A Certain One-Eyed Mage
By: Bubbajack
Editors/Co-Authors: IcySnowSage, First Hassan
Ch.3: Being and Becoming.
For the first time Xander could recall since kindergarten, he got up in the morning, eager to attend class. He took a quick shower and did the rest of his morning ablutions before making his way to the living room. He thought he was the first one up, yet he found his teacher waiting for him sipping green tea. "Good morning Alexander. Did you sleep well?" Rani greeted.
"Best sleep I've had in awhile," He replied stretching, as he repositioned his eyepatch. "You?"
"Due to my mastery of the Life Sphere I do not require sleep per se, so I've been doing research over all the gangs in the area and mental calculations for scenarios of what could happen should we run into any of them for the past thirteen hours," Rani calmly replied.
Xander blinked as he stared at his magical mentor, "You don't sleep? At all, ever?"
"I suppose I might need sleep, should something physically exhaust me…" She replied, staring at him over the rim of her glasses with a mischievous smirk on her face.
Walking over to the fridge Xander asked, "Did Draq naturally make you and Mattia horny all the time or is it something I did?" Coming back he bit into an apple before tossing her the other one he had in hand.
"You remembered," she said, smiling down at the fruit, "But to answer your question, it's a bit of both. We being Szlachta require Vitae in order to function. Due to being a mage, your bodily fluids are rather flush with it as mages use Quintence otherwise known as chi, prana, od, mana whatever you'd prefer to call it. I suppose you could give us your blood but… where's the fun in that for either of us?"
"So you sex powered badasses? How did I get so lucky?" The question was only semi-rhetorical on his part.
"Good Karma perhaps?" Rani replied. "Are you ready to get started?"
"Yes, I'm actually eager to learn for once," He paused, then smiled, "I can't remember the last time I said that. My first day on the construction job, maybe?" His smile became a bit sour as he continued, "Anyway what do I do first?"
Motioning to the chair across from her, she said, "Have a seat," Upon doing so she continued, "Firstly, we're going to outline just what you want to learn so I know what to teach you. So Alexander, what do you want to learn from me and what would you consider taboo for yourself as a mage?"
"My list of taboos isn't that long, so I'll go over it first. No messing with the spirits of the dead or demons. No necromancy as in, no raising an army of the undead, though resurrection spells don't count. That's about it," He said, noting that Rani was writing all this down in a notebook. He then continued, "As for things I'd like to learn, Artificing, Runes, healing magic because healing night after night naturally fighting the good fight is a bitch… Good old fashioned elemental magic, teleportation because portals can get to places cars, boats and airplanes can't, and any magic that will prevent possession because twice was enough for me thanks. That'll do it I think."
"You were possessed twice?" Rani asked not looking up from writing in her notebook.
"Yeah, the first time was by a Hyena spirit, second time I was turned into my Halloween costume,"
"Who did you dress up as for Halloween?" She asked.
Coughing into his hand Xander replied sheepishly, "Sly Marbo. He's basically Rambo on steroids."
"I could, if you so desire, cast a spell that will let you relive his memories, but be warned, it could cause some… mental strain. Nothing you shouldn't be able to handle with the modifications Lord Dracula has given you but still. I felt justified in warning you." Rani informed him.
"Do it," Xander replied without delay. "I may have Cap's body but I lack his experience and skills; this'll bridge the gap. If I act surly afterwards, I apologize in advance."
Rani wove a pattern of numbers primarily blue in front of his face when she was done, visions flashed in front of his eyes.
He saw the planet of Catachan with all the horrors it entailed. The wildlife, the xenos invaders, the daemons trying to make a placeholder. He saw it all and how it hardened a young Sly Marbo into a prime jungle fighter.
He saw his first deployment to Ryza. He was one of ten brothers. He was the youngest and protected by his brothers from the ork boyz. He had to watch his brothers die one by one as they were overwhelmed till he was the last one left. It took him two weeks but he slayed the greenskin general and brought his head back as proof of his slaughter.
Xander saw him break further as he was deployed to Galabad and was held by the tender mercies of the dark Eldar. They tried to break him. Oh how they tried but Marbo would not break. One got careless and he ripped the xeno scum's face off with his bare teeth. He then took his sweet time going from post to post and killing the xeno scum as repentance for all his brothers in arms who died on this mission. He fought the Archon leader and made sure he knew his killer as he ripped his head off and impaled it on a spike.
Xander even saw the fall of Cadia as he went on a one man crusade against the heretics. Astartes were demigods but even demigods bled and Sly Marbo made sure their last thoughts were of his knife through their throat.
The one thing Xander gained the most from Sly Marbo was patience. He would wait days if not weeks for him to track his prey and bring them to the Imperial Mercy.
Xander saw him strike down a Banelord Titan through means of espionage, and sabotage.
Xander felt his senses heighten and he felt Rani breathing in front of him. He felt her pulse and he could almost see the blood pumping through her veins. He heard Suzue's shallow breaths from within her coffin. He even heard the mutters of ease as Mattia still slept soundly.
He returned to his senses and realized he was holding Rani close. Nothing tight but an embrace nonetheless. The only thing left from Sly Marbo besides rage was loss. Loss of the death of his brothers, his men, his allies, his friends forged in the battlefield called hell. Let it be known that the Witch, the Daemon, and the Xeno feared Sly Marbo but even he was just a man. It made Xander feel wiser. More at peace, but even more protective of what was his. And may the gods of above or below have mercy on those who dare cross him with the knowledge he gained. For the imperial truth has taught him one thing, it is to cherish those you love but also eliminate those beyond aid. For the Emperor's mercy is sometimes all you can give.
"Xander?" the Szlachta called after a moment, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," He replied, his voice sounding a little gruff to his ears. "I didn't hurt you did I?" feeling her shake her head, he squeezed her a tad tighter in the form of a hug before letting her go, "Good, now what's next?"
"Before we continue, how do you feel?" Rani inquired.
That was a loaded question at the moment, but the awakened answered as best he could, "Angry, hungry, a little horny. But mostly angry."
Giving him a demure smile as she fluttered her eyelashes at him while moving a strand of hair behind her ear she offered, "Well, I can help with the last two if you like?"
"I'm tempted, believe me, but Mattia and Suzue are both still asleep. I can hear their breathing."
Cocking her head to the side, Rani asked, "Are you sure? Is my form not to your liking?" it proceeded to ripple and change flowing like water until she looked like Cordelia Chase, "I can look like anyone you dork," It changed again this time to a fantasy elf, "Anyone you desire," She then changed into Buffy, "Any-"
She was cut off when Xander pinned her to the couch with a silent snarl, hand on her throat he leaned over her and whispered, "You do not take her form, ever again! Do you understand me?"
Assuming her regular shape, Rani nodded, "Understood, I apologize if I've offended you Master Alexander."
Letting go and sitting back he replied, "No you're not completely at fault here," Sighing he said without looking at her, "Remember when I said I was possessed by the Hyena spirit?" sensing more than seeing her nod, he continued, "Well I tried to force myself on Buffy at the time. I can't… I still haven't forgiven myself for that. It's like she's so out of my league that while possessed I tried to force myself on her? What the fuck is wrong with me?"
