Author's note: Thanks for waiting as always!
Now, about that 'suggestive' version? Well, I might consider it on this site, too.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Stepping inside the study, Pyrrha was pleasantly surprised as to how intricately designed it was. Admiring the decor for a bit, she heard the sound of feet walking.
She turned to see that it was Lydia, who asked, "What do you think? Nice place to catch up on your studies, right?"
With a nod, the blonde replied, "I had remembered a small study in my old home. I would take up on reading books that caught my eye, namely books on science and literature."
"Really? So have I; I think we have a little something in common, don't we?"
Pyrrha was a bit perplexed at Lydia's assertiveness, and with a faint blush, she asked, "Are you...trying to flirt with me?"
"Maybe..." She then added with a grin, "Perhaps a game of chess will decide things: if you win, you get to sit next to me during dinner. But if I win...it's the same old story every day."
"In other words, nothing had changed."
"Excuse me, but are you trying to hit on my sister?" a voice rang out, prompting both girls to notice.
Lydia looked over at Patroklos, and smirked. "Well, sounds like you've got quite an attractive sibling."
As she spoke those words, she walked towards him, and added, "Also, I was actually trying to pick up on her; hell, I've even challenged her to a game of chess. Not to mention both of you seem to be fair game."
"Then maybe I'll take Pyrrha's spot!"
Pyrrha was surprised, although Lydia crossed her arms with a smile. "Sounds like you've got the hots for me too, don't you?" she asked.
"I...I guess." he replied, scratching the back of his neck whilst sporting a noticeable flush.
"And on the topic of chess...have you ever played it before?"
Having remembered learning up on, and playing game of chess when he was a teenager against Athena, Patroklos nodded. He watched as Lydia headed to the chess table within the study, and let out a smile as she invited him over for a game.
"Well, are you ready?"
Nodding again, he sat before her, and before the game could begin, Pyrrha told them, "Good luck." before taking her leave.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As confident as he was in defeating her, Patroklos was stunned as to how Lydia was precise and careful with her moves. And since she provided the 'checkmate', he had no idea what to say.
He sighed, and said, "You're actually quite good at this. Probably around the same caliber as Athena."
Lydia raised an eyebrow at first, but smiled at his compliment. "You weren't so bad yourself, either. Sadly, though, I won't be sitting next to you for tonight's dinner."
Nodding, Patroklos got up and asked, "I don't get it...how come you're so flirty around me and Pyrrha?"
Lydia sighed as she followed suit, replying with, "It's a pretty long story...maybe I should explain later, but until then."
Her frown soon turned into a smirk as she left the room, leaving him alone in the room...or was he? Because it didn't take long for someone to materialize, and that someone was Athena.
"I see you've gotten the hang of it; perhaps Lydia can invite you to another game of chess next time." she told him.
"Perhaps..." he replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Elizabeth had offered to go out and meet up with a familiar face, and was made sure to return to the base for dinner. Heading to the tavern, she smiled as she ordered some beer from the bartender.
At the same time, it wouldn't take long for her to notice the man sitting next to her. The man was tall and grizzled and it didn't take long for her to recognize him as she asked, "Rock? Is that you?"
He turned his head to see her, and a broad smile lit up his features. "Ah, Elizabeth...it is very good to see you again after all these years. How's Bangoo?"
"Well, since I've reunited with him a year ago, he's been doing well back in America. He wanted me to let you know that he's truly grown up, after all." Elizabeth replied.
Rock nodded, and asked, "So, what brought you here?"
"It all started with a soothsayer telling me that something awaits here in Europe, namely Germany. So I went there, and found myself meeting a woman here."
As she continued, Patroklos had also showed up at the tavern, but not to drink or even hang out. Rather, he went there for a different reason.
"I don't get it...how am I acting so nice towards almost everyone I meet?" he asked a cloaked figure.
The cloaked figure in question happened to be Athena, since Pyrrha wanted her brother to have a word with the goddess of wisdom. "You've used to be a very stubborn, and somewhat violent youth. I've a feeling you might have a change of heart as your time with the Mad Hearts Neo passes..."
"A change of heart, huh?"
He let out a small sigh, before taking notice of Elizabeth conversing with Rock. Out of curiosity, he chose not to interrupt their conversation, but ask politely as he approached them, to which Athena dissolved.
