The Magicians' Realm Chapter 85: Conversing, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Chapter 85, everybody! Although I think this qualifies more as a Christmas miracle—yes, I'm back with an update, and will be updating all my active stories this week so we end the year on a high note. Can't guarantee regular updates for the next month or so, but I'll be doing my best to focus on these so we can entertain regular updates once again. :D

Also, got around to reading the latest Skulduggery Pleasant book—don't waste your time with it.

There's a reference in this chapter to the gospel song "Run On (God's Gonna Cut You Down)", which you may have heard Johnny Cash sing recently and Elvis Presley sing prior. I recommend looking it up and giving it a listen, but the gist of it is that you get away with nothing—a point that's going to be important later on in the story.

Movie this week is White Christmas, my family's favorite Christmas movie—I think it was the first time I had ever watched the whole thing, and I have to say that I love it too. Nice and clean, good music, nice jokes—definitely my favorite Christmas movie (Nightmare Before Christmas doesn't entirely count, since I watch that one year round).

Angiembabe, thanks for the review! Not sure—maybe it's the random chance of getting spider-powers, or that some people are allergic, or that some people don't like being bitten in the middle of the night (like my Mom that one time). They do, which is why I prefer them to be outside—we have spiders that easily fit in the palm of my hand. They hang out in my chicken house—the chickens don't eat them. I think they're scared of the spiders, to be honest….Yes—that was straight from the Skulduggery Pleasant books. :P Yes, well….

Fromtheashtrees, thanks for the review! Yes, well….You have no idea…and then my creative juices are diverted to elsewhere (on the positive side, when I finish my active stories up, the next ones will have a nice head of steam on them). Nope—it can be done! :D

FluffyIdiotIsI, thanks for the review! I do too—I'd probably overlap it with my Glint and the Pirates work, since I tend to put anything original into that world (including having Delvaire mentioned on a map). We shall see in this coming year. :D Yes…it would be their luck that the elder Yami is adept at insult-sword-fighting: "You fight like a cow!" Yes, much to Maxwell's chagrin….Yes please. Well, hopefully it was worth the wait. ^^;

References:

The Shadow © Conde-Nast (exact date difficult to ascertain—first radio appearance was in 1930; first print appearance was in 1931)

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

Whatever Administrator Carter did, it was entirely unpleasant—dark and pitch and feeling like there were things in the darkness trying to snatch at her—

And then suddenly she was back out in the sun—

And very nearly tripping down the Administration Building steps.

She managed to catch herself, catch Yuki before he went tumbling past her, went down a few more steps to keep from pitching down the steps and breaking their necks. It wasn't until the little platform at the center of the steps that they finally did lose momentum without landing face-first on the ground.

"So long, have a nice trip, see you next fall and all that rot!" Administrator Carter said, giving them a little finger wave from the top of the steps, still with that vicious grin. Yup, definitely hated him now.

"You could have killed us!" she yelled up at him.

"Oh, wouldn't that be just my luck!" Administrator Carter called down, already turning to head back into the building. "Then I'd have the joy of you and her teaming up on me!"

Anzu steamed, wanting to run up there and give that jerk a what-for….

Who was her, exactly?

She shook her head, turned and started heading down the steps.

"Come on," she said to Yuki. "We might as well find Yami and tell him it was a bust."

*/*\*

"So how was your day?"

"Wouldn't you know, seeing as how you were there?" Teana asked, glancing up from her dinner.

"This is true, I was indeed," Yami said, pouring her another glass of wine—from the Mays' personal stores, she was told. "But my name is not Lamont Cranston, so therefore I don't know if you enjoyed it or not."

"You should be able to tell by my reactions and tone."

"I should, but I notice they tend towards sardonic—you and Kineil both. Is there a class or something that's just for women?"

"No," Teana said, stirring her peas into her mashed potatoes. "It's a very special talent passed down from mother to daughter—we can't risk getting too many people in together, or someone might get suspicious."

"Which, unfortunately, means we must be getting rid of you," Mitzi said, coming up to lean on the side of his wingback. "Seeing as how you know too much."

