Author's Note: well I finally got around to finishing this chapter. Sorry for the long wait, if you want a explination, it's at the bottom of the chapter, under Author's statement. Downside this is a chapter I would recommned people skip as nothing major happens and I will likely be updating in the future to add more. The only thing I wanted to do with this is introduce another character and reveal a little more about Elric's background, as I want to gradually do so through the story.
Chapter 13: Romanian Reunion
Romania...been a while since I was last here. About a year or three.
Meeting's tomorrow, so maybe I'll see what I can learn from the others in the meantime. Assuming something doesn't get in the way.
April 5
Elric lights a cigarette—as did Mordred after him—both frustratedly bored and anxious for the day ahead.
Waiting with Luvia for the contacts who had agreed to meet them—a few who were attending the meeting tomorrow that agreed to a sit down. It was better than the trip from Britain to Romania, but a tedious task nonetheless.
The whole thing still made him feel as if he was missing something. Doubtful that he was selected for this because Edward trusted on this, it felt more like he was being used to smooth things with Richter—as he was still mad with Rheon about the situation transpired with Elric's mother.
The magician looked out at the area around him. Watching people go by—living their lives, complacent with their lot in life. It sent a shiver up Elric's spine to imagine that this could have been him if the circumstances of his birth had been different. At other times it did not seem so bad, but for the most part the idea was depressing.
Suddenly, in the midst of his contemplation, he heard a man's voice say "There ya are."
Elric glanced over his shoulder to spot a man wearing a pair of sunglasses who looked to be in his early thirties with a fiendish, almost outlaw looking, appearance; with an empty holster on his right side. Wearing a black jacket that looked to be fashioned from the hides of magical beasts.
"Hey, kid."
Elric smiled upon seeing the voice's owner. It was his old friend, the Necromancer and freelance bounty hunter Kairi Sisigou.
He quickly stepped forward to shake his hand, greeting him with a jovial "Kai."
It had been a while since Elric had been face-to-face with the Necromancer. They spoke often on the phone—in fact they spoke days before his training match with Luvia, discussing the arrangement between the Rheons and Edelfelts...Kairi ended up bursting out into laughter.
Luvia and Mordrd were taken aback seeing Elric acting more extroverted with the man. They were used to seeing the opposite out of the gunslinger.
"I see you haven't changed much." a feminine voice said.
Elric looked around to see a woman wearing sunglasses approach. She had lengthy red hair, a very fair complexion, and well endowed—almost buxom—but very slender; dressed in black jeans, high heel boots, double belts, and a black corset.
A real beauty; or, at least, that was how Mordred imagined some would describe her. A combination of elegant and hot.
She removed her sunglasses to reveal a pair of blue eyes.
"It's been a while, Elric."
The entirety of her face revealed, as was her near sardonic countenance, Elric responded "Trish." almost smiling softly.
Luvia looks from Elric to the woman he was calling Trish with curiosity, then back to Elric. As was Mordred, but Edelfelt was more filled with a brand of personal interest than the Knight of Betrayal.
Channeling her tenacity, she quickly worked up to asking "You know this woman, Elric?"
"Yeah, Luvia, this is-"
"Luvia?" Trish interrupted him with intrigued interest. "Luviagelita Edelfelt?" A smirk etching onto her lips as she looked from Luvia to Elric, then back to Luvia. "A delight to finally meet you. Elric mentioned you in the past."
Elric felt a migraine coming.
Belmont quickly inserted himself back in to say "Luvia, this is my former partner, Trish Coen. I think I told you about her before." then pointed to the Necromancer "and this is Kairi Sisgou, an old friend of mine."
The red head then extended her hand out to Luvia. Making comments again of how Elric had mentioned her at some previous date before his return to Clock Tower. Looking at Elric and Luvia with a smile that reminded Mordred of Stella back in Arizona...but something about her was different. Less teasing in a friendly way, but not a malicious way; and the way she looked at her master, it reminded Mordred of the way Lancelot and her stepmother would look at each other or the way Elric looked at Luvia.
