Well, here's chapter four. I can't say that this does a ton to move the plot forward (that should be coming in the next chapter) but there are a few things in here that will come up again.
I apologize for the long wait...but Super Smash Brothers is way too much fun for it's own good and has too many things to do.
I want to say thank you to everyone who's reviewed and read this story. As I said before, it means a lot to me, even if you don't say anything.
Disclaimer: Chrono Crusade is owned by Daisuke Moriyama.
Chapter 4
I looked at myself in the mirror in my room and considered changing for the fifth time that night. It wasn't that the suits weren't nice—on the contrary, they were superb—it's just I was beginning to have doubts about going. The library with a nice old book and the shadows playing off that wickedly beautiful Inferno mural seemed more enjoyable at that moment than attending a party with people whom I didn't know at all.
I was just about to pull the jacket off and grab another one when I saw Gabriel stick his head in and snicker at me.
"What?"
"You know that you're acting like a woman just before her first big date, right?"
I frowned and grabbed the jacket again. "I am not. I just don't know which suit to wear."
"Mr. Remington?"
"Yes?"
"You only have four, and two of them are black. You look fine in the one you have on. Come on, the baron is waiting for you."
One more pull on the jacket and tie and Gabriel ushered me out of my room and down the grand staircase. "You look fine you know," he told me as I walked down the stairs and towards the large double doors.
"It's not how I look that has me worried, but rather, how I respond to my surroundings," I replied as he opened the doors and took me outside to the waiting limo.
"Have fun now, and try not to come back with too many girls. The poor maids hate having to clean up after parties," he grinned before I stepped into the awaiting vehicle.
"How many times did you change?"
As I settled into the car I looked at Aion. He had been waiting for me a while it seemed as he had already poured himself a glass of champagne and had downed three-fourths of it.
"A few. I was nervous about the party."
The Sinner smirked and finished his drink before crossing his legs and leaning back. He wasn't wearing his usual white trench coat. He was still wearing a white suit—at this point I don't think that I could even imagine him not wearing white in his human form—but it was much more form fitting, and he was wearing an actual tie instead of a cravat. It was still grey, but once again, it just fit him too well.
I started to fidget once again, and he raised an eyebrow at me. "If you keep doing that you'll wrinkle the suit. All you have to do is look pretty and occasionally make conversation if someone talks to you."
"Is that all you do?"
He laughed and asked the driver (probably Ambrogino, as always) to play some opera. He was ignoring my question, which suggested to me that maybe he had done the exact same thing he had just requested of me. Perhaps he had been the late baron's show piece just like I seemed to be to him now.
I didn't know though. He didn't talk about Alessandro just as I didn't speak of Rosette and Chrono.
For the next twenties minutes Aion began to talk to me about who would be there, or rather, who should be there and what they looked like.
"Just so you know," he said.
I nodded and listened to him, and I tried to create images of the people I was to meet, but I couldn't fully understand why he was giving me such information. I wanted to ask him, but before I had a chance to, we pulled into a large hotel and an attendant came up to the car and opened the door.
We were quickly ushered inside, and upon entering the lobby, Aion was practically besieged by people. He seemed to take it all in stride, but I felt suffocated by the sudden crowd.
"Baron, I would like to apologize once again for failing to properly communicate…"
"Mr. Aion, it's just wonderful to see you again! I was just…"
"Ah, Baron Aion! Pleasure to meet you again! Perhaps we can…"
He calmly spoke to each individual that came up to him before looking at me. The look seemed to be more of a "see at what I have to put up with?" than anything else, and it helped me to relax a little.
I would say he spoke with twenty people before saying that he hated to leave, but he was needed elsewhere. There was an audible groan, as if these people knew that they wouldn't have an opportunity to speak with him again, and they couldn't bear the thought of it. He thanked them for their kindness, and then started to walk towards the dining hall. I quickly followed him, but as I did, I could hear whispers from the crowd that had been left behind.
"Who's that?"
"It doesn't look like his publicist."
"He's rather handsome, don't you think?"
"This is what they always do. They're not formally invited to the party, but they can get into the lobby. They corner me, and I talk to them for a short while. It makes them feel wanted, and usually produces some sort of benefit for the company in the end," the Sinner explained as I took one final glance at the swarm.
"They act like a pack of hungry wolves," I replied.
"They are in a way. They're hungry for the attention. They like being noticed by the 'Silver Tongued Baron'. This way. I can see the CEO and President," he said as he led me to a large table with several men sitting at it already.
I shook their hands, and the introductions were made to the men and their wives. I was beginning to understand why my host had gone through the trouble of describing these people to me. They were very easy to remember after recalling his description and then placing it with a face.
The men didn't pay too much attention to me after the initial introduction, and instead turned their conversation onto business and politics. The women, however, couldn't get enough of me it seemed. They asked me all sorts of questions like, did I have a wife or fiancé, or, where did I work.
The former was easy enough to answer: No, I did not have a significant other at this point in my life, but the latter… I didn't think that it would be right for me to say that I had been unemployed for the past few years, so I told them that I was a freelancer. They seemed to accept this, but it startled me as to how easily the lie came out.
Than came the inquiry that I was truly dreading. "How do you know the baron? Most people only know him through business," the president's wife asked, and I felt the blood leave my face.
"We met at college. He happened to be in the neighborhood, and I invited him to stay with me for a time," Aion chimed in before returning to his own line of conversation, as if he had never butted in at all.
"Really? Has he always been this way?" the CEO's wife questioned, her eyes bright with anticipation for my answer.
"Well, that would depend on what you mean," I began.
"Has he always been this smooth and engaging?"
I thought about it for a moment and then I nodded. "He's been this way for as long as I've known him."
