*I own everyone but Iceman. Who unfortunately belongs to X-men, and primarily owned by Marvel.
**Please do not say this is not fanfiction and report me. It is a prologue and I will get to that part. If you feel you must report me, advanced warning would be nice.
The Beginning
Miznomer stared disdainfully at the newly erected front of the house, a vision of glass and silvery metal, that could be mistaken for a dullish chrome, a house which classy people would later walk past with their noses pointed skywards and remark on how the pretentious monstrosity of culture and architecture was trying to impersonate the many futuristic themed buildings born of the latest trends.
Studying the many slanted walls and the overly complicated general design of said monstrosity, Miznomer decided upon the right words with care. After all, never make an enemy of the man who builds your house. This was not what I had in mind.
"I know. I know. Look, I'm terribly sorry. About the mistake. I told the builders what you wanted. They thought I was joking," said the stocky man in a plaid shirt, faded jeans and worn-out boots typical of those in his career.
Miznomer was incredulous. I'm not sure I see what is so funny about requesting for a building to be constructed of switchable glass, optical fiber cables and metals which are non-toxic plus non-reflective. Pausing as if to consider the final item, I'll have you know my eyes are very sensitive.
"I'll bet. No. Not that part. The other bit. They just assumed, you know? That you would want the same. All the other big shots? They have a roughly standard order," answered the man who seemed to only be able to speak in short sentences.
Miznomer appeared to have stopped paying attention somewhere along the third short sentence. A blessing, as Miznomer would not have been happy to hear the given comparison of personality, or taste for that matter. Which part then? The part where I said I don't mind eco-friendly materials as long as they are sanitized? Or the part where I said all evidences of there being plumbing or wiring must be hidden? Realization dawned. It's because I said I wanted a cross between a Volkswagen showroom and an Amsterdam brothel, isn't it?
The stocky man whom did not deserve a name or any other further details due to his insignificance towards the plot grunted , to indicate that guess was as accurate as accurate could be. When no rejoinder came back to chastise his mistake, he began to feel apprehensive. After all, building houses for those who could come up with the money for his services was not as easy as people thought. The rich were used to getting things done their way and when they were not happy, heads rolled. People rarely get rich enough to afford him without breaking a few laws and getting away with it. Suffice to say, some of those in his field have failed to show up for work (or anywhere else for that matter) after fouling up a big job. He stared nervously at the two men who came with Miznomer, whom he had been introduced to during previous encounters.
The shorter of the two, Jay, was definitely at least half Asian and looked like a member of a Gothic boy band. Jay was probably just an inch or two over five foot half, slim and wore clothes that matched his hair and eyes, a deep unyielding black that rejected any form of light. The condition of his skin seemed to reveal to the world that he did not like the sun. His was a noticeably paler shade of everybody's ideal of a translucent rosy, radiant fairness, but with a muted glow that stopped his face from being plain sallow. His pallid appearance probably had something to do with him never wearing anything that left more of his skin exposed than necessary, plus he always stood in what little shade he could find.
The other one was Andy, built like someone representing a varsity wrestling team. He was considerably tall and would be able to easily find work as a bouncer, or a bodyguard. His browny-blonde hair and light blue eyes, not to mention his perpetual skin tone of a soft tan made him look very much the all American boy. Unlike Jay, he did not exhibit any noticeable weird habits, aside from an obsession of wearing several silver articles. Rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets and chains were part of his vast army against the world. Despite his laugh lines, Andy didn't smile or talk much when he was there but then again, none of them did.
The three visitors were whispering rapidly at a short distance, appearing to be making arrangements of some sort. They paused a couple of times to look at the building and then at him before resuming their discussion. The contractor fidgeted and thought about running to his car, he knew that his men wouldn't bother to help him. They were illegal immigrants and the thought of facing up with the cops, either to explain their involvement in a fight or to give evidence upon witnessing a murder scared them more than dying. He suspected that he wasn't the only one who knew that. He wondered who would be the one to take him down, Andy was unquestionably stronger but to be honest, he was more concerned about Jay. After all, the contractor had watched enough TV and read enough books to know that it was always the ones you least expect. Besides the Japanese have all that weird martial art stuff that could explode your heart by poking specific parts of your foot, didn't they?
In the midst of his day dreaming, he hadn't even noticed Jay had walked over and was standing behind him. When he felt a tap on his shoulder he screamed. Jay raised an eyebrow before saying with a tint of a British accent: "I was here to tell you, that Miz said that this will not be an issue. Miz will bring in Walt who will sort it all out. You will receive your cheque by the day after tomorrow and we expect you to have finished up by then as well as move all your men along with their things out of here. Thank you for your services. " The contractor nodded mutely while wondering who the hell was Walt and why did Jay pronounce it as "Walled".
Having completed his errand Jay walked back to the shade of a cluster of trees where the others were waiting, taking care to avoid any area with spotlighted by sun. Thank you Jay, now that we're all here, he'll be waiting for us in the car. Without another word, the trio headed over to a luxurious white limo parked a short way off.
***
Three days later
Four people were standing at the same area staring at a very different looking building. The materials were no doubt the same but the shape and structure was much more pleasing to the eye. No more sharp corners and unnecessary walls, the ugly twists of metal were no more, the mind-numbingly complex designs and patterns were successfully eradicated. Most importantly, gone were the phony attempts at modern architecture and forced efforts of futuristic vision.
Its perfect. I knew you could do it. "I was hoping you'd like it," said the man almost shyly, he was undoubtedly Walt, or Walled. Apparently embarrassed by the compliment, he was suddenly very preoccupied with an imaginary dark butterscotch eyelash in his left brick brown eye. The whole man was brown, which was ironic because he hated the color brown. His hair and his eyes aside, even his skin was that darker than tan color which could be likened to roasted almonds. Walt / Walled/ The man was about the same height as Andy, and though the former had a leaner frame than the latter, he more than made up for it with a pair of impressive arms. Not the kind you see on staged wrestling pros or professional body builders, but the kind you see on gymnasts or rowers.
Miznomer stood at the front of their new home with arms wide opened. Welcome……to our new home! The other three clapped and cheered to rejoice. Miznomer was suddenly holding a bottle of champagne and began to pour everyone a glass. They toasted to celebrate and were enjoying their little moment of the triumph of defeating the hell that is home-hunting and building. Andy who had not had the chance to be very active so far, cleared his throat to say: "So……what do we do now?" The other two froze as if not sure if there was a correct answer to that, while Miznomer was calmly pouring everybody another glass. Since the Glass House is ready. A dramatic but necessary pause. We can begin The Collections. Now, who do we want to join our party first? The other three didn't take more than a minute before unanimously saying: "Iceman."