went along as normal. Once again Hilda didn't hold anything back but at least now he was starting to get a sense of her fighting style. Hilda tended to get frustrated if she couldn't get in an early hit, so Cal went on the defensive, allowing herself to tire out and then knocking her to the ground.
"Cal for the win," Salia called. Cal offered her his hand and as usual, Hilda glared up at him before shoving it away.
"I'll give you this one," she admitted. "But I'm still ahead where it counts." Cal could only scratch his head at what she meant. Finally, after target practice in which Cal came 5th place just behind Naomi, they all headed to the showers. The girls went first because Salia didn't trust Zola when it was Cal's turn. For the past week Salia had taken it upon herself to guard the locker room when Cal was showering. She had tried requesting Jill to draw a timetable for him or put some ground rules in place, but Jill had been less than sympathetic. "What you girls do is your business," she had told her. "Just so long as it doesn't interfere with your duties then I don't care what you do with him."
"So what's your plans today Ersha?" Naomi asked. After finishing their shower, the two pinkettes of First Squad had gone to their lockers to change. With training over for the day, they could enjoy some down time.
"Once we get our pay, I'm off to see the school children after their class ends." 'Sounds about usual,' Naomi thought. Ersha had always been something of a mother figure to Arzenal's younger kids. On the inside of Naomi's locker, a mirror had been installed and she checked every inch of her face. 'Should I wear makeup,' she wondered. 'I don't want to give him the wrong idea but maybe a little won't hurt.'
"Is something wrong?" Naomi looked up and saw the look of concern on Ersha's face.
"Not really. It's just…yesterday I promised Cal I'd show him around the arcade and teach him some skills."
"So why are you so worried?" Ersha asked. Naomi blushed and rubbed the back of her head.
"Well, the thing is," she murmured, "I sort of called it a date. But it's not really a date. But what if he thinks it is and gets really disappointed."
"So that's what the problem is," Ersha said. "I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think Cal's very aware of romance. Actually, is it okay if I borrow him first? The kids haven't stopped asking me about Cal, so I thought he might like to pay them a visit. Plus I think he might be able to help me with Abigail."
"That other newcomer, right?" Naomi asked. "Yeah I can see how it would take one to know one. Plus, I have kitchen shift after lunch. Just don't hog him all day."
"Excellent," Ersha said with a playful grin. "You can use the time to better prepare for your date."
"It's not a date!" Naomi shouted, turning redder than Hilda's hair.
As he waited for his turn to take a shower, Cal leaned back against the wall beside the locker room door. After training, Zola had told him they would show him where he would get his pay for his first combat. Cal wondered how much he would get paid and what he would buy first. Most of all he was eager to learn how to play the arcade games with Naomi.
As he waited, more girls walked past him, some smiling at him, some going red as they hurried past. For the past week, Cal had been feeling his way around how to act around girls. He felt the most comfortable around Salia, Naomi and Ersha. They were always kind to him, and he liked the way Salia in particular was dedicated to making him a better pilot. Then there was the command staff. He hadn't seen much of them, but they were always eager to eat with him if his squad mates weren't around. Vivian was like a never-ending fountain of energy and while she did get Cal exhausted with her pop quizzes, he genuinely liked being around her. She always seemed to like his jokes and during meals she tried her hardest to keep up with him. Once being scolded by Ersha after nearly choking on a mouthful.
Rosalie and Chris were a different matter. They rarely talked to him, and Chris in particular often seemed tense around him, and Rosalie would often take a slight dig at him when it came to Hilda's nasty comments. Of course, Hilda's attitude hadn't changed towards him, but he kept in mind what Naomi had told him about her and reminded himself to just be patient with her. Zola on the other hand was another story. Whenever he was close to her, she'd always grab his butt which he hated. And during their sparing session she got him in a chokehold and nibbled at his ear which he didn't understand. He doubted it would taste nice. But she did seem to care about his well-being, and she was good when training him.
"So you're the male Norma everyone's been talking about? Interesting." Cal snapped out of his thoughts as he looked up at the girl who had appeared out of nowhere. Like Zola, she looked older than him though her complexion was tanner with collar length dark red hair and scarlet red eyes. But what struck Cal the most was her physique. As tall as either Zola or the Commander, she was more muscular and toned. She wore her top open same as Zola though unlike most of the girls who wore either skirts or shorts, she dressed in tight black pants with a maroon lining.
"Oh hi," he greeted. "I'm Cal. I don't think we've met."
"I doubt Zola would let us. I'm Scarlett, Captain of the Second Squad." Rubbing her chin, Scarlett walked around him as she looked Cal up and down. "Not bad. A little scrawny for my liking but I can see why so many of the girls want to get their hands on you." Cal looked at himself and wondered what she meant. "Don't feel bad," she assured him. "I'm just used to seeing those body builders in those Gym magazines at the mall." It was then that Scarlet noticed the bruise under his chin. "I see Zola is putting you through the wringer."
"Yeah she and Salia have been training me hard." Cal said. "Thought actually I got this from Hilda during sparring."
"That makes sense," Scarlett nodded. "Listen. Zola hasn't…made you do anything you didn't want to?"
"No not really," he said, a bit surprised at her change in tone. "She keeps touching my butt though."