"Out of your league? She's out of your league? Excuse me but who was the one who had a well paying job, who wasn't flipping burgers for a living, who actually came up with a workable plan to not only defeat the Mayor, but got no credit?"
"How did you-?" He asked.
"When you relieved Marbo's memories I saw some of yours as a blowback from Paradox," Rani replied, continuing before he could reply, "The point I'm trying to make is, you are far more valuable as a man and bring more to the table as a partner than you realize. She may have enhanced abilities, but you have her outdone by far when it comes to living an actual life. She was forced into the call of heroism. You came willingly and jumped at the call! You have defied demons, gods, and made them wary of a 'simple' man. You scared Angelus to back down with words alone! You talked Willow down from destroying the world. Your empathy, love, and caring is far and away beyond others. Your hatred is earned, your love unrequited. You are a man worthy of not only my respect but love. You do not know the respect Dracula had for you when he crafted me. What took him usually hours he took weeks to make sure I was perfect for aiding you. So. Let. Me. Help. You."
"Ok," Xander said at last, "Okay,"
(Lemon Begins here.)
Rani grinned like the cat who ate the canary before she athletically swung her leg over his hips and took his face in his hands,before she locked lips with him. The kiss was passionate and almost needy on her end, as if she was trying to prove herself her equal if not the better of Mattia in this particular field of study. She licked his bottom lip before she pulled on it with her teeth, all but begging for entrance. Entrance Xander was all too willing to grant as the battle for dominance in his mouth began. Xander was strong but Rani had more refined technique ingrained into her very being. She moaned in disappointment when he pulled away, only to let out breathy little giggles as kisses trailed down her neck and collarbone.
"This is in the way," Xander half growled about her dress as he came to her shoulder.
"As is this," She replied as she ran her hands down his torso feeling the toned muscles before she tugged at his pants.
Deciding that the shortest way to a destination was a straight line, Xander picked Rani up and flipped her over while holding her upright. A bit jumbled from the sudden change in position, Rani let out a 'meep' as she felt her master's tongue proceed to lick at her folds. 'I've never been so happy I don't bother with undergarments' She thought before pulling down his pants' zipper. With her teeth. Her glasses saved her from being poked in the eye by the absolute phallic monster that leapt up at her in response. 'That thing looks like it would split me in half! How does Mattia fit it all? Does she? Can I?' She knitted her brow determinedly, 'Challenge accepted,' She thought before she took as much of him in her mouth as she could at once. Feeling waves of pleasure wrack her being, she was disappointedly noted, 'It's not even half,' Determined not to be beaten by her master's natural weapon' she used Vicissitude on herself to remove her gag reflex and took him even deeper.
The effect she noted was immediate, her master became frantic to the point she put his head in a leglock even as he started forcibly shifting her entire body up and down on his cock. 'I'm enjoying being used as a sex toy far too much' she thought as the shivers of an orgasm wracked her body moments before her master exploded in her mouth pumping Vitae down her throat. Being a Szlachta, she wasted nothing, and was almost disappointed when he pulled her away and flipped her upright before impaling her in reverse cowgirl position on his still hard prick.
"Ah, master! I'm still sensitive!" She cried out in ecstasy. Not only that but it was also her first time. A trio of fingers entered her mouth silencing her as she sucked on them.
"Shh," he whispered from behind as his free hand cupped her left breast. "Do you want Mattia or Suzue to hear you? Just imagine them hearing you, moaning like this… They come out to investigate, and they see you, like this. Little miss prim and proper groaning like a dog in heat? What would they think?"
The very thought of someone seeing her like this was turning her on even more. Her switch had been flipped. She wished so badly that one of the others would walk out of their rooms regardless of how unlikely it was to happen. She felt herself clench down hard on her master and for the second time, both found sweet, sweet release. He pulled her fingers out of her mouth and she leaned back against him languidly, her head in the crook of his neck. She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you Alex dear,"
"Love you too Rani, thanks, I needed that,"
(Lemon Scene End.)
"So food?" Xander asked.
"I'm not all that hungry, I just had a protein shake but I suppose I can cook you something," Rani said with a laugh. "What would you like?"
"Indian food?" Xander joked.
"Haven't you had your fill of that already?" She replied, slapping his arm, "Now enough jokes, besides an apple and me, what do you want to eat?"
"Sausage and eggs," he said at last "Then we really need to get to work,"
"Agreed I'll be right back," she promised, her glasses askew as she walked away a sashay in her hips as she walked into the kitchen completely naked.
'I'm beginning to think she prefers walking around like that to wearing clothing,' Xander thought to himself, though he wasn't exactly complaining, the view was quite nice in his opinion.
True to her word, barely under a minute later, she had returned with three plates of food.
"How in the hell… magic?" He asked.
"Magic," Rani confirmed, "Forces, if used subtly can be used for cooking, that combined with advanced use of Life can easily make any form of food one can think of."
Xander tasted the food and nodded, "Add that on the backburner. I'd like to learn how to cook with magic. Alchemy maybe?"
"By alchemy do you mean potion making, or the transmutation of matter from one element to another?" Rani replied, "As the former is considered a Path. A type of magic used by the Unawoken. The latter is a second dot in the Sphere of Matter."
"Both? Also what do you mean by Dot?" Xander asked after swallowing some food.
"Mages typically show their skills by wearing colored spheres of a certain color, typically precious gemstones, or metals showing their mastery of the spheres. Ruby denotes Forces, Onyx is for Entropy, Amethyst for Correspondence, Emerald for Life, Agate for Matter, Sapphire for Mind, Diamond for Prime, Spirit is Gold or Amber, and Time is Ammolite for the rainbow. It's something of a holdover from the Dark Ages and Enlightenment."
"That's kinda cool actually," Xander replied as he set his now empty plate aside, "So I want to start with Matter, how do we begin?"
"Activate your sight, and look at the plate, see its Pattern. That is how you get the first dot."
"Easy," Xander replied. His sight overtook his normal vision with a quick blink. He saw how the cogs shifted and moved in the pattern of the plate. They were almost static, practically unmoving. But occasionally, there was a slight 'click' as the gears and cogs moved ever so slightly. "Okay, now what?"
"To earn the second dot in matter you must turn an object into a similar object. Lead into Gold for example. Since we're using a plate, try turning it from a pressed glass into sand or something."
"I've got a better idea," Xander started fiddling with the gears and the cogs he knew what he wanted and they seemed to react to his intent, shifting, moving around, and in some cases disappearing entirely. Once he was done, the new configuration wound up all the pieces turning at once like the innards of a fine watch. Hearing Rani gasp, he turned his mage-sight off and looked at the finished product. Where a pressed glass plate once was, there was now a large plate shaped piece of solid pearl.
"This is beyond my expectations, how in the Tellerian did you?" Rani asked as she picked the plate up and looked it over.
Xander just shrugged, "Pearls are formed by sand getting in an oyster and being under water pressure, glass is heated sand. This plate is compressed glass. It made sense to me so I just did it?"
"Amazing, you skipped several dots and went right to alter the state of an object. Most people go through the step linearly to build up their understanding of what they can do but you just jumped from dot two, to dot six. That's an Arch Sphere."
"Oops?" Xander said, "Sorry?"
