Haze & Chaos - Retaliation Part 9
Previous | First | Next
Master Post - Patreon
“I hate moments like this, when there’s minimal conflict,” Charon remarked as he typed something out on his computer, then reclined in his office chair–it creaked ever so slightly.
“I’d hardly say The Earl Profane is minimal, Mr. Maddox,” Wulfstan pointed out as he leaned on the ancient, hardwood desk with his hand.
“I understand what he’s referring to, Wulfstan,” Karolyn said as she wrote something down in her ledger based on what Charon had typed, then adjusted her glasses. “Everything’s settled down and we’re seeing activity from the small fry. Sebastian is keeping quiet, Laurence is being petty in light of his ‘empire’ crumbling, Hector is gone, Sepulcher is reorienting his plans given Volf’s insistence, Hecate is scheming outside of our purview, and The Profane Alliance can only muster their lackeys at the moment–it’s the uncertainty that he’s getting at.”
Wulfstan nodded as he stepped away to a pitcher of crystal clear water to pour himself a glass. “A fair point, Ms. Wirnhier.” He would have been lying if he said he did not share Charon’s anxiety, with the cool water helping to ease his ambiently frayed nerves. While he still felt that The Earl Profane’s appearance was of concern, it was of lesser concern in the ongoing conflict as a whole.
Charon sighed as he turned around in his chair to look out towards the city far below from the great series of windows behind them. “So you guys really want to move into the Flatiron, don’t you?”
“It would help to give us more elbow room to work, Mr. Maddox, in addition taking our issues elsewhere so as not to burden you…”
“Oh come on, Wulfstan–you know I don’t mind,” he interjected.
Karolyn jotted down one last note and closed her notebook, setting it down on the desk. “We still need our own headquarters at the end of the day, if for nothing else other than our morale. As much as we appreciate your courtesy, Charon, it is about time we left the nest so to speak."
Charon spun back around and chuckled. “Fair enough. “My life has been mostly going up and down the River Styx, so I’m in no position to criticize.” His phone then rang, and he pressed the lit up button before speaking into the microphone end. “Charon speaking… Dietrich, what’s good? …mm-hmm, I see… Really now? … so that lead Animus stumbled across was legitimate… Yeah, I can see why GRENADIER would need some more groceries, ha! … We’ll have to put a pin in this, because I’m about to have some guests and I believe Lester is about to show up… Mm-hmm, I’ll keep you posted, talk to you later.” He then put the phone back on the receiver and put his hands together.
“Lester’s on his way?” Karolyn questioned.
“Three, two, one…” he said with a chuckle.
Like clockwork, a door made of aged wood with a dirty window appeared in the office, and out stumbled a scruffy man in a top hat and a beat up, old-timey gray tuxedo. He was tangled up in a mess of wires, kicking his leg to get them off before finally shutting the door. “Charon! Marcel’s almost here!”
“I’m aware, Lester, given that Elise just informed us,” he replied with a chuckle.
Lester paused, then straightened himself out. “Right right,” he said as he picked up a bottle of root beer that had appeared out of nowhere, taking a quick swig and then clearing his throat. “Jeez, it’s certainly been a hot minute since we last saw him, hasn’t it? He’s gone from hex magic to void magic?! Imagine if he had that back in 1905!”
“Things would indeed be vastly different from what they are now, Mr. Barlow,” Wulfstan agreed.
“Lester, please refrain from referring to Will as ‘Marcel’ for the time being,” Charon put in. “Or at least wait until he gets his hex deck back.”
Lester took another drink and nodded. “Is he ready for his deck?”
“Well Delphine certainly feels he’s ready,” Karolyn remarked.
“I think he should get used to his void magic before starts using his old deck again,” Charon reasoned. “He’s getting a feel for it with the ‘Azure Spider’ hex, which will fill the gap left by the card he gave to Adam, but again, he needs to readjust to his void magic from what I’ve been told…”
“Ah yes, The Grave God wanting to cover for The Goolubber God while she’s busy and whatnot,” Wulfstan added. “Only for Specialist Sagan to step in…”
Lester shook his head and took a drink to help focus his thoughts. “Sounds like a mess and a half…”
Before Charon could comment further, they all heard a knock at the doors. “Come on in!” Charon called out.
