Chapter Text
“Sonny.”
Sonny Brisko looked up from his desk to see Alban Knox crouching in the rather small window to the officer’s left.
“Alban, get down. You’re gonna knock over the plants.”
The thief swiveled his head around to see what the blond was talking about. “What plants? I don’t see any-”
The small crash of pottery smashing against the stone ground made both the cat and the officer wince as Sonny gave the visitor a disapproving stare.
Alban slid silently off the windowsill, dusting off his pants as he avoided the officer’s gaze. He leaned back against the cool wall of the office room and crossed his arms before he spoke, “Alright Sonny. Why’d you do it? And why the hell didn’t you tell me?! Do you know how many problems you’ve just caused me?”
Sonny blinked at the thief for a moment before getting up and glancing out the window to survey the damage done. He clicked his tongue. ‘Aw man, that was a gift from the Commander…’
He pulled back when he heard the impatient thumping of Alban’s booted foot against the floor. Sonny met the thief’s irritable expression with a hint of a grin pulling on the corners of his otherwise serious complexion. “You only just figured it out?”
Alban stared blankly at the man, who continued. He sat on the edge of the desk with his arms crossed as he spoke. “I take it you’re referring to the fact that I signed you up to offer training the newbie?”
The thief frowned at the memory. Getting riled up again, he raised his voice. “Yeah! I don’t have time to train some wanna be fighter! I’m busy enough and I don’t need some lost duckling following me around for a month. Do you know how limiting it is to be a thief and have some clumsy trainee stumbling behind you, ruining all your chances?!”
Sonny listened quietly to his friend’s rant. Once Alban hushed and only the sound of him trying to catch his breath was audible did the officer speak. “Alban, you’re bored aren’t you?”
The thief stuttered, “I- what? What are you talking about? I’m not bored, I-”
Sonny shushed him again, laughing as he continued, “Listen, I signed you up so that you’d have something to do. You’ve seemed so down lately, so I thought that maybe a change of pace would do you some good. You know, mix some stuff up!”
Alban was flabbergasted. Finally finding his words again he snapped back, “What right do you have to be messing around in my life? I LIKE my life! Just because you and everyone else are always busy doesn’t mean I have to be! I happen to enjoy being idle!”
Sonny sighed. This wasn’t going anywhere. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Alright, I got it.”
“...Good.” Alban furrowed his brows, slightly taken aback by his friend’s tone and sudden change of heart. “Now, hurry up and get me off that list. Tell them something came up for me and I can’t take her.”
Much the to the thief’s surprise however, the man shook his head. “I can’t do that. You have to tell Yugo and Emi-chan yourself.”
Alban turned with a groan.
As the boy headed for the window to leave, Sonny sighed. “Ah, it’s a shame though. Emi-chan was really looking forward to working with you. She even told me herself she thought you looked like a cool person.” The thief wobbled on the windowsill, hesitation mingled with irritation wracking his body. With a loud shout of frustration he leapt off the windowsill, shouting back, voice fading as he fell, “Fine I’ll do it! God what is with everyone today?!”
As Sonny listened to the boy’s footsteps fade in the distance, he chuckled to himself. Alban never changed. That thought made him frown as much as it made him smile. Change and struggle was necessary to grow, and lately he believed Alban had gotten too comfortable. That boy was, and never had been the type of person to sit around and do nothing.
Sonny stood up and moved to close the windows, a fond smile on his face that only grew wider when he discovered the small pot that contained a single tiny sprout. “Ah..” He picked the plant up and gently set it on his desk, shaking his head as he glanced outside one last time.
“He’ll figure it out.”
****~(^.^)~****
The sun was setting and the warm orange light filtered through Alban’s half shut blinds. The thief leaned back, desk chair creaking as he stared up at the ceiling. He had a headache. His confrontation with Sonny hadn’t gone at all how he’d excepted it and now that he was sitting in the silence of his own room, he realized that he was roped in even further than before.
He sat upright again and stared at the mess of papers before him. Somehow he had to come up with a cool looking, totally planned and organized training schedule by the end of the weekend. Of course he was going to make it tidy and awesome. Yeah, he hated the current situation but he hated messy things more.