"Don't apologize. You're like… most mages are like machines when it comes to magic. They have linear logic. You however can make quantum leaps! Most can't do that, it would go against their paradigm… What makes you so special Alexander?"
"I have a good teacher?" He replied.
"Are you trying to get lucky again?" Rani asked him as she fixed her glasses.
Smiling a bit he replied, "Well that depends, is it working?"
"Focus!" Rani replied before she looked down at herself, "Though I suppose my being naked isn't helping,"
"No complaints here exactly, but yeah it is a tad distracting," Xander agreed.
Being at least understanding, Rani goes back into the kitchen and comes back out wearing an apron. Just an apron.
"Better?" asked Rani.
"Yes but also no? Like it's hiding everything but that makes you even sexier? Does that make any sense?"
"Perfect actually," in agreement Rani snapped her fingers and the apron glowed and shifted into a nice black lace negligee that covered up more. Xander had to ask one question though.
"Are you wearing panties or are you still thriving on your exhibitionist kink?"
The blush on Rani's face answered his question.
Xander just clapped his hands, "Still good enough. Continue what you were saying."
Pushing her glasses up a little so they glinted in the light Rani spoke, "We were talking about what makes you special? What is unique about you or your mindset I suppose?"
"I like building things, I even like building people up, encouraging them you know?"
"Empathy? Could that be it, could your particular worldview be harmonious with others rather than incitement? Xander, if I told you I saw everything as color coded numbers of ones and zeroes, what would your reaction be?"
"That's cool, coding is important. Just as important as mechanics," he replied. "I may not be a genius at math, but I know it's just as necessary for building anything. Measure twice, cut once you know?"
'He's putting up no resistance to his own worldview,' Rani realized. "And if I told you I saw everything as plants? As the natural life cycle of life and death?"
"Life and death is natural, it's the undead things that defy the natural order that freak me out," The cyclopean carpenter replied, "Why all the weird questions Rani?"
"Just one more and I promise I'll explain my dear Alexander," Rani replied begging for his forbearance, "if my beliefs revolved around taking lives from others and giving it to more deserving people? Like murderers and giving it to cancer patients or something as an example."
"Go for it? I mean the murder likely hasn't been caught yet if you've got to him and cancer is… a terrible way to go," Xander finished sullenly thinking of Joyce.
"I see, Alexander, your very nature differs from that of a typical mage. You don't defend your worldview, rather you accept others. I believe it is this empathy that allows you to think outside the box as they say. Why, you went from transmuting an object, to changing its state. You didn't alter its form like turning it into fog, or do a complex transformation, like say turning it into a gun. You changed it into something else entirely. And that's… extraordinary."
"Thanks but you don't need to gush over me so much it's… weird," He said after a moment.
"That's because you're not used to praise, you'll get better," She replied before she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Not only are you an incredible student, but you're a fantastic lover as well,"
Again Xander didn't know how to feel about this, "Thanks? I mean Anya said it a lot too when we were dating, but to be fair, Anya said a lot of things, often at random, and usually out of the blue. Coming from you and Tia it feels more sincere."
"Oh Alex," the tanned Szlachta replied hugging him, "I'm sure Anya loved you, in her own way, but having been a demoness longer than she was human her ability to properly express it, along with being from an age lost to time made it… difficult to her. I can only imagine that, for her, sex was an if not the only way for a woman to express themselves back then. Add onto that her blunt demeanor and well. She did her best and was returned to the light because of you. I know it didn't work out between the two of you, but take heart that you redeemed a demon. Not many, if any, can say that."
Gently returning the embrace, Xander replied, "Thanks Rani, I… needed to hear that," He replied, "I'd like to think she's earned her wings, but considering she spent eleven-hundred years torturing unfaithful men and got sucked into the hellmouth well…"
"The odds are not in her favor, I agree…" Rani replied, "But since when have things such as odds, fate, and prophecy mattered to you?" She asked him. "Entropy is about more than raising the dead, it primarily deals with affecting probability for good or ill, and from what I've seen of your memories Alex dear, you're a natural at it."
"Well," Xander replied, "I know what I want to study next."
(...)
How was Xander going to practice probability manipulation using entropy? Well, what better way than going to a casino? Or at least that's what he figured. So, even though he didn't need to, and he was set for life thanks to the generosity of his friend, Xander found himself dressing in the black suit Rani had talked him into getting just the previous evening and heading down to the nearest pachinko parlor. Bright lights, cascades of music, and what looked like innumerable pinball machines greeted him when he arrived. People sat around on stools with buckets beneath their machines hoping to score a jackpot.
Walking up to the exchange counter, Xander threw a couple hundred USD down and was given some buckets and some balls. Sitting down, he got a feel for the game. Putting some balls into the plunger, he pulled back, let go and watched as the balls bounced around, some of them landing into holes which spat out more balls which he knew he could 'illegally' trade in for cash later on. The game wasn't hard and there really was nothing to it. You just sat there, watching all the lights and listening to all the pretty sounds hoping to get a ball or two into the hole worth many points. Hell he couldn't even manipulate the flippers! Even that was automated. So, out of a desire to alleviate his boredom more than anything else, he messes with probability. It was a small thing really, just a little tweak of a black gear, and the chance of the ball going into the hole with the highest payout became a certainty.
His bucket became flooded with metal shooting out of the machine in a matter of moments and people around him muttered about 'beginner's luck' as he just smiled and shrugged good naturedly.
"Wow, lucky you!" An airy voice said to his immediate right. He looked and saw a blonde woman having just taken a seat next to him along with a no nonsense brunette on her opposite side.
"I'll chalk it up to good karma," He said conversationally, "Harris Alexander, and you are?"
"Shizuka Marikawa, and this is my friend Reika Minami," the busty blonde introduced.
He waved, "Pleasure is all mine ladies,"
"Ne Harris-san, are you a businessman?" Shizuka asked, "Your Japanese is nearly flawless outside of a slight American accent."
"No, I just had a good teacher," He replied with a laugh, "So do you mind if I ask what you ladies do for a living?"
"I'm a highschool nurse and Reika-chan works for the police."
The brunette sighed, "You're too trusting, Shizuka, you know next to nothing about this guy," She gave him a once over. "What happened to your eye?"
"It was gouged out by a Catholic priest who wouldn't take no for an answer," Xander replied honestly.
Reika hissed through her teeth, "You with the Yakuza?"
Raising an eyebrow, he replied, "If I was, do you think I'd say yes?"
"Good point," She replied, "What do you do for a living?"
"I was a construction worker, but since I lost the eye well… depth perception is a necessary skill in that line of work. Thankfully however, a friend I made several years ago was willing to help me out. Has me doing some international courier work."
Peering at him suspiciously Reika asked, "Are you a drug runner or something?
"What?! No, my friend Vlad, while well off, doesn't like to leave Romania so I look after his affairs abroad for him. I'm like his business lawyer."
Suddenly it all clicked for Minaka, "Ah you're a Trust Lawyer."
"More or less," Xander agreed. "I'm just here to check up on some of his properties and business partners here in Japan," it wasn't really a lie, he was here to take care of some things for Suzue who is Dracula's Childe. So he was telling the truth… mostly. Tapping the side of her machine as he rose to use the restroom, he told Shizuka, "I got a feeling today is your lucky day."
