I once believed that everyone was fated for a gruesome end at the hands of any random madman.
Considering my line of work that made sense, after all having my skill set made it hard to not be called upon for the worst cases. Detective work, a job I despise yet one I cannot escape.
A turbulent childhood wasn't what drove me to this work, it was the challenge of an unsolved puzzle. After awhile I got really good at it, then there was the notoriety, everyone wanted me on their unsolved or impossible cases.
It was fun for a long time, but nowadays its boring, the challenge is gone, nothing but a simple madman dancing around incompetence, that or a madman that kept his wits. Every time I am called upon by whatever Kingdom's police force I am always disappointed, the puzzle that greets me is always solved but the other detectives just can't see the picture. A life filled with boredom, this is what I was suffering through for ten long years.
Until one day, I was called upon by Vale's Hunter Association. That single case, that innocuous deceptive case, would lead me down a long winding rabbit hole that would end in tragedy.
I had been up for three days when a loud knocking came from my door, then that knocking became banging with a loud obnoxious voice calling my name. I elected to ignore it, unfortunately she doesn't take kindly to me ignoring her. Thus, my door flew off its hinges, past my office door, and hit the wall on the opposite side of the house, she still has no idea how to moderate her strength. A burst of flames announced her wrathful arrival, the flame creeping towards my office heralding the end of my quiet days, in a last ditch effort to escape it I hid behind my bookcase and held my breath.
Alas my fiery demise saw through my clever disguise, with her eyes that pierced through my veil of subterfuge.
"You know I can see you right?" She spat, the flames intensifying. "You got a job to do come on, I don't want to wait longer than I've had to already."
I said nought, hiding behind my clever spot, maybe she hadn't seen me, maybe she saw my cat, Sir Fluffykins the First.
That happened to be a poor choice, as she grabbed the bookcase and threw it across the room.
"C'mon you idiot, we need to go, I'm not the only one waiting on you this time." She said as her fire faded, replacing an unending blaze with golden hair. Her lilac eyes regarded my huddled form with nothing but vexation.
"You can't prove that you are not a figment of my over active imagination, for all I know I threw that bookcase." I stated calmly to the once flaming being.
"Yes I can." She calmly said as she then proceeded to punch me in the face.
"You didn't have to hit me that hard." I whined, my jaw stiff.
"You didn't have to make me come to your home, and yet here we are." She countered, her tone just as scathing as the flames that had washed over me.
I laughed, my despondent mood gone just as fast as it arrived, our old dynamic back. It was just like we were back in the V.H.A. good times. Back then we didn't live on opposite ends of Vale. Back then we were Hunters in Training, those were simpler times, the quiet Beacon days where all we did was infuriate our combat Instructor and Disciplinarian, good old Goodwitch, she had sent us and our team naked into the Emerald Forest multiple times, we annihilated every threat each time.
"Sis and the rest of the team are gonna be waiting for us. We were supposed to be dragging you to a bar, but of course you had to pull a disappearing act at your apartment. Why do I have to go fetch you from you 'Illustrious Retreat for the Hungry Mind', which is a stupid name by the way, when it would be so much easier to just go to your apartment, paid for by the council by the way, and just take a short walk to our office?" She inquired, here voice filled with contempt for my mannerisms.
"Cause I like my Retreat more than my apartment, for one the apartment is way to big, who needs that much space anyways? Second, it's easier to think and work there." I responded matter-of-factly.
"Well its inconvenient, just move into a smaller apartment and make things easier on me will ya?" She requests, her voice bordering on desperation.
"Can't, only place I can think is my Retreat. Why don't you just move the office closer?" I snidely countered.
"Cause unlike you I live at the office." She served my defeat up with a sprinkling of hatred.
"Alright calm down there Firecracker, I'll make myself available over the course of the case." I conceded.
Our arrival at our office was not a massive fanfare, how could it be when only close friends know where it is?
Yet there was still fanfare, from our friends what they lacked in numbers they more than made up with enthusiasm, which for anyone else would be great, but for me, the recluse, not so much. The Red Menace of Untold Speeds slammed into me like a bullet, fired from a railgun, from orbit, which of course made me fall to the ground.
Of course she had to cause chaos, to be fair however she had not seen me in a year, no one but the firecracker had, thanks in no small part to my Retreat, very well hidden within a small park, a devious series of tunnels led to my Retreat, the paths however where not made for the uninitiated, a perfect labyrinth.
The Firecracker started laughing, not prettily like you would expect from someone of her looks, no it was loud and filled with obnoxious energy, and that made the dominoes tumble, one by one the rest of them started laughing.
First to break was the Unending Electrical Annoyance, her laughter pealing across the street like thunder, she fall to the floor and continued to laugh, her form shaking like a leaf in the wind.
Second was the Copper Warrior, she laughed like one would expect her to, what with her soft attractive features, one hand in front of her mouth hiding her mouth as her body shook with silent laughter.
Third the two diametrically opposed colored warriors broke simultaneously, the Melancholic Hidden One laughed much the same as the Copper Warrior, yet the differences were there, her body doubled over, her laughter muted but more for lack of breath than decorum. The Rime Covered Blade snorted once then covered her mouth and shook, one part anger at the sound one part laughter at my fallen form.
Fifth and finally, the Calm Storm of the Lotus chuckled once then gathered himself, ever the bastion of self control.
"Laugh all you want I will have my revenge you bastards." I angrily stated.
They only laughed harder, the fools, did they not fear the great and terrible things I could do to them? Perhaps that had forgotten our time at Beacon, where I raised hell for both our teams. No matter, soon I shall have my vengeance.
"I missed you so much!" The Red Menace yelled into my ear.
"That's sweet and all but please do not burst my eardrums, I require those." I muttered.
"That's what you get for pulling a disappearing act for a year." The Rime Covered Blade retorted, her scathing tone indicating her annoyance at my mannerisms.
I maturely stuck my tongue out at her. I got a scowl that could freeze fire in return.
I RETURN.
So I'm not dead, unfortunately but hey I got a new story, cause I'm scraping the old ones.
So here's hoping I do much, much better at making a cohesive story this time.
Though I can't take all the credit for this, thank adbelvd's review for dragging my ass back to writing.