Chapter Text
The road to the scrapyard was exactly what Graves expected. Dirty, scary, and littered with, well, scrap. It wasn’t the first time she has traversed these less than safe parts of the city. Some of the cemeteries she traveled to were located around these parts, and as long as you avoided the occasional fledgling vampire or mugger, you would be fine for the most part.
“This place reeks! Does the Municipal Coven not have the funding to clean up this area? Or at least make it not smell like sewage?” Apollo complained, mostly to himself.
The Necromancer rolled her eyes and retorted. “It’s a scrapyard you pompous ass. It’s going to smell.”
The Fencer snarked back. “Well, the scrapyards back at Ixia are far cleaner than here.”
Graves laughed. “Really? Even the scrapyards? Is there anything on Earth that is better than ‘In Ixia’?”
Apollo instantly replied, with a touch of fluster. “You, obviously.”
Both teenagers smirked at each other. Even though they’ve been together for almost all of high school. They only started dating for a few days after the Ritual. Despite being on opposite sides, with Apollo’s side winning (He won’t stop bringing that up). Graves managed to be the one to ask him out (She won’t stop bringing that up). Overall, their relationship has been pretty much the same. With all the verbal sparring and hanging out. With the added hand holding and occasional peck on the cheek.
Graves broke the heartful stare with a question. “I have to ask. Why would you want to be in this area in the first place? It’s a really odd pick for a second date, especially for you…”
Apollo responded. “Well, a fellow comrade from the Ritual recommended to go to their place for dinner. Apparently, his mother is an excellent cook.”
The angsty teenager rolled her eyes. “Comrade? The Ritual only lasted, like, a few hours. You can’t seriously form a bond that fast.”
The Fencer scoffed, “Were your teammates that bad that you never kept in contact with them? I know I’m a generational talent. But still…”
The Necromancer shrugged. “Most were okay, but even you wouldn’t be in the mood for talking after losing. I also really did not want to share my contact information with the escaped convict or an insane sheriff.”
Apollo crossed his arms. “I guess that makes sense. If it makes you feel better, I don’t think I’m talking to that drunk werewolf anytime soon.”
Graves snickered, then surveyed the area while walking. Seeing very obvious Mendoza operatives patrolling and loitering around.
“This area has a lot more Mendoza Syndicate criminals than last time I was here. Guess they’re trying to do a comeback after getting thrown out of Spanish Harlem…”
Apollo’s arm quickly interlocked with her’s. “Don’t worry Darcy. No petty thief is going near you while I’m around.”
“You do realize I’m a Necromancer, right?” Graves retorted playfully.
Apollo winked. “More help never hurts, right?”
“Guess you would make a good distraction.” Graves said, kissing Apollo on the cheek, now giggling at the now flustered Ixian.
~~~~~~~~~~~
It was only a few minutes before they arrived at their destination. What lied before them was a surprisingly clean house in the middle of the otherwise grimy district. With elegant gardens budding with flowers of all delightful colors littering around the property. An oasis of nature in the middle of the industrial and dirty scrapyard.
Even before they even walked up to the door, Apollo and Graves could hear the jazz music that was playing inside the house, with someone joyously humming to the inconsistently beautiful beat. Upon knocking on the door. The music abruptly stopped, with some shuffling and cursing while heavy footsteps quickly thudding towards the entrance.
What opened before the two teenagers was a massive, hulking construct with a massive arm with a feather duster tied to it, and holding a wooden spoon covered in chocolate in his other, more humanlike arm. It took Graves an additional minute to realize this scrap golem was also wearing a floral pink cooking apron.
“Bebop!” Apollo greeted the robot with gusto and a proper bow.
“Apollo!” Bebop responded, quickly hugging the two kids faster than Graves could humanly react.
The scrap golem’s head then quickly turned towards Graves. “And you must be that ‘Darcy’ girl he was fawnin’ over! It’s nice to properly meet you without a ‘orde of the undead in front of ya!”
Graves quickly shot an endearing glare at a blushing Apollo, then quickly back at Bebop. “Uhhh, nice to meet you? No hard feelings?”
