“Okay, I think I'm ready,” Naira says while standing up and clearing her throat.
“Splendid. I'll get the pieces pulled up,” he interrupts. On his phone, he presses a button, and the whirring sound of small gears fills the room. A large projector screen slides down and the lights fade out. “Stand right there,” Wayra instructs as Naira walks toward the projector screen with his phone in hand and stands beside it. “Hm, somethings missing…” he taps his chin and squints his eyes. “Oh, of course,” he says as he dashes out of Naira’s view. He suddenly reappears beside her, carrying a large podium and places the gargantuan object at Naira’s feet. “One last thing.” He runs out of view again, and moments later, Naira is illuminated by an incredibly bright spotlight, emitted from the upper level of the library. “I'm ready when you are. Remember to speak loudly and clearly, and don't forget to be yourself, that is vital. Your charm’s what we’ll need.” He says and she nods. “I'm showing the first piece in three, two, one… now!” Wayra shouts from the upper level.
“H-Hello, and welcome all to ‘Gaffer’s of Wasting’. A showcase and auctioning of the esteemed Asha. Her newest tour de force,” as she takes a breath to continue, she’s interrupted.
“Naira, we need to see some of that signature flare. If you are nervous, just try to fill yourself with so much hubris, it makes you want to vomit. You’re just speaking to friends who all love and support you. And if you stumble, hell! We’ll laugh with you. Take it from the top,” Wayra lets out a smile from atop the upper level, leaving Naira feeling comforted after hearing him speak so lightly.
“Okay… And I can put my own spin on it?” Naira asks while using her hand to shield her eyes as she squints to try and see Wayra.
“Indeed, just stick to the gist of the script,” Wayra answers. She nods and shakes her shoulders as if to relieve tension.
“Hello, all! Welcome to the one and only ‘Gaffer’s of Wasting’, a showcase that is sure to petrify and fill you with so much passion, you may need to taste some of our head chef's delectable and mouth-watering victuals for some tasty relief. If you find yourself having any additional inquiries about any of the pieces here, please don't hesitate to ask our personal thesaurus Wayra his insight, as unmatched as his ability to gorge himself on said snacks. No, really, help yourselves!” She pauses. “The food and drinks are free and we have options for all diets, Vampire and human alike!” Naira shouts charismatically and gestures to her left.
“Without further ado, Asha will take the floor for any additional words she may have,” she looks at Wayra in question. “And then, when Asha’s done her thing, I’ll step back in and continue right?” she asks, speaking normally. She can't hear anything but murmurs, and then a loud laugh emits from the upper level.
“Personal thesaurus? What even? Your improv is hilarious! I wrote that all down. We’re using this instead of mine. It’ll be a riot,” Wayra celebrates as he continues to laugh. The spotlight shuts off, and the normal lights flicker to life.
“Thanks, I wanted to be like the carnival barker I saw some years back, I was inspired. Imagine how cool I’d be with a handlebar mustache like that guy,” Naira jokes while laughing and blinking to regain her vision.
“Well, that tracks. You did alright, kid,” Kiran congratulates Naira while lazily leaning back in her chair. Naira looks up and can see Asha sitting on the railing of the upper balcony.
“It was wonderful,” she claps shortly. “Kiran, you were right on the money with your recommendation,” she says while looking down at her. “I don't think there's a need to go any further. I'm sure I’ll be wanting to take over from there anyways, let's call it a night.”
As she goes to walk out, she lifts a finger in the air and turns back around. “I'm missing some supplies. Naira, could you come along with me to the store?” she asks, leaping from the balcony to stand in front of Naira.
“I could go if you’d rather stay in,” Wayra chimes in, mimicking her movement with less grace as he lands.
“I appreciate the offer, but there's no need,” Asha thanks, gesturing for Naira to follow her, without giving her a chance to answer.
“So, which store are we going to?” Naira asks as she jogs down the hallway to catch up with her long strides.
“Mal-mart,” Asha replies coldly as they get on the elevator. They exit the elevator and walk into the garage. Asha takes out her phone and presses a button that makes the headlights of the matte black sports car turn on. The doors open themselves up like wings, and they both take their seats. “Are you ready?” Asha looks over and asks Naira.
She checks her pockets and sighs. “I forgot my phone, I gotta check my messages,” she explains as she pulls on her seat belt two times, making sure it’s in place.
“We’ll get back in no time, I’m sure you can check those messages when we do,” Asha replies. The car pulls forward with an incredible amount of speed, sending Naira straight back to her seat.
