Dante's POV – Huntik Foundation HQ, Manhattan, New York, United States of America
It was yet another council meeting. Though there were a myriad of important issues about the vastly-undiscovered magical world and some findings by the research team to discuss about, it's a little worrisome that the other council members prioritize sorting out fund distribution for their respective factions and pride issues. Since the threat of the Blood Spirals is no longer imminent, the force that once held the Foundation together is gone and the needless rivalry had resurfaced.
Brrr
I slide the vibrating phone out of my pocket.
One new message from Lok
The team must have finished their recent mission. The kids and Zhalia take turns to keep me in loop with what was going in the team. A small smile appears on my face. It was really sweet of them and I really appreciate their efforts to keep in touch and so that I won't feel left out. My finger hovers over the message and I click the message and am greeted by a picture.
A picture seems to be taken in a hotel. Cliché looking furniture, fancy-looking lights and a room too clean to be called Lok's own. There is an enraged looking Sophie holding a whole huge stack of cards and a smug looking Zhalia with no cards. Dan is just laughing clutching his stomach and Cherit seems like he is consoling Sophie.
Mission went great. Zhalia's going back to Amsterdam tonight, we are leaving tomorrow. Playing Poker in the hotel room now. Geez is Zhalia the God of Deck cards or what? We played poker 4 times and some other card games. She . Won . All . Of. Them.
Covering my mouth to hide the chuckle that escaped from my mouth, I quickly typed a reply and hit send.
Maybe if you ask nicely, she will tell you her secret.
Zhalia being good at Poker, it's surprising since we have never played poker together before but she does look like the type of person who would be good at it. My phone buzzes again
She said she was born to win. And she said it so seriously I believed it. But Dante how is that even possible?
I bite the insides of my cheeks to stop myself from laughing. Only Zhalia can say these kinds of outrageous statements and make people believe it. Another buzz.
SHE WON ANOTHER ROUND. IT IS TRUE!
I couldn't help but snicker at Lok's words. From the corner of my eye I see Momax eye me weirdly.
Talk later Lok. In Council meeting now. Take care and send the team my regards.
I slide my phone back into my attention back to what was sharing. Seems like he is trying gain approval for the refurbishment of the foundation owned museum in Salon. The team and I just went for a mission there recently and it seems fine, I wonder what the refurbishment is for. It was one of those rare times Metz lets me go on a mission with them. probably only uttered a few more words when Jamie, Metz's assistant, knocked and peeked into the room, "Uh Sir? You have a meeting with one of the local government officials soon."
I guess that marks the end of the meeting.
A few hours later - Narrator's POV- Metz Office, Manhattan New York United States of America
Both mentor and student sat comfortable silence, sipping on their drinks.
"Any plans on for your upcoming vacation, Dante?"
"Yes. I am going back home. Mom wanted to meet the team."
"And Zhalia?" Metz asked with a smile.
"Pardon?"
"Everyone seems to be under the impression that the two of you are already in a relationship. But I know that you have been acting like a teenager, afraid to say it out."
"I will do it." Dante answered, "Soon."
"Yes yes soon." Metz said in an airy manner, before continuing, "Anyways, this is a good time for the two of you to know each other better. Must have been hard for the two of you to spend time with each other because of the kids and all the Council work. Zhalia can also get aquatinted with your family too. Don't you think that's a good idea? I think they will get along well. I mean the younger Cheria and Zhalia may have troubles getting along but now she's fine, isn't she? She's now cheerful, lovely and had grown out of her tomboyish style. It was really a surprise when I went for a visit. I also heard that your sister is getting married soon. Please send her my well-wishes." Metz said and Dante had a thoughtful look on his face.
"Is something wrong, Dante?" Metz asked out of concern.
"Nothing's wrong, Metz. It's just that she only became like that after Shelia passed away."
"Oh I am so sor-"
A few knocks on the door, a 'coming in' is heard and the door opens to reveal a turquoise-eyed man who wore a nonchalant expression.
He gave a nod in the direction of the two men in the room as a form of greeting, before handing a file over to the older of two.
"The scarf found by our seekers in Kyoto? Any news about it?" The older man asked his assistant, as he opened and started reading the contents of the file.
