#he goes up to arthur and suggests cutting off the head of his fiancée and he has to completely depend on his powers of persuasion

[abrahamvanhelsings]

the hitch in van helsing's words when he says "i beseech you" im going to cry for real this time. it's not even simply that he knows how important it is that he gets arthur to trust him, that he's conscious of their duty to all living souls and lucy herself to do this to her and how difficult this will be physically and emotionally. it's that arthur now distrusts him, cries at him in anger - arthur, the man who looks like his lost son and whom he loves because of it. the man whose love and respect he may now never get back after suggesting mutilating lucy's corpse. he isn't just desperate for all the men in that room to trust him so they can give lucy peace and keep the living safe. that's the sacrifice of his father's heart splitting in two right there. wtf alan burgon.

[bffhreprise]

Entry 276

 “Dragons?  You’re certain?” I asked, studying James’ face for some sign of mirth.

 “That’s what Vito claimed, and his brothers seemed to agree with him.” replied James solemnly.

  “Wow.  That’s really hard to imagine.  How could we have not… Oh.  Hmm.” I told him, stopping when I realized exactly how humanity could have gone this long without finding evidence.  “I suppose the Slayer family would probably cover up any dragon remains found.”

 “I got the impression that dragons rarely died.” added James.

 Frowning slightly, I said, “That’s scary.  If they could eat as much as they could in legends, which I easily could believe with such large bodies, then they could’ve become a burden to their areas quickly.”

 Nodding in agreement, James suggested “Perhaps, but their magic probably helped sustain them to some degree.  I certainly feel capable of going very extended periods on just magic, and Portentia’s said before that she never has to eat, drink, sleep, or even breathe.”

 “But you still experience hunger.  Why wouldn’t they give into theirs?” I questioned, still studying James’ reactions as he responded.  He was far too good at hiding his expressions these days.  Was Alma giving him courses on it?  Probably not.  His mind seemed far faster than it has been only months ago, which would be needed to keep up with his body, but I could imagine that emotions came and left too quick for them to register at times.

 “True, but Portentia goes extended periods without food despite Marco’s protestations.  At least some of the dragons could have been that altruistic.” he claimed.

 “Maybe.  I doubt it.  Portentia’s rare in a great number of ways.” I argued, feeling Portentia’s absolute dedication to good was beyond rare.

 “I know.  Their eating habits might have played a part in why the dragons left the planet back then.” he offered.

 I nodded and said, “Quite possibly.  They were thought of as guardians from what you said, so they might well have been careful not to starve the ones under their protection.  Dragons though… the idea’s crazy, but I love it.”  I couldn’t stop smiling as I thought about the idea of dragons roaming the world.

 James left me to my thoughts for a time.

 Feeling the need to voice some, I said, “The seven wonders are much easier to explain now that I know without a doubt some of what magic can accomplish.  Do you know how easily Ai or Mai could have maintained the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?  I’m sure you could pull it off with your magic pretty quickly as well.  Then there’s Emma… she could keep a garden alive in space.  The world’s changed so much for us in under a year.”

 “I know.  Who would have thought that you’d be married within a year of graduating?” he teased.

 “I am pretty lucky.” I agreed with a grin.

 All too casually, he said, “I’m sure Ai and Mai told you about the challenge…”

 “And about a magical dagger Aaliyah apparently had sitting around.” I replied, surely smirking.  

 “Care to see it?” he inquired, sounding all too serious.

 “Let me think…  Would I like to see an old, magical weapon barely even mentioned in myth.  Come on, James!  Is that really even a question!?” I asked him, grinning ear-to-ear.  

 James pulled the sheathed dagger out from behind his back, probably from the back of his belt, and presented it to me.  Light radiated out from the exposed part of the dagger.

 “Wow.  That’s obviously not normal.” I asserted, wondering if a weapon could look more magical.  “Portentia’s staff can pass for normal at a glance, but this… this is not very subtle.”

 “Oh…” replied James, feigning disappointment.  “I hoped to wear it everywhere I go.”

 I laughed and told him “Sure, James.  I probably would, just to make people wonder.”  Picturing how people might react was great.  Would police even bother to inspect it, or would they assume it’s some sort of prop, given the light?  Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I asked “May I hold it?”

 James shrugged and turned the hilt toward me.  Sadly, the light diminished somewhat as I pulled the dagger out, as if it was dejected to leave James.

 “That’s odd,” he insisted.

