Brother's Visit *HF*
By collaborative
A Hell's Fire Christmas: Brother's Visit
Written by: Avalon and Gomurr
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Light flakes of snow fell from the grey December clouds, whisping their way downwards, through nail biting cold winds, to puddle at the feet of the BHC estate. Naked trees surrounded the main complex. The lavish and elegant old world inspired mansion stood proudly at the rear of the grounds, with smoke billowing from it's chimneys and the warmth of fire crackling within. Laughter drifted from many windows, as within, the annual Black Hellfire Club luncheon played out.
Within the huge sitting room, many small groups had gathered. SuperGrover sat with his mentor Gomurr, discussing how the White King skipped a tedious meeting with the pompous Red King, Ryan Jensen and the other IHFC Royalty for seasonable drinks. He was happier to be here, with his old BHC companions. The old Headmaster laughed as he took sips from his eggnog, remembering how much he hated the stuff. If it weren't for the alcohol Havoc1 had spiked with it before, the nog would have been completely undrinkable. Had it have been any other time of year, and had Gomurr been feeling less charitable, the teacher would have reprimanded his student and given him detention, but this time, he decided to let it slide, and let the boy believe he had gotten away with his prank....or maybe a spell he had learned almost 500 years ago....the Hangover of Hades would be put to good use here. The Mage contemplated this thoughtfully and smiled.
A few meters away, Havoc1 sat deep in conversation, taking glances at his Headmaster and laughing to himself whenever the old guy went for another sip, his cheeks becoming a more and more noticeable shade of red. To Havoc1's right sat Beast Charming, to his left Avalon. They were having a discussion about all that has been going on in the young Prince's life thus far.
"You're doing a great job, Ben." said Avalon to Havoc. "You've got this whole prince thing down cold."
"Thanks, man," said Havoc. "It's great that you've stayed on campus to help me out with the transition."
"No problem," said Av as his thoughts drifted off and Hav1 began talking to Beast Charming.
The blonde haired youth known as Avalon sat quietly, disassociated from the party, occasionally letting his sight find the Black Queen Nemesis. He bit his bottom lip, brushed the hair from his eyes, thought of De Locke and returned to the conversation with renewed vigor. He would not let himself brood on that issue any longer...even if he did find old emotions hard to kill....
Nemesis stood aloof with a snifter of brandy in her hand, making somewhat forced small talk with King Silver and the Harbinger. She prayed to God she could be anywhere but at this place, at any other time of year but this one. Her mind rolled over past family events, when she and her sister would giggle, as their father got the turkey carved by one of the servants. The occasional glances the Prince Avalon kept throwing at her, the ones he thought she didn't notice, were also making her increasingly uncomfortable. The Harbinger noticed them, too, and had to keep himself from storming over and breaking Avalon's skull. Although he had no true claim on Claudia either, he was closely protective of her and she still occasionally showed interest in him, which was all according to his plans. Maxwell chided himself. He wasn't like that anymore....he had changed. He may have been ruthless once, but he now had a better hold on himself.
King Silver noticed the tension in the room, and almost wished he hadn't decided to throw this party. He knew it was too soon for Nemesis, too soon for all of them, to be getting into the festive swing, but he had thought it would do them some good. Lord knows, the first thing they all needed was some mirth, what with all the grim circumstances that had been shadowing each one of them lately. Especially the Black King himself. Death wasn't that easy to get over.
In the corner, making eyes at the visiting White King, stood Puma11. Her black party dress, like most of her clothes, fitted her human form tightly, and in the slightly transitional form she had now assumed it accentuated her curves even more so. She swayed slightly, taking another swig from her eggnog. She never really liked eggnog before tonight, and wondered what the chef put in it to make it taste so much better. Behind her stood Shockwave, with Monet next to her. The two young girls, despite the immense pressures of the new positions they had acquired, chatted and laughed like old friends do. Many of the male members of the Marauders and Upstarts gathered around the fireplace made eyes at their two former team members, letting the heat of the flames carry their thoughts away. They smiled wicked grins, each in turn thinking what the other had on his mind, as the female members rolled their eyes and continued their conversations. Rahsas took a final glance towards Shockwave, before stirring the fire some more.
