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Holiday with Leon - Part One

       His mobile rung half-past midnight, and Leon knew immediately who the caller was. The blonde slowly sat up in bed, a hand reaching out to grab his phone while the other hand rubbed at his eyes. This has been happening a lot more as of lately and it caused worry in Leon. Were things getting worse at home? Leon pressed the “answer” button of his mobile phone.        “Hi, love,” he murmured drowsily. “Are you alright?”        There was the sound of coughing for a moment, but then Tonio’s voice replied, “Not at the moment, no.”        “Were you drinking again?”         “Surprised?”         “No, but, I seriously am starting to worry about you, Tonio.”        Tonio sighed softly.        “I hope you’re not thinking about retiring still…”         “I might have been. I’m sick of this, Leon.”        Leon could’ve sworn he heard a sob during Tonio’s second sentence, but he couldn’t have been certain about it. Poor Tonio. His self-esteem has gotten a bit better over the past two months – although others who haven’t been around the opera singer would’ve failed to notice; however, he would still have moments where it would come back. Tonio was trying his best to not think like this anymore, Leon knew, but something was preventing him from completely throwing away the negative thoughts about his being.        “Aw, I’m sorry you’re having one of your days, love…” he gently said into the phone, unaware of the door creaking open. “Maybe the V4 thing will let you and the others continue on.”        “I doubt it. A lot of the fans seem to be thinking the same thing.”         “Forget the fans for a moment; you know how some of them are.”        “Excuse me, Leon…” Miriam’s voice sounded in a whisper. When he looked up while covering the mouthpiece of the phone, Miriam asked, “Is that Tonio again?”        Leon nodded.        ‘This is the third time this week he’s done this,’ she thought, ‘he must not be feeling well.’ The long-haired woman hummed in thought, but then an idea came to her. “Leon, I have a suggestion. Let him stay here for as long as he wants. He probably needs to get away from the ‘Vocaloid world’ temporarily.”        Leon beamed a grateful smile at her, and then he turned his attention back to Tonio on the phone. “I have an idea, love. How about you come out here and stay at our suite for a while? A little holiday from everything Vocaloid.”        “I…guess I may do that.”         “Did you want to come over right now? I can get a taxi out there and pick you up.”        The other line fell silent for a few seconds, but then Tonio finally answered.        “Right now. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay here any longer…”        “Alright. Pack up as many things as you want.”        “Understood. Also, Leon?”        “Yeah?”         “Thank you.”        A smile crosses Leon’s face, causing Miriam to smile as well. “You’re welcome, love. See you soon.”        “Well,” Miriam spoke up, “I’ll get the taxi out to the house while you wake up and tell Lola what’s going to happen. It’s better to tell her now instead of letting her find out in the morning; after all.”        “True.” Leon climbed out of his bed, a finger pressing on the “gallery” folder of his phone while he did so. He immediately saw the last photograph he took with Tonio when he visited the Engloid-Spanish Vocaloid house which consisted of him planting a kiss on the opera singer’s flushed cheek as Tonio tried covering his eyes from embarrassment. Tonio had been happily relaxed on that day, and Leon hoped that he would see his boyfriend enjoying the days like this soon. He understood that everyone had an “off” day and that a person cannot be happy every day, but Tonio had to endure the opposite – shit days with the occasional good ones.        During this time, perhaps, Tonio may finally feel better about things and feel refreshed on the side; additionally, the two of them could hang out together in a more private setting.        ‘First,’ he thought, ‘I have to get my room fixed up for him. He’ll probably pass out once he gets here…’

Minutes pass by.

       While it could be as such an inconvenience that Leon, Lola, and Miriam moved out of the house and downtown due to their -- somewhat forced -- retirement, the fact that they lived far from the other Vocaloids was good for Tonio at the time being. Even through his intoxicated state, he knew what he wanted. He wanted to get out of this damn house and away from everything that had to do with "Vocaloid". The fans, the constant announcements of every Japanese Vocaloid getting all of the bloody updates and special things while he and the other non-Japanese Vocaloids were left out. Being a Vocaloid who received no attention was pointless to him. Of course, he kept these thoughts to himself instead of openly saying them out loud -- not only because he worried his fellow Engloids, but there were the other Vocaloids who -- pardon the language -- bitched about how he should "get over it". Pathetic stronzo...        Maybe Leon's suggestion could help him out of this frustration he experienced. A holiday from this rubbish.        Just as he was finishing packing (very sloppily), Tonio was about to stuff his iPhone, but then he suddenly decided to leave it behind in case anybody tried calling him during his time away. No, he certainly wasn't going to tell the other Vocaloids in the house about his retreat - they wouldn't care, anyway. Thank God everybody went to bed an hour or two ago which gave him a chance to run off without any questions.        But...        He sighed, and, with a shaky hand, began to write down a quick post for Prima. He was aware how much she cared for him, so it was best to leave her a message about his whereabouts and purpose for leaving suddenly. Once he stepped out of his room and slipped the letter under the slit of Prima's bedroom door, Tonio dragged himself and his two suitcases down the stairs.

