Author's Notes: I've been sitting on this particular fic for over a year, trying to wait until I finish up a few related projects, but tumblr keeps giving me signs to post the damn thing, so here we go. I'll be posting part two in a week or so maybe. I am so sorry about Yeager's accent.
Tales of Vesperia is the property of Namco Bandai
Blue Plate Special pt 1
He couldn't get that smile out of his thoughts. It was more of a smirk than a smile really, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The person it was attached too even more so. Tall, with long legs and a lean form, those glittering charcoal eyes, glossy raven black hair swept back in a ponytail. He hadn't stopped thinking about that person for a moment.
True Knight was the proud and handsome protector of the city of Zaphias. He wasn't the only one, but he was certainly Flynn's favorite. The very sight of him stirred things in Flynn he had never felt before, strong desire and strange longings. But True Knight was not the only one in that respect either. He had to admit there was another. A second person, or rather the first since he had known this person longer, who inspired such feelings.
"Tall, black americano for Officer Flynn."
Tall, pale with long black hair, bordering on androgynous, was Yuri Lowell, the coffee shop attendant. He smelled perpetually of his workplace, like coffee and sweets. He was always cocky and had a clever comeback no matter the situation. Flynn had to admit he had been harboring a crush on the young man for months now since The Comet Cafe opened down the street from the precinct where he worked as a beat cop. Over the months, Yuri had never forgotten his order and in spite of much of his gruff demeanor, was always cordial with him. He hoped that there could be the barest traces of interest returned, but any time he tried to voice these things, he lost his nerve and second-guessed himself.
"Officer Flynn. Your coffee's ready."
The man's voice pulled him roughly out of his jumble of thoughts and he took his cup from the countertop in front of where he had been standing.
"Thank you."
"No prob." Yuri stretched his arms up over his head. From just underneath the strings of his apron, his white, button up shirt lifted just the slightest bit, giving Flynn just a shred of pale skin on his back to view.
His face felt very warm, and the fact that he took a gulp of his still very hot coffee to hide the blush covering his cheeks as Yuri turned back didn't help. It scalded his tongue, but it did the job. He lowered the cup. Maybe today would be the day. It couldn't hurt to ask. As soon as his eyes met Yuri's stormy grey, he lost his nerve like every time before.
"Something wrong, Officer?" Surely he hadn't intended that to sound as sultry as it came out, but it made Flynn feel a little week in the knees.
"Uh, no."
"Okay. Good luck on duty today, then."
"Thanks." He wasn't sure how he managed to get out of the coffee shop. After leaving he immediately headed for the precinct where he was due on duty soon.
Zaphias was a big city, and the police department proportionally large also. Some days, he felt like just a face in a crowd of others that wore the blue uniform, but even still he worked hard to protect the city that he loved. At times though, there were things the police couldn't do. There were criminals who the law couldn't punish. At first, he hadn't agreed at all with the vigilante style of True Knight and his crew, but once he had seen them in action, he changed his mind. The city's superheroes had never failed to aid police against the villains that had cropped up in recent years with the growth of the city. The most notable of these super powered villains was Zagi and his henchmen the Red Eyes. He was widely viewed as the True Knight's arch nemesis and while a super villain, most of his plans were not well thought through and only proved to get him defeated in the end.
Even without the super villains, the officers that defended the city of Zaphias had their hands full. Parts of the city were incredibly unruly, including several of the areas where he was usually assigned. For now, he was just a standard beat cop, but he had dreams of being a detective just as his father had before his death.
"Good morning, Flynn!" The cheerful voice was connected to a pink haired young woman seated behind the front counter as he entered the building. She stretched a clipboard up to him that had a sign in sheet on it.
"Good morning, Ms. Estellise."
He sighed in, and she looked up at him, green eyes full of hope. "So have you asked him yet?"
"No. Not yet."
She pouted, taking the clipboard back. She was the one person who knew of his secret longing for the handsome coffee shop attendant, and had been cheering him on in his pursuit. Sadly, this pursuit wasn't actually going anywhere, in spite of all of her advice and encouragement. It was his own fault and he knew it. "Well, maybe tomorrow. I know you can do it."
