(Untitled)

[priceonyourhead]

Who: Kilroy, Ryoko
What: Telephone call
When: Sunday afternoon
Rating: PG-13 for language I'm sure

All day Kilroy had this strange feeling like he was forgetting something. He was wearing socks. He had fed the animals. He had given May all the attention he could between phone calls to LA and Japan about the movie. No, it was something else. It

Comments

[lepetitrouge]

Left to her own devices, Ryoko had little use for a conventional schedule. New York didn't encourage her to change in the least, with a 24/7 subway if all the 24/7 businesses and services and whatever else she might need within walking distance just weren't enough. There were meetings with her agent here and there, some chats with the marketing director, but as nothing was urgent yet and they were more interested in the direction and progress of her book most everything could be done via email. After they had gotten to know Ryoko, delayed, indirect communication became preferable. So when Kilroy calls, because she has no reason not to be, she's asleep.

The first few things she says are indistinct or distinctly non-English mutterings, but in a few seconds, when she has her bearings, the proper language kicks in. "Hello?"

[priceonyourhead]

Just the mere sound of her voice makes Kilroy nervous. He falters a little bit, his usual self confidence now nowhere to be found. "H-hi! Did I- are you-" He coughs, but it sort of comes out like a strained laugh. "Just wanted to check in. Wanted to see how you're doing. Wanted to know if there's anything I can help you with since I'm in the city now and-"

Kilroy almost mentions the baby, but changes his mind. Never turn the attention on him with her. If she thinks it's important, she'll bring it up.

[9thdreamer]

"Kilroy." It's hard to tell what her mood is, with that one word - it comes out as flat, a statement of fact, though by the sound of his voice on the other end she doesn't need to put any forboding in it even if she wanted.

There's some rustling on her end, then "How nice of you to remember me." Acid, there, faint but unmistakable. "I do a lot for you, you know. Maybe more than I should. I keep people off your back, I put my money at your disposal, I work that much harder to spit out book drafts so there will be a book sooner so my contract is done sooner so I can write the most fucking brilliant script ever for you and I'm even taking lessons, though not from you because you haven't deigned to honor me with your presence and - what? You don't call, you talk like you're going to LA even though you said you'd stay here while I still need you - unforgivable, unless you've got the mirror, which you don't, or unless you didn't tell me, which is worse - and I hear about some Japanese fantasy movie you're working on but not from you, like you don't want my help in the face of all sense and logic, and May is fucking pregnant, and what the hell do you think you're doing?"

A beat, and then a sudden calm, albeit with a little annoyance for good measure. But it mercifully pales in comparison to the crescendoing rage of two seconds ago. "No, don't answer that. Just pretend I don't already know all those things and let me hear what the hell you're up to from you."

[priceonyourhead]

Kilroy's face turns noticeably white and his hands start to shake so much that he has to set down the basket of food he's carrying. "W-w-w-well." The line goes quiet and all that can be heard is the faint sound of the store he's in as if he had just managed to vanish. Then, suddenly, Kilroy speaks again. But, so swiftly it would be difficult for anyone who did not know him very well to make heads or tales of it. "M-m-my Queen I am working very hard to put this project together and frankly if I could spend every day helping you with what you needed I certainly would. But, you understand I am a married man and as you said- yes May is with child and I am try to learn how to be a good father. She's three months pregnant you know and that means it should be arriving v-very soon."

He inhales deeply as that little speech has run him out of air. "But I- I am doing well. I just I would just like to know what I can do for you. That's- well that's why I called. That's why I usually call."

[9thdreamer]

"And now you're not answering my questions? Or did you completely miss everything I just said? Fine. Hold the fuck on. I'll make a numbered list." And indeed, there's a pause, the sound of opening and closing drawers, and then her voice is back on the line. "One. What is this bullshit about going to LA? Two. I don't want you to help me, I want to help you. Actually it's more a mutual thing but the point is you don't have to do anything you're not already doing except ask for my help. I'm your Japanese friend. You don't just not call when you're working on something fucking Japanese. Come on. What number was I on? Three? Three. Months? Fuck you caught it late. Anyway, three, I'm assuming the baby thing wasn't planned and you're just going with it but you're making a goddamn mistake. You think you're busy now, without enough time for all the things you legitimately want to do? Now just imagine being too busy to do anything you want to do for the next eighteen years and six months. Children don't stop being parasites just because they're out of the womb."

There's another pause, and the near-inaudible tap of a pen on paper. "Well, it'll be worse for May than it is for you. If she has that baby her own life is over. If you decide to be a complete asshole you can probably keep up your current lifestyle. But then you'd be a complete asshole, and since you actually love your wife I don't see that working."

"Anyway. To answer your question. I don't need anything. I'd like to see you and May think a little more, since your actions have consequences these days, and despite my best efforts I've become fond of you. But if you keep fucking things up and forgetting I am a kind and benevolent ruler who only wants to look out for you then I can probably break the habit."

