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Today seems to be someone’s birthday. Let us remember this day for the good it brings, and not the bad memories that haunt it. Also cake.


Fighting for the Future –A H&K: MD! Birthday Special


Over the years, it got easier to deal with Hanako’s birthday, both for me, our children, our friends, and of course, Hanako herself. Some years stand out more than others, and one of those that stands out most occurred when she was pregnant with our first child, Akio.

As usual during her birthday, Hanako had holed up in the bedroom, which, now that we had our own place, was our bedroom. For that reason she didn’t lock herself in, though we had other rooms where she could have. I guess she wanted the familiarity more than the isolation.

Anyway, even back then she had made progress, the most striking of which was that she didn’t mind me being with her. If I’m honest, that was probably just as much the result of us sharing a bed as it was anything else.

She was also eating properly, fortunately, although she almost never left the room if she could help it. I was more than happy to make sure she was eating, of course, as it was about all I could do for her during that time of year. Which was why I was standing in front of our bedroom door with a tray of food, carefully selected to go along with her latest cravings and dietary needs.

I gently knocked on the door, “Hey, Hana. I have dinner. And marshmallows.”

No response. Which, in a way, was a response in itself. Suppressing a sigh, I gently opened the door and stepped into our bedroom.

The lights were off and the window covered, so it took my eyes a moment to adjust. I closed the door behind me with my foot, and watched to see if Hanako would react to my presence.

My heavily pregnant wife was lying on the bed, completely covered by a bed sheet. She didn’t stir or move at all, so I placed the tray of food on the dresser by her head and stepped back. After a few minutes, a hand appeared from under the sheet, groped for the tray, grabbed a marshmallow, and retreated back under the covers. A little while later the hand reappeared, and, bit by bit, the food disappeared under the cover.

When the tray was empty I picked it up and headed for the door. I was almost there when I heard a muffled grunt from under the covers.

I turned my head back toward the bed, not letting my hopes rise as I asked, “I’m sorry?”

“…You can stay.”

I slowly turned on my heel to face the bed, “Okay.”

I placed the tray back down on the dresser and slowly eased over behind Hanako. As I carefully cuddled up to her, she lowered the sheet enough that I could see her head. Or rather, her long hair matted over her face.

I resisted the urge to move her hair and just laid there, my hand absently making its way to her covered belly. She didn’t flinch at my touch, or react at all, for that matter. For a while we just laid like that, Hanako trapped in her own roiling emotions and hormones, while I provided what little comfort I could, and kept my mouth shut.

After a while, Hanako spoke, muttering, “He doesn’t kick much, and he’s not very strong.”

“The Doctor says he’s fine,” so much for keeping my mouth shut, “He’s just taking after his mother; quiet and considerate. He’s still kicking regularly, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Good.”

We were silent for a little while longer, until once again Hanako spoke up, however quietly, “…It’s not fair. To him.”

I dutifully resisted the urge to say anything this time, even though I had a disheartening suspicion where her line of thinking was heading.

“W-what kind of m-mother can’t even handle her own… p-past? W-what sort of m-mother am I going to be? And w-what if s-something happens to y-y-you? W-what were we thinking? We sh-sh-shouldn’t be-”

“Don’t say it,” I said, finally breaking my silence, “It’s not just about us now. We have to think about what’s best for him, and I know you think you’re doing that, but lamenting his existence and our own problems won’t help. You have strength few people have, to have to look in the mirror and see your past slap you in the face every time you do. Remember the first time you wore your hair back? You were terrified of what people would say or do. But you came through it, just like you get through every… year.”

“And yes, something might happen to me,” I continued, “It’s not as likely as it was five or ten years ago, but it’s possible. It’s even possible he’ll inherit my condition. Unlikely, but possible. But you’ll get through that, too. And you’re forgetting we’re not alone –you’re not alone. Lilly and George will look after him if anything happens. They have Hanaye, so they already know what to do.

“We can’t let our problems affect us as parents, or at least, have them affect us as little as possible. I won’t be able to play soccer with my son, and there’ll be times when you just need to be alone. He’ll understand that. But it’s not fair to regret him, to blame us for him, because if we think like that, we’ll screw him up even worse than we are.”

Since I was pretty sure I had pissed her off with my bullshit lecture, I gave her a quick, gentle squeeze, and left the bedroom, heading for the living room. I kept some spare sheets, blankets, and pillows under the couch, just in case. After my little outburst, it was probably best to leave Hanako alone until she needed food again.

Once I was hunkered down in the Fortress of Manly Regret, I did what any father-to-be with an emotionally traumatized, heavily pregnant wife who rued the day she was born did; I called my best friend to whine about what a terrible husband I was.

My cell phone rang twice before I heard Kenji’s reply, “What did you do this time?”

“And how are you, Kenji?” I replied.

“Did you mention her ankles again?”

“I’m not that dense,” I replied, “You know what day this is, right?”

“Of the pregnancy? Of course, man.”

“…That’s not what I meant.”

“…Oh, shit.”

I sighed, “Pretty much.”

“What. Did. You. Say?”

I sighed again and leaned back against the couch, “Well, first I interrupted her lamenting our status as parents and how we were unfit to be parents, mentioned her facial scars, told her if I dropped dead she’d get over it and Lilly and George could help with the kid, and that it wasn’t fair to him for us to whine about our crap.”

“…I’ll be over in ten minutes.”

“Don’t bother,” I said, “I appreciate the thought, but this is something I have to deal with alone.”

“I get you, man,” Kenji stated, “and for what it’s worth, it sounds like what you said had to be said.”

“I still feel like shit for saying it,” I grumbled, “I mean, slash-and-burn psychology was always your shtick.”

Kenji snorted, “Gee thanks, man. So maybe you’re word choice sucked; neither one of you is in the right head space right now. I mean it’s what, week 29?”

“…You know that is really creepy, right?”

“I can’t help being good at my job,” Kenji countered, “So, what are you gonna do?”

“Hunker down on the couch until I need to get her more food, apologize for having the tact of a Khornate Berserker, and in the meantime hope I didn’t just make things worse.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kenji replied, “Good luck, let me know how it turns out.”

“Thanks, man,” I said, and after a couple quick goodbyes, we hung up.

I settled into my couch fortress, one eye on my watch as I bided my time and thought. I mulled over what I had said, what Hanako had said, what Kenji had said, the last few days, and a few random things that floated around my head as I thought.

We knew going into things there would be rough patches, but we were both willing to deal with that, because it was all worth it. I’d tread through the next few days as best I could, just like she had to.

I was about to reach under the couch for a book when I got the sense I was being watched. While I’d normally attribute that to too much time spent with Kenji, I instinctively looked behind me towards the hallway. Peeking out into the living room was a lone eye, obscured by a sheet of matted purple hair.

I blinked hard to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. Hanako was still there, in the hallway, looking at me through her neglected hair. After a few seconds she silently waddled over to the couch, where she stiffly sat down next to me.

