Fond Memories (Sharaku)

San Malarus was by far one of her favorite islands. The only place that beat it was Penecia, and that was because of the circus and amusement park. There was nothing she liked more than going there when she had the chance. Still, she wasn’t able to take the subway every single day. So wandering around this island was probably her favorite thing to do in the meantime. Still, she didn’t stay out for long because being in the sun made her tired. She could hold it off with the amount of candy she carried around, but that would eventually always run out. She really needed a better plan that eating sweets all the time. Still, she liked that plan. It was delicious. Looking into her purse, she found three small pieces of chocolate. That meant she could last for about two or three hours before she ran out and started falling asleep on the street.

She walked down the street when she noticed a store out the corner of her eye. She knew that store really well by now. She would stop and look inside with a happy smile. So many cute little stuffed animals were on the shelves inside, along with cars and robots and everything you would guess a toy store carried. They had even gotten an electronic games section in the last ten years. She remembered this place really well from her childhood. She had always wanted to buy everything inside and throw the ultimate tea party/ epic battle/ stuffed animal, pillow fort. That had never quite worked out, but she remembered those dreams fondly. She would just stand there, looking into the window, wondering if she should go inside or stay out. She didn’t have the money to buy anything to day, so going in would probably just make her sad. Still, she really wanted to…

She was still staring into the window when she heard a familiar voice call her name. She turned her head, but not her entire body, to look in his direction. When he asked if she was shopping, she would shake her head, “Can’t afford it this month.” She hadn’t been taking her more questionable jobs lately, so what she got didn’t pay as much, “This month, most of my money is going towards helping to pay off the bills. Some of the stuff in our house broke down, so I’m helping to pay off the cost of repairing it. This place just brings back memories.” That meant no wasting it on something just because she wanted it. She would suddenly point into the window, “That one reminds me of you.” It was a black cat sitting on a pumpkin. The thought made her smile, “Oh, and that one looks like Intertwined.” She changed where she was pointing. This time she was looking at a pile of bears that came in a wide variety of colors. That made it hard to tell which one she was pointing to, “Aren’t they all so cute. I wish I could have them all.” She didn’t seem to be picky when it came to stuffed animals. She just thought they were cute, “What do you think of them?” Right after that, she realized how stupid that question was. She doubted Sharaku would have an opinion on something so childish. She would turn back to looking through the window. Her attention seemed to be taken by something in the very back of the shop.

“Accessories?” She would repeat. She was paying attention to him, just not looking in his direction. She wasn’t sure accessories was the right thing to call them, “I think of them more as companions. That’s how children think of them, after all.” She pried herself away from the window with a sigh, “It’s not there today, darn.” She was obviously pouting for some reason. That wasn’t important though, “Umm… Do you want to go somewhere else? I can’t imagine you like standing out in the winter like this.” It was a bit cold. She was used to it, but she didn’t know if Sharaku was, given he wasn’t from the islands, “There should be plenty of places nearby that we can go. I also live near here, so we could go there too. Although, I’m not sure how my mom would feel about me letting a man come over while she’s gone.” Her mother was okay with men coming over, just not when Naomi was home alone. She didn’t blame her, since she understood the reasoning, but she wished her mother would trust her more. She wasn’t just some kid anymore. She was a grown woman and could take care of herself, “Unless you want to stay out here, that is.” No one in their right mind wanted to stay in this cold. Then again, she didn’t care for being outside. Period.

She would think for a moment before speaking, “I guess that depends on what kind of person you are. To some people, they mean a lot.” Mostly to children or for those who they had a special meaning. She would shrug, “I’m a grown woman. If she wants me to justify myself, I will. She can’t control me forever.” Not that her mother had ever had that much control over her. She was enigma when it came to how a normal family dynamic would work. She waved her hand, telling Sharaku to follow.

Naomi’s house looked nice on the outside. Some of the windows appeared to be a little frosted over and the roof was blanketed in snow, but other than that, it looked perfect. In the front sat a frame, which she pulled open to expose the wooden door behind. She pulled a small key out from her purse and unlocked the front door before going in. She held the door open for Sharaku. Once he was in, she would follow. The immediate area after the door had a rug, which she would leave her shoes on, “You don’t have to take off your shoes. I just do.” From a little ways inside the house, the sound of scattering feet could be heard. She laughed at the culprit, “I forgot to ask if you were allergic to cats. I’m sorry. You can be around them, right? I mean, they’re supposed to be hypoallergenic, but you never know.” She could take off her coat as she spoke, opening a nearby closet to hang it up. She’d offer to hang up his coat as well, but she wouldn’t force him.

Once he was taken care of, she would lead him to a moderately sized living room, which was joined to a small dining room. The floors of both were wood and glossy. She offered him a spot on the couch, which was cover in a thin bed sheet (which they used to cover the scratches from the resident cats), “Would you like anything to drink? We have water or coffee or some soda. Probably coke or something. We may also still have some eggnog, the kid friendly kind.” AKA, no alcohol in it. She just wanted to make sure her guest was taken care of. As she asked though, a small, thin white cat would go up to Sharaku and stare at him. He would find that if he tried to get closer to the cat or attempted to pet her, she would bolt down the hall where the bedrooms were.

She would roll her eyes with a smirk, “If we’re ever going down on the same ship, I will be glad to get off the boat first. In this case, however, guests are to be introduced in. Plus I don’t want to slam the door in your face.” She was a little nicer than that. She’d shrug with a smile when he explained he didn’t want to feel like he was creating more work, “If I didn’t do that I would feel like a freeloader. Have to earn my keep somehow.” She would joke as she proceeded to do the standard jobs of a host, “I didn’t know you had a cat. I hope they behave better than my two brats.” Those two had some bad habits that she wish they would be rid of. One of which was dragging her laundry around the house.