"Good," she sighed in relief. "Just let me know if she does anything other than that and I'll sort her out."
"Erm…okay."
"So anyway, I heard you took down a Corvette by yourself. For a newbie that's pretty damn impressive." Call grinned and rubbed the back of his head.
"I barely remember all that happened," he said. "Just that I couldn't let it kill Rosalie and Chris."
"Well it's important for your squad mates to know that they can count on you," Scarlet nodded. "That way you can count on them. Anyway, I wanted to make you an offer. I've been trying to find a good training partner but most of the girls can't keep up. So, I thought maybe a man could give me the kind of workout I need."
"Yeah I'd like that," he agreed. If he boosted his physique, it might just make him a better pilot as well.
"Great. We'll build these arms up in no time," Scarlet beamed as Ersha and Naomi came out of the locker room.
"Oh, hello Scarlett." Ersha greeted her.
"Hey girls." Scarlett answered. "I was just scouting your new recruit."
"Still looking for a workout partner huh?" Naomi asked. "Better hope Zola doesn't find out." Scarlett waved off her warning.
"I can handle Zola. Though you might want to keep a closer eye on him. Apparently, my vice-captain Betty and a few others snuck into his room this morning to give him a special wakeup." Ersha and Naomi shot Cal looks with raised eyebrows. Before he could explain, Zola along with her group stepped out and the atmosphere suddenly changed.
"Scarlett," Zola said rather coldly.
"Zola," Scarlett replied. Both Naomi and Ersha stepped out of the way as the two Captains stared each other down like two predators in a standoff. "Well, I'll see you around Cal." Scarlett walked away, and Zola kept her eye on her until she vanished around the bend.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"Scarlett said she'd help me boost my physique, so she asked if I'd like to be her workout partner. Is that a problem Captain?" Zola sighed in resignation.
"Well she does know the gym better than anyone," she admitted. "Do what you want. Just remind her you're MY subordinate."
"Yes Ma'am," Cal saluted, catching another nasty glare from Hilda.
"Well in any case," Zola added, "Salia and Vivian are nearly changed so you can go in after they're done. We'll wait out here to show you where to get your pay." Once the last two came out, Cal quickly washed up and changed into his uniform. Scarlet seemed really nice but the way she and Zola looked at each other gave him pause. 'Zola said it wouldn't be a problem if I trained with her,' he thought. 'Maybe she's just afraid Scarlett will make me join second.'
After dressing, Cal followed the others to an open hall near the cafeteria where he saw a small line of Armorers lined up around the corner. Zola allowed Cal to go first though he kept his guard up because he didn't trust her from behind. Finally, he reached the window where a girl with long brown hair and glasses sat at a computer console behind a thick glass screen.
"State your unit," she told him.
"Unit Cal."
"15 schooner class kills and 1 Corvette," she added as she typed on her keypad. "After fuel, ammunition and repair costs your payment is 490,000." On a circular blue tray, the girl counted off a stack of bills which she then passed through the hole at the window's bottom. Zola chuckled as she watched Cal's face light up like a child with a new toy. Cal's excitement didn't last long however as he saw the rest of the squad get 2 or more stacks of cash that were 3 times the size of his. Chris only had 5 notes and eyed them sourly, making Cal feel rather sorry for her.
"Okay now here's what you do," Zola explained. "When you get your pay, you can deposit it into your bank account so you can hold it for when you need it." With his stack not being that much Cal decided to pocket it in his hip satchel. The first thing he was going to buy was a set of new underwear. He was sick of washing and wearing the same ones every day since he got here.
"Hey Cal," Ersha said as the other girls walked off. "Some of the school children have been asking about you a lot. They say your injuries acted up in the classroom, so they and Mary have been worried about you." 'Oh, that's right,' he thought. 'With all that's happened in the last week I forgot all about it.' He hadn't even thanked Ms, Mary for helping him when he was injured. "Their lesson is about to end soon so maybe you could come along and spend some time with them."
"I'd be glad to."
"Wonderful," Ersha beamed. "I'm sure they'll be very happy to see you again."
Around the corner, Naomi watched and couldn't help feeling a little jealous. 'Come on get a hold of yourself,' she thought. "It's just the arcade. Don't overthink it!'
Upon arriving at the classroom, Ersha peeked in to see if their lesson was over. It looked like the curtain over the main window was open so that usually meant free time. "Ah Ersha," Mary said as she looked up. "Come on in." Inside the class, the children were busy reading or drawing. And all of them sprung up in excitement upon seeing who had just appeared up, even more so when they saw Cal.
"Hey everyone," he said, just before the kids mobbed him, all asking a dozen questions at once.
"Alright kids settle down," Ersha urged. "Mary, may I take the kids up to the yard for some P.E?"
"By all means," she said. "I could use some quiet time, to get some work done."
"Can Cal come too?" one girl with short purple hair asked.
"But of course," Ersha said. "That's why I brought him after all." The children cheered with excitement and immediately grabbed Cal's hand before dragging him out the door.
"Now girls behave," Ersha called out as they accidently bumped the side of Cal's head into the door as she chased after them. Mary meanwhile gave a sigh of relief. Once the coast was clear, she returned to her desk and pulled out the male model magazine she stowed away for when no one was around.
