Helping out

[Guest]

And so Lian did her normal duty of helping around. Small and pointless errands like helping lost puppies and saving trapped kittens and bathing the homeless. It was her day to day life, but it was something some saw as disturbing and shocking. After all, since when did people do charity help anymore? It was an odd situation that put Lian in the eyes of skeptical old and young people as something she wasn't. Keep herself occupied, keep her mind clear and free from the chaos that spoke behind the lids. It was terrifying, to see that black behind and the stories that replied. The blood splayed and the ripping pain was only a dull reminder of what it had been initially. Life was dull, it had its own appearances and this was one of them. An innocence was betrayed and perverted in the yes of those so selfish that wished they too could be such a person. Too bad they couldn't and instead begrudged cruel thoughts upon the lass like it was her fault they were insensitive bastards, Oh well.

Her feet finally carried her to the house of a man she didn't know well. It was no matter, Lian enjoyed meeting new people, even if she was a bit shy on that. Her body shifted and she dug in her bag. Today she was the mailman. The actual mail delivery man was sick at home, so Lian took up his job for him, just to be nice. Her hand rose and she knocked three times, then stood and waited outside silently.

[Captain Kelly Tián-Yé]

"~ji ci hui guo yan mai kuang wang de e mo
gan jue que hao xiang hui qi shan liang de zi wo
ji ci cui ruo yan shi bu gan de shi ruo
zhe jiu shi wo~

It didn't matter how much he loved the song, or Cheer, for that matter, but to wake up to it EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING!? He'd have to change his alarm clock. For now he slammed a fist down on snooze, and failed hideously, instead punching a hole in his shoddy bedside stand, missing the clock entirely. Sitting up in bed, he shook his head rather roughly, flinging his hair to the sides, and rubbing his eyes wearily, yawning as he stood. Argh, why did standing have to be so hard...?

Walking from his bedroom to the kitchen, conveniently a doorway away, curse his tiny apartment, he tossed a few slices of bread into his toaster and made himself a cup of coffee. Still a little hungover from the other night, he felt the need to hair-of-the-dog it, and made sure to mix in a bit of rum with his coffee. As the toast popped up, he slapped some orange slices between the toast, and enjoyed a nice orange sandwich for breakfast. Not much, but eh, it worked well enough.

It was his day off for the week, so he was glad of it. A day to relax at home... Feeling in the mood for it, he flicked on his cassette player (God, he felt old for that...) and put in a recording of some old tune, from a show whose name had slipped his mind; the tape was played so often, the name was even scratched off of the cassette. But that didn't mean he'd forgotten the dance. Changing into a pair of loose-fitting gym shorts, rather comfortable, he went shirtless as he went through the oh-so familiar motions in tranquility. It wasn't something he was ashamed of, y'know. He just didn't want the whole world to know he liked ballet. Not that he was worried anyone would LAUGH at him or anything, nah, he was a big bad man, nobody would ever dare laugh at him. It was, in fact, his pink cupcake; as real men baked pink cupcakes, kelly did ballet, nothing wrong with it.

Aaaaaaand as it got to the best part of the dance, the sound of knocking on flimsy wood sounded, and he hurriedly flicked off the music and donned a green bathrobe, since it's impolite to be shirtless with company, and went to the door, about to yell at someone for interrupting his erm... Target practice. yeah, tha- And it was a girl. Not just any girl, but a girl he recognized. Was it... No, it wasn't her; sure looked like her, too. Who was it, who could it... LIAN! That was her name! Yeah, her mom, he knew her! Aaaaaaaand h knew she sold her kid for crack money, which was NOT. COOL. As he pondered the name, he recalled also that she was a member of the military, in some position he forgot, as he'd only heard her name sprinkled about a few conversations now and again, and he knew of her charity work and such, helping out whoever needed it.