"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have someone who believed in me."
"You just have to keep trying."
He nodded and he strode into the meeting room, where the other first shift cops were starting to gather. His partner was there, her purple eyes scanning the assignments for the day. He stepped up beside her, taking a look at the posted papers as well. Their names were on it, listed not with the regular routes, but on a slightly longer list on one side. He knew that meant they had a special assignment today, which was probably on a task force.
"Good morning." She spoke to him first, as soon as she noticed that he was right beside her.
Sodia was a young woman of medium height with short orange hair and a stern and stalwart temperament. She was a reliable partner and he didn't know who else he could trust to watch his back as he trusted her.
"Good morning."
Further conversation was interrupted by the chief, a large man who entered the room only shortly after his thunderous voice. The assembled police lined up with their partners and saluted.
Captain LeBlanc went over their assignments briefly, but kept those on the special assignment list behind for further briefing. After everyone else was dismissed, he went over the details of their work for the day.
Rumors of a warehouse being run by a notable Dahngrest weapons dealer had been proved founded and that warehouse located. They were going to perform a daytime raid on the building in order to secure the weapons and take anyone into custody who would be there. There was information that the weapon's dealer, a man who the bureau only knew as Yeager, was receiving a shipment today and would be there and with the weapons, he would be their main target.
As he finished his coffee he had his game face on. All other thoughts were gone from his mind and all that remained was his single-minded mission for the day. He was to assist in the capture a notorious arms dealer and his dangerous weaponry to make this city, his city, a safer place. His personal dilemmas were nothing now. Once he wore his badge and gun, there was nothing else on his mind aside from doing the best for his city.
The SWAT armor he was equipped with was heavy, but it was there for his protection, so he didn't complain, even as sweat pooled across his face and in his underarms. They had been waiting for nearly an hour now, hunkered down behind crates and heavy lifting machinery. Their target had not been there, but that allowed them time to prepare for his arrival and catch him off guard. They only needed to wait a little longer.
"Ja, vee got vat you are lookink for."
The accent was unmistakable. His fingers tightened around the butt of his gun and his shifted his vision to Sodia for a mere second. She nodded, and they returned to watching the metal warehouse door. After a moment, the door opened, grinding across the concrete ground as it slid.
Four people walked in. The first was a man with short, spiky grey-blue hair dressed sharply. His movements were brisk and he cut easily through the warehouse, followed by two young girls, with green and red pigtails, wearing grey and black pleated skirts and tops. The fourth person, a man who walked with a long, slumping gait, glared around the room with his bright red eyes. His brightly colored hair in magenta and blond, and his tight fitting black and gold costume equipped with many blades betrayed his identity. This was Zagi, the arch nemesis of True Knight and one of the most powerful super villains in the city of Zaphias. The first man was their target, and the two girls that followed, his lackeys.
Flynn suddenly felt that even the ten members of the task force were going to be no match.
"Vee hafe many wunderous vares that vill suit your needs. For a price, of course."
"As long as I can get something to beat that blasted True Knight." Zagi shifted his gaze across the room warily.
"Ja ja, vatever you need, vee have it." The arms dealer didn't seem too pleased to be dealing with one of the city's most notoriously disturbed criminals. Perhaps his patience was growing short. He motioned with one hand over his shoulder to the two girls. "Gauche, Droite, let us show Mr. Zagee some of zee merchandize."
The green haired girl stepped forward first, followed by the red head and, producing crowbars from seemingly nowhere, easily popped open a nearby crate. Flynn didn't have to see what was inside to know what it was. He was still waiting for the signal to strike. This was of the utmost urgency now that the enemy definitely had access to weapons.
Yeager took a large rifle from the box and began displaying its various features.
Zagi was disinterested at best. "I want something more hands on. Something personal."
"I see. Of course." He put the rifle back.
"I'm looking for something more along the lines of Dein Nomos."
"I assure you, if I had zat sword, it vould be vell beyond your abilitee to afford."
Before he could draw another weapon, while his hands were clear, the earpiece Flynn was wearing rang with the signal. He and Sodia and the other thirteen members of the task force sprung up, shouting and pointing their own weapons. All the words were lost in the din and they moved in to apprehend the four criminals.
