Lunch Table Crew

Lunch Table Crew

006:  Somber Thoughts

“Hryagh!”

“Useless.” Noel parried Asil’s left blade before dodging the right. Before he could charge in, he thrust forward and forced him to defend. “You’re getting better.”

Asil pushed him away and tried to smash his curved sword against Noel’s, but he sidestepped and made him miss before using a legsweep to knock him off-balance. “No!”

“Gotcha!” Noel flipped his sword and jammed the hilt to his gut, forcing him to kneel. The fight ended when he aimed his blade against his neck. “That’s two out of three. I win.”

“How come when you win, you’re not happy?”

“Did I sound upset?” he asked innocently, helping him up.

“No. How do I put it? You look worried whenever you beat me.”

“Worried? Well, I guess I can’t help it. I’m afraid I might go too far whenever we spar. You always give your all.” Noel’s happy demeanor returned, but his words remained sober. “Can we stop for the day? I’m a little shaky.”

“You, shaky? I’m the one who fell to the ground.”

The two were sparring in the humble estate Asil’s father bought. The home was pretty extravagant, almost as good as a mansion. Noel sometimes wondered how the hell they got that much land in a small neighborhood. He told himself he’d have to check the records later regarding this. “So what now, Asil?”

“Let’s go for the mall. I saw a few nice places we should check out.”

“A few nice places? Are they clothing stalls? I noticed a few new ones open up recently.”

“Yeah. I also saw a new gelateria you’ll surely love.”

“G-Gelato?” Noel was a sucker for sweets, gelato especially. “What are we waiting for?! Let’s go!”

The mall was bustling with people, and Asil’s regal and casual attire really attracted some attention. He made most clothes look good, unlike in Noel’s case, who just seemed ordinary no matter what he picked out; he liked plains. “You’re so cool, Asil. You look amazing in everything you wear.

Asil patted Noel on the back as he tried on another button shirt. “That’s not it. You just wear your clothes too ordinarily. You just leave them be whenever you put them on. Here, try rolling up the sleeves and opening up the collar a bit. …See? You look more noticeable already.”

Noel looked in the mirror and had to agree. “You’re right. I always followed usual outfits and how they’re usually worn. Like in cosplay.”

“You’re hardly you in cosplay.”

“But you have to admit, the costumes are amazing.”

“I know. Sometimes, I want them for myself sometimes, too.”

They also attracted a lot of attention at the gelato shop. Noel may have been absorbed with his gelato, but he noticed every now and then how Asil teased the girls with winking and waving. “It’s bad to get their hopes up, Asil,” he said as he licked up his fragola gelato. “You’re not concerned?”

“Noel, life is about the thrill! Live a little!”

“That’s the same thing Bodie said, and we ended up getting kidnapped for it.”

“That’s just one incident. Besides, you’re well-equipped. I doubt you’ll let yourself get killed so easily. In fact, I bet you can kill those kidna—“

“Stop.”

“Wh-What?”

“I don’t wanna hear the end of that sentence.”

Asil could see him pained, and so he placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “You really do have a gentle heart. As much as possible, you want peace.”

“Asil…”

“You’re willing to hurt others for those you care about, but you’d want mercy for your enemy, too, right? I know how it feels somehow.”

“Can we change the topic? It’s a little too senile, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. So how’s your love life?”

“Any topic but that.”

“Come now!” Asil laughed, amused to see Noel so flustered. “You must have some romance!”

“My romance is taking care of all my friends, and that’s it. I haven’t been intimate with much people.”

“Much? Then who are you intimate with?”

“If I were to use a regular person’s perception of intimacy, it’d be you, Chris, Aeolos, S— er, Bodie, and Roxanne. We do stuff normal people wouldn’t do with their friends.”

“Like?”

“Hug, greeting kiss, using me as a bolster, a pillow, and fighting over me… Need I go on?”

“You sound like a nag right now; you must be stressed. You want to go to the arcade later?”

“Don’t change the subje—“

“I hear they have Tekken Tag 2 there.”

Noel paused. He’d been waiting for the game to come out on consoles for a long while now, and he couldn’t just let this chance slip by, especially with how he promised Chris he’d help out with work for the rest of the week. “…Alright, we’ll go after we finish our gelato.”

“You’re really simple, huh Noel?”

“You want me to gas you with pepper spray?”

“Save it for the arcade.”

“Just don’t cry when you lose.”

Asil was up to the challenge Noel offered. He knew Noel for being a bit of a gamer freak. But like all newbies, he was nervous with learning the new controls and physics of the game. His only disadvantage was his learning speed; Noel was a real-time analyst. They agreed that whoever wins the most in the set number of fights wins, and the loser has to pay. Now paying wasn’t the issue here, but pride.

“Get ready for me, Noel! I won’t even show you the slightest mercy!”

“Like I expected any less! Come at me!”

They were the spectacle of the arcade, calling the attention of nearly everyone in proximity. They were fighting so fiercely, they actually were screaming in the middle of each combo and juggle they landed. It was rare to see people with such energy these days. “Hahaha, what’s wrong, Noel? Lost your groove?!”

“Don’t get your hopes up, you bloody wanker! Prepare to kneel before me!”

After seven fierce fights, the victor emerged to be Asil. He managed to win three rounds first, but then Noel caught up, and with a stroke of luck, Asil managed to win the last one by a hair’s breadth. Noel didn’t seem to mind losing, though.

After that and a well-deserved dinner, they headed on back home. Asil insisted he walk Noel back home, but the latter insisted otherwise. “Asil, I’m not a girl. I can walk the streets on my own. I’m warier than most people, in case you’re forgetting.”

“I’m just worried for your sake. And it’s been ages since we hung out like this. I want to make up for the time we’re apart.”

“I bet if you said that to a girl, she’d get all giddy.”

“What can I say? I have a way with words.”

“You sure do. Your timing and creativity is definitely impeccable.”

“Not as impeccable as your vocabulary, Noel.”

“Don’t flatter me; I’m hardly worth it. Besides, it’s a little awkward hearing flattery from you. You’re often hunting girls, right?”

“Come on. No one can replace you, Noel.”

Nervously, Noel laughed. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Asil. Just one of these days, I might just disappear without a trace.” Noel quickly turned and went on ahead. His jest was something Asil frowned upon. He didn’t want to lose him again. And definitely not like that.

“Noel, why do you always say such things?”