Luvia and Mordred sat with Kairi while Elric stood while he spoke with Trish. Pacing away from the table as they spoke.
"How's Allen?"
"He misses you."
Trish quickly pulled out a small photo and handed it to him, revealing within it an image of Trish holding a light haired and blue-eyed boy in her arms.
Elric smiled as he looked at it. The kid had grown a little since he last saw him—as he was no longer an infant.
Then Trish followed up with a teasing tone as she told him "Zed misses you, too."
Elric groaned at the mention of their old mentor and quickly sought to change the subject of the conversation.
"Did Ned tell you anything about this meeting my uncle's called."
"Not much. Just that it involves the last Grail War. Richter was very vague about the details, himself." Trish told him. "Speaking of the Grail War, I heard you've been at Clock Tower for a while now—did you meet the two who won it? "
"Emiya and Tohsaka?" Elric rolled his eyes. "Yeah I met 'em."
"That must have been interesting."
"Not really." Elric responded indifferently to the conversation. "Emiya's okay. Not nearly as bad as I expected him to be personality-wise."
"What about Tohsaka? It must have been nice to see her again."
"I don't think she even remembers me."
"Seriously?"
"Not that surprising, honestly. I didn't leave that great of an impression back then."
At least Luvia remembered me...though it is a little weird having her and Trish in the same area.
Luvia watched from afar as Elric and Trish spoke to each other—while Mordred and Kairi were busy conversing.
They seemed close. Both emotionally and physically. The proximity they had from one another in conversation was almost intimate. To a degree that they resembled a real couple in public—the kind Luvia would expect to see from a man and a woman that have been together for years.
It gave Luvia feelings of irritation. Wondering if she herself and Elric were like that when they were in public together.
The pair also caused her to remember Shirou and Tohsaka, oddly enough.
Gilgamesh joined her, with wine bottle in hand, in watching them. As did Enkidu. The three looked on at the pair with curiosity on the Archer and Lancer's part, and something less innocent on Luvia's. All the while Mordred was less interested, as she was focused on eating with Kairi, but occasionally glanced over at her Master as well.
Elric was led away, stashing the photo in his pocket as he followed Coen. Being told there was something she wanted to talk with him in private.
Much to Luvia's dissatisfaction.
He was led into a private room.
"So you're engaged, huh?"
Wow, just going right into it, huh?
Elric sighed. Imagining Ned must have told her.
"For now," he told her. Still believing there was a chance he could weasel his way out of this scheme of his father's. A slim chance, but a chance nonetheless, and one he would take every opportunity to explore.
Trish smiled.
"Well in that case." She looked over her shoulder to ensure the others were far enough away, and none could walk in on them, Trish pulled Elric into a kiss.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I missed you."
Elric had a similar feeling. They were close, despite everything Ned attempted to destroy their relationship. It sometimes surprised the gunslinger how close they were considering how they started out..
If Luvia wasn't back in his life, Elric would have had no problem taking Trish somewhere else and going all the way with her. He felt so alive, so full of adrenaline. But a little guilty at the same time.
"A shame father made us end things."
"Yeah." Elric agreed. "So was there an actual reason you brought me back here, or were you just hoping I'd initiate a quickie?"
Trish admitted "Bit of both actually." before she pulled out some papers from her pocket. Showing his images of several men.
"Do you recognize any of 'em?"
Elric nodded his head in a hell no gesture. "Should I?"
"A few weeks back I was hired to deal with an Acolyte cell. While I was interrogating them one mentioned something I found interesting—you being under their observation."
"Yeah...I found that out not too long ago. They had been spying on me since I returned to Clock Tower, or so it appears." Elric responded, almost indifferent to the matter. Then asked "Do you think they could be involved with what Richter called this meeting about?"
Trish nods her head doubtfully.
"Great. Last thing I need is those ass holes bungling this."
