Post by Jas on Jan 27, 2010 20:28:56 GMT -5
I wrote another story!
. . .
I can't say much about it, the story will explain itself XD I hope it won't confuse you too much in the beginning, but if it does, I certainly hope all will clear up near the end! X3
I'm also going to give the story the lamest title in history of lameness, because I couldn't think of another one X3
But I hope you'll like it! It was kinda late when I wrote the ending, so that might be a bit off. . . But we'll see X3
Thanks in advance for reading! <3
Masurao had a problem.
However, Masurao himself didn’t label the issue as ‘a problem’. No, as far as he was concerned, he was merely being curious. It was only natural that when a person didn’t understand something, he’d set out a search to make sure he did understand. Even if it was taking him all day already.
The reason for this had been a brief conversation with his green-haired friend whom he had bumped into during a stroll in the hallway. She seemed to be extra perky today and upon the inquiry why this was, Tala had made a series of enthusiastic exclamations before she had dashed off again, leaving the guard looking after her, utterly bewildered.
Stewing over the things she had said, Masurao decided to just brush it off, but such a thing seemed strangely difficult to do. Difficult to an extent it began to frustrate him a little.
So instead, the wolfish teen had made a decision and set out to gain some information which could possibly help him clear up the issue. This certainly would help to ease this agitating curiosity a little. After all, being curious was only a natural thing, he had told himself many times that day, as if he still needed to convince himself of that matter as well.
Being stealthy by nature, the guard made sure to pay attention that he wasn’t being followed around or overheard as he made his way over to Niji’s quarters. He had tracked her down first, as she was a person he often turned to for asking a question (which he rarely did anyway).
Masurao entered the colourful room, after being given permission to do so and greeted the princess with his regular bow. He explained to her the reason why he was here and posed her the question after she said it was alright to do so. This done, Niji looked up at him and blinked her eyes a few times in light befuddlement. She looked up at the ceiling for a minute, seeming thoughtful and then ensued by shrugging and shaking her head from side to side. In return, she asked him what the reason of this question was, which Masurao answered with another bow and a turn on his heel, voicing a ‘thank you’ as he made his way out of the room.
Discouraged being a word he disliked, the guard continued his way, making the usual detours and walking casually into the kitchen to have a snack every now and then, making sure that his behaviour didn’t seem out of the ordinary and no one would grow suspicious of his wanderings around Base.
The next person he went to seek out was quickly found, after ensuring there wasn’t anyone else in the room at that exact moment. Vibe sat on the floor, her legs crossed, her hands holding a controller while her fingers flicked and flew over the many buttons, focused on beating the virtual character on the screen. As Masurao entered, she didn’t seem surprised to find him there, but greeted him with a casual ‘hey’. If Masurao knew anything about Vibe, it was that she had a great ability of being discreet. This certainly being a characteristic he could appreciate, the girl was a logical choice to go and talk to, even though it might’ve surprised her he actually came to talk.
After politely declining her offer if he perhaps wanted to play as well, Masurao continued by asking her the same question he had asked Niji not too long ago. Vibe’s reaction was almost similar to Niji’s; one eyebrow went aloft at his inquiry, obviously a bit confused where this question had come from in the first place. After a minute’s consideration, she too shook her head and apologized for the inability to help him out any further. She refrained from asking any other questions and concentrated back on the television screen, her demeanor cool and laid-back as usual, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. After quickly thanking her, the wolfboy made his way out of the lounge area, not denying that his frustration welled up slightly at the failure of finding answers. It confused him why so far two people had absolutely no idea what he was going on about. The question seemed simple enough.
It was a lucky coincidence that he bumped into someone else when he rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, meaning to see if there were any leftover muffins since that morning.
Nebulos was standing on the counter top, atop a cooking pot, one of his many arms rummaging through the cupboard while his tongue stuck out in concentration. It wasn’t until he let out a victorious laugh when retrieving a glass jar with multicoloured balls in it that he noticed Masurao standing in the doorway. In his utter surprise, the blue boy nearly dropped the jar and only just managed to prevent himself from falling down by gripping the cupboard’s handle with one of his free hands.