With the peaceful gathering in procession, it was no less a surprise, or a call to arms, when a roar of energy erupted from outside the window, red light glistening off the glass in the windowpane.
"What the hell?!" muttered SuperGrover, before sparking his telekinetic aura to visibility, and flying for the main entrance, swiftly followed by the Harbinger, Silver, Gomurr and the rest of the assemblage.
BHC guards came charging from their posts, as alarms throughout the mansion were sounded. The White King arrived at the immense oak entrance doors, and swung them open to face whatever foul menace had decided to intrude on their holiday festivities. A young blonde haired teenager stood in front of SuperGrover with a warm, disarming smile.
"Hello, mon Amis," the boy quipped in a Cajun accent "Is it my imagination, or do you look a lot like a Jim Henson creation?"
"Skippy, my lad" spoke up the orange garbed Asian dwarf next to the smiling youth. "Meet SuperGrover. Grover meet Skippy."
"SuperGrover?!?!?! Mast'r Qwas, you gotta be pulling my leg on dis one. Is dis deir reality's version of Sesame Street or somet'ing?" said the brash youth.
The White King, as well as everyone else in attendance, stood with their mouths hanging open at the pair. Gomurr silently made his way to the front of the crowd, and was about to speak, when the comments begin.
"I'm seeing double!" cried SuperGrover in alarm.
"Two Gomurrs?" asked a startled Harbinger.
"It's my worst nightmare!" voiced Havoc1 "Somebody pinch me!"
Monet barely resisted the urge to comically nip him one on the butt. What would the students think?
"If everyone would calm themselves a bit, I could explain..." started Gomurr.
"You haven't told them about me, Gom? I'm shocked! How rude to not tell your friends about your own brother!" said the little man that looked just like the BHC's headmaster.
"Brother?!"
"Gomurr, what is the meaning of this?"
"What's going on, sir?"
"Yeah!"
"We need an explanation!"
The questions and comments came in a torrent. Gomurr winced, groaned, and wished for once in his life that his brother didn't have so much of a flair for the dramatic, or for big entrances...
"Sure did pump a little life into THIS party, didn't I?" chuckled the orange robed Qwas, as Gomurr pulled him into an adjoining room and closed the door behind them.
The BHC stared at the closing door and remained in silence. Skippy simply smirked and leaned on the doorframe.
"Anybody gonna invite me in, or am I expected to freeze my ass off on your front stoop while de old farts chat it up?" said Skippy as he leaped into the main room and shut the door behind him.
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"WOULD YOU MIND TELLING ME WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE ELDER GODS YOU ARE DOING HERE?!?!?!?" said Gomurr as he shook his head.
Qwas poured himself a drink from Gomurr's dusty collection of beverages, and smiled.
"Why else but to see my dearest brother, of course! It is Christmas, after all," said Qwas sarcastically.
"You haven't visited for any other Christmas's, and I've survived just fine." said Gomurr stroking his goatee.
"That's not true. There was that one time, about four hundred or so years ago," said Qwas, making himself comfortable in the chair that he knew was reserved for Gomurr.
"That was when you had a hit put on your head by the Mafia of Earth 4176 and you wanted me to cast a binding spell on them to keep you out of danger," returned Gomurr. "Heavens knows, if you'd practice your sorcery, you could have done it yourself..."
"My forte` is dimension hopping, you know that," said Qwas with a slight smile and a knowing look in his eyes. "Not mixing hogs breath with toad eyes to go make hot red heads."
"Don't forget dragging teenagers along for the ride, calling them your 'apprentices'," said Gomurr, growing more irritated. "You're very good at that. Who's this one we have now? What happened to that N'Baran girl you said was your perfect candidate to follow in your footsteps?"
"His name's Skippy. Picked him up on Earth 748, in some other mansion like this one. Called itself the 'XMBB' or some nonsense. He was begging to go, see the worlds, plus he's got a knack that keeps us out of trouble. For some reason...people just can't help but like him. Maybe he's a mutie like a lot of your bunch..." Qwas chuckled as he polished off his whiskey and went back for a helping of Japanese Saki. "Kim'chi'ta got tired of my pace of life so I left her on Earth 5346. Besides, you can hardly talk! Look at all the kiddies you have gathered under this roof! Your search for the Ascended One sure has drag-netted a lot of cherry-cheeked teens, hasn't it? And if history is any kind of teacher, you probably have dozens more schools tucked away, being taught by all your...by all OUR...old acquaintances."
