Sky High
"WHAT IS THAT LAZY IDIOT DOING?!"
I slam my empty glass onto the table with enough force to make the thick wooden surface tremble. A show of my very justified anger that barely manages to elicit a raised eyebrow from my two companions.
"You are doing it again, Makinami-san."
"Shut up, Sparkles."
"By all means," the pretty-boy at my right agrees, with that charming smile of his that I've been itching to punch for more time than I care to admit, now. "Although I thought that we had established how you channelling your inner Ms. Sohryu changed nothing about our situation?"
I narrow my eyes at him in annoyance in spite of my knowledge that, as irritating as he is making it be, the silver-haired boy beside me is only trying to help. He's just pretty crap at it most of the time.
An assertion that is proved by his efforts, which only serve to further remind me that the Princess is probably having a lot of fun trying her hand at live-action
Dragon Quest right now, while Puppy-kun and Rei-chan struggle (and probably fail hilariously and spectacularly) at playing the role of the sheltered nobles; I had been looking forward to catching up with the latter, too. I haven't seen her for the longest time.
But NOOOOOOOO. I instead get the indescribable honour of being stuck here at
Sky High. Bored out of my mind as I've been for a very long time now, with Kaworu Nagisa and Gendo Rokubungi as my only company.
Talk about one hell of a sentence.
It was at least somewhat bearable while Ken-kun was still here, because I had someone to tease and pass the time with. But since Ota-kun's been called away all I have is these two bores! One who's too freaking cool-headed to be caught in any of my verbal traps and the other who spends his existence just staring forward unblinkingly and with entwined hands!
It's enough to drive a girl mad, I tell you! And that's without getting into the topic of the cancelled scene, too!
"You don't get it, Sparkles! We had
plans for today! Awesome and hilarious plans that now we can't push forward because
I'm still not there!"
I finish my sentence by jabbing a finger down below and towards the floorboards, pretty much in a random direction. I mean for my gesture to point towards the area where the various scenes for the story are being performed and jotted down, but I hope that you'll understand how hard it is to do so without clear knowledge of where said events are actually happening, a knowledge that I'm not privy to.
Because, you know:
I'm not freaking there!
...
Yeah. Just in the off-chance that you didn't notice the lack of usual cheeriness in my voice, I'm kinda salty about that fact.
And I'm further annoyed by some surprising news that reached
Sky High some time ago:
"I mean, Mana Kirishima and her boy brigade showed up before me!" I throw my hands in the air, still completely flabbergasted by that unforeseen development. "
Freaking Mana Kirishima! Who even
remembers her?!"
"Well, Gryphon obviously does."
"Not because of any merits on her part, that's for sure! It's not like her story arc was interesting in the least, her design's boring as sin, she's flat as a board and lacking in fanservice purposes and let's not even talk about character development!"
"Indeed," Nagisa replies, amused, while he eyes me out of the corner of his eye. "Let us not talk about character development, Makinami-san, lest you get burned."
"Shut up, Sparkles. Everybody knows that the only reason why I haven't appeared more in our work is that you save the best for last! It's a staple of storytelling!" I snark back, fighting back with all the vigour that my irritation offers me. "And it more than beats having your head blown up, too, don't you think?"
Now, before you start calling me out on what a terrible, terrible woman I'm sounding like, know that I
do realise that I might be being a tad too harsh on both Kirishima-san and Sparkles-kun. Unfortunately, that's one of the effects that extreme boredom has on this svelte and beautiful young woman, so you can blame the jerk that's had me waiting on my ass all this time for it!
Nagisa doesn't seem to mind all that much, though, if his immovable smile is any indication, at least.
"...Touché."
His carefree admission does little to help against my growing exasperation, and I once again feel the rising urge to punch that smug little smile out of-!
...
...
...
Damn. Nagisa might really have a point about the Princess rubbing off on me, judging by that inner reaction. And that's actually a pretty scary thought.
