Shards of Orichalcum
Yay! So I finally posted the first chapter of Shards of Orichalcus
Here is is, so enjoy!!
"Oy! 'as Master Dartz arrived yet?" Valon asked, walking into the conference room at Paradius. He had arrived fashionably late, as usual.
Gurimo scowled at him, while Alister simply continued shifting through his deck. The other three members of the group had been there for twenty minutes already; Valon had simply waved at them while they had been coming over on the motorcycles before veering off, clearly not planning on spending too much time in the corporate building.
It was Raphael who spoke. "You got lucky again, Valon. He should be coming any time now-and you shouldn't keep showing up late," he added sternly. "One of these days Dartz is going to punish you for being tardy."
"Yeah, yeah, but tha' day is not this one," Valon replied good-naturedly, grinning at the older man cheekily.
Dartz chose that moment to enter the conference room, catching the attention of the other men in the room and causing them to straighten. He raised an eyebrow at Valon and said, "Now that all of you are here, I wanted to make a general announcement."
"Where's the Valentine woman?" asked Gurimo suddenly.
"She declined to come. As I hardly care what she does, however, I will not push her on the matter," came the careless reply.
"Besides, she's probably obsessing with her revenge plot against Wheeler again," Alister grumbled. "Good luck getting her here."
Valon coughed, the words, "look who's talkin'" mingling with the sound. Everyone ignored him.
"I called you here so that you could meet our newest member, who is joining us as of today," Dartz continued.
"Great. Another one?" Gurimo groaned. He gestured to the three behind him. "Not to complain, Master, but we already have enough here as it is. We have a girly girl, the annoying Australian brat-"
"Oy! Who ya calling a brat, you git?"
"-and that's not counting the other two. Not to complain too much to you, Master, but I already have to keep an eye on what is essentially a zoo. What more do we need?"
"Someone to put you in your place, old man," a female voice announced coolly, and from behind Dartz stepped a new girl.
She had mid-length brown hair and hazel eyes; her outfit consisted of a green plaid mini skirt and a dark green corset. Several silver bands decorated her upper arms and she was wearing rings on her fingers. She also had the Orichalcos pendant around her neck, as well as two shards that had been made into earrings.
Valon snickered. "Nice comeback to Germy," he said, shooting a friendly grin to the newcomer.
Raphael raised an eyebrow at her but declined to comment. Alister rolled his eyes and continued shuffling through his deck, already bored.
"It's Gurimo, you annoying little-"
"Enough." Dartz ordered, and the man instantly bit back the insult. "I want you all to meet Miss Skyler Whitlock."
"Pleasure to meet you three," she said, giving Raphael, Alister, and Valon a mock curtsy. She pointedly turned her back on Gurimo, causing the older man to bristle.
"It's not polite to be rude to an elder," growled Gurimo, indignant that she had ignored him.
"I'm not being rude. You're just beneath my notice," she smirked.
If he had not been angry before, he was certainly angry now; if it was possible, there would be steam coming out of his ears. "Why you little-!"
"Did you guys hear something?" she asked innocently, directing this comment at the other three bikers. "I swear, it sounded just like a little germ talking, but I don't see anything-then again, you can't exactly see a germ, can you?"
Even Alister was starting to look amused at this point, looking up and over at her with some interest.
Gurimo's eyes narrowed and his face flushed in outrage. "You-"
"Enough!" Dartz said again, though it was much sharper. "I appreciate the entertainment you both are offering, but for now, Gurimo, you will need to withdraw and focus on your next assignment. I will deal with our recruit."
The monocled man bowed to Dartz stiffly and after glaring at Skyler he stormed from the room, leaving behind a loudly laughing Valon and a visibly amused Alister.
"Alister, Valon. You're free to go as well," their leader said, waving a dismissive hand.
"I like tha' little lady," Valon said to Alister as they followed after Gurimo. "She's got some spunk t' 'er."
Dartz waited until both of the other bikers vanished before redirecting his attention to Raphael and Skyler. She had been studying the older man with interest, while the blond had been dutifully ignoring her, his gaze focused entirely on Dartz.
"Raphael, please show Miss Skyler around Paradius. I would have Alister or Gurimo do so, but I do believe they have enough on their minds and would not be as thorough," he said calmly, turning his back on them both. "Be sure to include her temporary quarters here on your tour."
Skyler snorted. She of course knew the real reason-she would not get along with either Alister or Gurimo, so she had been stuck with the one who would not try to throttle her.
Raphael dipped his head in acquiescence before grabbing her arm and leading her out of the hall. "Let's go," he said gruffly.
"Don't touch me!" she exclaimed, getting out of his grasp (which, she noted in surprise, had not been that difficult to do-his grip had been firm but not to the point it would leave bruises behind). "I don't need to be dragged around by you. I can find my room by myself," she continued.
"All right then," he said wryly, gesturing down the expansive passageway. "Ladies first."
Skyler huffed but started down the hallway, turning the corner before he could catch up. He paused in the middle of the hallway, folding his arms over his chest and waiting patiently.
"Three…two…one…" he counted softly, and when he said "one" Skyler rounded the corner again. He raised an eyebrow and asked with mock politeness, "Having trouble?"
"Shut up," she growled, storming past him, walking down the other side of the hallway.
Raphael fought not to laugh. "You have to go up a floor-"
"I don't need your help!" she snapped over her shoulder.
"She seems nice," Alister said sarcastically, approaching the blond.
The blond sighed as he watched the girl walk pass the elevator and towards the end of the hall. He'd let her wander around for now, but he would make certain she did not end up lost in the large building.
