The shadow mage wandered the moonlit streets of Ostia. It was a nice night. The street lamps illuminated happy couples hanging on each others arms, making their way to happy places, restaurants, amusement parks, hotels. Everyone was enjoying themselves in the mild night air. All of course except the shadow mage.

"Telepatico...telepatico...telepatico" the shadow mage chanted holding two distinct cards to his forehead with each chant. Searching in vain for the two women he loved. There was nothing. Nothing on the other end of the cards. Either they were too far away... or no one was there.

His two loves... Kitty, a fair maiden, innocence bellying her years. Innocent, demure, cute. Yet she maintained an underlying maturity which a relationship of intimacy could be built.

Kagami, a savage amazon. Worldly, brazen, exotic. But hidden beneath this was a silent vulnerability, a girl in distress who needed his help.

And here he was. Alone in a city of thousands. Depression.

Turning, he entered the shop. Sitting, a table. A menu lay ready and open. He wasn't hungry. He hadn't been hungry all day... or the day before that either. Since they went missing he hadn't been eating much of anything actually.

And so he sat there. Looking out into space. Feeling empty.

"Kyaaah! Nothing beats shopping in Ostia," Ayra cheers happily, carting her numerous shopping bags, all filled with the most peculiar stuff like vegetables, condoms, medicine, clothes, accessories, all types of things. She hadn't seen anyone from the Ryugujo for awhile, so she was pretty much free from any work. Luckily for her that is. She loved free time, it let her do a lot of promiscuous things in her day and age.

Slumping onto the table Mortimer turned his head to face the window. And walking past him now was the unmistakeable gait of Ayra Hunders. Quite possibly one of the most carefree people Mortimer had ever met. And right now she seemed to be enjoying herself splurging on who knew what... a more interesting question might have been "where had her money come from" but that was best saved until another day.

Moving robotically, the shadow mage exited the establishment. He followed behind Ayra for a time, at last working up the energy to tap her on the shoulder and ask with a weak smile "Hey Ayra, want some help with those bags?"

He didn't know why he had asked, and it wasn't in his nature to actually OFFER help. He would always help when asked but it was incredibly rare for him to initiate the possible labor. It just seemed like he was moving on his own, like his body and his life had gone into autopilot or something.

"Eeeeeh!? Lazy Mortimer offering help to lil' old me? Ohohoho! Seems I'm getting even more beautiful!" She confidently nods in an arrogant tone. "I love you~~" She squees, jumping on him for his kindness, as she hands him the heavier bags. Of course, this was just in her nature, but she really meant it to someone like Mortimer as she considers him a precious friend.

"Haaaa! I can tell, something's wrong." She says, after they had begun walking for a few minutes. It was just her intuition, but whenever she had sexual intercourse, she could hear the difference in someone's actions and such to tell if they're sad or happy or enjoying themselves. Usually if they were sad, she'd use her magic to encourage them to be happy.

Mortimer blinked in surprise. Even Ayra, (quite possibly the most vain egocentric people in the magic world) could tell something was wrong with him. The only problem was that right now he didn't WANT to talk about it... to ANYONE. Least of all the person who could twist his thoughts and desires any way she wanted. He needed to diffuse her attention somehow. So what did Ayra like most... HERSELF!

"Ayra I was just wondering, how exactly did you come to learn about your particular kind of magic? It seems helpful in your... career choice, but which came first, the magic or the lifestyle?"

"Eh~? Haah! I chose this magic specifically! It's not as common now-a-days! And I'm glad I learnt it! It took me forever to find this specific magic and learn it, you know since it's so rare! Ohohohohoho! I think you know what I use it for..." She laughs, shrugging slightly as she turns to Mortimer. She looked at him with a face like 'What about you?'