"So there is a class on sardonicism," Yami said, eyebrows askew.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that. And I suppose I'll be having to do it with Ivy, seeing as how we've finally found something Atlas isn't good at."

Teana very nearly choked on her wine.

"Well, he is good at that," Mitzi clarified. "It's just that he has no luck in instigating an event to follow nine months later."

"Gee, I think I hear someone calling me. Max!" Yami yelled across the way, all but squirming in his seat.

"What?" Maxwell yelled back.

"See? Must to go."

If it weren't for Mitzi steadying the chair, Teana was fairly certain Yami would have knocked it backwards in his haste to flee.

"Well, now that he's out of the way," Mitzi said, settling into his chair. "How was your day?"

"I can't tell—did you do that just to get rid of him?" Teana asked, pointing.

"Well, I can't imagine you wanting to discuss that aspect of my life—"

"No, no, I just want to know if that works every time."

"Careful dear—me discussing it makes him uncomfortable because I'm his friend. You discussing it might have him scrambling for a ring—and as one acquaintance to another, I'm really hoping for next August."

"You and Ghastly both."

"Yes, I noticed—he's been waiting for Yami to bring you in so he could get your measurements; you have bridal outfits in your future."

"I take comfort in the fact that he didn't actually take any measurements."

"He doesn't need to—he's just that good."

Teana groaned and buried her face in her arms.

Mitzi patted her arm sympathetically. "Yes, well, we all love you; but unfortunately, the collective known as Skellington's friends enjoy watching him scramble too much."

"You people need better hobbies."

"If you ever have children, betting on the messes they get into will probably be it."

"We're still dating, I want you to know—and that's tentative."

"And yet you're living under his roof."

"Don't go there."

"Fair enough. And what's this I hear about another job? Am I working you too hard or not enough?"

"I—how did you know about that?"

Mitzi suddenly very much reminded Teana of a cat with its eyes on a canary. "The Delvaire grapevine, dear—anything and everything that goes on in this town goes through us first. It's why the Board is such a success."

"Does no one understand the concept of privacy?"

"As a matter of fact, we completely understand the boundaries of private and public actions—it's part of the modus operandi."

Teana flapped her hands at Mitzi and glared across the way at nothing.

"Oh dear, now I've gone and made you recalcitrant," Mitzi said, picking up Yami's abandoned wine glass and examining it. "And after I gave you our best wine and sending you home with a bottle besides."

"When was this?" Teana asked, sparing her a glance.

"Well, I gave it to Yami and told him it was yours—giving it to you would have it sitting on the table at the end of the night. Whatever happened, I wonder, that made you so hesitant to accept gifts from people you know?"

"Now that—is a private matter."

"Ah, but what you do in the dark will be brought to the light—we all have private things we wish to keep that way, but someday it all comes out. It's an immutable fact of life."

Teana sighed. "Yeah. But can we wait until then?"

"I suppose I have the patience for it," Mitzi sighed, putting the glass back on the table. "If you're done eating, dear, the dance floor is calling."

*\*/*

"Stupid sorry sunnova—if that's one of your ideas of a joke—"

"Talking to ourselves again?"

Maxwell paused in his steaming stalk across the lobby to spare a glare at Administrator Serpine. Great—one of the guys he couldn't out-and-out sass.

That red right hand of his made it too difficult.

"No, I'm just going over my grocery list," Maxwell said coolly. "Matter of fact, since it's such a slow day here—ta!"

And he was gone through the shadows before Serpine could react, out in his usual alley and heading for the graveyard before he hit the brakes. In broad daylight, really?

…With Skellington probably staking the place out?...

"Ugh," Maxwell spat, stalking away. "I should have never—I should have taken off the second I thought things were going south." He should have taken off the second he saw his new chair.

No…he should have taken off the second Skellington started falling for his beau.

Maxwell sighed and used his shadow travel to duck into Massenborough while he waited for nightfall. By then, Skellington would be making his move again, and he….

Maxwell sighed, knowing just what he'd be doing tonight.

Going back to that stupid graveyard and finding out what he was supposed to be doing.

Oi vey.