Naomi would laugh at Yuki’s reaction to Sharaku, “No, she loves people. She’s just far-sighted. If you make any sudden movements when you’re too close to her, she gets nervous and runs off. She’s probably just waiting to see if you’re friend or foe from a safer distance.” She would say from the kitchen, which was joined to the dining room and the living room, “The other one is probably hiding in the bathroom closet. She’ll make an appearance if you’re here long enough, but don’t expect anything.” She opened the fridge and took out a pitcher of water, pouring a glass for Sharaku. She went out and placed the glass cup on the bench right in front of the couch before going back to put away the water.

She would finally come out of the kitchen, “Sorry if it isn’t your taste, but welcome to my humble abode. Bathroom is down that hallway and to the left.” She would say in case he needed it later. It was the same hallway the cat had run down earlier. If he looked right instead of left, he would see the door to Naomi’s room was slightly a jar. The door at the end of the hall (her mother’s room) was closed to keep the cats out. She would awkwardly fidget before speaking again, “Umm… I’m not used to having people over, so I don’t know what to do now.” She was actually really nervous. She didn’t want to mess this up.

She smile and put on a fake British accent as she mockingly curtsied, “Thank you, kind sir, for not subjecting me to unnecessary menial labor. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated.” Joke for joke. It seemed like a good payment, but she wasn’t sure how he would take it. It wasn’t meant to be rude, just a witty response. She would nod in understanding when he mentioned how he wished his cat was better behaved, “Well, they sort of do that. You think you’re in charge, but they know who’s really running the show. I’m pretty sure they’re born knowing and just let us think we’re more powerful than them so we don’t suspect anything.” She was clearly joking. Except, she kind of wasn’t. She really did believe cats were more intelligent than people gave them credit for. Not super geniuses, but intelligent.

She shrugged, “Well, the good news is that I’m not a grouch.” Did she seriously just make a Sesame Street reference? She desperately need some new material. She pondered for a moment, “Talk? Play a game?” She would leave the room briefly and return with an old deck of playing cards. They were tattered and sort of beat up but they were still good, “We have these. They should work if you want to play something like old maid or go fish. I’m not sure that’s what you meant by a game though. We also have some old board games… If I could remember where they were.” Most games required more than one person to play them, and this was only a two person family. In retrospect, that was a bad call on their part, “I feel like it’s a tradition to talk while bonding over an amazing game of wit and cunning. Do you have a preference? Because if not, I may just pick go fish. It’s the easiest to play.” That or she watched too many movies where lazy exposition was given in that amount of time. As she spoke, Yuki would jump onto the back of the couch and walk by Sharaku’s head. She seemed to be sizing him up again, cautious of any movements he made.

“I’m not picky about animals. In fact, we were originally planning to get a bird. They were the animal my mom budged on when I said I wanted a pet. That’s when we found Midnight, the cat you haven’t seen yet, abandoned in a nearby building back in our old place. We just took her in after that- my mom quite reluctantly. She’s been nothing but a trouble maker since.” She laughed at the memory, “We got Yuki when her last family couldn’t keep her anymore. I don’t regret it even a little.” Her mom on the other hand was going crazy having two cats running around the house. Especially since they didn’t get along very well, “Still kind of want that bird, but those two would attack it. They are the cutest little devils.” She obviously loved her cats. Even if they were trouble makers. Considering how long they had lived with them, it was no surprise.

She would leave once again to grab a bad of colorful Lego blocks, “Green is worth five, yellow worth ten, red worth fifty, blue worth one-hundred.” She handed him a stack of Legos that equaled out to 1,000. She thought that was how this worked at least. With a grin, she dealt out the cards for a game of poker. She only knew the basics, so this would be a bit harder, “I guess I’ll be player and house. This is going to get confusing.” It should be manageable, but a bit tricky, “Just wait until you see my poker face.” She would say as she smiled. She would always smile, despite her hand, making it impossible to tell what kind of cards she had. She would shuffle the cards and deal them for the first round. She looked at the cards in her hand. She couldn’t tell if this was good host behavior, but it seemed like fun for the time being, “So, what were you doing in San Malarus today? I mean, I don’t think you live in the area. Unless you do and I just misremembered.” She hung out her because she lived here, “We seem to meet here a lot, so maybe I’m wrong.” She was just trying to start a conversation. It felt a little weird, but she was glad to have someone over for once. She imagined this was what normal people in high school would do. It was pretty fun to her.

She shrugged, “I’m not actually that big on keeping pets in containers. It’s the reason I carry my cats when they need to go out rather than putting them in a kennel. I’m not sure which they would prefer though…” She would think about it before continuing, “I would probably only put them in a cage at night to make sure they don’t get outside.” She was a little unsure about what to do, “I think it would like to fly around. That’s what birds do, after all.” That’s why she didn’t trust getting a bird, though. She was afraid that the cats would take out the bird and drop it off as a gift to show they loved her. That was a disturbing thought in its own right.

“Penecia? That place isn’t cheap. I had no clue you were so well off.” She thought San Malarus was a nice place to live. Penecia was like paradise on Earth, “I wish I could live in such a nice place.” Her eyes were twinkling at the thought, “Back when I lived in Standasen it was all I could dream about. Living in such a nice place. I used to visit all the time just so I could get a glimpse of it all. Although you are right that it was always really noisy there. It’s a giant tourist trap though, so it’s to be expected.” It wasn’t as bad as Maltsu, but it was pretty bad, “I guess San Malarus is the best island to live on if you think about it that way. This is just like any other place in the world. Lots of shops and places to live. I love Azores. Its islands are so unique that you can go to any one of them and find exactly what you’re looking for.” She flipped over the first card in the deck and tossed in two yellow Legos and a blue.