“You have guests, Mr. Maddox,” Archibald said as he led the group inside, stepping calmly through the refined office with subtle arc deco stylings mixed with a dash of ancient Greek.
While Will was already familiar with most of the individuals in the room, Sam was utterly amazed by what she was sensing. First was the man at the desk, clearly an angel of death. His older age and pleasant demeanor with indigo eyes and combed-back grayish-blonde hair gave her the impression that he was a psychpomp with quite the history. The man standing off to the left was also quite fascinating given that Sam immediately sensed the Lost Era in him. Between his dark cherry to black hair, dark magenta eyes, and awkwardly polite demeanor, she had a good feeling this was the chief of Gemini. And his hands were shiny black–were they polymateria? The woman off to the right was interesting–dressed in a professional business suit and skirt with bronze-colored eyes and reddish gold hair, she was clearly a necromancer and had to be the one in charge of Gemini’s financials or a similar job.
“Well look what the cat dragged in,” Karolyn said with a playful tone towards Pace.
“Indeed I did, Karol,” he replied as he took a seat on a couch that was part of a set in the center of the office, reclining and resting his legs on the side of a glass and wood coffee table. “Good and bad news chief–good news is that we got rid of The Earl… bad news is the rat bastard’s still out there, unfortunately…”
“I’ll also call Isador after I finish up with Scevola,” Archibald said as he went over to the far end of the office to make his calls.
“Thanks, Jeeves,” Pace replied as Liam sat down on the other end of the couch.
“Mr. Ford!” Wulfstan said as he went over and bear-hugged Will.
“Agh, hey, Chief!” Will choked as he was squeezed and set down.
“Aw, where’s my hug, Chief?” Pace joked.
“Did you defeat The Earl Profane?” The sarcastic bluntness from Wulftsan made Pace laugh, with the others chuckling.
“Sorry I couldn’t be here on better terms, Chief,” said Will.
“Don’t apologize, Will,” Charon put in. “While this all stems from a grudge from a hundred years ago, none of this is your fault.”
“Hey Charon,” he said as he went over to shake his hand over the desk. “I guess you’re right… Hey Karolyn.”
“Good to see you again, Will,” she said as she shook his hand. “I heard you started working with Cliff finally?”
Will nodded. “Yeah–he went to go check up on some things, but yeah, I’d say we’re off to a good start. Sam!”
“Yes, Boyo?” she eagerly said as she stepped over.
“Sam, this is Wulfstan Rydderch, Chief of Gemini…”
“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Devilfay,” he said as he shook her hend with a firm grip. “I oversee the general goings-on of the team and look forward to working with you–Will has said many good things about you.”
“Boyo…” Sam quickly and playfully chided to Will. “Likewise, Wulfstan. I just hope my past with Karnage isn’t too much of a deal breaker…”
“Of course it isn’t, my dear,” Charon said with a warm, forgiving tone of voice. “Charon Maddox, CEO of Maddox Heavy Industries and a co-founder of The League. And if I had a dollar for every time someone spelled my name wrong with a double R, I’d be a rich man,” he said as he shook her hand, making the others chuckle with his remark. “And this here is Karolyn Wirnhier, the chief financial officer of Gemini.”
Karolyn shook Sam’s hand, pleased to meet her. “Hello, Sam–it’s a pleasure for you to finally have a chance to work with us.”
“Thanks,” she replied with a chuckle.
“Also, Charon, you’re already rich,” Karolyn pointed out with a calm chuckle.
“Indeed,” he answered with a laugh.
“I take it I don’t need to introduce Quincy?” Will asked with his own chuckle.
“Hey guys,” he said from the opposite couch of Pace and Liam, leaning back comfortably. “Sorry I couldn’t get Tressacht here today.”
“It’s alright, Mr. Aster,” Wulfstan reassured him. “And we're glad you were able to come along.”
Will sighed. “I just wish we didn’t have to deal with that stupid lawsuit…”
“That’s just the way the cookie crumbles, Will,” Pace pointed out, feeling his frustration.
Charon cleared his throat and quickly clicked something away on his computer. “I wanted Kit here, Will, as you know he’s been looking after Lionel and chipping in here and there. We were able to get Lester here though, ha…” He then glanced over to Lester over a counter top messing around with some food he had summoned. “Lester, get over here before Will has to rush out again!”
