The following material doesn't belong to me and wasn't written by me, it was written by a fella named ZipCode on FF.net and SpaceBattles.com. I'm just pimping his stuff a bit (with his permission) because it's extremely relevant to my interests.
***
i.
Two summers before a certain young boy got a graduation letter proclaiming that he was to become a teacher in Japan, an ancient vampire of unfathomable power got an evening visitor.
His name was Gateau Kagura Vandeburg.
Thing was, he was supposed to be dead.
ii.
It wasnÆt often that Evangeline was surprised.
Call it five hundred years of experience, reading too many crappy American comic books, vampire wisdom or whatever the hell you wanted Evangeline knew what was too good to be true probably was.
No one stayed dead. Ever.
ThatÆs why she knew Nagi was off gallivanting about the world instead of doing what he had promised to do. That is to say take her stupid curse off. And then marry her. Preferably in that order but she could deal with the opposite.
(It was entirely possible that he hadnÆt promised to do the latter but, details)
Still, she was surprised. Gateau Kagura Vandeburg (also known as Kanka Kagura, and Cake Kagura) was supposed to be really dead. Corpse found, salt on the grave, full rites, a holy seal of ridiculous power, honours and all the rest. It would have taken some serious mojo to get his corpse or spirit mobile. An Old God or two dozen Kemmlers, at the very least least.
Or unfinished business.
Crap.
ôTakamachi,ö she told the apparition, ôthat better not be you in there. ItÆs bad taste to ape your deceased master.ö
Gateau took a drag from his cigarette and gave her a crooked, tired smile. ôIÆm cashing in my favour.ö
Crap on a stick and damn.
ôYouÆre dead,ö Evangeline pointed out, somewhat irritably. The number of favours she owed Ala Rubra was just stupid and if they all came back from the dead to cash in on them sheÆd be running errands for the rest of her immortal existence. ôI donÆt owe you nada.ö
The old man raised an eyebrow. ôReneging? You?ö
She might have been five hundred years old, but EvangelineÆs cheeks still burned at GateauÆs tone. ôA favour is owed between the living,ö she told him huffily. ôYour descendants can cash in on your stupid favour.ö
ôYouÆre a vampire,ö he told her reasonably. ôYouÆre not exactly among the living either.ö
ôYouÆre ruining a perfectly good evening to tell me that?ö Evangeline muttered. With ill grace, she conceded. ôWhat do you want?ö
The grizzled old man replaced his dying cigarette with a new one and lit up. After taking a drag he exhaled and looked into the evening sky.
ôI need you to do some baby-sitting.ö
iii.
The World Tree û more specifically, the Sacred Tree Bontou û was MahoraÆs claim to fame. It really should have been the other way around but that was mortals for you. Ignorant louts.
At its base, heaped together in one awkward pile were five girls as wildly different as could be imagined. Blond, black, teal, red, pink. The oldest could have been at the age of majority given her figure but Evangeline doubted it.
Vampires, historically, made poor baby-sitters. Something more was going on here. Evangeline took a shot in the dark.
ôDonÆt tell me theyÆre pregnant.ö
Gateau actually choked on his stupid cigarette. It was amusing for all of five seconds.
ôN-no,ö Gateau finally managed to say. Growling: ôWhat made you think that?ö
Oh this just got better and better. She recognized that tone of voice. Alarmed paternity.
ôOne of them is yours, isnÆt she?ö The vampire said, almost gleeful, as she examined the girls with more interest. The blonde, perhaps. It would fit, given their hair but she had never known GateauÆs lover. It could really be any one of them. None of them had GateauÆs looks which was a net positive, in her opinion.
Mmm, the brunette would look great in an outfit she had stashed away somewhere. Definitely had the face to pull off Victorian era.
ôMore like a niece,ö Gateau said, recovering his cool. ôAnd none of them are pregnant.ö
Evangeline rolled her eyes. Men.
ôRight,ö she told him. ôSo what do you want? You could get any baby-sitter in the world but youÆre haunting-ö
She felt it then. A stiff, thready pulse. Like the beating of a heart. If that heart was filled with putrid motor oil. Almost involuntarily she reached out and picked out an object from the brunetteÆs pocket.
It was shaped a bit like an egg and stunk of a magic so alien it almost hurt to hold onto. The pale purple light was almost mesmerizing.
EvangelineÆs eyebrows rose.
ôYeah,ö Gateau said quietly. ôThatÆs why.ö
iv.
ôLichs.ö Evangeline said disbelievingly. ôYou brought me five lichs.ö
She examined the phylactery. ôAnd theyÆre degenerating too.ö Evangeline started to chuckle as she realized why she had been called. ôGateau, you naughty child - youÆre trying to hide them. So you come to me. IÆm almost impressed.ö
The man took another drag from his ethereal cigarette. ôYes.ö
ôIf the Headmaster catches me at this, you know what heÆll do.ö Evangeline reminded him. ôIt wonÆt just be a tap on the wrist. HeÆs a softy but lichs require souls. Magic doesnÆt get much darker than that. Even if sheÆs yours, sheÆs gone. Let her go. Evil doesnÆt begin to describe the process of destroying a soul.ö
Gateau was silent.