With Nebulos looking rather flustered and somewhat alarmed, Masurao took pity on the smaller boy and assisted him by taking the jar out of his small hands and setting it aside. An embarrassed blush colouring his cheeks purple, the unnerved Luminarian began to utter apologies and thanks while he climbed down from his improvised construction. Watching how he did so, Masurao was quick to figure out that he could also question Nebulos on the matter he’d been thinking of. The smaller alien was kind enough and not a particular loud mouth either.
And so, the stoic guard caught the illuminating alien off guard by asking the same question again, seemingly out of the blue. Nebulos looked up at him, blinking his eyes a few times, as if his brain needed a few more seconds to register what Masurao had said. Masurao himself just stared back, which made the blue teen quickly avert his eyes to somewhere else. After a minute or two’s consideration, Nebulos addressed him again, informing him that what Masurao was talking about sounded vaguely familiar, but that he couldn’t remember how much he tried. And that he was very sorry for it too.
Uttering a soft huff, the wolf turned around again and said his thanks, leaving the shorter alien very much bewildered as he marched steadily out of the kitchen.
His steps were much less light than usual as he walked through the empty corridor, his tail whipping out behind him as he strode powerfully. Feeling rather annoyed, not at his teammates, but at the matter itself and how it just wouldn’t clear up, Masurao made a rather impulsive decision.
The twins were quickly found.
They looked particularly innocent as they hung lazily in the couch, which made Masurao suspect they had just been up to something, or were either planning on being up to something not too long from now. But that wasn’t why he was here.
At the sight of him, two identical rows of purple teeth were displayed, their fringes bouncing as they turned to face him, greeting him by their regular ‘Susu!’ The guard was quick to brush the nickname off, having gotten used to the brothers’ casual antics over the years. They grinned up at him and cut him off by asking what was the reason for his visit. Perhaps it was because he was looking a tad gloomier than usual that they asked him this, but nevertheless, Masurao did send an eyebrow aloft at the inquiry.
He was aware of the idea that Dengeki and Unagi perhaps weren’t the most discreet people around, but he did know that they had the ability to pick up a lot of information that went around the base. And so, after a minute’s consideration, he asked his question for a fourth time that day.
About ten minutes later, Masurao had left the room.
He had gotten none the wiser from this visit, although he did expect that the brothers were the first people he’d talked to that actually did know what he was talking about. However, they seemed far too amused at the fact he had come to ask them this question that they hadn’t provided him with a satisfying answer. Hilarity had ensued and conversations had been held, mostly between the two aquatic aliens themselves, wondering out loud what the reason was of Masurao’s quest for information on the subject.
Having managed to escape without having to elaborate too much on that reason (the twins had had much more fun coming up with their own theories anyway), Masurao found himself walking through the GTND corridors once more. He wasn’t wandering aimlessly, though it couldn’t be denied his paces were a lot less determined than before. He certainly wasn’t planning on talking to every Sector SUN member in the hope of finding at least one small clue.
No, this time he was headed straight for the person who could undoubtedly answer the question for him in a clarifying, no-nonsensical way. Problem was that this person wasn’t exactly Masurao’s first choice to talk about this thing. Not because the wolf disliked him, but for the simple reason a certain sense of awkwardness tended to linger in the air every time they came face to face.
Arriving near the entrance where Masurao had last spotted the alien he’d been looking for, he stepped over the threshold, greens snapping from side to side, relieved to see the room completely abandoned, save the person he had been looking for. This person was reclining in the couch and had his back facing the doorway, and therefore hadn’t noticed Masurao entering. A large bowl of multicoloured fruit perched on the coffee-table and a comic book floated in front of the alien in the sofa, surrounded by a faint, red glow.
The guard didn’t say anything, but took another opportunity to glance around the room, double-checking if it indeed was empty. Reassured of this fact, Masurao turned his attention back to the person in the couch and cleared his throat, alerting him of his presence in a way he hoped was less startling than popping up beside him.