"It already is, I met you Harris-san," She told him smiling as he walked off only to get nudged in the shoulder by her friend.
"Coming on a little too strong aren't you? I mean I know you're twenty-seven, but you've still got time to get married."
Slapping her friend on the arm a little too hard for it to be playful, Shizuka retorted with, "Minami stop it! He's sweet and kind, and I wasn't even flirting… was I?" Shizuka asked herself as she pressed a finger to her cheek and looked up and the flashing parlor lights in thought.
"Everything alright ladies?" Xander asked, having returned to his seat, happy to see nothing had been taken or tampered with.
"Yes," Shizuka replied, "Are you going to be in Japan long, Harris-san?"
The American rubbed his chin, "I'm not sure," He replied honestly, "The way things are shaping up though, I'll be here awhile. Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering if you might like to… come to my school and do a business presentation for other avenues," Shizuka offered, quickly changing her mind from inviting him out for coffee. She was eager, not desperate.
"Sure I don't mind," He replied, as he thought, 'Fuck fuck fuck fuck! Why did I say that?' He thought to himself.
The smile on Marikawa's face made Xander sure that it was at least worth it to make her happy.
She grabbed his hand and pulled it between her bosom, "Thank you so much Harris-san. I would gladly appreciate your help. Someone as successful as you can help explain to some of our students how they don't necessarily need a degree in college to prosper in the world."
"No problem Marikawa-san and please, feel free to call me Xander, all my friends do."
The blonde bombshell beamed at him, "Then Shizuka please. I insist Xander-san,"
"Shizuka it is," Pulling out his cellphone, he said, "Can I get your number? I have things I need to do this week, so I'd like to know when I can show up at the school."
"Of course," Shizuka smiled a little bit smugly at Minaka who was just shocked at how bold her usually airheaded friend was being.
'Well damn, good for her, I guess,' Minaka thought. As her gaze fixed on Xander she thought, 'I still don't trust you though. I've got some pull, let's see how truthful your really being Alexander Harris,'
(...)
Mattia watched as Rani hummed to herself happily as she went through notes she had taken during her lesson earlier with their master. She couldn't figure out why her junior was so chipper. If she was honest it was a tad unnerving. She was beginning to wonder if Suzue was practicing her Dominate discipline on her. But then she noticed she was practically glowing. Glowing as if she'd just been infused with fresh… Vitae.
It all clicked into place.
"So," she asked. "How was your first time with the master? Enjoyable no doubt?"
Flushing the younger Szlachta asked, "Was it that obvious?"
"You were humming, you've never done that before," Mattia noted.
"Was I? I guess I do that when I'm happy," Rani muttered to herself. "Still I have a reason to be happy! Our dear Alex is an adept student, and… can I be honest Mattia?"
The silver-haired homunculi nodded, "Go ahead,"
"I was unsure if the master would need me after I taught him what I could. Yet earlier, he allowed me to comfort him after I unlocked a former power he possessed. I did not think he would need, much less desire me for such a task," Rani looked down, "For when compared to you or Lady Suzue I cannot compare, not without using Vicissitude."
"You were worried about something so stupid?" Mattia's blunt words made Rani's head shoot up, as she continued, "The master is not someone whose affections only go skin deep. He desires more than anything, a connection with people who actually care. That is because he has been denied that connection for a very long time. What he wants is more than just physical carnal sex, though enjoyable it is," The Szlachta shook her head, "No, the Master wants more. What he desires is love, true love. This can only happen if people trust each other first. He trusted you enough to sleep with you. He trusts you enough to teach him magic. So just keep doing what you're doing and everyone will get what they want in the end."
To say Rani was surprised would be an understatement. She didn't expect her senior to be quite this introspective and deep when it came to understanding their master. She had thought her a bit air-headed due to the fact she spoke so little yet now she was reassessing her opinion of her. 'Perhaps she's so quiet because she's always so busy studying everyone?' She nodded relieved, "Thank you Mattia, I feel better now."
"Of course,"
"Morning everyone… Well, I suppose I should say good evening shouldn't I?" Suzue said as she let out a yawn mixed with a laugh. She was wearing only a t-shirt and panties as she looked around for her favorite mage, "Where is Xander-san?"
"Out at a pachinko parlor testing out his entropy magic he learned today."
Stretching and showing off her toned stomach, Suzue asked, "So did I hear correctly and someone got lucky Rani-chan?" Seeing her nod a bit smugly, Suzue sighed, "What's a girl gotta do to get noticed by him? Walk in front of him naked and say will you just fuck me already?"
"That might work," Rani said, nodding with Mattia agreeing with her silently bobbing her head as well.
"I was being facetious!" Suzue rebutted.
Rani shook her head, "Well we weren't. That really might work,"
"Yeah," Mattia agreed.
Rubbing her lower eyelids in frustration, Suzue said, "Putting my dry spell on hold for a moment, do we have any plans for tonight?"
Rani's reply was prompt, "We need to make contact with the rest of the Sabbat in the area, get a feel for what's going on, and then once that's done we can move onto other things. Like solving your murder."
Suzue goes deathly quiet and shakes almost uncontrollably, "Do … Do we have to? I mean I am alive and well now why do we need to look into who or what killed me?"
Mattia, noticing Suzue was shaking in terror went up to her and hugged her, she then whispered in the young Draculina's ear, "Because. They have wronged you. They took something precious from you. Something that can't be replaced. We are going to find who did this. We are going to kill them. We are going to make sure there is no chance they can come back. As Dracula is well known for. One does not attack us and leaves us a chance to retaliate for we will not take a pound. We will take everything from them."
Suzue returned the hug as tears of blood started to fall from her eyes. She didn't remember much before she died. She just remembers waking up in a hotel with Dracula. Everything before that was a blur but if what Dracula said about her was true she was not in good shape at all when he found her on one of his "strolls" as he called it. Right now she didn't know if she felt strong enough to face the people or things that did this to her, but she realized she didn't have to be. She had friends who would help her bear the burden if it was too heavy to carry alone. Sniffling a little, she said, "Thanks Mattia, Rani, I needed to hear that."
"No problem."
"I wish Xander were here though," Suzue continued, "He's always been good at cheering me up,"
"Someone called my name?" the cyclopean mage asked, simply appearing in the middle of the room making everyone else jump.
"Wha-when, how?" Suzue asked.
"Illusion magick I haven't taught you that yet," Rani said to herself "How long have you been here?"
"Around the time Suzue woke up," Xander replied, "I wanted to see how long it would take for one of you to notice me… and yes Suzue, you coming up to me naked and asking me for sex would definitely work."
The former junior inspector wished she could blush right now, instead she stomped off to the kitchen to find a blood pack.
Looking back at the other two he asked, "Was it something I said?"
(...)
Suzue had sulked in her room for several hours now. She screamed into her plush-lined coffin kicking her feet and sending small handfuls of dirt flying every which way. Her vampiric weakness as a Cainite of the Tzimisce bloodline was that she must rest in a coffin filled with two-handfuls of her native soil every morning or become weakened upon awakening. Well awakening was a strong word. From how Dracula explained it, every vampire uses a small amount of Vitae to resurrect themselves from death every night, and by not following the abeyance of their bloodlines curse they risk unleashing their inner Beast. The primal side of the vampire within them.