Oh well. Let's just hope that my brightness returns once I actually have work to focus on. I don't think that Puppy-kun could survive having to deal with two Asukas, after all.
For now, I just take a deep breath and try to relax as much as I am able. Much to my satisfaction (and peace of mind), I succeed to a sizable extent.
"But let's return to the fact that far less deserving people have made their debut
way before we are scheduled to make ours. Doesn't that make you even the
slightest bit annoyed, Nagisa?"
"Not really," he shrugs. "Regardless of my importance, I never had a lot of screen time to begin with, so I'm accustomed to brief and late appearances. Besides, Gryphon has made his dislike of my character clear in quite a few occasions already, so my expectations are tempered accordingly."
The boy's words actually give me pause for a second, as I fully take in what Kaworu's saying. Did he just honestly claim that he believes a bias of the Director's to be at fault for his lack of actual work around here?
I personally find that pretty hard to believe. I mean, the guy's not without his fair share of faults but he's not
that bad.
Sometimes, anyway.
"As if
that would influence his decisions regarding character usage. He might be a talentless hack, sure, but he doesn't let his personal feelings influence his writing to that degree. It hasn't been that long ago that he didn't like
me either, remember?"
"That may be so, but our circumstances are far from similar, Makinami-san."
"Oh, yeah?" I challenge. "How so?"
"Well, you have breasts and a far more outgoing personality, for one."
"That's the best that you got? Boobs and an eccentric personality aren't all that's required to get in his good books, you know? Were that the case, he'd be watching a lot more of the newest anime releases than he is!"
"Not at all, I was merely pointing out the obvious differences first: namely, that you're female and therefore inherently more interesting to him, even if slightly," Nagisa deflects skilfully, before continuing on. "The main argument behind my reasoning is that I'm simply not cut-out for comedy in most cases, like you, on the contrary, are. Considering how fond of jokes and references our esteemed director is, it's not hard to see why I wouldn't be part of his list of priorities, his personal feelings towards me notwithstanding."
"...Okay, I can actually see that argument holding some water. I'll give you that one, Nagisa." Deciding to let pretty-boy enjoy his victory in whatever manner he enjoys the most, I turn towards my other companion. "And what about
you? Aren't you annoyed at not having made an appearance yet? I mean, you're a main character, for God's sake!"
The man to my left maintains his position, as usual, for one long moment. And then another, followed by a third. I'm just about to turn away, coming to the conclusion that the man is ignoring me and fully intending to reply in kind, when he finally speaks, his baritone and borderline creepy voice making me jump slightly in my seat.
"...Everything's not going according to schedule."
I actually can't stop myself from making a face at that and levelling a glare in Rokubungi's direction (after I make sure that my heart isn't skipping any more beats, that is). He doesn't really seem to care, though (as usual), lost as he is in his distinctive cross of Zen meditation and stare-daggers-into-your-soul.
Would it kill him to cut the crap and act like a normal person from time to time? I mean, talk about staying in character at all freaking times!
Is his glass of whiskey a little bit emptier than it was before, though? I could swear it is, but I'm pretty darn sure that the man hasn't moved an inch from his eternal position in 99% of the time that we've been here. Which, it bears repeating, is
a lot of time.
Did he just
glare the liquor away, or something?
In any case, it's pretty clear that Gendo Rokubungi doesn't really intend to say much more. I shake my hand with a deep sigh and turn back to stare at my own drink.
"Yeah... I really don't know what I was expecting, there." I look up at the bartender and push my empty glass towards him, before jabbing a thumb at Nagisa's half-full one. "Hey, Pen-Pen! Can you fill my glass with whatever Sparkles here's having, please?"
"Wark!", the warm water penguin sternly refuses, having his flippers form a clear X in front of him.
"What?! What do you mean that I can't have that because I'm underage?!
He is, too!"
"I'm a partial clone of an ancient alien progenitor race, whose power far belies this fleshy shell. Arbitrary restrictions based on my supposed age are meaningless to me." Pretty-boy replies in a monotone, staring at me from the corner of his eye and taking a small sip from his beverage to further prove his point. "Besides, it's not like alcohol intake has any effect whatsoever in me. I do not think you can claim the same, Makinami-san."