I resisted the urge to speak, and made sure my jaw was snapped shut as she slowly eased against me.

Barely loud enough to hear, Hanako mumbled, “He’s kicking.”

I was still too stunned to say anything, or even touch her, which was probably for the best. It took a little while for Hanako to find a position that was both comfortable for her and myself, but eventually she figured it out. I was still wary of saying anything, but I slowly put my arm around her. She didn’t react to my touch, for better or worse.

A little while later, Hanako muttered, “It won’t be easy.”

A simple statement, with so much meaning behind it. Though still wary and shocked by her unprecedented departure from the bedroom, I felt this statement did require a response.

“Nothing worth doing or having is ever easy,” I declared.

Hanako’s head shifted lethargically, and it took me a moment to realize she was nodding.

No, it wouldn’t be easy. But we’d keep fighting, together. Both for our sakes, and those of our children.

+++

You know, I don’t think the fights he’d end up in were quite the ones he imagined .

Speaking of, I should get ready for Halloween… where I’d put that book on voodoo….

Also, looking at the math, it would seem Akio was conceived before the two graduated, and, presumably, married. Hmm....

This may be the shortest thing you've ever published here. It's poignant, though.

As for their still being in college and unmarried when Hanako was pregnant... didn't you figure that out when you wrote out the basic backstory?

Helbereth wrote:This may be the shortest thing you've ever published here. It's poignant, though.

Short and to the point has its moments, especially considering some of the longer works I've churned out recently.

As for their still being in college and unmarried when Hanako was pregnant... didn't you figure that out when you wrote out the basic backstory?

Eh, considering they were engaged for three years, it's probably safe to presume that the wedding was shortly after graduation, so no one cared too much when Akio was actually born (it was after the wedding, at least.)

Granted, they were a bit faster than Kenji and Miya, who probably got knocked up during the honeymoon .

Hoitash wrote:Granted, they were a bit faster than Kenji and Miya, who probably got knocked up during the honeymoon .

A silver bullet on their wedding night. Nice.

Christmas is a time for love, giving, and togetherness.

Also the Catholic Church trying to cover up a pagan festival of the winter solstice, but never mind that.

Anyway, here’s a story about some Japanese college kids watching a movie about some Americans stealing Nazi gold.

Oh, right, timeline… we’re in the early summer of 2011, so about four months after Poker Night (the timeline is your friend.)

Also, I mean no disrespect by my mentioning of the tragedies that befell Japan in 2011 or 1995. I believe to ignore them is to belittle their toll on the people of the nation, and the world at large. I apologize if I offend anyone by their mention.


Drink Hard on a Couch 4: Drink Free or Couch Hard


“Thanks again for letting us use your room, Tako,” I said.

Kaneo Takarada shrugged, licking his gold tooth as he stated, “Jus’ doin’ my duty as a duly elected member of dah Student Council.”

Oji Homma, who was in the room as well, raised an eyebrow, “How is this related to being Student Council Treasurer?”

Kaneo adjusted his polished brass-framed glasses before he replied, “Campaignin’ foh when I run foh President.”

It was the weekend before summer break of our third year of college, and once again Kenji and I were setting up for another movie night. It would be our first in a while thanks to, well, recent events at the time, and promised to be one of the rowdier ones, both as thanks that the worst of the disaster was under control, and that our exams were once again over.

On the other hand, there was the guest list to consider. Besides the usual suspects –myself, Kenji, and Oji, our intrepid stoner and aspiring nuclear physicist- Oji’s girlfriend, Sarah Shirazy would also be attending. Also, since the guys’ whose TV we normally borrowed were using it for a HALO co-op tournament, we were using Kaneo’s TV, and he would be joining us. His roommate had a date, and George was going out with Lilly on one as well before flying off to meet her parents.

If you think I’m a terrible fiancé, fortune had smiled on me, in that Emi Ibarazaki, on her way to visit her mother –who was fortunately beyond the range of the worse of the damage, along with Yamaku and our university- decided to drop by to say hi. Since she was bringing her boyfriend Kwan, Kenji and I figured it would be a good idea for Emi and Hana to hang out, and Kwan could watch the movie with us.

So if nothing else, it would be a crowded movie night. Kaneo’s dorm had a bit more room than mine and Kenji's, thanks to fancy maneuvering and lack of extraneous crap, but we were still bunched in a bit, with two rows of folding chairs in front of the TV, next to the card table loaded with food, beer, Jack Daniels, and something in a paper bag Kenji refused to open until “the time has come.”

Say what you will about Kenji, but he knew how to stock a party. And Hana made potstickers again, and Oji had made brownies. Since Emi was swinging by, I figured anything microwavable would piss her off if she saw it.

“…I’m not sure this university is ready for you as President,” I said, “No offense.”

Kenji, who was fiddling with the TV for some reason, poked out from behind the massive screen, grinning as he declared, “You got my vote, man!”

Kaneo raised an eyebrow, as if he was less than pleased with the endorsement, “Great to know I got dah batcrap insane demographic.”

“To be fair,” I said, “He does write for the school paper.”

Kaneo rolled his eyes, “Right, and if he endohses me I can kiss a buttload of votes goodbye.”

“Never hurts to have the press on your side,” Oji remarked.

Kenji opened his mouth to start monologueing, but before he could get started someone knocked on the front door. Since I was closest to the door –a result of setting up the folding chairs- I stepped over and opened it.

Sarah Shirazy was on the other side of the door. A short, olive skinned young woman with long dark brown hair, Sarah had the air of someone always in need of a hot meal and another three hours of sleep. Side-effect of being a pre-med student in a foreign country, I guess.

“Hey, Sempai,” Sarah greeted, “I’m not late, am I? I was trying to sort out my travel plans and lost track of time.”

I gave her a reassuring smile, “No, you’re fine. Come on in.”

Sarah gave a quick bow of thanks as I stepped aside and darted into the dorm, her tired eyes roving it as she walked in. She spent a second eyeing the folding chairs arrayed around the massive flat-screen TV, maybe a second longer on the card table covered in food and drinks, and then her eyes settled on Oji, who was doing his best to look presentable by re-arranging his best tie-dye do-rag.

Meanwhile, by the TV, Kenji was talking to Kaneo about his prospects for President, while Kaneo nodded along, his ring covered hands wrapped around his suspenders. Without the fur cloak draped over his shoulders, he looked a lot thinner, though no less ostentatious, thanks to his polished brass glasses, sleek auburn hair, white shirt and pants, and gold tooth.

When Sarah and Oji locked eyes the two headed for each other, while I closed the door and stayed out of the way. The two stopped a pace apart, looking both happy and awkward to be together again.

“…Hey,” Sarah spoke first.

“Hey,” Oji returned.

Truly, the epitome of wit.

Kaneo rolled his eyes at the two, “Hey, Sarah.”