“Right, one second!” he said as he popped what looked like a small bundle of bread and meat into his mouth, followed by a quick drink.
Charon nodded and then said “Lester is my protege–and don’t mind the food, it’s just something he does…”
“Mar–Will!” he announced as he came over and shook his hand vigorously. “Pleasure to finally meet you in person!”
“Same here,” Will replied, noticing Lester’s brown hair had been hastily combed, which was clearly indicative of a project he was working on before arriving. “In case you’re wondering, Sam, Lester is a technomancer, but I’m never in when he’s in.”
“Oh jeez,” Sam said with a sympathetic chuckle, then shook Lester’s hand. “Wait, technomancy? Like General Skull Thrasher and The Void Orcs?”
“Yes indeedy, little miss,” Lester replied with pride. “Been training and studying with them ever since I got out of the slammer. Sorry you had to get all wrapped up in this, Will, as this goes all the way back to 1905…”
Charon quickly cleared his throat. “Lester…”
Lester threw his hands up with a smile and leaned on the desk. “Basically, without delving into past life stuff, Hector was plotting against you, Will.”
Will took a breath that everyone could sense the anxiety and anger of as red and orange smoke vented from his neck. “Christ, first it’s trying to deport me, now this?!”
“Smells like a pattern to me, Will,” Pace asserted while twiddling his thumbs, with Liam nodding in agreement.
“It’s really that bad?” Quincy questioned, with Lester nodding… which did not exactly set his anxiety at ease. “Good lord, rich people, am I right?” The humor was quite punchy on that remark.
“Welcome to the party, Sam,” Will said plainly.
“Boyo, I’ve been at this party for so long that it’s ended and started back up,” she replied as she went to take a seat.
“True, true…”
“Well, if it’s any consolation I’d imagine this case will utterly ruin Mr. Duckenfield,” Karolyn pointed out. “You have been vocal on social media about his ilk after all.”
Will nodded and accepted a glass of water from Wulfstan. “Yeah–psycho wants to bring back borstals and have us all register for Digital ID…”
“Yup, sounds about right for Herbert’s nonsense,” Lester remarked as he took another sip of his root beer. “Consider yourself lucky Horace came to his senses when he did.”
“Wait, Horace… Horace Granville? CEO of GRENADIER?”
Lester nodded. “Yup–me and the dastardly trio go way back… err, Me, Milford, and Horace that is.”
“The SOE side of GRENADIER, Sam,” Will quickly clarified.
“Yeah, that’s what I figured given Marcus and his deal,” Sam replied.
Wulfstan could sense something lingering in Will’s voice, like there was something bugging him that he could not find an opportunity to discuss. Figuring it was the perfect time to ask if everything had been alright after Will’s meeting with Wendelin and Abraham back in January, Wulfstan stepped over and spoke. “Is something bothering you, Will? I can sense it…”
Will groaned, as Wulfstan always had a knack for picking up on troubles–he was not an ‘empath,’ rather he was just really good at reading people. “You know, finding out about Lionel was one thing, but then normal life dragged me back in with something worse than centuries old grudges…” Charon was intrigued by that last statement, as it felt like Professor Marcel was speaking, but he elected to hold his tongue. Will continued with “let’s just say there was some family drama when I called to let my parents know what was going on–within reason…”
There was a moment of awkward silence, as everyone was not sure what to think. Wulfstan took a breath and put his hands together, preparing himself mentally, which served to steady everyone’s nerves. “You should probably get whatever this issue is off of your chest, so you don’t go into your trial emotionally charged.”
Taking a deep breath, Will figured it would be best given the knot in his stomach. “Alright… So, yeah, you guys know how my parents–Earth parents–don’t get along and broke up… you know, they still work together on stuff back at the childhood home and… Well they got into an argument again, while I was on the phone, and someone hit someone, I have no idea who…” Everyone was quietly stunned by this, not helping Will’s nerves. “And I screamed at them to stop, naturally my father never listens… and then I sort of used my void magic to go back to the house and slap some sense into everyone. And then Mads had me erase everyone’s memory because the three had witnessed void magic…”
“Wait, three?” Pace interjected. “Three who?”