"One side it looks like the globe and a location marked on it. On the other side it looks like the blueprint of the interior of building." As he spoke visuals appeared on the holotome he had placed on the table. "According to Research Head, Mr. David Herder it's somewhere off the coast of US in the Pacific Ocean. The researchers initially thought it was an underground location but images from Foundation owned satellites show appearance of a floating castle in the Pacific Ocean near the location mentioned by Mr. Herder, a few days ago." The visuals projected by the holotome changes again. "Foundation Coastal Team had surveyed the area and reported the presence of crab-like looking creatures protecting the place preventing the team from entering. The team returned back with minimal injuries today morning. That's all for now."
"You really leave no room for me to ask you anything." Metz said chuckling, "we will wait a few more days to see if we can get any other information before thinking about our next course of action. Please inform Teien so that we can get some help from the Casterwill Family. There may be something mentioned in the Casterwill books."
"Not everything is Casterwill, you know..." Jamie muttered under his breath.
Three Days Later - Lok's POV- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
It has been almost an hour since we left the airport and the car ride to Dante's place seems to be taking forever. Zhalia, Cherit and Dan fell asleep 10 minutes into the ride. Sophie took out a book soon afterward. Dante and the taxi driver were engaged in a conversation and I was left to entertain myself. I watched the scene turn from concrete skyscrapers, brightly lit shops and lots and lots of people to just vegetation and more vegetation and some occasional birds that flew here and there. How boring! At least we walked to my place two years ago and I love hiking home.
I sighed again and wondered out loud how long more it's going to take.
"We are almost there Lok. A few more minutes." Dante replied before continuing his conversation.
What are they talking about anyway?
Loup Garou?
The French name of werewolves? Apparently, its popularity has soared for some reason and many people claim that they have seen it roaming the streets at night. Who knows? We might end up going on an impromptu mission here too! Man that will be fun. Dante said in his family only his grandmother is a seeker. Just imagine Dante's grandmother coming to save us during a mission. That would be so awesome!
"We are here." Dante says and I look out of the window.
Whoa.
In the middle of a well-manicured ground, lay a palatial three-storied house adorned by two gazebos on each side and green courtyard with a beautiful fountain in the middle.
The car entered through the main gates which open automatically and we enter the drive way which leads to a garage. Well it looks too fancy to be a garage but the car goes there so I guess it is the garage. Is Dante some kind of billionaire's son? I knew he was well off but I didn't know he was this….rich. I take a peek at Sophie's face and held back a chuckle. Her eyes were so big and her mouth was slightly open. Okay not slightly open but very open. I guess she's extremely surprised too.
The car stops and Dante turns to wake Zhalia up, even though Dan is closer to him. I wonder if those two are in a relationship already…
It doesn't take long and we are at the door. Dante presses the bell and we don't wait long before the door opens.
"Dante!" a middle-aged, brown -haired lady engulfs Dante as soon as she could.
"Mom!" Dante exclaims as she wraps her arms around him and laughs.
That must be his mother. Though they don't look alike to me. Maybe Dante takes after his father more.
"You must be Dante's friends!" Mrs. Vale addresses us, "Come in, come in. Dante has told me much about you." She ushers us in cheerfully.
2 hours later- Lok's POV- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Okay. I thought my mom found great pleasure in embarrassing me when my friends are around but now I think that my mom is really really really nice. Mrs. Vale is merciless. I thought Dante was going to die of embarrassment. I have never laughed so hard in my life before. Dante seems like a pretty cool and mature guy but apparently he was a total brat when he was younger. He threw tantrums for the littlest things, tried to start fights with his sisters and cousins, pranked everyone in the house ruthlessly and did all sorts of stuff that no one would have even imagined. The total opposite of who he is now. Sophie tried to be polite and laughed behind her hands but Cherit, Dan and I were just enjoying this too much We were laughing, head rolled backwards, tears in our eyes and clutching our stomachs in pain. Zhalia just had a smile on her face and chuckled once in a while. I wonder if she is okay. She seemed a little distant since we came here. Like she is thinking really hard about something. I should check on her later. Maybe she is feeling a little lonely. No wait. I should let Dante check on her later. The familiar chime of Dante's house's doorbell is heard.
