Monday's Extra - 02

And I totally forgot to post this yesterday (what is wrong with me!?)

The first fifteen pages or so of this fourth part of the comic were rather tense, but they could've been 20!

Bellow is the original script for how this whole part should've played out.

I changed a lot of things, I removed the whole last part (Derek has already got too much screen time!) and made the whole explanation about his ex's wedding be delivered by Edward. Which just helped to make him look more like a dick, but still, it was a needed evil.

Is it confusing? It might be.

But I trust this is the right way.

Give it a read if you're curious and let me know what you think.

Hopefully I took the right direction, but who knows? :P

========================================

The Golden Week Chapter  4 

The Flashback (Tuesday) 

Mike entered the small restaurant, meant for people to enjoy their meal with calm and peace, but said respite was soon over when the wolf sat down and his phone rang almost immediately. 

"Edward!" 

"Mike, I gave your number to Derek, ask him to meet you at the Gateway by 9". 

"Where zee hell is zat?" 

"I'll text you that, he'll be calling soon, laters." 

Without any further ado, Edward hung up the phone, leaving Mike perplexed and confused, his phone vibrated, indicating that Edward had already sent him a message. 

"370, Whitewal Street and..." Mike paused, but kept reading with a frown on his eyebrows "We know each other from Emily's cousin, who's a friend from your ex-room mate brother." 

Mike sighed, thinking back of Claude, his old roommate, and soon his phone was ringing again, irritating the customers once more. It was the fabled Derek, of whom Mike had heard so many stories about, he was finally going to talk to him. 

---- (Tuesday Evening) 

Edward arrived at the Gateway a few hours earlier than planned, to meet someone else who wasn't in anyone's else's plan; Emily. 

"Hey darling, we have to talk." 

"What is this about, Ed?" 

"I'm moving to New Nycan." 

"Moving...? New Nycan? Why?" The toucan with blue eyes was clearly shocked. 

"One of my plans, like those I said." 

She pondered for a moment. 

"And what about us, Ed?" 

"Will you come with me?" Said the eagle, looking at her with a keen eye, expecting an answer, but nevertheless, he had a plan in mind, no matter what she'd answer. 

----- 

Mike arrived just in time to hear the end of the discussion between the two birds. 

"So you're just going to live with your friend and abandon all of your life here?" 

"Yes, that's the plan" Answered a calm Edward. 

"You and your.... plans...." She gave it a pause and made 'plans' sound like something disgusting that had a life of it's own. "Why don't you both marry each other then?" 

"Well, neither of us like guys, for starters." Said Edward, chuckling softly at his own joke. 

"Ugh!" She grunted and walked away, storming down the stairs, almost bumping at Mike if he hadn't got out of her way. 

Mike, who was still standing at the entrance worked his way up the stairs and found Edward drinking a light beer. 

"Zat was you and her?" Inquired the wolf. 

"Yes, but never mind that. Next part of the plan-" Mike was tired of waiting all day to see Edward and was hoping for an explanation, not for more briefing. "-You can Derek and tell him to come, tell him that I'm very drunk and he needs to come here." 

Mike nodded and frowned, waiting for more because he knew there was going to be more. 

"Try and ask him about him, his day, about Scott-" 

"Scott?" Asked Mike. 

"That one guy he meet, the underaged one." 

"Eighteen is underaged?" 

"No" Replied Edward without changing his tone "But he's too young to be dating someone like Derek." 

"Vat makes you say that?" Said Mike, awaiting for a more tangible explanation. 

"Because they don't know each other. They've just met and I'm quoting Derek on this; 'He may not even like guys', Derek is too needy and will only hurt himself in this." 

Mike nodded, not trying to refute or deny. 

"Also," said Edward, with an urgency to his voice, "try your best to dissuade him from being with Scott." 

===== (Wednesday morning) 

Edward sat down in his father's office and said without dancing around the topic. 

"I'm quitting here, I'm moving to New Nycan to open up my own business." 

Daniel opened up his eyes widely behind his round glasses, surprised, but composed. 

"So that's why you've been so evasive lately." 

"Planning and acting here and there." Said Edward, trying not to think too much about last night. 

"You're just like your mother." Said Daniel, closing his eyes and crossing his fingers. 

"And just as brave as you." Said Edward, laughing softly, thinking about an old joke. "Anyway, I'm going to New Nycan today, I need to purchase some real estate and all that." And off he went, through the office and the semi-closed door. 

===== (Wednesday afternoon) 

Later in the the day, he was signing a contract and getting the keys. The real estate agent talked Edward through the place and out of curiosity asked: 

"So, what kind of business you're planning to open here?" 

