A City Story, Day 4

[Cytherea]

Jason

"Thank you, Mai." Jason said with a smile to her. He turned towards Cheiko, and found her studying his face. He didn't know why, but he felt almost like he couldn't breathe as he studied her's. Being around girls normally never did this to him. A smile tugged at his lips.

"You are cute." he blurted out.

Alex

Alex silently walked into the huge room. He shut the door, opened the window, and took a deep breath of the winter air. His blue eyes shimmered.

He uncased his pride and laid it lovingly on his shoulder. He picked up his bow and placed it near the strings.

And then music filled the room.

Soft, beautiful; yet very sad. He closed his eyes while he played and his long fingers seemed to move by themselves. Slowly, he started dancing around the room, still playing his violin in perfect time.

[Lithium]

Cheiko blushed scarlet. "N-no one's ever called me... cute... before."

She looked away quickly, then glanced back up at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but then, there was an enormous crash of thunder, and the storm that had been threatening them all day finally broke free.

There was another boom of thunder, right over their heads–– so loud, Cheiko thought her ear drums would break–– and the lights flickered, then went out.

She looked over at Jason in the gloom and darkness. "I think we must've got struck by lightening."

"Everybody stay calm," an older woman said as she came out of the kitchen.

The other customers of the restaurant were standing up nervously. Some of the children were crying. A baby was screaming and the mother anxiously tried to comfort it.

"Thankfully, we use fuel-burning appliances, so you will all be able to have your food. Our servers will be bringing out traditional Japanese lanterns and some candles to light your meal. We apologize for the inconvenience."

The older woman bowed, and went back into the kitchen.

[Cytherea]

"Thankfully, we use fuel-burning appliances, so you will all be able to have your food. Our servers will be bringing out traditional Japanese lanterns and some candles to light your meal. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Jason's eyes sparkled with excitement. He glanced at Cheiko.

"A candle-lit meal. That's normally considered romantic." He cocked his head to the side slightly. "Did you mind me asking to take you out on a date?"

[Lithium]

Cheiko blushed again and she found she was thankful it was mostly dark. "I thought you already had. But, no. I don't mind."

She smiled as the servers started to bring out candles and lanterns, then proceeding in lighting them.

Takeo set a candle down at their table, his face strangely blank, then hurried on to the next table. Cheiko smiled at Jason, but her heart felt conflicted.

She buried this deep down within herself and moved on.

[Cytherea]

"I thought you already had. But, no. I don't mind."

The man named Takeo from earlier came and set a candle down on their table. Cheiko smiled at Jason, but she looked a little upset. Jason pushed those thoughts away.

"I'm glad you don't mind." he said with a smile. His face lit up in the light of the candles and lanterns. "So..." he began. "Tell me about yourself. How old are you?"

[Lithium]

"23. How old are you?"

She tucked some hair behind one ear and leaned forward. The rain continued to drum on the roof. Cheiko leaned her chin against her hand.

[Cytherea]

Jason smiled.

"I'm 24; just one year older than you." He noticed she looked very pretty in the candle light, and he either wanted to stare at her forever, or escape her eyes. He pulled a question from his mind and just said it. "My birthday is February 14th. When's yours?"

[Lithium]

"Oh!! Valentine's Day? Really? Well, I'll have to be sure to get you something. What kind of stuff do you like?"

She closed her mouth, then quickly remembered his question. "Oh! My birthday is September 18th. Months away."

[Cytherea]

"Oh!! Valentine's Day? Really? Well, I'll have to be sure to get you something. What kind of stuff do you like?"

Oh bother. She's right. I always forget that my birthday's on Valentine's Day.

"Oh! My birthday is September 18th. Months away." She added.

"My goodness." Jason mused. "I totally forgot about my birthday; and also the fact that it's on Valentine's Day. I'm sure my brothers are planning something for me. You don't have to get me anything, but I really like..." he thought hard for a moment. "Man, I'm not sure what I like. Anything you give me will be special. What about you? Maybe I won't wait until your birthday to buy something for you."

[Anwen]

Aria followed the sounds she had heard for a while. They took her over the fence dividing Subterria from Royalia and then she realized. It wasn't cries of pain she was hearing. It was music of bittersweet love. She flew till she reached the mansion where it was coming from. The music was drawing her: she couldn't have stopped even if she had wanted to. The window was small for her wingspan. She alighted on a tree nearby and pulled herself into the room. There she was swept into the embrace of the music. Her old instincts took over. The music was heartrendingly lovely, and so was her dance. She hardly saw the player.

[Cytherea]

Alex finished his song with a sweet note. He opened his eyes, and noticed someone else in the room. She was dancing, or at least she had been before he had stopped playing. She had golden hair, and from what he could see, golden eyes. And golden wings.

She must have flown in through the window.

Calmly, as if people always flew through his window and started dancing without a word, he walked to his violin case and laid his instrument down carefully. Without turning to her, he spoke quietly, though his voice had an icy coldness to it, like broken shards of glass.

"I'm afraid I don't know you, and I'll dismiss that fact."

He started to walk to the door, absolutely fine with leaving a complete stranger in his house.

"You know the way out." he said indicating the window.