Sarah whirled to face Kaneo, “Hey, Sem- er, Ta… uh, Kaneo.”

Kaneo rolled his eyes again, “Foh cryin’ out loud, just call me Tako like everyone else. And eat somethin’, too. You look like death wahmed ova.”

“Hana made potstickers again,” I said, “and Oji made brownies.”

“Thanks. Um, I can wait, though,” Sarah gave the table a brief, longing look before turning to face me, “We are expecting someone else, right?”

As if summoned by the question, someone rapped Shave and a Haircut on the door.

“Open up in there!” a high-pitched whine called.

Kenji grinned, “Think that’s them?”

“Who the fuck do you think it is, Four Eyes!?” came the door-muffled response.

Before she decided to break the door down, I opened it. Emi Ibarazaki stormed into the room, her boyfriend Kwan Kotobuki close behind.

Though Emi had abandoned her old twin-tail look in favor of mid-length hair, she still looked more or less the same since Yamaku, or the Road Trip, for that matter. Her knee-length socks were blue instead of orange this time, though. Her boyfriend hadn’t changed much since the last time I’d seen him either- still swarthy and looking like a black-haired Herman Li, if he was half Korean instead of Chinese.

…Hanako really likes Dragonforce. I don’t question it.

“Sup,” Kwan greeted, waving to everyone, “I’m Kwan Kotobuki, call me Kwan.”

“Hey, man,” Kenji said, returning the wave. Glancing at Emi’s general direction, he added, “Hey, Shorty.”

Emi flicked Kenji off and turned to me, “Hey, Hisao! How you been?”

“Still runnin’, so pretty good, I’d say,” I replied, “and damn lucky, too.”

“You’re damn right we’re lucky!” Kaneo added, “Firs’ ’95, now dis! Takarada’s only got so much luck in ‘em, and I’m usin’ it up befoh I freakin’ graduate!”

Emi raised an eyebrow at Kaneo and asked me in a low voice, “Uh, who’s the pimp?”

“He is our Student Council Treasurer,” I replied.

“Kaneo Takarada,” Kaneo stated, bowing Western style and adding, “pleasa to meet you, Miss Ibarazaki.”

“Um, hi,” Emi said, “You can just call me Emi, everyone.”

Emi surveyed the hodge-podge of the university’s student body, and promptly turned to me for introductions.

“The nut in the do-rag is my lab partner Oji Homma,” I stated, “that’s his girlfriend, Sarah Shirazy, from the gaming club Kenji and I belong to.”

Emi grinned at the group, “Nice to meet you all.”

Part II:

“Same here,” Oji said, “Thanks for making sure Hisao could outrun that bull.”

“What bull?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah,” Emi whirled around to face me, her hands on her hips and a terrier growl on her face, “what bull?”

“Nothing, nothing,” I said, “Don’t you need to meet up with Hana?”

Emi growled at me for a moment before reluctantly lowering her hands and resuming a more normal expression, “Yeah, yeah. I just dropped by to say hi and make sure you weren’t dead,” grinning slyly at me, she added, “So I’ll go keep your fiancé company while you hang out here and make a fool of yourself.”

“So glad I could live up to your expectations of me,” I quipped.

Emi grinned and bounded over to Kwan, giving him a hug and quick kiss before heading back for the door. After opening the door, but before stepping out into the hall, she turned toward Kenji, who was by the DVD player, case in hand.

“Hey Four Eyes!” she barked.

Kenji jumped and whirled around before focusing his abnormally thick glasses in the general direction of the front door, “What?”

“You make sure Hisao doesn’t drink too much, or else!”

Kenji grinned, “What, you gonna kick my ass without your legs?”

Emi grinned back, “No, I’ll beat you with one and then shove the other so far up your ass you’ll be able to use it to do a handstand.”

With her threat ringing though the air, Emi bolted out the door, closing it behind her with a thunk.

Grinning and licking his tooth, Kaneo declared, “I like her spunk.”

“Me, too,” Kwan stated.

“…She wouldn’t actually beat you, would she?” Sarah asked.

Kenji shrugged, “Probably. Everybody remember, when Hisao starts quoting Ciaphas Cain-”

“Hero of the Imperium!” I interjected.

“Right, when he starts doing shit like that, cut him off. I intend to keep my ass un-violated tonight.”

“Spoilspoht,” Kaneo muttered.

“Okay,” I called, trying to bring the madhouse under order, “We good to go, Kenji?”

Kenji looked towards my general direction and nodded, “Should be.”

“We doing a drinking game for this one?” Oji asked.

“Not unless you wanna bury me when Emi’s done murdering me,” Kenji stated.

“And if she doesn’t kill him, Hanako might,” I added.

“Miss Ikezawa wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Sarah declared.

“Mo’ like can’t cuz a’ religious reasons,” Kaneo added.

“Anyway,” I said, “How about we grab some food and booze and start this thing?”

Kenji grinned and nodded, “Excellent idea, man! Don’t forget that we’re gonna have an intermission.”

“Will there be pizza?” Oji asked.

“Naturally,” Kenji stated, “We even found a place that can be both nut free and kosher.”

“Which ain’t cheap you know!” Kaneo griped.

“Any other questions?” Kenji asked, ignoring Kaneo’s interjection.

Sarah, who was fixing herself a plate of food and grabbing a beer, turned her head slightly and asked, “What’s the movie? I forgot.”

“Kelly’s Heroes,” Oji replied.

“…Is that the one where Clint Eastwood goes hunting for Nazi gold?”

…Why did I not think that might be awkward until that moment? Sarah didn’t seem to mind, and plopped down in a seat in the front row, Oji on her left and Kwan, his own plate and beer in hand, on her right by the card table.

“I’ve never seen this one,” Kwan said, “Is it dubbed or subbed?”

“Subbed,” Oji replied, “It’s my personal copy.”

“This is kinda his favorite movie,” I explained.

Once everyone had grabbed some food and something to drink, and settled down into their seat, Kenji, poised by the DVD player, carefully put the disc in place.

“Here we go.”

==

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen a movie with Clint Eastwood in it,” Sarah remarked as Kelly’s merry band of kidnappers made their way back to their own lines.

“We will correct this grievous affront at a later date,” Kenji declared.

Swallowing a potsticker, Oji added, “I think Hisao get’s to pick the next movie, so we’ll probably end up watching Star Wars or something.”

“Are those really the only sci-fi movies you can think of?” I asked.

Oji sipped his beer and shrugged, “Guess I’m not as big a nerd as you, man.”

“…You’re studying to be a nuclear physicist. That’s like, a Super Nerd.”

“Says the future science teacher,” Kwan interjected.

Oji nodded, “Yeah, that makes you the King of the Nerds.”

“There are no gods or kings here,” Kenji stated, “Only men… and Sarah. And her god, I guess.”

“No offense,” I added, since Kenji never would.

Sarah waved her can of beer dismissively, “Don’t worry about it.”

