Lee

Shit fuck shit fuck. I didn’t think she’d look that fucking cute in a goddamned plaid dress. His thoughts constantly screamed at him as he walked in a haste towards the direction where they were supposed to go. At this point, he was literally dragging Monique all over the city.

Monique: Hey, whoa wait!
Lee: What?
Monique: Don’t you need to get into some form of a dress code too?

He pondered that thought for a moment. Please dear god, don’t tell me he’s setting us up for a fucking date. Did literally no one tell him about the memo? About the me being friends with her first!?! ­He gave a defeated sigh.

Lee: Promise you won’t run off anywhere?
Monique: Hard to run anywhere when everything seems so new. I don’t even think I can go through this city in a lifetime no less a whole fucking day.
Lee: Hey, you can still surprise me by up and running away.
Monique: Look, I’ll stand guard or watch or whatever, but you’re not about to get out of this without dressing the part.
Lee: But I –––
Monique: It is my birthday.
Lee: Fine. Only because I slightly trust the merchants around here to keep an eye on you.

She chuckled a bit.

Monique: Okay, okay. Get going.
Lee: I’ll be right back.
Monique: Counting on it.

~

An hour and a half passed on by. He left her with some money in case she wanted to snack on something. But, dear gods of another world, was he panicking. What to wear, how to style his hair. Why should he care at all? Did he really want to impress her? Or was he just trying really hard to make sure he could put off this whole “Be friends” thing. God, that was stupid too. How can you be friends? How do you even try? Do friends hold hands the way they did? Or offer a room to stay in within a day of knowing each other? Were they setting him up for failure? Or was this their rightful method of pushing him to get over her? He walked out of a gentlemen’s store. He wore what he could to match her style, a button up casual dress shirt tucked into his black jeans. He saw her, feeding the doves with bird seeds she probably purchased from the nearby pet store. Her hair was so close to the color of sunsets it was awe-strikingly beautiful. If that was even a word to him. He smiled as he saw her delight in feeding small creatures. When she finally noticed him staring, she blushed at the sight of him. Hah. I win.

Lee: Ready to go?
Monique: I’ve been ready an hour ago, princess!

They walked together in the direction Ben had set out for them. Through a massive garden of flowers and fall like trees. He told her how they transform to cherry-blossom trees in the spring and how they look the way they do in the fall, just in time for Founder’s Festival. He explained how the festival is meant to bring everyone together and how restaurants give it their all to try to win best of the year. Their pace matched as they kept walking in windy paths. The orange and yellow leaves danced in the wind. A few had slowly waltzed to Monique’s hair. Lee laughed, trying to pry them out. Dearest mother of all fairies; make this day last forever Lee had thought.

They then arrived at the destination. A beach side restaurant with an unusual amount of customers for this time of the day (which was literally no one around). Monique had walked on in as Lee gestured for her to go first. Ben came from seemingly nowhere, dressed in, what he called, his Sunday best. A suit with a red bowtie.

Ben: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MONIQUE!!!

The wait staff, the chefs, the hosts, and the guests all came out from different areas of the restaurant, yelling out surprise to Monique. No one, coordinated. Not a single one at all. It almost seemed like Monique was going to have a panic attack, but Lee was right behind her. Motioning her to slowly stroll inside. He knew she wasn’t used to this.

Lee: Just go along and try to have fun.
Monique: How can I when I’ve never experienced that in my life.
Lee: First time for everything.

An arrangement of food and sweets were all produced, setting themselves on the tables put together for the smorgasbord.

Monique: So much food.
Ben: I had to tell Alexis, everyone chipped in. She says they’ll truly celebrate when they return. But for now, think of it as a gift from them. The guests here are also going to celebrate with you.

Most of them were either people from the Corps or just regular citizens. Most of them just basked in the fact that there was an excuse to party while others attempted to lure her away from Lee with food and beer.

Monique: I don’t think I’ll like beer.
Lee: Then here.

He handed her hard ciders and hard lemonade. She took a few swigs at the hard ciders and perked up a bit.

Monique: So good. So sweet…
Ben: So, you are a person who likes sweets! Bring out some more!!
Monique: Is…is this even legal?
Ben: Legal drinking age around these parts is 18.
Lee: Isn’t it dependent on what species you are?
Ben: Right! A human with an affinity for magic, the legal drinking age is then set at 18 where as a fairy with a life expectancy of what, five to seven hudreed years I think the legal drinking age for them is maybe a hundred? Not too sure.

