Strike and Advice

"... Where's the other guy? Why are you being so, well sensible?" Calder muttered to himself as he looked to his left shoulder. "On strike. Apparently this topic pissed him off." Pure Calder replied. "So you're being good and bad cop today?!" Calder said in a surprised tone. "That's right I'm working overtime." Pure Calder said with a wide grin.

"Aren't you just in my head?! There really isn't someone paying you to talk to me right?!" Calder shouted in a panic.

"Of course I'm in your head! To be more exact I am the thoughts deep in your heart! Honestly, why would a perfectly sane person make up chibi versions of himself to sort out his feelings... But here I am and to tell you the truth I wished I joined Evil Calder and went on strike with him." Pure Calder said with a pout before sitting down on Calder's shoulder.

"Why would you strike?!" Calder asked as his eyes rounded in disbelief. "You suck." Pure Calder replied bluntly. Calder stopped walking dead in his tracks. "Do you really want to start judging someone you barely know? So what if she did something that needs to be forgiven. You already experienced that woman's childish behaviour. Syria could have sneezed too loudly and that woman would have been startled."

"She walks and acts like a fragile leaf in the wind and cries at the drop of a dime. Is that really someone you should be trusting regarding someone else's actions when you didn't bothering getting both sides of the story? Stop being stupid already, get your sh*t together and live in the world you are standing in." Pure Calder lectured.

Calder said nothing as he hung his head in shame. Pure Calder sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. He then placed a comforting hand on Calder's cheek.

"Treat the novel you read like a historical record. You've already changed so much of what was going to happen, will it kill you to get to know the actual people instead of speculate who or what they might be or what they will do? Pull your head out of your a** and find Syria, prove to yourself that your feelings for her are not just superficial. Spend time with her and give her the gift later. It will be more meaningful.." Pure Calder said sympathetically.

"Spend time together?" Calder muttered. "Yes, spend some time together. Go on a date before the group date and see where it leads you." Pure Calder said before he got up and dusted his backside. "Where do I take her?" Calder whispered softly as he slowly raised his head. "No idea. Do something together, something that she would enjoy and something you can show off your good side." Calder said with a wink.

"... My good side? ... What good side?" Calder asked. "I'm done. You figure it out yourself." Pure Calder said as he readied himself to leave

"Wait!" Calder yelled as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "Can't you give me a hint?" He pleaded. Pure Calder flinched, he closed his eyes then sighed. "Taki." Pure Calder said before he disappeared. "Taki...." Calder repeated as he stood in the empty corridor.

....

"Calder, I got what you asked for." Rutley said in a blah kind of tone as he approached Calder who was sitting at his desk. "Give." Calder said as he extended out his hand without looking up from some documents. Rutley did what he was told and placed the medium sized package into Calder's big hand. Calder glanced at the package then placed it on top of the desk. He then moved and opened the bottom drawer of his desk then placed the package casually inside.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Rutley shouted in surprise. "Putting it away." Calder replied bluntly before returning to his documents. "Do you know how long it took for me to get all those things?!" Rutley shouted as he pointed at Calder's desk. "Right... Thank you for your hard work." Calder said after he looked up from his documents to catch Rutley's facial expression.

Rutley's facial expression went from enraged to dumbfounded in a matter of seconds. "T-t-thank y-o-u-u-u-u?" Rutley echoed in a defeated tone as his body slightly collapsed and his eyes turned round, void of any feeling. "Yes. Thank you." Calder repeated.

"Ha... haha... hahaha! I'm going to sit down for a moment." Rutley laughed awkwardly as he turned around stiffly. Calder watched Rutley move towards the couch then plopped himself down. "Are you okay?" Calder asked as he stared at Rutley. "I don't know anymore... Are you okay." Rutley asked in return. "Not sure either." Calder replied.

"So did you change your mind about Lady Syria?" Rutley said as he started to compose himself. "No.... not really. I just, sigh, I don't know what I really want to do." Calder admitted. "Well think about it later then. Finish your work and I'll grab you a snack then." Rutley said as he got up. "You mean us a snack." Calder said with a grin.

"Ya, ya. Whatever, I'm hungry from running around." Rutley said with a small shrug. Calder laughed then looked over his documents again. Rutley looked at Calder then opened his mouth. For a split second he wanted to ask why Calder wasn't giving the gift but then a flash appeared in his head. The memory of last night still vivid and the deal Lady Syria made with the Emperor. Rutley closed his mouth then pursed his lips.

Rutley wasn't going to bother with a sl*t like Lady Syria, he decided in that moment that he would be team Lady Britille and vowed to make sure to get them more alone time. Rutley then turned around and took long strides out the door. Calder looked up and watched as Rutley closed the door behind him.

Calder then pulled a piece of paper hidden from under his documents. He looked it over again and mulled over what he wrote. "I should have paid more attention to mom's baking lessons..." He muttered as he fiercely messed up his hair with his right hand in frustration.

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