Will groaned. “My dad’s ‘girlfriend,’ who he thought he could integrate into the family… good lord, this shit makes me never want to get married…” The room went deathly silent as Will looked around at everyone’s awkward expressions with a ‘what, what did I say?’ look on his face… and then he noticed Sam, who had the most incredulous and concerned looked on her face. In that moment Will felt a part of himself die from mortification. “I MEAN, ASSUMING YOU’RE NOT AROUND, SAM… fuck…” he cursed to himself on the last remark.
Sam got up silently and walked over to him. “Will? Me, Orion, and Kyu heard the commotion, but we weren’t sure what to say and didn’t want to make it worse…” She then hugged him. “But I see now we should have said something.”
Pace was trying to piece the issue together and quickly realized the stupidity of the situation. “So wait, your idiot father is trying to bring an attempt at a remarriage into the scene? Excuse me, but is he actually that dumb? Christ, that’s a powder keg just waiting to go off right there…” He was definitely drawing some critical looks for his bluntness, but the others had to admit that he had a point. “I can count one one hand how many times I’ve seen that work, and that hand is missing most of its fingers.”
Liam groaned as he shifted in his seat. “As much as I'd like Pace to be a little bit more tactful, I… I’ve met Will’s father… he’s not the brightest bulb in the shed thanks to his personality.”
“And you know, Will? I can understand that sentiment, of not wanting to get married–I can’t stand any of that drama, truth be told–but you’ve clearly got something good going on with Sam. Don’t throw it away just because your old man’s a dumbass.”
Karolyn shook her head towards Pace. “Well you’re one to talk, given that you haven’t tried to hold down a relationship.”
Pace threw his hands up. “Hey, I’m not going to force myself into a relationship with some random chick off the street just because I have to. That’s not how I roll and I’m already busy with Gemini.”
Will sighed, as Pace’s words made him feel better, vindicating him for some of the criticisms he had towards modern society. “I swear I’m going to be the most self-sufficient father imaginable…”
“Well don’t hand everything to your family on a silver platter, Will,” Wulfstan warned. “That will lead to your children becoming complacent, and may set them down a path to become your father, or turn their children into him.”
There was a brief moment of silence, with Lester taking the opportunity to speak his mind after finishing his root beer. “You know, I have a saying about dissent, that it’s a disease that spreads quickly, but you have to find a cure that makes everyone happy to stop it. It doesn’t help when people refuse that cure, however, even if it’s proven to work–and you know what Milan has no doubt taught you, Will; don’t teach people who refuse to learn…”
“Yeah, true…” Will agreed.
“So learn from where your father went wrong, Will,” Charon pointed out. “Don’t be like him, be the father he was supposed to be–also by Hades, I can just imagine how insufferable his trip down the River Styx would be…”
Sensing that Will was relaxing, Sam gave him another hug. “Boyo, you can talk to me about this stuff later–remember, my Earth parents split up too…”
Will smiled and hugged her back. “Thanks, Sam.”
Wulfstan then smiled and crossed his arms like a proud father. “So, Mr. Ford, what spell did Specialist Sagan employ? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Actually, he didn’t. Apparently he had someone else help him because he’s not good with memories…”
“Did he say who?”
“No, just alluded to someone I know being annoyed with him…”
Quincy glanced towards Liam, who shrugged. “Huh, that’s really odd… guess you and Anton were right about this void magic stuff being difficult, Will.”
Charon gave it some thought for a moment as he stroked his chin. “I see…”
Lester nodded in tune with Charon’s pondering and tapped his feet a little. “You don’t think it was her?”
“I know she wants to get back together with Will, but she’s awfully busy as of late…”
“Her who?” Will inquired as Sam put her hand on his shoulder, also curious.
Charon grunted, unsure what to do, given that the situation in question was all over the place. “I can’t say who yet, Will, as I don’t think you’re quite ready–but would you like to lend Nacht a hand sometime in the near future?”
Will was not sure what to make of that, but shrugged. “Sure?”
Charon smiled. “Excellent, it will be the perfect opportunity–”
“Mr. Maddox, Mayhem and Scotty are here,” Archibald announced from over by the door.
“Perfect timing, boys–come on over!” he welcomed.