He picked up his pencil and began sketching the outline for the weekly planner. He didn’t know exactly what he was going to teach the girl. Perhaps some basic knife skills, or how to walk without making any noise, but he wasn’t sure if she’d be able to even begin to master these basic skills. Maybe he was underestimating her and making unfair judgments prematurely, ‘judging a book by it’s cover.’ But to him, all books were the same, and this one’s cover didn’t look any different.
****~(^.^)~****
*BAM BAM BAM*
The sudden banging noise that echoed through Alban’s house startled the boy awake and the crashing sound that followed was him tumbling off his seat and hitting the ground, his chair following shortly afterwards.
“Ow ow ow…” He groaned as he blinked his bleary eyes and rubbed the tender area of his head. He frowned when he heard the same repeated thudding, now able to pinpoint that it was coming from his front door.
“Coming, I’m coming!” He shouted in hopes of getting the assailant to pause long enough for him to think. He sprinted down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own carpet as he swept past the living room and made a beeline for the door. Without pausing to check who it was, (It didn’t really matter, seeing as no one was going to escape his lecture,) he swung it open only to flinch back, face retracting from anger to shock and confusion when he saw that it was his new kohai.
“E-Emi-chan?” Hesitation and confusion as to why he was hesitating controlled him as he tried to focus on what she was saying.
The girl bowed and held out some papers, the strand of hair in front of her face falling forward slightly as she spoke. “Um, here. Yugo-san said I should bring these to you, in case you needed a comparison or something for your schedule that you supposedly had already finished.” She straightened herself and Alban could see a hint of a smirk on her face as she said the last part.
Already irritated, he furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The girl’s ears, which reminded him very much of Elira’s but to his dismay, much prettier and cuter with the small blue scrunchies around them, raised in time with her eyebrows in amusem*nt. “Nothing. I’m just repeating what Yugo-san said.” She shrugged, but the unwavering smile on her face told Alban that she was having too much fun teasing him. Him! Her senpai of all people. Whatever Yugo had been teaching her all month, it sure wasn’t manners. He was going to have a talk with that DJ the next time he saw him.
He snapped out of his thoughts when Emi stretched her arms behind her head. For the first time he realized she had a tail as well. He must’ve stared at it too long because she waved her hand in front of his face. “Knox-san? My face is over here you know.”
He blushed furiously at her comment, immediately coming back to attention and shaking his head, “No, I just, you remind a lot of some friends of mine.” ‘Except cooler and cuter somehow.’ he thought to himself and instantly reprimanding himself right after for thinking it.
She tilted her head to the side as a curious look came into her eyes. The topic must’ve piqued her interest, because she delayed her departure to answer. “Yeah. I’m one of Elira and Selen’s cousins, the other being my sister, who’s been here a bit longer than I have.” She was smiling softly as she seemed to be remembering a fond memory.
Alban was about to interrupt when she startled him by suddenly snapping out of her thoughts and looking him straight in the eyes. “I thought Elira and Selen explained that when I got here?” Alban open and closed his mouth, but for whatever reason, as her bright but piercing gaze bore into his own, he couldn’t think of anything to say.
Emi sighed, and for God knows why he regretted not having paid much attention to Elira and Selen’s welcome speech for her. The girl adjusted the strap of the training knife she carried at her left side as she spoke, “I have to go. Yugo-san is waiting and I promised to meet up with my sister and Elira and Selen in a bit..” She furrowed her eyebrows slightly. “...Why did I tell you that?”
Alban, getting over his strange moment of silence, smirked. “Maybe cause you think I’m cool?”
He watched her narrow her eyes at him. “Um, no.”
With that, she turned and began jogging down the street, tail swishing and feathery ears bouncing slightly. He didn’t miss the subtle hint of pink that had decorated her face when she had turned away, however, or the soft call of, “See you later Knox-san. Don’t forget the schedule.” which both gave him a sense of victory and ticked him off at the same time.
When he turned back inside and slumped grumpily towards the kitchen to begin making his breakfast, he muttered under his breath the same two words that had been floating around in his head since this whole mess had started.
“Stupid kohai…”
****~(^.^)~****