"I would not be surprised if they have some involvement, but from what little Richter was willing to divulge in his message it sounds as if it hase something to do with why the Servants are still around—despite the grail war being resolved."
Elric rubbed his chin, perplexed "Rheon mentioned that as well." leaning back against a wall. "Did these acolytes you interrogated mention anything else?"
"Nope."
Outside the room where they spoke, Luvia continued to wait with trepidation. Listening to banter between the Knight of Betrayel and the freelancer, as well as the occasional snide but elloquent comment from Gilgamesh. Talking about how close Belmont was with Coen.
It was child's play to see what the King of Heroes was getting at. How he was attempting to bait her. Teasing her own secret thoughts without being too direct; and she denied him the satisfaction every second of the way.
When Elric did emerge with Trish he seemed to be annoyed and distressed—like he had received some less than ideal news—while the redheaded woman seemed amused by something.
The rest of the day was spent mostly eating and discussing the plan concerning the meeting tomorrow. All the while Elric seemed to grow gradually more despondent from reality—either from boredom or resenting what was in store for him, the meeting would entail.
When they were not discussing the meeting, Trish was usually talking to Mordred—sharing some stories about her time working with Elric, much to his semi chagrin. As was Kairi.
Someone. Please. Shoot me.
When they parted from them, Elric went to the hotel room. Luvia assumed that he never left because by the time she and Mordred entered the room he was still there, resting on the bed—reading some things and looking at the picture Coen had given him, making sure no one but him saw the photo.
Guarding the image as if it was a nuclear launch code.
Luvia watched him. Waiting to ask her questions. He always caused her to have questions.
"So, that Trish lady, who is she?"
"I told you, she used to be my partner. She's a former freelancer."
"Who is attending this congregation because…?"
Elric looked at her with a oh, you want to talk about that look on his face. Sighing as he put away the photo.
"Trish is Ned Dioland's daughter from an affair he had. So she is technically someone he can trust on this."
"How did you two meet?"
"After...after things went the way they did with my brother, I ended up being taken in by the Diolands—they trained me and I was employed by them for a while. Trish was one of my coevals there from the start. She was one of the few people there I was close with."
"How close?"
"Pretty close. I was almost married to her."
Then Luvia remembered how he mentioned telling her about Trish in the past and suddenly she was able to make the connection: Trish used to be his fiancee.
She almost did not want to continue her inquisition of Elric.
"So...would you say she was similar to your first love?"
"Nope. Someone beat her to that by the time we met."
"Who was it?"
"Hm?" Elric looked at Luvia a little confused.
"Who was your first love?"
"Uh…" Elric seemed to think about it for a second then looked at her with a mite anxiety on his face. Then lied "Can't remember." before laying back on his bed.
"It's getting pretty late, Luv. I think we should get some sleep, we'll need to get up early in the morning."
Luvia agreed, reluctantly. Though feeling a tad dejected. She may have put up more of an effort if she did not feel a tad reluctant to push the issue...for the moment. Though part of her was screaming to press him on it.
Time passed, the sound from the dining room downstairs could be heard. Though he appeared to be slumbering, Elric remained awake.
Eventually he heard the door to his room open, and when he looked up he saw Edelfelt had left the room.
He sighed, almost regretting he could not bring himself to tell her more.
Resting against the headboard of his bed, he pulled the photo Trish had given back out and resumed gazing at it.
Her son...his son. Allen. He looked so...innocent. So pure. A wide-eyed, happy little boy who never knew a day of cruelty. It reminded him of how Emil was as a child, to a degree.
Elric wondered at times—in those private moments of self-reflection—if he ever looked like that. Or if Edward and Lisa's cruelty destroyed any chance of innocence being within him and snuffed out such possibilities during his infancy.
Despite how it seemed, Elric had always wanted to be a part of the boy's life, just as he had desired for Trish to be a part of his own. His life was supposed to be different—he was supposed to marry the redheaded magus, to have a normal life, but things spiraled out of both his and her control.