[priceonyourhead]

If there was one thing Kilroy couldn't quite grasp about himself yet it was that he had a tendency to be selfish. May was his, so was the baby and even though he was going to make the best decisions for all three of them it would not be a selfless act. So it would be clear to someone like Ryoko that any sort of groveling being done was partially because he didn't want his head chopped off. One day, perhaps, a selfless act would emerge, but now was not the time.

"Ryoko. I have been in the entertainment business for a long time. Yes, this will be a Japanese film however it will be funded by Americans. American studios. Flying back and forth from LA to NY until we have something settled is part of the process. It will only take a couple months. And hopefully when it's over I can go back to living and working in New York." His voice was steady as he decided it was his turn to act like the voice of authority here.

"As for May- well I-" The voice of authority, however, falters here. "I am optimistic about the child. I want a family and I- I love my wife very much as you said." He whines a little. "Plus we're well off- if we need to hire a nanny it won't be out of the price range."

But then, Kilroy realized Ryoko admitted she was 'becoming fond of him' which warms his heart a little. His tone now sounding somewhat defeated. "I was afraid of bothering you. That's all."

[9thdreamer]

"I'm not telling you you don't know how to make a movie. Che, get a good translator and you could work with the Japanese studios no problem. But what the hell do you know about Japan? Are you at least writing your own script, or did you farm it out to some idiot?" However, the stretch of silence that follows is a little too long to be as jarring as those before it. At length, she says, "Good. Because you're not allowed to move to LA yet."

Though it's faint, there's the sound of shuffling, then footsteps, probably bare feet on wood with how quiet they are. It continues when she speaks again. "Fine. Good luck. You'll need it." A beat. "And congratulations. That's what you say, isn't it? I don't know how this goddamn thing works here. You haven't got any temples and your rivers are filthy and-" There's some indistinct cursing, and she trails off.

"Don't be. If you're bothering me I'll tell you. Fuck, if you should be afraid of me I'll tell you. Otherwise drop it. It wastes everybody's time and is really annoying. Tell May to calm the fuck down, too - I try to talk to the woman and she gets like you do but worse. Makes me feel like I should just stay away from her or she'll have a panic attack. Anyway, you must've grossly underestimated how badly I fit in in this country. Or - in general." Her voice isn't regretful, just tinged with that constant note of irritation. It is, of course, not her fault. It's everyone else's. But the world seems woefully reluctant to change to suit her whims. "I have a lot of time on my hands. That's why I want to help you. Purely self-serving. You make interesting things. Besides, the book is on..." She stops, despite her strong emphasis on the previous word, and there's a string of muttering in Japanese, punctuated by 'fuck'. "-what was it. My publicist said it the other fucking da- yes! multimedia and storytelling. So movies, TV. Mr. Han has been letting me hang around his set but he's too goddamn formal. It's getting on my nerves."

[priceonyourhead]

Kilroy lets her talk, nodding along and picking his basket back up as he somehow, someway feels comfortable again. Well, as comfortable as he can at any rate. "It doesn't matter if you don't fit in. If the roses are white you paint them red." Like in most cases, if Kilroy's insanity or unavoidable closeness to his tale breeds a spark of genius, he is not aware of it. The line is delivered like he was telling her what was sitting in the freezer in front of him. "There's something special I get out of your book. Maybe I have some things to learn about Japan, but if you stick with me on this I know we can do it justice. We come from the same place."

This was why he didn't need some ceremonial trip to England. He was always close to Wonderland. On any given moment he could hear tea cups twinkling. He could see the low hanging lanterns around each table he sat down at. Wonderland was part of some girl's mind and now it was a part of him. He didn't need to see it for himself if he lived it every day.

"Just, promise me you'll be careful around Sebastian." Kilroy's mind drifted off a moment, trying to decide what it would be like to be from Oz.

[9thdreamer]

"That was trite," she tells him back, but not without some twinge of affection usurping her earlier annoyance. Then again, a longish stretch of silence. The footsteps have stopped, and there aren't any other sounds to show if she's reached her destination or is just standing still in the middle of the stairs. "Good. Fine. See? That's what I was saying all along. So tell me about the movie."

Then, briefly non-sequitor, "Careful? He said he was the fucking ruler of Oz, and maybe the translation isn't so great but the Wizard didn't come off as that dangerous to me." Speaking of lost in translation.

[priceonyourhead]

His tone changes back to business oriented. "Well, I was most interested in storyboarding it first. Character designs, things like that. You probably know how visual Number Nine is. Perhaps you'd like to meet with the artists I've spoken to? They are strange little fat men, but they'll likely kiss your feet if you tell them who you are."

Kilroy hoped this was enough to satisfy her. After all he hadn't been working on the project long and the truth of racism against Asians in Hollywood proved to be a major blockade. No, he would not tell her how the studio executives looked him straight in the eye and asked if the story could take place in New York instead of Japan. Why couldn't it be like Speed Racer? It's not like they used actual Asians for a Japanese created universe. Oh, no.

"Hmm? Wizard? Darling, he isn't the wizard. He's the Wicked Witch. Who is frankly more of a terrorist than a supreme ruler."

