Wasting Time in Strangetown - Catalyst

[iceraptoress]

Once again, it's been awhile since my last update, though not nearly as long as last time. In this chapter, we see a character I haven't had in the story for awhile - Chione Nivis. She was last seen in Girl, You Really Got Me Now, throwing a party for the modeling set with the intention of trying to get closer to Lazlo Curious.

As always, all previous chapters to WTiS can be found HERE. N'joy!





When it came right down to it, Chione Nivis' life was unfortunately very dull.

She had no memory of anything before the night she was found in the desert outside of Strangetown city limits, and she suspected that was probably for the best. After months of testing and interrogation by the military, it was decided she was just another alien, and she was technically set free, on the provision that she man their listening post in Strangetown. That had been ages ago, but every night she still dutifully transmitted the data from the station.



Since her once daily duty held very little excitement, Chione looked elsewhere for interesting activities, and had somehow ended up doing modeling work in the nearby town of Metro. It was fun work, though she found herself getting booked mostly for sci-fi or fantasy shoots, thanks to her skintone.



But, Chione was growing weary of the parties and appearances that seemed to go hand-in-hand with modeling work. She truly longed for a life with more to it than just career and existing from one day to the next.



She wanted some meaning. And she prayed for fulfilling and intimate companionship.



She even knew who she wanted to find all that with. They had met while occasioning the same parties and hot tubs, on the same rooftops in Metro. He wasn't a model, but was the type of person who could fit himself in wherever he wanted. They had gotten to know each other through numerous short bursts of conversation over time. He was a energy field physicist, incredibly smart and dedicated.

He had been coming around her listening post quite frequently, usually with some scientific instrumentation in hand, testing for something he called a hyper flux field. Chione was always happy to see him, to talk science with him, and to offer him iced tea when he was hot from wandering around under the hot desert sun in the name of his vocation. Chione thought they'd gotten close, but then he stopped coming around as often.



Not knowing why, and missing him terribly, Chione made a point of walking into town at least once a day, to spend time in the public places in the hopes of running into him. At last, her persistence paid off. She happened to be visiting the remodeled grocery at the same time he stopped in to buy a carton of milk to take home for his nephews.



He spotted her right away, and being his usual friendly self, came over to greet her with an exuberant hug, which naturally made Chione's heart beat happily.



"Oh yeah, big changes at the homestead," Lazlo chatted when she mentioned that she hadn't seen him in a long time. "Just for starters, my oldest brother is getting married, and it's kind of a rush job, because my other brother is leaving soon for a lecture tour. So the whole family is like in overdrive. It's a riot!" He laughed. "Plus, I'm now teaching at La Fiesta and it's a real step up from the lab at ConHugeCo, so I'm stoked about that."



"You're teaching now?" Chione tried to imagine what Lazlo's students thought of his tendency to wave his arms and jump around when he was talking science. "I wish I had known, Lazlo, that sounds like it's a cause for celebration. I could have made you dinner, or something…"



"Oh, that's okay, hun. I'm sorry I haven't been out to see you lately. The hyper flux research kinda had to take a back seat to everything else. But tell you what - we'll get together real soon, okay? As soon as things calm down some. How's that sound?"



As she watched him leave, having apparently forgotten completely about that gallon of milk, Chione felt sadly wistful that she hadn't been able to spend more time with him, or get a more concrete commitment from him about seeing her again. But, she was going to hold him to what he had promised, and hopefully he would be brightening up her dull world very soon.



"Takuya, you don't have to do bother with the gardening." Arriving back from a modeling job in Metro, Mina found her nephew in front of the house, hacking at the overgrowing bushes with focused concentration.



"It's okay, I like to do it," Takuya replied truthfully. He would have hated to see all of Omi's lovely plants and flowers wither, and working outside was something he truly enjoyed. It felt good to him to sense things growing, and for a little while it served to filter out all the wrongness that he could feel permeating throughout Strangetown. The garden was a nice distraction that he enjoyed.



Truthfully, Takuya felt at loose ends. There was this problem of darkness in Strangetown that he'd yet to make any headway on, and it seemed to negatively color almost every moment of his day. Not currently having a job beyond doing the occasional massage for people, Takuya tried to distract himself with keeping the house up for Mina, doing some of the cooking, but it didn't seem to help much. The garden and his drumming seemed to be the only activities that could block it all out of his head.