It was hard to let go of what they had; it hurt to do. He loved her so much. As much as he did...well, two or three women who had been in his life. She was the first girl he ever permitted himself to get close to after things went awry with Emil's experiment and he last saw Luv.
He remembered how they met, the way they used to bicker. So sure that she despised him considering the heated arguments they used to have. Then after one week in autumn she always wanted to be beside him.
Before he knew it Elric found himself kissing her.
He never wanted to let go of her.
The way she looked at him back then—and still did—was different from what he expected. Like he was worth a damn, like he was not trash. Just like Luvia. It made him feel alive, valued; despite how cheesy that may have sounded if he ever said so aloud.
She held his heart in the palm of her hands as if it was the most precious gift in the world.
He loved everything about her—the smile she would make when she awoke to find him resting beside her, the touch of her lips, the way she would tease him. Back then his life felt infiintely more happy than it had been for a long time.
Suddenly he heard a creek from his bed,
"This is what you've been looking at for the past couple of hours?"
He glanced to his left to see Mordred resting a few inches away—providing a more up-close view of her tomboyishly cute face.
"Yeah, and?"
"Lemme have a closer look."
Reluctantly, Elric handed Mordred the photo of Allen.
"Cute kid."
"He's my son."
"Your...son?"
Elric rested himself into place muttering "Yeah." Staring up at the ceiling. "I was supposed to retire from freelance work to raise him...but some crap got in the way so I have to let the Diolands do it."
That caused Mordred's face to forlorn.
"You miss him? Get to see him often?"
"I miss him, but I don't get to see him. Every once in a while they send me something about him but that's the extent.
Mordred handed him back the photo.
"What about you, Mordred? Did you ever think about the idea of children when you were alive."
The Knight of Treachery seemed to give it some thought. Then a look of why am I even entertaining that idea came over Mordred's face before she told him bluntly "I wouldn't have lived long enough even if I did."
"Huh?"
"I was a humonculus. At most I would have had twenty years to live. And by the time I died, I barely had time left to live."
"But what if you did? What would you do?"
Again, Mordred seemed to give it some thought before answering "I'd never let 'em out of my sight. For as long as I drew breath."
Upon hearing that, Elric had a snicker form on his face. "Somehow I imagine you would have been an interesting parent."
Luvia left behind the hotel room to visit the dining room downstairs.
As Edelfelt entered she found Trish resting at one of the tables, beer in hand, getting a few enamored looks from some of the local men—all of which she was ignoring. It was pretty apparent they disgusted Coen.
They did not hold a candle to Elric in comparison, or so Luvia supposed.
Seating herself on the opposite side from her, Luvia ordered a steak.
"Difficulty resting?"
Luvia remained firm, concealing the insecurities caused by her previous conversation with Elric as well as the frustration, looking up from her steak to respond "Not so. I merely do not feel the desire for rest just yet."
Trish seemed to find amusement regardless. It made Luvia continue to wonder what Elric had mentioned of her to the woman.
Stealing glances of the redhead, Luvia was not too surprised that Trish was so close to being Elric's wife and had been his woman in the past. She was beautiful, and possessed the type of personality a lot of men would find appealing.
Though she hated it, Luvia could almost mentally see the things Elric would do with her if they were alone together and provided enough time.
"So…" Trish decided she would move the conversation forward "How has Elric been since the two of you reunited?"
"Hm?" Luvia understood the implications of what she was attempting to get at, but desired to see if feigning obliviousness would get Coen cause to be more blunt with what she intended with her words.
"I imagined that after so long apart, perhaps some new developments occurred after Elric reentered your life."
"Oh." Luvia attempted to feign apathy, but hints of her disatisfaction did manifest themselves just enough for Trish to recognize.
"Ah. I see," the representative smirked as she looked from Edelfelt then to her meal. "I see Elric can be as confusing and reclusive as ever."