“You know,” Kaneo interjected as he sipped some Jack, “I’ll give dat Mulligan credit: what he lacks in accuracy, he makes up foh in volume.”

“Never a commissar around when you need one,” I lamented.

“Which order is it that affects artillery?” Kenji asked.

“Bring it down,” I replied, “makes heavy weapons twin-linked.”

“Guess Mulligan failed his Leadership test on that one,” Kenji mused.

Kwan turned to Sarah and raised an eyebrow, “Should I be worried that I have no idea what they’re talking about?”

Sarah shook her head, “You get used to it. Could you pass me another beer?”

Kwan nodded and, paying more attention to the movie than what he was doing, groped at the table a bit before eventually managing to grab a can, which he handed to Sarah.

“Thanks,” Sarah said, and popped open the beer.

Kwan nodded and raised an eyebrow at the movie, “Anyone else find it odd that they’re using a captured German officer as a tour guide?”

“I find it kinda ironic dat dah German officuh is citing dah Geneva Convention,” Kaneo remarked.

“The Western Front was more civilized than the East,” Kenji stated, “Since it wasn’t an ideological fuckfest, the Germans tended to play nice with the Yanks and Brits, since they were a lot less likely to shoot on sight like the Reds were.”

“The more you know,” I quipped.

“Those who do not learn their history are doomed to repeat its mistakes,” Sarah remarked.

Oji nodded, “And history repeats itself because no one was paying attention the first time.”

==

“So…” Sarah said, “Kelly just decides ‘hey, Nazi gold. Let’s go get it?’”

“14,000 gold bars is one helluva motivata,” Kaneo declared.

“Yeah,” I concurred. Taking a sip of my beer, I added, “this movie is kinda like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly during World War II.”

“More like that mixed with Ocean’s 11,” Kwan remarked.

“Good call,” Kaneo stated. Sighing wistfully, he added, “Dat movie had some serious eye candy in it. An almost unhealty amount, even….”

“Hollywood strikes again,” Kenji grumbled.

“Please don’t staht,” Kaneo sighed.

“Yeah, cheer up!” Sarah said. Shoving a handful of potstickers into her mouth, she chewed, swallowed, and added, “We got plenty of food, after all.”

Glancing at the dwindling pile of potstickers, I teased, “Not if you eat all of it.”

“Let dah goirl eat,” Kaneo stated, “She’s too thin as it is.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and swallowed, “Thanks, Mom.”

==

“How many of those bars did that Colonel have?” Kwan asked.

“At least two,” I replied, “Must’a been a heavy bag.”

“Movies always fohget how heavy gold is,” Kaneo stated, lifting the hand not holding his glass and clenching the ring covered fingers for emphasis.

“I wonder how much 1.6 million would be today,” Oji mused.

“…20.5 million,” Kaneo converted, “Give or take a few hundred tousand. Oh, dat’d be about… 247 million yen.”

Kwan whistled, “That is a lot of money.”

“Don’t read too much into it,” Kaneo stated, “Dere’s a big debate on Tvtropes.org about dah value of dah gold in dah movie, cuz dah math relative to dah numba of bars is screwy.”

“Still,” Sarah said, “I’d steal 20 million bucks of Nazi gold… does that sound weird coming from me?”

I shrugged and sipped my beer, “No less than from Clint Eastwood.”

“Oddball time,” Oji declared.

Kaneo sighed and rolled his eyes, “Here we go….”

Oji glared at Kaneo, “Do not mock my spirit animal.”

Watching Oddball worm his way into the heist, Sarah knocked back her second beer and asked, “Wasn’t it a little early for hippies?”

“How dah fuck would we know?” Kaneo griped.

“They were called Beatniks back then,” Kenji replied.

Sarah turned her head and stuck out her tongue at Kaneo, “That’s how. Never underestimate Kenji’s power.”

I sighed and took another sip, “Please don’t encourage him.”

Part III:

“Sure, wave a gold bar around, and suddenly Mulligan’s a frickin’ marksman,” Sarah grumbled, waving her own beer in a sort of circle.

“…All he did was yell into a phone,” Kwan said.

“I’d do that for a gold bar!”

Sarah was on her third beer, and, despite having eaten half the potstickers and a brownie, the alcohol seemed to be getting to her. Her hair was matted to her face in places, and a scraggly mess everywhere else. She was also swaying side to side occasionally, and Oji was too immersed into the movie to grab her around the shoulder to keep her steady. Or too nervous to.

She was also getting fidgety and twitchy, which I attributed to a lack of a smoke.

“Hey,” Kaneo piped in, “I was tinkin’, we got any Flames of War playas in dah club?”

“A couple,” I replied, “I think. Ask Greg when you see him, he’s our Tabletop Committee guy.”

Oji around to raise an eyebrow at me, “We have a committee?”

“Ostensibly,” Kenji replied, “Lazy bunch of shmucks.”

“I leave to play politics and tings go to heck in a handcart,” Kaneo griped.

“On the bright side,” Kwan stated, “That was a pretty cool mortar barrage.”

==

Upon Oddball uttering his trademark line, Sarah choked on her beer –I think it was still her third- and jabbed a finger at Oji, “That’s where you got that line!”

“Duh,” Kaneo stated, “Why do you tink we call him Oddball? Dis is his favorite movie, aftah all.”

Sarah giggled and leaned against Oji. Not prepared for the move, he jumped and dropped his plate, which was fortunately empty.

“You okay?” he asked.

Sarah nodded and nuzzled into his shoulder as she turned her head towards the movie, “This last trimester was really hard. And those fucking Russians in Eve….”

Oji awkwardly put his arm around his girlfriend, using his other hand to grab his plate. Sarah gave a contented sigh as she somehow managed to drink her beer sideways.

Kaneo rolled his eyes and muttered, “Like a monkey in a sidecar.”

Kwan leaned back and muttered, “I think it’s cute. Like one of those romantic comedy anime.”

“Except the main guy isn’t a complete idiot,” Kenji chimed in, “Damn Illuminati drones not knowin’ how to properly attract viable mating material….”

“I can hear you guys, you know,” Sarah said, “and I have a bottle.”

Kenji turned to me and we exchanged a wary glance; we never did find out if she could kill someone with a comb or not, and I sure as hell didn’t want to know what she could do with a bottle.

“So,” I said, desperate to change the subject, “Were Tiger tanks really that bad?”

Kenji scoffed and glared at the wall to our left near my head, “Do you ever listen to me, man?”

“Not as a rule,” Kaneo interjected, “I have a hahd enough time listenin’ to Oji. No offense.”

Oji managed to shrug his one free shoulder without disturbing Sarah, “None taken, man. I just ride the waves of life where they take me, and try not to get upended in the process.”

“You people can delude yourselves all you want,” Kenji grumbled, downing his shot of Jack before continuing, “but I will reveal the truth, and then we’ll see who has the last laugh!”

