The Magicians' Realm Chapter 34: Dinner and a Show, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Chapter 34, everyone! In which Teana's opinions on politicians is revealed and we please quite a few people by finally giving Otogi his just desserts. :)

Angiembabe, thanks for the review! Yes, that would make things go more smoothly—except for the fact that Yami has friends who pick locks. And he has a lot of friends—he's one of those personalities. Very sneaky—not right away, but we'll be getting more hints here and there before big emotional explosions happen. :)

Fromtheashtrees, thanks for the review! Ah, a pity….Count yourself lucky that you don't get junk mail-order magazines in the mail (we get them because of Mom's shop). Yeah…I think at first they tried to have him be a cheap Kaiba to have an attempt at a new story arc, and then he was demoted to Tristan's rival for Serenity's affections. His story was a bit darker in the manga, but he never seemed to do much after that—although I was happy to see him during the kidnapping scene in the Battle City story arc during the anime. I think so—just look at Inside Out: those little mind workers throw out the old memories and keep the annoying gum commercials. :P See? Maybe next you should make cookies with M&Ms making molecule shapes. :D

FicReader, thanks for the reviews! You're welcome—kind of picked that up from BlackRoseDragonCK, because it struck me as a nice thing to do. :) Good questions, as those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it….Yes, they are—haha, understandable slip, since I keep referencing the Harry Potter series in this. The Ministry of Magic would be across the ocean from the Administration in this world, I think. Perhaps he is….And he could, but that'd be a bit too abrupt, since Maxwell has never had occasion to talk to Yami M., and he doesn't seem to be able to come out direct and talk about it….Definitely bored, and definitely his motivation—he's not happy unless someone else isn't. Good question! I've always pronounced it "Mont-gow" with a hard t, but I like your pronunciation. :)

References:

Original characters + setting © Kineil D. Wicks (myself, not the girl in the story)

As promised, Mitzi had returned to converse, but it wasn't long before such a discussion was interrupted by Horatio bustling over.

"Madam May?" Horatio noised. "Uh, there's a guy here without a pin, and he's being very insistent upon being let in…."

Mitzi sighed elaborately. "Maybe if you ask Viktor nicely he'll go growl at him for you."

"I, uh, did. He growled at me."

"Viktor!" Mitzi yelled. "I thought we discussed this!"

"We did!" Viktor yelled back. "I did not break his kneecaps!"

"Is this normal?" Teana asked, silently hoping the answer would be no.

"It is for…what day is today?" Yami asked.

"Tuesday," Mitzi said. Then, to Horatio: "Do you know who it is?"

"No, but he gave me a card," Horatio said, handing it over to her.

Mitzi held it delicately between two fingers and looked at it. "Duke Otogi. Well, I wonder if it's a royalty-duke or a name-duke. What is it, dear?" she asked, looking up at Teana's moan.

"And I had enjoyed dinner, too," Teana muttered.

"He's a pest," Yami said to Mitzi. "Don't—"

Teana looked over at his abrupt stop—he looked struck by an idea.

"Actually, let him in," Yami said.

Mitzi shrugged and handed the card back to Horatio. "Do as he says, Horatio," she ordered.

"What are you doing?" Teana asked.

"I'll be right back," Yami said, standing up and hustling off.

"Charming. I may have to go prep Viktor for heavy lifting," Mitzi said, heading off at a pace slightly faster than sashay.

Teana was left feeling very confused, and settled for watching the door for the inevitable wave of smarm and glancing about to see exactly what Yami was up to—

There he was—he had come up behind Kineil, who was chatting with a young boy from the band. Yami had both hands on her shoulders and was saying something to her, punctuated by one long finger pointing when Otogi finally entered.

Kineil leaned, looked, then looked back to Yami, grinning a Chaos grin as she said something to him.

She trotted off, heading for Otogi as Yami strode back to Teana's table. Teana couldn't help but drum her fingers as he arrived.

Yami paused for a moment upon returning, as though considering his actions, before sitting down across from her.

"Should I feel bad about siccing Kineil on that guy?" he asked her.

"Probably," she told him.

"Your expression says you don't quite agree with your decision."

"I would dearly love to be a fly on the wall. Don't grant that wish, by the way."

"You wouldn't want to be a fly."

"You're not saying that from experience, are you?"

The expression on Yami's face said it all.

"Tell me, and be honest," she said, shifting her weight in her chair. "How often do you actually think your actions through?"

"Idgy says I have a tendency to go off on a half-baked scheme."

"That's actually being generous."

"Can I ask you why you're so dismissive of me?"

"You can."

"Would you answer if I did?"

"Probably not."

"Not even if I asked nicely?"