And he felt like an unnecessary appendage in Mina's life. Moving out of Metro had been an essential step, and he knew that Mina was genuine in her insistence that he was important to her and wanted him there. But, the move had been a change for the better in her case, and she was finding herself moving forward into a new life with new companionship.



Takuya tried to make himself as unobtrusive as possible so that he wouldn't get in the way of that. Lazlo was good for Mina. He brought her laughter and encouragement and gave her self-esteem a lot of positive reinforcement.



And Takuya did not want to worry Mina by talking about the darkness and fears that plagued him. She cared about him, and she knew that he was distracted and not himself, but he did not want to expose her to anything that might be dangerous. His research had revealed a high number of unexplained disappearances in Strangetown over the decades. Takuya did not want Mina to get involved and become another one.



So, as Mina and Lazlo's relationship grew ever closer and they started spending more time together…



…Takuya felt as if he were becoming further and further away from everything and everyone. Losing himself in the Darkness.



It was some ridiculous hour in the middle of the night when Mina was rudely awakened by a demanding pounding on the front door. She was startled at first, but then heard a shout from a voice she was very familiar with, and so hurried out of bed and to the door quickly.

"Miki, be quiet! What are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?"



"I don't give a damn," he grumbled, pushing past her and wobbling into the house. It was pretty obvious that he was drunk, and Mina was rather horrified to imagine that he'd driven out here from Metro in such a state. But she didn't see his car anywhere on the street.

"I don't want to deal with you when you're drunk," she told him as she shut the door and confronted him in the livingroom. "I'll call a taxi to take you home, and you can call me when you've slept it off."

"No no!" he snapped angrily. "No, we're going to talk now! I'm sick of this, Mina! I tired of being apart, I want you to come back."



With him in this state, that was the last thing she wanted to try and talk to him about. "You can call me when your sober," she repeated firmly. "And keep your voice down, you're going to wake Takuya."

"I don't care! What's it going to take, huh? I've been giving you your frammiting space, your time to think, but I'm getting sick of waiting for you to get over it and come back. We've been together since we were teenagers! I promised to marry you! You can't just throw that away!"



"Miki…" Mina sighed, stepping around him and heading toward the phone. She was angry with him, but also with herself for apparently not having made things clearer to him.

"Oh, come on," he cajoled, swaying a bit on his feet as he rapidly switched tactics. "What we had was good, Mina. Wasn't it good? At least sometimes, right? How can you just throw that away without even trying to make it work?"

Mina couldn't believe he would have the nerve to try and pull that kind of ploy on her now. After how long she'd worked to stay in their relationship without much participation from him, only to eventually discover he didn't even acknowledge her as a girlfriend to others. And to have him totally disregard her valid feelings in favor of just wanting things to go back to the status quo.



He looked hopeful when she turned back. Kind of vulnerable. But Mina wasn't going to let that sway her. He was drunk, not thinking right. And he was lucky she didn't just push him out the front door and lock it.

"Miki, I tried to make it work," she told him firmly, even though she doubted he'd remember this in the morning. "I tried for a long time. It's over."



"No, it isn't over," he slurred. "You just didn't try hard enough. We can try harder. C'mere…" He stepped in close, opening his arms and trying to wrap them around her. "Let's try. Gimme a kiss, it'll all be better…"

"Don't you dare!" Mina gave his shoulder a shove to keep him back. "That isn't going to fix anything!"



Miki wobbled from her push, but thankfully backed off. He seemed disoriented and confused by her rejection.

"Mina? Everything alright?"

She glanced up, startled by Takuya's voice. She was sorry he'd been woken up, but was glad he was there. "Yes, Takuya, everything is fine. But, please keep an eye on Miki while I call a taxi for him."



As she went to the phone, her rejection and the effects of the alcohol finally overcame Miki and he dropped to the floor. Takuya hovered around him worriedly, to make sure he didn't hurt himself, while Mina called for a taxi.



Luckily the lone taxi driver that operated in Strangetown was right nearby and didn't have anything else to do, so he arrived quickly and helped Miki out of the house and into the vehicle. Mina paid for the trip back to Metro and gave the driver the address, then watched sadly as Miki was driven away. Stepping back inside, she found Takuya looking upset.

