"Azreal, what are you-"
"Just what exactly do I mean to you Danica!? JUST WHAT THE FUCK AM I TO YOU!!?"
Danica cringed, tears forming in her eyes. "Azreal please, tell me-"
"DON'T FUCKING PLAY WITH ME! I FUCKING SAW YOU!! I...the other night, I saw you at Panther's. Do I need to say more?"
It was as though lightning had struck Danica, and even James, who almost immediately understood where this was going even if he didn't know what it was Azreal had seen. "A-Azreal..."
"I don't care about what he means to you, if he's a toy for you to enjoy, I don't give a shit. But, I want you to answer my fucking question. What did I mean to you?"
"It's not like that Azreal! I love you!"
Azreal's eye twitched. How dare she use those words. "Apparently, not enough. You probably didn't think about me at all when you were with him, did you?" Azreal's voice had now dropped to a harsh whisper. He had to, because he could feel his other self trying to rise to the surface, and he had to keep as calm as possible.
"Cameron didn't mean anything! He was just a good time, that's it. It's you I want to be with!"
(She...)
"Bull-fucking-shit! You should have thought of that before you decided to try out a new fucking toy!"
(Doesn't deserve...)
He could feel it now, trying to overtake him using his own anger. Even now, he heard his other self in his mind, trying to communicate with him. Trying to command him.
"Azreal, please! Stop it! Please don't do this to us!" Danica was in tears now, and part of him felt bad. But a darker and large part of him gained great satisfaction, and that part of him was trying to surface.
(...the gift of life...take it)
Azreal growled inwardly at himself.
(NO!)
(take it!)
(I won't! I won't give in!)
(fool...take what is yours)
Azreal shook his head. He needed to get out of here before this got worse, and felt both of the near terrified gazes of both Danica, and even James, who had been standing silently nearby, completely frozen by the course of events unfolding in front of him.
"A-Az-"
"Look Danica, we're through, it's that fucking simple. Have fun with your new fucking toy." Azreal spat one last time before he spun and rushed away as fast as he could.
"Aaazrealll!!" Danica's voice echoed behind him.
(take it)
(take it)
(take it)
(take it)
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!" Azreal shouted into the sky as he stepped outside, free at last.
To Azreal's surprise, it worked, and felt an instant calm wash over himself. It was done. Both Danica, and his inner self, both of them were now gone, and Azreal was free.
Sort of. Actually, not at all, considering that after all of that, and especially in front of James, Azreal had the feeling that he might not be welcome anymore. And considering what was awaiting him inside, it wasn't worth trying. So now, he was out of a job, and just might have fucked all three of them over. But at least, at least he kept his inner self down, and prevented himself from doing who knows what, and none of it pleasant.
Well, it was a bright and sunny morning, though a little chilly. Might as well go job hunting, which probably wasn't going to work out at all. And besides, since Azreal was now jobless, he was going to have to learn to steal again until he picked up a real job. And what better way to practice than to steal some good ass liquor.
Aegis stood before the door to the apartment. A lot of things could have happened to Azreal today, and Aegis had a feeling that he might find out what once he opened the door. Aegis also had a feeling that it was going to be bad news.
The smell told him immediately that something was wrong as he opened the door. It was alcohol, and strong. And there was Azreal, curled up on the couch, two empty bottles sitting on the table, and a half empty open bottle in his left hand. Aegis decided that the time for true intervention may come very soon, but not right now. Most likely, he was hardly in the condition to attempt anything rational.
"I-I'm sorry Aegis...I blew it...I fucking...you guys should just kick me to the street and find a place for the two of you." Azreal said grimly, hardly slurring at all which struck Aegis as unexpected.
"What happened?" Aegis asked closing the door behind him and pulling up a chair as Azreal sat up and took a sip from his bottle.