Teana fiddled with her fingers, considering.

"I…don't have any luck with men," she decided on finally—it was a partial truth, at least. "I've learned that it's better to avoid them altogether."

He blinked at her, glanced away; when he looked back, he looked a tad…concerned, she was going to say.

"Should…Kineil be worried?" he asked finally.

"Do you ever think before you speak, or do you like the taste of your own foot?"

"Maybe I should stop while I'm behind."

"Good idea. And no, Kineil has nothing to worry about—unless the maggot from the other night hexes her."

"He won't get the chance—Kineil has a tendency to steamroll people she doesn't like."

That she could believe. "All she really has to go on is your opinion of him."

"She'll form her own opinion of him quickly enough."

Teana was ready to ask why when raucous laughter sounded. She glanced over to see Kineil chasing a panicked Otogi through the Revue, an event that presented an alarming lack of alarm—some people actually started taking bets.

"That you should probably stop," she informed Yami, pointing.

Yami looked. "Oh that? She's fine—"

"Get back here, you little weasel!" Kineil yelled.

"…mostly."

The chase was abruptly cut short by Maxwell, of all people, who—without looking up from his paper—stretched a leg out so Otogi tripped. Kineil descended upon him like a hawk going in for the kill.

"Thanks Max," Kineil tossed, yanking Otogi up. "Want in on this?"

"Ooh, love to, but I have a paper I want to finish," Maxwell commented.

"I'd let you watch."

"I'm sure we'll hear the screams."

"True." With that, she applied a chokehold to Otogi. "You and I, little man? We're going to have some laughs," she said into his ear, teeth bared in a savage grin. "Hey Beej!" she shouted. "Give me a hand here!"

And with that, she dragged him out through what must have been an alley entrance, some guy in a black-and-white striped suit helping her.

Teana watched them go before looking at Yami.

Yami looked back. "I really don't want to get in the middle of that," he said, pointing. "Kineil might hurt me."

"I'm concerned about the fact that you have friends who would injure people on your behalf. She is going to stop before she kills him, yes?"

Yami raised a hand and opened his mouth, looking like he was getting ready to say of course, but stopped before he did, obviously pondering the situation.

He sagged, sighing, before he got up and started for the door. "Kineil!" he called.

"Let them go for a few more minutes!" Mitzi called. "Viktor's helping—it's good for him."

"Marvelous," Atlas said. As soon as Yami left, he turned to the rest of the Revue. "Okay! How many teeth does she knock out first? Bets are open."

Teana pondered this before standing up and heading for the main entrance.

"And where are you going?" Maxwell asked as she passed by, not looking up from his paper.

She allowed herself a moment to ponder whether or not he had cut peepholes into the paper before answering. "Why?" she asked. "Are you going to report me back to your boss?"

That prompted the newspaper to drop so he could look at her properly. "Oooh, such sass," he countered—although he was grinning at her, she saw nothing pleasant about the expression. He was the sort to have fun at other people's expense, she felt. "I do wonder what he sees in you that's made him go stupid like he has."

She decided not to give his comment an answer, instead opting to walk away.

"Oh, so you do have something for him," Maxwell continued, tapping his cigar ashes into the ashtray-stand beside him. "And yet you're searching for every excuse not to. I wonder why. I mean, that's even a side-bet on the board. You know what I'm putting money on, though?" he added, leaning around his chair as she continued away and raising his voice a little. "I bet you think this is a thing Magicians do—adopt charity cases from the wait staff."

Teana stopped, turned, crossed back to Maxwell—

Snatched up his drink, and flung it in his face.

"While I have your silence for a few moments, allow me to make a few things perfectly clear," she spat. "I have no interest in mingling in the affairs of Magicians—as far as I'm concerned, you're a bunch of self-centered…nincompoops who'd rather have solid-gold bathtubs than look beyond your noses to see what's going on with the everyman!" She was aware of the Revue growing very quiet. "And you know what else? Yes, I think you see Commoners as charity cases, and that by helping one or two, that makes you a good person. And then you have the indecency to be surprised when we're smart enough to figure it out! And then the knowledge that you're going to be doing this sort of thing over the course of several generations? You sicken me!"

"Max has that effect."

Teana jumped at the voice by her shoulder and looked to see Mitzi standing next to her, holding a bottle up. "And dear," Mitzi continued. "He may deserve it, but when you throw booze in his face, use the cheap stuff."

"Glad you think I'm not worth it," Maxwell muttered, fishing a handkerchief out and wiping his face down.

Teana shook her head, turned—

And saw Yami, who, judging by his expression, had heard her every word.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Teana said to Mitzi.

And then she headed for the door as quickly as possible.