Friday, May 13, 2005

   What? What'd I do?
I got some negs on the current theme! What gives? What? Do some of you think it's too.... raunchy... perverse? WHAT?!? If this is the case, it is most certainly not intentional. You know me, right? The current story's about Felicia, so I have a Felicia theme. I'm just going with continuity here. But if anyone finds the theme a little bit poor in taste, tell me! WORK WITH ME HERE, PEOPLE!

*deep breath* Okie-day. Today's chapter is extra long, but it's a good'en! So grab some pockey and enjoy!

Strays Part 9 Making Friends As dusk started to enter, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to see the girls! I’d been thinking about them all day. Well, except for about an hour of the afternoon. But I couldn’t just up and leave without saying this time. I told Aisha that I had some errands to run downtown. After dinner I hopped in my car and made a beeline towards the abandoned station. As I navigated the tunnels and stairwells and got closer to the platform, I could already hear voices. “Meow! Give it back!” It was Kanasuki. Then I heard someone chuckle and reply, “Come and get it.” Summer. I silently crept down the stairs to see what was going on. Kanasuki was chasing Summer as she jumped all over the place. She was clutching a pink blanket. The same blanket Kanasuki had given me last night. “It’s mine! Give it!” she whined. Summer jumped onto the top of the train and dangled the blanket over her. “Let’s see you jump for it,” she said. Kanasuki tried her best, but she couldn’t jump very high. No more than a foot or two. Every time she missed her precious linen by just inches. With each jump, she uttered little human like grunts. Typical. But as she continued the grunts slowly turned into small mews and she came down on all fours with each landing. She looked exactly like a cat jumping for a dangling toy. “Kawaii!” I started laughing at this cute scene. The girls' ears perked up and they looked in my direction. Sam Fisher I was not. I stood up from the shadows and revealed myself. Kanasuki yelled out, “Artukei-sama!” and started scampering towards me. Summer jumped down and followed close behind. I started running down the stairs, but I had only taken three steps before Kanasuki was beside me purring and nuzzling my arm. Summer jumped up and perched herself on the banister. “You came back,” she said. “I just had to step out and check on a few things,” I said. Felicia heard Kanasuki yell and was now running towards us. She stopped when she got to the foot of the stairs. Apparently, she was surprised to see I’d returned. “Artukei! What are you doing here?” The answer in my mind was ‘I couldn’t stop thinking about you.’ But I replied, “I just came back to give a proper ‘thank you.’ And a ‘sorry’ for leaving so suddenly.” I looked around the station and waited a second for the fourth member of the crew to appear. But I should’ve known better. “Well Felicia, Kanasuki, Summer, thank you so much for your hospitality last night. It’s been a real pleasure meeting you all and I sincerely hope we meet again.” I was about to start passing out hugs, but Kanasuki seized my arm and screamed, “IE! MEOW!” I glanced down at her in shock and so did the other two girls. “Kanasuki-chan! Dai jobu desu ka?” I asked. She shook her head. “Artukei-sama. Dame. I have more questions.” “Kanasuki, please. Some other time, I promise.” Then she deployed her secret weapon: a single sniff. My Achilles heel. I couldn’t stand to see any girl cry, especially the really cute ones. Kanasuki was turning out to be my ultimate weakness. I breathed a heavy sigh and said, “OK, but make’um quick.” Kanasuki practically dragged me to her room. We both sat down on her bed that was covered with stuffed animals. “If I may?” she shyly beseeched. “Dozo. Go ahead,” I said. “I really have only one question,” she said. “Last night, you.... squeezed me.” She was asking about the hug I had given her. Well, I did say ‘ask me later.’ “Oh? Oh yeah. That’s called a hug.” “Hug?” she mewed. “Yeah. That’s a hug,” I said. “I hugged you.” “Why?” she asked. She really didn’t understand the meaning of a hug. I found that so cute and at the same time slightly sad. I tried to explain as best I could one of the most impulsive expressions of human emotion. “Well..... um...... you’re just so cute.” Of course, Kanasuki “nyad” in perplexity. Plus, it wasn’t that good a clarification, anyway. “Um.... let me see if I can explain it.” I looked around at all the stuffed toys that surrounded her bed. “Kanasuki,” I asked, “when you take one of your stuffed animals and you hold it really tight, how do you feel?” “When I hold it tight?” she asked. “Yeah,” I said. “How do you feel?” She thought about it for a second, then her ears folded slightly and she whispered, “........ Scared.” “.... oh? Oh.... um....” That wasn’t the answer I was expecting. Why would she feel scared? Well, sometimes when kids get scared, they hug their toys. I know I did once. “Wait, forget that. Forget that. Start over.” I needed to capture the right emotion. “Kanasuki-chan, which of these is your favorite?” She pointed at a rag doll with yellow yarn hair. It looked old and worn. She’d probably had it all her life. I picked it up and handed it to her. Immediately, she smiled and held it close. “There,” I said. “Right there.” She looked at me with a startled expression. “Nya? What?” “That’s a hug. You just hugged it.” “I did?” she asked smiling. “Yeah,” I said. “Now, when you hugged it, how did you feel?” “.... Happy.” “Why?” I asked. “Is it the doll? What about her makes you feel happy?” She looked at the doll like she was studying for an exam as she tried to put her feelings into words. Now she knew how I felt. “Um.... she’s so pretty and..... I don’t know. She just makes me feel happy,” she said. “Well, Kanasuki-chan,” I said, “that’s the same reason I hugged you.” She looked at me, eyes glittering. “Honto?” she asked excitedly. “Hai,” I nodded. “So,” she asked, “a hug is something you do to someone that makes you happy?” “........ That’s not the way I would’ve put it. But I think that’s the best explanation for a hug I’ve ever heard,” I said as I smiled cheerfully. “Yes. That’s exactly what you do.” “So desu ka. Then..... hehe!” Kanasuki giggled then quickly leaned forward and tried out her newfound knowledge of the hug on me. She squeezed me tight and rubbed her head against the side of my face as she purred. “You’re like a big teddy bear,” she laughed. “Does this mean I make you happy, Kanasuki-chan?” I asked. I felt her head nod. I continued, “Is that why you crept in and slept next to me last night?” Kanasuki’s grip on me loosened and she let go of me. She folded her hands and looked at the floor, her face red with embarrassment. “I… I really like you,… Artukei-sama,” she quietly said in a quivering voice. “In fact,… I was wondering…” She nervously began to twiddle her fingers. Uh oh! Was she thinking…? “Artukei-sama,… wo-would you… would you… be… my…?” Please don’t let her say what I think she’s going to say. “… friend?” Huh? There wasn’t a ‘boy’ in that sentence. Phew! But wait. If that’s all she wanted to ask, why did she get so nervous? Well, I am the first human she’s ever met. So like a little kid. When you’re little, you always ask someone if they’ll be your friend. Her innocence continued to move me. I held her gently and her body tensed at my touch. “Kanasuki-chan,” I whispered, “of course I will.” She looked up at me with a joyful smile and bright eyes. “Would you be my friend?” I asked. “HAI!” she screamed and hugged me tighter than before. As I left Kanasuki’s room, I looked around and saw Felicia standing in front of hers, which was just one car over. “Artukei!” she called. “C’mere!” She was looking at me like a teacher who caught some-one passing notes in class. She even completed the look by beckoning me with her index finger. “Crap. Did I do something wrong?” I walked over fearing that she was going to scold me for taking off so rudely this morning. But she smiled and said, “Seems little Kanasuki’s becoming quite attached to you.” I breathed a small inward sigh of relief. “Yeah,” I said. “She’s such a precious little thing.” Then Felicia slid open the door of her car. “Do you mind if I talk with you for a moment?” she asked. “Not at all,” I said. She ushered me inside and I sat down on one of the old plastic seats. “If this is about my leaving,” I said, “again, I’m sorry. I had to get back home and check in with my fiancé.” After my confession, Felicia looked at me with a startled expression and stammered, “You... you have a...... oh, I’m so sorry. If I had known last night, I never would’ve..... I never stopped to think that....... oh, stupid. Stupid!” She