I've been playing around with this a while.
This may or may not turn into a series of related mini-fics, set very loosely in the Side B-verse.
Christian Adolf was pleased with his room. The cool, clean efficiency of Japanese hotel rooms always appealed to him, and the absurdity of the average high-class hotel toilet amused.
Japan was quite pleasant, this time around. He thought he might stay. The phone rang, an excessively styled marvel of technology that told him the call came from the front desk. "Adolf."
"There's a gentleman here to see you. Are you expecting anyone?"
He wasn't. "What's the gentleman's name?"
"Takatori Mamoru."
Christian considered. A prominent name, both in offical and unofficial Japan. "Send him up."
A soft, sharp knock at the door signalled him that the young man had arrived.
He hadn't seen Takatori Mamoru before, except in pictures; he had suspected the politican dyed his hair, but the salt-and pepper looked too random to be a hairstylist's trick. He was significantly shorter than he'd usually been photographed, and Christian almost smiled at his slight frame, at the tricks of the light they must use to make him seem more substantial and masculine than he appeared in person. Japanese politics were absurd; someone like him wouldn't last ten minutes in Austria, much less back at Rosenkreuz.
He bowed. "An honor to meet you, Takatori-san."
Mamoru looked as gentle and sweet as a kitten. Christian had heard otherwise, but the young man was clearly nothing he couldn't handle. "No," he said, bowing in reply, "the honor is mine, Herr Adolf."
Christian stepped back. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Mamoru's eyes calmly swept the hallway before he entered the room. "Your name was brought to my attention. I believe you were a trainer at a certain school of our acquaintance?" He produced a red rose from his jacket.
Christian smiled. "I do hope this isn't--"
"No, no," Mamoru said, his voice as calmly reassuring as only a politician's could be. "In fact, I was wondering about...the availability of your services."
"It sounds like you have a good idea of what those 'services' are," Christian said sharply.
"My intelligence," Mamoru said, "indicates a null effect. Wine?"
"I--"
"I'm having it sent up," he said. "I do feel we should discuss this sociably. In some detail. Don't you agree?"
It was tremendously hard to say no to him, Christian was discovering.
"Do sit down," he said. He could fight with charm as well, after all.
Mamoru smiled. "Of course."
The wine came, as promised, and Christian was careful to pour both glasses himself. "I suppose your information is correct," he said carefully, "but my power is more...flexible than a simple null effect."
Mamoru sipped his wine. "Do go on."
"I find it best to keep full details...confidential, you understand."
Blue eyes lowered as the grey head nodded. "Of course."
So deferential, this boy. No doubt it was part of the package, but it was flattering, nonetheless. Christian allowed himself a drink of wine; it was full-bodied, robust, a few fruity overtones but nothing pretentious. A good choice; Japanese men usually were not so versed in wine. Perhaps it was the wisdom of the younger generation; the political buzz around Mamoru was...interesting.
Perhaps it was time for Christian to hitch his wagon to a star.
"I was thinking of a few...freelance assignments," Mamoru said carefully. "Nothing too...demanding on either of our parts."
"You'll find I'm most reliable," Christian assured him. "I do have a few...surviving references."
Mamoru's face curled into a smile and he nodded again. "Excellent. You were a trainer, I undersand, at the Schloss?"
His face must have shown his surprise, as Mamoru nodded in satisfaction. "Informed speculation on my part, I admit. Tell me, were you skilled?"
Christian's turn to smile. "I was excellent. My...unique abilities made me able to instill...humility in each of my students. Those with powers can quickly become arrogant if they are unaware of their limitations. After a few months with me, even the most gifted were humbled."
Mamoru's eyes held his above his glass of wine. "A necessary task, in a place such as the Schloss."
"Exactly." Christian took another sip of the wine. "I'm glad to see you understand. There were...rumors about your idealism."
"My ideals lie on a very practical base, Herr Adolf. I'm sure you'll discover." He stood up. "I think that's all that's necessary. Are you dizzy yet?"
"Dizzy?" It took a second for his words to sink in.
"Mmm. Confusion and vertigo are usually the first symptoms. They really should have set in by now."
Christian stood up, abruptly. "I--"
The room moved. "How--"
"The wine's poisoned," Mamoru said smoothly. "As I'll tell the police, I have several...medical conditions. My treatment just happens to counteract those agents. A lucky coincidence, don't you think?"
Christian activated his power and took a swing at Mamoru; the boy sidestepped it easily. "You forget, Herr Adolf; your power is only effective against those who have powers. They're easy to intimidate, I suppose. Easy to toy with, especially when you have an entire school behind you, and they're just children. But I am not a child, and Rosenkreuz has fallen."
Christian felt his knees give and his stomach lurch.
"I walked by you, two days ago, with an...associate of mine. He froze. I've never seen anyone so...affected by a presence. It was fairly simple to determine who you were, and why you had such an effect."
There was pain, real pain, in his stomach now. God. What had the boy--
"You understand, there was no choice. I couldn't let you live, after that. It's nothing personal. Really."
Christian doubted that; doubted it still more when Mamoru took his arm. "Herr Adolf. You seem unwell. Please, allow me to call you a doctor."