"ONE of us had to keep up the search! And it's not like you're going to be looking for the Ascended One, while you're goofing off in the nexus of realities." Gomurr snapped, his anger evident.
Qwas scowled for a moment, before his face popped back to its merry nature... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skippy smiled in such a way to make Demona blush as she poured some eggnog into his glass.
"T'anks, chere," he grinned, stepping away, cup in hand. He took a seat in one of the huge plush armchairs and took a sip of his drink as he looked at all the faces of the people staring at him.
"What," Skippy asked flippantly "Do I have a booger hangin' from my nose? 'Kick Me' sign on my back? Eighty foot satellite dish stickin' outta my ass?"
A few of the younger BHC members chuckled, as the older ones looked away and wondered what was taking Gomurr so long...
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Qwas sighed. "I knew it. I knew it the moment our embryo split in two and we were born I'd regret having you as a brother."
"Please, Qwas, this is no time for your melodramatics." Gomurr said, trying to avoid one of his brother's baited comments.
"All I'm saying is, I take the time from my voyages to come see you, and all you offer me is a bunch of dusty *hic* alcohol and a *hic* debate...as always," said Qwas, slightly slurring. "I honestly don't know why I bother sometimes."
"You're drunk, Qwas, said Gomurr"
"I'm not drunk...I'm tipsy! There's a difference! When you're tipsy, you're the life of the party!" laughed Qwas.
Qwas stood and tried to dance a jig, tripped over his own robe and fell to the floor, where he quickly began to snore. Gomurr rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day, muttered a spell, and floated Qwas on a cushion of air toward the bathroom. His thoughts returned to the past as his brother flew silently towards the faucet.
Over eight hundred years ago, a Chinese woman belonging to the family of Shang Chek fell pregnant to her husband. Little did they know, the couple had been randomly chosen by the fates to be the bearer of the latest incarnation of the ancient wizard whose true name would be, and had been, Gomurr. Her egg was blessed with his awaiting soul, but, as often happens, the embryo split in two, and twins were born. It was twenty years before they would realize it, but on the moment of their birth, Gomurr came kicking and screaming into the world of Earth 617, where as Qwas, activating his magical ability to access alternate dimensions, simply disappeared. It was years later, after Gomurr had had his memories flood back to him, that Qwas had appeared. He had been reality hopping for only a short time at that point, but had still had the ability to locate his 'brother', the split essence of his very self. They had a long discussion, and in that time, Gomurr realized that this brother of his was not what one could call 'mature'. It was decided, after the both of them analyzed the situation, that Gomurr would retain the name, and continue the quest for the Ascended One, while Qwas would adopt his own identity. They saw each other rarely, and when they did, it always came to this...Qwas getting on Gomurr's nerves, before he knocked himself unconscious.
The Ancient One levitated his brother in front of the sink, before he turned on the tap for cold water, and used his power to have the water come flying towards Qwas's face. The twin sputtered as he was hit in the face by the rushing water, spraying off him and wetting his collar.
"Ack!" he exclaimed, as Gomurr turned off the tap, and gently dropped his brother to the ground. The Mage took on his critical expression, as his brother looked downwards, staring into the floor. His face was not it's cheery self.
"You don't like me, do you?" muttered Qwas suddenly, breaking the silence, leaving Gomurr startled. In the centuries of knowing him, he'd never seen his brother serious...until now.
"I see." Qwas said, acting upon Gomurr's silence, as he stood, and turned. "Fine then, brother. Don't do me any favors. I just wanted to spend Christmas with family. Is that so wrong? I'm taking Skippy and we're getting out of your precious way...maybe we can find someone with Christmas cheer on Earth 69." Qwas didn't even take the time to chuckle at his own joke, as he always did. He simply stormed out of the bathroom, made his way through Gomurr's suites, and bursted out the doors. Gomurr groaned, as he began his chase after his brother. As much as he didn't approve of his twin, it didn't mean he didn't find him tolerable.....didn't mean he didn't like him....