 “Nah.  The dagger just likes you better.  No surprise there.” I assured him.

 He rolled his eyes at me, obviously not taking my words to heart.

 “No, really.  From what Ai and Mai have told me, the weapons like this and Midnight actually prefer certain users, doing far more for them than for those they don’t like.” I explained, wishing he would accept his gifts already.

 “You have plenty of friends.” he insisted.  He was always like this, refusing to think that I owed him anything.

 “Thanks to you.  James, I don’t have your magical ‘you must like me’ aura.  I’m fine with this.  You need to accept it.” I insisted.

 He sighed.

 “You put up with it.  You don’t accept it.” I pointed out.  “Hey, Mila.  What sort of readings are you getting from this thing?”

 “The dagger is radiating heat and light, but nothing else that I can detect.  I believe there is magic causing interference with some of my more sensitive equipment.” she explained.

 “Have you tried cutting anything with it?” I questioned, knowing he probably hadn’t.

 Looking surprised, he asked “What?  No.  Why would I?”

 “No curiosity at all?  This is a magic weapon like something out of a fairytale.  You might be able to cut through stone, steel, or even your own hair!  Well, I doubt it’d actually work on your hair.  How do you get a haircut?” I inquired, feeling this was finally the time to bring that up.  Given that his hair was stronger than steel and repelled magic, I didn’t really have even a guess as to how his haircuts worked.

 “Aaliyah’s been cutting it.  I never actually paid attention to what she uses.” he replied, looking somewhat embarrassed.  Typical James.  He probably just accepted without giving Aaliyah’s incredible ingenuity a thought.

 I passed off the dagger to him and went to find something worth cutting.  There should be something in this pile that’d work…  “Magic scissors.” I suggested.  “Really wouldn’t surprise me.  She seems to be able to get her hands on anything.”  Would magic scissors really work?  If they did, how powerful would they have to be?  “The twins told me your dagger was once King Arthur’s.  Can you imagine King Arthur being real?”

 “The world’s getting crazier.” he stated.

 I glanced at him and said, “You mean ‘even more amazing’!  That opens up the possibility for Excalibur, James.  Imagine if that sword is real!” I explained, catching sight of a steel pipe when I turned back to the rubbish pile.  “Ah!  Try to cut this!” I exclaimed, holding the pipe up for him to see.  What had I been working on with this?  Too thick to be an exhaust pipe, so… Oh!  Maybe part of the reinforced coolant system for my suit.  That’d make this stainless steel.  I would have preferred pure steel for this test, but it’ll work.

 When I held out the pipe for James, he casually touched the blade to it between my hands, and a blinding flash of light spilt the pipe in half.  I stared at the two halves, holding them out for James to see as well.  I wanted to analyze the edges, so I might make a better guess at what just happened, but something else was more pressing.

 “I bet you could cut open a tank with that thing!  Let me give it a try.” I insisted, dropping half the pipe and handing the other half to him.

 He accepted and carefully handed the dagger back to me.  Careful not to cut toward either of us, I applied a slight pressure against the pipe with the blade.  There was another intense flash, and part of the pipe fell to the floor.  This dagger was incredible, and I could even use it!

 “Wow.  Didn’t really expect that, not with the dagger liking you better.  This thing’s amazing!” I exclaimed.  If James loaned me this, I could stand with them next time they fought that necromancer, instead of hiding in the car.

 James looked like he was going to respond, but suddenly turned his head inhumanly fast.  He was staring at Aurora, who was grabbing a screwdriver, as if she was someone dangerous.  I supposed that she could be if she were so inclined, considering her skills, but I wasn’t entirely certain what would be necessary to induce the type of anger in her that would be necessary for her to get that dangerous.

 “Jarod… you’re getting married.” stated James.

 “Huh?  What does that have to do with anything?”

 “There’s a girl with no pants on in your lab.” he informed me.

 “She might have shorts under there.  Didn’t check.” I assured him.

 “I suppose I’m glad of that, but who is she?  Why is she here?” he asked, looking perfectly serious.

 “My lab assistant, Aurora.” I replied, wondering if Mila hadn’t mentioned her yet.  Wouldn’t Aaliyah have said something.  James had to sign off on the paperwork, didn’t he?

 “When did you get a lab assistant?” he questioned, confirming that no one had said anything.

  “About a week ago.  Mila, why doesn’t James know about Aurora?”

 “No one told him.” she replied.