"Well...I went in, told the boss what was gonna happen, then, got into a fight with her. I-I came close, but I held on, and only because I walked out. I had to man, I would have killed them all if I didn't. But now, I can't go back, I know I can't go back. If I do, even if I suppress it, that...whatever the fuck it is, it'll eat away at me. And I figure, while I'm looking for a new job, I'll start stealing again for a little while so I can help pay my part, and I warmed up by stealing these bottles. But then it hit me, and I realized what a fucking shit loser I am, I mean, just look at what I lost. I lost Danica, my job, and I'm losing my control. Look at me! I could have been out all day looking for a job, but instead I've turned to this! And this started because I'm a fucking rat who can't earn a place in the world. I have to fucking STEAL IT!" Azreal pointed at the bottle, which was followed by Azreal planting his face into his hands.
Aegis put a shoulder on Azreal. "Considering the circumstances, you made the right decision, and I'm being serious about that. Now, it's not the end of the world just yet, not if you can find a new job quickly enough. From here on, I forbid you from stealing and drinking until...eight at night. Obviously, yes, you may have to steal to cover some of our bills, and the ban on drinking will keep you sober until designated times. These are the sacrifices you must make if you are to stay. We can no longer afford to be spending time in Confinement, nor can we afford your drinking habits should they get out of control. You slip up in either area, and there will be nothing that Angelus nor myself will be able to do for you, understand?"
As Azreal nodded, the door behind Aegis opened and Angelus emerged. Upon seeing Azreal and the bottles, he made a disgusted and disappointed face.
"You lost your job, and all you did was sit around and fucking drink all day, didn't you? Are you-"
"Enough Angelus!" Aegis turned as he cut Angelus off, glaring at him.
Angelus growled in frustration, showing his teeth, but instead huffed, harshly shut the door behind him, and began walking to his room.
"Stop!"
Angelus snapped at the voice and turned to Aegis, now returning Aegis' glare.
"Sit."
Angelus took a long and obviously very frustrated breath, which he let out in equal frustration as he pulled up another chair and sat down.
Once properly seated, Aegis turned back to Azreal. "Look, Angelus is right, as obnoxious as he can be about it-"
"What the fuck does...'obnoxious' mean?"
"In your terms, it means that you're a fucking dick."
"Fuck you Aegis!"
"Back to my point Azreal, Angelus is right. You were wrong to sit here and drink all day instead of attempting to do something productive, especially considering that we are going to be considerably strained if you don't get back on your feet soon. We can't afford you to start falling victim to alcohol. If you do, then Angelus and I cannot afford to have you around. It's that simple."
The room went silent as Aegis made the ultimatum clear as crystal, so clear that even Azreal's currently hazy eyes could easily see it.
Azreal's eyes then fell. "Then...you might as well kick me out now. I'm-"
"Enough Azreal! That hasn't been determined yet, there's time for you to get back on your feet. You may have allowed your life to fall to pieces within days, but you can also put it back together if you let me and Angelus help you, as much as Angelus might bitch about it."
"In all seriousness, I did say that I'll help you out in whatever way I can. But dude, I can't help you if you're splattered here on the couch drunk like this. How the fuck did you afford these bottles anyway? I sure as hell know that we don't have those."
"I stole them."
Angelus threw his hands up. "Fucking wonderful. To make it worse, he steals liquor instead of-"
"Enough Angelus. Look, I have off tomorrow, so I'll assist you tomorrow. But, you need to be able to do this on your own without our supervision, both with your job searching, and your drinking."
Azreal's eyes fell. "I'll...try."
Aegis sighed, which was then followed by knocking on the door.
All three heads turned at once.
"Who the fuck is that?" Angelus asked.
"Fucked if I know." Azreal replied, as Aegis stood and opened the door.
"Mr. Stover." Aegis greeted, recognizing Azreal's boss having met him a few times when Aegis stopped by.
"Huh?"
"M-Mr. Stover?" Azreal said, adjusting his head so he could see past Aegis. Sure enough, his boss was standing in the doorway before Aegis.
Richter turned to Azreal, and sighed upon seeing him and the bottle in his hand. Poor bastard, going through his first heart break.
"You okay to talk for a minute?" Richter asked Azreal, who straightened himself up a little in response, and even put the bottle he was holding on the floor.