“Yeah, of course,” she says, straightening her back on the seat. “It’s just the Wi-Fi in that place isn't the greatest. I haven't been able to text or even call anyone,” she replies.
“Ah, yes. I've been meaning to get that looked at,” Asha replies, keeping her eyes fixed on the road.
Naira can’t help but giggle at the excitement of being in such an incredibly fast car, but her laugh fades as she notices Asha laughing even harder. Sensing Naira’s confusion, Asha finally speaks up.
“Naira, I am so glad to be away from them, and with you.” She explains. “Tonight’s my lucky night. But I'm sure Kiran's somewhere back there tailing us,” she continues to laugh.
“Huh? Why?” Naira asks nervously.
Asha takes in a breath and looks at Naira straight in the eyes. Her shoulders fall and her smile slowly turns into a frown. “I’m so tired of trying to hide it.”
“Hide what?” confusion paints over Naira’s face.
“I’m a vampire, but I was once human too, and I remember this feeling all too well.” Naira tries to help it, but her jaw falls at the sight of Asha being so open with her. She gestures for Asha to continue. “Naira… I'm… I'm actually terrified. I'm just glad to be away from the house and away from the pieces.” She breathes out.
“You sure you wanna be telling me all of this?”
“I like your energy, I like your ability to not overthink everything,” Asha confesses as she looks at Naira with her chin resting on her hand.
Noticing her boss opening up, Naira takes the chance to empathize. “I think we’re all scared from time to time, it’s natural, and you’re as human as any of us. Being human doesn’t make you weak. You’re a really smart lady, so I know I don't have to tell you that. The sculpture looks awesome, and I know they’ll buy them all,” she says in an attempt to ease Asha’s anxiety.
“Oh, I know they’ll buy every piece, but I don’t know if my loftier goals will be able to be realized. If my higher-ups will actually acknowledge such a brave feat,” Asha responds.
“Well, if they’re smart, they will. If not, I’ll give ‘em a scathing review or egg the shit out of their houses,” Naira crosses her arms and tries to look intimidating. While she doesn’t laugh at the proposition, she nods. “I don't think that'd be too healthy for you, but I appreciate the effort,” she looks around, “we're here.” The car comes to a stop. “Get whatever you want, it’s my treat. The least I can do for complaining the whole ride here,” Asha excuses herself as she taps the door and it pops open.
“Um… hey, Asha, I think mine's broken,” Naira says as she tries to tap her door. “Oh, I figured it out,” she continues before seeing that Asha opened the door for her. “Oops, never mind, it's tricky… like a spaceship,” she rambles as she climbs out of the car and faces an expressionless Asha. She sees the store logo and immediately feels her mood switch. “I hate this place,” she says while walking with Asha.
“Why’s that?” Asha asks.
“I used to work here… they fired me. I’m never working for humans again. Ungrateful assholes,” she answers quietly and ironically.
Asha nods. “That’s understandable, but don’t let hatred cloud your vision. I’m sure it happened for a reason. And if you never got fired, we would have never met, and am I ever so glad that didn’t happen,” she replies as she rubs Naira’s back.
“Asha, you're a really sweet person. I don't know if you hear it a lot, I don’t wanna annoy you, but it’s true,” Naira says while looking up at Asha.
“Thank you, child. It means a lot.” Asha wraps her arm around Naira for a half hug.
“Have you seen my daughter? Excuse me, have you seen this girl!” A distraught woman shouts holding her phone up to Naira.
“No, I'm sorry ma’am. I do hope that you find her, she's really pretty,” Naira says as she examines a flier the woman gave her.
“Thank you! She’s the cutest! Here, I actually have a video of her all dressed for her big day. She was so excited. The police think I'm just being a tiger mom or whatever the hell, but I can feel it. I can sense that she’s not okay. It's my mother's intuition. We know these things!” The woman insists while staring at the picture of her daughter on her phone.
“Naira we should get going, we've got a big day ahead of us,” Asha interrupts while standing in the store, ignoring the pleading woman.
“Oh! Oh my God! I didn’t know you were with Asha, would it be possible for you to maybe get her to say something about Kaylie at her event?” The woman says. “I don’t have much money to give you, but if you could just help me get the word out, I would be so grateful. My name is Angie. If you have any information, feel free to call me at any time night or day,” Angie cries as she shakes Naira’s hand.