Hope you enjoy! :D
Here is is, so enjoy!!
"Oy! 'as Master Dartz arrived yet?" Valon asked, walking into the conference room at Paradius. He had arrived fashionably late, as usual.
Gurimo scowled at him, while Alister simply continued shifting through his deck. The other three members of the group had been there for twenty minutes already; Valon had simply waved at them while they had been coming over on the motorcycles before veering off, clearly not planning on spending too much time in the corporate building.
It was Raphael who spoke. "You got lucky again, Valon. He should be coming any time now-and you shouldn't keep showing up late," he added sternly. "One of these days Dartz is going to punish you for being tardy."
"Yeah, yeah, but tha' day is not this one," Valon replied good-naturedly, grinning at the older man cheekily.
Dartz chose that moment to enter the conference room, catching the attention of the other men in the room and causing them to straighten. He raised an eyebrow at Valon and said, "Now that all of you are here, I wanted to make a general announcement."
"Where's the Valentine woman?" asked Gurimo suddenly.
"She declined to come. As I hardly care what she does, however, I will not push her on the matter," came the careless reply.
"Besides, she's probably obsessing with her revenge plot against Wheeler again," Alister grumbled. "Good luck getting her here."
Valon coughed, the words, "look who's talkin'" mingling with the sound. Everyone ignored him.
"I called you here so that you could meet our newest member, who is joining us as of today," Dartz continued.
"Great. Another one?" Gurimo groaned. He gestured to the three behind him. "Not to complain, Master, but we already have enough here as it is. We have a girly girl, the annoying Australian brat-"
"Oy! Who ya calling a brat, you git?"
"-and that's not counting the other two. Not to complain too much to you, Master, but I already have to keep an eye on what is essentially a zoo. What more do we need?"
"Someone to put you in your place, old man," a female voice announced coolly, and from behind Dartz stepped a new girl.
She had mid-length brown hair and hazel eyes; her outfit consisted of a green plaid mini skirt and a dark green corset. Several silver bands decorated her upper arms and she was wearing rings on her fingers. She also had the Orichalcos pendant around her neck, as well as two shards that had been made into earrings.
Valon snickered. "Nice comeback to Germy," he said, shooting a friendly grin to the newcomer.
Raphael raised an eyebrow at her but declined to comment. Alister rolled his eyes and continued shuffling through his deck, already bored.
"It's Gurimo, you annoying little-"
"Enough." Dartz ordered, and the man instantly bit back the insult. "I want you all to meet Miss Skyler Whitlock."
"Pleasure to meet you three," she said, giving Raphael, Alister, and Valon a mock curtsy. She pointedly turned her back on Gurimo, causing the older man to bristle.
"It's not polite to be rude to an elder," growled Gurimo, indignant that she had ignored him.
"I'm not being rude. You're just beneath my notice," she smirked.
If he had not been angry before, he was certainly angry now; if it was possible, there would be steam coming out of his ears. "Why you little-!"
"Did you guys hear something?" she asked innocently, directing this comment at the other three bikers. "I swear, it sounded just like a little germ talking, but I don't see anything-then again, you can't exactly see a germ, can you?"
Even Alister was starting to look amused at this point, looking up and over at her with some interest.
Gurimo's eyes narrowed and his face flushed in outrage. "You-"
"Enough!" Dartz said again, though it was much sharper. "I appreciate the entertainment you both are offering, but for now, Gurimo, you will need to withdraw and focus on your next assignment. I will deal with our recruit."
The monocled man bowed to Dartz stiffly and after glaring at Skyler he stormed from the room, leaving behind a loudly laughing Valon and a visibly amused Alister.
"Alister, Valon. You're free to go as well," their leader said, waving a dismissive hand.
"I like tha' little lady," Valon said to Alister as they followed after Gurimo. "She's got some spunk t' 'er."
Dartz waited until both of the other bikers vanished before redirecting his attention to Raphael and Skyler. She had been studying the older man with interest, while the blond had been dutifully ignoring her, his gaze focused entirely on Dartz.
"Raphael, please show Miss Skyler around Paradius. I would have Alister or Gurimo do so, but I do believe they have enough on their minds and would not be as thorough," he said calmly, turning his back on them both. "Be sure to include her temporary quarters here on your tour."
Skyler snorted. She of course knew the real reason-she would not get along with either Alister or Gurimo, so she had been stuck with the one who would not try to throttle her.
Raphael dipped his head in acquiescence before grabbing her arm and leading her out of the hall. "Let's go," he said gruffly.
"Don't touch me!" she exclaimed, getting out of his grasp (which, she noted in surprise, had not been that difficult to do-his grip had been firm but not to the point it would leave bruises behind). "I don't need to be dragged around by you. I can find my room by myself," she continued.
"All right then," he said wryly, gesturing down the expansive passageway. "Ladies first."
Skyler huffed but started down the hallway, turning the corner before he could catch up. He paused in the middle of the hallway, folding his arms over his chest and waiting patiently.
"Three…two…one…" he counted softly, and when he said "one" Skyler rounded the corner again. He raised an eyebrow and asked with mock politeness, "Having trouble?"
"Shut up," she growled, storming past him, walking down the other side of the hallway.
Raphael fought not to laugh. "You have to go up a floor-"
"I don't need your help!" she snapped over her shoulder.
"She seems nice," Alister said sarcastically, approaching the blond.
The blond sighed as he watched the girl walk pass the elevator and towards the end of the hall. He'd let her wander around for now, but he would make certain she did not end up lost in the large building.
Hope you enjoy! :D