"Fine, fine. Brew me some green tea or something, then," I grump, after judging Pen-Pen's stern look to mean that I'm
not getting access to a tiny little sip of man's oldest coping mechanism. "You two sure aren't making dealing with this boredom any easier, you know?"
"And I'm afraid that it won't get any easier, Mari. You better get used to that."
My ears perk up at the unexpected reply, not so much because of the response in and of itself, but rather because of
where it came from: off to my right and quite a ways off from where Sparkles is sitting, is a secluded and barely lit spot where the groups of chairs and tables that litter
Sky High wade into the darkness. A corner of the tavern that's very easy to disregard and that I've therefore found myself ignoring, since I didn't really have much of a reason to look over there in the first place.
Until now.
"Who's there?"
"Do you really not recognize my voice, Mari? It's really been a long time, then," the voice answers. A male voice that I
know I've heard before, but that I can't put a face to, maybe because it's slurring and stammering quite a bit. "But, to answer your question, we are the ones that have been cast aside, sitting here, alone and abandoned, since the very conception of this place. We, are the ones talked about only in off-handed comments, if at all, the ones who were promised a job and a role, but have been waiting for the exalted call since times immemorial."
In time with his final words, a spotlight of bright light dawns upon a round table and four people hiss and cover their faces at the same time, like a group of very social vampires caught by traitorous sunlight. The one who had apparently been speaking doesn't react save for a heavy squinting of his eyes, smiling and looking straight at me.
"We, are the
Forgotten Five."
A smile that I would have considered charming in most other occasions, but that now just comes out
wrong. And I must not be the only one to think so, because a clearly female hand quickly smacks him in the back of the head hard enough for it to slam not-so-lightly on top of the table.
"For God's sake, Kaji,
shut up." The aggressor berates before turning back towards the bar, her bottle-blonde hair framing a face that had seen better days. "And dim the
goddamn lights again, Pen-Pen!"
I blink at the scene before me, as the woman's demand is met with a series of angry-sounding warks from our barman (barguin?) and the situation quickly devolves into a heated argument about different many drinks and a distinct lack of payment. It doesn't take long for the discussion to spread towards the small group, and I use this time to try and put names on the people I'm looking at.
I quickly identify Ryuji Kaji and Ritsuko Akagi, even if they are in a far worse state than when I last worked with them, and judging by the sheer amount of discarded glasses and bottles of liquor strewn on top of the table and the general area around it, it's not hard to guess why.
They're accompanied by three other people, two guys and a girl, roughly in their mid-to-late twenties. I... don't really recognize any of them. Except for the girl, who looks sort of familiar.
Background secondaries, maybe?
In any case, as the five characters who obviously have had a bit too much to drink finish their conversation/argument, I notice that they also start to rise up on unsteady feet. Ritsuko and glasses-guy's wobbling is especially pronounced, to the point that the former has to lean on somewhat-familiar-girl in order to keep her balance.
Before long, it's obvious that they're planning on leaving
Sky High, although I didn't quite catch if it's due to Pen-Pen's refusal to hand out more drinks or for some other cause. In any case, where is it that they plan to go? They should be here for the same reason that we are, right?
"Where are you guys going?" I ask, turning in my seat to give the group my full attention. I notice Nagisa shifting a bit as well.
Kaji is the one that responds for the group, keeping on with his booze-fuelled nonsense with a wide smile and open arms.
"We, the Forgotten Five, are going somewhere else. We're going somewhere where our talents and characters will be properly appreciated, instead of spending our existences rotting and nursing drinks!" he exclaims in slur-filled sentences that I can't be bothered to reproduce, before turning back to his companions. "I hear that
@Strypgia's place is
far better than this joint, if maybe a bit overcrowded.
@MisterHalt's and
@Ranma-sensei's aren't half-bad either, and I hear the latter's working on something new, too. We can always swing by
@Muphrid's while we are at it, as well."