Outside, only a few clouds hung in the early afternoon sky. Without any squads around, they were free to use the training grounds as a field. "Actually," Ersha said to Cal as the kids began to divide up, "could I talk to you for a moment?" Taking him aside, Ersha beckoned to one girl with curly black hair. Cal recognized her as the one named Abigail. Unlike the other kids she didn't seem at all excited to be outside. "Could you maybe talk to Abigail. She's a newcomer like you but she's still having trouble making friends."
"Yeah sure," he told her. Walking up, Cal knelt to Abigail's eve level. "Hey. What's wrong?" Abigail looked up and Cal saw that her eyes were on the verge of tears.
"Leave me alone." Her tone was so sad and lonely that Cal felt it as well.
"It's okay. My name's Cal. And I'm a Norma like you." Abigail hung her head and sniffled.
"I just want to go home. I want my Mama and my Auntie."
"Were they the ones who took care of you?" Abigail gave a slight nod. "I know how you feel. When I came here, I lost my Gramps. He was the one who took care of me." She looked up to him and Cal gently brushed a tear from her cheek. "I know how scary this place can seem. But you know what, I made friends when I came here. And while I still miss my Gramps, they helped me feel better because they showed me that I'm not alone. You're not alone either. Ersha's worried about you. And I'm sure the other kids are worried too. Just give them a chance and they'll help you." Abigail nervously looked to where the other kids were dividing up into teams led by Coco and Miranda.
"Come on Abigail," Miranda called.
"Yeah," another little girl said. "We need you for our team." Abigail looked back to Cal who gave her an encouraging nod and the little girl went on to join Miranda's team. Once they were all set, Ersha tossed the ball between the two teams and signaled the game to start with a blow of her whistle. A bench along the edge of the field allowed Cal and Ersha a chance to sit down and watch from the side lines.
"Thank you for that," Ersha said. "Abigail actually seems to be enjoying herself."
"I'm just glad I could help," he said as he gave a wistful sigh.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just, I used to play soccer with my Gramps when I was their age. I guess it still makes me a little sad to think about him."
"I see," Ersha nodded. "Say why don't we join them. I bet you could teach the kids a few tricks."
"Hmm I'm not sure about that."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, when I usually played soccer, I broke a lot of windows which always drove Gramps crazy."
"Oh I'm sure that won't happen here," Ersha assured him. "The only place up here that has windows is Inspector Emma's house. And we're much too far away to hit it."
"Ms. Ersha!" one of the kids suddenly yelled. Ersha looked up and saw the ball coming right towards her. Before she could move, Cal leapt from his seat and headbutted the ball back towards the kids.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Uh yes," she said. "That was amazing."
"Gramps would use his Mana so we could watch the Soccer games," he told her. "I saw players using head tricks like that and managed to master it after hours of practice. That was actually how I broke most of the windows." Hearing someone approach, Cal turned around and saw the kids had surrounded him and Ersha.
"Will you play with us too Cal?" one asked.
"Please?"
"Uh well," Cal said. The way they looked at him made him hesitant to say no but he didn't want to give one team an unfair advantage.
"How about if I play as well," Ersha suggested. "That way it'll be fair."
"Yeah sure," Cal said. "If you don't mind." Deciding to take over as their team's goalie, Ersha and Cal took position between the two beanbags that served as the goals on opposing ends of the field. For the next hour or so, the game went on and Abigail even managed to smile a few times. Cal himself made sure to keep up a good defense though he allowed some balls to get through so the kids wouldn't get discouraged. Finally, as the game neared its end, the teams were tied 6-6 when one of the girls accidentally knocked one of the opposing team to the ground. No one was hurt and it was clearly accidental, but Ersha called penalty. Surprisingly, Ersha's team decided she should be the one to take the free kick.
"Ready?" Ersha asked.
"Bring it on," Cal smirked as she clapped his hands together. "I can take whatever you can dish out."
"Oh is that so?" Ersha asked. Too late, Cal remembered their sparring sessions as Ersha pulled back her leg and kicked the ball with the force of a cannon. Cal braced himself to catch it, but the impact pushed was too great as the ball pushed past his hands and hit him square in the face and sent him stumbling over to fall onto the ground.
"Oh dear," Ersha gasped as she and the kids ran over.
"Are you okay?" one girl asked.
"Dear me."
"I think he's dead."
"I'm so sorry," Ersha said as she knelt and braced his back. "I didn't mean…"
"I'm fine. But maybe we call that point by KO," Cal said as he waved his hands, his face red and stinging from the impact.
"I guess it is getting pretty late. Alright kids. Let's head back inside." As the kids gathered up the beanbags and the ball, Cal saw Abigail standing with two of the other children.
"That was a great save earlier Abigail."
"You're really good."
"Next time you should be on our team." Abigail blushed and gave a small smile. It was the first time Ersha had genuinely seen her happy since she first arrived on Arzenal. After putting everything away, Ersha and Cal escorted the kids to their wing in the dorms.
As it was mid-afternoon, rather than their rooms they were taken to the 'clubhouse', a specially designated room for after classes full of games, puzzles, books, and arts and crafts. All along the walls Cal saw various pictures done by the kids, including the one he drew for them of Gramps' cabin.