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"And den, gran'pa turns around, cane in hand, and says 'Ya'll get a probing, too, if you aren't careful boy'!" laughed Skippy, coming to the conclusion of his story. The Upstarts and Marauders all laughed at the humor the older members were condemning as crude from the other side of the room. Havoc1 laughed even stronger when he saw Skippy take another swig of his egg nog, some of the liquid dribbling down his chin due to the now lack of strength in his jaw. The young prince made a decision to spike every drink at every BHC social occasion from now on. As the gathering settled in for another of Skippy's tales, Qwas came bursting out of the room he'd been dragged into earlier by Gomurr, the immense stair case that lead up to the private suites behind him. He took a slightly drunken gaze around the room, finally finding Skippy, the focus of attention of the younger mutants.
"What's up, Mast'r Qwas? There a fire?"
"We're leaving, Skippy." Qwas said strongly.
"What? Why? I was jus' startin' to get comfortable."
"Well, prepare to get comfortable in a far more relaxed environment, m'boy. I'm taking you off to meet the Nympho Mistresses of the Blue Opal. Now let's go..."
"OhKAY!" Skippy said, a giant grin covering his face, as he basically leapt up from the chair he was occupying. Everyone had surprised expressions on their faces as the pair made their quick exit, out of the drawing room, out of the main hall, and out the front door.
"That was quick..." Byron mumbled to Shifter, not noticing Gomurr springing from the other room, giving chase, never having even considered his shadow teleportation. He wouldn't want to use it's tainting power at this moment, anyway. He huffed as he skidded into the main hallway, and saw through the open doors Qwas, opening another portal. Gomurr quickly went bounding out into the snow, his brother now noticing the presence.
"What? I forget my keys?" he asked bitterly.
"Stay." Gomurr answered, uttering a one-syllable request.
"Why should I? All you'll do is disapprove of me..." Qwas shot back, and Gomurr hesitated.
"Qwas...the only reason I'm so critical is because I worry about you...You have so much natural talent at mysticism, and could be a great Mage, but you fritter it all away...you refuse to study. All I want is..."
"That I be exactly like you? Mr. Obsessive, Proctor of the Crimson Dawn, Chosen Guardian of the Ascended One, Teacher of Traumatized Teens, Golden Boy with the Mighty Rod Up His Ass?"
Gomurr gritted his teeth, and kept the ideals of Christmas cheer and spirit in his mind. He spoke again
"No...I won't you to be yourself....I am overly judgmental of you, I realize. I'm...sorry. Come inside. It's warm there, and it's Christmas. It would be nice to have some family around for a change."
Qwas stared into the snow as he considered, the scarlet light of the portal slowly diminishing. Skippy kept throwing glances towards both his master and his master's brother, as the two old, identical men stood in the cold, denying the shivers that tried to consume them.
"Fine..." Qwas said suddenly, returning his brother's gaze. "But at the first mention of KY Jelly and a samurai sword, I'm out of here." The old, bumbling wizard chuckled, Gomurr once again rolled his eyes, and Qwas took a step forward, once again tripping on his own robe and plummeting face first into the snow. Gomurr and Skippy both moved forward to help him up, but the wizard soon found his feet again, brushing snow of himself, muttering he was alright and that they should go inside. As they turned to go in, Qwas walked beside his brother, patted him on the shoulder and said
"Gommy, I ever tell you of the time I wrestled a fifty foot dragon lady in the Indonesia of Earth 1130?"
Gomurr gave a smile, and humored his brother.
"No, Qwas, I don't believe you did."
"Well, it's a marvelous tale. The scene started with me in the local whore house..."
"QWAS!"
"Okay, okay. I'll tell the censored version. Happy, Mister Critical? Anyway, it all started with me paying a visit to the local....fruit market. The cherries were very good that day, they were very ripe, and as I recall, they had some nice melons, too...." Qwas chuckled, as Gomurr sighed, wondering how he would explain all this to the younger members, and closed the giant oaken doors behind him. The sounds of laughter would continue for hours, as everyone in attendance, if they weren't already, would get into the holiday spirit. Havoc1 would have his triumph, too...the next day, everyone would have a splitting headache...even if he himself had to suffer the Hangover of Hades....it was still worth it.
Mystikal
Grey Pawn
Official XMBB Scribe
"I hate redundacy and reptition"
"I try to hide my intellectual inadequencies with a bad attitude and big words like intellectual inadequencies."
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