Microscopic Swarm

Can't Catch A Break / 19

Wake up, get washed in the sink, dressed, breakfast, the whole routine yet again...except this time.

Chowing down on your porridge, you hummed as you sat in the grand piano, Weather Report crossed legged in front of you, eating an apple.

"Well" you swallowed, "I'd say he's nothing but trouble. A guy like that is hella fishy".

Humming, Weather leaned over to your ear and whispered, "Any updates on White Snake?". Afterwards glancing over at Emporio, who sat on the pianos stool daydreaming.

"Yeah" you whispered back, starting to get used of seeing the intricacies of the mans face, "He sent a woman after us, Miraschon. She was defeated by Jolyne and Foo, but she damaged Ermes pretty bad. She's healed now, but it was a bitch to preserve her".

"Did you managed to phone your folks?" He asked quietly, "Heard you were worried about them".

"Nah, isn't my place in the queue yet, especially with everyone jumping in and paying off their place" you grumbled, leaning your face against your palm, "But when I do call, I'm definitely asking for some sleep spray. After a while, the smell of feet keeps you awake" you huffed in pitiful amusement, watching Weather's lips curl up in a amused smile.

"Okay, knock it off" Anasui made himself known by leaning against the side of the piano, "You're sickening".

Side-eying Anasui, you kept your huffs to yourself as you looked past him to the crack in the wall. You knew not to interact with Anasui, especially because of his anger issues and murdering sprees. Emporio had warned you once Anasui was gone.

"Whatever you do, don't upset him. Don't get in his way, don't criticise him, don't do anything that involves him. He's violent, stubborn, and most of all, a deranged murderer. Anger him, you risk death".

He was kinda hot though, you weren't blind...

"Anyway" you sighed, twisting your legs over the piano and standing on the carpeted ground, stretching your legs and tensing your calfs, "I'll be off. It's rec time soon after all".

"Don't go so soon" Emporio rushed out, also rushing out of the ghost room, leaving you alone with both men.

Confused, your lip curled up slightly as you leaned back against the piano, Weather twisting his body to the side to prop against the piano's insides. Anasui kept in the back, huffing in annoyance as he looked at the pop-art painting.

Being sucked back into the room, Emporio also had Jolyne trailing behind him, hand in hand.

"Oh, hey Jolyne" you smiled, waving at the confused girl as she looked around.

"What is this place?" She instantly asked, then looking over you and the men behind you.

"My room, a ghost room. And don't worry about them, they're allies" Emporio said, looking over at the men, "White Snake has damned them too, so they're willing to help".

Eyeing up the men, Jolyne pulled a confused face as Anasui huffed, leaving the room. "Don't worry, he reacted like that to me too" you said, sitting down on the piano's chair, "Weather's cool though".

Looking over at said man, Weather smiled at Jolyne and slumped out of the piano, squatting down beside Emporio and whispering in his ear.

Listening to him, Emporio looked up at Jolyne, catching her attention from the fluffy hatted man, "Weather said he wants to help you defeat White Snake. He had his memories removed years ago, and will do anything for them back".

"And I'll help too, the best I can" you said, having turned Jolyne's attention on you as you walked towards her. Stood in front of her, you crossed your arms subconsciously, "...Sorry...about being such a pussy. I'm not used of fighting, and I've avoided it all my life, so this practically goes against my nature".

"That's fine" she looked at you sincerely, then looked around the room, "You don't have to make choices yourself, I'll help direct you".

Smiling, you nodded, turning your feet to stand beside her, while also facing Weather and Emporio. "Emporio" Jolyne said, "Will you help me find a shortcut to the courtyard?".

"Sorry, my room doesn't have shortcuts" Emporio said, "It's only a ghost room, a room that used to be here before the fire in 1994". Digging through his pocket, Emporio pulled out a rubbery bin, then inserted it back into his pocket, "I can move around unseen with my ghost objects, but the room itself doesn't let me roam free...but Jolyne".

Voice raising fearfully, Emporio looked up at her, "Seriously? You spoke of your plans over the phone, that's stupid!".

"I had no other choice" Jolyne informed with her cool voice, "I lost visitation rights".

Huffing slightly, Emporio stood next to Weather as he rose to a stand, "Take Weather and Y/n with you. Weather's a great ally, and Y/n needs more experience with high stress situations".

Weakly chuckling, you fiddled with a deep wrinkle on your sleeve, "Haha...yeah, sorry".

With a sudden force and an electrified zoom, You and the others were pushed from the ghost room, now stood still in the modern music room.

"So this must be the music room now" Jolyne pointed out, afterwards looking up at Weather suspiciously because of the silence.

"You don't have to be so tense around him, you can trust him" Emporio appeared from the wall, coming to sit by Weather's stretched legs. "Weather likes to stand on his toes, and he's quiet because of his lack of memory, also because he barely moves his mouth when he speaks. He likes reading TV guides, but doesn't watch TV, oh, and his nose breath is warm".

As Jolyne and Emporio talked, (more like Emporio trying to warm Jolyne up to Weather), you turned around slightly and lifted the back of your hand to your nose, then blew out your nose breath onto it repeatedly.

'Wait...I have warm nose breath?'.

Alerted to the sound of a piano, you turned around and saw pen's dropping down onto the piano keys, playing an impressive tune, "Wow, impressive, Weather" you smiled, seeing the small clouds above the piano.

You figured that was probably his stand, after all, his hat looked the same as the clouds.

Noticing Weather approached you, he gently grabbed your arm and turned you more into the circle he was making with yours, Jolyne's and his bodies. Leaning down close to both your faces, he kept his eyes straight ahead at the wall, "Don't make attention to the puddle" he whispered softly as both you and Jolyne tilted your eyes to the small puddle on the ground, by the piano.

Reflected in the waters surface was a man with very, VERY bad fashion sense. His brown hat covered the centre of his eyes, it was hideous.

"He must've been curious when I started playing the piano" Weather whispered and you felt your heat beat increase. Not because of the hot forty year old man in front of you, but because of the oncoming dread of battle.