Next:
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
“I hate moments like this, when there’s minimal conflict,” Charon remarked as he typed something out on his computer, then reclined in his office chair–it creaked ever so slightly.
“I’d hardly say The Earl Profane is minimal, Mr. Maddox,” Wulfstan pointed out as he leaned on the ancient, hardwood desk with his hand.
“I understand what he’s referring to, Wulfstan,” Karolyn said as she wrote something down in her ledger based on what Charon had typed, then adjusted her glasses. “Everything’s settled down and we’re seeing activity from the small fry. Sebastian is keeping quiet, Laurence is being petty in light of his ‘empire’ crumbling, Hector is gone, Sepulcher is reorienting his plans given Volf’s insistence, Hecate is scheming outside of our purview, and The Profane Alliance can only muster their lackeys at the moment–it’s the uncertainty that he’s getting at.”
Wulfstan nodded as he stepped away to a pitcher of crystal clear water to pour himself a glass. “A fair point, Ms. Wirnhier.” He would have been lying if he said he did not share Charon’s anxiety, with the cool water helping to ease his ambiently frayed nerves. While he still felt that The Earl Profane’s appearance was of concern, it was of lesser concern in the ongoing conflict as a whole.
Charon sighed as he turned around in his chair to look out towards the city far below from the great series of windows behind them. “So you guys really want to move into the Flatiron, don’t you?”
“It would help to give us more elbow room to work, Mr. Maddox, in addition taking our issues elsewhere so as not to burden you…”
“Oh come on, Wulfstan–you know I don’t mind,” he interjected.
Karolyn jotted down one last note and closed her notebook, setting it down on the desk. “We still need our own headquarters at the end of the day, if for nothing else other than our morale. As much as we appreciate your courtesy, Charon, it is about time we left the nest so to speak."
Charon spun back around and chuckled. “Fair enough. “My life has been mostly going up and down the River Styx, so I’m in no position to criticize.” His phone then rang, and he pressed the lit up button before speaking into the microphone end. “Charon speaking… Dietrich, what’s good? …mm-hmm, I see… Really now? … so that lead Animus stumbled across was legitimate… Yeah, I can see why GRENADIER would need some more groceries, ha! … We’ll have to put a pin in this, because I’m about to have some guests and I believe Lester is about to show up… Mm-hmm, I’ll keep you posted, talk to you later.” He then put the phone back on the receiver and put his hands together.
“Lester’s on his way?” Karolyn questioned.
“Three, two, one…” he said with a chuckle.
Like clockwork, a door made of aged wood with a dirty window appeared in the office, and out stumbled a scruffy man in a top hat and a beat up, old-timey gray tuxedo. He was tangled up in a mess of wires, kicking his leg to get them off before finally shutting the door. “Charon! Marcel’s almost here!”
“I’m aware, Lester, given that Elise just informed us,” he replied with a chuckle.
Lester paused, then straightened himself out. “Right right,” he said as he picked up a bottle of root beer that had appeared out of nowhere, taking a quick swig and then clearing his throat. “Jeez, it’s certainly been a hot minute since we last saw him, hasn’t it? He’s gone from hex magic to void magic?! Imagine if he had that back in 1905!”
“Things would indeed be vastly different from what they are now, Mr. Barlow,” Wulfstan agreed.
“Lester, please refrain from referring to Will as ‘Marcel’ for the time being,” Charon put in. “Or at least wait until he gets his hex deck back.”
Lester took another drink and nodded. “Is he ready for his deck?”
“Well Delphine certainly feels he’s ready,” Karolyn remarked.
“I think he should get used to his void magic before starts using his old deck again,” Charon reasoned. “He’s getting a feel for it with the ‘Azure Spider’ hex, which will fill the gap left by the card he gave to Adam, but again, he needs to readjust to his void magic from what I’ve been told…”
“Ah yes, The Grave God wanting to cover for The Goolubber God while she’s busy and whatnot,” Wulfstan added. “Only for Specialist Sagan to step in…”
Lester shook his head and took a drink to help focus his thoughts. “Sounds like a mess and a half…”
Before Charon could comment further, they all heard a knock at the doors. “Come on in!” Charon called out.
