Two Unfortunately Timed Returns and One Hunted Hunter

[David Hunter]

David Hunter walks in from the rain outside. The Philadelphia streets are drenched in puddles and the wetness of the world and David is no different.

Once he’s entered, he throws the jacket he was wearing into a nearby chair. It slops against the wood with an audible slap, nearly tipping the chair over were it not for David’s foot keeping it in place.

“Sorry I’m late. I had a call with Raimundo I couldn’t miss. What’s up? What job do you have for me?” he asks.

The man sitting behind the counter merely raises an eyebrow at David. The cane in his right hand rests on the counter while the other sits in his suit pants.

“I have plans tonight involving Argit that will take me out of the shop. I need you to watch it. I trust your judgment on any transactions, but if any…persons of interest should enter looking for transport, tell them to come back later,” Mr. Silver says.

David turns his head, looking at Mr. Silver closely.

“So you’re having me waste time watching your shop? While I could be training and working on an actual job? Or, you know, working out and getting better at this wrestling thing?” David asks.

Mr. Silver picks up his cane. He stands up from the chair behind the counter before approaching a door behind him.

“You’ll have time to do all of those things, but given you’re my employee, I expect you to follow my orders.”

David raises in hands, palms facing the suited man.

“Hey, it’s not that. Trust me, I’ll do it, I just feel like this is a waste of my skills.”

Mr. Silver actually gives off a goddamn smile.

“Then consider it revenge for putting me through all that you did with the Council. Good luck,” he says.

With that, he opens the door. For the few seconds it is open, David can catch another version of the interdimensional laser that Noxorus had used. When the door closes, David is left alone in the middle of the glorified pawn shop Mr. Silver runs as a cover-up business/actual business.

David sighs, leaning back against one of the glass counters.

-------------------------------------------------------

After a full workday of wasting his time and doing nothing but playing on his cell phone, playing with his gun, and playing with some of the trinkets in the shop which may or may not be down a couple items now, the bell at the door rings.

David sets down his cell phone, looking towards the door.

“Welcome to Mr. Silver’s Trinkets, how may I—” he stops himself when he sees the multi-shaded red hair, black robe, and bare feet.

Ah.

David’s first reaction is to reach into his pocket and point his pistol at her.

“Wuya,” he says.

“David! Hello!” she says.

She takes a step closer, but David cocks his pistol, readying for a battle if he needs to.

“Oh come on now David, really? After all that we’ve been through?”

David fires the bullet. Wuya moves her head to the right, sending the bullet over her shoulder and into the wall.

Her smile disappears, turning into a glare.

David responds by cocking his pistol again.

“Try again bitch,” he says.

“Rude. If you really must know, I came here to speak with Mr. Silver,” she says.

“Mr. Silver is not presently in. If you come back tomorrow I’m sure you’ll have less luck. Might wanna try in a couple years. I’m sure by that point you’ll have fucked something…or somebody else up.”

A burst of green flame forms in Wuya’s hand. A growl escapes her lips with smoke emitting from in between.

“Test me further, David. I won’t hesitate to kill you just because of our history,” she says.

“It is our history that has kept this gun aimed at you. I repeat: try again bitch,” is his response.

The flame soars towards David, who moves to the right. He fires his pistol towards Wuya, who responds by rolling forward. David steps onto the counter, firing a few more shots towards the witch’s frame. Once the gun is empty, Wuya rolls up, clipping his leg and sending him crashing through the glass. The trinkets that lied below were smashed as well.

I’m sure Mr. Silver won’t notice.

The mistress grabs David’s shirt collar, dragging him through the remains of the glass. Once he is free, she throws him over her shoulder, back first into the floor. Another green flame forms on her hand before lowering it towards his face.

“Are you done testing me?” she asks.

“I dunno. Are you done waxing?” David asks.

She chuckles, moving the green flame ever closer towards his neck.

“Your petty retorts will do nothing for me. After all, I believe it was that same attribute of mine that kept you around the first time. Something about it making me seem older?” she asks.

David growls, deciding not to respond so as to incriminate himself further, as if this entire situation hasn’t already gone tits up.

Metaphorically, obviously, because Wuya’s tits have yet to ever be facing up.

