• Chapter 2: Rain and inner thunder

    Both young men dashed through the streets, trying to get out of the rain. No Name’s shop was quite a bit closer then his own house, and he really didn’t feel like lingering in the rain any longer then he had to. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed how the city was littered with pieces of plastic string, like the ones used to control puppets. They were out of peoples’ way enough not to bother anyone, and unless you had a keen eye during rain, you would think they were simply a strand of spider silk. He glanced over at No Name, half debating on running home anyways, but they were already there.
    No Name held open the door, motioning for Yuerik to walk in. Yuerik walked in almost with regret, taking off his jacket and laying it over the back of a chair to dry.
    “You seem a wee bit, edgy.” No Name stated, leaving his hat and coat on the counter, wandering over to the kitchen to boil a pot of water.
    Yuerik followed after him, “Why the bloody hell shouldn’t I be! You’re a fookin murder! Who’s to say you’re not the crowing hour murder!” he shouted.
    No name winced slightly, laughing nervously. He had rather sensitive ears, unless he was in a certain mood, loud noises bothered him, “No need to shout, show passion through your words, but please do not raise your voice. Well I have no honest proof that I am not, so why don’t I help you catch him? Will that not prove my innocence? I believe in Lady Justice too, just I fulfil her ideals in a different ways then you.” He said, lighting the stove and leaning against the kitchen counter. His store was also his house. It was a fair sized place from what Yuerik could see from it. He had the large front of store, a fair sized kitchen. Through the door way he could see a large work room scattered with doll parts, buckets of paint and paintbrushes littering the floor and tables.
    “That will prove you’re not that murder, but you’re still a murder all the same. Perhaps if you help catch that one, Lady Justice will view you in a much better light.” Yuerik said, sitting down, watching No Name carefully.
    No Name chuckled, nodding. He threw a mix of tea leaves tied up in cheese cloth into the tea pot before pouring the boiling water into the pot. “Whatever you say.” He said with a slightly sarcastic smile before putting the cream and sugar dishes on the table. Yuerik eyed the dishes doubtfully.
    “Oh chill you silly boy. If I intended to kill you, I would have done it back there.” No Name said, chuckling, flicking his forehead softly before pouring the tea, placing the cups and the pot on the table. “Enjoy.” He said, pouring a bit of cream into his tea and nothing more.
    Yuerik sipped the tea black, laughing nervously, looking off to the side. He hated to admit, but he was petrified of the man sitting across from him. “Shall we meet at two tonight then?” He said, looking up and into the odd man sitting across from him eyes.
    “Two sounds good. Seeing as I have no clue where you live, and I highly doubt you’d give me that piece of information, shall we meet here?” No Name said, stirring his cup of tea absent-mindly, looking back at Yuerik, head cocked to the side.
    Yuerik nodded twice, sipping his tea. “I’d rather it be that way. I think my sister would kill me if I brought you to my door step.”
    “Oh? What makes you say that?” No Name said a trace of offence in his voice.
    “She doesn’t like me bringing over friends, even normal friends. You’re not a friend, and no offense, you don’t exactly look normal.” Yuerik said, not trying to sound like an arrogant jerk, but failing miserably.
    “Understandable. But I cannot help the way I look. I could always take out the wood part, but I would look even worse even by my low standards.” No name said, his hand tightening around the handle of his tea cup. He had to remind himself that the person before him was still a boy mentally, and didn’t always think things through. He became slightly touchy about how he looked when he turned 15, and had his first love shoot him down due to his face. He didn’t choose to have part of his face bashed in. “Tea any good?” He asked, trying to change the conversation before he grabbed a knife from the drawer and slit open the young man’s throat due to misguided anger.
    “Oh yes, thank you.” Yuerik said, laughing nervously. ‘Thank goodness he changed the topic’ Yuerik thought, finishing off his cup of tea. He glanced over at a picture of a teen age boy hanging on the wall. The boy in the picture had light brown hair, and blue eyes that just seemed to smile. He seemed to be holding a black lab puppy, and laughing joyfully. “May I ask?” He said, looking over.
    The handle on No Name’s cup smashed under the force he was putting on it. “No. No you may not!” He said a little more forcefully then he intended. He stood up from the seat, throwing the cup against the picture, the glass in the frame shattering, the picture and the cup both falling to the ground. He glared at Yuerik before storming off into the other room to calm down before he caused serious harm to something.
    Yuerik gulped, frozen in his spot, too afraid to move, and almost too afraid to even breath. He kept reminding himself that the man, whom he was drinking tea with, was also a cold blooded murderer. In the few seconds he forgot that fact, he felt that he could of indeed have been killed. He was actually shocked that he wasn’t a decapitated corpse at this man’s table. He strained his ears, hearing No Name muttering from the other room.
    “’ I love Justice, I love truth. I love the normality of things. That is why.’ that is why… That… was… why… DAMNIT!” He shouted, pounding his fists to the ground full force, the tea pot actually shaking in the room over. The floor cracked ever so slightly where he hit it. He curled up, panting, trying to regain his breath. Yuerik opened one too many old wounds, ones No Name thought would never be torn open, let alone so painfully.
    Yuerik felt himself sink in his chair, clutching to the cup he was holding in terror. He kept telling his legs to move, and fast, but they just wouldn’t comply. His eyes were open in terror, looking out into the other room.
    No Name tried to pull himself together, rocking back and forth, hugging his knees to his chest. ‘You have someone in the other room that you’re probably scaring shitless… calm down.’ He tried to tell himself, but even mentally it went right through one ear and out the other.
    Against his better judgement, Yuerik decided to check on No Name instead of darting out of the house like he wanted to. He stepped slowly, with extreme caution. He put a hand on No Name’s shoulder. “You okay?” He asked, his voice barely coming out in a squeak.
    No Name just kept rocking, as if he didn’t hear or feel him.
    Yuerik winced, kneeling down, looking at him in the eyes.
    No Name snarled, lunging at him, knocking him backwards, pinning him to the ground, his face hovering inches above Yuerik’s. His mismatched eyes bore into the younger of the two’s eyes. “You should have never entered my shop… I should have let you die… Fate is a fickle b***h, and I’ve been trying to fight her all my life. Why do you fight for justice hmm? To make yourself feel better in the ******** morning? Grow up or forfeit. You don’t have the balls to hunt down a killer like that when you can’t even confront me. Stick to making shoes, it’ll be the only thing you’ll ever be good at.” No name hissed.
    Yuerik froze, his eyes staring back into his. His words left a bitter taste in his mouth, and a knot in his stomach. His mind shut down slightly. He didn’t want to hear those words, not now, not ever. “Y-y-you d-d-don’t knnnooow me.” Yuerik stuttered, gulping rather loudly.
    “I know enough of you to know that if you ever did face the CHM, you’d be dead within seconds. Get your head out of the clouds.” No Name said, hovering a few more seconds before standing up and retreating to the kitchen to clean up the glass.
    Yuerik remained lying on the ground, looking up at the ceiling and feeling dreadfully sick to his stomach. His dream bubble was burst and rather forcefully. He put his hands over his face and sobbed. He wanted to prove No Name wrong in the long run, but for now, all he wanted to do was cry.