 “But why didn’t someone tell me?  Can she use magic?  I hope… I mean… we were just demonstrating a magical dagger in plain view.” he blurted, demonstrating why he hadn’t been told.  “What do your fiancées think of you having a potentially pantless lab assistant?”

 “Haven’t told them.  You know how they can get.” I informed him, guessing that Mila was probably recording all of this for Aaliyah.  Those two had probably planned for this, but they could have let me in on the prank!

 “But… won’t that just make matters worse when they do find out?” he asked, his voice dripping with concern.

 “They don’t come down here that often.  The odds of them running into Aurora anytime soon are pretty slim.” I assured him.  “Besides, Mila’s my witness that this is all very professional.  There’s a contract and everything.  Aaliyah wrote it.”

 “Of course.  She would, wouldn’t she.” muttered James with a hint of annoyance.  “Let’s start over.  How did you meet her?”

 Grinning, I explained “She’s the daughter of a client.  They were trying to find a new tutor for her, since Aurora doesn’t fit into schools very well.  She’s an autistic savant.  Makes me look slow at math, but she has incredible potential as an engineer.  I made a deal with her parents to have her work part time with me in exchange for a top notch education provided by the Institute of Autodidacticism through Best Friend For Hire.”

 “Considering everything that goes on around here, isn’t that a little dangerous?  What if she starts mentioning strange things she sees, like a magical dagger, to her parents?” he questioned.

 “Her parents don’t know how to communicate with her effectively, so that can’t really happen.  Aurora doesn’t speak much.  She prefers… arrangements, you could say.” I replied, wishing he was calmer.  Describing Aurora’s communication wasn’t something that could be done in a few words.

“Arrangements?  What do you mean?” he questioned.

 “She’ll reorganize an entire room to try representing an idea that she doesn’t know how to put into words.  When I first met her, her bedroom was set out to resemble a circuit.  I had to stop her mother from picking up the clothes before I got a good look at it.” I explained, remembering back to how I had been caught off-guard by her room.  The distinct order in the chaos had reminded me of how I kept my room at my parents’ house.  When was the last time I had slept there?

 “Okay, so what was she trying to say?”

 “She wanted someone to complete the circuit, which I did with my shoe.” I replied, reconsidering the pattern in my head.  “I believe she realized she was missing something, but didn’t know what.  She needed help, but didn’t know how to ask.  Mila wrote an interactive program for her that gives her another medium to use for communication.”  I honestly might have missed something, since I couldn’t remember what type of circuit was being used right off.  That could have been relevant.

 James stared as Aurora approached us again, leaning against me and hugging me the moment she arrived.  “Strictly professional… I see.  What does this mean then?” he questioned.

 “No idea.  Still trying to figure things out, honestly.  She’s complicated.” I told him, being perfectly honest.  She hadn’t done this before and couldn’t have more awkward timing.

 “I imagine she’s feeling chilly and doesn’t know where her jeans are.  I’ll fetch them for her.” stated Mila as she maneuvered one of her mechanical arms from the ceiling.

 “Why would she have taken them off in the first place?” asked James, looking as confused as he sounded.

 “She gets hot.” replied Mila.

 Aurora grinned when her pants brushed her arm, immediately letting me go to don them.  James turned away, obviously embarrassed by Aurora’s complete indifference to the presence of us two males.

 Following suit, I said, “We’ll work on that.  I promise.”

 “Don’t worry, Master, I’ll make sure he doesn’t.” teased Mila.

 “But you will?” inquired James.

 “Of course.” she promised.

 James nodded.  “Well, I’ll look forward to seeing what you two create.  Unfortunately, I need to be off, but I’ll try to catch up again soon.”

 “Alrighty.  Thanks for stopping by!  I know how busy you are.” I assured him.

 He laughed and said, “Probably not as busy as you, given how close your wedding is.”

 I shrugged, knowing we didn’t have the time for me to explain how little Ai and Mai left for me to do.  Those two wanted my opinions, but they were very particular about certain aspects.  Besides, Mila was in charge of lighting and computerized displays.  Emma had already consulted with the twins and me on various plants to be used for the outdoor part, some of which were incredible on a scientific level.  Then there was Alma… involved as ever.  Things would be fine without me being more involved.

[bestfriendforhire]

Entry 277

  “Dragons?  You’re certain?” asked Jarod.