Instead of rudely greeting her, he put on his best smile, which, sadly, wasn't very pretty, considering the scars on his face that made him look kind of scary sometimes. "Mornin', little lady. Those envelopes for me? How nice'a ya delivering the mail, thanks. Say, why don't you come in, have a bite to eat. Lian, right? Heard a bit about you, you like helping people out, I think that'll deserve a reward, eh? Plus, 'tween you and me, it gets kinda boring here by myself, now and again, could use a bit of company. Whaddaya say?" Still making a poor attempt to smile cheerfully, though not for lack of trying, he stood there, awaiting her answer, and did, in fact, note that she was only n inch smaller than him. Ahh, cruel world... Why did he have to be born so short...?

[Guest]

The oddest sight filled her eyes. An older man with black hair mingled with grass green colors was staring down at her. A crooked smile that was intended to be friendly and though she knew him, she still felt kind of shy. Her blue-purple eyes watched him like a wary deer, before the smile of her own slipped upon her lips. He seemed kind enough. Her hand held out the envelopes and words soon consumed her. "Mornin', little lady. Those envelopes for me? How nice'a ya delivering the mail, thanks. Say, why don't you come in, have a bite to eat. Lian, right? Heard a bit about you, you like helping people out, I think that'll deserve a reward, eh?" .. The first half of his speech made her feel slightly uncomfortable. Her mom had spoken a lot on stranger danger and it seemed this might be one of the cases. She dismissed the thought quickly though, since she knew of the man and he wasn't that kind of person.

"Plus, 'tween you and me, it gets kinda boring here by myself, now and again, could use a bit of company. Whaddaya say?" Awww he was lonely anyways? Lian gave him a warm smile, feeling as if she absolutely couldn't say no now. Her voice was a gentle laugh bleeding into a soft few words of her own. "Well, you're my last stop for the day. I guess sitting for a few minutes couldn't hurt." Her feet kind of hurt anyways, now that she was thinking about it. Walking around a good portion of Xing, her legs and muscles were in pain. She would never tell of that though. She would endure the pain. However, she gave a kind smile to him, soft and sweet. The normal Lian smile. He wasn't a face she could easily forget, but then again, she hated forgetting faces anyways. Gently, she tucked her sack away and smoothed out her dress, before looking back to him with a smile.

[Captain Kelly Tián-Yé]

Dooooooooooooh... As he started speaking, he noticed she looked eh... WELL. Kind of like a scared little child being asked to follow some old man to his windowless white van. Which was why he tossed in the last few lines. To be honest, he really was kinda lonely, and rather bored. His days off were usually like this, though, so he'd have gone off to hang out with Xiao, or play some of Mingxia's favorite songs for her on the harmonica; she was probably the only person in the world who actually ENJOYED his AMAZIIIIIING TALEEEEEEENT. Which is to say, his amazingly talentless abilities... Sadly, Xiao was working a case, as he was a defense attorney, quite a successful position, after rehab and such, and Mingxia was visiting his and her grandparents, back in Carraig. He'd have gone too, but he usually had work. Ah well, no matter; Lian would be good company!

Speaking of which, he smiled a bit brighter as she agreed to come inside. He really didn't know her too well, aye, but she was a nice girl, from what he knew, and somewhere down in his heart, having met her mother, he already cared about her more than he did most people, and wanted to make sure she was doing well. "Great, great!" Gesturing perhaps a bit too over-the-top theatrically into his house, he invited her in, and stepped backwards a bit so she could actually get in. "Welcome to my very humble abode, Lian~ Not the best place, but eh, it's nice enough. Go ahead, make yourself at home. Need anything to eat or drink?" As he spoke, he walked over to a little mirror hanging on the wall, as he checked his mail, mostly bills of different sorts, and discreetly smiled into the mirror, before grimacing a little at the reflection; his mother may say that his face was as beautiful as the mountains of Carraig, but he figured she was only halfway correct; he had a face cracked like a mountain. Work-related injuries, bar-fight-related injuries, some self-inflicted injuries; yeah, they certainly made his face "beautiful." Psh. Ah well, he'd just try and smile a little less creepishly. At least he had a normal laugh, and a friendly tone? Eh, sure, that was useful.

