Leehalt

Noontime: February 26, 2190 AI

The two were looking for a place for Virginia to hide in so Werner wouldn't be able to find her. The plan would be to pretend to be playing Hide-and-Seek, and have Jet frantically looking for where the child had hidden. But while they were looking around the fifth floor, they ran into Leehalt Alchest. Jet turned up his nose, he personally hated the man. Leehalt disliked Werner ever since they were boys, due to the fact that Werner's calm, cool, and collected attitude helped him to beat Leehalt's constantly angry attitude when they had to compete for some sort of prize. His hatred towards the man grew even more after Werner had won the heart of the beautiful Ekatrina Roughnight, Virginia's mom, whom Leehalt also loved. Elliot and Leehalt weren't the best of friends either, most likely because Elliot and Werner did have a close friendship.

"What are you doing up here, Enduro?" he asked, angrily, "And what's with that little girl you've got with you. I didn't know your wretched father was out fooling around with other women and produced a love child several years back. Your dead mother must be so disappointed." Leehalt laughed, he loved when he struck a nerve within people he didn't like. It was harder for Elliot and Werner, both being level headed in an argument, but for Jet the nerve was his dead mother. For she had a rare illness, one that made childbirth extremely painful and difficult. Many women who had it would die when their child was born, and she was no exception. Ever since, Jet blamed himself for his mother's death, while Elliot tried to say it was because she was ill. But whenever they encountered one another, Leehalt would use that little Trump card on him.

"Don't you dare speak about my mother like that! And my father was not sleeping with anyone else a few years ago, he would never turn his back on Mom like that! I promised that I would watch over this girl and you better not try anything to bother her. Else I'll have to punch your lights out you jerk," vowed Jet.

Virginia, not aware of the past between her father and Leehalt, and not even knowing who this is so she couldn't think anything of Elliot's little speech earlier, said, "Hello, my name is Virginia Maxwell. I'm here visiting with my Daddy, but he had something to do. So Jet is taking care of me today. And who are you, sir?" She curtsied, and gave him one of her winning smiles. Not that it had any effect on Leehalt, if anything it made the scientist start to growl. She may look like her father, but she had Ekatrina's smile.

Jet could see that Leehalt was mad. He instantly forgot his rage over the scientist's words, and began trying to get Virginia to come with him somewhere else. But the girl, not wanting to be rude, stayed where she stood as Leehalt walked up to her. The scientist scowled at the child, and slapped her across the face. "You little brat! How dare you even be born! You are a symbol of the love that should have been mine! And you HAD to look just like your wretched father, and not like your beautiful and kindly mother."

Suddenly, he found himself tackled on the ground. Jet had gotten mad at Leehalt for hitting his friend, and decided to pound him to a bloody pulp. He'd been waiting for something like this to come to him for years now, ever since Elliot had enrolled him in those Tai Kwon Do classes when he was ten. The boy only didn't do something like this because he didn't want to create trouble. But if Leehalt hit him first. . .

"Don't you DARE hit her again!" he exclaimed, "She's only a little girl, there's no reason to fight with her. If you want to fight someone, fight me. I'll take you on any day of the week. This one's for Virginia. And this one is for the time you smashed Dad's favorite wine right in front of him. And this one's for the time you tried to blow apart Uncle Werner's whole room by knocking over practically everything in a fit of anger."

He continued to smack the man for a few minutes, until he heard shouts. Then, in came Werner and Elliot, who'd heard the commotion. They saw Virginia crying, rubbing the red spot on her cheek. Then they saw an extremely angry Jet wrestling with their irate comrade. At once, they knew Leehalt had started something. Jet never picked fights, he'd even said he hoped Leehalt would start so he'd have a reason to give him what he so richly deserved. Werner chuckled a little, if he wasn't so peaceful he'd do that as well.

"Daddy. . .the mean man smacked me for something I don't even understand. Something to do with your love for Mommy, and that I look like you. Jet just started beating him up when he was bothering me, so don't blame him for anything," begged Virginia, giving both men her puppy dog eyes. Leehalt began to make gagging sounds, anything so cutsy like that disturbed him. Werner always knew the man was nuts.

Elliot told the girl, "It's ok, we know what a jerk Leehalt is. Jet's not going to get in any trouble for this, and neither will you. Hey, Leehalt, would you kindly keep our children out of your little vendetta, I know you like to tease Jet on the side. Especially keep his mother out of this, you know how much it upsets him. I can't believe how rude and insensitive you are. There are some topics you just don't touch, and a dead or sickly family member isn't one of them." He pulled his son of the man, and began to hold the boy close.

Leehalt scoffed. "Well, that little brat looked at me with Ekatrina's smile, and that made me mad. I never want to see that child of yours again Werner, you just keep her out of my way. If she is away from me, then I won't bother her." He turned around, and headed back for the research room to finish his work.

"Daddy, what's with him?" asked Virginia, "What's wrong with smiling like Mommy? I won't do it again if it's bad, am I not s'posed to copy someone else's smile?" She looked at her father with all her innocence. Werner ruffled his daughter's hair, she certainly had a sweet attitude. Just like her mother.

"Well, you see, you know how Daddy loves Mommy with all his heart? Well, Leehalt also was in love with Mommy. But Mommy wanted Daddy instead. So mean old Leehalt just goes around and tries to make my life miserable, as well as that of Uncle Elliot, since we're close friends. Just stay out of his way, he can be a very mean and miserable person himself if provoked," Werner warned the child. He then took the Teleport Orb out of his pocket, and shook it a little bit. For some reason, it became a little charged with energy whenever near Yggdrasil's generators. Since that's where Werner was coming from, he had to shake it in order to get the charge out. Else the orb wouldn't work properly. But when he shook it, nothing happened. The excess charge stayed, and if it was used it might send them to the wrong place.

Elliot said, "That doesn't look good Werner. If you use it in this current state, then you might end up teleporting to the middle of the Outer Sea, and become food for the Harpies. I wouldn't want to trust this thing with my son's well being, so maybe we should have it looked at before you bring Virginia home today."

Virginia looked at Jet, and gave him a smile. 'Maybe it still won't work properly, and I can stay with my Daddy at the lab. This is the greatest peace of good fortune to ever hit me. Chapananga be blessed."

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

Why did I write a whole scene with Leehalt? Well, I thought it would be a good introduction for the whole situation in the third part of the story. I wanted to have Leehalt's excessive anger over Virginia in the third story be given some base in the first. Since he hated her simply for being born, what a jerk. Only thinks of himself. If someone I loved was in love with another, I'd leave them and let them be happy in order to show my love. And if it was either my life or the lives of the whole planet, I wouldn't be afraid to die.