"You should go back to sleep, Takuya," Mina suggested quietly.

It hurt Takuya to see one of his friends in such a drunken state, and to have to feel all of the anger and vicious bitterness that swelled within Miki's wild and lurching emotions, all of it directed toward Mina. Takuya didn't like that. It frightened him. He wanted to believe that Miki would never act on those feelings. Miki was a friend! But he'd also been literally falling down drunk, and people did unexpected things when they were in that sort of state.



"It's difficult to see him like that," Takuya said sadly.

"I know." Mina also knew she was responsible for Miki's behavior, at least in part. She was going to have to talk to him soon, when he was sober, and make it absolutely clear to him that they were over.



The problem was a weight on her all the next day, during an important photo shoot during which she found she could barely focus. When she arrived home, she tried calling Miki, only to get his answering service. She left a message for him to call.

Still worrying in the evening, Mina was glad to see Lazlo when he showed up. She hadn't been expecting him to come over that night, but it was good that he had. Takuya let him in and then disappeared upstairs. Mina heard the muted sound of his drums start a few minutes later. Takuya was another worry for Mina, one she intended to share with Yuuki.

But for right now, there was Lazlo, his smile and greeting bright.



"Came over because I got something to ask you," Lazlo sat beside her. It was only a little stretch of the truth - he did have something to ask her. But he'd come over because Takuya had called him with the suggestion that Mina needed some cheering up. So, it was, Lazlo thought, a good time to ask her what he wanted. "You know my brother's getting married, right?"

"Of course, the whole town knows that," Mina nodded. "And you've mentioned it a few times."



"Well… c'mere," Lazlo gestured for her to slide closer and he put his arm around her. He was gratified to see her smile as he did. "I was wondering if you would come to the wedding with me? Be my date?"



Mina felt warm and comfortable with his arm around her. Oh, she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to accept an invitation for a date from him, especially considering what had happened with Miki. But then again… it was over between herself and Miki. It had been over since she'd moved out of the house in Metro. And since then, Lazlo had been a close friend, always a gentleman. Never pushing her for anything more. And because of that consideration and respect, she was growing more and more fond of him.

She was touched he would ask her to attend such an important family event, and liked the thought of going with him. It made her happy, in spite of the lingering trouble with Miki.

"I think… I think I'd really like that Lazlo," she replied, placing her hand over his.



"Yuuki called," Jenny Smith said as Wennie arrived to join her at the town center. "She says she's going to be a few minutes late coming in from Metro, but she'll be here."

"That's okay if she's a little late, I'm just so glad that you and she are agreeing to help me out with the wedding." Wennie had been a bit scared about asking for help from her future sister-in-law, as she had gotten the impression that Jenny didn't care for her. But Wennie had no experience in organizing something as important as a wedding and had quickly realized that she was going to need help.



"Oh, it's going to be so much fun, you'll see." Though Jenny had initially been a little wary about Pascal's love interest, it wasn't because of Wennie herself, but more because Jenny knew how remarkably blind Pascal could be about things, and she hadn't wanted him to find himself in a situation he couldn't emotionally handle. Now that he was completely aware of everything, and had proposed, and Jenny had both Vidcund and Lazlo's assurances that Wennie was okay, the eldest Curious sibling was thrilled her brother had found love.

"I told Yuuki we'd be at the new coffee shop, so let's go over and wait for her. Have you seen the remodel? It doesn't even look like the same place."

Construction was still ongoing, but things were progressing nicely and Wennie, who actually didn't come down into town very often, was impressed with the changes.



It was especially exciting for Wennie because she knew that Pascal, as a member of the Town Council, had been partially responsible for putting the changes into action. "It looks wonderful," she said happily as she and Jenny entered the new coffee shop.



"Yes, it does. And it's about time. Strangetown really has been stagnating since the military pulled out, I'm glad to see that we're finally getting around to trying to improve things." Of course, Jenny's husband was also on the Town Council, so she knew all about the revitalization project. "That foreman the Council hired is going a great job."

