An Upgrade to Living Standards

The young couple’s tender moment ended, and so their shopping spree, as John received a call from Moira saying that she was waiting in the parking lot with Reginald and the ‘pest’. John chuckled and relayed the news to Red.

“Damn, looks like your wallet lives to see another day,” she smiled wryly.

“There’s always next time,” John replied sarcastically.

“Careful, darling,” Red grinned, nudging him affectionately with her shoulder. “We were just shopping for casual-wear today. Next time would be when I start trying on dresses.”

“Next time you’re buying,” John sighed.

“Mmm, you’re no fun!” his girlfriend pouted.

“Factually incorrect. I couldn’t imagine having a more fun powerset.”

Red could only concede to that argument. “I guess I have to give you that one.”

They soon found Moira leaning against the hood of the Brightons’ black sedan, conversing with Reginald while they waited.

“Hullo,” Red greeted cheerily.

Moira looked surprised when she saw them. “You’re both rather empty-handed,” she commented.

“I can store items in a kind of pocket dimension,” John replied, seeing no point in lying to his friend.

Moira stood straight and folded her arms. “You’re just full of surprises, Newman,” her tone suggested that she was none too impressed he’d chosen to withhold the information until now. “Anything else you’d like to tell me?”

John shrugged. “If you want to hang out this evening, I’ll show you exactly what I can do.”

He didn’t realise his mistake until Red burst into a fit of laughter and Moira’s face flushed crimson. By the time he caught on, it was too late to evade the slap. The sheer **** of it sent him staggering into the side of the car, as his cheek flared up in pain.

“Ow! C’mon, I didn’t mean it like that!” John swore, holding his hands up as he tried to stumble to his feet in a pathetic display of manliness as Moira stepped in for the killing blow.

“Please mind you don’t make a dent,” Reginald sighed.

It seemed that the butler’s words were enough to calm Moira.

“I just meant that I’ll be doing some training later, and you’re welcome to come,” John insisted.

Moira glared at him for a long moment before apparently accepting that he was being truthful. “Fine,” she said simply. That was it. No apology for nearly slapping the skin off his face. No kiss to make it better, not even from Red, who still hadn’t stopped sniggering.

“Miss Brighton, it is time we get going,” Reginald chimed in, having just checked his watch.

Moira nodded and helped Red into the car before entering herself, leaving John to help himself. He glanced at Reginald, who returned his gaze patiently, though John could have sworn he caught a glimmer of satisfaction in the butler’s eyes. ‘Whatever,’ he shrugged it off pretty quickly and moved around to the other side of the car, still rubbing his sore cheek.

“Final-fucking-ly,” Saccharine moaned as he opened the car door and climbed inside. She was seated on the headrest of the front seat, idly kicking her feet, being unable to fly outside without attracting attention and getting smited.

“I see you kept your head,” John commented.

Red gave Moira an apologetic look. “I hope she wasn’t too much of a nuisance.”

“She was… tolerable,” the redheaded paladin managed.

“Really?” Red replied with genuine surprise.

“Yep, best behaviour as always,” the winged girl agreed. “We had a lovely conversation about d-” Moira shot the fae a pointed glare, causing the fae to squirm uncomfortably. “D-delicious apple pie,” she finished.

Red eyed the caramel-haired fairy with suspicion. “Uh-huh.”

The vehicle rolled into motion, and the car trip progressed smoothly, with menial things being the topic of conversation. Red had seemingly decided it was time to get closer to Moira, and the two talked about everything from clothes to what their favourite weapon was to how they met John. Suffice to say, he was not thrilled to be described as “some pervert who watched me bathing in the pond” by his now girlfriend. The stern glower Moira sent John’s way caused a cold sweat to run down the back of his neck.

“Hey! It was nowhere near that creepy,” he replied, latching onto the easiest defense he could, “else you wouldn’t be with me now.”

However, his words didn’t stop Red’s teasing which was merciless for the rest of the drive. Thankfully, their destination was only a short distance from the mall, as they only travelled five or so blocks to an apartment complex. After parking in the underground garage, Reginald led them to an elevator and took them to up to the twelfth floor, just a few short of the top. The doors slid open to a spartan hallway save for a few abstract canvases that lined the walls between the white-painted front doors of the apartments.

“This entire building is maintained by the Order,” Reginald explained, showing them to a door partway down the hall. “However, not all of the residents are aware of the Abyss, so I advise you apply the same caution you would outside.”