Leaving the mirror, he listened for her answer, as he unconsciously flipped on the cassette player, allowing a few seconds worth of the ballet number to be heard, before quickly hitting eject and swapping it for his Cheer tape. Yeesh, that was close... Ahh, she probably heard it... Hopefully she wouldn't mention it, and would instead enjoy the beautiful singing of Cheer instead? Made pretty background music, it did, he noted.

[Guest]

"Welcome to my very humble abode, Lian~ Not the
best place, but eh, it's nice enough. Go ahead, make yourself at home.
Need anything to eat or drink?" He wandered in the abode and seemed to beckon her to follow. Lian didn't resist the invite. Slowly, she moved her body into the building of a house and looked around. It was nothing flashy but it was enough to be called someone's home. Music lingered in the back of her head and her hands found place at her sides. Her soft curiosity was peering beneath her blonde locks. The soft silver-purple eyes of hers were interested upon everything it could see. She's met him once or twice, maybe a handful of times, but she never expected a house like such to describe him. Soft and pretty music was played, before he switched tapes abruptly, though why, she didn't know. Maybe he didn't like that song? She just accepted the new music and ignored the switcheroo.

It was then, that Lin realized he was awaiting a response. OH! He had asked a question and it was only then that Lian registered his request. "Uhm N-No thank you." She responded instinctively. She wasn't the type to have things at people's houses. It felt weird having someone else's food. Her eyes adverted and she found more interest in his flooring. What was so fascinating about being in anew place? Lian couldn't be sure, but nevertheless it intrigued her to study how this man lived. She hoped to come and visit him more often. There were times that Lian got lonely as well, feeling isolated from her fellow Xingese and then the hardest factor being her other heritage. A lot o people wouldn't accept her if they knew of her other blood, so that was something walled up in her head. "What kind of music is this?" She asked curiously. Maybe she would get one for her own home to listen to.

[Captain Kelly Tián-Yé]

Ahh, so she wasn't hungry or thirsty, it seemed. That, or she was too polite to ask for anything. Well, he was, so he crept into his kitchen all ninja-like, and sneaky (not really... especially considering his kitchen was next to the living room, and had no door...) and grabbed a box of microwave Mandarin Chicken, which e tossed into the microwave and headed back into the living room, taking a seat near where Lian was sitting. Sitting, he attempted a smile again, this time a bit more happy looking, having checked the mirror before, and adjusting to that. Looked less creepy, anyways, though given the scars and whatnot, he'd never really have a pretty smile again, that was for sure.

Hmmm... Right, you have to say stuff when you have company... Well, what could he say? What should he say, rather? Eh, she was looking at his floor mostly. Crap, she was already bored!? Aiyaaaa, this would be awkward... Soon she spoke up, however, to his relief, asking about the music. He took particular note that her question was PRESENT-TENSE! YES! SHE DIDN'T ASK ABOUT THE BALLET MUSIC! SUCCESS! "Oh, this? "Self", by Chen Chi Chen, also called Cheer. A favorite song of mine, y'know? Hehe. And it's being played directly from my totally modern, ultra-hip, and definitely not archaic and old, eight-track tape player. Which I still have because it's AWESOME, not because I can't afford a CD player or anything! Eh, sarcasm aside, I guess it's still cool. It was cool when I was about your age, for sure, haha! Now, not so much, but the 80s and 90s? Every cool kid on the block had one." Well, that was stuff! He was actually talking, that was something. Aaaaand he had run out of things to say, so he let her respond, which he listened to as he went to retrieve his tasty snack, always a blessing after a bit of balle- erm, boxing. Fists and punching and pain and gain and crap.

Returning, a plastic plate-looking thing of chicken, cooked in what he presumed was some form of orange-flavored sauce, in hand, he sat back down, popping one of the pieces of chicken into his mouth; yup, definitely orange sauce!~ And, for a budget meal from the dollar store, it was pretty good, to boot. SCORE! Glancing to Lian, he held the plate out a bit towards her. "Sure you don't want anything? It's really good, and good on the wallet, too. Though for you, it'd be on the house. Well, in the house; if it were on the house, we'd probably need a ladder, eh?" Chuckling softly, he waited for some form of reaction to his offer, and such. Because yup, that's just what he did when he talked to people, he let them talk to.