Bebop laughed, letting go of his hug. “Ah no worries, mate! Just glad it was you two lovebirds! Thought it was someone else…”
Apollo grimaced. “Someone else?”
The Robot explained, beckoning the two to come inside. “A few of those Mendoza blokes tried to extort Miss Shelly the other day. So, I ‘kindly’ showed them off of the property, thought they were back for ‘nother round! But never mind that. Come inside, I made chocolate biscuits!”
Bebop quickly ushered in Apollo and Graves inside the house. It was a rather plain, yet incredibly clean domicile. The walls were littered with numerous pictures. Most of them detailing Miss Shelly’s life with her husband, then her and Bebop throughout the decades.
The golem noticed the two looking at the pictures. “Ah, that’s Miss Shelly and her husband. And, no, I never met the man. I was made after he kicked the bucket.”
Apollo looked saddened. “My condolences.”
Bebop handed the teenagers a plate of chocolate biscuits. “Ah no worries! Miss Shelly told me enough to know how great of a man he was. She’s supposed to be coming with her ‘Gentleman” friend in a small bit. Said he reminded her of my ol’ man!”
The Fencer started scoffing down the biscuits while the Necromancer started to pry further while nibbling one herself. “You think Miss Shelly got a boyfriend?”
The robot immediately stopped cleaning and turn towards her. “No way, if Miss Shelly wanted to remarry, she would have done so decades ago!”
Graves shrugged. “I thought I was going to be a lonely cat lady for the rest of my life. But you never know when you find someone that… ‘clicks’.” She then stared at Apollo, busy grabbing a third chocolate biscuit.
Bebop leaned over to the teenager and whispered. “You made the first move, askin’ him out, right?”
Graves smirked and nodded.
“Knew it.”
Bebop and the two guests then spent the next hour conversing on random topics: Ixia, school, the scrapyard business, life in general. It seems that things were going well, with Graves learning about Bebop and Miss Shelly. And his wish of curing her illness. With Bebop learning about the Necromancer’s upbringing, the Lich’s hand, and the relative speaking terms the two have after their personal failing of the ritual. Then there was a hefty knock on the door.
“Oh, that must be Miss Shelly!” Bebop exclaimed, walking towards the door. Whoever this mystery guest could be raced through Apollo and Grave’s mind. Anything from a humble gardener to an Ixian noble. But nothing could prepare them for who stood before them, with a kind Miss Shelly next to him.
“Don’t worry guests and Bebop: Miss Shelly, and The Lash, has arrived!”
~~~~~~~~~~~
To say the dinner was awkward is an understatement. For Apollo, he has seen failing peace negotiations his father had with rivals less tense. For Graves, her family dinners were livelier. The dinner table itself was currently populated with only the appetizers, or what’s left of them, with everyone quietly eating their portion of the tasty treats (Apollo had the lion’s share). On one end of the table. Bebop sat alone, staring daggers that harmlessly bounced off of the ego of the one and only Lash, sitting next to Miss Shelly, on the opposite end. The young couple sat together in the middle of the table between the two ends, as if they were witnessing a wild west standoff.
“So, Miss Shelly told me that you’re her little baby, Bebop.” Lash asked, breaking the initial silence.
The golem remained motionless, never breaking eye contact.
Miss Shelly leaned in on Lash’s arm, “Oh yes, Bebop is my little baby. He’s the best son a mother could ask for!”
Lash blushed, then doubled down on the lean in while staring at Bebop. “Oh, that’s so sweet Bebop. Maybe I can teach you how to play catch!”
Apollo was getting concerned at how close to the sun Lash verbally was with Bebop and his mother. His concern turned into horror when he noticed that Bebop had crushed the solid metal cup he was holding into a nearly smooth ball. He peered at his girlfriend to try to signal what to do when all he saw was a flabbergasted Necromancer.
Graves still could not believe it: Lash actually was the mystery guest. The Pit Fighter was wearing an actual three-piece suit instead of the usual pit fighter clothes he had on during the ritual. However, it did little to hide his built physique, or his ego.