"Y-yeah, why?"
"Why don't you come in first? Do you want to sit down?" Aegis asked politely with both Angelus and Azreal's eyes shooting over to Aegis in surprise. Even though they knew that Aegis could play a real good brown noser, it was still so damn surprising to see him suddenly spring into that role.
"Thank you, and don't worry about the chair, I won't be staying long."
"But, why have you come here, Mr. Stover? I mean, aren't I finished now?"
"No. In fact, you were scheduled to work today, and you missed an entire day of work that I needed you for. Now, I'm willing to overlook this and call today your 'personal' day, if you come to work at your scheduled hours tomorrow."
Azreal blinked. "B-but-"
"Ah yes, your coworkers. Or should I say at this point, former coworkers. You see, it's one thing if some sort of relationship between two coworkers deepens over time. Things like that happen, and sometimes, it's best just to let it happen. But, for one of my employees to suddenly start sleeping around with multiple coworkers, that creates chaos, chaos that I'm sure you've noticed today, and the chaos that occurred after you left."
"Brandy attacked Danica, and the two of them had to be separated by four other coworkers. I strongly questioned Danica about the truth and she admitted her guilt. I fired Danica on the spot, and Brandy is on slight probation for taking such action without first telling someone. I fired Cameron as soon as he came in, and he threw a fit. Roger personally took him down and threw him out with his own hands."
Azreal blinked. "Seriously? Roger?"
Richter nodded. "You, however, were a victim in all of this. You never intended to harm anyone, and therefore, I have no grounds to fire you, unless you don't come to work tomorrow. What time are you supposed to be in?"
Azreal's eyes wandered. "Umm...8:45? Yeah, 8:45."
"Will I see you then?" Richter asked.
"Y-yeah." Azreal replied, nodding enthusiastically.
"Good, I'll see you then, 8:45 sharp. You had better be there because I've got tons for you to do, since you had to go and take a personal day today. Have a good day gentlemen, and Azreal, get some sleep. You look like you need it." Richter said as he let himself out, and closed the door behind him.
All three of them stared at the closed door, not know what other magical being may pop through that door and suddenly fix their problems.
"...unexpected." Aegis broke the long standing silence, and then turned to Azreal.
"Congratulations, you have your job back. Just don't blow this chance."
"Y-yeah..." Azreal drifted.
"What's up? You just got your job back, aren't you excited?" Angelus asked.
"Well...I was thinking...I want to get the fuck out of here."
Angelus, and even Aegis, blinked at that one. Azreal then turned to them. "I mean, I want to leave Pirus. I was thinking of it today, and yeah, I may have gotten my job back, and yeah, Danica might be gone, but, I'm tired of being here, in Pirus. There's nothing here, at least for me. Nothing but bad fucking memories, memories I'm sick of reliving all the time, especially now that me and Danica are done. Could we do that? You know, pack up and just move somewhere, someday?"
Another silence settled in, one that Aegis, once again, had to break. But before he did, his lips slightly curved into a smile.
"I had a feeling that this question would come up someday, and I've already figured out what we can do to prepare for such a move. It won't be until several months, and we'll have to cut our spending down even further, but if we try, we could save up enough money to move and stay at an apartment for a few months until we find work. This will, however, take quite a bit of preparation, including cuts on spending."
Angelus rolled his eyes. "Basically, we'll have no fucking spending money at all, right?"
Aegis nodded. "Yes."
Angelus sighed, then shrugged. "You know what, if you guys are down for it, so am I. In fact, I kind of agree with Azreal, this place just plain fucking sucks. So...where would we go?"
"Templar."
New Years, perhaps the most celebrated day in the Magi world, a day of celebration that was established long ago when Osirus first implemented the modern calendar during the height of his power. He decreed that both the day before and the first day of the new year should both be holidays. First, the night of the new year was to be a reflection of the previous year, and the lessons the were learned. Then, at midnight, the previous year was put behind in the past, and everyone starts afresh in the new year as everyone raises their eyes to the future.