"My magic was just because I had an affinity for it. Then I started learning a bit, got put in some dangerous situations, forced into more than a few training exercises and my spells just became what they are. But it sounds like you had access to a lot of magical texts. And from the sound of it you had embarked on your career before you learned magic. What made you decide to continue on that path? If you had a choice in your magic then couldn't you have learned something else and made your living that way?" He asked this as he was given another box of strappy shoes to carry. They didn't look all that comfortable to Mortimer and so he wondered just how much pain could this girls feet take?

"...Of course not." A sound of maliciousness in her voice was present. "My looks also compliment my magic style you know! Ohohoho, I can't get my beautiful body scarred being a mercenary and all!" Ayra scoffs at Mortimer, rubbing his hair in a fruitful manner. Of course, she had her reasons that she didn't want to say out loud.

"If I done something to scar myself, or if I eat too little and get too skinny, or eat too much and get too fat, people will leave me! I can't do that~~ Ohohoho," She smiles at him.

"Isn't that a terrible way to live? Being judged solely on your body, not your personality or your mind? What exactly happened that made your looks all that mattered to you?"

"Eh? I don't mind living like this! I like it! Ohohoho, I can teach you why you know." Ayra winks at Mortimer. She was obviously going to continue a direct conformation with the question. "If I lost my looks, I'd lose... everything." She giggles, "Just kidding." She says at the end, giving Mortimer a small kiss on his hand.

Now came the big question from him. "... Is sex really that good?" As soon as he said it he wished he could take it back. He didn't want anyone to know, least of all Ayra that he was still a virgin.

Ayra jumped back and gasped. "Y-you...! Of all people! Really!?" Ayra squeals, she was so interested now. "How could a man like you still be a virgin, ohohoho~!" Ayra's grin was wide, it was as if her malicious smile covered from one side of her face to another.

"Kyaaah! I've got to tell Umi! I don't even think he's a virgin!" She giggles to no one in particular. She then looks seriously into Mortimer's eyes. "Sex is amazing... I've got a few girlfriends that might give you a... wonderful time." She sticks her tongue out.

Mortimer was taken aback slightly. "I-it's not like I couldn't... it's... i just haven't okay. It's not like I have any misgivings about sex or romantic feelings about my first time but I just haven't and so whenever an... attractive girl starts propositioning me I start having a panic attack and disappear... literaly I vanish into thin air!"

When Ayra began talking about setting him up Mortimer almost lost it and resisted the urge to turn and run right there."U-u-u-um, th-tha-tha-that's okay Ay-ayra! R-really I don't n-need to!" He was extremely nervous by this point. He needed to distract her. To get her mind away from him1'S-so Ayra? How exactly did you end up becoming a ..."working girl" exactly?"

"Why don't you investigate my past? Ohohoho, just kidding~ For the money! The money!" She giggles to herself. In fact, she had been raped by her parents and was honestly a touchy, personal matter to her. Of course, she never let a sweat of anger brush across her face. "What about you? You had two girls, no? What happened? They both loved you." Ayra questions, thinking Mortimer's blushing and stuttering extremely cute and attractive.

"They... they had to leave. They're undead so that comes with all kinds of baggage... and I guess they just needed to unload that somewhere else. I can understand it but-" Mortimer almost choked at the thought. "Please, don't-please don't make me think about it." The shadowmancer was shuddering at this point. A look of stifeled pain crossing his face. "I may not have had a physical relationship... but have you ever had an intimate one?"

"Of course! Of course, though usually they're mostly herbivores and didn't want you know, have sex or something. So they were mostly losers. In fact, you know some of them! Will would be one when we went to school together... and well, a few other guys who actually did-- ohohohoho." She giggles uncontrollably to herself.

"Well, I'm glad you're opening up Lil Morty. Let's watch a movie, what do you say?" She giggles, chucking her luggage at a nearby man and whispering him something that caused him to grab all the luggage and run into an apartment and such. Who knows what Ayra just said to him as she pulls Mortimer along to watch a movie.

Mortimer allowed himself to be pulled along by Ayra. It wasn't long before they (or rather he) had bought tickets and watching the twenty minutes of previews which came before movies these days.