But she didn't care about any of that right now, her thoughts were fixated on a certain eyepatch wearing mage, 'Stupid Xander! I've never been so embarrassed before! I wanted to blush so bad! He's so… he's so brazen and forward! Plus I can never tell if he's joking or serious with that attitude of his!' Rolling around in her open coffin that was propped up on the wall, She rested her hands behind her head and asked herself, "What should I do? Was that an invitation or another joke?"
A sudden knock came at her door, "Lady Suzue, may I come in?"
"It's open!" She replied sullenly.
Rani entered the room and tutted, "Are you really acting like this over a compliment on the Master's part?"
"Compliment?" Suzue parroted.
"That was his way of saying he finds you beautiful does he not? He certainly doesn't find you unattractive. I can tell you that much from the amount of times I've caught him staring at your ass, and the occasional glance at those airbags you call a chest though he tries to keep his eye on your face at all times, gentleman that he is," the homunculi informed her.
"So he does think I'm attractive even though I'm a-"
"Canite? Yes," Rani affirmed. "He hates blood demons Lady Suzue not Canites, Master Alexander recognizes the differences between the two."
In a small unsure voice she asked, "Are you sure? What if I try something and he freaks out?"
"Lady Suzue… No, Konomi-san, do you honestly think that Alexander is capable of being so two-faced?" Rani asked her point blank, "That he would lie directly to your face like that?"
Looking down in shame the former junior inspector shook her head, "No, I'm just… I'm afraid, okay! I'm not even human anymore and my entire life changed so quickly and he's a great guy but short of someone going out of their way to kill me somehow I'm going to live forever Rani! Forever, while he may be powerful, he's still human. He'll grow old, age, and eventually he'll die. Where will that leave me or you or Mattia in at most the better part of a century? Bitter, broken-hearted, and alone together?"
Fixing her glasses and making them gleam dangerously in the light of the room the Szlachta replied, "My goodness you certainly do look at the bigger picture don't you?"
"I was a cop, it was my job to look at the bigger picture to arrest criminals," the buxom redhead replied, "Why? Am I missing some crucial piece of information?"
Nodding briskly Rani replied, "Several in fact," She proceeded to tick off on her fingers, "Firstly, mages can live for several centuries or even become immortal should their research in the Spheres progress far enough along any given one. Secondly, he is progressing faster than any of the mages that made up my predecessors or myself. Thirdly, knowing what I do know about the master he will not stop until he overcomes all his adversaries and the last adversary to be overcome is death. Lastly, do you know what he's been doing for the past four hours?" Seeing the Draculina shake her head Rani turned on her heel and made towards the door saying without turning back, "Follow me. You should see this for yourself."
Curiosity winning out, Suzue followed behind Rani on cats paws as they crept up to Xander's door, cracking it open ever so slightly to peer at the confines within. A suit of armor stood in front of Xander, roughly 6'4/193cm. That wasn't what surprised her. It was what the armor looked like, a miniaturized if familiar sight to anyone in the Tokyo City area and a large draw for tourists. Looking at the homunculi she muttered, "He can't be serious, can he? There's no way he could get one to work normally much less that small,"
"Dear Alex is nothing if not creative," Rani whispered back, "He is creating his own way around the Consensus. He is preparing to go to war. For you. Because he knows even without you saying it, that whoever killed you did so in such a way that it left you traumatized. He won't stand for that. That is the kind of man Alexander is. Do you understand now?"
The Draculina looked back at the suit the mage was still tinkering with. Even without the iconic paint job it was obvious which of the iconic machines he had seemingly built a miniaturized seemingly wearable armor out of. The materials she couldn't seem to recognize. She realized Xander is using magic to not only aid his artificing but also melding magic into the materials themselves, strengthening the foundation of the armor. The armor seemed to be a mish mash of other armors but the parts she could recognize were from the RX-78-2 otherwise known as the White Mobile Suit or the Original Gundam by the fanbase.
As she walked away she didn't know what was going to happen in the future, but she knew Xander was preparing enough firepower to likely take over the entire country if it came right down to it. She wasn't sure if that made her relieved or more worried in the end, but she did know one thing for certain. She already felt sorry for whatever poor bastard Xander felt necessary to use that thing on, especially if he had somehow managed to replicate all of its armaments. She paused, 'Should I stop him? I'm technically not a cop anymore and that armor could be really dangerous to the public if used improperly,' She considered it for a moment and then continued on to her room. If there was one person she felt could trust to be responsible, it was Xander.
That sweet, sweet summer childe.
(...)
Giles almost dropped his glasses mid-polish when Buffy trudged through their castle gates in the Scottish Highlands, beaten and bloody, her clothes ripped and torn, and leaning on the shoulder of a younger Slayer Stephenie he believed her name was. The third slayer that was with them as well as the Slayer axe were nowhere in sight. But the Brit didn't think of that as he rushed to his daughter in all but blood as he called for a stretcher to be brought for them both.
"Get a first aid kit out here immediately!" He called over his shoulder as he moved to support her on her other side. "What happened?"
"Dracula didn't take too kindly to us entering his house uninvited. Xander wasn't even there. The Vampire had already let him go. He had these… things, creatures made of flesh and fused bodyparts chase us out of his territory. We didn't get any sleep for days. They harried us all the way to the capital of Romania. Then when we finally tried to get some sleep, we got jumped by over three dozen some asian vamps. We lost Nichole in the struggle and they escaped with the Axe."
"Good Lord!" Giles said under his breath as the other slayers rushed forward and helped the two slayers to the hospital wing. "And after all that, and you never even found Xander?"
"Nope, Tall dark and fangy said he left for parts unknown to him… but he did something weird. Giles, his body shapeshifted not 'game faced' like a normal vamp but he turned into a monster as if his flesh was made out of playdough or something. Then, he called himself a real fucking vampire. That what we'd been fighting all this time were cheap demonic knockoffs. Well he didn't use those exact words but that was the jist of it," Sighing as she swiped her hair out of her face, Buffy said to herself, "What am I going to tell Dawn? She looked forward to seeing him again, and I promised to bring him back."
"Tell her the truth Buffy, that despite your best efforts and intentions, you couldn't retrieve Xander, because he was already gone by the time you arrived," Giles advised.
"Why do we even need this guy anyway? He's a normal guy, a carpenter with one eye! He's effectively useless isn't he? Now we're down a Slayer and have lost the Scythe," The girl who had spoken was Simone, a rebellious girl with a bright pink duo-hawk dressed like a typical punk rocker with an attitude to match, and a general disregard for authority.
"We need him, Simone, because there's no one I trust but him, to be my Watcher. He's been fighting by my side, having my back, longer than you've had your powers, killed more vamps than you, and personally thwarted at least three… no five apocalypses. So I'd put some respect on his name the next time it comes out of your mouth if you know what's good for you, because neither I, nor Willow, or Faith will be responsible for what happens if we hear you talking about him like that again, understand?"
Simone scoffed, "Faith cares about some no name? As if," The more rebellious slayers seemed to look up to and idolize the former rebellious 'Dark Slayer' try as hard as she might, one can't outrun their past and it's not as easy for humans as it is trees to turn over a new leaf.