“Uh-huh,” Kaneo said, “And I’ll find a nice dancer named Big Mac to settle down wit, and live happily eva afta.”

“Do you guys always talk this much during a movie?” Sarah asked.

==

“Well,” Kwan remarked as the platoon’s vehicles met their fate thanks to a passing pilot, “Guess they’re going on foot.”

“Time for some good ole footsloggin’,” I grunted.

Kenji raised an eyebrow at me as I channeled my inner ork, “That was borderline, man.”

“Noted.”

Kaneo finished chewing his brownie, swallowed, and remarked, “I doubt the half-track woulda helped against a Tiger anyway.”

“Better than no half-track,” Kenji stated.

From Oji’s shoulder, Sarah slowly levered herself mostly upright. Blinking at the card table, her face covered in hair, she slurred, “There any more ‘stickers?”

“I think you ate them all,” Oji replied.

“Shit,” Sarah declared, “What about beer?”

“Dat we got,” Kaneo replied.

Kwan raised an eyebrow, “How many beers have you had?”

“If I could count I’d be an accountant, not pre-med,” Sarah… quipped? We’ll go with quipped.

Kaneo smirked and licked his gold tooth, “Was dat a joke?”

Sarah shrugged and started groping for the beer. Oji grabbed her shirt by the back of the collar, but she didn’t react. Before she fell on top of Kwan and brought Oji with her, Kwan grabbed a can and held it out for her. After spending a few moments pawing for it like a cat with a string, she managed to take the can and open it.

“Yay!” she cheered to herself, presumably because she managed to open it without spilling, “What’s Oddball doing?”

“Making sure you don’t hoirt yo’self,” Kaneo muttered.

Sarah rolled her eyes, “I meant in the movie, Tako.”

“Being awesome,” Oji replied.

“And badass,” Kenji added.

==

“And now they’re getting a company of engineers in on the deal?” Sarah grumbled, “Why can’t I get in on a war with a fuckton of gold on the line?”

“You’re gonna be a doctor,” Oji said, “You’ll be fine.”

Sarah groaned and leaned into Oji’s shoulder, chugging the last of her latest beer before saying, “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just cracking under the pressure.”

“You’re too uptight is all,” Kenji declared, “Kwan, pour her a shot of bourbon, she needs a real drink.”

“We got bourbon?” Kaneo asked.

“I know a guy,” Kenji replied, grinning as the movie light glinted off his glasses, “He got me a bottle of Buffalo Trace. It’s what’s in the brown bag. Good stuff, and the time has come! Give her a double-neat.”

As if we had any ice.

“Uh, sure,” Kwan said, groping for the paper bag covered bottle and a plastic cup.

“Thanks,” Sarah said, “ah shit, is that a minefield?”

“Good eye,” Kenji said.

The mine hadn’t actually gone off yet, but when the protagonists enter an open field in a war movie, odds are good it’s either a sniper killbox or a minefield. I tried not to think about how Sarah knew which one it was.

Sarah tensed up and silently watched as the Germans moved in on the platoon, Kelly’s ambush ready to open up at the slightest provocation. When the Corporal and other two bought it, Kenji raised his glass to toast the fallen heroes.

“Well,” Kaneo said, raising his own shot glass, “Dey died foh profit at dah expense of dah enemy. I guess dat counts for sometin’.”

“Works for me,” Sarah said, taking the shot Kwan was holding out for her and downing it in one go.

==

“And then there was one,” Kwan lamented, “As if things couldn’t get worse.”

Oddball’s platoon of three was now a platoon of one, and one that had a very difficult bridge crossing ahead of it at that.

Sarah, somehow toeing the precarious line of drunken consciousness and inebriated exhaustion, leaned so far forward in her chair it threatened to topple over on her, “These bastards are gonna win the damn war at this rate.”

Watching the General bawling at the radio like he was watching a good baseball game, Kenji glowered and remarked, “Well, technically, the Russian’s’ll win the war for them, and they’ll take all the credit.”

Kaneo rolled his eyes, “When we want a history lesson, we’ll ask foh it.”

Looking at the card table devoid of food, Oji remarked, “Is it time yet for pizza?”

I glanced down at my watch, slowly doing the math as my brain fought the disconcerting mix of beer and whiskey within my system, “It is about that time.”

Sarah leaned back in her chair to look upside down at us, which resulted in her hair spilling over Kaneo’s empty plate, “There’s gonna be more food?”

“Soon,” Kaneo stated. Gently brushing Sarah’s hair from his plate, he added, “All good tings to d’ose who don’t trow up on dah tailored suit.”

Sarah looked down –well, up, technically- at Kaneo, “I don’t throw up when I get drunk.”

“Not entirely true,” Oji muttered.

“So,” Kwan said, gesturing toward the movie, possibly in an attempt to get us back on what passed for a track within the Realm of Chaos, “This General is fucking insane.”

“I think you need your senior officers to be insane,” Kenji said, “The good insane like me, I mean. Not Nazi insane.”

I smirked and glanced at Kenji, “I dunno, some of those drunken anti-feminist rants of yours from high school….”

“I was misled by Illuminati decoys!” Kenji barked, making Sarah and Kwan jump in surprise, “I will not let that happen again!”

Sarah nearly toppled back onto Kaneo, but he braced his chair with his knee and righted it for her. She didn’t seem to notice.

“You’re a big man for admitting they got the better of you,” Oji declared.

Kenji nodded, “Part of the allure that is mother-fucking Kenji.”

“Hey,” Sarah said, “Does this bridge battle remind anyone else of a game of World of Tanks gone bad?”

“…Whoa….”

Part IV:

With General Colt off to win the war in the name of apple pie, and Kelly’s platoon hopping a ride with Oddball and engaging in possibly the most awesome travel montage ever, the time seemed right for an intermission.

Besides, Sarah was vibrating with agitation in her chair, and the rattling was getting kind of annoying.

As soon as the movie was paused Sarah bolted up from her chair so fast she upended it. As a further result of her speedy rise, she nearly toppled over as the blood drained from her head. Fortunately Oji had gotten up so he could catch her, and she landed roughly against his side. Oji had braced himself, though, and quickly righted her as blood returned to her brain space.

“I’ma gonna go smoke,” Sarah declared, making an unsteady step towards the door as she added, “See you when there’s food.”

Kaneo smirked and pulled out his phone, “I’m odoihing, I’m ordoihing. One large Vegetarian, one medium meat lovers, one small kimchi, all nut free, don’t mix the pans up when maikn’ dah veggie, right?”

Sarah beamed blearily at the Treasurer, “You’re the best, Tako. I’d kiss you if you were kosher.”

Kaneo smirked and waved a hand at her, “Go get cancer, we got dis.”

“I’m going with her,” Oji declared, “See you in a bit.”

Leaning on Oji while groping for her pack of cigarettes, Oji led the two out the door and off to wherever it was Sarah smoked –presumably by the main door outside of the building.