Somehow sitting there with Ayra hanging off his arm and boring credits rolling... it really wasn't that bad. It almost reminded him of.... no, no. Don't go there, don't think those thoughts. Focus on now and forget it. Forget it all!

The feeling had passed and he was back in the seat watching the bad movie with Ayra. "I know this may not be the best time to ask but... aside from shopping, seduction, sex and beautification do you have any hobbies or interests?"

He couldn't really explain it. He was already distracted by the movie and Ayras physical presence so there was no need to further split his attention from the "bad thoughts", but somehow he just wanted to know more about her. It may have been his curiosity but he couldn't help but shake the feeling that beneath the shallow outer layer of conceited laughter and manipulation... was something more... then again that could have just been another quality of Ayra. Always seeming like there was another layer. Always a hint of mistique if you looked hard enough. And odds are if she wanted it, she could show you exactly what you wanted to see. Still, Mortimer pressed harder, trying to find that next layer that might have been a little closer to who she really was or rather, who he thought she was.

"Ohohoho, being beautiful and applying make up, nail polish, lipstick, accessories, it's all a hobby for me, but since you're so intent on excluding that... I like to... watch guys fight over me. Ohoho..." She giggles to herself. Unlike Mortimer, she was personally enjoying this romantic battle movie. It was more of a girl thing and some people seemed angry from their talking, but Ayra didn't care. She could shoot a heart at them and bam... instant humiliation for them.

"Don't you play sport? I don't want to injure myself, so of course I don't, but I do play table tennis, that's easy! No damage to me either!" She smiles cheerfully.

Bump

"...not really. I don't play sports. I don't due much of anything really aside from work, teaching people and making money so I can live... I don't study that hard unless someone asks me to and I guess all I really do is... exist."

He realized that aside from working on projects for his students, making enough money to live and helping Umi with his schemes... his life was really...empty.

Deciding to stop talking he just decided to sit next to Ayra and enjoy the film... he had the feeling that any more probing he did of Ayra would only result in a reciprocal question... and however much he wanted to know about Ayra, he wasn't prepared to answer her questions about him. Mostly because they were to sad and painful really... looking back on his life, he couldn't help but feel how empty it all was.

But there was one question he had to ask her "Ayra...where exactly do you stay at night? Because I just realized I have no idea where you live."

"...Ohoho. Of course, I get a five star hotel! I get to stay in it for free, since the owner is one of my little men~ Though I don't want to make him angry so I do occasionally give him SOME Drachma, but for that I owe him, well... I think you know how I earn it." She ruffles his head, as if she was trying to comfort him for why he exists. Of course, a question like that was something Ayra would be extremely confused on answering, despite being asked like that. She gave an answer all the time, but was she confident in her answer? Who knows. Not even herself knows.

As the man got stabbed protecting his woman, Ayra claps to herself, making it quiet so others wouldn't complain about her. "I wish I had reliable guys like that!" She smiles, "Without having to put them under my charm, of course." She says rather emotionally.

"Isn't that a bit cynical though? Having your criteria for true love being that the person who loves you is willing to die for you?"

The movie took a bit of a turn as the movie reached its climax, the woman taking the dagger out of the man and stabbing his killer, then herself with it.

"It looks like if you want someone to die for you, you need to be willing to die for them?"

"Are you mad...? It's... romantic." Ayra closes her eyes, beginning to dream a romantic situation. "And of course not! The men protect the women, not the other way around, what century are you living in, ohoho?" Ayra giggles, shoving off some complaints the two may have received for being too loud.

"...mind if I can stay at your place tonight... I just... can't go home right now..."

"Eeeeeeeh~ Well, you'll have to sleep 3 rooms apart or else, well... you'll hear it." Ayra finishes her speech with a seductive tone. She wasn't going to go into detail as it might scare the unexperienced shadow mage, "Unless you really do want me to call some of my girls? Ohoho, you're pretty cute. They'll like you." She pats Mortimer's head, enjoying the movie until the credits began to roll.