The days continued to be celebrated beyond Osirus' lifetime, but it wasn't until Grand Dragoon Von Richtoven established the Graduate Tournaments on New Years two hundred years later that the holiday became known as it is now, which was a full blown celebration of the arrival of the future, and of those who hold the future in their hands. The upcoming generation, the Graduates.
While all of that may have been the meaning behind it, nowadays it is known as the single greatest party night of the year that is the culmination months of preparations. The actual tournament took place just outside Skytown's limits, in the large field in between Skytown and the Dragoon Palace, which was propped up at the base of Dragon Mountain. (The location of the final test of the Graduates was located far to the east of where the Dragoon Palace rested and could not be seen from their vantage point.) The field was filled with fifty small 30 foot by 30 foot square stone rings all neatly lined, arranged, and separated by the same distance of 30 feet. There were ten rings in each of the five rows, making the total could of the rings at 50, and all of them have been carefully maintained over the centuries.
Each ring held four large torches at each corner of the rings to provide light, and when all were lit, the entire field itself was well lighted enough for one to be able to see all of the rings even from a distance. Also included in the same corner of each ring was a large flagpole along with a flag that held a number for each ring that went from one to fifty.
At the northern edge of the rings was a medium sized stage where the announcers and speakers will stand through the course of the night. Behind the stage were a few dozen fifteen foot VIP boxes where the officials will sit during the Tournament. Beyond the boxes was a set of six rings arranged into two rows, each of which were 100 feet apart, and each of rings themselves were 60 by 60 feet where round four will take place for the ease of the spectators since there will not be in a field of rings. On the northern edge of these rings sat more VIP boxes which will be used four rounds three and four during the Tournament. Lastly, behind the second set of VIP boxes was a large and open field with a simple large perimeter fence that signified the massive 100 square foot field where the semifinals and the finals will take place.
Although the scheduled arrival time for both the Graduates and the officials involved in the Graduate Tournament wasn't until three thirty, and the drawings weren't until four, quiet an impressive number of individuals were scattered around the field of rings. Some of them workers that were doing last minute clean ups of the rings, others were vendors which were setting up on the outside of the rings.
And the last, but rather small group, is the Dragoon participants that have arrived early with their friends and loved ones, preferring to wait out the last hour or so here in the rings rather than rush in at the last minute and get caught in the Walk.
Graduate Beasley Joachim, the number three seed, was one such individual. Her two different colored eyes, the left being blue and the right being brown, were currently scanning the rings around her as she stood on one of the rings that she herself will fight on during this night. Her dirty blonde hair was currently tied in a pig tail and was wearing her green Graduate robe which hid most of her figure, and her rather attractive sun kissed face held a look of calm and concentration as her eyes slowly absorbed her surroundings, appearing on the outside as one who was going into battle. Not even the cool breeze of the coming winter which officially started tomorrow on the first of Martius distracted her from her concentration. Though the one next to Beasley could not say the same.
It was her husband Marcus, which Beasley towered over as she stood next to him. Beasley herself was just a few slivers short of six feet while Marcus was a measly five nine and a half. The two had been married just ten days ago in a beautiful park near East River outside of Skytown's limits, and have spent the last ten days staying at a resort near the park and the river on their honeymoon. It was everything she could have asked for, especially that first night with that perfect and open moonlight star filled sky which made one of the greatest setting she had ever made love in...
Beasley had to shake those memories off for now, no matter how beautiful and wonderful both the resort and the last few days have been for her. Now that she was here, she had to remain focused.
"Why does it feel like I'm more nervous about this between the two of us? I'm not even fighting tonight. Aren't you at least a little uncomfortable at the thought of everyone who will be watching this tonight?"
"No, it doesn't matter, what matters is winning, and I certainly have a good chance at that." Beasley replied with a confident smile.
"Good to know you're confident, at least. I'll be rooting for you, hoping the draws work out for you, though I think that you're crazy in that you want to go up against...uh..."
"Wartron and Aegis."
"Thank you. But hey, if that's what you want, I hope it works out that way. I mean, it would be nice to see you beat the top two of your class, even if it might cost you."
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