 “That’s what Vito claimed, and his brothers seemed to agree with him.” I assured him.  I had been gradually explaining some of what I saw and heard going through the brothers’ building to Jarod over the past hour, but there was just so much…

 “Wow.  That’s really hard to imagine.  How could we have not… Oh.  Hmm.” stated Jarod.  “I suppose the Slayer family would probably cover up any dragon remains found.”

 “I got the impression that dragons rarely died.” I told him

 “That’s scary.  If they could eat as much as they could in legends, which I easily could believe with such large bodies, then they could’ve became a burden to their areas quickly.” he postulated.

 I nodded, but said, “Perhaps, but their magic probably helped sustain them to some degree.  I certainly feel capable of going very extended periods on just magic, and Portentia’s said before that she never has to eat, drink, sleep, or even breathe.”

 “But you still experience hunger.  Why wouldn’t they give into theirs?” he asked.

 “True, but Portentia goes extended periods without food despite Marco’s protestations.  At least some of the dragons could have been that altruistic.” I argued.

 “Maybe.  I doubt it.  Portentia’s rare in a great number of ways.” he insisted.

 “I know.  Their eating habits might have played a part in why the dragons left the planet back then.” I suggested.

 “Quite possibly.  They were thought of as guardians from what you said, so they might well have been careful not to starve the ones under their protection.” he agreed.  “Dragons though… the idea’s crazy, but I love it.”

 Jarod sat in silence for a moment before saying, “The seven wonders are much easier to explain now that I know without a doubt some of what magic can accomplish.  Do you know how easily Ai or Mai could have maintained the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?  I’m sure you could pull it off with your magic pretty quickly as well.  Then there’s Emma… she could keep a garden alive in space.  The world’s changed so much for us in under a year.”

 “I know.  Who would have thought that you’d be married within a year of graduating.” I teased.

 Jarod grinned and said, “I am pretty lucky.”

 Feeling the time was right, I told him “I’m sure Ai and Mai told you about the challenge…”

 “And about a magical dagger Aaliyah apparently had sitting around.” he replied.

 “Care to see it?” I asked.

 “Let me think…  Would I like to see an old, magical weapon barely even mentioned in myth.  Come on, James!  Is that really even a question!?” he demanded, grinning ear to ear.

 I pulled the dagger from the back of my belt.  Jarod had probably guessed where I had stuck it, since he already knew about it.

 “Wow.  That’s obviously not normal.” he stated.  “Portentia’s staff can pass for normal at a glance, but this… this is not very subtle.”

 “Oh…” I replied, trying to sound disappointed.  “I hoped to wear it everywhere I go.”

 Jarod laughed and said, “Sure, James.  I probably would, just to make people wonder.  May I hold it?”

 I shrugged and offered him the hilt.  The light diminished somewhat.

 “That’s odd.” I insisted.

 “Nah.  The dagger just likes you better.  No surprise there.” he told me.

 I rolled my eyes.

 “No, really.  From what Ai and Mai have told me, the weapons like this and Midnight actually prefer certain users, doing far more for them than for those they don’t like.” he insisted.

 “You have plenty of friends.” I insisted.

 “Thanks to you.” he retorted.  “James, I don’t have your magical ‘you must like me’ aura.  I’m fine with this.  You need to accept it.”

 I sighed.  I did accept it, didn’t I?  I haven’t complained to him about it for months.

 “You put up with it.  You don’t accept it.” he insisted.  “Hey, Mila.  What sort of readings are you getting from this thing?”

 “The dagger is radiating heat and light, but nothing else that I can detect.  I believe there is magic causing interference with some of my more sensitive equipment.” she replied.

 “Have you tried cutting anything with it?” asked Jarod.

 “What?  No.  Why would I?” I questioned.

 “No curiosity at all?  This is a magic weapon like something out of a fairy tale.  You might be able to cut through stone, steel, or even your own hair!  Well, I doubt it’d actually work on your hair.  How do you get a haircut?” he asked me, looking dead serious.

 “Aaliyah’s been cutting it.  I never actually paid attention to what she uses.” I told him.

 After handing the dagger back to me, Jarod walked over to a pile in the corner and started sifting through things as he said, “Magic scissors.  Really wouldn’t surprise me.  She seems to be able to get her hands on anything.  The twins told me your dagger was once King Arthur’s.  Can you imagine King Arthur being real?”

 Yes, far more easily than I could admit, so I said, “The world’s getting crazier.”

 “You mean ‘even more amazing’!  That opens up the possibility for Excalibur, James.  Imagine if that sword is real!” he exclaimed.  “Ah!”  He held up what looked like a steel pipe.  “Try to cut this!”