       Prima, don't worry about me. I'm going to stay with Leon for a while. I need to get away.        Please don't tell anybody else where I'm going and for my reason why. It's hard for me to write, but I hope it's clear enough for you to understand. I'll call you once in a while to tell you how I'm doing.        Sincerely, Tonio        P.S. Do not sneak onto my phone and look through my gallery, please.

       Tonio, after placing his suitcases into the trunk of the car, climbed into the taxi clumsily and shut the door behind him. This would be the first time he ran off without alerting everybody, and he hoped Prima promised not to tell another soul. They wouldn't necessarily care, but, it was better to be safe than sorry. He shifted in his seat until he was sitting straight, and then he strapped on his seat belt with his thoughts wandering all about. He had a feeling Leon wanted to spend time with him while he stayed with him, Lola, and Miriam which was fine by him. Tonio warmed up to Leon and the fact that Leon was his significant other...b-but it wasn't as though he'd openly say "Leon is my lover" without getting flustered.        It wasn't as though, in addition, that the only way he'd improve his self-esteem was through romantic coaxing, Tonio would have to clear some things out of him while sober since getting drunk didn't improve much.

2AM - The Bronze Frog Hotel Suite

       "Are you sure he's going to be hungry once he gets here, Lola?" Leon asked the dark-haired woman as she dragged in the cart which had four dishes, coffee, and tea on both of its levels. "He usually passes out when he's had too many drinks..."        Lola shrugged. "We can never be so sure when it comes to Tonio being drunk, Leon."        The door knocked, though in a sloppy manner.        Miriam, as she adjusted her bathrobe, took a peep through the hole on the door to check who the knocker was. "Your boyfriend is here, Leon...though, he looks a little sick. Poor boy..." She carefully unlocked the door, then she opened it and stepped aside to let Leon and Lola come over to the drunken younger Vocaloid.        Seeing how red and puffy his eyes were and the colour of his skin a paler shade made Leon frown at the state of the opera singer, but he quickly replaced it with a small, sad smile. "Hey there," he greeted Tonio as he took hold of the other man's suitcases. "Did you need to go lie down?"        Tonio shook his head. "N-no, I'm quite fine."        The three V1s glanced at each other, then back to Tonio as Miriam offered, "Maybe you want to clean up..."        He nodded.        "I'll take these while you help out Tonio," Lola took the suitcases from Leon. "Your room, right?"        Leon answered, "Yeah." Since Lola grabbed Tonio's luggage from him, the blonde grasped his hand and led him off to the bathroom. "Come on, love."

...

       "I'm guessing you won't want to eat once we're done in here."        "I'll be fine enough to eat."        Leon frowned a bit as he began to clean Tonio's face with a white fluffy washcloth. "You were vomiting, though..."        "It was just the alcohol," he responded with a shrug. He allowed his eyes to close when the cloth went over his forehead.        "Were you crying?"        “No."        'Liar...' Leon rinsed the washcloth of any residue, then he turned to Tonio and started removing the suds from his face. "I hope you don't mind rooming with me while you're here."        "That's fine."        "Did you want to sleep with me?"        "Excuse you," Tonio grumbled whilst his cheeks turned red from that embarrassing and - to him - suggestive inquiry.        "Oh, erm, I meant...if you'd like to sleep in my bed with me," Leon re-phrased his words as he failed to restrain a grin at the cute face Tonio made.        The brown-eyed man stayed quiet for a while, Leon now grabbing a towel to dry his face. He felt himself lean into Leon's touch which stirred a tiny laugh from the blond Vocaloid, but he ignored it due to feeling rather worn and sick to his stomach for a variety of reasons. Leon pulled the towel away and observed Tonio's face.        "Leon?"        "Yeah?"        "I-it's not like I honestly want to, but..."        "You want to sleep in my bed with me?"        Tonio's ears rung as he turned his gaze away from Leon, crossing his arms loosely. "...yes." His body was suddenly enveloped into a hug by his significant other. He had a feeling Leon was smiling still. "Let's...just eat instead of talking about our living conditions in your room. Merda..."        "Alright, love..." he sweetly replied.        And this was how Tonio's holiday began.