The two girls threw smoke bombs, filling the warehouse with a haze, but he still pressed forward on command.
As quickly as the confusion started, a swift wind whipped through the warehouse, clearing the air completely. The entrance to the warehouse was now blocked off by two familiar silhouettes.
"Hold it right there." That voice was unmistakable.
"You're not getting away that easily."
"Scheiße!" Yeager moved to grab the rifle he once held from the box, but two officers apprehended him quickly. As they ordered him to the ground and began to handcuff him, he called out two his minions. "Droite! Gauche!"
The two girls scattered, but the first of the two silhouettes followed. Dashing along behind them, clad in a tight fitting but frilled white dress was Valkyrie, her long purple hair whipping behind her. Over crates they moved, the two girls fought through the heavily armored police officers to get the scaffolding that ran along the upper level of the warehouse and to the roof. Valkyrie was super fast and strong and would not be easily lost. She sprang up from behind them and onto the scaffolding stairs. The girls stopped dead in their tracks and backed up a few steps before turning to run away. As they did that, several officers came up behind them and with Valkyrie to block the exit, they apprehended them.
Flynn and Sodia moved forward to the only remaining target. Zagi had not been on their list, but his capture would be most beneficial to the city. The super villain however ignored them, and instead of attempting an escape, was sprinting toward the other silhouette. True Knight was just as fast as his partner and easily returned that speed.
They clashed, Zagi's long knives against True Knight's sword.
"Should have expected to see you here, True Knight!"
"Why did you even bother to crawl out from under your rock then?!" The superhero pushed back using one of his feet and knocked Zagi onto his back a few feet away.
Zagi rolled back up easily, spinning his knives.
Orders to surround the area were issued to those not currently handling the prisoners. Flynn moved with Sodia to the entrance of the warehouse to take up his post. No fire orders were handed down as True Knight and Zagi leapt back into battle, knocking each other all about the warehouse with amazing strength. Keeping alert on his surroundings was all he could do to not remain focused on the bout playing out in front of him.
True Knight crouched low and as Zagi came at him, he moved up with his sword, hitting the super villain in the abdomen and knocking the wind out of him. He crumpled and the hero took his opening to knock him out.
As soon as Zagi was incapacitated, Flynn moved in and threw handcuffs across his wrists behind his back while Sodia knelt on him and shackled his ankles. Three other officers came to lift the villain and carry him away. True Knight turned to him as Flynn stood, lowering his weapon.
"Good job out there, Officer Flynn." There was that smirk again that made his heart melt.
"T-Thanks."
True Knight sheathed his sword and walked away from them and toward a stack of crates where Valkyrie was waiting. They spoke for a moment, and sprinted out as quickly as they had appeared.
His stomach was aflutter and he tried to steady his uneasy step as he walked back across the warehouse floor. As soon as he made it to the SWAT van, he took a deep breath and mechanically began to disarm his rifle, piece by piece to calm his mind. Each step became a little more confident as he moved, pushing back the flood of heated thoughts in his brain, but he stopped abruptly. His boot hit something as he shifted, and a small glass orb rolled away from him. He paused to catch it, examining it closely.
It was a gemstone, the size of a nickel and bright apple red. He had seen it before, but he couldn't place where. Without a second thought, he pocketed it, and headed back to work.
For two days, the little red gem rolled around in his pocket. He found himself fiddling with it whenever his hand dared to stray there, whether morning or night, work or home. He looked it over many times, but all his examinations made it no clearer what it was or where it had come from.
He signed out of work for the day with the cheery Estelle and posed the question to her. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"
She took the stone in her hand gently, her green eyes working slowly over its polished surface. "I can't say that I have. It looks like maybe it's from a piece of jewelry. Oh! Rita might know." She picked up the receiver of the phone beside her, tucking it into the crook of her neck. "Hi, Rita... Oh, I'm sorry. Are you busy?... I was wondering if you could take a look at something for me...That's great, thanks." Estelle smiled up at him, dropping the phone back into the cradle. "If anyone knows what it is, she will."
"Thank you."