"As a matter of fact, B is dead on the money on this one," The dark Slayer herself replied as she walked down the hall, her full lips pursed into a scowl, "No one talks bad about X around me, got it?" She got into Simone's personal space, "That would make me angry, and B herself can attest to just how much of a tenacious bitch I can be when I'm angry."
"Facts. No offense," Buffy said.
"None taken B, we're five by five," She said, not taking her eyes off of Simone, "But if I hear you talking shit 'bout Xander again, you and I are gonna go ten rounds in the ring, full contact and no protective gear Simone. Savvy?" Simone nodded her lips puckered into a thin line as if she'd just sucked on a lemon. "Good now get outta here, time for the adult Slayers and ye olde Watcher to chat. No kids allowed."
Despite the pain she was feeling, seeing Simone scamper off with her tail between her legs made Buffy smile, "Thank you, she's needed her ego knocked down a couple of pegs for awhile now,"
"No problem, I got here as fast as I could from the old Windy City when I heard you found Loverboy, but considering I don't see him and you look like you got put through a meat grinder I'm gonna guess something happened B?"
"Have you ever seen a bunch of pissed off ants come charging out of an anthill?" Seeing Faith nod, Buffy continued, "Imagine that, but vampires. Endless swarms of vampires against three slayers. And these guys were smart. They were wearing kevlar and ceramic reinforced body armor, their necks had solid metal gorgets. It was damn near impossible to kill them. They killed Nichole and got the Scythe."
"Shit," Faith swore under her breath, "So X wasn't a El Casa of Doom?"
Buffy shook her head, "Not by the time I got there. I guess Dracula let him up and left. He also said he showed up at his place stoned out of his mind and came from Africa of all places."
"What was that dorky hunk of a man doing in Africa?" Faith asked.
"I have no idea, but apparently Dracula was looking after him till he got over… whatever he took or got spiked with that got him high in the first place," She then gave her sister Slayer a look, "Hunk of a man?"
The Dark Slayer shrugged, "He's my type? Dorky, determined, stubborn, but loyal. Let me put it this way B, if your not so little sis can't win him over, I'm gonna take a shot." Faith admitted, "I admit, it probably won't work, but we have a history but not all of it's bad. So maybe, if he's willing to give me another shot." She shrugged again, "I dunno all I can do is hope… not that I don't want it to work out for Lil D of course, but if it doesn't. Well, we'll cross that bridge if we come to it right?"
"Right," Buffy ignored the feeling of a living serpent writhing around in her guts. "Speaking of, I need to go tell Dawn I didn't manage to find him after I promised to bring him home."
"Want me to do it?" Faith offered. "No offense but I've had hundreds of promises broken to me and since she's not my sister, it won't hurt me as much to tell her," She then gave the elder slayer a once over, and added, "Besides, you look like you're in enough physical pain already. You don't need to add emotional pain on top of it."
"Thanks Faith, I'd appreciate it… and if at all possible, could you not bring up the fact that your Dawnie's love rival? She doesn't need that right now."
"No promises on that front, B." Faith said with a smirk on her lips as she walked away, she turned looking at her concerned as she said, "You should probably go lay down B, you're swaying on your feet. Maybe G'll make you some tea if you ask him real nice?"
"That dreaded nickname carries on even when Xander isn't here," Giles murmured with no malice in his tone and a small smile on his face as he led his pseudo-daughter away to personally see to her wounds.
(...)
Stepping out onto the balcony where she knew it was the only real place to have a 'face to face' conversation with Lil D these days, Faith whistled, getting the giantess' attention. She was a solid thirty meters tall, half that at the moment, due to the fact she was sitting down. Yet she was still the same ole Dawn. She smiled nervously upon seeing her. Even now Dawn didn't know how to react around her and Faith hated herself for that. She had always been slightly envious of Buffy. She had it all in Faith's eyes. A mom who wasn't strung out on drugs, gave a damn, and wasn't dating losers just so she could score her next fix. A cool old guy for a Watcher who was basically her dad, and she had a little sister, how she'd come about notwithstanding, and awesome friends who stood by her no matter what apocalypse reared its ugly head? Yeah Faith would trade being a Slayer for any one of those things in a heartbeat, and she just naturally got all three. She cried a bit when Angel told her Joyce had passed, she was a nice lady. 'Now here you are about to tell a cursed girl the boy she likes wasn't to be found. A guy you both like, are both worried about,' Faith sighed, sometimes it sucked to be the Dark Slayer, but it seemed to be her calling in life to do this kinda dirty work.
"Hey Lil B… well guess I can't call you little anymore can I?" Faith said by way of greeting.
Dawn gave an awkward little laugh, "No, not exactly," she sighed and nearly knocked Faith off her feet with her exhalation, "Not that it's not nice to see you Faith, but I can only assume the reason you're out here is to deliver some bad news."
"Ouch, I mean I know we've had our history Lil D but to automatically assume I'm the one they send as an omen of doom? Harsh even for you."
Dawn leaned down looking her in the eye as she said, "Faith, if Buffy had good news she'd have come herself because she wouldn't be afraid of upsetting me. Now, what happened? Did they not find Xander at Dracula's Castle… or worse, was he… turned? Did she have to…?"
"No!" Faith rebutted quickly, "God no! He wasn't turned or dusted or anything he just wasn't there… That, and she and the girls she brought with her got jumped on the way back home. B got banged up and we lost a new girl, along with the Scythe."
"Is Buffy ok?" Dawn asked, worriedly.
Faith grinned confidently. "She's been through worse, I should know, I did most of it," She looked down at the ground guiltily at that.
"Stop that!" the giantess told her.
"What?"
"Blaming yourself. We've all forgiven you Faith, Xander never really held anything against you in the first place, so now you just need to forgive yourself already." Dawn told her.
"Yeah… X is great like that," Faith agreed.
"You like him too, don't you? Xander I mean?" Dawn asked suddenly.
Seeing no point in beating around the bush now that she'd been called out, Faith laid all her cards on the table, "That obvious huh? Yeah I'm into him, so if you don't manage to win him over I'll come in and scoop him out from under you, fair warning Lil D."
"Why do we need to fight over him?" Dawn inquired, "Why can't we just… you know?"
Faith cleaned out her ears, "Excuse me, I think I had something crazy in my ear. I don't think I heard you suggesting what I think you were right?"
"Faith, my mom got divorced when I was eight, and is now dead, my sister died and got resurrected from heaven, became uber depressed, then my second mom died, and my other mom tried to end all of existence. This is after I found out at fourteen that I'm not really a person and that ninety-nine point nine percent of my memories are fake. Now, could I have just snapped one day and killed everyone? Yeah probably and I doubt anyone would've really blamed me. But I didn't because weird, strange, freaky, tragedy is just our lot in life. It's a mix of forty-five percent horror, forty-five percent tragedy, and ten percent happiness. That's what keeps us hanging on, happiness. Since nothing we do is conventional and in most cases legal in any way, why are we sticking to what is considered 'acceptable' monogamous relationships?"
"Did I just get out argued by a teenager on why I should be in a polygamous relationship?" Faith asked after a moment without being able to come up with a reasonable rebuttal.
"Hardly a teenager, I'm almost twenty… in six months," She said the last bit under her breath, not that it mattered with her being gigantic.
"If 'teen' is in the number attached to your age, then you're still a teen… technically."