Dwindled Seas

Part 1 - Discovery

      I lived an okay life prior to this. My mum adored me and my old man was loud and cheerful as a kid would be. Since I was their only child, they were saddened to see me go. I had just turned twenty, and yet my pop didn’t think I should leave the little port town which I’ve called “home” my whole life. That one girl and her sister left here two years ago, but there were no objections to them leaving at age nineteen and seventeen…so why was it problematic for me? I had a sturdy ship (named after me) with a cannon that was fully prepared for any ambushes to come. Who knew…maybe some crew will hire me as a navigator and earn some rewards as payment? Boats are common to see around here, so it could happen. I promised my parents I would come and visit at least once a month while I was at sea. With a honk from the boat I had bought after working at a shop for a year, I was off.

      The water was even more astonishing than I had first assumed. A deep blue tint, it was. Taking in fresh air on my ship felt great, and I loved the sun beating onto my back even when I wore my jacket. I’ve gotten sunburnt a few times, sure, but it didn’t hurt me. I felt so free out here on my own. I loved the sea ever since I was a kid but was just now getting in range with it. Probably fell in love with the sea because of my mum. She used to tell me stories of when she sailed the world with grandpa with such excitement and nostalgia in her words. Pop had been a sailor, meanwhile; however, he grew hesitant whenever I asked him of his travels. Studying the sea was all I did in school. I studied how sailors used the stars as a method to find where they were going and such. Being out here was doing something to me, now that I thought about it.       I felt alive, free, excited, and…adventurous, perhaps?       I had a chance to have journeys like the kind Mum had. Treasure was waiting for me, too. The thought of finding all kinds of riches caused my stomach to flip.       That would take time, though, to find treasure. Since I had no idea where to start when it came to basic treasure hunting, I decided to stop by a few islands and ask the locals about any rumoured places which are said to be filled with any type of treasure…but, I suddenly chose to put that on hold. I wanted to savour my first day on my own at sea.

      For the next two days, I fished my meals, drank from the barrels that were filled with different kinds of drinks, and napped away in my bed when it got late…all problem free, I might add.

      It was weird how I didn’t encounter monsters at sea, not even harmless ones. I was warned by my parents to “watch out”, but…nothing yet. I haven’t even spotted ab tither ships. Guess this particular area wasn’t popular. I began a new day by steering onwards, admiring my surroundings along the way.

      Soon, I docked at an island which had a steep hill. From any perspective, there sat a single tombstone on top of the edge of a cliff. Was it of somebody important? Looking around as I strolled past a building, I heard kids laughing from a distance. The slope I had to practically climb was almost too much for my newly acquired sea-legs, but I managed to make it to the top. I asked a gossiping couple (both women) if they could point me to where the bar was located. I almost got annoyed when they made me repeat my question because of my accent and lack of pronunciation of certain words, but the women soon understood me and pointed me to the direction of the bar.

      After I had two shots of the cool drink, I was able to get a few words from the bartender. There was a small island west of here which might have had treasure on it. Even if it was – in his words – “just a possibility”, you could never go wrong when it came to treasure being on a person less isle…plus, the kid in me couldn’t ignore this quest for adventure at sea and treasure. I whipped out my map from my satchel and observed it until I could pinpoint this new destination of mine. Once I got confirmation, I downed my third glass and darted out, passing by a group of sailors (or were they pirates?) along the way. I soon found myself back on my boat, letting out a loud cheer as I pulled from the dock and began my next step of treasure hunting.

        The tiny, unknown island wasn’t as far as I had thought. This place was suffering by overgrown grass from every direction. I could see this place being filled with riches someplace. Once I pulled ashore, I grabbed my shovel and hopped off my boat. I tread through the grass which reached to my knees, shoulder slung over my shoulder, and eyes focusing around the area. Four small islands were to one side, but they didn’t look like they’d have anything. Not like I could reach them anyway, because they were higher up than this island. Maybe if I had rope or there was a bridge…         Suddenly, I froze when – I could’ve sworn – I heard a squeak coming from nearby. I remained still and listened to check if I was just imagining things. Not as if I was scared or anything…         Silence, even the breeze and water was quiet.

