Goal of the day: 1191 words. Written: 1211.
I looked at Stone for a moment, but without saying anything I turned back to the people at the table.
- Beautiful Stone," said the bald man.
"Oh God, is he the leader? His voice doesn't suit him at all!!"
- Uh... - I muttered in confusion, - ...Thank you! I don't know what for, because I found it by accident...
- Hey! - cried the stone. Of course, only he and I must have heard it.
Baldie laughed. His ears vibrated slightly as he laughed.
- He, he," I muttered with a fake laugh, probably more than I laughed.
"What's so funny?"
- Sit down, join us," the bald man waved me to the vacant chairs in front of us. The others at the table said nothing.
I nodded my head and Antonio and I sat silently at the table together. I felt uncomfortable under everyone's gaze. But they immediately turned to Antonio.
I looked at him too. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead.
"He's... scared?"
And it certainly looked like he was afraid. Like a little dog in front of a big wolf or a whole pack of them.
"Oh God, am I afraid of them too!"
I quickly looked around.
- Donut, you're pressuring me! - said Naoki, and sure enough, when I realised that I was squeezing him again out of excitement, I let go a little. He immediately added:
- Let me at least have a table or something higher up, I want to see what is going on.
His idea was a good one. But I wasn't sure how to do it in complete silence, with all the eyes on us.
"I'd rather wait until everyone's eyes are on Antonio."
- So, then," said the black-haired man with the same still unchanged, seemingly murderous expression, "I heard you blew up a bit and destroyed my favourite club.
Antonio turned and looked at him.
- Tell you in song format or in plain English what REALLY happened," he replied sarcastically, trying to raise an eyebrow for emphasis. It didn't go up much.
The black-haired man looked at him in silence.
"His name must be some kind of 'Killer' or 'Ripper'..."
- Usually," Baldie interjected, running a hand down his trousers. A moment later, he pulled out a single crystal cigarette from what must have been a pocket somewhere (in such tight clothes!).
- Well," began Antonio, as he shook and lit the crystal cigarette, "first of all, it wasn't me who ruined that club," said Antonio, shaking his head.
- Anne? - said a girl with blonde hair. A closer look revealed a small black mole on the tip of her nose with a hair sticking out of it.
- Tep tep," said Antnio, shaking his head childishly, as if he were acting.
"Jesus, are they serious or not? If that Murderer looked like a murderer, now this couple looks like a theatre of fools!"
- Stop it," Plikis tried to seriously restrain them by blowing a round cloud over everyone's heads. It flew upwards, probably into the ventilation holes neatly drilled with diamond dots in the ceiling.
- I'm sorry," Antonio rubbed his head. And then, turning to Baldis and folding his arms, he became more serious:
- As I see it, knowledge travels fast. Or as your Lithuanian saying goes...
I took the opportunity to change my posture and, leaning close to the table, I put Naoki on the edge of the table and partially covered the edge with my hand. As if I had put it there by the way.
" And anyway, no one else has put their weapons on the table, so it might seem very rude!"
However, I didn't seem to be attracting anyone's attention with my manoeuvre, so I continued listening to what Anonio was saying.
- ...And then I finally tracked down Acorn," Anonio beckoned to me, continuing his speech.
"Oh shit, I missed a lot!"
- She had somehow ended up at the zoo and jumped on the tram towards the centre with the crowd. I'm not sure what she was thinking going to the city centre and not away from it," Antonio looked at me.
I opened my lips a little, trying to think of something to say, but before I knew it he was going on:
- But I jumped in after her through the back door of the tram. Later, when I reached the main station, I got off with her and took her to the bar...
- Wait, oh... HOW did you take her? - Elm interjected.
"Pala, is this something abnormal?"
Antonio picked up the blue crystal on his fingers and twirled it between his fingers, showing it to Elm.
- This. Argues for charisma," Antonio explained.
"Arguing what? Charisma? Pala... He deceived me? Fooled me??"
- Eee," I mumbled softly, starting and trying to interject to ask what the hell was going on here.
But Plikius spoke without hearing me:
- You should know, Elm, you're not a newcomer..." he held up his smoking cigar. A wisp of smoke followed the end of the cigar and an eight rolled in the air.
"Wait wait wait, don't interrupt me! What do you mean!?"
Elm just nodded and sat back a little more with a sigh.
- So I took her away and started explaining her bakcground," Antonio continued, looking around with Blaise. The latter nodded silently, as if they were all communicating in thought or something.
"What?"
- Bye-bye-bye-bye! - I waved my hands, interrupting everyone and drawing their attention to me. - Charisma? And you followed me??
- He must have been looking at your lovely bottom from somewhere far away! - Naoki interjected fiercely.
Antonio looked at me. Everyone was silent.
- Well, I had to find you and bring you somehow, didn't I? - said Antonio.
- I... I don't need any leads from you! - I retorted. And when I saw that Baldis was already yawning, I immediately added:
- Especially if you're tricking me with some kind of charisma magic!
- Really! Real scoundrels! - Naoki added immediately, like a fierce crow trying to escalate the conversation even more.
- Antonio, you didn't tell her anything? - Baldie interjected, looking at me without taking his eyes off me.
I looked at the Stone. It was still wrapped around my wrist with the cord, so if I had needed it, I could have grabbed it immediately and maybe used it in some way. Somehow.
- I didn't have much time," said Antonio. - Just who she is and where her memory is.
"There's the memory!"
- Oh, and memory! What the fuck is memory!? - I gasped, raised my hands in question, and then lowered them. - I don't know or remember any of you, what other memory are you talking about?
"Blehamuha."
The people around me were silent, but Plikius still kept his eyes on me. Somehow I tried to avoid his gaze, but it was difficult with him sitting right in front of me.
- If you don't tell me right now, I don't want to have anything to do with you. I'm leaving," I finally decided to threaten and put my hand on Naoki's arm, just in case I had to get up right away.
Immediately I saw Elm put his cannon behind him and touch it with one hand because it had moved.
- Calm down," Plikis waved his hand without even looking back at Elm, who obediently dropped her hands back. Only now she didn't cross them. And looking me in the eye, as if trying to sum up, he added:
- Then, let me start at the beginning. It was a bit rude of us to do that. I will tell you everything you need to know.
"What is there to know??"
- What do I need or WANT? - I nodded my head, not trusting Blaise. If Antonio had brought me here with some magic, how could I trust this and all these strangers? Where am I even now? Where have they brought me?
"Pala, what if Antonio were to bite me now?"
- What you need and what you want. - Baldis immediately corrected himself, finishing his cigarette and putting it away. - What do you already know?
- I... Eee...", I muttered, trying to digest everything I knew into some familiar and describable form.
- Well, well, well, I must have asked the wrong question," nodded Baldis, adjusting the sleeve of his dark suit. He didn't really need to fix this one, as it was already snug against his skin like a second skin, but it felt like a necessary action.
Baldis looked around at the people seated around him.
- Then let's start with us. It's easier that way. Everyone," he said to the people at the table, "please introduce yourselves to our guest.
Elm was the first to shake.
- I am Elm," she said grimly, still reclining, folding her arms again like an origami in her arms, "I am in charge of crowd control and the management of the Toiletry Legions here.
Then, after a second of silence, he continued sarcastically:
- My favourite soup is cold borsch. Will it be enough?
Baldis chuckled at Elm's words, probably.
- Okay, that's enough. - He said. - Ruth?
- I'm Ruth and I'm an alcoholic... - said the blonde as if she had said some funny phrase, - Well, I'm the head of information and networking here and my weapon is whatever is in my head.