From down the hall came a short young woman with choppy brown hair and teal green eyes. She was dressed in a black skirt and dusty red button up with a white lab coat over it. She seemed less than pleased, but the crime scene investigative unit's most brilliant lab tech wasn't really known for her pleasant demeanor.
"Sorry to bother you, Rita."
"N-No. It's fine. I was bored back in the lab anyway. What did you want me to look at?"
Flynn watched as Estelle presented the stone to Rita, who took it, examining it with eyes trained well beyond theirs. She flipped her goggles from the top of her head onto the bridge of her nose and hummed while the examination continued.
"Hm. It's a grade A quality blastium The cut and weight of it suggest maybe a large ring or bracelet as a setting."
"Is it very valuable?"
"Not per say. It's uncommon, but not particularly rare. You find it more often in old costume jewelry than any other application. But other than what I've already told you, there's not much more information."
"Thank you for your help," Flynn said. "If you'll excuse me."
The girls continued their chat and he left the precinct for the twilight streets of Zaphias. He headed down the street to the east side of town that housed his modest apartment, wondering about his possible dinner prospects. He didn't cook. Or more specifically he couldn't cook. The food he made always looked delicious, but it never tasted very good. There also wasn't much point in cooking for just one person. He found out some years ago that it was cheaper and easier to just eat out. He would pick up a meal from one of a number of local places and take it home to eat in deafening solitude.
It hadn't bothered him at first, caught up in work, but after a few days of living on his own in a big city, a heavy loneliness settled on him. It was worse some nights than it was others. He tried not to let it get to him.
As he passed the Comet Cafe, his stomach growled. This was usually his morning stop, but every now and then, the food they offered for lunch and dinner more than satisfied his needs.
He slid in. It was quiet this particular evening, only a few customers scattered amid the tables and armchairs. Yuri was standing at the counter, his back to the door, talking to the purple haired woman he worked with constantly. Flynn wondered once if they were together, but instead sensed that they were probably related due to the body language that passed between them. She nodded to Yuri, who turned lazily.
"Evenin', Officer Flynn." He stifled a yawn. "What can we get for you?
He hadn't even thought that far ahead. "Uh... Well whatever your special is will be fine."
"Reuben and potato soup. Take a seat. I'll bring it out when it's done." He turned and moved swiftly to the counter behind him. Flynn sat nearby, watching the attendant assemble the sandwich and pop it in a cardboard container, and followed suit with a cup of soup. He placed both items in a brown paper bag with the Comet Cafe's logo stamped on it. He added a bag of chips, a few napkins, and some plastic silverware.
Yuri disappeared into the back kitchen area for a moment and came back with another cardboard box that he added to the bag before rolling it up and stapling it securely shut. Lastly, he poured a to-go cup of coffee and fixed it the way Flynn always took it. His every move was swift and stunningly graceful, although Flynn didn't dare describe it as 'beautiful'. He wasn't the 'beautiful' that most people thought of. He was lean, but there was a muscular form beneath those clothes, perhaps the body of a runner or gymnast.
Flynn face grew hotter and hotter as he thought more on the young man making his dinner. Just when he thought he couldn't handle the thoughts any more-
"Officer Flynn."
He jolted out of his chair and to the counter, fumbling for his wallet. He kept his eyes lowered and hoped that his face wasn't as bright red as it felt.
"Here you go. Enjoy." Yuri set the bag on the counter and leaned against it on his elbows. He wore a strangely soft smile that sent a shiver up Flynn's spine.
"What do I owe you?"
"I don't need your money." He waved at him nonchalantly in what seemed like mocking annoyance, but smiled still. "See you tomorrow."
Flynn's heart skipped a beat and he had to force himself out of the cafe, bag and coffee in hand, and back toward home. Could it be that Yuri could have the barest inklings of a crush on him too? No, that was absurd. Yuri pretended not to be kind, but he really was. Flynn was merely one of his regulars. It had to be too good to be true. Or at least that was what he thought until he arrived home and sat down at a small dining table and unpacked his dinner.
There was a Reuben, a cup of potato soup, and another box. On the outside, in messy handwriting was a note that read 'New item. Tell me how it is. - Yuri'. He opened it to find a slab of cheesecake, topped with chocolate and strawberries. Free dinner was one thing, but dessert was something different.