Red curls bounced as the alien in the sofa turned his head. One cheek was puffed, undoubtedly holding remains of unchewed fruit and baby blue eyes enlarged at the sight of the wolf standing in the doorway. Spluttering slightly, Etoile hurriedly began to chew on the treat in his mouth, desperately trying to get it in his stomach as fast as he could.
“M-Masurao,” he managed to utter the second after swallowing down the food. “I didn’t hear you come in. . .” The blue eyes were quickly averted and the flustered boy added “. . . But that usually happens.” A nervous chuckle followed, in which he still didn’t make eye-contact, something which Masurao didn’t particularly mind, seeing how he was busying himself staring at some point in the corner of the room as well, until he spoke up after a minute or two “. . . Hello.”
A silence fell and the guard could already feel some kind of awkwardness rise in the air, even though nothing extraordinary had happened. Etoile fidgeted in the sofa uneasily, apparently unsure whether he could turn back to his comic book, or needed to keep facing the unrevealing bodyguard.
After another minute, Masurao took a step into the room and walked up front to stand near the coffee table, though keeping his eyes firmly locked onto the window in front of him, staying quiet. Etoile ventured a glance up at the unnerving guard, his fingertips darkening a little. Even though Etoile had the tendency to be anxious around the taciturn alien, he could tell that this behavior was rather uncommon. Masurao was never one to march into a room at random and certainly never announced himself when he did. He always seemed to have a particular goal set out for him, whether it was to find Niji, accomplish a task, or simply hop on the windowsill and rest. But as he stood here, apparently doing none of those, Etoile’s apprehension grew. It had the strange effect of watching a ticking time-bomb, though the Telarian did not believe that Masurao was about to explode any second. Which, incidentally, made him wonder what it would be like if the guard did lose his temper, since he always appeared to be so calm and composed. But at any rate, Etoile definitely didn’t want the guard to lose his temper at him, so he quickly withdrew that thought, sincerely hoping the wolf didn’t possess any telepathic abilities.
The silence lingered on and at this point, Etoile was getting so unnerved that he felt he just had to say something. Having no idea what, but deciding to improvise anyway, he was surprised when Masurao cut him off.
“. . .I have a question.”
The sentence lingered in the air for a few minutes, and then faded away slowly. Etoile stared at him, blue eyes blinking a few times. He hadn’t known what to expect, but in any case, it certainly wasn’t this. Masurao who came to seek out him to ask something?
Etoile didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on and his apprehension grew, but so did his curiosity, he had to admit. And by now, a good few minutes had passed, he realized. “Umm... Sure.” His eyes were cast to the side again, though he did glance back at the quiet boy every now and then, most confused.
Masurao cast a fleeting look at the yellow boy for a brief second, before he resumed his watchful gaze out of the window. Something in his demeanor shifted, though it was hardly perceptible. His mouth twitched lightly and his eyebrows knitted together. His fists clenched tightly and he squeezed his lips together. It seemed like he was having some kind of internal struggle, deciding whether or not he should talk.
Eventually, after a fretful five minutes, he seemed to have reached a conclusion. After one last glare at the universe outside the window, Masurao turned around to face Etoile, and asked what he had been asking all the others during this day.
“Who’s Marty?”
Etoile had heard the question, but it seemed very unlikely that it was being posed. His mouth dropped slightly and the curly-haired boy stared at the guard, who at this time had decided to stare at the wall aside instead, looking somewhat bristled.
Jaw dropping a bit more, Etoile blinked his eyes a few times, as if he needed to convince himself of the fact Masurao had actually asked him this. Apparently he wasn’t.
“I-I’m sorry?” the yellow teen said, looking genuinely bewildered. The situation looked so absurd, it didn’t seem to be actually happening.
Masurao, on the other hand, didn’t seem all too delighted that Etoile wasn’t catching on. He uttered a faint grunt, scrunching his nose a little, feeling somewhat embarrassed for reasons he could not name. “Who Marty is. Have you heard of him?” There was a slight snap in his voice, which he didn’t intend to be there. He was aware of it and hoped that glancing to the wall would suffice as an apology for his tone of voice.