The Butler placed his hand on the door handle, and with a faint click, it swung open. “No key exists to this lock, rather it has been magically enchanted to open for select personnel of the Order,” he explained, before having John and Red register their prints onto the handle.

It was a pretty cush apartment, despite having the depersonalised atmosphere of your average hotel room. The living room was large enough to fit a dining table and lounging area complete with a widescreen TV. Adjacent was a small, open-counter kitchen that was stocked with enough food for the week in addition to there being several diners and takeaway restaurants nearby. Finally, there were two bedrooms, with three beds between them (though John had an inkling only one was going to get frequent use), and both had an ensuite attached. Red’s heart was sold as soon as she stepped into the walk in closet, instantly demanding John produce the bags of clothes so she could hang them up. Both Moira and Saccharine stayed behind to help Red unpack, while John left with Reginald to finish the tour.

“Now, on the mundane side of things, the walls are completely soundproof while the glass is tinted and bulletproof. CCTV is installed in and around the complex, which is fed to both the security office and the Brighton manor,” the butler informed him. “Magically, the complex -- and school for that matter -- are both shielded from scrying and other forms of divination that may reveal your location. For this reason, I advise you don’t dally between here and school. If there is an issue, simply dial reception. The number is written on the telephone, and an Order operative will always be on hand to receive you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” John promised, more than happy with the accommodation. Overall, the apartment was definitely a step or two up from his mom’s place.

“Indeed. I also noticed, when examining your phone earlier, that you are not yet connected to the Abyssal Cellular Network,” Reginald continued, producing a packaged SIM card. “Using this will allow you to make and receive calls even while inside barriers. The benefit of this speaks for itself.”

“Yeah, thanks,” John agreed and accepted the card. He’d rather avoid Moira yelling at him again.

“Well, that concludes our business for now,” the butler said, formally. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Newman.”

“Please, just John is fine,” he replied, before offering his hand. “And I should be the one thanking you.”

“I merely serve the Order,” Reginald replied without missing a beat. “But gratitude is a fine trait in a young gentleman,” he added before shaking John’s hand. His grip was hard and only tightened as John sought to let go. “Mr. Newman,” the butler began, completely ignoring John’s earlier request for informality. “I am concerned about the direction of your relationship with the young Miss. The Order, but more severely my Master, will not take kindly to your continued courting of her. Heed this warning, for this time I advise as a friend of the young Miss as opposed to an agent of the Order. I hope I will not have to act as the latter in regards to this matter.”

“Noted,” John swallowed, deciding now was the time to scope out exactly who this butler was.

Welp, nobody John wanted to fuck with. “You needn’t have worried. I’m not interested in Moira,” John lied with his best reassuring smile, well, a half lie.

Reginald regarded John with a raised brow.

“I mean to say… of course she’s pretty and strong, and I’d be lucky to have her, but I’m with Red already, and I got the sense that Moira’s not available anyway,” John explained. ‘More like I know from experience that daddy won’t be happy,’ he thought wryly.

“Good,” the butler said simply, finally letting John’s hand go.

A few minutes later, Red, Moira, and Saccharine rejoined them in the living room, happily chatting. It was heartening, John thought, to see Red and Moira getting along as well as they seemed to be.

“I will be returning to the Brighton Manor,” Reginald informed Moira. “Do you intend on taking up Mr. Newman’s offer to train or return with me?”

The redhead folded her arms and thought for a moment. “I think I’ll check out ‘exactly what it is’ Newman can do,” she smirked.

“Of course,” the butler bowed his head, but John caught a frown on his features. “I will have a car arranged for when you are ready to return home -- though it would be best if you don’t stay late.”

“Thank you, Reginald,” Moira smiled.

The butler nodded and bowed again. “I’ll take my leave then,” he said before leaving.

“Alright then, Johnny boy,” the dessert fairy asked enthusiastically once the front door had closed behind Reginald. “What’s the plan for the arvo?”

There were two things John wanted to address: money and that damn prophecy that Richard had **** upon him. The former would take a bit of time to grind for and had a definite deadline of tomorrow noon. However, there was a clear method by which he could address the issue. The latter, on the other hand, could come to fruition within the next minute or the next decade as far as John knew, and there was no certainty that John could even decipher it. ‘Best focus on the very real issue of money for now,’ he decided, before turning to answer Saccharine’s question. “Goblin hunting.”