"Muphrid?" somewhat-familiar-girl pitches in. "Didn't he just finish his latest project?"
"Yeah, but we can make sure that we'll be first in line should he decide to try his hand at this again, don't you think? It sure beats waiting around for the summons of a fool trying to play the literary author, anyway."
And so, with those words and a goodbye wave thrown with about the same coordination of a three-year-old, Kaji Ryuji and the rest of his so-called underappreciated talents file out of
Sky High's door one after another, some with better balance and requiring less help than others.
The entrance slams shut with a heavy bang, and calm and quiet returns to
Sky High once more, the white noise of the oldies playing on the radio being the only thing that dares break through the poignant silence.
Until my perplexed voice tentatively joins in such valiant efforts.
"...Okay? What was
that all about?"
I mean, the entire way in which
that developed was just plain weird and disjointed. I get that those guys have probably been here
way longer than we have, were justifiably pissed and drunk off their asses, and that the barman is a conveniently skilled penguin,
but still.
There was just something
wrong about it all. Strange enough for me to venture a guess and say that it was missing content, honestly.
In any case, it
does serve as very good belated reinforcement of Sparkles' point on alcoholic beverages.
"...I honestly have no idea." Said boy chimes in, clearly as confused by the entire development as I am. He then shrugs and turns back to the counter, making a throaty sound of agreement before turning to address Gendo (who still hasn't moved an inch, mind you). "Although, in spite of the group's overall intoxication, there's really no disputing the point they made on recognizing and utilizing talent part, is there? I feel like I can just be myself and help the story reach new heights of quality whenever I'm working with any of the authors they mentioned. Don't you think so too, Rokubungi-san?"
The older man grunts in response. Not
merely grunts, mind you, because this is not his standard run-of-the-mill grunt: this is his forty-seventh variation of grunt, which comes to signify complete agreement. Something along the lines of
'Hell yeah!' or
'Damn skippy!'.
As for me...
Well, I'd
love nothing more than to show my passionate agreement as well, but I'm afraid that I have pretty much zero grounds to do so. And not because of any reason on
my end, either.
"What about you, Makinami-san?" Sparkles turns towards me, blissfully unaware of the minefield that he's stepping on. "You'd rather work with any of the others too, wouldn't yo-?"
Having realised his little faux-pas a
tad too late, Nagisa's words die in his mouth and he's left looking like a fish for the briefest of moments. My darkened and irate expression probably helped with that.
He is quick to recover, though, recognizing his honest mistake and offering me a regretful and comforting smile.
"
Oh. My apologies, Makinami-san. I didn't mean to be rude."
And he means that, too. Sparkles is really a sweet little thing when you get down to it, completely undeserving of most of the crap that's thrown his way in a daily fashion.
Unlike some
other people I could mention. You know, the ones that not only don't see it fit to offer any serious roles to an attractive and talented young woman like
moi, but that actually feel the need to ridicule me in front of thousands of readers when they actually
do call!
The jerks!
Great! Now I'm in a bad mood
again! I'd almost managed to forget how pissed off I was before Kaji and his crew pulled off their underdeveloped stunt, dammit!
"Where in blazes is that green tea, Pen-Pen?!" I demand, slamming my fist on the counter for added intensity. "Make it spiffy!"
The penguin throws me a look and mutters something in response, but I'm too far away to hear properly and too annoyed to care.
My anger rises even more when I feel my phone vibrate against my jacket's pocket, in the same way that it has periodically done so ever since I was left mostly to my own devices. The shaking signifies an incoming message, the contents of which I can very much predict.
And so help me God: if this is (like I expect) another clip of the Princess messing with the atrezzo, putting Puppy-kun in drag or
any combination of fun shenanigans initially inspired by yours truly, I'm going to have
words with her.
She's enjoying this whole
'Let's annoy Mari while she can do jack about it' way too much, I'd say.