They found a table to sit at and the conversation immediately turned to the impending wedding. It had to be a bit of a rush job, since Vidcund was going to be leaving soon and wanted it to happen before he did, which was primarily what had Wennie feeling overwhelmed. And since Pascal was an important person in the town, she didn't want to reflect badly on him by having a quick or shoddy wedding.

"I love him. He tries so hard to make sure everything is perfect," Wennie told Jenny, remembering Pascal's proposal and his worry that it wasn't as ideal as it should have been. "So I want the wedding to be perfect for him."



"We'll make sure it is. It's been a long time since there was a big wedding in Strangetown, so we definitely have to do it up grand. It'll be perfect for both of you," Jenny promised. She was looking forward to this, for her brother's sake, and Wennie's, and simply because it was exciting to have a big event to plan.



They got to work planning out what would be needed and who they were going to enlist for help. Very soon, they were interrupted by Yuuki's arrival.



"Hi gals!" she greeted brightly, sliding into the booth next to Wennie. "Sorry I'm late! I really just have to make the move out here already, that drive from Metro seems to take longer every day. What did I miss?"



"Not too much yet," Jenny told her amicably. "We're just making lists right now."

"Thank you for agreeing to help, Yuuki," Wennie was glad she had, and that Jenny had suggested the young woman as someone to ask for help, thanks to Yuuki's organizational skills. She was the one who had spearheaded the push to get the town center revitalized, after all, and was an growing figure in local happenings. It was a good move to get her involved.

"Oh it's my pleasure sweetie," Yuuki assured. "Who doesn't love weddings? Or organizing them? So, what do we have so far?"



Jenny showed her the lists. They already had someone in mind for the flower arrangements and the catering. Yuuki assured that she could get them a great photographer she knew in Metro. Though a live band would have been nice, they all agreed that a DJ might be more hip and appealing.

"We have tuxes for the boys lined up, though I really wish Cal would get around to choosing a best man so that we could get everyone fitted. Oh, and Jill is making Wennie's dress," Jenny added proudly. "She's really excited about it."

"Oh wonderful! I've seen some of Jill's designs, she's really talented," Yuuki smiled. "What about the guest list?"



"Well, there's not much on my side," Wennie admitted with some obvious regret. "Except for my friends at the Asylum. We might have problems getting day passes for some of them, though."

"I can look into that," Yuuki promised.



"The groom's side is going to be mostly family, and friends from the community, of course," Jenny continued. "Vid and Lazlo, the kids, myself, Tech, Jill, Heather and Johnny."

"Oh, Johnny's coming?" Wennie brightened. "I knew Pascal called him, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it. I haven't even met him yet."

"Yes, Johnny's coming," Jenny was happy that her oldest would be making it back for his uncle's wedding. "He'll be done with the semester by that time, so it won't be a problem. I can't wait. It will be so nice to have him home again."



"I'm sure it will be," Yuuki replied. If her tone was a little flatter than usual, the other two didn't notice.



"And Lazlo told me last night that he'd be bringing a date. I imagine that would be your sister, wouldn't it, Yuuki?" Wennie asked. "I know he's been seeing her a lot."

"Oh yes!" Yuuki brightened immediately. "Mina called me and told me all about it. They have been seeing each other, mostly just as friends. But she thinks a date to an important family event is probably a step in a more serious direction."



"I think so too, I'm glad to hear Lazlo asked her to come. I know he's been very fond of Mina for awhile now. She's such a nice girl, I'd love to see that develop into something stronger," Jenny sounded delighted.



"Now if only we could find someone for Vidcund," she continued with a wistful sigh. "Then I could rest easy that all my little brothers are taken care of. I don't suppose you have another sister, do you Yuuki?"

The girls giggled while Jenny smiled in a pleased and matronly sort of way, enjoying her time out with the younger women.



Chione was a little surprised when Miki showed up on her doorstep one evening, but he was a friend from the modeling world, and it seemed like he was a little drunk, so she invited him in. For his own safety, yes, but also because she was lonely like usual and thought a little companionship would be nice.



She offered him some dinner, which he accepted. While she cooked, he sat in the kitchen with her to talk.

"You know Mina and I broke up, right?"



"Yes, I heard about that. I'm sorry, Miki," Chione said sympathetically. It had been a surprise to hear it, because she'd understood that they had been together for some years. She wasn't sure what to say to Miki now, since Mina was Chione's friend, and she didn't want to give the impression that she was taking sides.