[Guest]

"Oh, this? "Self", by Chen Chi Chen, also called Cheer. A favorite song of mine, y'know? Hehe. And it's being played directly from my totally modern, ultra-hip, and definitely not archaic and old, eight-track tape player. Which I still have because it's AWESOME, not because I can't afford a CD player or anything! Eh, sarcasm aside, I guess it's still cool. It was cool when I was about your age, for sure, haha! Now, not so much, but the 80s and 90s? Every cool kid on the block had one."

Gullible Lian believed in this total state of the art machinery and instantly tried to ninja a look at it. However, she looked a bit goofy, craning over the back of the couch to steal a look at the tape player. One of the downers of her life was that she often didn't stay up to tech-date like others were. Her brow furrowed and she found the square box a bit deceitful in its magic use. So they had been popular back twenty years ago, it made her wonder if her mom ever had one. The music was absolutely beautiful on her ears and for a moment, Lian wished she could have one too. Unfortunately if they were popular twenty years ago, why would they still sell the stuff for them? Such a sad destiny for such beautiful music. Maybe she could look around for it some more.

"Sure you don't want anything? It's really good, and good on the wallet, too. Though for you, it'd be on the house. Well, in the house; if it were on the house, we'd probably need a ladder, eh?" Lian looked at him and gave a soft smile and then laughed shortly after. It would be rather awkward eating on the roof. He WAS being really nice and the wafting scents of the warm noodles were tantalizing. It felt rude though, accepting gifts from someone in their own house. Next time she would have to get him something. It wasn't in her personality to be a mooch, she was taught better than that, after all. "I-I might have a little, thank you." Her eyes closed a moment as she tried to ignore the hunger that gnawed her momentarily. She often kept herself so busy that she forgot to eat anyways. Food would be good on the soul.

[Captain Kelly Tián-Yé]

Watching as she spun around to sneak a peek at his mystical, magical, musical box-thing, it was a little tough not to chuckle, instead compromising with instinct and mind that his eyes could light up a little bit, in amusement, alongside what he hoped wasn't a serial killer grin. Aiyaaa... His face did wonders in the field, or when he was reprimanding his men, or when he was getting wasted at the bar, but it made most other occasions so awkward; it was like he had a constant intimidation about him, and he couldn't turn it off, only barely able to suppress it at all.

Anyways, it did seem like Lian was interested in his tape player, and as such, Kelly got the feeling she didn't have one of her own. Ah, well that could be fixed. "Y'know, I think I might have a second one laying around somewhere in this inhabited dumpster I call home. Was planning on pawning it fora few bucks, but if you want it, you could have it. Got a bunch of tapes around too, so if you do decide you want it, it won't just sit around looking pretty." Laughing softly, he stepped over to his closet, not too far away, and rifled through it briefly, until he found a cardboard box with his second player in it, and about thirty or so tapes. Bringing it back to the couch, he set it down on the little table in front of them, as Lian caved in to peer pressure and decided she'd like some chicken. Thus, with a smile and a nod, he returned to the kitchen momentarily, returning with a plate and chopsticks for Lian, and upon returning, divided the meal between them.

Seating himself again, he took one of the pieces of orange chicken into his chopsticks, before plopping it into his mouth, chewing slowly to enjoy the flavor. Mmmmm.... Orange chicken was the best chicken. Which was why it was his favorite food. Swallowing the chicken, he took a jab at the rather simple, lightly flavored, noodles, eating a few bites of them, before glancing at his guest. "So, Lian, what kind of stuff do you like to do? Curioisity, and all; makes me glad I'm not a cat, actually, hehe, else curiosity woulda killed me years ago."

