20XX On route to Huxley Manor.
Solomon read over the legal documents he had been given the seventh time since they’d started their drive. “They’re making me move into that place?” He asked incredulously, looking over at Aiko as she drove the truck; Seiko pouted like a child with her arms crossed because she’d been barred from driving over one can of light beer.
“Apparently so. Officially, it’s being recognized as the Hunter Guild chapter house of Osaka prefecture.” She explained, though her confusion matched Solomon’s.
Seiko leaned her head back against the bench seat of the truck with a petulant groan. “And why does he have to live in that big ass house on his own? We’re his handlers; we should get to live there too!”
“Why would you wanna live in a place that was shot up and trashed? You saw One-eye bust through the western window, that fucker went through a couple walls on the inside as well.” Solomon commented, folding his newly acquired deed and licenses; craning his neck to make sure all his luggage from the airport was still secure in the bed of the small truck.
Seiko grumbled to herself. “I’m just saying a kid like you shouldn’t be on his own. I thought we had a good thing going with just the three of us.” Aiko and Solomon both gave her a sidelong glance.
“The fuck you on about Speed Freak.”
“Seiko, don’t word it like that!”
The two simultaneously brought their fists down onto the woman’s head. Not hard enough to harm but enough to leave her rubbing her head in pain.
“It’s not like I’m not gonna see you two literally every fucking day. Sides, maybe I’ll like being away from Miss Poster Girl over there; handsy as she is.”
“And maybe I’ll enjoy not having some gun-toting brat leaving gun oil on my dining table. And that happened one time!” Aiko barked back incredulously, correcting herself as she almost let the truck veer off the road. The rest of the drive went on in relative silence. Aiko grimaced more and more as they got closer to their destination.
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Solomon grunted as he brought the last of his luggage and gear out from the bed of the truck and through the gates of Huxley Manor. Part of the sign-on bonus for this deployment included some seriously heavy kit that was meant for a ‘just in case’ scenario. It didn’t make it any lighter to lug around in its crate though.
He turned back to the truck to see Seiko holding out a plastic bag full of cup noodles and his favorite brand of soda. “They should have the water turned back on by now; not sure about the gas.” She said with a somewhat dejected tone. Solomon took the bag and rubbed his head, feeling uncharacteristically awkward.
“Uh, thanks Speed Freak…” Solomon clicked his tongue, unsure what to say.
Tell her you love her. Asmodeus mocked in his head. There was a thump that left the demon in question yelping, Gemori chiming in as she overpowered him.
Ignore that idiot Summoner. That said, be appreciative she’s trying to be your friend. I have a strong feeling she and the other one are going to be a few of the only actively friendly faces in this country.
Solomon had to stop himself from humming in response since he was right in front of Seiko. Friendliness had been something sandblasted out of him over the years, especially when he became a full-fledged Hunter, where every person was a rival that’d cut into your ability to feed yourself. Still, he and Seiko had built something of a rapport the near week he’d known her so far. Hell, as much as he and Aiko butted heads, she at least treated him with respect when they were on the job. Something he couldn’t say about their peers in the Community Police or even the locals the few times he’s talked to them. Either they treated him like a stupid kid or said something distasteful about him being a foreigner. Apparently that famous Japanese politeness only applied if you were visiting, not staying. He gave as good as he got though, being a walking negative stereotype be damned.
“Next time you guys have a day off, we can catch that show you were on about this morning.” He said, slinging the bag of food and drink over his shoulder and propping his free hand on his hip in his usual cockiness. “Either way, I need to look inside and see how much shit I need to make this place livable. I’ll contact you guys later.”
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Seiko beamed and hopped in place excitedly, pulling him into a crushing hug that only lasted for a second but threw him off balance. “You better! Don’t forget to brush your teeth and bathe!” She said over her shoulder as she jogged back to the truck where Aiko was waiting. Solomon waved them off as they started down the street to report back at their station.
Solomon sighed as he found himself on his own for the first time in a week. Fishing into the bag of goodies that Seiko had given him to picked out a can of soda and cracked it open with one hand. Walking up to the double doors of the main entrance, he shouldered them open.
The main foyer was like he had remembered it, there was still smashed tile and the second-floor railing was smashed in on the right side. The fight with One-eye briefly flashed in his head as he took to wandering the house. Though as he rounded the hall that’d take him to the dining hall he heard the sound of power tools beyond the double doors leading into it. That couldn’t be right. No one had been here since they pulled out Wolf Seven’s body. Now that Solomon looked, he noticed the bullet holes had been patched and painted over. Curious, he opened the doors to the dining hall and did a spit take at what he saw.
The Silky spirit, Seraphina, was currently putting up new drywall where he had been smashed into next to the fireplace. Her maid gown and bonnet were replaced with worker's overalls and a hard hat complete with a tool belt. Hearing the doors open, she stopped her work and spun around, cordless drill in hand.
“Oh, it's you!” She exclaimed, holstering the drill and floating over, Solomon saw building material and drywall organized in the middle of the room. Seraphina gave him a polite curtsey. “Thank you again for ridding the house of that beast. What brings you here Sir?”
