Anything GOOOes (2/3)
#2 of Anything GOOOes
Beeeeeeeeeep...
_ _
Beeeeeeeeeeep...
_ _
Beeeeeeeeeeeeep...
_ _
Click
_ _
Aleis cleared his throat. "Hello?"
"Hey Aleis," Mai's voice came through, "Just thought I'd say hi."
"Oh," Aleis replied, "well hi."
Mai chuckled. "So how'd your day go?"
"It went alright," he answered, swaying his tail softly, "I was able to deliver packages without problem this time around."
"Cool," Mai replied, "n' what 'bout your job at the store?"
"Kinda slow honestly. Not many people visit it in the first place."
"Oh, no one wants hand-crafted voo-doo dolls now-a-days?" The two morphs laughed.
"So what about you?" Aleis asked, "How'd your job at the food cart go?"
A moment of silence passed.
"...Gone?"
"Gone."
"What happened?"
Mai sighed. "Cart got smashed."
"Smashed?" Aleis raised an eye ridge. "How exactly?"
"Uhhh...it's...complicated."
"Oh... Okay then."
"At any rate, I'm gonna go job hunting again tomorrow, so I probably won't be seeing you."
"That's fine. I hope you find a good one this time."
"I'll certainly try," Mai chuckled.
"Anyways, I gotta go. I've got a place to be."
Another moment of silence passes.
"...Aleis?"
"...Yeah?"
"You're going there again, aren't you?"
More silence.
"I'm...going on a business trip..."
Another moment of silence. Aleis flicked his tail uncomfortably, shifting a bit in his spot.
"Aleis," Mai went on, "Seriously, at least know when to stop this time." The dragon didn't reply. He heard her sigh over the phone. "Please Aleis, as a friend; promise me that you'll be safe."
He didn't reply for a moment, his wings sagging lower than usual. ".........I promise."
"Good," Mai replied, "well...G'night then."
"Good night Mai," said Aleis.
"Good luck."
"...You too..."
...Click...
Aleis let out a long sigh, placing the phone back on the stand. He truly hated making her worry. He didn't want her to worry about what he was doing. What he always did. Unfortunately, I just can't stop right now..._he thought to himself, _not with all of these bills to pay. He let out a more desperate sigh. But why doesn't she understand?! She's in the same situation I'm in! His tail thrashed about as he paced the room.
Maybe one day she will, he tried to reassure himself, after all, we don't really have much of a choice... Shaking his head and picking his keys out of a drawer, the dragon-morph left his apartment, and made his way to his destination.
***
"Gah!" Aleis cried out in pain as he was kicked to the concrete floor. He struggled to get back up to his feet as he lay there. He looked up at the large Doberman-morph that stood at the door.
"Please," Aleis pleaded him, "just let me back in."
The canine shook his head adamantly. "Sorry sir, but you're out of money to wager with. I can't let you in again."
"Please," he begged him, "Just let me in for one more game. I-I can win it all back, I swear!" He got up and made for the door, only to be pushed back roughly by the guard dog. Aleis grunted as he hit the ground a second time.
"You're done sir," the Doberman declared, "come back when you actually have money to spend." He slammed the door behind him, and locked it. Defeated, Aleis stared down at the concrete floor. In a fit of anger, he slammed his fist atop it, not caring about the pain it brought to his hand as he did so. Baring his fangs, the dragon-morph staggered back to his feet, and dragged himself over to the opposite side of the dimly lit street.
Walking for a bit longer, Aleis made his way over to a bench, and dropped himself upon it. After staring down at the floor for a moment, he buried his face in his hands, and wept.
Just a little bit more, he thought to himself through the tears, I'm sure I can catch a lucky break, just like the last time. Clenching his eyes closed, he aimed his head towards the sky. I just want to gamble a little bit more!
Suddenly, he heard someone chuckling behind him. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, and turned to the direction of the noise. As his eyes cleared, he saw a shadowy figure hiding amongst the darkness of the street.
"What an intense desire you have there," the figure spoke, eyes glowing from amidst the dark, "Do tell me; just how much more do you wish to gamble?" Aleis caught his breath.
How did... He shook his head; it was probably too easy of a guess considering he'd just been kicked out of a gambling parlor.
"Well?" the figure asked, "Are you going to answer?"
Aleis swallowed painfully, a lump having formed in his throat. "Just...just enough...to get my earnings back."
"Oh?" the figure chimed, "Are you sure that's all?" Aleis' heart skipped a beat. Whoever this man was, he was reading him like a book.
"I...I-"
"You love to gamble, don't you?" Aleis was speechless. "It thrills you, it's fun_to you, and you just simply _can't get enough of it."
"Who...who are you?" Aleis questioned the man.
"Oh, just a friend," the figure answered, "a friend who wants to feed your desires." He reached into his pocket, and tossed something on the ground. Aleis looked down at what he had tossed.
Money.
Aleis moved quickly, moving from his seat and crouching down to pick up the bills. The figure chuckled as he watched him scramble for the money. "And now, you can feed mine." Before the dragon realized what was going on, the figure reached out, tapping a finger on his forehead. Aleis froze, suddenly unable to move. The figure chuckled again, and moved into the light of the streetlamp, revealing his striped, white fur.
"Now then," the tiger-morph began, "let's get started." He held his palm up, and began to focus. Within a few seconds, a single Cell medal formed in his paw. He held it between his middle and forefinger, looking back at the frozen reptile. As he looked at him, a metal slot formed on his forehead. Flicking his wrist, the tiger tossed the Cell medal into the dragon's head, causing the slot to immediately close after receiving it. At that, Aleis collapsed to the floor, knocked unconscious.
With a satisfied smile spread across his muzzle, the tiger-morph walked away from the dragon, and back into the darkness.
~OOO~