"You're so full of shit!" Anta slammed their hand of cards down on the coffee table. "How, sway? How!" Tauros sat forward. "I told you we shouldn't have played spades." You said in a sigh, checking your work phone for the umpteenth time that afternoon.
You all sat around the kotatsu of Koji's home. You glanced up and across from you at Tauros for just a moment before setting your phone down, chin resting in your hand. Late afternoon sun poured in from the windows over the tabletop and your forms sat on the floor.
"Yeeeah, I don't really like this game." Gum puffed. "We should play something else."
"Yeah, something that Tauros won't cheat at." Anta hissed. "Nobody's cheating over here. You just suck ass." The bull laughed. "Git gud."
"Oof, Tauros at it with the harsh words." You cringed. "Why don't you level the playing field, since you feel so fucking confident." Anta shot.
"Damn, Tauros, you made Anta use the big no-no word." You turned to him.
"I can't level the playing field with someone who's bad at every game we have."
"Anta, don't let him talk to you like that, fam. Wring his neck."
"If I could interrupt your instigating, my Siren." Koji, who sat at your left, leaned in with his phone angled to you. He spoke so softly under the rising voice of Anta. "What do you think of this one?"
With your finger, you swiped through some of the photos of a vacant building on a real estate site. "This is a really good one." You nodded. "I like the area. Have you looked at any of the ones I sent you?" You asked in reference to the many links you sent him for vacant buildings. Some were in need of renovations and others were previously karaoke spots that had gone under.
Koji nodded. "I looked at a few, but I really like this one." He scrolled down on the page, showing the few openings they had for tours. "Would you mind viewing this one with me?"
"Not at all." You pointed at a day. "I'm good anytime this day, you just let me know when."
"Your phone's going off, scrub."
"Hm?" You turned, seeing a call shake your phone across the kotatsu. "Oh! I gotta take this." You took hold of the device as you stood up, heading out of earshot to answer the call. It's late, but better late than never. You answered with your usual, light, business greeting. One of the many invited called in regards to the gala, greeting you as well and began speaking. Finally, it only took ten days but you finally got a y-
"I'm sorry, what was that?" You cleared your throat. "I apologize for the inconvenience," her voice was light. "The email I sent just a few moments ago, there's a grammatical error. It looks like I am accepting, when I'm not."
"Ah...." Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. "Well, I do appreciate you reaching out to me." Why the FUCK did you even reply this late. "I apologize again for any misunderstanding." I didn't even see the email, sis. "And also for any inconvenience." Stop lying. "I'm just so tiny, using normal keyboards is so hard for me."
"Oh noooo." Um? "I have to use outdated phones because they're easier on my hands. My fingers don't stretch that far and-" Who tf is this on my phone? You pulled it away from your ear, the volume just loud enough for you to hear her continue while you pulled her info. You cringed as you read, everything she said made sense as she continued.
Luna Willow the pixie hero.
You muted your mic and sighed, rubbing your forehead. "I did it to myself. I did....Read thoroughly."
"-and it's so hard flying around all the time because I can't keep up with other people's steps, because I'm so petite, especially after I eat. I can't even eat a lot because my stomach is so tiny. They're probably serving too much food for my tiny stomach at the gala. I-"
"Ma'am," You tried not to sound too excited while cutting her short. Bro. While cutting her off. That's better. "I have to thank you so much for reaching out to me to correct that error. I truly appreciate that. I do, however, need to make this known to All Might, so I unfortunately can't stay on the phone."
"Oh! I understand. Well, please tell him I'm sorry for the late notice."
"I'll be more than happy to, mmbye bye." You weren't calling All Might.
Click.
"Okay." You puffed, returning to the group and taking a seat. Gum's form over Anta's shoulder, both of them focused and concentrated on the Uno cards the cold one was holding. You sat next to Tauros whose relaxed nature caused Anta's eye to twitch. "He's cheating, isn't he?" They asked, you peeked at his hand, not that he fought it. He moved them for you to see. "Ah, nope." You shook your head. "No cheating here." But those two +4's are gonna ruin your day.
"This one." Gum pointed at one of Anta's cards. "No...no." They shook their head. "Not that one."
"So what was that call about?" Tauros turned to you. "Just work stuff." You sighed. "Had to be important, you were checking your phone every chance you got." He nudged your arm with his bent elbow. "Kinda sorta." You motioned with your hand, watching Anta confidently put down a skip and a green 2. Tauros set down a blue 2, changing the color. "Kinda like?" He continued.
"I was trying to find Might replacement plus one for the hero gala tonight. Everyone was already going or just unavailable." You shook your head. "This one though...I should've known better." You watched Anta set down another card. Oof. Tauros lined his cards up and set them down one after another. "Draw 4, draw another 4, uno, uno-out."
"WHAT?!" Anta's palms smacked the table. Tauros turned to you, resting his elbow on the table and cheek in his hand. "He didn't ask you to go?"
