Disclaimers: I do not own Black Cat or the (sexy) character of Sven Vollfied.
Big Sleuth On Campus"Hey, mom! How's it going at home?…That's great. Are you and dad doing alright?… yes, I got that Rosh Hashana card, it was lovely…Yeah, I can't believe I'm twenty-one either! Listen, I just wanted to call and tell you…What? How did you guess! Yeah, I just got accepted by the IBI! I start training this Monday, and then… No, the training won't conflict with my college schedule so…Ok, I'll let you go… Don't worry, I won't get myself killed! I'll call tomorrow…Mom, you know I hate it when you call me boychik! Bye now!"
Sven placed the phone back on the receiver and tried to focus on the papers scattered on his desk. Legal documents intermingled with notes and essays for his calculus class. With a sigh, he began to sort the sheets by content, his green hair lightly brushing against his shoulders all the while. Since today was Saturday and he had nowhere special to be, Sven was casually garbed in jeans and a grey long-sleeved shirt, sitting at his apartment desk and gazing out the sunny afternoon window. His bright chestnut eyes surveyed the city that he had called home ever since he started college.
A sudden knock at the door startled Sven, causing several papers to fly across the tiny room. "Just a second!" he frantically called as he snatched social security forms and linear equation problems from midair. By the time everything was back to order, though, the lock jittered and the knocker let himself in quietly. At the doorway stood a young man with flowing blond hair and sunglasses. Like Sven, he was casually dressed, with jeans and Grateful Dead shirt.
"You know the library closes in an hour and a half, right, Vollfied?" asked the newcomer. "We have to leave soon if we want to get that research done for Forensics. This report is the difference between me and a-"
"Man, you're just like my mother, Charden!" grunted Sven as he stretched in his chair and gathered his notebooks. "It's not like that C you got last week is gonna kill you or anything. You're one of the smartest guys on this campus!"
"Well, it's a good thing you have a roommate like me to drag you over there; you're not doing too hot either," retorted Charden, pushing his sunglasses up. "If I recall, you suck at chemistry. Seriously, who in their right mind would put down 'Diet Coke and Mentos' as an example of a complex chemical reaction?"
Sven got up and pushed his way out the door. "Hey, those seminars make me thirsty! Besides, I like to do things my own way, and the only reason I have a C is because I don't feel enough challenge." This made Charden roll his eyes behind his sunglasses as he locked the door behind them.
Thirty minutes later, the two roommates sat at a table side by side, reading and scribbling intently. Every so often, Charden assisted Sven with formula conversions while the latter checked over a fine-handed essay on the history of the Socratic method. When boredom struck, Sven stealthily read a gentleman's magazine hidden in a literature book. It was during one of these mental breaks that Charden pointed to one of the desks to the left of them.
"Could you ask that girl over there if she has any lead? My stupid mechanical pencil is acting bloody retarded!" At the desk sat a young lady with long golden hair and sparkly cobalt eyes behind a pair of glasses. He didn't know why, but Sven was overtaken by a wave of excitement. It was enough to make him tear his eyes away from the centerfold concealed within the textbook, and then almost drop it. Charden's smirk made his intent visibly obvious, and he whispered, "Last week you said that you wanted me to give you the hook-up, right? Well, after you got pimp-slapped by Echidna, I set my coordinates on someone less dangerous for you. Go on! She's looking straight at us!" With that, the self-appointed matchmaker nudged Sven out of his chair, so hard that the latter tumbled to the floor, head first.
Flamberg, that conniving son of a- thought Sven while correcting himself back up again. He could see the blond girl hiding her face behind a physics book, blushing. Great. Now she thinks I'm a fumbling idiot! From under the desk came a swift kick to the seat of his pants and a whisper from Charden to go on. As much as he to beat the living daylights out of his roommate, Sven knew that, unlike him, he had more experience with girls. Thus, his pride was swallowed, and he advanced towards the other table…
Only to trip over a stray pen.
This time, though, he did not just fall; gravity went the whole nine yards and caused him to land right on his face. Stars flashed before his eyes; laughter echoed through his brain, only to be hushed again by order of the librarian. Disoriented, Sven tried to pick himself up again, but bumped his head on the table. The laughter resumed more strongly as he crumpled back to the floor. Just then, a pair of hands slid beneath Sven's head and positioned it on something soft and warm. He opened his eyes to see that his head now rested in the lap of the blond girl.
"Oh, Gyanza, that was rich!" cheered a boy with stringy black hair and tight physique. "Only a fool would fall for such a trick. As they say, 'He who steps blindly onto the path of-'"
"Cut the Zen crap, Lugart!" interrupted a tall African man with a bushy afro. Both males stood very tall with an air reeking of arrogance. "What matters is that 'Old Hen' is still a dweeb that can't even walk without 'Mommy Chardy' at his side!" Charden, who had been reading the "literature book", glowered furiously at Gyanza as he and Lugart snickered carelessly and walked away.