punished herself by knocking her paw against her forehead. I reached out my arm and spoke calmly to her, “Hey, hey don’t beat yourself up. I should’ve said something. Anyway, everything worked out alright.” She looked at me a little insecurely, but I gave her a big smile in order to reassure her. Then her face relaxed and she smiled too. “You wear glasses,” she said. “Oh yeah,” I said. “The girls wouldn’t let me go back for them last night.” I started laughing and Felicia joined in. Yes! I love it when I can make a girl laugh. Especially if it helps them feel better. “So,” I asked, “what did you want to talk about?” She sat down across from me and looked at me with a cunning smile. “You didn’t come back just to say ‘thanks’, did you Artukei?” I glanced downwards and paused for a while. “No,” I finally said. “Why else?” Felicia asked. I took a deep breath and thought of the best way that I could formulate this expression. “I don’t know. You just fascinate me, I guess. All of you. And I really enjoyed your company.” She smiled gently. “So did I,” she said softly. “I actually hoped that you would come back. You see, you fascinate me as well.” I raised my eyebrow as if to say ‘really?’ “You know, you’re one of the few people who have ever called me a ‘lady’. In fact, last night you said it twice.” I shrugged. “I was just being polite.” Felicia stood up. “You showed respect.... to all of us. Something that some of us have never received. You treated us like we were..... normal.” Normal? This word is not in my vocabulary. I stood up. “What would be normal?” I asked. “What’s you definition of ‘normal’?” My question had caught her a bit off guard. She wrung her hands and glanced down for a second. “Well....” She looked up at me and said, “You.” I was silent for a moment, and then.... I burst out laughing. “I’m sorry,” I said as I propped myself against a pole. “It’s just I think that’s the first time anyone’s referred to me as ‘normal’! HAHA!” I calmed down and spoke to her very seriously. “What is it that makes me ‘normal’? The ears? The hair? The hands? No tail? Felicia, there’s no such thing as ‘normal’, because everyone is different.” She looked at me with intrigue as I went on. “The whole concept of normal contradicts itself. To say that something’s normal is to set it up as a standard by which everything else is judged. But it can’t work that way because everything is different. And if everything were normal, if everything were the same, life would be..... boring. Ironically, normality is diversity.” I put my hand on her shoulder. “Felicia, I know what you’re thinking. You’re a monster. You’re a freak. Well, you’re not. You’re just different. And so am I. You’re very special, very unique.” Felicia still didn’t look thoroughly convinced. And as long as I was speaking from my heart, I might as well say it. “And if you don’t mind my saying,..... very beautiful.” She looked at me with her eyes wide and shimmering. Obviously another phrase she hadn’t heard often. “Whoever your fiancé is,” she said softly, “she’s very lucky. I almost envy her.” Oh boy. Unintentionally, I had done it again. She hugged me and rubbed her head against my chest, purring. “You’re a good man, Artukei. Purr.” After I tore myself away from Felicia, I attempted once again to make my exit. But the fates seemed against me that day. I had just stepped outside when I heard a strange noise in the shadows above the train. I looked up, but of course I saw nothing. “I wonder.” I slowly started to walk away, but I kept my ears astute. I took about ten steps and then I heard a faint sound from behind me. It was soft and almost inaudible; like a pillow landing on top of another. I whispered to the unknown entity, “Mademoiselle?” There was a gasp of surprise and fear. I turned around just in time to see her starting to run away again. I called out, “Giselle! Wait! Please wait!” She stopped and she trembled slightly at the sound of my voice. I slowly and calmly started to speak to her. “Please don’t run. Giselle, I have to tell you something. I understand. Humans must’ve been pretty...” “I heard you,” she interrupted. A whispered ‘huh’ blew over my lips. She continued as she kept her back towards me. “Last night. And just now with Felicia.” Just now? Had she been eavesdropping on our conversation? But what she said next was the real shocker. “I am sorry, Monsieur