He ate the soup and the sandwich, both of which were very good, before moving onto the cheesecake. He didn't normally care for sweets, but it had been given to him and he was obligated to try it. After the first bite, he was glad he did. It was undeniably fresh and creamy, the strawberries were ripe, and the chocolate had a dark, bitter tone to cut the sweetness. He savored each bite and couldn't help but wonder if any other regulars got treated so well.
Shortly after dinner, he cleaned up and did a few tasks around the house like some dishes and watched the tail end of an old black and white detective film. He took a shower and went to bed. As tired as he had been before, he lay awake for a very long time, rolling the red gem between his thumb and forefinger, and watching the play of the light that the moon had across its surface. The question of where it had come from still rattled in his mind as he finally drifted off to sleep.
He rarely had a day off, and he wished that he enjoyed them more, but other than work, he had very little to do. A few chores around the house always passed quickly, leaving him plenty of time to get anxious for some fresh air, so as always, he found himself wandering to the Comet Cafe. There was rarely a day he didn't stop there. At this rate, Yuri was going to think he was a stalker. Even if he didn't talk to anyone much while he was there, he enjoyed the bustle and the feeling of company it gave him.
Yuri was there as always, his long dark hair swept up in a loose, messy bun, and his dark clothing splotched with white patches of flour. He was focused on his work, kneading a large lump of dough. Every now and then, Flynn could hear him hum a tune to himself.
"Good morning, Officer Flynn," Judith greeted him. "Off duty today?
"Yes."
Yuri turned, hands covered in flour, wiping a stray lock of hair out of his face with a wrist. He smiled at Flynn a bit before heading to the sink and juggling the knobs with his elbows to wash his hands. He came back after a moment, and leaned against he counter with his hip. "What'll you have today?"
"The special." Of course. Yuri knew it before he ever asked. Flynn almost always got the daily special. It gave him some variety. "That's a club and chips. Anything else?"
"Just a coffee."
"Gotcha." Just as he had the night before, Yuri set about speedily assembling the sandwich.
Flynn watched him work, enamored with the slightest movement of his eyes and hips, the way his tied up hair slipped out in bits, brushing across his face or sliding down his neck. "I... uh... Thank you. For dinner last night. The cheesecake was amazing."
He looked up from where he was finishing up the sandwich on the counter. "I'm glad."
"Let me make it up to y-"
"Yuri." Judith came out of the back kitchen area, looking calm, but her brow furrowed slightly.
"What's up, Judy?"
"There's been an emergency at Karol's school."
He dropped everything, pulling off his apron as she continued.
"He's all right, but the school is evacuating and he needs you to go get him."
"Sorry, Officer Flynn. Judy, if you could finish up his order. I'll be back." He came around the counter in a hurry, snatching his wallet and phone from a nearby cubby.
"Wait. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Yuri smirked. "I can handle this. Thanks, though. See you tomorrow." He rushed out the door and broke into a full run when his boots hit the sidewalk.
Flynn couldn't hold still. He felt compelled to follow. His instincts as a police officer urged him to do anything he could to help in the case of an emergency. Even if he was off duty, he still had his pistol and badge on him and he could help take control of the situation. It was his job to protect his city after all.
"I'm going to help." He set some money on the counter and moved to follow Yuri. "I'm sorry, I'll be back for the food later." He hit the pavement, running to catch up. He could hear numerous sirens blaring and as they grew closer, a swarm of emergency response vehicles. One spotted him and stopped short beside him.
Sodia leaned over, throwing open the passenger side car door. "Get in."
He slid into the car and clicked on his seat belt as he tried to catch his breath. "What's the situation?"
"Barbos, the Stormblast, resurfaced at PS 135. The children have been evacuated, but he does have hostages. His demands are unclear right now since he's refusing to talk, but he does appear to have some massive explosives on site." She dropped the car into gear and they sped off through the busy city streets as cars and trucks moved aside to let them through.
Flynn took a moment to inspect and prepare his gun. The Stormblast, Barbos, was known for being notoriously bullet happy. In fact, the only reason that they managed to capture him last time was because of True Knight. But Flynn knew that the police couldn't rely on him for everything. If Zaphias was ever going to be safe, they had to learn how to control the problem themselves.