Evangeline continued. ôAnd even if they havenÆt eaten a soul yet, the ritual just to create a phylactery demands the most innocent of souls. Purity that could call a unicorn. Even if youÆre too squeamish to do the deed yourself, admit that these five are long lost. Let them go. Better kill them now then watch them become monsters that they are.ö
Gateau was silent for another minute.
ôI thought that at first too,ö he said quietly. ôButà I got suspicious. As far as I can tellà their own souls were used as the base.ö
Evangeline snorted. ôWhy would anyone-ö her eyes widened as she re-examined the phylactery and then the relative youth of the five girls. ôThatÆs û they û someone turned them into lichs?ö Her mind raced but she couldnÆt see a single plausible reason for doing so other than cruelty. Really expensive cruelty. ôWhy?ö
Gateau shrugged his shoulders, looking uncomfortable. Takamichi got like that as well when feeling murderous and having nowhere to expend the energy. ôIÆm looking into it. Will you help them?ö
Evangeline wanted to say no. Should have said no. Having five lichs underfoot would be worse than a little annoying. It might even be, in her weakened state, suicidal. She couldnÆt even measure their magical potential, thatÆs how weak she was.
And there were few things that had more magical capacity than a lich, living or dead.
Still. Turning into a monster?
She could sympathize.
ôFixing them is going to cost extra,ö Evangeline decided. ôI like grovelling though. Five minutes, every day, youÆre manifesting in my cottage and you will grovel.ö
Gateau bowed. He sounded relieved which was not the usual reaction to her asking someone to grovel. Was he an M? ôThank you, Evangeline.ö
Tentatively, she tried: ôAnd I want puppets. Servants. Chachazero unsealed. Talk to the headmaster about it. I donÆt care what excuses you weave.ö
ôYes, of course.ö
Evangeline smiled toothily and went for broke.
ôAnd while youÆre at it I could û I mean they could really use some nicer clothes and since thereÆs gonna be more people crowding my house we could use a maid û ooh, how about a robot one? YÆknow, discretion and loyalty and all that -ö
v.
He even carried the five of them on his metaphysical back all the way to her cottage.
It was official: Gateau was her new favoritest ghost ever.
***
Those of you who recognize the crossover, <a href='http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=185089&page=27' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>go here for a bit more material</a>. Those of you who don't... well, you've been exposed to one hell of a spoiler for the crossed over series, and you'll get more of them if you follow that link. Don't say I didn't warn you.
***
i.
Two summers before a certain young boy got a graduation letter proclaiming that he was to become a teacher in Japan, an ancient vampire of unfathomable power got an evening visitor.
His name was Gateau Kagura Vandeburg.
Thing was, he was supposed to be dead.
ii.
It wasnÆt often that Evangeline was surprised.
Call it five hundred years of experience, reading too many crappy American comic books, vampire wisdom or whatever the hell you wanted Evangeline knew what was too good to be true probably was.
No one stayed dead. Ever.
ThatÆs why she knew Nagi was off gallivanting about the world instead of doing what he had promised to do. That is to say take her stupid curse off. And then marry her. Preferably in that order but she could deal with the opposite.
(It was entirely possible that he hadnÆt promised to do the latter but, details)
Still, she was surprised. Gateau Kagura Vandeburg (also known as Kanka Kagura, and Cake Kagura) was supposed to be really dead. Corpse found, salt on the grave, full rites, a holy seal of ridiculous power, honours and all the rest. It would have taken some serious mojo to get his corpse or spirit mobile. An Old God or two dozen Kemmlers, at the very least least.
Or unfinished business.
Crap.
ôTakamachi,ö she told the apparition, ôthat better not be you in there. ItÆs bad taste to ape your deceased master.ö
Gateau took a drag from his cigarette and gave her a crooked, tired smile. ôIÆm cashing in my favour.ö
Crap on a stick and damn.
ôYouÆre dead,ö Evangeline pointed out, somewhat irritably. The number of favours she owed Ala Rubra was just stupid and if they all came back from the dead to cash in on them sheÆd be running errands for the rest of her immortal existence. ôI donÆt owe you nada.ö
The old man raised an eyebrow. ôReneging? You?ö
She might have been five hundred years old, but EvangelineÆs cheeks still burned at GateauÆs tone. ôA favour is owed between the living,ö she told him huffily. ôYour descendants can cash in on your stupid favour.ö
ôYouÆre a vampire,ö he told her reasonably. ôYouÆre not exactly among the living either.ö
ôYouÆre ruining a perfectly good evening to tell me that?ö Evangeline muttered. With ill grace, she conceded. ôWhat do you want?ö
The grizzled old man replaced his dying cigarette with a new one and lit up. After taking a drag he exhaled and looked into the evening sky.
ôI need you to do some baby-sitting.ö
iii.