        I sighed in relief. I wouldn’t be like this on my ship since it has a cannon, but out here on my own…nothing.         Wait, no. I’m not going to be a coward about this. I’m an adult! I’m not a timid four-year old anymore! Yeah! I had to keep myself motivated and brave! There was treasure waiting to be claimed and I wasn’t going to allow another soul to take that from me because I was nervous! This was my chance to have adventures and tales of me like Mum and Pop!         I ran. I ran ahead, feeling my heart race wildly from a burst of excitement. There sat a large, round structure with a hole big enough for a person to crawl through, and something in me convinced me to go in. Could this be an entrance to a hiding place for treasure?!

        Oh, this hole was a lot smaller than I thought. Drat.         …maybe…I could still squeeze in there.         I laid the shovel, and then got on all fours in order to check the hole. I peeped into the hole and, sure enough, something was glimmering in there. Yes, treasure! Without thinking of the possibility of being too big for this crawl space, I dove in, then I suck my arm back out to pull in my shovel.         What this passage led me to was a secret spot of some sort, as expected by now, but what really grabbed my attention was a shimmering pile a few feet away from me.

        I—I mean – the kid in me came out as I darted towards my discovery with excitement bubbling throughout my body again. I landed to my knees, my breath quivering while I slowly sunk my hands in the chilly pieces of money and jewels. Wow, they were so beautiful – and I had the opportunity to hold them in my empty palms. Treasure worth thousands—no—millions! All mine! If I was planning on taking all of this with me – which I was – I would have to make a few trips to bring them onto my ship, but it was definitely worth it. A butterfly pendant in the pile caught my eye, so I took the necklace from the pile and examined it for a moment. My initial thought was that Mum would like having this; after all, she loved butterflies.        As I started shoving handfuls into my pockets of the treasure in front of me, a familiar squeak sounded. I looked up from what I was doing.    

       Blobs…living, breathing blobs.        These blobs, most of them either red or green, had these unnerving, bulging eyes which had dark rings underneath them.  They all stood there, staring at me with those disturbing eyes of theirs. I think…I think they reached to my mid-section in height. The squeaks, surprise, were coming from these abominations. I’ve never seen these things back at home – then again, there were no such things as “monsters” even living around there. Monsters were rumoured to be further west of where I lived and nobody was sure why that was. I honestly don’t wonder about that now – all I cared for was that I probably should not get close to them.         It took me less than a second, though, to realise the blobs were wiggling towards my direction. Three were to the left, and three were on the right. Unexpectedly, a red blob was hunching, preparing to lunge at me, so I grabbed my shovel and began to run back to the entrance, ignoring the sound of some of my treasure being dropped in the process. I could sob about my loss for them later – my hide was on the line.         I dived to the hole, scrambled out, shot my arm inside the hole one more time to get the shovel, and then finally dashed to my ship in case those things tried coming out of the hole as well. Those things stayed inside that weird construction -- must have been their territory…         I wasn’t scared by that experience. Nope, not one bit.        I should’ve shot my cannon at that place where those blobs hid as a way to teach them a lesson for separating me from the treasure like that. I paused. With a small grin trying to come on my face, I positioned the cannon at the building; however when I shot it, I realised I placed the cannon too high and the ball merely hit the upper left corner of the place. Too boot, the cannonball didn’t do as much damage as I had hoped for. Bah.         Well, it was time to go back to that one island for any other leads to other treasure. I was proud to have gotten a few items from that trip, but it just wasn’t enough.

              Apparently, those blobs were a common – and embarrassingly not-so-harmful – thing around here since the people at the bar knew what I was talking about. The bartender told me those things didn’t used to be living creatures. Hundreds of years ago, they used to be a simple jelly from a rare fruit, but the jelly from these fruits began to “develop eyes and a mouth, along with lives of their own”. How they became living creatures and why this happened is still a mystery, and people still ate the blobs once they were killed and their gooey innards and juices were consumed. I reminded myself never to have that juice.        While I was busy letting that info sink into me, an old man asked how my “brief treasure hunt” went besides the bump with those “chu” things. I felt myself break into a proud grin and opened the left side of my jacket to reveal two sacks hanging from a thin rope. The “holy…!” from his mouth caught the attention of everybody else in the joint, including a few sailors and pirates. I guess this old wrinkly man was impressed that a – in his words – “kid” and “fresh fish” managed to get quite a bit already without getting a single scratch on his body.        Because I felt proud at the moment and to show off how much I had, I offered to pay for everybody’s drinks for the remainder of that day.