Artukei. I have been cruel to you. I have been, how do you say? Prejudice. Madame Felicia was right. You are different. Different from all other humans I have met. I am sorry.” I was speechless. She turned slightly towards me, but still not enough for me to see her eyes. “I will give you another chance,” she said. I smiled and bowed lightly out of habit. “Mercy, mademoiselle. I accept your apology.” She turned her head a little more. Her long hair still shrouded most of her face, but I could vaguely see her eyes. She saw me smiling and ever... so... slowly..., for the first time...., she faintly smiled back. “Mercy, monsieur,” she whispered. Then, once again, as if I had made amends with a ghost, she vanished into the dark of the underground. As soon as Giselle faded away, I heard someone’s voice behind me. “Hey, Artukei! Wait up!” I turned around and saw Summer running towards me. Dang! These girls all wanted a piece of me today. “Wussup?” I asked. “Hey… um…,” she started. Then she glanced down and curled her hair with her index finger. “I just wanna say that I still feel really terrible about what I did last night.” Obviously implying the way she jumped on me and put me in a bag. “Oh no. That’s OK. We all make mistakes,” I said. “No! I…,” she began. “I wanna, like, make it up to you.” “Oh, you don’t have to…” “No, I insist!” This girl was not going to take ‘no thank you’ for an answer. “Well, what did you have in mind?” I asked. Summer opened her mouth to say something, but then shyly looked back down at the floor. She had no idea! “Well,… I’m not sure,” she said, “but I totally promise I’ll make it up to you somehow.” I smiled and nodded. It was almost nine when I started to say my goodbyes. I didn’t want to stay out too late or Aisha would get suspicious. The girls all gathered at the foot of the stairs, minus Giselle. “You’ll come back and see us again, right?” Kanasuki asked. “I guarantee it,” I said as I patted her head. “We enjoyed seeing you again,” said Felicia. “So did…. I.” My reply was stifled by a baffling and strangely encouraging sight. There, right over Felicia’s shoulder, cautiously inching towards me, was Giselle. The other girls followed my eyes and stared in shock when they saw her. She walked up right next to Felicia, looked up at me, brushed her hair to the side, and I saw her eyes for the first time. They were beautiful golden yellow eyes. I smiled warmly from this first act of trust. “Bon soir, Giselle,” I said. “Bon soir, Monsieur Artukei,” she replied. Felicia beamed with surprise and delight. Kanasuki grinned with infinite joy. And Summer made a few confused takes between the two of us as if she were thinking, “Who are you and what have you done with Giselle?” But it was at that moment when I first saw her eyes that I knew. “Felicia,” I said, “you asked me why I came back. I wasn’t sure at first, but now I know.” All four of them looked at me intently, awaiting my response. “I want to help,” I said. “All of you.” “How do you mean?” Felicia asked. “It’s time to step out of the shadows and back into the sunlight,” I said. “You said the world wasn’t ready for you back then, well the world has changed. There’s a new era of tolerance and understanding. A new more accepting generation of society. And I want to help you meet it. Not just as a group, but individually.” They all looked at me in amazement as I went on. “I want to share with Kanasuki a world she’s only seen from a distance! I want to see Summer on stage at McMurphy! I want to…” My voice quieted down as I looked back into Giselle’s amber eyes. “I want to restore a trust that’s been dormant for many years. And I want to see you perform a comeback concert in Hancock Park, Felicia.” The girls were awestruck by my sudden charitable outburst. “You’d do that for us?” Felicia whispered. “If you’d let me,” I humbly said. All eyes fell on Felicia who crossed her arms and looked down at her feet. “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” she softly said. Our hearts sank momentarily. But then she looked up and smiled brightly. “You certainly are a rare breed, Artukei.” She stepped forward and shook my hand. “It might not end up being a concert in Hancock,” she said with a grin, “but Felicia and the Strays are definitely gonna make a comeback.”

See you in the black...

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