Suddenly, the clock over the door chimed 3 o'clock. The days seemed to go faster ever since he got to Arzenal. There was so much more to do here compared to the Island and he was eager to try out the things he hadn't seen yet. "Hey Ersha," he said. "Do you know where Naomi will be. I was supposed to meet up with her today."
"She should be cooking up some treats for the kids' afternoon snack," she said. "I'll go check on her. Could you watch the kids for a while?"
"Sure, no problem." As Ersha left, she felt more than a little disappointed. Cal was so good with the kids that she almost didn't want to share him. But she had promised Naomi and would keep her word. Cal, meanwhile, took a seat in one of the larger chairs. Most of the kids were drawing with crayons, playing games, or working on puzzles so he looked up to the drawing he had given them. His talk with Abigail had brought up the memories of home and how it was gone forever. Why did humans dislike Norma so much? Gramps hadn't so why couldn't more humans be like him? Feeling a tug on his arm, Cal turned around to see Coco and Miranda standing beside him.
"Hey, will you draw us another picture?" Coco asked.
"And maybe tell us a little more about where you came from?" Miranda added.
"Sure," he said. It was one of his favorite things to do after all and sharing his memories did help him feel less sad. Taking up a pencil and paper, Cal mulled over his options and decided to draw the huge stag he had hunted not too long ago.
Arriving at the cafeteria, Ersha walked into the kitchen where she found Naomi working with head chef Linda on the spaghetti and meatballs for tonight's dinner.
"Hey Ersha, so how was he with the kids?" Naomi asked. "Did he manage to get through to Abigail?"
"Naomi, he's… absolutely wonderful with them." Naomi was taken back a bit by Ersha's reaction. "He actually got Abigail to smile."
"I figured he would," Naomi nodded as the oven dinged. "After all he's like a kid himself." Taking an oven mitt, Naomi pulled out a tray of fresh chocolate chip cookies. "Do you think Cal will want some as well?"
"I'd be shocked if he didn't," Ersha said as she wrapped an apron around her waist. Together, they made a second batch just for Cal, considering he ate like a horse. After finishing up, the two Pinkett's packed the cookies into plastic bins as they set off back to the classroom. "Are you looking forward to your date?" Ersha teased, making Naomi turn scarlet.
"It's not a date!" Naomi cried. "I'm just showing him the arcade!"
"If you say so," Ersha sang, making Naomi pout in irritation. While passing through the halls, they ran into Ms. Mary who was on her way to supervise the kids.
"Ersha, how did the kids behave with Cal?"
"Oh, they were very well behaved. He even managed to make Abigail smile and come out her shell a little."
"Well that's certainly a relief," Ms Mary said. "I've been worried about her." Norma who arrived at an older age were often traumatized after being torn from their parents and Abigail was no exception. Ersha remembered that when she first met Abigail, she didn't talk to anyone and often cried herself to sleep at night. Though she tried her best, Ersha knew that it would take a latecomer like either Cal or Hilda to relate to her. And while Hilda was actually nicer than most gave her credit for, her harsh outlook might not be the best approach.
"Maybe if you bring Cal around more Abigail might become more open," Naomi suggested.
"I already planned to if he feels up to it," Ersha said.
"I hope you two are looking after him," Ms Mary said. "I know how some of the girls can be. Especially Zola."
"Don't worry," Naomi assured her as they arrived at the clubhouse. "He's in safe hands. Especially with Salia to protect him." As they opened the door, nothing could have prepared them for what awaited them.
"What the matter?" Ms Mary asked as Ersha froze. "Oh dear."
"What? What is it?" Naomi asked as she forced her way through only for her mouth to drop open. While they were gone, the kids had gotten out the toy tea set and convinced Cal to have some kind of pretend tea party with them. It would almost be cute if it weren't for the fact that his hair had multiple bright colored bows and ribbons as well as painted nails. Unlike the other two, Naomi couldn't contain herself and doubled over with laughter.
"What have you girls done to Cal?" Ms Mary gasped. "He's not a doll."
"We asked and he said we could." One of the kids said. Ersha felt her face clench up from resisting the urge to burst out laughing like Naomi."Aw Cal," she said as she began pulling the ribbons and bows from his hair. "That is just shocking." She wanted to hug him for having to put with what the kids had done to him though Cal didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by it.
"They said I looked natural." Ersha wiped a tear from her eye as she wiped of the nail paint off of Cal's nails. Once he was cleaned up, Ersha and the others set down the bins of cookies and the kids beamed with happiness. Ersha handed Cal a box of his own and as expected he shoved them down as if he hadn't eaten in days. "These are great," Cal groaned through a mouthful.
"You ready to hit the arcade?" Naomi asked.
"Hell yeah." Cal said as he jumped up from his chair.
"Say goodbye to Cal kid," Ersha said. The kids all awed in disappointment but waved goodbye to him.
"Bye Cal." They called. Cal waved back as he and Naomi headed for the door.
"Have fun on your date!" Ersha called from the door. Naomi turned around with her face once more a bright shade of red and mouthed 'shut up!'
"What is a date exactly?" Cal asked.