Solomon looked at her dumbly, the image of the panicky maid spirit in the middle of renovating the house cross-wiring his brain for a second. “Wha-- how?” He gestured to her outfit and the material in the dining hall.
Seraphina looked at him blankly before what he was gawking at clicked. Chuckling awkwardly, she made a bashful gesture. “Oh, this! Master Huxley ordered so much material that we ended up storing it in the basement. That said the chandelier was irreplaceable. Do you have any idea how much that cost?” She explained, her tone taking a scolding tone as she pointed an offended finger into his face.
Solomon managed to recover his composure and swatted the hand away. “Well excuse me for not wanting to be daemon food! ‘Sides, you’re the fuckin’ one who told me to shoot it down!”
“What do you mean I was the one to tell you to do that? I was hiding in my room!” Seraphina rebuked heatedly. Solomon paused in confusion.
“Wait…that wasn’t you? Then who the hell--” Solomon's voice tailed off as he remembered the statue in the garden. “Never mind, prolly just something in the heat of the moment.” He lied. “So you’re patching the place up; how far along are you?”
“I’ll need to finish replacing the plasterboard in here and then move onto the foyer to replace that window and tile as well as fix the railing. I was going to wait to make sure no more of the Orient came in and poked their noses where they didn't belong.” Seraphina said taking time to turn around and hover a bit higher off the ground to get a better look at her handy work. A fresh coat of paint and replacement molding and it’d look good as new.
“By the way Sir, you told me you'd give me your name. As much of an uncouth child as you are, I'd still like to know the name of the one that saved my master’s house.”
Solomon gave a derisive snort at being called uncouth. Reaching into his jacket’s inner pocket to pull out the folded papers and unfurl them in her face. “Solomon of the Hunter’s Guild. As of today, Huxley Manor is the official chapter house of said guild in this prefecture. But since I’m literally the only Hunter in the entire Kansai region, this is basically the bureaucrats' way of making sure I pay as much land tax as possible. Thank God a bunch of dead kids tanked this place’s value.”
Seraphina looked aghast but stopped mid-way and put her hand to her chin. “You’re out of line… But you’re not wrong. Master Huxley was practically given the land when he made his first offer. Still… You shouldn’t speak so callously of the dead like that. The Orient are a very vengeful people when their spirits are mocked.”
“I’ll make the appropriate offerings. I’m an asshole, but I'm not that big of an asshole.” Solomon said with a rub of his head. “But that aside, looks like we’re stuck with each other unless suddenly me technically owning this place releases you of your binding.” To his surprise Seraphina shook her head, giving him another curtsy.
“Not at all. Master Huxley told me there’d be a day when someone would claim the house for their own use. So as of today, I am at your service Master Solomon. Myself, Huxley Manor, and the knowledge contained in these walls are at your disposal.”
Sweet! We got ourselves a Scottish maid! I recommend we change her unifor--OW!
Solomon shook his head as Asmodeus was dogpiled. Shutting the internal noise out, he simply gave Seraphina a nod. “So… You’re handy with tools, huh? Think we can put a shooting range in the basement? That room connected to Huxley’s study would be a good place to put it.” Seraphina tilted her head but nodded in affirmation.
“Yes, that's certainly within my abilities. Please, explore the house and claim any room you want. I need to finish up in here but I’ll be sure to give you a proper tour of the grounds before you turn in.” Seraphina turned to float back to her workspace and pick up where she left off. Solomon watched her for a bit before deciding to wander off on his own. Retracing his steps to the basement as per that voice’s suggestion.
Now that he wasn’t in a life-or-death situation, he could properly take in the manor’s elegance. Dated, but full of character; a far cry from the soulless centers and barracks he was used to. He found himself back at Huxley’s study and in the spacious ritual room; the air thick with Magnetite. Solomon sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. There was too much to absorb all at once, but he could at least absorb enough to excise the echoes of the school kids.
The air took a red tint as it started to seep towards him. Dozens of names and faces flashed in his head and were forgotten immediately. By the time he was finished, he had tears running down his face; some of the kids were offered up by their own parents.
His face twisted into a mask of fury as he snapped his fingers, pouring his excess Magnetite into a silent invocation, and the summoning circle had deep lines cut into it like someone going hog wild on a wood block with a blade. Solomon breathed heavily to recompose himself while looking at his handiwork, though it brought him no catharsis. Deflating, he simply turned and walked out of the room. The act of absorbing some of the Magnetite made him look less gaunt than he had been.
It was still reasonably early in the morning, and the April air had a slight chill as he emerged from the basement doors and into the garden. Idly tapping away on his HCOMP as he composed an ammo order for later to distract himself from his thoughts. It was when he came to a stop in front of the statue in the garden that he was aware of the sound of strings being plucked; a lyre. Looking around he didn’t see anyone but he was now acutely aware of a presence.
Excellent work… Orion.
Just as soon as the voice said that, it was gone; leaving Solomon wondering exactly what his patron had in store for him in the future. Questions for later, his term at school started tomorrow, and he still had to unpack. “Fuck my life.”