[Anwen]

"How- how could anyone who can play as warmly as you, be the complete opposite in personality?" Aria said incredulously. She was thinking out loud, but she didn't care. "My name is Aria, what's yours? Will you please play again? It's been sooooo long since I've listened to music worth hearing."

[Lithium]

Cheiko

"Maybe I'll get you... peanut butter juice sticks!" Cheiko teased with a grin. "I know they're your favorite."

"Here you are," Mai said as she carried their food out to them and set it on their table. "Do you mind if I pull up a chair real quick? I don't want to interrupt your date, but I need to ask Cheiko something really, really important."

Missy

Missy kept her eyes shut tight. They already knew she tended to sleep late, so she could just lay in bed until she actually wanted to get up.

Which felt like never, but would probably be in a matter of minutes, due to her boredom.

She pushed the covers away and yawned, stretching herself out. She checked her Portable and scrolled through some of her messages.

Spam, spam, fortune hunter, spam, old beau, fortune hunter, paparazzi...

She sighed and set her phone back down, trying to make her depression seem more like sleepiness.

Yawning, she pulled on a bathrobe, tied the tie and went out to the kitchen to get some lunch.

Cheiko is out having some Japanese food. I haven't had that in a while. I'll have the computer order out.

"Computer," she called out, after pushing the button to alert it.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Please order take-out from the Japanese restaurant owned by the Sonodas and Kobayashis."

"What would you like to order, ma'am? Do you need their menu?"

"Shrimp tempura and a large miso soup."

"Yes, ma'am. Their systems say it will be with you in about ten minutes."

"Thank you, Computer."

"You're welcome, ma'am."

The speaker crackled slightly as the computer switched off.

Only one of the window screens were raised, so she called out, "Oh! And computer, please open the screens and windows."

"Would you like for me to use the air filters?"

"Yes, please,"

She turned around and went to their living area as the blinds rose like old-fashioned garage doors.

Missy held her hand in front of her eyes as silent tears rolled down them.

Oh, Matty. What have they done to you?

Her heart flared with a passionate anger before she tamped it down, trying to control herself.

I'll find him. I know I will. Maybe I need to go back to the country for a while.

[Cytherea]

"I don't want to interrupt your date, but I need to ask Cheiko something really, really important."

"Oh, of course." Jason said with a smile. "Is everything all right?"

[Lithium]

Mai grimaced. "Not really. Hotaru is back. And... she's... well, I was just covering for her tables. You're at one of them. I mean, I don't think she's try to poison you or anything, but, just be careful."

Cheiko nodded. "Anything else?"

"Well, there is one other thing, but I'll let papa tell you about that one. If you'll excuse me."

Mai left the table and Cheiko turned back to Jason. "Where were we? Learning about each other, right?"

[Cytherea]

"Where were we? Learning about each other, right?" Cheiko said turning back to Jason.

"Yeah. So... what's your full name? Mine's Jason Glenn Underhill."

[Lithium]

"Glenn... I like Glenn. Cheiko Sonoda, or Sonoda Cheiko. It depends on your culture." She shrugged. "What's your favorite color?"

[Cytherea]

She shrugged. "What's your favorite color?"

"Mine's..." he thought for a moment and pursed his lips. "Probably blue. Dark blues. What's your favorite color?"

[Lithium]

"Oh! Blue? I've read that your favorite color tells a lot about who you are. Let's see if I can remember... Oh yeah! People who like blue the most often feel a desire to find truth and inner peace. What do you think?" Cheiko looked at him, then remembered his question. "Oh! Why favorite color? Probably turquoise or purple."

[Cytherea]

Jason laughed. "Really? I didn't know blue had so much meaning. What does turquoise or purple mean?"

[Lithium]

"Oh! Turquoise? Turquoise means that someone wants to make their own way in the world, under their own terms. Purple means that that person has a deep need for emotional security." Cheiko shrugged. "I guess you should know that both of those things are probably true about me."

[Cytherea]

"Well, I like finding truth and inner peace, I suppose." Jason said with a smile. "You seem like a bright person. Bright as in smart, and bright as in colorful. Have you gone to college?"

[Cytherea]

"My name is Aria, what's yours? Will you please play again? It's been sooooo long since I've listened to music worth hearing."

Alex hesitated for a moment. He held his violin case gently.

"For those who hear my music, it is when they pass by my open window. They normally don't fly in through it. When I am done playing, they are done listening." His eyes were a sharp, icy blue. "I usually don't make exceptions," He stared into her golden eyes without flinching. "Or tell people my name."

[Anwen]

He's definitely a dolphin. Or at least partly. He doesn't act like one at all!
"I usually don't make exceptions," He looked in the eyes. "Or tell people my name."

Aria's eyes flashed. Oh doesn't he. She thought as she lashed out at him and grabbed his violin from him. In a flash of golden feathers she was on the window sill. It's fairly obvious that he's in love with this violin.

Aria smiled sweetly at him and then vanished out of the window.

I've got a fire in my eyes
I'm burning brighter than the sunlight
You orchestrated my escape
Now I'm awake
I feel alive for the first time
You ignite The fire in my eyes

[Cytherea]

Alex felt his anger about ready to explode as she grabbed his violin. She smiled sweetly at him and then flew out the window.

Without thinking, he hurled himself after her. He didn't worry about the fact that he couldn't fly. He loved that violin just about as much as he loved himself.