"Nothing." Naomi lied. "Absolutely nothing." Naomi grabbed his hand and hurried on with him before Ersha could embarrass her any further, realizing too late that actually holding a man's hand was having the same effect.
Another day, another stack. With Vulcan by her side, Jasmine sat in her chair and watched as the residents performed their shopping. Quite a few changes had changed ever since Cal had arrived. First, she had noticed a recent trend of increased interest in male model magazines, so she had expanded the selection. Then there was the recently opened Men's department. With a boy now on Arzanel, Jasmine had taken the liberty of ordering clothes for Cal in his size. Unusually for Jasmine, she had refused to sell them to the other residents despite being offered two or even three times her original price. Profit was one thing, but Cal needed them more than they did.
Noticing how quiet the mall got, Jasmine looked to her left and saw Naomi leading Cal into the mall. The Pinkett had Cal's hands in hers and several of the other Norma were shooting envious stares in her direction. Rising up from her chair, Jasmine went to greet her latest customers. "Welcome back," she said. "You here to check out our latest weaponry?"
"Maybe later," Naomi said. "Right now, I'm gonna show Cal the arcade.
"Taking on an apprentice huh?" Jasmine said as he puffed her pipe. "Hilda giving you too much trouble?"
"Please," she fired back. "I'm still number one around here."
"Whatever you say hon." From the corner of her eye, Jasmine suddenly saw Cal tense up. Following his line of sight, she saw Vulcan had gotten up and come over to say hello. "Hey, hey it's okay kiddo he's not going to hurt you." Jasmine reassured him. "What's the matter? Do you not like dogs?"
"Not really," he said. "I…had a bad experience once." Jasmine knew by the look on Cal's face that he didn't want to talk about it. In an effort to distract Cal's attention, she pointed towards her latest section.
"I took the liberty of getting some clothes shipped in for you. They're yours if you have the cash."
"Thank you." Cal said. "These shoes do hurt my feet at times."
"On a related note, your custom uniform and pilot suit should be ready in a few weeks. What color would you like your pilot suit?" Cal puffed in relief as he hated that ugly seaweed green suit. He mulled it over and his favorite color came to mind.
"Dark Blue. With red lining along the legs."
"You got it. I'll pass along the message. Now, you two go on and have your fun." As Jasmine and Vulcan walked off, Naomi guided Cal around the mall towards the arcade, his eyes going wide when he saw the machines lining the wall. Rows of white plastic cabinets with a huge screen that looked very similar to the monitor he used back at the cabin to watch the movies and tv shows Gramps recorded for him. Except these were twice as tall and even bigger than Cal. Below the screen were a variety of buttons and switches that Cal had no clue how to use.
"Ready?" she asked.
"I guess so," he answered, feeling just a little intimidated.
"Okay, first we need some tokens. First round is on me." Turning to a machine set by the door, Naomi inserted a bill and a pile of coins emptied into the lower bin. After dividing them up, she took him to two consoles set side by side. "Paired up cabinets like these are connected, meaning if two people pick the same game then they can play against each other. You go ahead and pick one. Use the control stick to select and then press the START button when you decide which one to play." Under Naomi's guidance, Cal scanned through the listed games and chose one called 'Street Fighter Z'. As the game loaded up, he saw a list of names pop up from ranked 1st to 10th. Naomi ranked number one with Hilda as 2nd.
"So what do I do now?" Cal asked.
"Now type in your name using the stick and A button." Cal did as he was told and a window opened that read, 'CHALLENGER APPEARED. ACCEPT?' "Click yes and that allows us to play against each other." A list of characters came up and Cal chose one called Zye, a muscular man donned in black karate Gi while Naomi chose a female character in a school uniform named Tammy.
"Okay now here's the basics. A is punch. B is kick. X is jump. Z is block. Try it out." Cal pressed the buttons as instructed and Zye moved just as Naomi said he would. "Move the stick up to jump, down to crouch, and at an angle to do variations of the basic attack." 'I get it,' Cal thought. 'It's just like sparring training.' "Ready to give it a try?"
"Let's do it." With the match officially begun, Cal went on the attack only for Naomi to use her character's speed to dodge back. Before he could counter, Naomi somehow made her character shoot some kind of lightning blast from her hands that took Cal's health down by half. "What was that?"
"Special move," she said. "Each character in this game has one. Press down and circle a quarter clockwise. Then press punch." Cal did and Zye fired an energy wave that depleted Tammy's health by the same degree.
"Getting the hang of it?" Naomi asked.
"Oh you better believe it."
"Good. Because now I can take off the training wheels." For the next three minutes, the two of them sent their avatars going back and forth across their respective screens. Naomi let Cal have the first round, then turned it up to take the second. By round three, Cal was getting the hang of the game and was even able to give her a decent challenge.
"You've got real potential," she admitted, her eye on the steadily growing meter beneath her life gauge.
"Thanks."
"But…" with her berserk gauge filled, Naomi activated super mode and turned Tammy loose, the smaller fighter decimating Zye with a barrage of lightning-fast punches and kicks, "…you need more than eagerness to win at this game." Naomi looked over at Cal and couldn't help giggling at the look of shock at how she had won. "Want to try another one?"