       Closing time came by pretty quickly. I had a lot to drink to congratulate myself for a job well done and struggled to walk straight and steady, but an older gentleman with a scruffy beard and lightly flushed cheeks wrapped an arm around my waist while he hoisted me up just when I nearly fell again. I slurred out, “Thanks, old man…”         “No problem at all! Least I could do fer yer generosity this evenin’,” he said. “What’s yer name, red nose?” the grandpa asked through a kind chuckle. I mumbled my name to him. He then introduced himself as Captain Cu. This guy was a captain…as in…a pirate captain?! He sure looked fit the type. I knew this old man had to have been something special…I could tell even though my bleary eyes. Wow, I got to meet a pirate captain already!         “Aye, do ya need help getting’ to yer ship, red nose? Can hardly keep those short legs of yer’s still.”         I shook my head, but Captain Cu could tell otherwise about my “condition”, so he helped me all the way from the pub with his five crew members and to my little ship. The captain was even nice enough to help me down the steps into my quarters. I plopped onto my bed and shrugged my coat off, hearing the small jingling of my treasure hit my mattress.         “Blimey, you have quite a lot of maps here…but, that’s t’ be expected, I guess,” Captain Cu commented when he noticed all of the marked maps hanging on the left side of the quarters. I placed all of those maps as a means for navigating purposes and marking down any sections said to have treasure – I got that idea from my mum. Wait, was he admiring my work? Why? I mean, I felt honoured through my intoxicated state, but…I still wondered a little.         “Tell me, red nose…”         Again with the “red nose” name…         “Have any plans? What’re ya doin’ all on yer own at a young age?”         “I’m twenty, cap.”         “Still, I was nearly thirty when I…”         He trailed off. I guess he knew younger generations matured quicker – we had to.         Finally, once I shook myself a bit to snap out of my unsteady state, I asked the old man why he was being so nosy about me. He let out a laugh, and he then confessed that he wanted to know a little about me for “curiosity’s sake”.        “Fer somebody jus’ startin’ out, ye sure are properly prepared. Any experience prior, kid?”         I licked my drying lips while getting the remaining taste of my drinks on my tongue. “My parents were both at sea when they were younger. Mum traveled with her pop across the world with her doing the navigating. My pop worked as a sailor for a friend of his.”         “…mind tellin’ me their names? Ya look familiar t’ me somewhat.”         “Sebastian and Charlotte.”         As soon as I saw him turn around to look back at me, I could tell from a mile away why he reacted like that. He knew one (or both) of my parents in some way or another.         “Goodness, yer Sebastian and Charlotte’s kid…” he said as – I think – a smile slowly came through his bushy beard. “I knew it! Yer dad was a sailor who worked on my ship with me! He was around your age when he came with me for a year! And yer mom…she was the one who taught me how to navigate! S—sure, I didn’t remember everything she taught me, but…she was so helpful and didn’t give up on me,” he sighed out at the end. “Good guys, they both were. Haven’t seen ‘em in years.”         While I listened to him gushing over my parents, the impact of the drinks became worse. I guessed that I was also getting tired from my first ever adventure, too, now that I thought about it. My eye lids became heavy, and then I fell backwards and blacked out.