"Some sort of coffeehouse, for a different kind of folk." 

"Different kind?" Asked him. 

"Yes, an idea a friend of mine gave me." 

And almost without a sound, a lioness appeared on the door. 

"Edward Wood?" 

"The owner of the tongue-twister name, yes." Said the eagle, shaking her paw formally. 

"So, ready to take me to my soon-to-be new home?" 

"Yes, I am. We're done here." Said Edward to the agent with a smile and another shake of paws. 

"You're going to meet your new housemate today. Anxious?" 

"Not much, just worried if he'll overreact." 

"He might, but don't worry, I have a plan for that too." 

And with a smile, he left his new empty coffeehouse, having the lioness following him and going back to Little Penningam. 

======= 

Thursday 

======= 

Derek watched from the door a busy Edward loading up boxes into Mike's SUV with a gloomy face and crossed arms. He looked extra mad every time Mike got nearer. 

"Hey, I know it's kind of a dick move-" Said Edward, giving a pause, waiting for Derek to look at him "but I really needed this. I need to move on with my life." 

Edward spread his arms wide, waiting for a hug. 

"Sorry for being a dick. 

Derek shook his head and hugged Edward tight. 

"Try not to be a dick again, then." 

"I won't, if you visit us at new Nycan." Promised Edward. 

Derek glanced at Mike, frowning again, Edward noticed and quickly reassured the lion. 

"Mike didn't knew about my plan, don’t take it out on him." 

Derek sighed and closed his eyes in a single half-nod. 

"I still don't know what to make of him." Muttered Derek, glancing at Mike and then back at Edward. 

"I suppose you're going to work now, huh?" Said Edward, watching Derek's reaction closely. 

"Yeah," nodded the lion, still distracted by thinking if he should be mad, glad or neutral towards Mike. 

With a last wave, Edward and Mike departed Little Penningam, without any plans to come back. 

==== 

Derek arrived at the Daily Stripe in a gloomy mood, looking serious and grumpier than he would be without his glasses on. 

"Derek!", shouted Carol as soon as the lion stepped in, which caught his attention, but didn't shook the grumpiness out of his face. 

"Yes?" He answered, giving Carol just a cold glance, it was clear that he didn't wanted any proximity towards him today, but two years in the office made Carol think she was close enough to bypass that. 

"What happened to Edward?" was her first concern. 

"He moved, to the big city." Said Derek in a bland way, which still wasn't enough to discourage Carol. 

"What? He didn't tell me anything about that!" Uttered Carol in a call of protest, like if she were meant to know every of Edward's steps. 

Still overloaded with the week's drama, instead of giving Carol a cold shoulder and going back to his work, Derek remembered Mike's words very clearly; 'Pay more attention to people around you'. The lion wasn't the topic in Carol's inquisition, so he dropped his initial response - a rather harsh one- and tried a friendlier one. 

"He tells you about things?" Asked Derek, looking more calm, now with an empty expression. 

"Sometimes, but that's because I'm always asking. Just a few times he tells me things on his own." She made a brief pause before continuing. "Sorry, I knew how close you guys were." Said Carol, only addressing this point now that Derek wasn't displaying such a gloomy face anymore. 

Derek just nodded and went to his desk, about to start his work day. 

He glanced at his task list, then at the clock and lowered his head into his paws. 

His conversation with Carol, although brief, was very groundbreaking for him. Which made him question himself; how many people in his life he had neglected? Who had a lot to tell him, but he didn't gave them any chance to express themselves? 

Derek pondered about that and picked his cellphone, looking through his contacts, thinking on how he should've added Mike to his list, but before he could reach Edward's number, another contact caught his eye and wouldn't let him think of anyone else. 

"Him" thought Derek, now reluctant about calling his ex, but still wanting to change his ways and be more empathetic towards his peers. 

He answered before Derek could even clear his throat and answered in his always cheerful voice, which still haunted Derek in his most unprepared nights. 

"Derek? Is that you?" 

"Y-Yes," stuttered the lion, felling his paws beginning to sweat and his stomach going through a roller-coaster ride. "I just called to see how you're doing." 

"Wow, what a coincidence! I was just pondering myself if I should call you." 

"W-Why's that?" At this point, Derek was a pile of nerves, trying to keep his head around the 'pay more attention to people around you' thing. 

"Oh, how do I say this..." He said, making Derek more nervous and anxious, "I am getting married next month,  I was thinking if I should invite you, or even if you'd accept it." 

Little did he know though, that Derek's inwards sank and his brain went deaf after hearing 'married', and no matter how many times he insisted, Derek just wouldn't answer, until the call suddenly ended.