"Sure," he agreed. Over the next hour, the two of them played an entire selection of games ranging from racing, to fighting to adventure. Naomi beat him but at least she didn't rub it in his face like Hilda would have. When she noticed, his fingers were starting to get sore, Naomi brought Cal to the physical games around the mall. First was the air hockey table which Cal found rather frustrating. Several times when trying to intercept the puck, he wound up with his fingers getting struck. What neither of them noticed was how a small crowd of the other Norma had gathered to watch Arzenal's sole man. Next was the pool table. Though he had trouble figuring out how to hold the cue at first, by the time he got the hang of it, he managed to easily close the early lead Naomi had taken. To her annoyance, Naomi noticed how whenever he bent over the table, the other girls would lean in for a better look.
"He has such a nice ass."
"Has anyone got a camera?"
"How come First Squad gets to hog him all to themselves?" Despite herself, Naomi began to get increasingly annoyed with how the other girls wouldn't mind their own business. As a result, she began to lose her focus which allowed Cal took both the lead and the win when he sunk the eight ball in the side pocket.
"Well, well," a snide voice said. "At least your skills are better here than then they are in bed." Cal and Naomi looked up and saw Hilda with Rosalie and Chris standing behind her.
"What is she talking about?" Cal asked Naomi.
"Leave him alone Hilda."
"What's wrong?" Hilda smirked. "Did I interrupt your little date?" Naomi went red from embarrassment and annoyance.
"It's not a date!" she cried. "We're just…hanging out!"
"Whatever. Why don't you stop wasting your time with him and take on a worthy opponent?" Naomi wanted nothing more than to put Hilda in her place but held her tongue. She had been looking forward to this all day and she wasn't going to let anyone ruin it.
"Another time Hilda."
"Oh, I see what's happening. You're losing your touch so you're going after the easy mark."
"You wanna talk about losing your touch?" Naomi snarked. "A Newbie not only beat you in getting more kills, but he also bagged a Corvette all by himself on his first combat! When was the last time you took down a big one by yourself?" Cal felt the same tension earlier during Zola and Scarlett's encounter as Naomi and Hilda stared daggers at each other. The other Norma felt it as well and backed away.
"Well I bet he can't beat me in a game of table tennis."
"You're on."
"Wait what?" Cal asked. Naomi took him by the arm and led him aside.
"I know you're getting tired of her attitude too," she said. "Look, Ersha told me how you played soccer with the kids. Table tennis is pretty much the same thing. Just keep it from going over your side of the table just like with a goal." Cal looked back at Hilda and he had to admit the thought of teaching her humility was a tempting idea.
"Let's go," he said.
"Good," Hilda said. "I owe you for today anyway." As the two took their places, Hilda bounced the plastic ball on her side of the table. Cal could already tell from the look on her face that she intended to aim right at him.
"Ready," Naomi announced, "Hilda serve." Tossing the ball, Hilda smashed it with her paddle and sent it flying towards his face. Cal however brought up his own paddle and deflected it, sending it flying back to her. Hilda yelped in surprise and dodged, barely missing taking a hit herself,
"Point for Cal," Naomi smirked. "His serve."
"Lucky shot," Hilda fumed. For the next ten minutes, the two of them went back and forth across the table. To Hilda's surprise, Cal's experience in soccer made him a surprisingly difficult opponent until finally, she managed to get his timing down and turned the game in her favor.
"That's game," Naomi said. "Hilda wins." At 10 to 7 it everyone thought it had been a close one. Having worked up a sweat, Cal went around the table and offered Hilda his hand.
"That was a good match," he said. "But I'll win next time." Hilda looked down at his hand and turned away.
"Don't get cocky," she told him. "You've got a long way to go before you're anywhere NEAR my league." With a toss of her head, one of Hilda's crimson pigtails hit Cal in the face. Though annoyed, he couldn't help noticing how soft it felt or how good it smelled. "Are you two coming?" she asked Rosalie and Chris.
"Actually Hilda," Rosalie said, "we need to take care of something."
"Whatever," Hilda said as she walked off. Casting a look back, Hilda watched Cal over her shoulder and was a bit confused by her feelings. She may have won but she failed to humiliate him like she intended. 'I should be angry,' she thought. 'So why aren't I?' Instead, she felt almost happy. As if she had actually had fun playing with him. 'Yeah right,' she reminded herself. 'Don't forget he's still a man.' The moment she let her guard down was when he'd take advantage. Meanwhile, several of the onlookers began to swarm around Cal.
"Will you play the next match with me?"
"No, me first!"
"I was here before you!" The group were almost on the verge of using him as a tug of war before Naomi pulled Cal back, an icy glare warning them to back off. Once they had some space, Rosalie and Chris came forward.
"Um excuse me," Chris suddenly said. To hear her speak to him on her own was such a shock that Cal nearly pinched himself. "I wanted to say…thanks for yesterday. If you hadn't grabbed me…I'd be dead."
"Well why wouldn't I?" he asked. Chris looked up to him with surprise in her light pink eyes. "We're teammates, right?"
"Um yeah," she said. "I guess we are."
"So anyway," Rosalie cut in, "as payback we thought we'd treat you to a weapon upgrade for your Para-mail. That way we'll be even."