I glanced at the Sinner, and he smirked. I took it to mean that he approved of my comment, because he didn't say anything. Truth be it, that wasn't what I wanted to say. I had wanted to ask her if she meant, "Arrogant and manipulative", but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe because I was seriously beginning to doubt those claims myself.
"I have to ask, have you ever done anything famous?" one of the women said as I took a sip from my drink.
"I don't understand what you mean by that."
"Well, have you ever been in a movie or done any kind of modeling? Maybe written a book?"
"No. I must just have one of those faces."
"Like Aion! People are always asking him if he's a movie star."
"People have more than likely seen my face in the paper, Mrs. Moretti. They confuse me with politicians and the like," Aion said.
"But those silly Americans thought that you were a star."
"That's because they were American. They see a pretty face and they instantly assume that they must be modeling," her husband chuckled.
Most of the table followed suit, and I noticed how hollow it sounded. The Sinner had only smirked (it had been a feeble one at that) and I barely managed a smile. The comment hadn't been that funny, but they all laughed.
It was a trend that I would notice whenever I went to these parties. Someone important would make a shabby attempt at humor, and no matter what, everyone would laugh. Everyone, that is, except Aion.
X X X
We talked long into the night, but I was never directly addressed again. It was as the demon had told me in the limo, "All you have to do is look pretty." I wonder now if he had been attempting to save me the boredom and stress of figuring out what to say and to whom.
That didn't stop the women in the hall from trying to catch my eye. Oh, I noticed a few of them pull their dresses down a little bit further just to get that hint of cleavage out there for me to see, and more than one shifted her leg to show off the high slit in her designer dress. But not once did they come over to talk to me.
I suppose that they didn't want to embarrass their dates too much.
It was around one O'clock when the guests started to clear out, and Aion and I were some of the first to leave, stating that, "I have to make certain that I review that new proposition." If nothing else, it worked and our limo pulled up to the door.
"Well?" he asked once we were settled in and driving off.
"How did I like it? It was dull."
He smirked and nodded. "They always are. At least you didn't have women 'accidentally' falling into your lap," he sighed and shook his head at what must have been a particularly dreadful memory.
"I think they were just trying to discreetly undress themselves for me."
"But that's somewhat humorous, because they won't truly do anything from afar. They can't without completely embarrassing both themselves and their significant other. When they fall on your lap, they take the opportunity to feel you up."
I couldn't help but laugh. Just the idea of the Leader of the Sinners getting groped by attention seeking women was entertaining.
"Is this what I'll have to put up with for the time being?"
"Yes, because it looks better to have someone accompany me."
"Why not ask Gabriel?"
"Gabriel…he's too good at charming the ladies. It's all fine until you realize that he's gone off somewhere with the fiancé of the owner of your newest business partner.
"See, you wouldn't do that, Remington. You know not to get personal with the people whom you do business with."
"I'm not doing business with them though. I'm just here to look pretty."
"But you understand my meaning."
"Of course I do. I worked at the Order for decades. You don't involve yourself in relationships with people that you work with. That's just how it works."
Aion leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes. "Precisely," he said.
X X X
As we arrived back at the estate, I noticed Gabriel sitting outside on the steps, apparently waiting for us. He smiled at us as we got out of the vehicle, but his smile seemed to diminish when Aion shut the door behind him.
"No ladies tonight?"
"This was mostly a company meeting. I'm not allowed to fraternize with people that are my subordinates. You know that," the Sinner growled as he opened the front door and pulled off his white coat.
"You didn't tell me that it was justa company meeting, baron. I apologize for my ignorance," the other blonde grinned, though something about his countenance suggested that he wasn't that happy. Judging by the tone of his voice upon asking if we had brought home any guests, he was used to having someone to entertain after a party.
"Well, I hope that you both enjoyed yourselves. Have a good night," he said somewhat surly.
"Get some rest, Remington. Tomorrow we'll take it easy."
I was about to go to my room and call it a night when I saw Gabriel sitting at the end of the hall.
"Are you alright?" I called to him as I loosened my tie and went over to him.
"Wha…? Oh, I'm fine," he replied, though his smile lacked its usual muster. "I was just thinking."
"Do you mind if I ask you about what?"
"It's just…the way Aion acts around you…that's how he used to treat me. I was there for everything. I was his buddy. He made me his publicist, and everything was still great. A few months ago he started to get distant, and then he sent me on this wild goose chase to find you. Now? Now's he doing the same thing he did with me. I'm just wondering if he's going to get into a habit of this."
"How long has he known you?"
"He became my guardian when I was seven. How long has he known you?" he inquired darkly.
"We never really knew each other so much as we just often were involved with the same people. It was a long time ago too."
"So our circumstances aren't similar at all."
I nodded. "So it would seem. Look; if it's bothering you with how much time he's been spending with me, talk to him. He'll probably listen."
"He's much too good at ignoring people."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It was something that Baron Alessandro told me. If Aion doesn't want to listen, he won't. He's really good at it."
"Still, there's no harm in trying, right?"
The younger man shrugged and started towards his own quarters. "You're right. Sorry to bother you with my woes."
"It's fine, Gab. Sometimes you just need to talk. Night."
"Night."
He's much too good at ignoring people. Those words kept ringing through my mind as I turned in and started to undress. Maybe it just had to do with his business policies, I thought.
But the part of me that was still suspicious of the Sinner made me think about the other possibilities such a statement could have…at least in regards to the past. Not listening to the Duke, not listening to Chrono… Well, at least with other demons Aion had a history of not listening. But it seemed that he clearly listened to things that were of his same thought process.
Like Milton's Satan.
As usual, if you see any errors please let me know. I've been trying to read through the chapters a few times each just to catch things, but reading and writting at 9:30 at night is usually not the best way to notice errors.