But yet, he was making a semblance of professionalism. Probably because of Miss Shelly. Even then, the Necromancer fears that the ability to get one over Bebop will overcome that shred of decency that Lash currently has.
The stevedore then turned his attention to Graves herself.
“So, Darcy Farcy. I see The Lash’s advice worked!” Lash asked, squinty eyes peering over at Apollo.
The Ixian was instantly questioning things. “What does he mean by advice, Graves?”
Before Graves can explain, Lash decided to do it for her.
“Well, you see Pretty Boy. The Lash gave Darcy Farcy top notch advice on making you two a perfect, Lash-approved couple. You’re welcome.”
Apollo stopped eating, he was not having it. “I have an actual name, you prick.”
Lash responded. “Yeah, but it doesn’t have…” He then stared at Miss Shelly, sipping some tea.
“...I just think it suits you, considering who snatched you in the first place.” Lash finished, seemingly… nicer?
Apollo noticed, and seemed content with the answer. “Well, I guess it worked then, Lash. I did always suspect that Darcy needed a nudge to go after me. Thank you.” The Fencer smugly stared at Graves, who rolled her eyes while smiling.
Miss Shelly clapped for the couple. “Aww, it’s so nice to see young love. It reminds me of when I met my husband. Oh, the memories, how he swooned me…”
Lash leaned towards the kind, old woman. “Don’t worry. The Lash won’t replace those precious memories; he’ll only add to them.”
Miss Shelly giggled, holding her cup of tea.
Bebop finally broke his silence.
“That’s it! I’m… I’m going to check on the grill. Get some air…”
Lash chuckled. “Bebop, Bebop, Bebop: You know you don’t breathe, right?”
Both Apollo and Graves cringed at that last statement, Miss Shelly seemed to think it was a nice joke. But everyone else knew it was a dumb insult of Bebop. It seemed to take everything to prevent the robot from immediately hooking the Pit Fighter. Instead, he gestured aggressively towards him instead.
“Lash… I am going to deal with… this… later.”
Bebop then aggressively turned around and stomped outside. Slamming the door on the way out. Miss Shelly sighed.
“Oh, poor Bebop. He spent so much time with just me in the household. I never thought how he would feel if I attempted to bring someone new into his life…”
Apollo and Graves gave each other a knowing side eye. Lash put his hand on Miss Shelly’s shoulder and assured her.
“Don’t worry, Bebop is probably just not used to having such a strong male presence in his life…”
Miss Shelly smiled at Lash. “Maybe, I guess I should at least check on dessert. It’s my first time cooking Ixian Blood Pudding for others…”
Miss Shelly then proceeded to playfully pinch Apollo’s cheek, to Graves’s amusement. “Especially for such hungry nobility!”
Lash then offered. “The Lash would like to help. You never know when you need help lifting heavy pots and pans. Or, like, breaking an egg.”
Miss Shelly was elated. “Of course! Just come with me to the kitchen…”
As the unlikely duo walk into the kitchen, Apollo and Graves lean in to whisper on the current situation.
“Darcy.” Apollo started. “Unless we want to end the night calling the ambulance to pick up a corpse, we should mediate the situation.”
Graves pondered. “I don’t know golden boy, I think it would be the Municipal Coven going by Lash’s record against Bebop…”
The Fencer gave a confused stare. The Necromancer laughed and held his hand.
“No shit we need to help them. I’ll go check on the scrap golem. I know how to deal with broodiness and angst. It’s kind of my specialty.”
Apollo chuckled, then proceeded to hold his other hand on Her’s. “Well, I’ll go check in with Lash and Miss Shelly. Make sure everything is alright there.”
Graves sarcastically narrowed her eyes at him. “You just want to taste the Ixian Blood Pudding, do you?”
Apollo jokingly folded, kissing Grave’s forehead while doing so. “Well obviously that too, but in this case. I can have my cake and eat it too.”
Both teenagers laughed, then went their separate ways. Not knowing how monumental of a task they put themselves to.