Watching the two stumble out, an unsettling thought occurred to me, so I turned to Kenji and asked, “Hey, Sarah’s twenty, right?”

Kenji shrugged as he slowly stood up, “No idea… oh, shit.”

“She’ll be fine,” Kaneo said, his thumb working frantically to obtain food, “Besides, if shit goes down Oji can get her back in dah buildin’.”

“Here’s hoping,” I said. Turning to Kwan, I asked, “So, what do you think so far?”

Kwan shrugged, “Having fun, so fine, I guess… is she gonna be okay?”

“She’ll be fine,” Kaneo replied.

Kenji nodded as he righted Sarah’s chair and put it back in place, “Yep. Oh, how are you and Sho-, er, Emi doing?”

Kwan shrugged again, “Seem to be doing well,” glaring lightly at me, he added, “You know how she get’s this time of year, though.”

I grimaced and nodded, “Yeah. She didn’t take the news of the quake well, either.”

That was an understatement. Everyone in Emi’s contact list who had the slightest chance of getting caught in the catastrophe received at least two dozen texts and messages asking if they were alright. She had even tried to get in contact with Miki Miura, who was supposedly studying up north. Kenji and I had as well, but we had all lost contact with her the previous year. Emi had naturally had a fit when she failed to reach her, and the blackouts and brownouts hadn’t helped, either.

Hana hadn’t reacted well either.

Kwan nodded, “Yeah. She was a mess for a while there, and was downright ecstatic when her Mom called back.”

Kaneo grunted, “Damn lucky, all of us. Rate I’m going, dah next one will start right between my legs.”

“Like you said,” I stated, “We got lucky.”

Kenji nodded. Leaning over Sarah’s vacated seat, he gently clapped my shoulder and said, “As long as you live, man, the heart of this army will never be broken.”

Kaneo grinned and quipped, “As long as we don’t hafta rely on his heart.”

I rolled my eyes, “Very funny.”

Kaneo licked his gold tooth, “I tought so.”

“It was kinda funny,” Kwan concurred.

“I like dis one,” Kaneo remarked, jerking a ring covered thumb at Kwan, “He’s like a non-brain fried Oji.”

Kwan raised an eyebrow, “Uh, thanks…?”

“Oji’s brain isn’t fried,” I said, “It’s… smoked.”

Kaneo raised an eyebrow at me, while Kwan looked over the remains of the card table’s contents.

“…There really are no more potstickers.”

“That’s what the pizza’s for,” Kenji stated, “We got beer and bourbon left, right?”

“Yes….”

“Den we’ll be fine,” Kaneo stated.

Kwan hefted himself as he said, “And on that note….”

After making sure he could walk properly –which seemed unnecessary, as he had had the least to drink of any of us- he made his way to the attached bathroom.

Figuring that was a good idea, we all took our turns while waiting for the pizza. Kenji was the last of us to come out, at about the same time someone knocked on the door. Kenji naturally jumped and bolted for under the card table, which he somehow managed to do without breaking or hitting anything.

“I got it,” I said, “Kenji, it’s just Oji and Sarah.”

“You don’t know that!” Kenji snapped, cowering under the table like a duck and cover advertisement, “What if Sarah’s not twenty? I ain’t going down for this!”

“Uh,” Kwan said, “Since I handed her the beer, it’s technically my fault, so, um, I’ll take the fall, I guess?”

“Really?” Kenji crawled up from the table, hefted himself up, and grabbed Kwan’s had. Shaking it roughly, he stated, “Thanks, man, that’s great. I’ll visit you once a month or something, slip you a file and some grenades, make sure-”

“Kenji,” I said, pointing at the open door, “It’s just Oji and Sarah.”

“And pizza!” Sarah cheered, “Oji brought the pizza in! Isn’t he awesome?”

Sarah was leaning heavily on Oji, who was holding the stack of pizzas. The two stumbled in, and I had to marvel at Oji’s ability to walk, carry the pizzas, support Sarah, and make sure she moved with him. Considering the two were about the same height, it was truly an impressive feat of footwork. Er, pun not intended.

Kaneo smirked at the two, the romantic in him combating his tendency to be a jackass. Jackassery apparently won out, as he smirked and remarked, “He just brought dem in, you know. I paid foh ‘em.”

“You’re awesome too!” Sarah declared, As Oji gently steered her toward her chair, she broke off and lunged at Kenji, who was about to resume his own seat.

Before Kenji could react he found himself in the enthusiastic embrace of an inebriated international pre-med student. His hands above his head, Kenji flushed a deep red and looked in my general direction pleadingly for help.

“And you’re awesome for having these movie nights,” Sarah declared, “and Hisao’s awesome for inviting me, but if I hug him I might kill him, so I’m gonna hug you extra hard!”

“… You’re wel-come!” Kenji half gasped as Sarah intensified her squeezing. Wheezing slightly, he awkwardly pat her head and gasped, “Now, why don’t you grab a plate and some pizza, and then you can drink some more bourbon, right? And not hug me.”

“Pizza!” Sarah cheered, and stumbled her way over to the card table, where Oji had set down the boxes.

Kwan, plate of pizza in hand, ambled over to me and asked in a low voice, “Is she always like that?”

I shook my head, “No. I’ve never seen her like this, actually.”

Then again, I’d never seen her cut loose like that, either. If Oji had, he failed to react, not that that proved anything.

“Ahem,” Kenji cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses as he tried to collect himself, “Everyone grab some pizza and something to drink, and then we’ll start the movie again.”

“Yay!” Sarah cheered.

Oji grinned as Kwan gave the woman a wary look. Stepping over to us, he said in a low voice, “Ain’t she adorable?”

Kwan glanced at the woman as she shoved an entire slice of pizza into her mouth. Perhaps reminded of his own girlfriend’s appetite and energy, he smirked lightly and nodded.

==

Sarah leaned forward and glared at the screen as the platoon approached Claremont.

“Are those SS?”

“Indeed,” Kenji replied.

Kaneo raised an eyebrow as Sarah’s hands clenched around her plate and shot of bourbon, “Yoh’re not gonna trow someting at my TV, are you?”

Sarah shook her head wildly. A moment later she spit at the floor in front of the TV.

“Bastards,” she grumbled.

Kaneo smirked and quipped, “Don’t hold back now.”

“I do wonder,” Kwan said, “how they’re gonna deal with three Tigers.”

“Ideally with 39 Sherman’s,” Kenji replied.

“In this case, though,” I said, “They’ll settle for a nice shot up the ass.”

Kaneo grinned, opened his mouth, but closed it and sipped his shot, “Too easy.”

==

“Ew,” Sarah groaned, “A latrine blew up on them.”

“Always said dat Hustler was full of shit,” Kaneo remarked.

“Pot calling the kettle black?” I quipped.

Kaneo glared at me, “Hey, I am a legitimate man of business and politics! At least as long as dah evidence is unda wraps.”