Clearing his throat, he asked, "Excuse me, but...sorry to interfere, but, do you frequent here?"
Elizabeth saw that Patroklos was standing before her and Rock, and smiled. "Ah, it's you again, Patroklos. First, allow me to answer your question: I don't drink as much as Isuzu, but I just like to hang out and enjoy a conversation with a friend or two."
She then added, "And second, this is Nathaniel Adams, an old friend of mine, and Bangoo's father. He prefers to be called 'Rock', though."
"Nice meeting you, Mr. Adams. Oh, whoops..."
An almost embarrassed chuckle escaped his lips as he corrected himself by saying, "Nice meeting you, Rock."
"Elizabeth has told me you are one of the two children of Sophitia Alexandra. Is that true?" Rock asked.
"Yeah. I'm the younger one, whereas Pyrrha is the older one."
"Interesting..."
He took another gulp of his beer, before asking, "You want a drink with us?"
Patroklos shook his head 'no'. "Sorry, I don't drink." was his response.
"But at least we can talk and get to know each other; tell me, what was your life like before meeting us?" Elizabeth asked.
The young man shrugged and took a seat next to them, and, for a while, told his origins to Elizabeth and Rock, as did the both of them.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After saying their goodbyes to Rock, Patroklos and Elizabeth returned to the base, just in time for dinner. While dinner was running smoothly, Marie had an announcement to make.
"After we eat, we should visit my father. He'll be more than happy to show Patroklos and Pyrrha the ropes on combat."
Having remembered being taught under Ares and Athena's tutelage, both siblings had been almost well-versed in fighting against enemies. It may be the same training routine, but at least the siblings would get some friendly sparring out of it, too.
"You nervous about meeting him again?" Isuzu asked Patroklos.
"Sort of..." was his reply.
"Actually, I am honored to engage in a possible match with Siegfried." Pyrrha added.
"That's cool!" Marie exclaimed with a smile.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When it was over, everyone left to go visit Schwarzwind. Siegfried and Tristy were happy to not only have their daughter visit them as usual, but also the rest of her group, and even the Alexandra siblings.
While Pyrrha engaged in some lessons with the older man, Patroklos had to wait his turn. At the same time, he took notice of Greed and Malice running their mouths as usual.
"So Marie's known as 'The Daughter of Two Heroes', huh? Now that she's grown up, I can't wait to get my hands on her."
As Greed spoke, he licked his lips, prompting Malice to make a rather disgusted noise. "You're a pervert; almost everyone here knows that."
"So what? Maybe the other girls are hot."
Patroklos soon interrupted by attempting to ask, "What are you guys talking ab-"
He was cut off, however, when Siegfried spoke up. "Patroklos, you're next. Show me what you are capable of."
The blond sighed as he briefly rolled his eyes, before he caught up with him on the training field. It didn't take long for the older man to take out his sword, the famous Soul Calibur.
This prompted Patroklos to raise an eyebrow, seemingly curious about its origins. And yet, he didn't realize that Siegfried was charging after him.
Quickly, he brought out his shield, and narrowly avoided his attack. Patroklos would then get his sword out, and gave several slashes to him.
While Siegfried deflected the first few, he wound up taking damage. Thankfully, he would fire back, his sword delivering a few blows to him.
As he grit his teeth, the younger man charged for him, ready to attack once more. However, Siegfried's sword collided with Patroklos's, and he said with a small smile, "You're pretty good. Not as excellent as Pyrrha, but still..."
"Try me."
Siegfried would then break through, and another series of hits were given to the young man. With a grimace, Patroklos tried to fight back, but once again, Soul Calibur deflected his incoming attacks.
Back and forth, the two continued to duel, until the young man was finally bested. He muttered to himself, "I hate to lose!" as he got up from the ground.
"This isn't a fight, Patroklos. Not only was this friendly competition, but this is just a taste of you'll be expecting in battle along with Pyrrha, Marie and the others."
Patroklos sighed, and Pyrrha patted him on the shoulder with a smile. "Don't worry, Patroklos. You'll get better!" she told him.
"Yeah, whatever."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Soon, both men were given treatment for their wounds (which Pyrrha was also given prior), and before long, Siegfried was ready to talk.