        I woke up hours later with a raging headache and a call of my name from the land’s dock. Captain Cu was there, waving at me as soon as I stepped out and shielding my eyes from the hurtful sun’s rays. They were serving breakfast at the café, and the cap asked if I wanted to join. Cu offered to pay for my meal in return for buying everyone’s drinks last night. I accepted his offer.         “You knew both of my parents, eh? For how long?”         He hummed in thought, then replied, “Since I was two years old! I lived in a cottage between their respective houses. ‘Course, yer parents were still babies around that time, so they don’t remember knowing me that long. We went to school together…even worked together at yer granddad’s shoppe.”         Captain Cu went on as we ate. Cu wanted to be a pirate like his grandparents allegedly were, and when Cu learnt about Mum’s trip, that added fuel to the fire inside him. That old man craved for adventure like I was. Treasure was optional for him, but he was more than welcome to take some whenever it was out there. Overtime, when he turned thirty, his wish became a reality. The forty-two year old in front of me reached over and messed with the top of my hair, ruffling it with his rough hand, letting himself grin at the annoyed look on my face.         “Been a while since I’ve seen ‘em. Maybe I’ll drop by next month. Say, red nose…”         “Yes, old man?” I responded, making sure I added emphasis on the name.         “Yer a navigator on the side?”         “Did you get that assumption from looking at my corner last night?”         “Obviously. Noticed how you’ve got a bookshelf full of encyclopedias of a bunch of islands and such. You passed out when I was looking through ‘em, hope ya don’t mind.”         I mind a bit.         “Well, you’d be right. I focused a lot on studying various forms of navigation during my school days,” I told him.         A small wheeze of a laugh came from him for whatever reason. “Aw, that’s cute. Looks like yer parents influenced ya at a young age.”         I took a sip of ice water as he continued.         “Yer ship’s nice, by the by…even got a heavy cannon to defend yerself with. Not much to worry about on the water around here, but…could get worse the further out you go. People around here have been seeing more and more monsters nowadays and no one seems t’ know how to deal with them besides trying to fight ‘em. It’s like an infestation…”        He sat back with a frown. “Weird, innit? Things like demons bein’ out here when, years ago, people ‘ad to worry about a handful of baddies ambushing them. Didn’t used t’ be like this.”         “Really?”         “Really.”        He paused, thinking for a second. Cu nodded. “Yeah, apparently somethin’ happened to the waters – not sure which section – became altered by somethin’, creatures drank from it, and…that’s it. Don’t know much detail besides word o’ the mouth of people old enough to be my grandparents.” But instead of going on about the potential monsters, Cu waved if off with a hand and immediately said, “But…’nough about monsters and a’ that rubbish. It’s probably a conspiracy, anyways. Anyway, I’ve been meaning t’ ask ya something. How long have ya been out at sea?”        “Almost a week. Why?”         “Well, I know Seb and Char both gave ye the essentials and what to expect on water -- I’ll bet -- but have ya ever thought of a crew?”        A crew? I didn’t really care much for a crew since I thought I would be fine on my own. I repeated that thought out loud to the captain. That was when he raised a brow, and then he said something that stuck to me from then on:        “Well, let me put it this way, kid…what if you need a hand with something while you’re out at sea? Ya won’t be able t’ handle everything on yer own, like if you were injured, for example, or sick. What if ya can’t treat yerself because of the severity? How about if a storm came by and ye had t’ steady your ship? Unless yer boat was smaller, ya wouldn’t be able to handle it alone. It wouldn’t ‘urt to have an extra hand or two.        “Not only that, though…think about the other effect of being out at sea on yer own. Being out at sea by yerself does things to you. Sure, you’d be fine fer the first few weeks, but…ye gotta interact with somebody. Ya have a desire, the need, to be in the company of somebody. Trust me, I learnt that th’ hard way when I was younger. We need another livin’ being out there.        “I’m not saying what yer doin’ is wrong, but it wouldn’t hurt to have another soul with ya.”        I’d find out later in life that he was right, but on that particular day, I didn’t take his words to heart entirely.        “What I’m trying t’ ask ya is if you’d like to accompany me ‘n’ my crew.”        I stared at him, and then I began to wonder if I should. This old man knew both of my parents, for one thing, and he knew what he was doing…he was a captain, after all. Maybe I’ll find more treasure with him and also get to see places I would’ve have been able to find on my own somehow. What about my ship, though? Would I have to sell it off and move onto the ship Cu owns? I started wondering if I would have to give up something or everything for this.        “No worries, kid,” I heard him say in assurance. “Ya don’t have t’ get rid of yer ship. Ye can sail right beside us.”        “I can?”        “ ‘Course! I may be a pirate, but that doesn’t mean I’d force someone to do somethin’ they don’t want ta! Ye can even stick with us fer a bit and see how things go from there.”        I gulped the rest of my water before answering him, “Guess it wouldn’t hurt.”        His face lit up. “Great! We were actually in need of a person who knows their navigation tactics, too, so…maybe you could lend us a hand with that.” Weird, you’d think a captain would have a navigator already, but apparently this captain and crew lacked one. How did he get around while knowing where he was going? I know he mentioned knowing how to navigate a little, but not enough probably to be independent. It wouldn’t hurt to help out a guy who was friends with my parents. Now that I thought about it, I remember Pop telling me the name of the man he worked under who was also his childhood friend whose last name started with a “cu”; so, at least I didn’t have to worry about whether or not Cu was lying about knowing my parents.        Cu stared at me, probably thinking about something on the side. “Heh,” he made a sound as he smiled softly, “it’s gonna be great havin’ ya aboard, red nose. Yer parents are wonderful folks, t’ tell ya the truth. Even got yer dad’s gorgeous green eyes.”        I immediately felt my face heat in embarrassment from the compliment.

