Chapter Text
“Really Wise?” THAT’S what you called me for?” Nicole said, the exasperation heavy in her voice. Some of the other guests of Sixth Street's Coff Cafe jumped in their seats at the shout.
“Please, Nicole, you’ve got to help me,” Wise said, clasping his hands together in desperation. “You’re the only one I can count on!”
Nicole rolled her eyes, rested her chin on her fist, and crossed her legs, indignant. With her furrowed brow, to onlookers it must have looked like the two of them were having a lovers' spat. But in context, that wasn’t exactly the furthest from the truth.
It had all started late last night…
Nicole was winding down after a long day of commissions, couponing, and penny-pinching when her phone lit up with Inter-knot notification after notification.
<< Nicole!
<< I need a huge favor!
“Oh it’s the Proxy!” she said, her eyes practically turning into denny signs. “If it’s him, then that means a HUGE commission and even BIGGER payout!”
Before she could even respond, there was another flood of messages.
<< I’ll do anything! I’ll even waive the backowed Cunning Hares commission fee!
This was HUGE. She had been whittling down that initial commission cost for some time now. Even with the Wise and Belle’s friends and family discount and low committal payment plan, it was going to take forever to pay it off.
“Play it cool Nicole,” the pink-haired girl said, trying to hype herself up. “Don’t come across too eager; you don’t even know what the job is yet.” And with what those two were known for getting up to the Cunning Hares could have a doomsday-level event on their hands.
>> Okiedokie! The Cunning Hares are at your service!
Nicole had barely sat her phone down when it buzzed again.
<< NO!
<< No need to involve Billy or Anby!
<< We can meet up tomorrow to talk about it.
No Billy or Anby? If Nicole was the brains of the Cunning Hares, they were the muscle. Just what kind of commission was this? But this was the Proxy after all. Wise and Belle wouldn’t put her in a situation they knew she couldn’t handle.
>> Sure thing Proxy! But I’ll have to charge you extra for my specialty expertise.
<< Thank you! I owe you one! We can meet at Coff Cafe tomorrow.
He didn’t even question it… just what had Nicole agreed to?
Fast-forwarding to today, Nicole had now been brought up to speed. She side-eyed Wise again. He looked like a pleading puppy awaiting her answer. She let out another sigh.
“I can’t believe it. You called me all the way out here to help you talk to girls?” She said, repeating the request back to her, a bit of disgust in her voice.
“Yes,” Wise said, placing his forehead against the table in defeat.
Nicole had to admit, his desperation was cute even if it was pathetic.
“Why though?”
“W-well you see, Belle says I’ve been burying myself in work and that I need to-”
“No,” she said, cutting him off. “Why me?” Nicole asked flatly. She knew he worked with plenty of other girls from previous commissions, so why her.
Wise’s face flushed red. “Oh well…” He couldn’t meet her eyes. Was the Proxy actually nervous? “If I had to put it into words, it's because you’re really kind to the people around you, and I know that even with something as embarrassing as this, I can wholeheartedly trust you.
Wise gave Nicole a sheepish smile, and she swore her heart just skipped a beat. “F-fine!” she said, her cheeks reddening and arms crossed across her chest. “I mean, how bad can it be?” she said with a shrug.
Wise let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Nicole, I’m counting on you.”
“Ah ah ah,” Nicole said, wagging her finger. “Don’t forget, you promised to waive that commission fee that’s been looming over my head.”
“R-right,” Wise gave a sheepish smile. No doubt wondering how he would have to explain that bit to Belle.
“And I’m going to have to charge you an expert fee since this is a solo commission after all,” she said, puffing out her chest.
“An expert's fee?”
“Of course!” she said, flashing a big smile as she fingered an invisible calculator. “With that, the on-call fee, travel-” Nicole went on and on listing one charge after another. She watched gleefully as the relief slowly drained from Wise’s face and evolved into worry. “But after your Friend of the Hares and the repeat customer discount, your total comes out to…” Wise swallowed hard as he awaited the final verdict. “One coffee AND a sweet treat from Coff Cafe,” Nicole announced with a giggle.