“You have guests, Mr. Maddox,” Archibald said as he led the group inside, stepping calmly through the refined office with subtle arc deco stylings mixed with a dash of ancient Greek.
While Will was already familiar with most of the individuals in the room, Sam was utterly amazed by what she was sensing. First was the man at the desk, clearly an angel of death. His older age and pleasant demeanor with indigo eyes and combed-back grayish-blonde hair gave her the impression that he was a psychpomp with quite the history. The man standing off to the left was also quite fascinating given that Sam immediately sensed the Lost Era in him. Between his dark cherry to black hair, dark magenta eyes, and awkwardly polite demeanor, she had a good feeling this was the chief of Gemini. And his hands were shiny black–were they polymateria? The woman off to the right was interesting–dressed in a professional business suit and skirt with bronze-colored eyes and reddish gold hair, she was clearly a necromancer and had to be the one in charge of Gemini’s financials or a similar job.
“Well look what the cat dragged in,” Karolyn said with a playful tone towards Pace.
“Indeed I did, Karol,” he replied as he took a seat on a couch that was part of a set in the center of the office, reclining and resting his legs on the side of a glass and wood coffee table. “Good and bad news chief–good news is that we got rid of The Earl… bad news is the rat bastard’s still out there, unfortunately…”
“I’ll also call Isador after I finish up with Scevola,” Archibald said as he went over to the far end of the office to make his calls.
“Thanks, Jeeves,” Pace replied as Liam sat down on the other end of the couch.
“Mr. Ford!” Wulfstan said as he went over and bear-hugged Will.
“Agh, hey, Chief!” Will choked as he was squeezed and set down.
“Aw, where’s my hug, Chief?” Pace joked.
“Did you defeat The Earl Profane?” The sarcastic bluntness from Wulftsan made Pace laugh, with the others chuckling.
“Sorry I couldn’t be here on better terms, Chief,” said Will.
“Don’t apologize, Will,” Charon put in. “While this all stems from a grudge from a hundred years ago, none of this is your fault.”
“Hey Charon,” he said as he went over to shake his hand over the desk. “I guess you’re right… Hey Karolyn.”
“Good to see you again, Will,” she said as she shook his hand. “I heard you started working with Cliff finally?”
Will nodded. “Yeah–he went to go check up on some things, but yeah, I’d say we’re off to a good start. Sam!”
“Yes, Boyo?” she eagerly said as she stepped over.
“Sam, this is Wulfstan Rydderch, Chief of Gemini…”
“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Devilfay,” he said as he shook her hend with a firm grip. “I oversee the general goings-on of the team and look forward to working with you–Will has said many good things about you.”
“Boyo…” Sam quickly and playfully chided to Will. “Likewise, Wulfstan. I just hope my past with Karnage isn’t too much of a deal breaker…”
“Of course it isn’t, my dear,” Charon said with a warm, forgiving tone of voice. “Charon Maddox, CEO of Maddox Heavy Industries and a co-founder of The League. And if I had a dollar for every time someone spelled my name wrong with a double R, I’d be a rich man,” he said as he shook her hand, making the others chuckle with his remark. “And this here is Karolyn Wirnhier, the chief financial officer of Gemini.”
Karolyn shook Sam’s hand, pleased to meet her. “Hello, Sam–it’s a pleasure for you to finally have a chance to work with us.”
“Thanks,” she replied with a chuckle.
“Also, Charon, you’re already rich,” Karolyn pointed out with a calm chuckle.
“Indeed,” he answered with a laugh.
“I take it I don’t need to introduce Quincy?” Will asked with his own chuckle.
“Hey guys,” he said from the opposite couch of Pace and Liam, leaning back comfortably. “Sorry I couldn’t get Tressacht here today.”
“It’s alright, Mr. Aster,” Wulfstan reassured him. “And we're glad you were able to come along.”
Will sighed. “I just wish we didn’t have to deal with that stupid lawsuit…”
“That’s just the way the cookie crumbles, Will,” Pace pointed out, feeling his frustration.
Charon cleared his throat and quickly clicked something away on his computer. “I wanted Kit here, Will, as you know he’s been looking after Lionel and chipping in here and there. We were able to get Lester here though, ha…” He then glanced over to Lester over a counter top messing around with some food he had summoned. “Lester, get over here before Will has to rush out again!”