The World Tree û more specifically, the Sacred Tree Bontou û was MahoraÆs claim to fame. It really should have been the other way around but that was mortals for you. Ignorant louts.
At its base, heaped together in one awkward pile were five girls as wildly different as could be imagined. Blond, black, teal, red, pink. The oldest could have been at the age of majority given her figure but Evangeline doubted it.
Vampires, historically, made poor baby-sitters. Something more was going on here. Evangeline took a shot in the dark.
ôDonÆt tell me theyÆre pregnant.ö
Gateau actually choked on his stupid cigarette. It was amusing for all of five seconds.
ôN-no,ö Gateau finally managed to say. Growling: ôWhat made you think that?ö
Oh this just got better and better. She recognized that tone of voice. Alarmed paternity.
ôOne of them is yours, isnÆt she?ö The vampire said, almost gleeful, as she examined the girls with more interest. The blonde, perhaps. It would fit, given their hair but she had never known GateauÆs lover. It could really be any one of them. None of them had GateauÆs looks which was a net positive, in her opinion.
Mmm, the brunette would look great in an outfit she had stashed away somewhere. Definitely had the face to pull off Victorian era.
ôMore like a niece,ö Gateau said, recovering his cool. ôAnd none of them are pregnant.ö
Evangeline rolled her eyes. Men.
ôRight,ö she told him. ôSo what do you want? You could get any baby-sitter in the world but youÆre haunting-ö
She felt it then. A stiff, thready pulse. Like the beating of a heart. If that heart was filled with putrid motor oil. Almost involuntarily she reached out and picked out an object from the brunetteÆs pocket.
It was shaped a bit like an egg and stunk of a magic so alien it almost hurt to hold onto. The pale purple light was almost mesmerizing.
EvangelineÆs eyebrows rose.
ôYeah,ö Gateau said quietly. ôThatÆs why.ö
iv.
ôLichs.ö Evangeline said disbelievingly. ôYou brought me five lichs.ö
She examined the phylactery. ôAnd theyÆre degenerating too.ö Evangeline started to chuckle as she realized why she had been called. ôGateau, you naughty child - youÆre trying to hide them. So you come to me. IÆm almost impressed.ö
The man took another drag from his ethereal cigarette. ôYes.ö
ôIf the Headmaster catches me at this, you know what heÆll do.ö Evangeline reminded him. ôIt wonÆt just be a tap on the wrist. HeÆs a softy but lichs require souls. Magic doesnÆt get much darker than that. Even if sheÆs yours, sheÆs gone. Let her go. Evil doesnÆt begin to describe the process of destroying a soul.ö
Gateau was silent.
Evangeline continued. ôAnd even if they havenÆt eaten a soul yet, the ritual just to create a phylactery demands the most innocent of souls. Purity that could call a unicorn. Even if youÆre too squeamish to do the deed yourself, admit that these five are long lost. Let them go. Better kill them now then watch them become monsters that they are.ö
Gateau was silent for another minute.
ôI thought that at first too,ö he said quietly. ôButà I got suspicious. As far as I can tellà their own souls were used as the base.ö
Evangeline snorted. ôWhy would anyone-ö her eyes widened as she re-examined the phylactery and then the relative youth of the five girls. ôThatÆs û they û someone turned them into lichs?ö Her mind raced but she couldnÆt see a single plausible reason for doing so other than cruelty. Really expensive cruelty. ôWhy?ö
Gateau shrugged his shoulders, looking uncomfortable. Takamichi got like that as well when feeling murderous and having nowhere to expend the energy. ôIÆm looking into it. Will you help them?ö
Evangeline wanted to say no. Should have said no. Having five lichs underfoot would be worse than a little annoying. It might even be, in her weakened state, suicidal. She couldnÆt even measure their magical potential, thatÆs how weak she was.
And there were few things that had more magical capacity than a lich, living or dead.
Still. Turning into a monster?
She could sympathize.
ôFixing them is going to cost extra,ö Evangeline decided. ôI like grovelling though. Five minutes, every day, youÆre manifesting in my cottage and you will grovel.ö
Gateau bowed. He sounded relieved which was not the usual reaction to her asking someone to grovel. Was he an M? ôThank you, Evangeline.ö
Tentatively, she tried: ôAnd I want puppets. Servants. Chachazero unsealed. Talk to the headmaster about it. I donÆt care what excuses you weave.ö
ôYes, of course.ö
Evangeline smiled toothily and went for broke.
ôAnd while youÆre at it I could û I mean they could really use some nicer clothes and since thereÆs gonna be more people crowding my house we could use a maid û ooh, how about a robot one? YÆknow, discretion and loyalty and all that -ö
v.
He even carried the five of them on his metaphysical back all the way to her cottage.
It was official: Gateau was her new favoritest ghost ever.
***
Those of you who recognize the crossover, <a href='http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=185089&page=27' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>go here for a bit more material</a>. Those of you who don't... well, you've been exposed to one hell of a spoiler for the crossed over series, and you'll get more of them if you follow that link. Don't say I didn't warn you.