“Of course, Angie, I’m Naira. My friend Cole just recently went missing, trust me, I understand how frustrating it is to talk to these cops. If I see anything, I promise I’ll call you,” Naira rubs Angie's shoulder.
“Naira,” Asha calls out while tapping her wrist.
“I have to get going, but try to get some sleep, okay? I’ll keep my eyes peeled,” Naira reassures Angie as she jogs into the store.
“Sorry Asha, that woman’s daughter just went missing.”
“Yes, I heard.”
“Yeah, and I told her about Cole, remember? My friend that went missing?”
“I do,” Asha nods shortly, holding in her desperation to get their errands done.
“I was just telling her about him, and how these cops suck at their jobs,” Naira continues while looking at the flier Angie gave her. They stand in silence for a few seconds.
“You should hurry and grab everything you want. I can only be away from my office for so long,” Asha dismisses her as she continues to walk.
“Oh yeah! I’ll go grab the stuff. It won't be too expensive, I promise!” She affirms before running in the opposite direction. She grabs a cart and pushes it along as fast as she could. “Candles, pads, flat iron. Is… Is that what I think it is? The Dyson Supersonic! Oh wait, I need a game system so I can play with Creed.” Naira takes a couple more minutes to look around, before looking back toward her cart. “Wait, did I get too much? Yeah, no, this is cool,” Naira says to herself as she looks at her cart spilling over with items.
“Naira? Is that you? You have so much stuff,” a man says as he approaches Naira.
“Yeah, what’s up?” she answers dryly, recognizing him to be her old coworker and ringleader in her kangaroo court some time ago.
“I haven't seen you in so long. How've you been? Looks like you struck it rich,” the man responds gleefully as he looks her up and down.
“Eh, I guess you could say that. This place wasn't really my style. I figured my energy was best spent somewhere it would be appreciated. I’m hosting an event at Asha’s mansion, and figured I’d stop past my old gig to treat myself and… reminisce,” she replies cockily while looking over her items with an unimpressed expression.
“Well, Naira, I'm really happy for you… Hey, and I'm sorry if I ever came off like an asshole. These hours tend to fuck with yo-” he is interrupted when he hears a commotion in the store. The two share glances before rushing in the direction of the noise.
“You freaks don't have any right being here! There are kids and elderly people in here! What if one of you leeches freaks the fuck out and hurts ‘em? Huh?” A man uncontrollably screams at Asha, his basket lying at her feet with various items scattered around them.
“Sir you need to leave! Now,” Naira’s old employee orders as he stands in front of Asha.
“Oh, so you fuckers are one of them?! You the ones letting ‘em take our jobs and turn our kids into fuckin’ monsters? You fucks ain’t American. None of you. We need to drag these fuckers out into the street and burn ‘em. Them fella’s down in DC got something for your asses. We're gonna finally have someone step up and get you monsters in line! You fucking leeches are demons!” The man angrily shouts as he pushes Naira’s ex-coworker down and charges Asha.
Stopping the unreal encounter, comes Kiran, who seemingly appears from nowhere and slams the man unconscious to the ground. “There you go! Shut his ass up!” A woman from the crowd shouts as she claps, and the rest of the crowd follows suit as they laugh and clap.
Asha lets out a deep breath. “I would like to thank my trusty security for detaining this threat as soon as possible before anyone could get hurt. I would also like to say I understand that while many of you may find that some of what he says resonates with you, or maybe you would even like to hear him out, I must ask that we remember that our words can be very dangerous. And while I would never impede on your first amendment, I would implore you to remember that we are all on the same team, and without love, empathy, and patience, we can get nowhere. Someone, please seek medical attention for this man. I beg of you.” She says as she uses her jacket to cushion his head as he lay unconscious.
“Now that's what I'm talking about! Let's go, someone call this jackass an ambulance!” A man shouts as he claps for Asha.
“You two can go, I'll clean up here.” Kiran frees Naira and Asha as she stands over the man.
They quickly check out and start their walk back to the car.
“So, what even happened back there?” Naira asks as she loads her things into Asha’s car.
“Child, I've been here long enough to know bigots need no prodding to voice their beliefs, they’ll tell anyone both willing and unwilling to hear it. This wouldn't be the first or the last time it’s happened. Your skin thickens after a while,” Asha explains softly as she starts the car.
“Still, how dont you feel torn up about what he said to you? I wish my skin was tough like that. You didn't even do anything to him for him to act that way,” Naira continues, clearly upset while looking back at the store as the car pulls away.
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