“Right, one second!” he said as he popped what looked like a small bundle of bread and meat into his mouth, followed by a quick drink.
Charon nodded and then said “Lester is my protege–and don’t mind the food, it’s just something he does…”
“Mar–Will!” he announced as he came over and shook his hand vigorously. “Pleasure to finally meet you in person!”
“Same here,” Will replied, noticing Lester’s brown hair had been hastily combed, which was clearly indicative of a project he was working on before arriving. “In case you’re wondering, Sam, Lester is a technomancer, but I’m never in when he’s in.”
“Oh jeez,” Sam said with a sympathetic chuckle, then shook Lester’s hand. “Wait, technomancy? Like General Skull Thrasher and The Void Orcs?”
“Yes indeedy, little miss,” Lester replied with pride. “Been training and studying with them ever since I got out of the slammer. Sorry you had to get all wrapped up in this, Will, as this goes all the way back to 1905…”
Charon quickly cleared his throat. “Lester…”
Lester threw his hands up with a smile and leaned on the desk. “Basically, without delving into past life stuff, Hector was plotting against you, Will.”
Will took a breath that everyone could sense the anxiety and anger of as red and orange smoke vented from his neck. “Christ, first it’s trying to deport me, now this?!”
“Smells like a pattern to me, Will,” Pace asserted while twiddling his thumbs, with Liam nodding in agreement.
“It’s really that bad?” Quincy questioned, with Lester nodding… which did not exactly set his anxiety at ease. “Good lord, rich people, am I right?” The humor was quite punchy on that remark.
“Welcome to the party, Sam,” Will said plainly.
“Boyo, I’ve been at this party for so long that it’s ended and started back up,” she replied as she went to take a seat.
“True, true…”
“Well, if it’s any consolation I’d imagine this case will utterly ruin Mr. Duckenfield,” Karolyn pointed out. “You have been vocal on social media about his ilk after all.”
Will nodded and accepted a glass of water from Wulfstan. “Yeah–psycho wants to bring back borstals and have us all register for Digital ID…”
“Yup, sounds about right for Herbert’s nonsense,” Lester remarked as he took another sip of his root beer. “Consider yourself lucky Horace came to his senses when he did.”
“Wait, Horace… Horace Granville? CEO of GRENADIER?”
Lester nodded. “Yup–me and the dastardly trio go way back… err, Me, Milford, and Horace that is.”
“The SOE side of GRENADIER, Sam,” Will quickly clarified.
“Yeah, that’s what I figured given Marcus and his deal,” Sam replied.
Wulfstan could sense something lingering in Will’s voice, like there was something bugging him that he could not find an opportunity to discuss. Figuring it was the perfect time to ask if everything had been alright after Will’s meeting with Wendelin and Abraham back in January, Wulfstan stepped over and spoke. “Is something bothering you, Will? I can sense it…”
Will groaned, as Wulfstan always had a knack for picking up on troubles–he was not an ‘empath,’ rather he was just really good at reading people. “You know, finding out about Lionel was one thing, but then normal life dragged me back in with something worse than centuries old grudges…” Charon was intrigued by that last statement, as it felt like Professor Marcel was speaking, but he elected to hold his tongue. Will continued with “let’s just say there was some family drama when I called to let my parents know what was going on–within reason…”
There was a moment of awkward silence, as everyone was not sure what to think. Wulfstan took a breath and put his hands together, preparing himself mentally, which served to steady everyone’s nerves. “You should probably get whatever this issue is off of your chest, so you don’t go into your trial emotionally charged.”
Taking a deep breath, Will figured it would be best given the knot in his stomach. “Alright… So, yeah, you guys know how my parents–Earth parents–don’t get along and broke up… you know, they still work together on stuff back at the childhood home and… Well they got into an argument again, while I was on the phone, and someone hit someone, I have no idea who…” Everyone was quietly stunned by this, not helping Will’s nerves. “And I screamed at them to stop, naturally my father never listens… and then I sort of used my void magic to go back to the house and slap some sense into everyone. And then Mads had me erase everyone’s memory because the three had witnessed void magic…”
“Wait, three?” Pace interjected. “Three who?”