Wise sighed again as he sank back in his chair. “That’s a relief; I was worried I’d be breaking the bank.”
“Don’t be such a stick in the mud Wise,” Nicole said with a smile. “Lesson #1: girls won't think you like them if you’re too rigid.”
“S-should I be writing this down?” Wise began scrambling for his bag, hoping to find pen and paper.
Nicole let out a laugh. “See, like that! Just relax and be yourself!”
“Is that also a lesson?” Wise asked, still unsure if he should be taking notes.
“That one's free,” Nicole smiled back. “But I do want to know what I’m working with.” She clasped her hands together in excitement. “So, is there a lucky girl you like?” Nicole asked curiously. “I’ve seen you around town with a few different girls. Are one of them the lucky lady?”
“N-not exactly,” Wise said, waving it off.
“Not exactly? ….” A look of shock spread over Nicole’s face. “Wise…are you…a playboy?!”
“No!” Wise shouted, leaping out of his chair at the accusation.
Other onlookers at Coff Cafe whipped their heads around at the scene, curious how their latest bit of drama was unfolding.
Wise cleared his throat as he regulated himself. “N-no. I’m not a playboy. All of those were official business or helping with errands. Heck, I can barely think of the last time I’ve been on a date.”
Nicole cocked a brow. Surely that wasn’t possible? Sure, Wise could be awkward at times, but she couldn’t say he wasn’t handsome, and he was smart too. Even ran his own business to boot. Wait…did she just admit to herself that Wise was handsome? She filed that thought under things not to say out loud. She shook the thought from her head.
“Well, have you tried asking anyone out?”
“Um well..sorta…”
“Sorta? What do you mean sorta?”
“Well I’ve asked..but it never feels like a date….”
Nicole furrowed her brow. “Well, what do you say to them?”
“Say?”
Nicole gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “How do you flirt?” she asked plainly.
“Um…normal?” Wise said, growing more confused.
Nicole squinted her eyes, trying to get some kind of read on Wise. “Proxy…show me your phone,” she asked- no, demanded.
“My phone?” Wise asked nervously.
“Yes.”
“Whyyyyy?”
“Did you forget why you hired me?” she said, thrusting her hand out and gesturing for him to hand it over. “Now, hand it over.”
Wise face twisted in concern, clearly already regretting his request. Still, he handed the requested device over. “Just be careful…there’s sensitive stuff on there,” he said nervously.
“Yeah yeah yeah whatever!” Nicole said as she began scrolling through his phone, heading straight for his messages. “Boring…boring…Proxy Stuff…Video Store Stuff…”
As Nicole kept scrolling, she saw name after name: Burnice, Ellen, Aria, Cissia; Billy had even mentioned that one before, Officer Yuan, Evelyn, Astra (THE Astra?!). There were a LOT of girls here; Nicole could even feel a tinge of jealousy in her heart. But at the same time…it was all so bland… There were meetups, silly photos, and memes exchanged between them, but it was all just silly.
“...You text like a brother.”
“But I am a brother?” Wise questioned, the insult flying over his head.
Nicole sighed as she slid the phone across the table. This was going to be harder than she thought.
“How about this…” Nicole tossed some of her pink hair over her shoulder. “You can practice with me. Just don’t fall too hard for my charm.”
“Um…sure.”
Nicole grimaced. He could at least play along. Well, whatever, she intended to make good on her side of the deal at least. She just had to turn on the charm.
Softly, Nicole brought the straw to her lips, giving a little smile as the taste of her coffee rolled over her tongue. She leaned forward and rested her chin on knitted fingers. “So ‘Wise’ was it? That’s a cute name. I bet you’re pretty smart with a name like that.”
Wise’s body went stiff. “H-huh? I guess?” There was a faint blush in his cheeks.
Nicole smirked, already having him dazed. She just needed to press the attack. “I think I’ve seen you around here before. You manage the video store, right? You must LOVE movies then?” She cooed.
Wise cocked his head, confused as to why Nicole was suddenly acting as if they had never met before.
Play. Along.
She mouthed the words, and Wise quickly nodded.
“That’s right! I manage it with my sister. I can get you a discount if-”
Nicole put a finger up. “No! Try again.”
