Ever the understanding one, Alex took control, and spared her the embrassment;
"Yeah, I know it's a lot right now, and you probably have some questions burning a hole through your head. Believe me, I have my own share of questions. But, in the mean time, I suggest we start all over again."
He stretched out his right hand for a handshake;
"Hi, I'm Alex..."
With the slow motions of a patient who had only just awakened from a coma, she took his large hand in her small one.
"I know your name already silly."
"Ah, there's that witty sarcastic humor that I know. Glad to see that you've still got it."
"Thanks, I guess?"
The two of them were actually at the backyard of a private residence. And yet, they felt so relaxed as if they were someplace else. All thanks to Alex's protective barrier that obscurred them from muggle eyes. Alex began to fill her in;
"Judging from our last conversation, I gather that you're not exactly friendly towards any of the organizations. So, I feel like I should tell you right away that I am currently working for The Guardians."
Angelia could not hide the disdain on her face. Trying her best not to say something vile, she simply said;
"Oh, good for you."
"You're disappointed?"
"What does it matter? Though I should say I'm a litle less disappointed that you're not with the New Order. Now that would have been bad."
He chuckled; "Indeed. Let's get out of here, we have a lot to talk about."
"I agree, let's go back to my place. It's just a fifteen minute walk away from here. Or...you could simply teleport us there..."
She was joking. But Alex saw no point in walking when she now knew the truth. He grabbed on to her, and before she could say 'Jack,' they were back in her tour bus that was really more of a road vehicle than a tour bus. In the next couple hundred seconds, Alex briefed her on the details of the case that brought him to her.
"...so, that's what happened so far. But I'm guessing that's only half of the puzzle. I need you to tell me what you know so I can see the full picture."
As if Alex had just said something that was wildly off color, Angelia did not reply him immediately. Her head was still spinning from all this. Indeed, she appeared to be lost in a world of her own thoughts. Seemingly out of it, she stumbled towards the mini fridge in the corner, and brought out two bottles of water. She slid one over to Alex and took a generous sip from hers before she finally voiced the first of her many concerns;
"I hear you, I do. But, there's a lot of things I'm worried about..."
Alex broke off the plastic seal. "You mean like the bloke who just tried to murder you."
"Yes, that, as well as a whole bunch of other things..."
Her eyes trailed off for a second, as if she was wandering to some dark place, and then they flashed back immediately.
"Your buddies at your organization, what would they say if they found out you were fraternizing with someone like me?"
Alex maintained a blank expression.
"I see, you want to keep The Guardians separate from this?"
"Definitely." She nodded vehemently; "You know just how straight edged they can be. As you must have guessed, I've never been one to walk within the confines of rules. So, it goes without saying that I've broken my own share of them- especially the unspoken rules of neutrality."
Alex stared at her, waiting for clarification on that last statement.
"Yes, I've gotten down and dirty with the New Order, and played in the mud with them. Of course, at the time, it hadn't been my intention to do so. But that was in the past, what has been done is done already. Although something tells me those stuck up suits at The Guardians won't understand..."
Alex understood her plight.
At first, he had actually wondered just what kind of misguided ambitions had led her to even consider working for the New Order, but he remembered that Scarlett had also been in the same position. Of course, it did not absolve her completely, but it was understandable given how cunny the New Order was as an organization.
Like Scarlett, and a bunch of others, she had been obviously coerced. And now, more than anything, she needed freedom.
After carefully weighing his options, he decided to go with his gut;
"Say no more. I got you."
Those were not the words Angelia was expecting.
"You got me? After I kicked you out last time, and very nearly got you killed???"
"Well, as for that last time, I definitely had it coming. And as for you nearly getting me killed, I think you might be giving yourself a little too much credit there- I am not so easy to kill..."
There was so much truth in his last statement, but Angelia was too busy soaking up his benevolence. He reaffirmed his promise again without any more jokes;
"You have my protection Angelia. I will do everything possible to keep you from any further harm that might come your way, both from the New Order and The Guardians."
A statement of this nature would have gladdened the heart of anyone who was in the clutches of the New Order. But somehow, it achieved the exact opposite of the intended effect on her.
Angelia was not happy.
She was the farthest thing from feeling pleased or relieved. It was not that she was too proud to accept his help, it was not also the fact that she was one of those egotists who hated being pitied.
It was nothing else but the fact that she could not help but feel like she had just traded one master for another. Angelia was a cynic by nature, and this made her overly suspicious of people. Also, he experience with the agents of the New Order did not help matters at all.
With her tiny slit eyes, she regarded Alex suspiciously. It made no sense at all why this obviously S-ranked mage would help her. Unable to hide her vitriol, she spat out her thoughts;
"So, I guess this means you own me now? Would you like to put a leash on me as well? Or would you prefer to tatoo your name on me as your property."
Alex did not expect that. One thing about this girl, she was constantly full of surprises.
"Of course not. Why would you even ask me that?!"
Somehow, even when he said all the right things, he seemed to always end up on this girl's bad side. While she had the physical build, and cute face of a thirteen year old girl, her character was the furthest thing from 'cute.'
The awfully suspicious mind of the petite lady continued to press him, looking for the loophole in this arrangement;
"So what's the catch then? What's your deal here exactly?"
"There's no deal here Angelia. And there's definitely no catch either. I thought it was obviously implied, but it's clear you need verbal confirmation, so let me be clear..."
He took a step closer and increased the volume of his voice;
"I WILL NEVER FORCE YOU TO DO ANYTHING, YOU'RE FREE TO DO AS YOU LIKE. Got it???"
Angelia heard him clearly, but her pessimism still had her in a chokehold. She could not believe it! Alex sounded and looked genuine, yet, she found herself fighting the truth. How exactly did this arrangement benefit him? She wondered.
Alex was still very much a god.
Even though he had the means to enslave and keep humans in a state of perpetual subservience, he did not lean towards that path. He knew the right thing to do, and that was basically to protect humans who sought for freedom. To him, it was more than just the right thing to do, it was an obligation. But Angelia was clearly not having it.
On the spot, a faint bell started to ring at the back of his head;
Acheron Charon!
Of course. He had made a promise to his old friend. With Angelia's glaring stubborness, he saw that this was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Angelia was still very much in doubt of the fact that he was not after anything. And Acheron needed some kind of appeasement. So, helpless, Alex merged the two together;
"Fine. I guess there's one thing you could do."
Angelia held her breath and thought to herself; 'Here it comes...'