[9thdreamer]

Again with the pauses. But this one comes in the wake of what Kilroy has said, rather than in the midst of Ryoko's monologuing. It's bordering on ominous. "Wait. Number Nine Dream?" There's a little too much surprise in her voice to communicate much else. "You're making my book into a movie? Since when? Why don't people tell me these things? Why don't you tell me these things? Am I even understanding you because you know sometimes I have problems with English and - ... what?"

The surprise persists, suggesting there's nothing more powerful behind it like her characteristic rage. Kilroy seems safe, particularly now, as she isn't sure she understood him right. Tale business, at least, she can wrap her head around, linguistically and otherwise.

"...?" A snort. "He's the Witch? The one with the monkeys?"

[priceonyourhead]

Kilroy pauses too, his eyebrows raising so high they probably could have touched the ceiling. "Well of course Ryoko I thought we agreed on this before. Why would I- I thought we had-" For the first time in his life he exhales sharply in annoyance loud enough for her to hear. "I'm all mixed up. I mean- I can- I could-" He leans his head on the cool, glass door of the freezer section. "I can write my own movie. It can take place in America. Or I can do what the studio wants and just make another outlandish comedy." He does not seem excited about that prospect.

"Yes, the one with the monkeys. Throw some water on him and see what happens."

[9thdreamer]

"What? No! You're making my fucking book! Into a movie!" And finally through the surprise there is pure, unadultered excitement. It might even be happiness - but that in any kind of raw form from Ryoko is so rare, if not nonexistent, that it might be a stretch. "You didn't tell me this. Did you tell me this? Was I drunk? I'll stop drinking. Well no but I'll drink much less. And maybe eat a little if I'm not drinking as much, I've been really tired - okay that's going too far, but you're making my book into a movie."

The phone is muffled on her end for a moment, and one might hope she's taking a breather. When she comes back on the line there's a little more of a straight line to her train of thought, anyway. "Yes. To - all those things you said. I want to meet with people. And - is this the script I'm writing? There was just some general talk of a script in the distant future and maybe there were other things but maybe they coincided with a little too much vodka and I am very sorry but I'm paying attention now, without fail, just walk me through it please? How does this work? What do you want me to do?" It's almost as if, in that brief moment between confusion and realization, some kind of full emotional transplant took place. She really does sound happy, and even borderline sincere on cutting back on the drinking.

"..that would be rude. But he was a woman? What the hell. Seems like a downgrade in the karmic cycle, but then she was kind of a bitch."

[priceonyourhead]

He is in the middle of drawing little stars on the frost of the glass door, but as soon as she speaks he starts making little notes to himself. Like he'd be able to come back to said door and use it as a checklist. Kilroy smiles. It sounds in his voice. "Sometimes I tell people things without actually telling them. It's a problem I have. Oh, but I am glad you want to make it into a movie! Don't you see how brilliant it would be? Especially the last chapter. The laster chapter is going to blow their fucking minds Ryoko." He speaks lowly as if they're sharing some sort of secret. And, in a way, they are.

"I recruited a couple in New York so that you can be close to them. Their ideas for Goatwriter are pretty impressive. Tomorrow we can swing by and then we'll go get dinner with May?" This would essentially kill two birds with one stone for them. They could take care of business and have a nice social outing with May.

"And he absolutely got fucked over by karma. That's why he's still such a bitch."

[9thdreamer]

"Yes, we'll blame it on you then," Ryoko answers with a disturbing level of good cheer. The sound of footsteps has resumed again, rapid this time, bare feet on bare floor. "It is brilliant. It's more than brilliant. Those sons of bitches said I could never make it, I'd never write a book let alone a good book it'd never sell and this whole America thing would be a disaster and take that you fuckers - excuse me, Mr. Bumbles - and... yes. It'll be good. It'll be amazing."

"A couple? Of...? Oh good. Goatwriter was always a problem. They tried to get me to cut him, both times - for the Japanese and the English. But no. I mean yes. That would be perfect. I'll even promise not to talk to May about children, and their being horrible, and that, and - thank you. Don't let it go to your fucking head, because if you forget to tell me things or don't call or if you hire a Chinese cast-" The threat is left unsaid, but surely by now some form of decapitation can be imagined in the blank. "But. Still. Thank you."

She's either stopped climbing stairs or paused long enough to catch her breath or some combination of the two. Much more evenly she says, "Is he? He's been very nice to me. In that hyper-formal polite way."

[priceonyourhead]

"That's simply bullshit. Goatwriter was meant to be put in a movie. That entire tale-" His voice trails off as he's back to making notes. With the television show he never got the chance to be this creative. He didn't have the story. But, now that he did he could be as visually creative as he wanted. Or, as much as Ryoko would allow. "No no no, this is your movie as much as mine. And this is a Japanese story. So help me god there's going to be Japanese actors. You have my word." And as far as he was concerned, the Hatter's word was golden.

"Sebastian is only being nice because he wants to make you into one of his monkeys. Having you in his pocket means he has the rest of us." Kilroy didn't mind Sebastian. No, in fact, he thought the man was talented. But, as soon as he started targeting the Hatter and those around him, he couldn't help but let his dark side out.