 I shrugged and tried to make a small cut with the dagger, jumping back when there was a flash of light.  Jarod gaped at me, holding up the two pieces of the pipe.  Soon, he was grinning again.

 “I bet you could cut open a tank with that thing!  Let me give it a try.” he insisted.

 I was hesitant, but I wasn’t going to disappoint him.  I quickly stepped back after handing Jarod the dagger.  The same thing happened again when he used it, but the severed end fell to the ground.

 “Wow.  Didn’t really expect that, not with the dagger liking you better.  This thing’s amazing!” he exclaimed.

 I was about to respond, but became even more shocked when I noticed a girl wearing nothing but a t-shirt coming toward us.  I looked over to Jarod, but he didn’t seem surprised.

 “James, aren’t you excited?” he asked.

 The girl didn’t even seem to notice us, walking between us and grabbing a screwdriver before heading back towards wherever she originated.

 “Jarod… you’re getting married.” I stated.

 “Huh?  What does that have to do with anything?” he asked.

 “There’s a girl with no pants on in your lab.” I told him.

 “She might have shorts under there.  Didn’t check.” he replied.

 “I suppose I’m glad of that, but who is she?  Why is she here?” I asked.

 He looked confused as he said, “My lab assistant, Aurora.”

 “When did you get a lab assistant?” I inquired.

 “About a week ago.” he replied.  “Mila, why doesn’t James know about Aurora?”

 He handed the dagger back to me.

 “No one told him.” she admitted.

 “But why didn’t someone tell me?  Can she use magic?  I hope… I mean… we were just demonstrating a magical dagger in plain view.” I told them.  Then I asked Jarod “What do your fiancées think of you having a potentially pantless lab assistant?”

 “Haven’t told them.  You know how they can get.” he informed me.

 “But… won’t that just make matters worse when they do find out?” I asked.

 “They don’t come down here that often.  The odds of them running into Aurora anytime soon are pretty slim.  Besides, Mila’s my witness that this is all very professional.  There’s a contract and everything.” he explained.  “Aaliyah wrote it.”

 “Of course.  She would, wouldn’t she.” I stated as I tried figuring out how to get across that this could end very badly.  Jarod had to realize this, didn’t he?  He was brilliant!  Why would he take the chance of upsetting Ai and Mai?  “Let’s start over.  How did you meet her?”

 He grinned and said, “She’s the daughter of a client.  They were trying to find a new tutor for her, since Aurora doesn’t fit into schools very well.  She’s an autistic savant.  Makes me look slow at math, but she has incredible potential as an engineer.  I made a deal with her parents to have her work part time with me in exchange for a top notch education provided by the Institute of Autodidacticism through Best Friend For Hire.”

 “Considering everything that goes on around here, isn’t that a little dangerous?  What if she starts mentioning strange things she sees, like a magical dagger, to her parents?” I asked.

 “Her parents don’t know how to communicate with her effectively, so that can’t really happen.  Aurora’s doesn’t speak much.  She prefers… arrangements, you could say.” he told me.

 “Arrangements?  What do you mean?” I asked.

 “She’ll reorganize an entire room to try representing an idea that she doesn’t know how to put into words.  When I first met her, her bedroom was set out to resemble a circuit.  I had to stop her mother from picking up the clothes before I got a good look at it.” he informed me.

 “Okay, so what was she trying to say?” he asked.

 “She wanted someone to complete the circuit, which I did with my shoe.  I believe she realized she was missing something, but didn’t know what.  She needed help, but didn’t know how to ask.  Mila wrote an interactive program for her that gives her another medium to use for communication.” he explained.

 I was going to ask more, but Aurora was walking back our way.  She went straight to Jarod and hugged him, closing her eyes.

 “Strictly professional… I see.  What does this mean then?” I asked.

 “No idea.  Still trying to figure things out, honestly.  She’s complicated.” he replied.

 “I imagine she’s feeling chilly and doesn’t know where her jeans are.  I’ll fetch them for her.” stated Mila as one of the mechanical arms came down from the ceiling.

 “Why would she have taken them off in the first place?” I asked.

 “She gets hot.” replied Mila.

 I hoped Jarod really knew what he was getting into, since I felt the situation could get very messy.  Aurora looked all too happy snuggled against Jarod’s arm.  I didn’t think Ai and Mai were going to like this.