"I miss her a lot," Miki was obviously unhappy. "And I don't understand why it happened, except that I guess she just didn't understand me the way that I thought she did. But, look… I don't want to talk about depressing stuff." He got up and helped her take the food to the table.



For awhile, they ate and chatted amicably about the local modeling world, gossip and rumors about people that they both knew, and the jobs they'd been doing lately. Chione enjoyed having someone to talk to, until Miki brought up Lazlo.

"I remember Mina telling me you were interested in him. How'd things go with that? You two ever hook up?"



"Not yet," she sighed. "But we're friends, and I'm still hopeful."

After they cleaned up from dinner, they retired to the livingroom with a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses, to continue with the previous conversation about the modeling world. Chione thought it was really nice to relax with a friend and a glass of wine, and just talk. It helped to alleviate some of her boring loneliness, and Miki was an engaging companion without a doubt. And after a few glasses of wine, they both seemed to be feeling very mellow and comfortable with each other.



"You know, it doesn't seem fair, does it? Me without Mina, you without Lazlo. The two of us feeling so lonely," Miki said after a long pause in the conversation when it felt like they'd run out of things to say.

"Maybe it's not fair, but that's how it is right now," Chione replied.

"We could do something about it. We don't have to feel so lonely when the two of us are together," Miki suggested, shifting around to get closer to her.



Chione felt a little uneasy. Miki was nice, but he wasn't the one that she wanted. Lazlo was. But, as her fuzzily buzzed mind pointed out, Miki did have a point. They didn't have to be lonely… They were together. She felt warm from his proximity, wanting to take him up on the suggestion.

But she still hesitated, thoughts of Lazlo holding her back. "Miki… I don't know…"



"C'mon," he urged, leaning down to brush his lip against hers. "Let's go upstairs to your room. I don't want to be lonely…"

Chione didn't either. She let herself give in to him, and to the wine, and to the desperate need to be close to someone. Even if it wasn't the someone that she really truly wanted.



She felt very bad about it afterwards. Physically it had felt wonderful, Miki was very good at what he did and made her feel special and appreciated, and for a little while she'd been able to forget about how lonely she was. But in her heart, she felt very low and dirty.

"We shouldn't have done that," she said quietly. What would Lazlo think if he knew she'd been so promiscuous? What would Mina say if she found out that her friend had slept with her ex?



"It doesn't matter," Miki said lightly as he got up to get dressed. He seemed in a hurry to leave now, which Chione realized that she should have expected. He was a Romance sim, after all. It bothered her that he had apparently used her just to get some relief for himself, but not as much as his changed attitude annoyed her. This was not something to take lightly.

"Of course it matters! Mina is my friend, I shouldn't have slept with her ex. And Lazlo…" Chione frowned in frustration.



"Lazlo doesn't care about you, and Mina sure as frammiting isn't your friend." Miki leveled an expression of cool amusement at Chione. "Oh, didn't you know? Lazlo is taking Mina to his brother's wedding."



Chione felt a cold spill of shock fall through her. Lazlo was taking Mina to Pascal's wedding? She shook her head in disbelief because that couldn't possibly be true. Maybe Lazlo didn't completely realize that Chione loved him, but Mina! Mina had known about Chione's attraction to the youngest Curious sibling! She'd known!

"No, I don't believe that. Miki, why are you being so nasty?" Chione glared at him as he yanked his shirt on over his head. "Mina would never do that to me."

"Believe it, baby," Miki leaned in close to add emphasis to his words. "She took up with Lazlo knowing full well how you feel about him. She's not your friend. And Lazlo doesn't give a damn about you. He barely even knows you exist."



Any reply Chione might have tried to counter with got caught in her throat. Trapped by the feeling of betrayal that was welling up inside of her. Mina's betrayal of getting involved with the man that she knew Chione herself loved. Miki's betrayal of using her to satisfy himself, all the while knowing about Mina and Lazlo.

"Later baby," Miki tossed a careless farewell over his shoulder as he headed out, ignoring the broken sound of a sob from behind him.

That worked out perfect, he thought with a smile, feeling better than he had in quite some time.