The change in attitude, brief though it was, seemed to startle Etoile out of his disbelieved daze. He recoiled slightly and blinked his eyes a few times more. Although somewhat awakened, he still seemed as confused as before. “I... Yes...” the red-haired boy said, looking quite bemused, talking to the bowl of fruit on the table this time. A red-tipped hand reached out and rubbed his curls, making his thin antennae bounce back and forth. He frowned a little, racking his brains as to why this situation was happening. It seemed quite unreal.
Etoile looked up at the guard, who was looking at him at this point, piercing green eyes obviously waiting for him to elaborate.
After locking gazes for a second, Etoile quickly looked away again, addressing the window this time. “I, uhh... Well, it’s—Why aren’t you asking Tala?” he blurted out. “That is, I’m guessing, where you picked up the name ‘Marty’?” He looked up at the wolf this time, having voiced his thoughts out loud. If it was about Marty, he had no idea why Masurao had come to see him rather than his sister.
At the sound of the name, Masurao seemed to become a tad more gloomy than he had been before. As unenthusiastically as one could muster, he nodded slowly. “I tried...” he began slowly, lifting an eyebrow at the memory. A bit of a sour look crossed his face, but he was quick to make it disappear. “If I recall correctly, her exact words were: ‘He’s like my BEST friend ever! We see each other every night!’”
And eyebrow went aloft and another gloomy look was cast in Etoile’s direction, obviously waiting for something to explain his sister’s words.
At the sound of the imitation, Etoile couldn’t help but utter a chuckle, but it was soon to subside when catching Masurao’s face, who was clearly not sharing his amusement.
“Well, she had a point there...” Etoile began, not managing to suppress a faint grin. “Meaning?” the guard replied, his question rather quick to retort.
Tala’s brother glanced up at the furry boy, trying to read his expression, though that was near impossible. He wondered briefly if Masurao was pulling a joke on him, but his common sense was quick to dismiss that idea, deeming it quite ludicrous. Niji’s protector seemed to be dead-serious about the whole thing. He was genuinely wondering who Marty was. Etoile was certain he’d find the situation quite funny, if it didn’t seem this absurd.
A few minutes had already passed and throwing another glance at the stoic guard made Etoile realize his patience seemed to be wearing thin by the lack of explanation. Shifting uneasily in the sofa, the Telarian absent-mindedly grasped the still floating comic book out of the air and crumpled it slightly, just so he had something to do with his hands. “It’s silly, really...” he said, looking up at the ceiling. “I mean, you know Tala, she always comes up with all sorts of ideas and...” His voice trailed away as he beheld the guard once more, whose posture hadn’t shifted in the slightest, seeming rather unimpressed at the information being given.
Flushing a bit, Etoile crumpled the comic book some more and looked away again, deciding it’d be better for everyone if he just explained it.
“Marty is Tala’s blanket. He’s shaped like a leaf, she’s got it since she was tree, so she’s very fond of him. That’s why she gave it a name. Marty.”
The silence that ensued was almost deafening. Somewhere, a clock ticked in the background.
Masurao’s expression did not change and he kept staring at the boy on the couch, staring as if he was determining Etoile was possibly making fun of him
Etoile himself, this time extremely unnerved by the direct gaze he was being given, glanced from side to side anxiously. Masurao’s intent stare always gave the feeling of being caught doing something –in Etoile’s case quite literally- red handed. His brain spun rapidly, trying to find any other source of information that possibly included Marty, but there wasn’t much to tell about him. It was a blanket. What else was there to tell?
A grunt broke the silence, which made the curly-headed boy look over. Masurao had averted his eyes at this point and was now glaring at the doorway, his eyes narrowed, looking most displeased. He stood like this for a minute, before he seemed to notice Etoile was looking at him. At the insight, Masurao quickly straightened up and unfolded his face back into his regular neutral-stern expression. He was quiet for another few seconds as he kept his gaze firmly on the doorway. “Alright. Thank you very much.” he said eventually, his voice as monotone as ever.
With that, the wolf turned on his heel and left the room, leaving behind a very confused and flustered Etoile.
As Masurao strode through the corridor for yet another time, his paces were still strong and heavy, the agitation still not gone...
A blanket. For goodness sake.
... but feeling strangely relieved all the same.
