The Voices You Hear

...when the secrets are revealed

"It talks?!"

"You can hear it, too?!"

They both said at the same time, Maine looking from him to the tumbler in his hand, while Richard looked too startled that he backed up against the elevator doors, only to stumble backwards because it has opened. They have reached the ground floor.

On instinct Maine ran towards him, unmindful that she was still clutching her pen dagger style. Richard mistook it for an attack so he swung his tumbler at her, hitting her on the jaw.

"Ow!"

Maine fell, her hand letting go of the pen as she felt for her jaw. There was a slight gash where his tumbler hit her, and it began to swell. Richard took that moment to grab the pen, puzzled and realizing that it was actually just a pen. He held it tightly, as if trying to squeeze it to talk.

"Ugh, will you stop that. I won't squirt ink at you if that was what you were planning on doing."

He looked at the pen a little more closely, a smile beginning to form on his lips.

"Well, what do you know, the snob smiles. Hey Maine, he's got a dimple!"

It was then that Richard bolted out of his temporary daze from discovering that the pen is talking, and saw Maine sobbing from the pain on her jaw. He felt terrible. He's never hit a girl, ever. And now, this girl whose name he doesn't even know (well, the pen did say her name was Maine) is bleeding because of some dumb instinct. He approached her tentatively, afraid that he might just frighten her again.

"I told you to apologize Richard. Look at the poor girl, she's so scared."

That voice made Maine look up and around, trying to figure out where it came from. Richard held out the tumbler to her, and she dubiously eyed it.

"Dearie, Richard is a little slow on words when it comes to pretty girls, but believe me, he's very sorry."

"Bel, I can apologize on my own."

"And yet you're not doing it."

Maine stifled a laugh. She looked at the tumbler and then at Richard, held out her hand and took hold of the tumbler.

"Do you mind if I have a drink?"

"No, of course dearie, go ahead. Oh dear, you're bleeding. Richard, give her your hanky, what are you doing there just staring?!"

"It's ok, it just stings a little but I'm fine. I'm Maine, by the way. And that over there is Bic."

Richard looked at the pen in his hand, who was suspiciously eyeing him (yeah, it has eyes), but quite flirtatiously winked at him after a few seconds.

"Hey, gorgeous. I like your hands. Firm but soft. Maine, you should hold his hands. They're like pillows."

That somehow broke the ice between them. It was rather strange that no guard has yet approached them, two people sprawled on the floor, and two objects that are joining in on the conversation. Well, technically they haven't really had any conversation, save for these two objects in their possession that don't seem to mind the rather tense situation that just passed a few minutes earlier.

"Sorry about that, uhm, well, sorry, that I hit you."

Maine was still holding her jaw, her fingers getting a little red from the blood that's seeping through. The gash was beginning to sting, and she knows she should be going to the ER, but the amazement of hearing the tumbler talk, and scold this guy before her, was rather comforting.

"It's just a scratch, I won't die because of this. Uhm, Richard, is it?"

Richard was still staring at her, a little weirded out that this girl is still calmly talking to him. A normal person would've bolted out the door or called security, having been attacked and hearing a tumbler talk. Well, he isn't running either so he supposes a little more than sorry in their conversation would be helpful.

"Yeah, Richard. Look, Maine, I'm really sorry, I'm just... well, I've never met anyone who can, you know..."

"Talk to stuff like you do? And they talk back? Yeah, kinda weird huh? But you learn to live with it."

She suddenly leaned closer to him, which sort of surprised Richard but he didn't pull back, smelling how sweet her perfume was. Reminded him of pears.

"Sometimes annoying, but hey, they're company."

"I heard that, Maine. I'm still in his hand, remember? Don't use me as an excuse to look at him closer."

Maine rolled her eyes, hearing what Bic said. It was Richard's turn to laugh. He was not one to find humor easily, and very seldom that he laughs. His staff never sees him smile, and he knows that they have a standing bet in their unit - the longest time that his dimple is seen. Nobody has won.

"Oh dearie, you made him laugh. That's refreshing. Dearie, I'm Bel, Richard's tumbler."

"Hey Bel! I'm Bic, Maine's pen. Guess what brand I am, hah!"

Laughter filled the lobby. It was then that security showed up, puzzled at seeing two adults sprawled on the floor, one bleeding, the other holding a pen, both laughing.

"Excuse me Sir, Mam, is everything ok here? Mam, you may need first aid, uhm, there's blood dripping."

Richard quickly stood up, took out his handkerchief and pressed it on Maine's jaw. She flinched a bit but held on to his hand with the hanky, and they exchanged a look. It may be that she's losing blood, but her hand was cold, and it didn't help that Richard was looking at her quite intently.

"We're ok, it was an accident. I have first aid in my office, I'll just go back up."

"I'll go with you."

They picked up their bags and went back to the elevator, leaving a puzzled security guard looking at them suspiciously. They could only wish that he won't be checking the CCTV footage anytime soon.