In saying that, Trish caused a curiosity to be born in Luvia. Wondering what the circumstance of the redhead's time with Elric after he fled from the Rheons.
"Not that I truely care." Luvia hesitated to say anything initially. Watching Trish gulp down her drink, but finally spoke up to ask "But I'm curious, how did you come to be in a relationship with Elric?"
Trish smiled. Remembering the occasion fondly. "It was actually a funny thing, how that happened." Looking as if she was reliving a precious moment in her mind while she spoke with Edelfelt. "We didn't get along most of the time, but eventually…we became real close. He was probably one of the few real friends Dio and I had. Then I started to notice these different sides to him that weren't there before and I loved it." Resting one hand over her empty womb while she reclined back in her chair. "But eventually things just, well, they didn't work out the way either of us would have preferred."
"Do you...ever wish you could resume things with him?"
"Of course." Trish responded. "Maybe, once Allen's old enough, I might just come looking for Elric."
Luvia widened her eyes after she said that.
"So, I hope you're prepared for a fight down the line."
"I...I don't…" something snapped in her and her eyes became more intentese. Bring out her competitive side "You think I'll just let you walk in and take him with you? How precious." and sparks then went off between the two.
Eventually Luvia joined most of the establishment in returning to their respective rooms and resting.
As they all rested, the Adagium watched from the shadowed corner of the room. Contemplating a few mischievous methods by which he could toy with Belmont—perhaps cause some strife in the freelancer's life. But he would not. That lacked any sportsmanship. He merely watched Elric and Luvia rest in their beds while Mordred remained oblivious to his existence.
He watched with a sneer and could only mentally laugh as remembered what was in store for them tomorrow.
Sometimes the Acolytes were good for something.
April 6
By the time morning arrived, Luvia found Elric had already left the room. She found him waiting for the lobby. Trading small renaks with Kairi, both reminiscing over past missions.
"Oh, good. You're up."
Resting a hand on her waist, Luvia replied "Of course." glancing around, expecting to find Trish nearby only to see she was absent. "Where's Coen?"
"Left an hour or five ago."
He waited for me?
It surprised Edelfelt that Elric waited for so long. She imagined he would have wanted to spend more time with his ex.
"Well...I suppose we should head off."
To which they did, finding the building where the meeting was to be held a few blocks away. As he stepped into the hall, Elric felt the small scar through his left eyebrow begin to itch. Inside he found Clitus Stark waiting for him.
Author's Statement:
Hey. Sorry it's been so long. Had some...well, complications would be putting it lightly. To give you a summary, for those interested, after my last update in...I believe June—year checked, it was June—I wanted to relax for a bit. I was still writing, just expanding on the fragments I have ready for future chapters as well as creating some new ones then deleting a few cause they were really or atleast felt pretty racy and I was fine with that but felt like I was letting my hormones get out of control (which might not necessarily be a bad thing because I mostly write M stories for the most part and have been desiring to make this one a little more mature with adult content then I have done with previous stories on this site) and while I don't mind putting some risque content in the story it just felt as if I was veering a little to far away from the story. Some of it is present among my fragments and I might rewrite what I deleted but for now they're gone (but yes, expect a few sex scenes in the future involving Elric and a few women...maybe, still haven't made my mind on if I'll keep those) as well as working on some other one-shots. As well as having a shit-load of reading material to catch up on (the complete collection of Lovecraft, Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, the Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, the Conquring Sword of Conan, the Bloody Crown of Conan, and the Long Moonlight). I've also been working on some original stories which I can use to make money. Fiddling with the idea of a Fallout one-shot (Warrior from the Roads). Trying to prepare some papers for videos as well as waiting to hear back from some Deviantart artists. Working on a RPG. And watching Evil Dead (the original) repeatedly. I also had some college work to do. Long story short, I've been busier than a coked-up backer and dealer (and that is me putting it very mildly...or atleast attempting to, if I'm being perfectly honest).