"He did." You nodded, Anta and Gum in your peripheral were sifting through the previous cards, confused and-
"You m******* *** ***** **** *******!" Anta's eyes darted through each card.
"And you said no?" Tauros continued. "I thought you two were ya'know."
"****** ***** ******* ***** *** ***."
"Sheesh, all of that's getting censored." You glanced at Anta before going back to Tauros. "I told him I had plans with y'all today, thanks."
"******* ** ********* ****** ******** *** ******** **************."
I never thought to put those words together. I'll have to remember that one. "If you were wanting to go, we're just about done here." Koji spoke up, taking the cards from Anta and shuffling them. "No we're not!" They shot, pointing an accusatory finger at Tauros. "We're not done."
The bartender rolled his eyes. "Koji's right. Even Bon here is checked out." Tauros patted the couch behind him, Bonhomie on his back in the deepest food coma. "******** ****** **** ******** *****!"
"Wait!" Gum shot forward, a bright orange blur whose hands held her up on the table while she leaned in as close as possible. "Are you talking about the gala tonight? Are you going? Who else is gonna be there?"
"******* ** ***** ******** *** ******** **************."
"No cap, Gum, I can't release that info to the public, also I never said I was going."
"You should go! Can you go? I need some autographs from-"
"Gum, I already told him I wasn't going-"
"Why don't you **********go **** so you can stop distracting this ****** **** ******* cheater?" Anta hissed.
"Well, damn." You blinked a few times, taken aback. "Look, guys I-
"Jewels." You called, walking into the tailor's shop for the second time that day. "Jewelii, my friends kicked me out."
"Good." He replied. "Fuck you too." You laughed. "I'm back here...again." Jewels mumbled the last bit. You found him in the same area as before, this time looking over a few different yards of lining. "Whatcha got going on now, Jewels?" You walked up, arms crossed as you leaned over the opposite side of his table. "Pick one."
"Uhm," You puffed. "Is this for the design from earlier?"
"It is." He nodded. "Now choose."
"Odd way to ask for help, but okay." You looked over what was there. "This one." You pointed to the one closest to his right hand. It seemed to be painted, the images of lotuses on a muted background. "I was going to pick this one anyway." Jewels took it up. "I should've gone with my gut."
"Better safe than sorry?" You offered, he gave you a look before turning on his heel, heading into a back room. "Come make sure these fit!" He yelled. "Make sure what fits?" You followed his voice, a ball of fabric hurdling at you from the doorway. "Uhm?"
"They should, just be sure." He waved you towards an ornate partition in the room. "It should?" You raised a brow. "You never took my measurements so how-"
"Do you think I got where I am measuring people?"
"The fuck- I would hope so?" You snorted.
"Do you ever see me with measuring tape? No. Now put on the damn pants." Jewels snatched up a pair a shears, cutting into the fabric. "Not very 'live, laugh, love' of you, Jewels."
"Here." You stepped around the partition, shirt lifted just high enough to show off the waistline of the pants resting on yours. You looked down, over your hands holding your shirt at the pants, twisting a bit to see the green color shift over the the black fabric. "Took you long enough." Jewels spoke from the other side of the room. Your attention turned to him. "Woah."
"This is closer to what you meant, isn't it?" Thin gold chains hung from his forefingers, intertwining with themselves symmetrically in layers, small pearls hiding each intersection. "From earlier."
"Yeah." You nodded. "It's called a shoulder necklace." He held it out for you to take. "There's a lot going on away from the shoulders, no?" You raised a brow, gently taking the jewelry from his hands. "I don't name these things. I produce them or sell them at three hundred percent markup." He deadpanned.
"Pause." You lifted a hand. "Who-"
"Not your money, don't worry about it." He shrugged and turned on his heel. "You know you can't wear your-"
"I know."
"Why am I putting this on again?" You called from behind the partition, struggling almost pathetically to unravel the mess you made on your right shoulder. "Because you're going to the gala." Jewels replied.
"I never said that."
"Then why'd you come back?" You heard his steps approaching. "I, well-" You trailed off. "Because you changed your mind last minute." He threw the finished blazer over the partition, half of it leaning above you and flashing the lotus lining. "And you knew you didn't have anything to wear, so you came to me."
"I'll let you have win this time," You fixed the tangle of chains on your shoulder, pulling the blazer down and sliding it on. "and only this time." A small shiver ran up your back at the cool silk running across your skin.
You stepped around the partition, arms out a bit while you did a 180. "Never thought I could pull off the shirtless blazer look, but I dig it." And the ass is f a t. You nodded and looked over yourself in a far mirror, the slim chains and pearls laced beneath your lapels. Jewels did a once over, pulling gently at random corners, flashes of green greeting you as he did. "I wish I had more time," he sighed. "Anyway, put on some shoes and leave."
"What shoes should I-"
"Stop." Jewels put a hand over your mouth. "Stop asking questions and do whatever else it is you need to get ready and go. You're late."