- - -
All characters are copyrighted to their respective awesome Panda Warrior Owners! 83
. . .I can't say much about it, the story will explain itself XD I hope it won't confuse you too much in the beginning, but if it does, I certainly hope all will clear up near the end! X3
I'm also going to give the story the lamest title in history of lameness, because I couldn't think of another one X3
But I hope you'll like it!
It was kinda late when I wrote the ending, so that might be a bit off. . . But we'll see X3 Thanks in advance for reading! <3
Problem
Masurao had a problem.
However, Masurao himself didn’t label the issue as ‘a problem’. No, as far as he was concerned, he was merely being curious. It was only natural that when a person didn’t understand something, he’d set out a search to make sure he did understand. Even if it was taking him all day already.
The reason for this had been a brief conversation with his green-haired friend whom he had bumped into during a stroll in the hallway. She seemed to be extra perky today and upon the inquiry why this was, Tala had made a series of enthusiastic exclamations before she had dashed off again, leaving the guard looking after her, utterly bewildered.
Stewing over the things she had said, Masurao decided to just brush it off, but such a thing seemed strangely difficult to do. Difficult to an extent it began to frustrate him a little.
So instead, the wolfish teen had made a decision and set out to gain some information which could possibly help him clear up the issue. This certainly would help to ease this agitating curiosity a little. After all, being curious was only a natural thing, he had told himself many times that day, as if he still needed to convince himself of that matter as well.
Being stealthy by nature, the guard made sure to pay attention that he wasn’t being followed around or overheard as he made his way over to Niji’s quarters. He had tracked her down first, as she was a person he often turned to for asking a question (which he rarely did anyway).
Masurao entered the colourful room, after being given permission to do so and greeted the princess with his regular bow. He explained to her the reason why he was here and posed her the question after she said it was alright to do so. This done, Niji looked up at him and blinked her eyes a few times in light befuddlement. She looked up at the ceiling for a minute, seeming thoughtful and then ensued by shrugging and shaking her head from side to side. In return, she asked him what the reason of this question was, which Masurao answered with another bow and a turn on his heel, voicing a ‘thank you’ as he made his way out of the room.
Discouraged being a word he disliked, the guard continued his way, making the usual detours and walking casually into the kitchen to have a snack every now and then, making sure that his behaviour didn’t seem out of the ordinary and no one would grow suspicious of his wanderings around Base.
The next person he went to seek out was quickly found, after ensuring there wasn’t anyone else in the room at that exact moment. Vibe sat on the floor, her legs crossed, her hands holding a controller while her fingers flicked and flew over the many buttons, focused on beating the virtual character on the screen. As Masurao entered, she didn’t seem surprised to find him there, but greeted him with a casual ‘hey’. If Masurao knew anything about Vibe, it was that she had a great ability of being discreet. This certainly being a characteristic he could appreciate, the girl was a logical choice to go and talk to, even though it might’ve surprised her he actually came to talk.
After politely declining her offer if he perhaps wanted to play as well, Masurao continued by asking her the same question he had asked Niji not too long ago. Vibe’s reaction was almost similar to Niji’s; one eyebrow went aloft at his inquiry, obviously a bit confused where this question had come from in the first place. After a minute’s consideration, she too shook her head and apologized for the inability to help him out any further. She refrained from asking any other questions and concentrated back on the television screen, her demeanor cool and laid-back as usual, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. After quickly thanking her, the wolfboy made his way out of the lounge area, not denying that his frustration welled up slightly at the failure of finding answers. It confused him why so far two people had absolutely no idea what he was going on about. The question seemed simple enough.
It was a lucky coincidence that he bumped into someone else when he rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, meaning to see if there were any leftover muffins since that morning.
Nebulos was standing on the counter top, atop a cooking pot, one of his many arms rummaging through the cupboard while his tongue stuck out in concentration. It wasn’t until he let out a victorious laugh when retrieving a glass jar with multicoloured balls in it that he noticed Masurao standing in the doorway. In his utter surprise, the blue boy nearly dropped the jar and only just managed to prevent himself from falling down by gripping the cupboard’s handle with one of his free hands.