       When he first met Dandy 704, Otto Mozer assumed that the man would’ve been as classy as his appearance was -- perhaps snooty, too; however, Dandy broke that thought from him when the two began to know each other more. Dandy had a “gentleman” personality -- yes -- and claimed to be charming enough to get a fine date with a simple smile and the tip of his top hat...but, he was an oddball. His background story -- according to a discovery by Terminal 99 and Lady Parsec -- could’ve sentenced Dandy behind bars, so Otto wasn’t even going to try and delve deeper into Dandy’s previous life...ech.

       At least Dandy would wander off on his own for adventures, the gentleman claiming he was a world class explorer, so he wouldn’t be in the house as much as the other Chipspeechs. Unfortunately, these trips around the world were only once in a while, meaning Dandy would stay home or try going on a date with a “daisy”.

       Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. There were times where Dandy became too hopeful he’d find his daisy one of these days, going on and on about “daisy” this and “daisy” that; furthermore, the mechanical man believed he had a chance with almost every “daisy” out there in the world. As Otto would find out one week after he and the other Chipspeechs moved in together, Dandy became rather depressed whenever he was stood up, left alone at the restaurant or theatre for hours.

       When this first happened, Otto was shutting down his equipment in order to rest for the night. The time was nearing three in the morning, and as the scientist hovered his way to the section of the room where he slept, there was a loud thump against his door.

       Odd, did someone need to talk to him?

       His levitating exopod crossed the floor and stopped in front of the door. While it was a huge disadvantage for not having arms, Otto was able to use other means to open the door if it was locked. Otto shifted to the right, a few inches away from the door and pressed down on a silver platform which served as an exopod-friendly button. This better not have been some sort of intruder in disguise...

       Instead of seeing somebody he would’ve exterminated on sight, Otto seemed surprised to see Dandy weakly leaning against the doorpost, appearing rather miserable and his top hat tilted to one side.

       “Oh, it’s you. How was your date?”

       He remained quiet for a moment, but then he shamefully muttered out, “I was stood up. I remained at the restaurant until they closed, then went for a few drinks.”

       That could explain why his breath reeked of alcohol and his tone wavered when he spoke.

       “Well, I’m sorry to hear about what happened...though, I’m wondering why you decided to stop in front of my room.”

       Dandy hesitated as he stood up straight, averting eye contact with the other Chipspeech member. A sigh was released before he leaned forward and wrapped his arms on the top of Otto’s pod. “I need the presence of somebody during this time of moping, Otto,” he confessed.

       Otto let out his own sigh -- though mentally -- but did not push the tall being off him and his transporter. Well, he wasn’t going to deny this man company; even if he was planning on sleeping. Dandy was lucky that “sleep” wasn’t entirely necessary for him. “Come on in, Dandy. Promise not to touch anything like Bert does.”

       If Otto was able to vocalize it, he would’ve made a grunt as soon as Dandy “hugged” him and the pod as a sign of thanks.

       “Mmm, thank you, Otto. I hope you don’t mind me telling you everything.”

       Regardless if he was drunk or not, Dandy’s small groan he made caused Otto to feel awkward and incredibly uncomfortable. He hoped Dandy wasn’t one of those drunk flirts.

       Otto, nestling himself into the corner where he “slept”, listened on to Dandy’s failed date while the nineteenth century gentleman adjusted his sleeping spot on a metal examining table. Apparently, Dandy waited patiently and oh-so eagerly for his date at a restaurant downtown for six hours. He never received a text message nor a call from his “daisy” even though this “daisy” confirmed about going on a date with him days prior. Dandy had been excited and in spirits around the house upon finding out about dating somebody, smugly claiming to be irresistible to anyone. Just tonight, he had a sly smile on his face moments before departing...

       Well, that all went away.