[Guest]

"Y'know, I think I might have a second one laying around somewhere in this inhabited dumpster I call home. Was planning on pawning it fora few bucks, but if you want it, you could have it. Got a bunch of tapes around too, so if you do decide you want it, it won't just sit around looking pretty." Her eyes lit up brightly at the offer. It wasn't nice to take things that strangers gave her, but she had a feeling she sort of knew this man. His face was a bit odd and rough, but after a few minutes, Lian was already comfortable, her response a sputtered, voiced surprise. "R-Really?!" She asked in utter shock. her eyes were wide, aglow with youthful excitement. Sh-she could have the amazing box music? That was simply too good to be true! It was true though! "THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Unintentionally, she shouted.

As he returned with it and set it down, she moved up to it, instantly admiring it. The buttons... there were so many neat little buttons and designs she couldn't help but adore. The box was shiny and not really box-shaped, but machine had symbols on or near that seemed to tell what to do. She'd probably ask someone how to use it, or play around with it enough, that she'd figure it out on her own. Just then, he returned, offering her some food. It smelled as delicious as it looked! Lian never really was any good at cooking, but she DID try and normally failed at it. The chopsticks in hand, she began to dig in, her own bright smile on her face. This was a good decision! She was so glad she chose to hang out with the originally, scary looking man!

After a few bites, he spoke again. it seemed he wasn't comfortable with silence, which was okay, because she didn't like it either. "So, Lian, what kind of stuff do you like to do? Curioisity, and all; makes me glad I'm not a cat, actually, hehe, else curiosity woulda killed me years ago." Her mouth was full, so she had to pause and swallow what she had, before thinking.

"I like.." A finger pressed to her chin, thoughtful. What all DID she like to do? Her hands put the chopsticks down and she beamed. "I like to help! I like to dance! I like to plant flowers! I like to do just about anything! Except fighting really. I ALSO LIKE TO EAT AND THIS IS REALLY GOOD! Where can I get these?" She asked a bit too excited for boxed noodles. She was so clueless at times, but that happened with a lack of a full education. Lian could tell every pressure point on someone's body, but when it came to her basic grocery shopping, she was lost.

[Captain Kelly Tián-Yé]

Hm? She sounded so surprised by his little offer; pleased, though. No, not pleased. Exhilirated, excited, ecstatic, every emotion ever, easy. Well, that's an exaggeration... But with the happiness she was letting loose? Not an exaggeration by MUCH. And over a little eight-track player? Specifically, a used eight-track that he'd had since sophomore year of High School...? Eh, she hadn't really seemed to know what it was, though, so he couldn't really comprehend the joy too well; for one, he almost never experienced the same joy, never on that level, anyways; secondly, it was just a unique circumstance, the thouht of which brought a small smile to his face. One of the shining qualities of such a God-awful face was that he could smile these little grins without his face seeming to change too much at all, making his little smiles secretive, special. It was like a caveman discovering fire, but with a woman and music devices from the long-forgotten past. Speaking of which, he wondered briefly if Lian was a fan of the old masters; personally, he enjoyed Mozart's works, and the scattered works of others, though usually not enough to call himself a fan of any of the other classical composers.

"You are very much welcome, Lian, and if ya need any more tapes, I got plenty.To be honest, does this rusty old heart good to make someone smile. With this mug, I don't get too many smiles aimed at me, you know? Haha!~" And it was true; with all that erm... OUTER BEAUTY. He didn't exactly make people smile. Aaaaaaand he usually had the same amount of inner beauty. Which is to say, he was as beautiful as a rotten apple, if that apple had been burned and dunked in dirt. Most cases, anyways. Around certain people, one could cut open the apple, and it's have the cleanest, most fresh, crisp-looking inside. It was just how he was.