If Yuri was already there, he could be in danger. No normal person was a match for the Stormblast. It was Flynn's duty to protect the citizens of his city.
They arrived on the scene moments later and it was already a tense situation. A huge, stocky man stood on the roof of the brick school building. He was dressed mostly in red, looking somewhat like a pirate and had a large, spiked ball in place of a left hand. Behind him was a huge depth charge that sat on the roof. Police cars and people were huddled in a semicircle around the building. There was a lot of shouting between the police and the Stormblast, but due to the din, Flynn was unable to make out most of it. He and Sodia approached the base of operations, where their commanding officer stood, trying to work out the situation.
"What's going on, Captain?"
Captain LeBlanc lowered his megaphone to talk, hitting the off switch with his thumb. "The Stormblasts's got us in a tight spot. He doesn't want to negotiate and from what we can tell, the time on that bomb is ticking down. He's got a handful of hostages and we can't snipe him without running the risk of hitting a hostage or the bomb. We could sneak in from below and remove the hostages. Once they're out, the SWAT team could infiltrate the same way to remove Barbos and disarm the bomb."
"I'll go, Sir."
"What? Are you kidding?"
"Give me a vest and I'll head in. Because I'm in civilians, I would blend in better than the SWAT team. Using that, I can secure a safe path out for the hostages and SWAT can take over from there."
"You're either incredibly brave or incredibly dumb." LeBlanc motioned to one of the SWAT members, who came and quickly outfitted Flynn with a bulletproof vest under his button up shirt.
They waited for an opening, for Barbos to become distracted, and after only a moment, it came. From out of nowhere, True Knight was suddenly on the rooftop and he didn't waste any time confronting Barbos.
"Whaddya doing here, ya punk?!"
"Did you think I would just let you get away with plopping a huge bomb in this city?"
"You think you can stop me?"
"I know I can." True Knight drew his sword and lunged at the man and a battle of strength and blades ensued. Flynn wanted to watch, but he had a mission. With Barbos distracted, he made his entrance through a lone door on the side of the school that he had to force open.
The halls of the school were empty, but he did not drop his guard. Gun in hand, he pressed forward. He had to get to the top most floor as quickly as possible to get the hostages to safety while True Knight was handling the situation up above.
He cleared floor after floor, occasionally radioing back to the Captain the state of his progress. The majority of the area was unguarded until Flynn reached the fourth floor, the roof just above him. There were a few of Barbos's bandana-ed henchmen, guarding a door that read 'Faculty Break room'. They chatted pointlessly and Flynn picked up a few words of it. At least enough to discern that the hostages were in the room right behind them. His problem now was how to get them out of the way.
"The Boss wants you upstairs. I can handle this."
"Dude, why?"
"They need backup against True Knight."
"Fuck that. You go."
"Orders are orders."
The second guard grumbled and rushed up a set of stairs toward the roof, leaving Flynn with only one to handle, which was a considerably easier task. As the guard yawned, he took his chance. He charged the man, knocking him to the ground and out cold before he knew what hit him. He speedily cuffed the guard's hands behind his back and his ankles together, leaving him hog-tied on the hallway floor. He leaned down and took the guard's radio so that he couldn't call for help if he happened to wake up.
He scanned through the window on the door quickly, spotting five hostages, all alive and unharmed. He entered the room swiftly.
"Everyone stay calm. I'm with the police. We're going to get you out of here." He untied the hostages, two female teachers, one male, the principal and the secretary. He turned to radio Captain LeBlanc. "Captain, the hostages are safe and the floors are cleared with the exception of the roof."
"SWAT and first responders are on the way."
"Thanks, over."
In only a few moments, SWAT team members swarmed the building and made it to the fourth floor much faster than he had. He accompanied them down with the safe hostages and captured guard and they all stood around the building once more to watch the fight between the Stormblast and True Knight. There wasn't much left to see.