"Really? I mean, you don't have to."
"Yeah well I like to remain on the even so just shut up and let us."
"Oh. Okay if you really want." Along with Naomi, Cal followed Rosalie and Chris over to the Para-mail department. In front of the weapons display, Salia was buying an upgrade of her own in the form of a new sniper rifle.
"Hey Salia," he called.
"Oh Cal, Naomi," she waved. "How did you like the arcade?"
"It was great," he beamed. "This is the first time I've ever been able to play them. And now, Rosalie and Chris said they wanted to buy me a new weapon."
"Really?" Salia asked. Rosalie spending money on anyone other than herself was almost as unheard of as a male Norma.
"Hey don't give me that look," Rosalie huffed. "Chris and I are just paying back a debt. Just don't pick anything too expensive." Walking along the display, Cal examined the various guns, swords, and artillery canons. There were a lot of different styles to choose from, but he didn't want to take unnecessary advantage of their kindness. To his disappointment it didn't look as if there were any Crossbows that he could get his unit.
"Hey what about this one?" he asked. Rosalie and Chris came over and raised an eyebrow. The 'F2001,' wasn't the worst gun on the market but there were better picks. It had a faster rate of fire than the standard assault rifle, but it lacked a grenade launcher which really only made it useful against Schooners. Still it wasn't too expensive and that was what Rosalie had hoped for.
"Oh yeah great pick," she said. "It fires a lot faster than your current gun. Then after you get some more kills you can upgrade to something even better."
"Rosalie," Chris whispered.
"Hey, he picked it out himself," she argued. "Consider it a free lesson in being more selective. Besides, if he doesn't like it, he can always switch back." After calling Jasmine over, Rosalie paid her 3.4 million for the weapon. "Now we're square," Rosalie said with Chris nodding her head.
"I still don't see why you felt you had to," Cal said. "But I appreciate it. If you ever need help of any sort just ask."
"Um okay," Chris said as she blushed. Now that she actually got to know him, Cal was actually really nice. Maybe she should try and hang out with him sometime too.
"So I have to ask," Rosalie interrupted, "what happened last night?"
"What do you mean?" Both girls gave him bemused looks. "Well I had a nightmare and woke up with a bunch of girls in my room for some reason. But that's pretty much it"
"So you and Captain Zola didn't do 'it?' Chris asked.
"What's 'it'?" he asked. So Zola hadn't done anything? Then again, they both knew their captain had certain rules that even she followed. It also meant opportunity was banging down their door right in front of them. With a playful grin, Rosalie came towards him, taking his arm and wrapping it around her shoulder like a boa while her bosom pressed against him.
"Well," she purred with a wink, "maybe you'd like to have some fun with me and Chris."
"Ro-Ro-Rosalie!" Chris gasped.
"That sounds great, but I already promised I'd hang with Naomi today. We'll do it some other time. Speaking of which where is she?" As Cal walked off in search of Naomi, Rosalie pouted in annoyance. She wasn't sure if he was oblivious or if he was one of those types that just wasn't into girls.
With Cal preoccupied with picking out his new weapon, Naomi took the chance to sneak off to the accessory stand. As she scanned the items, she found a gold chain with a plate to engrave a name on. Naomi and Salia had given each other similar ones when they were 12 to symbolize their friendship. A rose gold bracelet for Naomi and a silver one for Salia.
As she took the bracelet to the checkout, who should she bump into but Salia herself immediately hid her own purchase behind her back. "Oh…hey Naomi. I thought you were still with Cal?"
"I just thought I'd get him a little something as a souvenir," she answered as she looked over Salia's shoulder. "So, what did you get?"
"Nothing!" Salia cried as she went pink in the face. 'It has to be something good,' Naomi thought with a grin as she reached around. "Now wait a minute!" In an effort to keep it out of Naomi's grasp, Salia held it out at arms' length but in doing so, managed to reveal the title.
"Loving Sex for friends with benefits," Naomi read as Salia went bright red. ",how naughty."
"It's not what it looks like I swear!"
"Salia calm down," Naomi laughed. "Whatever you get up to with him is your business."
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Come on Salia. I see the way you look at Cal."
"Everyone looks at him!" Salia argued. "He's the first man we've ever met so of course he attracts attention!"
"If you say so." Better to just drop it. Salia was a sweet girl, but Naomi knew she could get scary if pushed. "Do you think he'll like this?" she asked as she held out the bracelet.
"Yeah," Salia agreed. "I don't think Cal's the picky type. Not if the way he eats is any indication.
"I guess you're right. Thanks, Salia. Maybe next time you can take him on a date."
"W-will you knock it off!" Salia cried, almost looking like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
When he couldn't find Naomi, Cal decided to do some shopping while he waited for her to return. As he promised himself, the first thing he bought with his earnings was a 3-pack of boxers, relieved that he wouldn't be wearing and washing the same boxers every day. He headed towards Jasmine to pay and handed over 90,000. It was a lot more than he thought they'd be, which was kind of frustrating. He'd have to be careful about how he spent his money.
"What's on your mind kid?" Jasmine asked.
"I guess I was just hoping I'd earn a little more from my first sortie," he sighed. "Some of the others got two or even three times what I did."
