[Later That Afternoon, Charlotte-MacNamara International Airport (April 30, 2023)]
"Why does it feel like every time I see you, you end up changing your look?" Ayako asked her partner after meeting up with him in the arrivals area of the airport.
"What? You don't like it?" Cyrus gave the woman a slight smirk as he absentmindedly rubbed his hand over his chin.
The young 'tree magic' user was now sporting a new moustache and goatee combo that he had spent the last month growing out while he was away. Since the rest of his beard hadn't grown in as much as he would've liked, he decided to just shave the rest off and keep it like this for the time being. And despite the less-than-stellar reaction he was getting from his partner, he quite liked the new look.
"Not really." Ayako replied. "My annoying-ass brother has the same thing going on. So he kinda ruined it for me."
"I think it looks great. It really adds to the whole rugged bad-boy aesthetic. Or at least that's what the guys in the Blair family kept telling me anyway."
"Hey man, whatever floats your boat." The 'water magic' user said with a playful shrug.
After taking a minute to grab Cyrus's bags, the two DPA agents began making their way out of the airport. They had missed Valerie's arrival by a couple of hours, and Maria wasn't scheduled to land until later that evening. So there was no point in them sticking around when they didn't have to.
A few minutes later, the sorcerer duo was on the road en route to Cyrus's apartment.
Cyrus very much appreciated being back home after being away for so long. Kansas was cool and all, but being back in an actual city made him feel more at peace. Sure, the air might not have been as clean here, but there was just something about seeing the city skyline through the passenger side window of the car that made everything seem right in the world.
"So, how was your little training adventure with the Blairs?" Ayako asked the young man.
"Productive." Cyrus replied. "The training was great, and Constanza was an amazing teacher. But I am so glad to finally be out of there."
"Was it really that bad?"
"Not really." The freckle-faced teen shook his head. "But I didn't really get to do all that much. Plus, I spent way too much time having to avoid certain members of their family to keep them from trying to recruit me."
"That Alyssa girl didn't try anything weird with you, did she?"
"Oh, she was definitely trying to put the moves on me while I was staying at her place."
"Seriously?" Ayako looked at him in surprise. "How?"
"Aside from prancing around her condo in lingerie every chance she got. She was trying way too hard to make sure that I was comfortable whenever the two of us were alone."
Ayako didn't really know what to think after hearing that. She already knew that the Blairs were actively trying to recruit Cyrus into their family now that the secret about his magic was out in the open. And they were pretty open about it, considering that they agreed to take him on for his training trip. But to think that Thomas Blair would try to use his niece to seduce her young friend while he was living under her roof was nothing short of crazy to think about.
It was times like that the 'water magic' user was glad that her own family didn't operate that way. Sure, they actively participated in using surrogates and sperm donors, just like every other one of the Nine Families. But at least they never resorted to doing shady stuff like that to add new members to their family.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that you managed to avoid that mess. Take it from me, you really don't want to get involved in family politics like that. It's way more trouble than it's worth."
"Of that, I have no doubt." Cyrus smiled as he leaned back in his seat.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence had passed in the car, Cyrus then turned his head toward Ayako to ask her a question. Since he had to be at the station in the morning, the two of them didn't have anything planned for the rest of the day. And now that he was back in town, there was somewhere he really wanted to go before heading home and relaxing.
"You think we can stop by Freddy's grave on the way back?" The man asked.
"Sure, no problem!" Ayako replied with a smile.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it."
"Don't mention it." She replied before quickly changing topics. "Now, tell me about everything you did out there. I really want to know what they taught you."
Cyrus perked up a bit before answering. "Well, for starters, my control over my magic has improved quite a bit."
"Oh, really now?"
"Yup! I can manipulate my trees a lot more efficiently now, thanks to a neat little trick that Constanza taught me. And I'm finally able to make blades out of the wood that I create."
"Good, good."
"I'm also pretty sure that I'm now immune to several different species of poison plants. Most of my mornings were spent trying to use my magic while actively having to breathe in whatever bullshit Constanza decided to throw my way. None of it was lethal, but it sure as hell made my life a lot worse."
"Sounds rough." Ayako outwardly cringed.
"Oh, it was. Believe me!" Cyrus then said. "And don't even get me started on what we had to do to perfect my overdrive skill. I spent three whole days using it over and over again until my body finally gave out. But at least now my control over atmospheric mana is better."
"Now I really can't wait to see it with my own eyes." The woman laughed. "Luckily for you, I've also been working on my skills while you were away. And I've got a couple of new tricks up my sleeve that I've been waiting to test out for a while now."
"Well, don't keep me in suspense here. What are they?"
"You'll have to find out during our next training session tomorrow. I can't be out here revealing all of my secrets now, can I?"
"Lame…" The young man tucked his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair.
"You'll be alright."
With that, the two DPA agents once again let the comfortable silence of the road fill the air around them. Cyrus was genuinely excited to get back to work after being away for so long. And he was certainly ready to start working with Ayako again after what felt like forever. But for now, he was perfectly happy with just kicking his feet up and spending the rest of his day relaxing before waking up tomorrow morning and getting back to the grind.
-(o)-
Character Profile: Cyrus
Name: Cyrus Adrian Moore
Alias: Tree Boy
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Birthday: October 31st
Birthplace: Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
Height: 71
Weight: 185lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
Race: Black/White
Magic: Plant (Tree)
Occupation: DPA Agent, Iznana Operative
Stat Chart: B(+)
-Physical Strength - 4
-Intelligence - 4
-Magic Amount - 3
-Magical Control - 5
-Magic Sensing - 4.5
-Special - 5+
Fun Fact:
-Favorite food is breakfast burritos.
-Favorite sport is soccer
-Favorite team is Arsenal F.C.
-Alma Mater: Central Piedmont Community College (AAS)
-Intermediate-level enchanter (Journeyman)