And it seemed Lian was one of the chosen select few, because he couldn't really hide a smile and a laugh as she started firing off responses to his question. "It's good to be multi-talented, I suppose? Hehe~ Well, I knew you liked to help, from the minute I saw you today; not too many people would go door to door, delivering mail, for no pay, that was a really nice thing to do." She said she liked dancing too, which was interesting; he wondered briefly what type of dancing she liked best, though he didn't comment on it, skipping instead, to the next thing she'd mentioned. "As for flowers, they're usually nice. I know they always brighten my day when I have to go to the Jade Palace and actually do the desk work that came with the job. Which isn't as bad as I whine about it being, honestly. But hey, it's paperwork, you know? Sheer agony." Giving a rather exaggerated expression of utter terror, he held his chopstick like a pen and flinched away, not bearing to look at the invisible document he was pretending to sign. Breaking his rather unconvincing mimery, he laughed, before looking back to Lian. "Eh, anyways, what else was it you said...? Ah, right! Yeah, fighting's not a hobby of mine, either, and whoever likes fighting for the fighting may need some mental help. And as for the food, I got it at the grocery store, two blocks to the left of my front door, going out. But, to save you some trouble, you could take a box or two with you if you want, before you go." Ahhh, why did he give away all of the things...? Considering Mingxia's automail savings, and the fact he was still paying off the bills for all of his rehab, and the rehab costs of all the addicts he'd arrest almost weekly, he lived modestly, at best, definitely the type that has to pinch pennies to get by. Ah, but Lian was nice, and even after this brief amount of time, he felt kind of like that uncle everyone has that spoils his "niece," in this case, Lian being the niece. He could afford it, he'd just have to cut back a little.

[Guest]

"You are very much welcome, Lian, and if ya need any more tapes, I got plenty.To be honest, does this rusty old heart good to make someone smile. With this mug, I don't get too many smiles aimed at me, you know? Haha!~" That- That was so sad. Lian's smile faded a moment. This man couldn't smile because people didn't like his mug-- wait? Wait what mug? Lian didn't understand suddenly and her brow furrowed. Down below him, to each sides and even on his head. Not. A. Single. Mug. What on earth was he talking about? She sat there, legs crossed in a dainty and feminine way, while her lilac eyes stared at him hard. There was.. nothing. Nothing that scary about him after spending a few minutes eating with him. Her eyes closed and she sighed happily. This was a moment to enjoy. She couldn't thank him enough for her new doo-hickey. She would treasure it ALWAYS!

"It's good to be multi-talented, I suppose? Hehe~ Well, I knew you liked to help, from the minute I saw you today; not too many people would go door to door, delivering mail, for no pay, that was a really nice thing to do. As for flowers, they're usually nice. I know they always brighten my day when I have to go to the Jade Palace and actually do the desk work that came with the job. Which isn't as bad as I whine about it being, honestly. But hey, it's paperwork, you know? Sheer agony. Eh, anyways, what else was it you said...? Ah, right! Yeah, fighting's not a hobby of mine, either, and whoever likes fighting for the fighting may need some mental help. And as for the food, I got it at the grocery store, two blocks to the left of my front door, going out. But, to save you some trouble, you could take a box or two with you if you want, before you go." No-no! She couldn't accept MORE! She could stop at the store later and get some, because otherwise she'd be just taking all this man's stuff and she just couldn't do that. But, she was grateful of it.

He was smiling and happy, that made Lian smile ear to ear. "Thank you for the offer!" Lian started as she looked at him with a soft hum, "Buttt~ I will go get some of my own instead, because you already gave me the marvelous thing here." She'd forgotten what it was, no surprise, but it was magical. Her arms wrapped tight around the box and she nuzzled it not only once, but twice. Yes, she was oddly in love with an inanimate object, but that was okay. She sat up straight and beamed some more at her new friend. "No one's ever given me something this nice before, except melon bread. OHMYGODILOVEMELONBREAD." She clapped her hands together, eyes staring at the ceiling as if it were some sort of hope. "I wish I had something to give you too.." She blinked a few times, before flouncing through her medical kit. She had two singular flowers and she pulled one out. "Unless you want a carnation?" Her head tilted and before he could react, she put the flower IN his hair and laughed lightly. No she wasn't being mean, she was just trying to share the happiness she felt.. the happiness she would always feel. It fought away the shadows well.

[Shula Brighton]

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