Thankfully for the continued stability of my dear friend's patience and annoyance levels (and therefore, Puppy-kun's continued well-being), the text message I just received isn't from her. And neither does it contain any attached clips of any of the aforementioned funny stuff, either.
It
does contain something that I sure as hell wasn't expecting, though.
I read through the text and its instructions once, twice, thrice, and quite probably more than ten times, just to make absolutely, completely and undeniably sure that what I'm seeing is actually true, and not some sort of hallucination or dream scene made up from my non-ingestion of alcoholic beverages.
And it's not. Even after repeated re-readings, the black-upon-white symbols continue to convey into me their message of a brighter destiny, and it's not long until slowly, testily at first but quickly gaining into more of my usual confidence, a cheery smile blossoms on my face.
And just like that, a certain nice guy has just made it back into my good graces. He really knows how to please a girl, that one, even if it took him much too long.
...
Unlike
some other people.
With a wark and a sliding sound, a mug and all the necessary utensils for proper tea consumption come to a stop before me. A warm and tasty liquid that I'm not going to be drinking anymore, even if I hate for it to go to waste.
I smirk at our host and gingerly push the tea back towards him. He eyes me and raises a curious eyebrow in response.
"A bit too late there, Pen-Pen!"
"Is something the matter, Makinami-san?"
I stare out of the corner of my eye at Sparkles, who's looking at me somewhat strangely and probably has been for quite a while now.
Judging that he's sort of earned it for my earlier bad mood, I decide to make him the first target of my resurfaced high spirits.
"Oh, no! Just that this attractive and greatly talented young woman has just landed herself another gig, working under someone that knows how to appreciate her abilities!"
"Is that so?" Nagisa replies affably, putting the dots together in his head and coming to the right answer. "Congratulations are in order, then!"
In spite of his words, I can't help but notice that his smile is a little forced, though. Probably because of the less-than-thrilling prospect of being left alone up here with a penguin and a man with the communicative capabilities of a shy rock.
I understand, I'd absolutely loathe to be in his position as well.
...
...
Which is why it's such a good thing that I have some
great news for him too, then!
"And you," I smile even wider, taking hold of his wrist. "Are coming with me!"
"...Pardon?"
That's about as much time for befuddled blurts as I allow Sparkles before I take off for the door and
convince him to accompany me, for I'm not the only one that has been called out of retirement, you see. A fact that, much to Nagisa's fairly audible protests, I can inform him of whenever I'm finally
out of this place.
I can only imagine, as I finally throw open the gates of my imprisonment and allow natural sun to light my face, how wide and bright my smile is right now. Hell, I bet that the Princess is having a feeling of
absolute dread running through her spine at this time!
And she has
good reason to. Like they say:
Payback's a bitch!
Farewell,
Sky High! See you back in
never!
Mari Makinami's back in town!
>-]LotF[-<
The front door slams shut for the second time that day, and darkness, barely kept at bay by the few strategically placed lamps around the room, invades
Sky High once more. For the longest time, the two remaining occupants of the seedy bar remain in place and doing what they do best. With the background music provided by the radio and Pen-Pen's skilful glass cleaning being the only apparent sources of sound or movement, the average observer could have very well mistaken the scene for a very detailed static painting, instead.
Until finally, with movements measured well into the millimetres, Gendo Rokubungi unfolds his hands. He then carefully nudges his now empty glass forward, the sliding sound of the cup brushing against the wooden counter camouflaging what certainly wasn't the smallest sigh in the world.
A comforting 'wark' later, and Pen-Pen quickly waddles over to produce another full bottle of whiskey.
________________________________________
Here's a little something that's been sitting on my hard drive for about six weeks now, with some last-minute alterations done to it in order to accommodate for recent events. Just like Mari mentioned before, I had been initially planning to do something different than this for today, but since the story pacing didn't pan out all that well (as usual), I found myself in need of a Plan B. This is the result of such a plan, inspired by a late night out drinking with some friends.
Hope you all enjoyed it. An actual story update will be going up later today.