"Well legally I'm an adult, have been for a year now, almost two," Dawn rebutted, folding her arms.
"Right, well anyway, I'm gonna go, and forget we had the last bit of this convo. We five by five Lil Big D?"
"Yeah, we are, just think about what I said alright?"
"Lalalala, not hearing you!" Faith rebutted hands over her ears as she made her way back inside.
(...)
Xander sighed. He just didn't like the idea of ripping off Gundams so blatantly. 'I can do better than this can't I? I'm not just a damn photocopier right?' He nodded to himself. 'I'm a builder, a craftsman, a creator, I can do better than this,' So thinking he waved a hand over the mish mash of armor and gundam parts design. Metal melted down, scrap fell to pieces, machines disassembled themselves, all went back to the beginning. Entropy at work. Xander started from square one. 'First comes first, design.'
There were several designs for power armor of course, the most famous being Tony Stark's Iron Man armor. It was sleek, humanoid, and powerful. There was also the power armor of Warhammer. Thick, bulky, knightlike. The last though not power armor were the gundams. "Hmm, what if I combine the three? Form of Stark's armor, tech of 40k, and weapon systems of Gundam? Yeah that could work."
Taking the gundanium, he fashioned it into a humanoid shape, imagining it with all the internal circuitry needed to function, then he added and hollowed out secret compartments for weapon systems. He molded with his very mind, repulsor systems into the hands and feet of the armor, filled the vambraces with chain-linked twin bolters on either arm, and with rocket pods in either shoulder pad, while on the skirt he had two railguns ready to fire. He then shaped the mask. He considered going for Ironman's glowing eyes but decided against it. Instead, he went for the classic T-visor from Star Wars. Then, there was the final component.
The power core. Deciding to take another page out of Tony Stark's book, Xander created or rather recreated the Arc Reactor. He figured it must run on cold fusion, for it to not overheat and be miniaturized like it was. Xander connected it into the hole in the chest cavity before he decided to add some finishing touches. Firstly the symbol of Clan Tzimisce encircled the Arc Reactor that of a serpent eating its own tail. In gold alloy much like the symbol on his eyepatch. Next the whole armor was dyed charcoal black. It left the T-visor and reactor glowing an ominous blue-white. Xander still felt it needed something other than gold and black though. 'Maybe a splash of red, green, or blue?' He thought to himself.
He tried dying the chest and arm guards red first, but it looked too… villainous. Then he gave blue a shot. 'Stands out too much, unless I make it a darker color like midnight blue or something,' He then went for a dark green, 'That could work?' Maybe because it reminded him of the jungles of Catachan, but Xander found himself really liking the green. He tweaked the shade to be a bit darker to his satisfaction, and nodded. 'This I could live with'. The final touch Xander was going to make was inspiration from Warhammer. Using his imagination and magic Xander instilled the armor with material that could trap gods that consumed stars. He made the materials take on the properties of necrodermis. Then he willed his empathy, his compassion, and his love and a tiny itty bitty piece of his soul and instilled into the armor as a machine spirit. He watched as a small emerald shine took over his armor and felt a small, innocent and pure tendril of emotion reach out to Xander. He compared it to a baby reaching out to its parent. He gently grabbed the tendril with his mind and let the machine spirit know that he was its creator. The sense of happiness he felt from the spirit made Xander proud of what he created.
He paced around the armor checking for any flaws. Finding none, he patted it on the shoulder and said, "You need a name, since you're the first one, how about, TMS01 or Uno?" Xander blamed the name he came up with on the fact he was hungry and was really in the mood for a pizza right about now.
Running a hand down his face, Xander looked at the clock on the wall. "Damn near three in the morning. I need to get a shower, and some sleep," he said to himself.
Doing just that he was surprised when Mattia didn't join him in the shower. Not disappointed mind you, that girl was damn near insatiable, just surprised. Thus he settled into his bed and decided to rest. He had a feeling in his gut these past few days had been the calm before the storm, and shit was going to hit the fan tomorrow in some form or another. He wanted to be ready and rested when it did. The armor glowed slightly as Xander slept and a green light emanated from its T visor.
(...)
Come morning it was overcast and raining, it was a gray dreary day if ever there was one. Xander decided to go out for breakfast. He made his way down to a small mom and pop place not too far from the hotel. A bell rang as he entered and an older man called out, "Have a seat and Hinako will be right with you!"
Nodding to himself, Xander took a seat at the counter and shortly after he'd sat down, the most adorable girl appeared wearing what he assumed was the uniform for this establishment. A cute little traditional plaid dress and apron combo that looked like something you'd find on a girl in Denmark, her light brown hair was covered by a cloth tiara, and she was wearing black pantyhose and mary janes. Upon seeing him she perked up curiously and spoke in slow English, "Hello! What can I get for you sir?"
"Your English is good, but I speak fluent Japanese," Xander told her in her native tongue, "What's your name, little lady? I'm Harris Alexander,"
"Kominato Hinako, nice to meet you Harris-san," She replied, giving him a bow which he returned as well as he could from his seat. "What brings you to Japan?"
"Business," He replied easily, "What can you tell me about the town or suburb of Tokyo Kominato-chan?"
"It's always busy, but it always seems that way to me," She laughed a little bit and he smiled warmly, "Umm, the boats at the port are always coming and going, lots of strange things seem to be happening lately though,"
Xander nodded, "Strange how? Being here on business, I'd like to know what to avoid,"
"People have been… getting killed at night," She whispered to him, "By a group of vigilantes!"
"You don't say! Vigilantes, in a place like Tokyo?" If he did say so himself, Xander had become a very good, non-professionally trained Shakespearian actor.
Hinako nodded, "Yes it's frightening, but… what's really weird is what we find out after. According to the news, after the police arrive at the crime scene, they end up finding all this incriminating evidence linking the people they kill to all sorts of terrible things…" The girl paused momentarily before continuing, "I know they're going after bad people, but killing is wrong!"
"I dunno, in certain poorer parts of the world, the only thing that decides whose right and who's wrong is who has the bigger gun with the most ammunition," Xander told her honestly.
"Harris-san, what do you do for a living?" Hinako asked suddenly.
Xander scratched his head as he replied, "I'm… something of a mercenary I guess," He nodded that sounded about right to him at this point, "Yeah, I do almost whatever people will pay me for."
"Have you killed people Harris-san?" the waitress asked.
"Just the bad ones," He affirmed. "Not everyone who kills others is bad, just as not everyone who saves others does so for solely altruistic reasons. Someone can kill a group of bandits terrorizing a town and be called a hero, while another can permanently enslave a man to him by saving his life once and reminding him of that everytime he needs something unsavory done. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The girl nodded though it was obvious from the look on her face she didn't like the hard truths he'd told her. Changing the subject Xander continued, "I'll take coffee, black and some egg omelets… and um between you and me, can you make the sausages look like little octopi like they show in anime bentos?"
Hinako couldn't help herself, she giggled at his request. Though she did try to politely hide her laughter behind her notepad for all the good it did her, "I'll… I'll see to your order myself Harris-san, I don't think my father could bring himself to cook like that for a customer."