True Knight was winning, tossing the much larger man around between the flurry of their blades like a rag doll. In a flash, he performed a famous finishing move of his, Wolf Strike, in which a glowing beast of energy formed around him and thrust it and his sword forward against Barbos. The Stormblast was sent flying off the roof of the school. For half a second, a gasp echoed through the crowd, but instead of hitting the ground and probably killing him, the force of the blast threw him into an open paddy wagon.
SWAT was quick to cuff the staggering man and close and lock the doors of the wagon. True Knight stood triumphant on the roof the building for a moment, and then disappeared.
The scene slowly calmed once the threat of Barbos had been dealt with and the SWAT and bomb squad members entered the building once more to take care of the sea mine still sitting on the roof of the school.
Flynn pulled the bulletproof vest off, glad to be free of its protective, but overbearing weight on his chest. Rounding the police car that Sodia had brought him in, came Yuri and a boy.
"Hey there, Officer Flynn."
"Oh, Yuri. Are you all right?"
"Yeah. It took me a while to find Karol here with all the police and evacuees, but we're both safe." Yuri smirked, patting the boy's back. "By the way, this is my little brother, Karol."
The brunette boy waved a little, smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Officer!"
"It's nice to meet you, too." Flynn finished buttoning up his shirt, tucking it in. "They're starting to rope off the area for the police investigation. You two should get home."
"Okay. Don't forget about your lunch. It'll be waiting for you." The two of them turned, and Yuri waved a little behind him, causing Flynn to smile.
Flynn was glad everyone was okay. No one had been injured and Barbos and his men had been arrested without much incident with the help of True Knight. He had done more than help. He had defeated Barbos and saved several city blocks worth of property and hundreds of lives, and that just caused Flynn's admiration for him to swell a little more.
The area was quickly secured by the city of Zaphias' police force and the bomb found disarmed. Even though Flynn was off duty, he couldn't let this rest. Why did the Stormblast attack a school, and only take a few hostages? He didn't make any specific demands and this operation was clumsy at best. Barbos wasn't known for the strength of his tact, but his previous few attempts at domestic terrorism had all been better planned. What was different about this time?
He passed through the crime scene tape with a flash of his badge and retraced his steps through the halls of the school. Nothing seemed out of place or strange until he reached the furthest corner of the first floor and a small janitor closet. Within, a set of stairs led down to a basement level where things were indeed strange.
In the center of the concrete floor was a manhole with the corner propped up a very slight angle to leave it open and allowing the room to fill with the rank scent of the sewers below the city. Someone had been there recently, but who?
Flynn lifted the metal cover a little more and slid it off slowly and quietly. Had this been how Barbos got into the school, or True Knight, perhaps? He decided to investigate further and slipped down the ladder.
The sewers were poorly lit with yellow green lights that barely pierced the darkness and the scent of them was over overpoweringly foul with waste and water, human and otherwise. The pathway he found himself on was small and led off in a straight line over drainage pipes and culverts into the darkness dotted by lights. He would walk a ways, keeping to the path so as to not get lost, and then return.
The rush of the sewer waters didn't drown out the noise of the streets above as he walked. It was probably a quarter of an hour as he was deciding it was time to turn back when he happened upon a large pit where dozens of pipes drained out and flowed down into the lower levels of the sewer.
"What are you doing here?" A voice from behind him alerted him and a sharp edge of metal was pressed against his back.
At a disadvantage, he raised both hands. "Who's asking?"
A hand whipped him around and he was met with a face that was as surprised to see him as he was to see it. "Officer Flynn?" True Knight pulled his hand back and sheathed his sword. His whole body language changed suddenly. "Jeez. What the hell?"
"What are you doing down here?"
"Investigating what Barbos wanted here."
"Have you gotten any leads?"
"Ever heard of something called Dein Nomos?"
"I can't say that I have. Why?"
"Forget I asked." He folded his arms over his chest. "Thanks for the help getting the hostages out earlier."
"I was just doing my job. Thank you for taking care of Barbos."
He waved a hand at him. "Whatever. I can't just let people like that get away with doing whatever they want."
"True Knight?"
He didn't reply as he looked out across the sewage pipes, eyes like distant storm clouds.
"True Knight?"
"Uh. Oh. Sorry. What's up?"