With Nebulos looking rather flustered and somewhat alarmed, Masurao took pity on the smaller boy and assisted him by taking the jar out of his small hands and setting it aside. An embarrassed blush colouring his cheeks purple, the unnerved Luminarian began to utter apologies and thanks while he climbed down from his improvised construction. Watching how he did so, Masurao was quick to figure out that he could also question Nebulos on the matter he’d been thinking of. The smaller alien was kind enough and not a particular loud mouth either.
And so, the stoic guard caught the illuminating alien off guard by asking the same question again, seemingly out of the blue. Nebulos looked up at him, blinking his eyes a few times, as if his brain needed a few more seconds to register what Masurao had said. Masurao himself just stared back, which made the blue teen quickly avert his eyes to somewhere else. After a minute or two’s consideration, Nebulos addressed him again, informing him that what Masurao was talking about sounded vaguely familiar, but that he couldn’t remember how much he tried. And that he was very sorry for it too.
Uttering a soft huff, the wolf turned around again and said his thanks, leaving the shorter alien very much bewildered as he marched steadily out of the kitchen.
His steps were much less light than usual as he walked through the empty corridor, his tail whipping out behind him as he strode powerfully. Feeling rather annoyed, not at his teammates, but at the matter itself and how it just wouldn’t clear up, Masurao made a rather impulsive decision.
The twins were quickly found.
They looked particularly innocent as they hung lazily in the couch, which made Masurao suspect they had just been up to something, or were either planning on being up to something not too long from now. But that wasn’t why he was here.
At the sight of him, two identical rows of purple teeth were displayed, their fringes bouncing as they turned to face him, greeting him by their regular ‘Susu!’ The guard was quick to brush the nickname off, having gotten used to the brothers’ casual antics over the years. They grinned up at him and cut him off by asking what was the reason for his visit. Perhaps it was because he was looking a tad gloomier than usual that they asked him this, but nevertheless, Masurao did send an eyebrow aloft at the inquiry.
He was aware of the idea that Dengeki and Unagi perhaps weren’t the most discreet people around, but he did know that they had the ability to pick up a lot of information that went around the base. And so, after a minute’s consideration, he asked his question for a fourth time that day.
About ten minutes later, Masurao had left the room.
He had gotten none the wiser from this visit, although he did expect that the brothers were the first people he’d talked to that actually did know what he was talking about. However, they seemed far too amused at the fact he had come to ask them this question that they hadn’t provided him with a satisfying answer. Hilarity had ensued and conversations had been held, mostly between the two aquatic aliens themselves, wondering out loud what the reason was of Masurao’s quest for information on the subject.
Having managed to escape without having to elaborate too much on that reason (the twins had had much more fun coming up with their own theories anyway), Masurao found himself walking through the GTND corridors once more. He wasn’t wandering aimlessly, though it couldn’t be denied his paces were a lot less determined than before. He certainly wasn’t planning on talking to every Sector SUN member in the hope of finding at least one small clue.
No, this time he was headed straight for the person who could undoubtedly answer the question for him in a clarifying, no-nonsensical way. Problem was that this person wasn’t exactly Masurao’s first choice to talk about this thing. Not because the wolf disliked him, but for the simple reason a certain sense of awkwardness tended to linger in the air every time they came face to face.
Arriving near the entrance where Masurao had last spotted the alien he’d been looking for, he stepped over the threshold, greens snapping from side to side, relieved to see the room completely abandoned, save the person he had been looking for. This person was reclining in the couch and had his back facing the doorway, and therefore hadn’t noticed Masurao entering. A large bowl of multicoloured fruit perched on the coffee-table and a comic book floated in front of the alien in the sofa, surrounded by a faint, red glow.
The guard didn’t say anything, but took another opportunity to glance around the room, double-checking if it indeed was empty. Reassured of this fact, Masurao turned his attention back to the person in the couch and cleared his throat, alerting him of his presence in a way he hoped was less startling than popping up beside him.