“Um…yeah, I love movies?” Wise continued, sounding unsure of himself. “I really enjoyed them as a kid. They were like little peaks into different realities. Even if it's the same tropes, the characters and story can be very different.”
Nicole smirked. He was getting it. “Then you must have seen hundreds- no, thousands,” she said, doing her best to look amazed. “How can you possibly pick a favorite?”
Wise crossed his arms, putting some real thought into it as he mulled over all the films he had seen in his life. “I’d have to go with The Heartbeat, it’s about a mom who's trying to find her son who has gotten lost in the Hollow. I think it perfectly captures the feeling of desperation we- I mean, Hollow Raiders have when they traverse the Hollow with something on the line. Also really shows how far someone will go for the ones they care about.”
“That actually…sounds really cool,” she said with a genuine smile and a sense of wonder in her eyes. Maybe he was playing to his audience. If there was one thing Nicole knew, it was how far she’d go and had gone for those important to her.
“You’ll have to show it to me sometime,” she said, putting on an eager smile. ‘This is an easy one,’ she thought.
“I can let you borrow it if you-” Wise paused. Seeing Nicole’s face fall into a frown, he sensed he had made a mistake. “Oh, if you want, maybe we can watch it together?”
Nicole turned her frown back into a smile. “Better,” she said, sounding chipper. “But what about my interest? You’re not gonna ask about little ol’ me?” she pouted.
“Well, if I had to hazard a guess,” Wise touched a finger to his cheek, feigning deep thought. “...I’d think you’re secretly passionate about capsule games.”
Nicole frowned. That was cheating; he was using insider knowledge from when they had hung out before. She started to correct him when Wise gestured to her bag.
“That’s the super rare 141 Anniversary Bangboo charm, isn’t it?”
Nicole perked up as she looked at her bag, where the very weathered Bangboo charm seemed almost out of place.
“It was released in a special gacha that you could only get during the anniversary week of the store. They were incredibly hard to get, so you’d have to be incredibly lucky or spend a fortune on them to get your hands on one.”
“Oh, you know your stuff.” She smiled. Okay, she’d give him that one. Being observant was a positive trait. “Well, Wise, do you think I’m lucky…proxy?” She gave an expectant smile, turning her charms fully on.
Wise smiled back. “I think I’m the lucky one, having made your acquaintance and all.”
“Oh?” Nicole was taken aback. The way he said that so matter-of-factly before taking a sip of his coffee. It was honestly…kind of cool. “Aren’t you the charmer,” she said, trying to roll with it, but she could feel the warmth building in her cheeks. She needed to change the conversation and FAST. “Is that a camera you have on you? Another hobby of yours?”
“Sort of,” Wise said, pulling it from his bag. “It’s more for collecting those little moments I have with friends. Saving those precious little moments y’know?”
Nicole was about to make a suggestion, but Wise was just a little faster.
“Say…why don’t I get your photo? Commemorate our meeting?”
Nicole smiled to herself. He’s a fast learner. “Well, I suppose,” she said, feigning annoyance. “Just make sure you get my good side.” Nicole struck an exaggerated pose, preparing for her close-up.
“Shouldn’t be too hard,” Wise laughed to himself. “I don’t think you have any bad sides.”
Nicole short-circuited again. There was something about the nonchalance of it all that made his delivery shoot right through her.
*click*
The shutter sounded before Nicole could even ready herself.
“Hey! Wait a minute! I wasn’t ready!” she protested.
“It’s fine,” Wise said as he pulled the instant film from the camera. “Like, I said, you look great from every angle- HEY!”
Before he could finish the thought, Nicole had swiped the photo from his hand and was off sprinting down Sixth Street.
“SorryLookAtTheTimeGottaGoByeeeee!”
Only when she was safely out of vision did Nicole stop to catch her breath. She took a peek at the still developing photo before clutching it against her chest.
“I can’t believe I made that face,” she said as her hand touched her cheek. The warmth in her cheeks was so palpable she knew without looking, she was redder than Billy’s jacket. “Okay, Wise, you get full marks for lesson one.”
This commission was definitely going to be an interesting one….