"I was just wondering if, uh..." He felt hot again and he could feel himself blushing. He had a chance to make a move, even if the circumstances here weren't ideal. "If we could, uh, maybe..."
"Just say it." He didn't sound angry or impatient, but those charcoal eyes from behind the mask pierced him like no other.
"Could we do dinner or something sometime?"
The dark haired hero flushed a little, a light pink gracing those pale cheeks, and he sighed. "Look, you're a great guy and that's really nice of you, but it just wouldn't work out."
His heart sunk instantly. "Oh... I'm sorry. How stupid of me to think-"
"It's not like that. It's... complicated."
"Sorry."
"What about that guy Yuri at the coffee shop you're always at? He really digs you."
"What? Really? But how do you know?"
"I just do. Why do you think he gives you free food all the time? You should ask him out sometime. Trust me." He turned and let out a second sigh, soft and small. "But for now, thanks again for helping out."
"I'm just doing the best I can to protect this city."
True Knight looked over his shoulder and smiled softly. "It's good to know that I'm not the only one." He took a few steps in the direction opposite from which Flynn came. "See you later, Officer."
"Bye." He watched as the hero broke into a run and disappeared into the darkness of the sewers. Flynn, too, left the empty sewers behind and took once more to the streets above.
He tried not to let the rejection get to him. It happened. They knew so little about each other. Perhaps it was something as simple as True Knight not reciprocating Flynn's interest, or maybe it was the business he was in. Being a superhero couldn't have allowed a lot of time for relationships.
After a while, he stopped and found himself once more in front of the Comet Cafe. He still had lunch waiting for him here, probably long cold by now, and as he peeked in the window, he spotted only Judith standing at the counter, preparing food for another customer. He was a little relieved. He wasn't ready to face Yuri just yet. He needed a chance to think before he acted on True Knight's advice. He entered quietly, brushing off the coolness of the evening.
Judith passed a bag off to her customer, an elderly man who took it with a 'thank you' and hobbled out. She immediately looked to him with a smile. "Good to see you back, Officer. Sorry, Yuri's out right now, but we still have your lunch. I know it's a little late."
"Thank you."
She plopped a bag up on the counter. It was still warm to the touch. "Yuri told me to keep it cool for you. He would be here now, but he was in desperate need of a shower. And if you don't mind me saying, you are also."
"What?" He stopped, and lifted the collar of his shirt for a sniff. The scent of the sewer was hanging all over him. How had he not noticed before? "I'm sorry, I just-"
"It's all right."
"What's my total for the food?"
"Yuri said not to worry about it."
"I can't-"
"You helped out at Karol's school. That's enough for us." She smiled. "The least we can do is give you a meal every now and then as thanks for protecting our city."
He crumpled the opening of the bag in his hand, at a loss for words further than another muttered thanks. She merely continued to smile and waved him goodbye as he sulked out of the cafe and back into the night.
At some point, he returned home, although through the lights and the haze of the city around him, he couldn't place exactly when. He tried to not think about the sudden and bitter rejection, so he thought about anything else he could while he ate.
Dein Nomos.
Flynn had heard that before, but he couldn't place where. What was Dein Nomos and why was True Knight looking for it? That question wouldn't stop pestering him. So rather than crawling into bed, he turned on his computer and decided to do a little research. There had to at least be something on the internet about it. Whether or not it the information could be believed was another matter entirely.
The most popular search engines brought up numerous sketchy results that Flynn had to scroll through before finding any decent leads. Finally, a brief news article dated ten years earlier popped up and he found himself reading it aloud.
"The famous sword Dein Nomos, belonging to the Royal Family, was found to have been stolen from the museum where it had been kept for nearly a hundred years. The sword, pictured above, was believed to have belonged to an ancient king, who was said to have used to the sword's power to end the Great War. There are currently no leads or evidence to track down the thief or the sword, but the police are still investigating the mysterious theft. The museum has set a reward of ten thousand dollars for the sword's return and information leading to an arrest."
Above the article, was a small photo of a strangely shaped sword with a hollow formed blade that was made of bright red metal.
The article answered a few of his questions, but his research still left a bad taste in his mouth, and after reading it, decided that it was in his best interest to simply crawl into bed and wait for a new day.