Red curls bounced as the alien in the sofa turned his head. One cheek was puffed, undoubtedly holding remains of unchewed fruit and baby blue eyes enlarged at the sight of the wolf standing in the doorway. Spluttering slightly, Etoile hurriedly began to chew on the treat in his mouth, desperately trying to get it in his stomach as fast as he could.
“M-Masurao,” he managed to utter the second after swallowing down the food. “I didn’t hear you come in. . .” The blue eyes were quickly averted and the flustered boy added “. . . But that usually happens.” A nervous chuckle followed, in which he still didn’t make eye-contact, something which Masurao didn’t particularly mind, seeing how he was busying himself staring at some point in the corner of the room as well, until he spoke up after a minute or two “. . . Hello.”
A silence fell and the guard could already feel some kind of awkwardness rise in the air, even though nothing extraordinary had happened. Etoile fidgeted in the sofa uneasily, apparently unsure whether he could turn back to his comic book, or needed to keep facing the unrevealing bodyguard.
After another minute, Masurao took a step into the room and walked up front to stand near the coffee table, though keeping his eyes firmly locked onto the window in front of him, staying quiet. Etoile ventured a glance up at the unnerving guard, his fingertips darkening a little. Even though Etoile had the tendency to be anxious around the taciturn alien, he could tell that this behavior was rather uncommon. Masurao was never one to march into a room at random and certainly never announced himself when he did. He always seemed to have a particular goal set out for him, whether it was to find Niji, accomplish a task, or simply hop on the windowsill and rest. But as he stood here, apparently doing none of those, Etoile’s apprehension grew. It had the strange effect of watching a ticking time-bomb, though the Telarian did not believe that Masurao was about to explode any second. Which, incidentally, made him wonder what it would be like if the guard did lose his temper, since he always appeared to be so calm and composed. But at any rate, Etoile definitely didn’t want the guard to lose his temper at him, so he quickly withdrew that thought, sincerely hoping the wolf didn’t possess any telepathic abilities.
The silence lingered on and at this point, Etoile was getting so unnerved that he felt he just had to say something. Having no idea what, but deciding to improvise anyway, he was surprised when Masurao cut him off.
“. . .I have a question.”
The sentence lingered in the air for a few minutes, and then faded away slowly. Etoile stared at him, blue eyes blinking a few times. He hadn’t known what to expect, but in any case, it certainly wasn’t this. Masurao who came to seek out him to ask something?
Etoile didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on and his apprehension grew, but so did his curiosity, he had to admit. And by now, a good few minutes had passed, he realized. “Umm... Sure.” His eyes were cast to the side again, though he did glance back at the quiet boy every now and then, most confused.
Masurao cast a fleeting look at the yellow boy for a brief second, before he resumed his watchful gaze out of the window. Something in his demeanor shifted, though it was hardly perceptible. His mouth twitched lightly and his eyebrows knitted together. His fists clenched tightly and he squeezed his lips together. It seemed like he was having some kind of internal struggle, deciding whether or not he should talk.
Eventually, after a fretful five minutes, he seemed to have reached a conclusion. After one last glare at the universe outside the window, Masurao turned around to face Etoile, and asked what he had been asking all the others during this day.
“Who’s Marty?”
Etoile had heard the question, but it seemed very unlikely that it was being posed. His mouth dropped slightly and the curly-haired boy stared at the guard, who at this time had decided to stare at the wall aside instead, looking somewhat bristled.
Jaw dropping a bit more, Etoile blinked his eyes a few times, as if he needed to convince himself of the fact Masurao had actually asked him this. Apparently he wasn’t.
“I-I’m sorry?” the yellow teen said, looking genuinely bewildered. The situation looked so absurd, it didn’t seem to be actually happening.
Masurao, on the other hand, didn’t seem all too delighted that Etoile wasn’t catching on. He uttered a faint grunt, scrunching his nose a little, feeling somewhat embarrassed for reasons he could not name. “Who Marty is. Have you heard of him?” There was a slight snap in his voice, which he didn’t intend to be there. He was aware of it and hoped that glancing to the wall would suffice as an apology for his tone of voice.