It was only when she was in the middle of cooking said sausages that she realized she'd been tricked, 'I'm making a homemade bento for someone I don't even know!' She paused, 'But he asked me to do it, and he seems nice enough for a mercenary. Plus it's not like this means anything right? Right?! Right!' She assured herself before she took the finished meal out to her odd customer. "Would you like any condiments?" She asked.
"Nope, if I wanted your number, I'd want you to give it to me of your own volition, not written in ketchup on my food," he joked.
'Kiyah! Is he joking or being serious right now?!' Hinako asked herself as she fanned her face with her notepad, her cheeks feeling hot all of the sudden. "Y-your such a prankster!" She gave an awkward laugh.
"Eye see Eye've made you uncomfortable. Sorry about that," He pointed to his eye every time he spoke only to end on a more serious note.
Hinako shook her head, "No you're fine, do you mind if I ask how you lost your eye?"
"Pedophile Catholic Priest who didn't wanna take no for an answer," He said calmly before taking a sip of coffee.
"W-w-what?! I'd heard stories but I never thought… really?" Seeing him nod, she covered her mouth with both hands as she gasped, "I'm so sorry,"
"I'm over it, it happened years ago. Though ironically that's how I got into the mercenary business. Kinda hard to be a contractor when your depth perception is shit. Shame too, cause I was good at building things," He said wistfully, he really did miss it sometimes.
"Hey kid," The older man with the goatee behind the grill poked his head out from the serving window, "If you're done flirting with my daughter, you said you used to build stuff? I could use a hand back here, I'll even comp your meal.
"Flirting, me?" Xander said, pointing at himself with dramatic flair, before shaking his head, "No sir, but whoever does end up with your daughter will be a very lucky man indeed sir. Now what can I help you with?"
"Kya!" Hinako couldn't help but let out an embarrassed cry that time.
Xander ignored it, going around into the kitchen. Hinako's father was a tall if not overly muscular man, his sleeves were rolled up, showing off his arms. "Could you perhaps spare some time to help me put a shelf or two together? I've been meaning to do it to get it organized back here, but cooking all day can be quite tiring."
Xander looked around seeing boxes of vegetables and all manner of canned goods were stacked all around the kitchen haphazardly. "Yeah, I can see that. Sure it should only take me like an hour."
"You mean like two or three right?" The man asked.
Xander just smiled at him, "Get me the shelves and a power drill if you've got one,"
True to his word thirty minutes later, and three shelves were backed against the wall with all the cans and produce out of their boxes and put away and the boxes broken down. "There that's better,"
"You built the shelves in fifteen minutes, stocked them in twenty-five and broke down all the boxes by the time you said you'd have them all done… I thought you said you couldn't do carpentry anymore after losing an eye? You seem perfectly proficient to me."
"I said construction, carpentry I can do just fine, being up close and personal during the entire building process and all. Construction usually requires the foreman to have a birds eye view over the entire project. Hard to do without depth perception," Xander replied, only semi-bitterly.
'This young man has a gift for building things,' the man noted. He then said, "Tell you what, since you did such a fine job so quickly, you feel free to come in while you're here and we'll treat you okay?"
Xander waved him off, "That's kind of you to offer sir, but I really can't accept,"
Yet the older man clapped him on the shoulder, "You can and you will, I've never seen Hinako make such funny faces and it's quite amusing. So come back and keep her spirits up and keep me entertained, won't you?"
'Did this guy just give me his blessing to date his daughter?' Xander asked himself, 'Cause that's what it felt like,' He said, "Sure sir, if you insist."
Clapping him on the shoulder again, he finished, "Good, good, now you have business to attend to, and the rain has stopped so we'll leave you to it, and remember your always welcome and at Kominato-tei,"
"Thanks sir," Xander made his way out of the kitchen and took a piece of notepad paper writing something on it in english before impaling it on the finished order spike along with something a little extra before making his leave.
Hinako, who had just come out of the bathroom, looked around and called, "Dad, did Harris-san leave?"
"You just missed him, though I'm a bit surprised he didn't stay to say goodbye. Maybe he was in a hurry?" her father replied.
The girl found herself feeling a bit sullen at his silent exit. She had in short order built up a rapport with him and he was easy to talk to about just about anything. Though he ended up doing most of the talking while his words made her do a lot of thinking. 'He's such an interesting man, I never would've thought he was a mercenary,' She went over to comp his meal when she noticed something green sticking out from the order spike. Removing it, she found it was several ten thousand yen bills. "W-w-what is this doing here?!" She yelled.
"What's wrong dear, bug?"
"Money, lots of money!" She said, waving the large denomination of cash in his face.
What's that?" He pointed at the note that clearly was written in english. Snatching it up, Hinako hastily read, "Dear Hinako-chan, I hope you find this note, and can read english. I can speak Japanese but can't read or write it for shit. I'm leaving you what is probably the biggest tip you'll ever get. And yes, I know it's considered rude to tip in japan, but I don't care. It really took a weight off my chest talking to you and getting to help your dad. So take half of what's here, go have some fun on me, and give the other half to your dad. Think of it as thanks for listening to my problems.
Your new regular Xander Harris."
The girl found herself sniffling a bit by the time she finished reading the letter aloud. "That jerk, being so nice and leaving this for us to find! He's… he's really kind isn't he?"
"Yeah, how much did he leave us?" her father asked curiously.
Hinako did a quick count, "S-s-six hundred thousand yen!"
"Well, you heard the man, take half and go have fun," He did some quick conversions in his head, "That's almost three grand american."
"But… customers?" She said, staring at the door.
Her father stretched, "Most of them come in for the breakfast rush, which they skipped due to the downpour. We might have some come in for the dinner rush so be back by then okay?"
"Yeah sure, I'll… I'll go get changed." Hinako said in a daze as she made her way to the employee locker room, "I've never had this much money in my entire life… What should I do with it? Save it, spend it, try to find Har- Xander-san and return it?" She corrected herself; she didn't think calling him by his last name after how he'd signed his name on the note and the tip he left was appropriate. She ended up putting the money into her purse and also picked up the note before she left. She needed advice and she had three possible people she could think to ask. She decided she'd try Yuu-chan first.
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Word Count: 12,231 Number of Pages: 26 Date Completed: 3/18/2023
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AN: Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter Three of A Certain One-eyed Mage! Expect some serious action next chapter, this was the build-up to it. I hope you all enjoyed and till next time this has been Bubbajack.
Icysnowsage: This is a nice chapter to show that Xander is growing and contemplating the world on what he has to go through. He is meeting other players and spreading his influence. Who knows what kind of games and mischief he will do. Things are also getting spicy with Buffy. She lost the scythe and a slayer trying to find Xander that can't be good. Gotta keep up morale after all! Anyways thanks for reading and good luck to all your readers.
First Hassan: Yet again, Xander has somehow turned the tides, from being overwhelmed by the total darkness, he brings forth…the LIGHT! First Hassan here and I want to say that like what my fellow co-author/editor say Buffy is in a pickle here but that ain't gonna stop her from Xander as while Xander is continuing to spread light among the world of darkness. Stay in tone for what our mad writer has to offer when he decides what to do with Xander. Thank you guys for reading our story, if you want more or want to be a chapter ahead, head to Bubba' account where it hasn't been edited by yours truly. I'll see you guys later! (Turning around while blue flames surrounds Hassan before disappearing)