"Ahhh that should be your sister, Dante!" Mrs. Vale says turning to look at Dante, "You should go get the door. It will be a surprise for her. I didn't tell anyone you were coming. Not even your dad."
We watch Dante get to and leave the room and Mrs. Vale turns to address us again. "Since it's a Thursday everyone is out doing their own things .So the house is a little empty right now"
"Everyone as in Dante's father and sister?" Sophie asks.
"Yes and his uncles, aunts and cousins. Even his grandparents went out to the church. The house is usually not this busy."
"Wait, so three generations live in this house?" Dan asks looking a little surprised and Mrs. Vale nods and smiles at him. "Whoa. Such a big family."
Mrs. Vale chuckles, "The two of you seem to be enjoying the treats." She addresses Dan and Cherit. There seems to be a bit of a scuffle for the last cookie between Dan and Cherit. Zhalia's in-charge of disciplining these two when they fight over food but she had just excused herself to the washroom, so Sophie takes over and punches Dan's shoulder.
"They are very delicious. I hadn't eaten such good tasting treats since we went to Lok's house a few years ago." Cherit says and he and Dan finally decide to break it into half to share. Mrs. Vale excuses herself to go get us more snacks.
Footsteps and a cheery conversation is heard from the outside the room.
Pretty soon we meet Dante's older sister, Cheria. She is very…..cheerful. She looks like a walking bundle of sunshine to me. Shiny pale blonde hair, shiny purple eyes and a sparkling personality. She came into the room, gave us all a million-watt smile, introduced herself and asked us if we were comfy here. She's pretty awesome. The moment she came in it was like "boom" you can practically feel the positive energy being emitted from her. Dante's family members are all like so joyous and happy. Feels really pleasant. Cheria looks like Mrs. Vale. So that means Dante looks more like his dad.
Zhalia walks into the room a while later, and Cheria immediately stands up and gives her a wide smile, "Zhalia! It has been such a long time!"
Zhalia, who was munching on some biscuits, chokes and immediately starts coughing.
Wait.
Zhalia and Cheria know each other? Cheria walk over and pats Zhalia's back. Looks like I am not the only one confused. Everyone wore the same expression of confusion. Dante's face looks the most confused and comical. Judging by Zhalia's reaction looks like she was surprised too. After what it seemed like a long time, Zhalia finally recovers and takes a few deep breathes.
"She's your sister?" Zhalia asks Dante pointing at Cheria.
Hi everyone!
Nice to see you all again!
Oho? Seems like Dante's sister and Zhalia have some kind of history. I wonder how they knew each other and what their relationship is! Writing Dante's POV was a real challenge for me. I imagine him to be a detailed person and someone who notices everything since he is a detective and has a strong opinions. And about the Huntik Council, maybe I am being too cynical but many higher authorities are like that, they like to gloat, are money-hungry and many times forget to talk about the important things, so I think this is how the meeting will go. Yes, we are using Jamie again but his character and his role changed but he is still an important guy. Lok's POV is the most fun to write. He's curious, thinks a lot and probably has a lot of interesting opinions.
Wow there are sooo many new fanfics here heheh it's awesome to see some activity in the Huntik fandom! So sorry for not updating Huntik the Random and Unknown. I couldn't write HtR cos of all the gloomy stuff happening to me for a few years *sigh* I didn't want to give something that wasn't fun. I mean that series was supposed to be a fun series full of funny nonsense. And for Unknown, Ace lost the plot bunny book in the recent floods in India so we decided to get rid of it. Such a waste the plot was fun to write. I am talking a lot I should stop. So yea I am writing this new story and THERE WILL BE LOTS AND LOTS OF ZHANTE COS I NEED THEM AND THE ZHANTE SHIP SHALL SAIL! Okay I really need to stop now.
I am writing after so long so I have gotten rather rusty. Please give me some good criticisms because I really want to improve my writing and finally have time to write a lot. . I really want to try writing Sophie's POV but I can't relate with her at all so I don't hink you will be seeing a Sophie's POV soon. Hope you liked it so far. Do comment. See you all soon!
-Tina