Drinks were producing left and right as the night raged on. She gorged herself in food and sweet alcoholic drinks. The bartender found it a challenge as she claimed that most of them tasted like bitter medicine. Lee watched carefully, ensuring nothing funny was going on, he only drank enough to get a buzz. He saw that Ben challenged her to drinking competition after drinking competition till he managed to make himself pass out. She ate happily, drank ecstatically. This was probably the most she’s lived. At least, the most she’s ever gotten to have fun in her life. Liquid courage carried through her veins. A band made up of fairies and orcs and the Norse showed up to play some tunes and she looked so fucking clumsy. So clumsy that Lee couldn’t help but notice how bad of a dancer she was. Many people joined her. Especially guys who were trying to prey on her. He stepped in between them, offering himself to dance with her (even though he too was called a sloppy dancer). He tried, amazingly successfully, leading by spinning her around a few times, dipping her at every possible chance. He took too many notes on how Danny would dance with Karin. When the slow songs came, as paid for by Ben who miraculously woke up to party some more, she fell right into his arms. Lee glared at Ben as Ben had his thumbs up, smiling like a complete goof. Ben knew most of Lee’s weaknesses, and by all means this was it. Getting to slow dance with a beautiful woman such as her to songs he would sing to himself while working or after a drunken night. By the time the end of the party came, she was a drunk staggering. Lee carried her home as Ben tried to stagger behind. It was not how he had wanted things to turn out, but he was also glad she had the time of her life. Or at least was finally feeling like she was living it.

They caught a cab and drove out to the other side of the city. In the middle of a forestry area, stood a traditional style Japanese house. He struggled to get her inside the house as the driver was kind enough to lead Ben inside. Lee pointed at the direction in which Ben was to go and thanked the driver profusely after giving him a most generous tip. He struggled to keep her balance with his. She laughed and giggled so much, was this really the same girl from this morning?

Lee: Come on, I know you’ve had way too much to drink.
Monique: And you….you’ve waaaay too little to drink~
Lee: Well, someone had to keep an eye on you, you were chugging those things left and right with Ben. No wonder he passed out during the competition.
Monique: hahaha so weaaak.

She continued to stumble inside the house, falling flat on the sofa near the kitchen. Lee laughed and sighed.

Lee: Alright you stay there.

He readied her room. Opened the curtains to let the moonlight in, unfurled the bedsheets so she can get a good night’s rest. Even put out a glass of water with some aspirin on the side. Who knew if she could even get a hangover? Though, if she did, he knew deep down inside Lilith would kill him. When he walked out of her room and into the kitchen, he saw her staring blankly at the wall in front of her. There was an old painting of a fields of flowers. The fields of flowers that used to grow here. It was filled with dark colored lilies and hyacinths with black roses bordering around the edges.

Lee: You okay?
Monique: Familiar.
Lee: Excuse me?
Monique: Th-hic- this place looks so fam-hic-familiar.
Lee: Here, drink some water.

She took the glass of water from Lee’s hand, downing it as soon as she could.

Lee: Slow down there.
Monique: Th-this feels like home. Sweet home.

She stared at him, her whole body still wobbling.

Monique: You look familiar too.
Lee: Yeah, I should, I’m the guy that dragged your drunk ass in here for housing.

He took the empty cup from her hand, placing it on the white marble countertop. She tried getting up as soon as he took his eyes off her.

Lee: Jeezus, would you just sit still.

He grabbed right before she fell down again.

Lee: Alright, that’s it.

He carried her, princess style, towards her room.

Monique: No fun, no fun.
Lee: Yeah, yeah. Call me the Fun Police.

As he laid her down on the bed, she held onto him…desperately.

Monique: Please don’t leave me.
Lee: I won’t I just don’t think it’s very becoming of me to sleep in the same bed as you.
Monique: Please…don’t go…I’m sorry.
Lee: You did nothing wrong.
Monique: Ezekiel don’t go! Y…you know I’m afraid of the dark.

His smiles frowned. He couldn’t put two and two together because he had seen pictures of that Ezekiel kid. Some mismatched fellow whom had black hair and pure white eyes. His posture was dangly. He looked so scrawny. Yet, she feared him so much.

Monique: Please, don’t leave…I’m so so sorry.

Lee held onto her, squeezing her hands, trying to signify he’s here.

Lee: Hey, hey it’s me. Lee. That kid isn’t here.
Monique: Lee, please don’t go.
Lee: Are you afraid of the dark?
Monique: They always leave me alone. In a dark room. Shackled some steel framed bed. Don’t go. Please. Don’t. Go. I’m scared.
Lee: I’ll stay right here; I won’t go anywhere.

Tears swelled up in her eyes. She cried till she fell asleep. He held onto her knowing damn well her life depended on it. He told himself this wasn’t him taking advantage. But he had wondered what that kid did to her that was so bad that she felt like this? Alone. Afraid. Not even able to hold herself up for a singular night. He scanned the room, knowing that he can barely see in the moonlight. However, when his meet the mirror barely hidden by the curtain, he saw a heavy dark shadow shrouding her mind. Was this how they kept her in line? By forcing her to go back using cheap mind tricks. His thoughts plagued him till he too fell asleep.