The change in attitude, brief though it was, seemed to startle Etoile out of his disbelieved daze. He recoiled slightly and blinked his eyes a few times more. Although somewhat awakened, he still seemed as confused as before. “I... Yes...” the red-haired boy said, looking quite bemused, talking to the bowl of fruit on the table this time. A red-tipped hand reached out and rubbed his curls, making his thin antennae bounce back and forth. He frowned a little, racking his brains as to why this situation was happening. It seemed quite unreal.
Etoile looked up at the guard, who was looking at him at this point, piercing green eyes obviously waiting for him to elaborate.
After locking gazes for a second, Etoile quickly looked away again, addressing the window this time. “I, uhh... Well, it’s—Why aren’t you asking Tala?” he blurted out. “That is, I’m guessing, where you picked up the name ‘Marty’?” He looked up at the wolf this time, having voiced his thoughts out loud. If it was about Marty, he had no idea why Masurao had come to see him rather than his sister.
At the sound of the name, Masurao seemed to become a tad more gloomy than he had been before. As unenthusiastically as one could muster, he nodded slowly. “I tried...” he began slowly, lifting an eyebrow at the memory. A bit of a sour look crossed his face, but he was quick to make it disappear. “If I recall correctly, her exact words were: ‘He’s like my BEST friend ever! We see each other every night!’”
And eyebrow went aloft and another gloomy look was cast in Etoile’s direction, obviously waiting for something to explain his sister’s words.
At the sound of the imitation, Etoile couldn’t help but utter a chuckle, but it was soon to subside when catching Masurao’s face, who was clearly not sharing his amusement.
“Well, she had a point there...” Etoile began, not managing to suppress a faint grin. “Meaning?” the guard replied, his question rather quick to retort.
Tala’s brother glanced up at the furry boy, trying to read his expression, though that was near impossible. He wondered briefly if Masurao was pulling a joke on him, but his common sense was quick to dismiss that idea, deeming it quite ludicrous. Niji’s protector seemed to be dead-serious about the whole thing. He was genuinely wondering who Marty was. Etoile was certain he’d find the situation quite funny, if it didn’t seem this absurd.
A few minutes had already passed and throwing another glance at the stoic guard made Etoile realize his patience seemed to be wearing thin by the lack of explanation. Shifting uneasily in the sofa, the Telarian absent-mindedly grasped the still floating comic book out of the air and crumpled it slightly, just so he had something to do with his hands. “It’s silly, really...” he said, looking up at the ceiling. “I mean, you know Tala, she always comes up with all sorts of ideas and...” His voice trailed away as he beheld the guard once more, whose posture hadn’t shifted in the slightest, seeming rather unimpressed at the information being given.
Flushing a bit, Etoile crumpled the comic book some more and looked away again, deciding it’d be better for everyone if he just explained it.
“Marty is Tala’s blanket. He’s shaped like a leaf, she’s got it since she was tree, so she’s very fond of him. That’s why she gave it a name. Marty.”
The silence that ensued was almost deafening. Somewhere, a clock ticked in the background.
Masurao’s expression did not change and he kept staring at the boy on the couch, staring as if he was determining Etoile was possibly making fun of him
Etoile himself, this time extremely unnerved by the direct gaze he was being given, glanced from side to side anxiously. Masurao’s intent stare always gave the feeling of being caught doing something –in Etoile’s case quite literally- red handed. His brain spun rapidly, trying to find any other source of information that possibly included Marty, but there wasn’t much to tell about him. It was a blanket. What else was there to tell?
A grunt broke the silence, which made the curly-headed boy look over. Masurao had averted his eyes at this point and was now glaring at the doorway, his eyes narrowed, looking most displeased. He stood like this for a minute, before he seemed to notice Etoile was looking at him. At the insight, Masurao quickly straightened up and unfolded his face back into his regular neutral-stern expression. He was quiet for another few seconds as he kept his gaze firmly on the doorway. “Alright. Thank you very much.” he said eventually, his voice as monotone as ever.
With that, the wolf turned on his heel and left the room, leaving behind a very confused and flustered Etoile.
As Masurao strode through the corridor for yet another time, his paces were still strong and heavy, the agitation still not gone...
A blanket. For goodness sake.
... but feeling strangely relieved all the same.
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