“Stupid paintball,” Sarah griped, “Shoot him in the ass already!”

“That’s the general idea,” Kenji said, “If only they had a Firefly with them.”

“…What does Joss Whedon have to do with World War II?” Oji asked.

Kenji sighed and palmed his forehead, “Sometimes I wonder why I bother.”

“You like pissin’ in dah wind,” Kaneo stated.

“I’d call it fighting the good fight,” I stated, “like a mildly less annoying Three Dog.”

Kenji looked up at me and grinned, “Does that make you the Lone Wanderer?”

“Can I be Lyons?” Sarah asked.

“Sure,” Oji said.

“Yay! Power Armor!”

“And now the Sherman’s busted,” Kwan remarked, “That can’t be good.”

“Considering they built those things so an idiot could drive them, that’s quite a feat,” Kenji remarked, “T-34’s were built like that, but they were a bit sturdier.”

“Don’t let the SS win you lazy fucks!” Sarah barked.

“How many drinks have you had?” Kwan asked.

Sarah blearily blinked down at the empty plastic cup in her non plate holding hand, “…I lost count. Why?”

“Just curious. Wait, they’re gonna try and talk to the SS?”

Sarah snorted, “Good luck.”

“This is the… third? Third best scene in the whole movie,” I stated.

Kenji nodded, “Damn straight. All Eastwood’s missing is a poncho and a revolver.”

We all watched in rapt silence as Big Joe, Kelly, and Oddball slowly made their way to the last surviving Tiger, its barrel slowly swiveling to face the three as they moved closer. Sarah was leaning so far forward in her chair it was teetering on its front legs. Kenji was doing the same thing, though for him it was probably out of necessity.

We continued to watch in awed silence as the three managed to find the one SS man willing to negotiate, and then we all burst into cheers when he blew the bank doors to hell and back.

“I can’t believe that bastard agreed to help them,” Sarah said.

“Everyting has its price,” Kaneo stated, “And everyone.”

Sarah rolled her eyes, “That’s bullshit and –holy shit they did it! They fucking did it!”

“Yep,” Oji said, “The get the gold, Oddball gets a new tank, and Colt’s a war hero –everyone wins.”

“Although the Tiger fuel systems were complete shit,” Kenji stated.

Oji shrugged, “Eh, it ain’t even a real Tiger anyway.”

Part V:

Oji insisted on watching the credits. When they were over, Sarah leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.

“That was great!” she declared. Kissing him on the cheek, her own flushed as she asked, “Um, could you carry me back to your room? I can’t see straight right now.”

“Screw dat,” Kaneo said, “You two can stay here. Jacques won’t be back until tomorrow, and I don’t trust eirdda a’ you to make it up d’ose stairs.”

Sarah pouted at Kaneo, “Aww, but Dad! I told you I’d be out late.”

“I don’t care! Dis is my house and you will abide by my rules! You are staying here to sleep it off while I stay wit Kenji and Hisao!”

I turned to Kenji and raised an eyebrow, “So I guess Tako’s spending the night with us.”

Kenji shrugged and looked over to Kwan, who was slowly getting to his feet, “Sounds like. Hey Kwan, you got a place to crash tonight?”

“Well, Emi said she’d be staying with Hanako and Lilly, so… nope, I got nothing.”

“You can stay with us,” Kenji said.

“We don’t have that much floor space.”

“We’ll make it work.”

“Or you could just crash with me,” Ojai said, “Sarah’s already unconscious, so I just need to tuck her in and put her on her side in case she hurls.”

“Well, that’d save us having to sneak back to my building,” I said.

Kenji nodded, “Thanks, man.”

“You’re a good man,” Kwan added.

Oji shrugged, “One can only be thrown up on during sex so many times before they learn their lesson.”

Kaneo and I nodded in agreement. Kwan looked a little nauseous.

“Eidda way,” Kaneo said as Oji tucked Sarah in for the night, “Let’s get outta heah and get some sleep,” looking at Kwan, he licked his tooth and added, “unless yo’re up foh some cahds, maybe?”

Kwan looked around for a watch before seeing the clock radio by the bed. Raising an eyebrow at the hour, he asked, “Isn’t it a little late for that?”

“It is summer break,” Oji stated, “and Daddy needs some more weed.”

Kwan looked at me and Kenji. I shrugged, “Whatever, man.”

Kenji grinned, “Alright, we got ourselves a plan. Onward, to glory and victory!”

“Shush,” Kaneo admonished, “You might wake hurh.”

“I doubt it,” Oji remarked, “Hell, I doubt she’ll remember anything about tonight.”

“Too bad,” Kaneo said. Glancing at the woman on his bed, he remarked, “You two had a lot of fun tonight togetha.”

“You really are a romantic at heart, aren’t you?” I remarked.

Kaneo waved a ring covered hand, “Nah, I’m jus a sentimental old coot. Now let’s go gamble.”

I nodded and gestured to Oji, “Lead the way, Oddball.”

Oji grinned and stumbled for the door, the rest of us following. As we left the room, Sarah started to snore loudly. Closing and locking the door, Kaneo glanced at Oji. He shrugged and moved towards the elevator. Shrugging in near unison, the rest of us followed.

And yes, she was fine. And no, I did not lose my shirt, no matter what Emi might say. I honestly don’t remember what happened to it, but I think Oji tried to smoke it.

+++

…So, I got a bad cold, mixed some cough syrup with Fireball whiskey, had a fever, played Liar’s Dice with Theodore Roosevelt, George Patton, and Winfield Scott, and when I woke up I had written this.

Huh.

Well, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, death to the xeno scum, etc, etc.

/smokebomb.

Kaneo’s dorm had a bit more room than Kenji and I’s.

"Kaneo’s dorm had a bit more room than … I’s." R/W?

“Open up in their!”

In their what?

Kwan looked at Kenji and I.

#2
Also, now I know what gyouza are called in… wherever you live.
Merry Christmas to you, too!

Mirage_GSM wrote:edits

I think I got them right. Well, I know I got the their right (this time)

Someday I'll get the hang of this writing thing.

Also, now I know what gyouza are called in… wherever you live.

I live in the State of Intoxication, which for some reason is in southeast Michigan.

Potstickers seem to be the type of food that every culture has a version of, like gin and tonic or Swedish meatballs. I'm familiar with the Chinese version and perogis, which are Polish.

Merry Christmas to you, too!

Thanks. And a Happy New Year!

May your Christmas be three times as Merry and your New Year be three times as Happy!

Serviam wrote:May your Christmas be three times as Merry and your New Year be three times as Happy!

Thank you, I shall do my best

You know, sometimes you just wanna write about a blond Amazon falling in love with a Canadian.

I also feel the need to toss in a PSA, just in case. So consider me mentioning it the PSA itself. Now on with the show! Push the button, Frank.