By this time, Sven had recollected his senses and lifted himself up into a sitting position next to the blond girl. At a closer view, he was able to become absorbed by the deep blue that glimmered in her eyes. He felt himself lean closer, but pulled away in time to tell her, "Thank you…so much. I-I'm sorry about this-"
"Don't be; I've been in your position many times before," she replied in a sweet, melodic voice. Then she extended a hand towards him. "I'm Tearju Lunatique, from the biochemistry program."
Hesitant at first, Sven took Tearju's hand in his. "My name is Sven Vollfied, and this is my friend Charden Flamberg. We're both studying forensics." His roommate waved, then resumed enhancing his "literary" skills.
Tearju let the names roll off her tongue like candy. "Charden…Sven…Those are beautiful names! Say…the library is going to close soon. Would you two like to join me for dinner? I know it seems sudden, but I've never felt such connection with any of my peers before, and I'd like to get to know you better."
To this, both Sven and Charden agreed eagerly with their expressions. Gathering their belongings, the threesome headed towards the front of the library. Not wanting Tearju to have second thoughts about him, Charden shelved the literature book, magazine and all, in a random section, then acted like nothing happened.
While waiting for their pasta to arrive, Sven broke the exciting news that he was accepted into the International Bureau of Investigation. Charden congratulated him, ordering a bottle of champagne, ("But you know I don't drink, you shmuck!" protested Sven. "Hey, it's not like you can smoke in a non-smoking restaurant!" retorted Charden.), while Tearju looked on, letting the silly quarrels of the two men entertain her. Right when they were debating over whether smoking in front of a lady should go down in their "Gentleman's Code" book, Sven's cell phone rang. He pressed some buttons and lay it on the table, stating, "Hey mom, you're on speaker phone!"
A European accented voice responded on the other end. "Oy, Sven, your friend Melvin shouldn't have to put up with my kvetching, now, should he?"
"Melvin?" Tearju eyed Charden with a quizzical look.
"I don't know how she got that either…" sighed Charden as he spoke into the phone. "Hello, Mrs. Vollfied!"
"Oh, Melvin! How good to hear your voice! Listen, Sven darling, I forgot to ask you if there was a nice synagogue nearby the university you're going to for the High Holy Days. You know, you aren't going to get to heaven if you just shmooze and work, and I told your grandma before she died, 'My little boychik will join you in heaven even if it kills him!' And you know how nitpicky she was about the Sabbath and keeping kosher…"
Through a bite of meatball powdered with cheese, Sven assured her, "Yeah, don't want to go to hell…But there is a temple just down the block-"
"Are you going with anyone else?" broke in Mrs. Vollfied. "How about Melvin? He's a nice boy. Tell him to go over with-"
"Charden is Catholic, mom!" Sven argued.
"Well, get him to convert! Oh, wait…has he had a circumcision?"
Silence. Both Tearju and Charden stared at the phone, then Sven, then back to the phone. God, why didn't I start the IBI job today so I could pull out my gun and shoot myself? thought the exasperated Sven as he hit his forehead. He picked up the phone, turned the speaker option off, and finished off by saying, "No, mom, not to my knowledge, and personally, I'd rather not know. I have to go, ok? Bye," and with that, his phone was flipped shut.
Giving a sideways glance to Tearju, Sven asked her meekly, "You don't hate me now, do you?"
Without skipping a beat, Charden and Tearju replied with an innocent, "Nu?" This caused all three of them to crack up in laughter, lightening the mood tremendously. It wasn't hard for them to choose another subject and pretend that nothing awkward had occurred.
After dinner, Tearju said goodbye to Sven and Charden outside before they went their own ways. But once Charden had already started walking off, she pulled the other to the side out of view. Her deep blue eyes locked into his light brown eyes.
"I just wanted to thank you for such a wonderful evening, Sven," she began, "and I think you and Charden are the two kindest guys I've ever met…" She blushed. "Especially you. And to answer your question, I like you just the way you are." Tearju leaned forward and lightly touched her lips to Sven's cheek. Then, with a final good night, she headed off, leaving Sven with feelings he had never felt before.
A/N: Alrighty, you might be wondering a few things, so I'll try to answer some questions.
Why make Sven Jewish? First off, it's what I am. Secondly, it never specifically mentioned his faith, so with him having a European name, I thought it would kind of fit. Plus, it makes his character and the story a lot more interesting.
Where's Lloyd? All in good time. Remember, Sven met him through the IBI, so he'll come next chapter.
Of all people, why is his roommate Charden? Variety's sake, but more importantly, it would be very interesting to see what might have happened had a future member of the Apostles of the Stars had known someone like Sven on a personal level. Oh yeah, and in the story, they've known each other since first entering college (roughly three years)
What about Train? You have to remember that Sven hasn't even heard of Train or the Black Cat yet. But to satisfy the masses, he shall make a cameo or two, and Rinslet too hopefully, but they will be between 12-15, in respect to the time the story takes place.