Christian Adolf was pleased with his room. The cool, clean efficiency of Japanese hotel rooms always appealed to him, and the absurdity of the average high-class hotel toilet amused.
Japan was quite pleasant, this time around. He thought he might stay. The phone rang, an excessively styled marvel of technology that told him the call came from the front desk. "Adolf."
"There's a gentleman here to see you. Are you expecting anyone?"
He wasn't. "What's the gentleman's name?"
"Takatori Mamoru."
Christian considered. A prominent name, both in offical and unofficial Japan. "Send him up."
A soft, sharp knock at the door signalled him that the young man had arrived.
He hadn't seen Takatori Mamoru before, except in pictures; he had suspected the politican dyed his hair, but the salt-and pepper looked too random to be a hairstylist's trick. He was significantly shorter than he'd usually been photographed, and Christian almost smiled at his slight frame, at the tricks of the light they must use to make him seem more substantial and masculine than he appeared in person. Japanese politics were absurd; someone like him wouldn't last ten minutes in Austria, much less back at Rosenkreuz.
He bowed. "An honor to meet you, Takatori-san."
Mamoru looked as gentle and sweet as a kitten. Christian had heard otherwise, but the young man was clearly nothing he couldn't handle. "No," he said, bowing in reply, "the honor is mine, Herr Adolf."
Christian stepped back. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Mamoru's eyes calmly swept the hallway before he entered the room. "Your name was brought to my attention. I believe you were a trainer at a certain school of our acquaintance?" He produced a red rose from his jacket.
Christian smiled. "I do hope this isn't--"
"No, no," Mamoru said, his voice as calmly reassuring as only a politician's could be. "In fact, I was wondering about...the availability of your services."
"It sounds like you have a good idea of what those 'services' are," Christian said sharply.
"My intelligence," Mamoru said, "indicates a null effect. Wine?"
"I--"
"I'm having it sent up," he said. "I do feel we should discuss this sociably. In some detail. Don't you agree?"
It was tremendously hard to say no to him, Christian was discovering.
"Do sit down," he said. He could fight with charm as well, after all.
Mamoru smiled. "Of course."
The wine came, as promised, and Christian was careful to pour both glasses himself. "I suppose your information is correct," he said carefully, "but my power is more...flexible than a simple null effect."
Mamoru sipped his wine. "Do go on."
"I find it best to keep full details...confidential, you understand."
Blue eyes lowered as the grey head nodded. "Of course."
So deferential, this boy. No doubt it was part of the package, but it was flattering, nonetheless. Christian allowed himself a drink of wine; it was full-bodied, robust, a few fruity overtones but nothing pretentious. A good choice; Japanese men usually were not so versed in wine. Perhaps it was the wisdom of the younger generation; the political buzz around Mamoru was...interesting.
Perhaps it was time for Christian to hitch his wagon to a star.
"I was thinking of a few...freelance assignments," Mamoru said carefully. "Nothing too...demanding on either of our parts."
"You'll find I'm most reliable," Christian assured him. "I do have a few...surviving references."
Mamoru's face curled into a smile and he nodded again. "Excellent. You were a trainer, I undersand, at the Schloss?"
His face must have shown his surprise, as Mamoru nodded in satisfaction. "Informed speculation on my part, I admit. Tell me, were you skilled?"
Christian's turn to smile. "I was excellent. My...unique abilities made me able to instill...humility in each of my students. Those with powers can quickly become arrogant if they are unaware of their limitations. After a few months with me, even the most gifted were humbled."
Mamoru's eyes held his above his glass of wine. "A necessary task, in a place such as the Schloss."
"Exactly." Christian took another sip of the wine. "I'm glad to see you understand. There were...rumors about your idealism."
"My ideals lie on a very practical base, Herr Adolf. I'm sure you'll discover." He stood up. "I think that's all that's necessary. Are you dizzy yet?"
"Dizzy?" It took a second for his words to sink in.
"Mmm. Confusion and vertigo are usually the first symptoms. They really should have set in by now."
Christian stood up, abruptly. "I--"
The room moved. "How--"
"The wine's poisoned," Mamoru said smoothly. "As I'll tell the police, I have several...medical conditions. My treatment just happens to counteract those agents. A lucky coincidence, don't you think?"
Christian activated his power and took a swing at Mamoru; the boy sidestepped it easily. "You forget, Herr Adolf; your power is only effective against those who have powers. They're easy to intimidate, I suppose. Easy to toy with, especially when you have an entire school behind you, and they're just children. But I am not a child, and Rosenkreuz has fallen."
Christian felt his knees give and his stomach lurch.
"I walked by you, two days ago, with an...associate of mine. He froze. I've never seen anyone so...affected by a presence. It was fairly simple to determine who you were, and why you had such an effect."
There was pain, real pain, in his stomach now. God. What had the boy--
"You understand, there was no choice. I couldn't let you live, after that. It's nothing personal. Really."
Christian doubted that; doubted it still more when Mamoru took his arm. "Herr Adolf. You seem unwell. Please, allow me to call you a doctor."