“If you’re being a bitch, I’d like to have a conversation with you,” she says.

“Mr. Silver isn’t here,” David says.

“That’s nice. I wanted to talk to you though. Given you terminated the only G-level rated Big Bad, became independent of all groups, and managed to recruit a few solid names in your ‘fourth group’, I’d like to submit my resume.”

David rolls his eyes.

“Right, because we’re the one with the most power right now. Please, I’ve played this game before. With you, actually, when you denied me a role with the Heylin,” he says.

“You were too young then. Too untested. Unlike Raimundo, you had little field experience. A decade is more than enough to change somebody. I mean…looking at you now, you’ve certainly changed a lot.”

David shudders, emitting enough of a response to indicate his answer to that statement.

“Oh, what’s wrong? Afraid to confront your past again? You seemed to have no problem doing it with dear old Dad. Why am I always such a difficult…experience?” she asks.

“I don’t remember my Dad ever molesting me…or teaching me about anything, really. So he already has that up on you,” David says.

“Is it really a molestation if you enjoyed it?”

“We’ve had this conversation. I was fifteen! I couldn’t legally consent!”

“Is consent really a big factor?”

“Consent is the biggest factor! Why do you keep bringing this up? You know what you did was wrong but you keep thinking that it was fine! It wasn’t! You scarred the hell out of me! Do you realize how badly you’ve fucked me up?”

Yeah. I mean, look what the dude’s into now-a-days. Thanks Wuya.

“For all that you taught me about The Game, how to play it, and how to succeed in it, you also spent every waking moment of it getting some sort of satisfaction out of me, whether it be personal or mental, even at the cost of who I was. A part of me will always be thankful you helped make me who I am,” he says.

“You’re welcome,” Wuya adds-in.

“But I will always hate you for the road you took me on to get there,” he finishes.

“Aww…it sounds like David’s got a grudge. It’s okay. I promise everything I do to you from now on will be mostly with your agreement.”

David growls again, trying to get free. When he gets a hand loose, Wuya moved her body on top of his chest, pinning him in place once again. This time the green fire caresses his cheek. The temperature is still high, but it’s not close enough to leave any burns.

“Let me join your group and I’ll let you go,” she says.

He grunts, once again attempting to free himself. It is to no avail, as Wuya’s legs keep his arms locked beside his prone body.

“Give me an answer or I will retaliate,” she says.

With that, David stares into Wuya’s eyes.

That’s enough for Wuya to understand his answer.

“Pity. I always enjoyed your face,” she says.

Before she can move the hand closer, the door opens with the bell for shop ringing.

“Am I interrupting something?” a familiar voice of a young woman asks.

Wuya turns her head, raising her green first long enough for David to shimmy out from under her. Once he is free, he kicks her away, scrambling himself backwards.

“No need to interfere. This will only take a second,” Wuya says.

She tries to approach David, currently lying against the broken glass counter he was slammed through and clutching a shard in his right hand.

Unfortunately, the green fisted hand is grab tightly a delicate, thinner one with purple fingernails.

“Not to question your methods, but even on my planet that would be considered sexual assault…or just assault,” the young woman says.

David finally has a chance to notice who the young woman is.

When he sees, he drops the shard of glass, shattering what’s left of it on the floor. His eyes go wide and his words suddenly become falsetto.

“Cyclonis,” he mutters in the aforementioned falsetto.

Her eyes turn to him. Wuya looks between the two of them.

She switches views for a few more moments before smirking. She turns off the fire hand before reclaiming her appendage.

“So you must be the infamous Master Cyclonis who turned down Noxorus deal. Pleasure to meet you. From one woman to the next, I was quite impressed you were able to keep him in line,” she says.

“Yes, well, some people actually understand the concept of a ‘no’,” Cylconis says.

The obvious insult tears through the Heylin witch. She narrows her eyes at Cyclonis for a couple seconds before turning towards David.

“I’ll be back tomorrow. Let Silver know I need to speak to him,” Wuya says.

David respond by flicking her off.

Wuya gives off a brief, humorless chuckle before shouldering Cyclonis enough to move the young woman back a step. Once the shop door is opened and closed, all that’s left inside are two kindred souls.

It’s fucking awkward, to say the least.