       So, instead of being with another person for romantic purposes, Dandy drank himself silly at a bar and caught a cab home.

       “There’s always next time,” Otto chose to say as a method for comfort, “after all, giving up after one attempt is too soon. You’re also ‘handsome’ and full of ‘charm’ enough to get another chance at finding your ‘daisy’, Dandy.”

       The somewhat intoxicated man responded, “Oh, thank you.” With a chuckle, he added, “If I weren’t so drunk, I’d probably give your pod thing a hug.”

       “That’s...fine. You should go to sleep. You look a little sick.”        “I do?”        “Yes. You don’t want to look unsophisticated in the morning, do you?”

       He removed his hat, letting it plop perfectly onto the floor, then he pulled of his jacket and used it as a “pillow” for tonight. “I see your point, dear Otto. I’ll go with your advice--...” he, now being struck by the alcohol’s other effect, fell back onto the table and began to sleep in an instant.

       Upon hearing the soft snores, Otto said, “Good night,” and went to sleep as well.

       Five days later, Otto would be greeted by Dandy late into the hour again. Yet again, Dandy was stood up and drunk his disappointment away; although, the sadness was still present in the mechanical man who couldn’t even stand on his own two feet. Otto allowed Dandy to stay the night in his room, of course.

       “You can’t climb on the table?”        “No, unfortunately...”

       Otto let out a mental sigh. “Let me lift you. Climb on.”

       Dandy flopped onto Otto’s pod with a grunt just as his legs were giving out from the hard liquor he consumed. Why, Melody, why did you not show up at the theatre like you promised with that stunning smile of yours? It hurt so much knowing he was abandoned for the second time this month.

       Otto levitated off the floor higher until he saw Dandy struggled onto the table, tossing his jacket and hat aside. “Do you feel like talking about it?”

       “Not this time, dear Otto. Thank you, though.”        “Alright. Good night.”

       Similar interactions between the gentleman of another century and the scientist continued for one more time that month. Eventually, Dandy coming to him in the dead of night, drunk and disheartened happened three times a month...much to the annoyance of Otto.

       Why did he always come to him, anyway? Has Dandy even tried moping around the other Chipspeechs? No, he wasn’t getting entirely sick of Dandy in his upset state -- he was simply questioning his reasoning for coming to him. Dee and Spencer would’ve been a better choice; although, Dee would probably be worried about being around Dandy while he was drunk, and Spencer somehow getting angry and showing his wrath to the drunken man...

       Spencer -- and let’s put it at that -- was a gentle AI, but he was not the kind to anger.

       One day, Dandy and Otto began using Twitter and Otto took quick notice that the gentleman began to make “tweets” about being at various locations for dates he was supposed to be on, only to sadly find out he was stood up...again. At least with a Twitter account, Otto was able to know what was going through that man’s head.

       It was as he expected: hoping he’d find his “daisy” and going on dates but only for said “daises” never arriving.

       “Bert was in the kitchen when I got back,” Dandy told Otto, laying on the metallic table once more, fighting to stay awake long enough to talk to the scientist. “The little brat had the nerve to say I should have a date with my ‘rosy palms’ and get it over with...”

       “It’s Bert, are you really surprised?” Otto questioned.

       “No, but it’s still pretty rude that he’d suggest masturbating as a ‘fix’.”        “Again, it’s Bert. I’ll make sure he doesn’t make a tweet about it.”

       He sighed. “Thank you, dear Otto.” Dandy shifted on his makeshift bed, the jacket under his head moving as well.

       “By the way,” Otto suddenly said to him, “your arm looks funny. Does it need to be tweaked in the morning?”

       From where Otto was resting, he was able to see him nod while his eyes began to drift.

       “I’ll fix it as soon as I get up. Get some rest, you can hardly keep your eyes open.”        “I don’t know how you can tell considering my ‘eyes’ are mostly covered, but...I’ll do as you say. Good night, dear Otto.”

       “Again with the ‘dear’ before my given name,” the scientist said to himself, for he had taken obvious notice of the title which Dandy used on him. Lady Parsec must have influenced with using such a word to describe somebody.

       A month later, Otto had set a small bed beside his own for whenever that man became drunk and needed someone to talk to before passing out from intoxication. It was rather nice to have company, but Otto wasn’t going to tell a soul about this besides Lady Parsec since She knew everything eventually.

       What a routine this turned out to be.