"You and Patroklos have proven your worth to fight alongside us. When the final battle with Nightmare is among us, you will be ready to stand and fight!"
His words of encouragement made Pyrrha smile, and while he was initially sullen about it, so did Patroklos. However, he seemed intent on asking Greed and Malice about Marie.
As he approached them, the duo were quick to notice him. "Well, what do we have here?" Malice asked.
"Sorry to interrupt your little talk, but I've heard you and Greed talking about visually ogling Marie."
"Really? You wanna join in, too?"
Greed's question caught Patroklos off-guard, and he shook his head 'no'. "O-Of course not! My sister and I are very chaste people."
"Well, that's a bummer to hear." Malice said with a small frown. "But I bet it's pretty awesome being the only guy living with the Mad Hearts Neo...you sure are lucky!" he added.
"Uh...th-thanks, I guess."
A luminescent blush formed on Patroklos's face as he managed an awkward smile, before he finally said, "I also believe you shouldn't be thinking of anything obscene towards Marie, or even the others for that matter."
"Pfft, whatever." Greed retorted, rolling his eyes.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Back at the base, Patroklos believed his guest room was rather ordinary, but thankfully, he and Pyrrha were able to make their rooms somewhat unique. While she was given a small library of books, he was given a training dummy for him to let out his rage on.
Just as he was about to retire for the night, he heard his door being knocked on. Already clad in his sleeping garb, he went to answer it.
"Marie?" he asked. Indeed, it was the leader of the Mad Hearts Neo, cheerful and energetic as always.
"Hey, Patroklos! So, what do you think of your new surroundings?"
"Well...I'd say it's okay, in my opinion. I mean, my bedroom and her bedroom aren't extravagant, but at least we spiced them up a bit." was his reply.
Patroklos then sat on the edge of the bed, and inquired, "So tell me more about yourself. Like...why are your parents quite well-known years ago?"
Marie walked over to him, and replied, "Well...my dad was the owner of the legendary Soul Calibur, but when he was younger, life was very troubling for him. Not only did he do...really awful things...but he became this being known as Nightmare."
"Nightmare...?"
"Yep; my mom, on the other hand, was upset when she found out about what happened, and decided to take action, rounding up her merry band of fighters, and even prompting Dad to realize that continuing to wield Soul Edge could prove to be dangerous." she continued.
"But now that he's conquered his inner demons, he's ready to end this war once and for all. And as his daughter, I am more than happy to help out."
Her words brought a small smile to Patroklos's features, and asked, "And you've taken the same path of being a hero, like your parents?"
"Uh-huh. I've even recruited Helen, Lydia, Liz and Isuzu, as well."
"Wait a minute...Liz? Don't you mean Elizabeth?" he asked again.
"Well, yeah. Liz happens to be her nickname from us." she replied.
"Elizabeth...Liz...interesting."
Quickly changing the subject, Patroklos spoke up. "Now about that 'Fated Heroes' thing. You happen to be one of them, right? What about the other one?"
Marie briefly pondered, before she simply shrugged. "You may never know..."
"Really?"
"But I can tell you this; you and Pyrrha will make great allies to our cause. You think so, too?" she asked.
A thought came to Patroklos, and as he closed his eyes, he envisioned himself and Pyrrha teaming up with Schwarzwind, and even the Mad Hearts Neo to fight Nightmare in what would have been a final battle.
He then opened his eyes, and turned to her, sporting a brief but surprisingly kind smile. "Of course. I can tell we're gonna get along pretty well, wouldn't you say?"
Marie beamed, and gave him a hug, prompting him to flinch a bit. "Wh-What are you doing?" he asked.
"Just giving you a hug; not of the romantic kind, mind you. But my way of saying 'Thank you!'" she said.
She would then head for the door, ready to leave when Patroklos said, "About Greed and Malice...if they ever hit on you for no reason, just ignore them."
This prompted Marie to look over at him briefly, before she smiled and nodded her approval. "Okay then. Well, goodnight!"
"Goodnight."
Once she had left, Patroklos laid back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. Slowly, but surely, his fate could soon entwine with hers...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Coming soon: Chapter 2!
With love for my fans,
Chrissy