"Everything has a price here," she told him. "But you don't have to just limit yourself to combat duty to make a living. If you're willing to work, you can always work part time in the kitchens or the hanger." Looking around, Jasmine noticed how business had picked up when Cal arrived and had an idea. "Or better yet, why don't you help me out restocking the mall every afternoon when you finish your training. I could use someone big and strong to help around here."
Cal liked the idea of earning more cash outside of combat. "Thanks. I'll be more than happy to help out."
"I'm glad you've got your Gramps' desires to help others. I think you and I are gonna get along just fine." Cal found that he really liked Jasmine. She had the same protective and nurturing personality that Gramps had. Now that he thought about it, Jasmine said she and Gramps were friends so maybe she could tell Cal about him. Before he could ask though he heard someone call for him.
"Hey Cal!" He turned around and who should he see but Naomi running up to him. "Sorry. I had to take care of something."
"It's fine," he told her. "I had to buy something anyway."
"So what do you think off the mall?"
"It's incredible. I'm really glad you showed me it."
"My pleasure," she said. "Hey erm Cal…would you like to…eat with me in my room?"
"That's kind of a long way to take the trays from the Cafeteria."
"Not the Cafeteria silly. We can get something from the vending machines." After picking up a burger and fries' meal, Naomi led Cal to her room which amazed him at how different it was from his own. Unlike his there was only one wardrobe. In place of where the second would be was a desk with make-up and books stacked along the top shelf. The beds were the same as Cal's but the one on the left had a soft and fluffy pink and white sheet with two huge pillows while the right-side bed was orange and red. Upon the window ledge was a vase full of multicolored flowers that made the room even more lively.
"Whose bed does that belong to?"
"Oh, Ersha is my roommate." Naomi said. "But it's not all great. She never allows me to sleep an extra 5 minutes." Grabbing her two bed pillows for a seat, Naomi and Cal settled onto the floor to eat. Although he was enjoying his time with Naomi, he also couldn't help feeling a little down. Eating with just one person was a reminder of the life he had with Gramps. Naomi noticed his expression and led in towards him. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something."
"Huh…yeah go ahead."
"What's really going on? I could tell combat wasn't a nice experience for you, but did something happen before you arrived? Your injuries really had us worried." Cal cast his eyes down. His body had healed but the pain of losing Gramps was still very raw.
"I can't," he told her. "I lost someone very close to me when I came here."
"Oh, I'm really sorry Cal."
"It's okay you didn't know."
I'm just sorry for being inconsiderate." Cal's hand lowered and he stared at the burger in his grip.
"It's my fault he's gone." Naomi gave him a confused look. "I should have done more to help Gramps. But he told me to run so I did. Just like a stupid little kid. Like a coward. Why didn't I stay to help?" Cal vision blurred and he began to hyperventilate when something grabbed him, and he felt something soft and warm pressed against his face.
"Cal don't," Naomi whispered, her small hand caressing the back of his head. "It's not your fault. Sometimes, things like this just happen. Your Grandfather told you to run because he didn't want you to get hurt." Cal pulled his face from Naomi's bosom and looked up into her gentle violet eyes. "When you're ready to tell me or anyone else what happened we're here for you. So don't blame yourself okay? I have a feeling your Gramps would want you to keep living." Cal gasped and wiped his eyes. 'Don't just survive. I want you to live,' the note said.
"Okay, and thanks." After finishing their meal, Naomi walked Cal back to his quarters. "I had a lot of fun today," he told her, his smile having returned. "Thanks for everything."
"Well you can thank me by doing it again some time."
"Don't worry I will." Cal was about to enter his room until Naomi stopped him.
"Just a few more things," she added. "You see this switch on the inside of your door. It's a lock. It'll keep any uninvited guests from barging in." 'I'd like to see Captain Zola get her mitts on him now,' she thought.
"Oh," Cal said. "That would be kind of useful. What's the other thing?"
"Well…" Cal cocked his head as Naomi took a deep breath before raising up on tiptoe to peck his cheek, the act turning both their faces red. "See you tomorrow." Before he could answer, Naomi raced off with a spring in her step.
After taking a moment to process what happened, Cal laid out on his bed but couldn't sleep. All he could think about was the kiss Naomi had given him. 'So that's what a kiss feels like.' He thought. It was so soft and tender, Cal quite liked it, but he wondered why Naomi did that. Even in the films and tv shows he would watch over the years he never understood why the characters kissed but Gramps told him that a man and woman do it they love each other. Cal however didn't know how to feel about that since he had never fallen in love with anyone.
Still embarrassed, Naomi curled up on her bed in her pink nightgown. 'What was I thinking?' she groaned as she buried her face in her pillow. 'I can't believe I actually kissed him.' Cal was such a pure and innocent soul and she felt like she had taken advantage of him. 'No. I'm nothing like Zola or some of the other girls. I wouldn't use him like a living sex toy.' Still, the thought of having sex with a man was like a dream to her. But then there was the trauma he had displayed after combat, and he had guilt written all over him from losing his Gramps. Whatever happened to him Cal was deeply troubled, and Naomi was determined to help him in whatever way she could. 'Whenever he's ready to tell me.' She decided as she finally drifted off. 'I'll support him all the way.'