Will groaned. “My dad’s ‘girlfriend,’ who he thought he could integrate into the family… good lord, this shit makes me never want to get married…” The room went deathly silent as Will looked around at everyone’s awkward expressions with a ‘what, what did I say?’ look on his face… and then he noticed Sam, who had the most incredulous and concerned looked on her face. In that moment Will felt a part of himself die from mortification. “I MEAN, ASSUMING YOU’RE NOT AROUND, SAM… fuck…” he cursed to himself on the last remark.
Sam got up silently and walked over to him. “Will? Me, Orion, and Kyu heard the commotion, but we weren’t sure what to say and didn’t want to make it worse…” She then hugged him. “But I see now we should have said something.”
Pace was trying to piece the issue together and quickly realized the stupidity of the situation. “So wait, your idiot father is trying to bring an attempt at a remarriage into the scene? Excuse me, but is he actually that dumb? Christ, that’s a powder keg just waiting to go off right there…” He was definitely drawing some critical looks for his bluntness, but the others had to admit that he had a point. “I can count one one hand how many times I’ve seen that work, and that hand is missing most of its fingers.”
Liam groaned as he shifted in his seat. “As much as I'd like Pace to be a little bit more tactful, I… I’ve met Will’s father… he’s not the brightest bulb in the shed thanks to his personality.”
“And you know, Will? I can understand that sentiment, of not wanting to get married–I can’t stand any of that drama, truth be told–but you’ve clearly got something good going on with Sam. Don’t throw it away just because your old man’s a dumbass.”
Karolyn shook her head towards Pace. “Well you’re one to talk, given that you haven’t tried to hold down a relationship.”
Pace threw his hands up. “Hey, I’m not going to force myself into a relationship with some random chick off the street just because I have to. That’s not how I roll and I’m already busy with Gemini.”
Will sighed, as Pace’s words made him feel better, vindicating him for some of the criticisms he had towards modern society. “I swear I’m going to be the most self-sufficient father imaginable…”
“Well don’t hand everything to your family on a silver platter, Will,” Wulfstan warned. “That will lead to your children becoming complacent, and may set them down a path to become your father, or turn their children into him.”
There was a brief moment of silence, with Lester taking the opportunity to speak his mind after finishing his root beer. “You know, I have a saying about dissent, that it’s a disease that spreads quickly, but you have to find a cure that makes everyone happy to stop it. It doesn’t help when people refuse that cure, however, even if it’s proven to work–and you know what Milan has no doubt taught you, Will; don’t teach people who refuse to learn…”
“Yeah, true…” Will agreed.
“So learn from where your father went wrong, Will,” Charon pointed out. “Don’t be like him, be the father he was supposed to be–also by Hades, I can just imagine how insufferable his trip down the River Styx would be…”
Sensing that Will was relaxing, Sam gave him another hug. “Boyo, you can talk to me about this stuff later–remember, my Earth parents split up too…”
Will smiled and hugged her back. “Thanks, Sam.”
Wulfstan then smiled and crossed his arms like a proud father. “So, Mr. Ford, what spell did Specialist Sagan employ? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Actually, he didn’t. Apparently he had someone else help him because he’s not good with memories…”
“Did he say who?”
“No, just alluded to someone I know being annoyed with him…”
Quincy glanced towards Liam, who shrugged. “Huh, that’s really odd… guess you and Anton were right about this void magic stuff being difficult, Will.”
Charon gave it some thought for a moment as he stroked his chin. “I see…”
Lester nodded in tune with Charon’s pondering and tapped his feet a little. “You don’t think it was her?”
“I know she wants to get back together with Will, but she’s awfully busy as of late…”
“Her who?” Will inquired as Sam put her hand on his shoulder, also curious.
Charon grunted, unsure what to do, given that the situation in question was all over the place. “I can’t say who yet, Will, as I don’t think you’re quite ready–but would you like to lend Nacht a hand sometime in the near future?”
Will was not sure what to make of that, but shrugged. “Sure?”
Charon smiled. “Excellent, it will be the perfect opportunity–”
“Mr. Maddox, Mayhem and Scotty are here,” Archibald announced from over by the door.
“Perfect timing, boys–come on over!” he welcomed.
Next:
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Comments
Post a Comment