Cylconis starts fidgeting with her hands, unsure where to place them and not willing to remove the unimpressed look she has when facing David.

David, on the other hand, can’t figure out where to look.

Eventually, the latter starts to speak.

“Cyclonis,” he starts, the falsetto still active.

When he clears his throat, he tries again.

“Cyclonis,” he says, the falsetto gone. “Nice to see you again.”

“I figure I should take time to visit you face-to-face and clear the air,” the warlord says.

David winces, scratching the back of his head.

“I understand that the last time we spook, you…misconstrued some of my wordage into something more. My reaction at the time was fairly obvious towards what I was thinking at the time,” Cyclonis says.

He nods, choosing not to say something for once in his life, proving that even David Hunter can learn to hold his tongue sometimes.

“However, after some time to ponder the situation, I understand now that you had little control over what you were feeling,” she says.

“I really wish we weren’t having this conversation,” David says.

“And I wish I wasn’t having it. And yet, recent news I received has led me to believe that you are looking for allies.”

“You…wouldn’t be wrong,” he says.

“Hm,” is all she says.

She examines the shop, casting her eyes around and capturing every aspect of it except for the only male presently standing in it.

Eventually, she returns her gaze to David.

“How did you get the Incurseans to support you?” she asks.

“Me and Raff go back. He agreed to help without Attea’s initial knowledge. Once she found out, well…I guess she forgives easily,” David says.

“Or her affection for you is deeper than you think,” Cylconis says.

David winces once again, glancing towards the floor in obvious guilt.

“I might be naïve to most tendencies of what me and my people describe as ‘desire’, but I understand when somebody is in love. That’s an emotion even I have been through.”

“Yeah…Ace let the cat out of the bag on that,” David says.

“It was of no fault of his. The desire was strictly on my behalf, but the laws of my people dictate that its existence was enough to warrant his expulsion from my ranks and exile from Cyclonia.”

“Well…I guess I have you to thank. Without that I never would have met somebody I’d trust with my life.”

“It’s amusing. The more you speak the more I really wish to stab you in the chest.”

Despite the situation, David can’t help but chuckle and shake his head.

“You’ll find that’s a pretty common reaction actually. Don’t worry. It only proves you’re normal,” he says.

“Yes. Let us hope so. Nevertheless, I am here for two reasons. My first reason is to state that I bear no ill-will towards you reaction in my throne room. I understand why you reacted as you did and any negative feelings I shared at the time was purely a reaction of the time.”

David nods his head, which is enough for Cyclonis to do the same.

“Secondly, I’d like to offer my services as an alliance of your…‘fourth group’. I understand you’ve yet to get off the ground, but when the time comes, I assure you that you will have my support. Ace spoke highly of you, and anybody Ace trusts with their life is somebody I trust to treat it well.”

David nods for a second time.

“I appreciate the offer. Once things get rolling I’ll make sure to keep you informed,” he says.

Cyclonis gives off a nod herself.

“Until we meet again…”

She turns around, opening the door to the rain outside. She doesn’t leave quite yet.

Instead, she looks over her shoulder as David.

“Should you figure out where your…intensions lie, I’d like to know. For all that you are, you are a viable choice. I believe you would serve well under my feet.”

And then she winks.

No I’m not making this up.

The god damn ice queen, Master Cyclonis fucking winks.

There’s no cheeky smile. There’s no secondary statement. There’s no add-on. She just fucking winks before exiting the store.

David is left to stand there, his hands subconsciously moving to around his belt. His cheeks are decisively red and his eyes are very wide.

Behind him, a cane knocks on a doorway.

David turns around, looking at Mr. Silver standing in the doorway.

“We’ll discuss the mess you made in my store later. For now, let’s have a conversation on something you seriously need a lesson in,” he says.

David’s mouth joins in on the fun, opening just enough to qualify as ‘shock.’

“Good. Nice to see you’re in agreement. I’ll call Argit and Dark Ace. Probably Raff too,” Mr. Silver says before walking towards a phone.

Huh.

Who knew Mr. Silver cared enough about David to want to fix his love life?

Or at least cared enough to not want to have to deal with ‘this shit’ for one of his best employees?

It’s probably the latter.

Definitely the latter.