First Meetings –A Valentine’s Day Special


As first meetings go, I suppose ours was rather mundane; almost cliché, really. To call it love at first sight would be inaccurate, for reasons besides the obvious. Despite that, or even because of it, I still remember it vividly.

It was back in college, shortly before winter break of my sophomore year. Though my time there was nowhere near as… exuberant as Kenji and Hisao’s turned out to be, I still managed to keep myself busy. I had just finished tutoring a student in the library, and was preparing to head out and meet Hanako for some tea.

Unfortunately, Hanako was delayed, as she was putting in more hours at the newspaper to finish the layout in time for the trimester’s final edition. Though my own grades weren’t really in doubt, I decided to wait in the library and study myself, as Hanako promised she’d call again when she was free and on her way to meet me.

I know, taking calls in the library. Believe me; I wouldn’t do it if I had a choice.

In any case, I had chosen a somewhat large table for the tutoring session, and didn’t bother to move to do my own studying. I became so absorbed in my work I didn’t notice that the footsteps I heard were approaching until they abruptly stopped. When they did, I turned my head up for sake of politeness, trying to face as near where the person had stopped walking as possible. They seemed to be across from me on the other side of the table, which is how I finally noticed they were approaching me.

“Excuse me,” a male voice said, “Would it be alright if I sat across from you? All the other tables are occupied, and I need a lot of room for my studying.”

I smiled and replied, “I don’t mind at all. When you say across, do you mean directly or to my left?”

“Your left,” he replied.

I nodded and went back to my work. The student took his seat and started laying books on the table. From the sound of it, there were quite a few of them, and one of them smelled musty, so it had to be either quite old or in terrible condition –or both.

“My my,” I remarked, “I can see why you need a lot of space.”

The student chuckled, “Yeah, side-effect of being a literature major specializing in nineteenth century and early twentieth century works, I guess –the books are older, bigger, and harder to read without a reference guide of some sort.”

“That does sound rather involved,” I mused.

“Yeah… being an international student isn’t easy, is it?”

An international student… his Japanese did seem to have an odd accent. It did strange things with “o” sounds. The question in his statement caught me a bit off guard, but I gathered the intent easily enough; he thought I was an international student as well. It wasn’t the first time someone had made that mistake, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Though I didn’t want to distract him from his work, I was curious where he was from, so, switching to English just to see what would happen, I asked, “May I ask where you are from originally?”

“Hm?” it seemed I really was distracting him, but he politely replied, “Canada. Vancouver, British Columbia, to be specific. May I ask the same of you?”

Ah, that would explain the accent.

Smiling gently, I replied, “I’m from the Sendai area, myself, though obviously not my entire family was.”

The young man sputtered a bit. My smile widened a bit; I didn’t mean to distract him so, but he was fun to tease.

After a moment he managed to rally himself and replied, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend -”

I chuckled a bit before saying, “It’s quite alright, really. It’s not the first time someone has made that presumption, and it won’t be the last. I do apologize for distracting you from your work.”

“I could do worse for a distraction,” the man stated, “I do seem to be keeping you from yours, however. May I ask what it is?”

Since all my books are in Braille, it’s a perfectly reasonable question, so I didn’t mind answering, “English, oddly enough. And I’m not really studying; more like biding my time until a friend gets off work so we can meet.”

The young man made a confirmation noise, and we both silently went back to our work. For a while, the only sounds between us were the occasional ruffling of pages and the scratching of a pencil on his part.

I’m not sure how long we were working, but I was abruptly brought out of my studies by my phone vibrating. I quickly picked it up and took the call.

“This is Lilly Satou speaking, how may I help you?” I greeted.

“Lilly!” it was Hanako, “S-sorry for taking so long, I’ll be leaving soon, are you still at the library?”

“Yes, I am,” I replied, ignoring the unnecessary apology.

“I’ll meet you there, okay? I should be there in… ten minutes.”

“I’ll meet you in the lobby on the ground floor,” I replied, “See you then.”

All the jokes have already been made, so don’t bother.

“R-right,” Hanako said, “‘Bye.”

The phone clicked and I put it away.

“That your friend?” the young man asked.

I nodded, “Yes, sorry for the distraction.”

“Not a problem. Would you like a hand putting your books away?”

Would I like… not “do you need” but “would you like”. Interesting.

“I’ll be fine,” I replied, but smiles and added, “but thank you for the offer.”

“Thank you for letting me use the table, and for the company.”

I nodded at the remark and started putting my books away. As I did so, it occurred to me that while he had just learned my name offhand, I had yet to know his.

When my books were put away and I was about to leave, I stood up, carefully pushed in my chair, and said, “It was a pleasure to meet you…?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m George Williams. Please just call me George.”

“Very well. I’m Lilly Satou.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Satou. Thank you for the conversation –it isn’t every day I meet someone as lovely and fluent in English as you.”

Flatterer. Still, I couldn’t help smiling at the remark, and perhaps teasing him a bit for it, “I bet you say that to all the halfers.”

“I swear on my sisters' heads I’ve only said it to you, and if I lie, may they go bald,” he riposted.

I chuckled lightly at the speed and nature of his comeback. Flatterer or not, he was certainly a quick wit.

“Well, that’s very good to hear,” I stated, “I hope we meet again, George.”

“Well, I work here, so it’s entirely possible. Though I tend to work in the archives. Although, if you ever have need of something from there, if you can find me, I’ll help you out.”

I smiled lightly, “Thank you. And if you ever need spare table space, I’ll most likely be here.”

He chuckled a bit before saying, “Thank you. Have a good afternoon, Miss Satou.”

I gave a bow of farewell, pulled my cane from my bag to elongate it, and made my way down to the lobby.

Hanako arrived shortly after I did, thanks to my slow pace. Her footsteps, easily identifiable to me, skittered in front of me before abruptly stopping.

“Lilly,” she said, sounding a bit out of breath, “S-sorry about that.”

I smiled, “It’s fine, Hanako. Shall we be off, then?”

“S-sure.”

Hanako instinctively wrapped one arm around my own and helped guide me out of the library. As we left, my mind wandered back to the conversation with the young man. He was pleasant enough company, and I wouldn’t mind sharing a table with him again. Besides our shared language and culture, however tangentially related, he was clearly an intelligent and caring young man. That’s as close to a type as I have, really.

“Lilly?” Hanako asked when we got outside, “You look thoughtful.”

“Oh?” I mused. Smiling lightly again, I explained, “I was just thinking maybe I need to spend more time in the library.”

+++

Happy Valentine’s Day folks, I’m gonna go drink and watch Tangled. And then drink some more.

“You’re left,” he replied.

You know, this means something other than what you presumably meant it to...

“I swear on my sister’s heads I’ve only said it to you, and if I lie, may they go bald,” he riposted.

My my, he has a two-headed sister? Or does she have even more? How come this never came up in your stories so far?
If she is a medusa, you probably saved her up for another Halloween special...