Meeting Sabrina

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 7, Post Number 166

-Leonidas' Apartment, 7:07 A.M.-

Leonidas had just woken up and was sitting on the edge of his couch. The television was on that boring Texas Hold'Em anime he could not even bother to get the name of, but he did not care. He was more concerned with making something to eat than what was on the television. Leonidas had walked to his kitchen to grab the loaf of bread to make another sandwich when he heard a knock on the door. Curious as to who might be on the other side, he abandoned his meal plans and walked over to the door, then opened it and stood back.

Outside stood a young blonde woman in a pink and blue outfit that had a "magician" theme to it. She was about Leona's height, if not a little bit taller. Maybe an inch taller than his sister at most. The young woman looked at him and smiled.

"Who are you?" Leonidas asked her.

"My name's Sabrina!" She answered cheerfully. Leonidas continued to look at her.

"...Can I help you?" Leonidas asked Sabrina. She continued to smile.

"I've been looking for someone like you!" Sabrina said. Leonidas frowned.

"Look, Lady. I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I'm not interested in playing it." He said to her dryly. It was way too early in the morning for this kind of nonsense.

"It's not a game, Big Guy! I've been looking for someone-" Sabrina started before Leonidas cut her off with a raised hand.

"I'm sorry, Lady. But I'm not interested." Leonidas said flatly. He then closed the door before she could get another word in. He hoped that this whole episode was over and done with. He abandoned his plans for a meal and decided to try and sleep instead. Leonidas went back to his couch, laid on it, and faced the television until he went to sleep.

-Three hours later, 10:07 A.M.-

Leonidas woke up again to the sound of blissful silence outside his door. After the weirdness from earlier he was glad for some calm. He sat up on his couch, faced the television, and soon stood upright to try and make the sandwich he had intended to make earlier before the odd interruption he had experienced. He walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up where he had left off.

Leonidas grabbed the loaf of bread in a bag and carried it over to his counter. He grabbed a couple slices, then put them down on the counter and grabbed a spreading knife from his kitchen drawer. He then went to the cupboard and found the jar of peanut butter he had been using for the past week or two. Leonidas seized it in his left hand and carried it back over to the counter where his bread sat.

He twisted open the jar and dipped the spreading knife in, then got some peanut butter on it before spreading it on the bread. Once the sandwich was made to his liking Leonidas put the spreading knife down on the counter and picked up the sandwich. He bit into it like he had not eaten all day, which was the truth.

Peanut butter... so tasty.

Leonidas continued to eat the sandwich as he pondered what to do today. Maybe he should look for a job so that he could go on an adventure and earn some much-needed money. He was wanting to get a larger apartment at some point in the future and he needed to start saving money now if he wanted to make that happen. As soon as he finished this sandwich he would start looking for a job.

Sabrina:

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-Outside Leonidas' Apartment, 1:15 P.M.-

After finishing his peanut butter sandwich Leonidas had went job hunting and found a simple one that involved going to Haunted Guild and retrieving a silver pendant that had been left behind by a thrill-seeker who had fled in a hurry when the thrills had gotten to be too much for them. The job paid a decent sum and it did not seem to be too hard. This job would suffice for a reasonably easy payday.

Wearing his Silver Falchion on his left hip and wearing his olive green jacket over his usual outfit of white t-shirt and olive green cargo pants with black boots, Leonidas was ready for a trip to Haunted Guild. He had plenty of daylight and knew the way to his destination, so the only real obstacle was the time it would take to reach Haunted Guild. He had better get going now if he wanted to make it by nightfall.

Leonidas closed his apartment door behind him and made sure it was locked, then put the keys in his left cargo pocket before turning around and starting his trip towards the outskirts of Capital Crocus. He did not know how dense foot traffic would be, so he would not waste time. He began walking at a brisk pace and made his way through the lightly traveled sidewalks in his neighborhood before turning to head towards the more heavily traveled sidewalks of the city.

-The outskirts of Capital Crocus, one hour and thirty-nine minutes later-

It had taken slightly less time than anticipated to travel through the busy city, but that was because he had set out at just the right time. It also helped that Leonidas had traveled on foot instead of by motor vehicle because the roads were packed with drivers. Now he was outside the city and on his way to Haunted Guild... from here on out he would not have to worry very much about traffic.

Leonidas had gotten a good distance away from the city when he felt like he was being watched. With his right hand hovering over the grip of his Silver Falchion he spun around to face the watcher and did not see anyone. Leonidas faced the road behind him and began looking around, but he did not see anyone... yet. He wondered if that floating sword from Silent Cemetery was following him again. After a minute or two of searching he had seen nothing, so he lifted his hand away from the sword's grip and turned around to resume his journey.

-On the outskirts of Magnolia Town, three hours and forty-three minutes later-

Leonidas had traveled from Capital Crocus to Era to Peace Village and was now on the outskirts of Magnolia Town and he had not seen many other travelers. He was making decent time for someone on foot and he was glad for that because he still had a ways to go. Leonidas was walking towards the town when he felt that someone was following him and spun around. He looked around to find no one there, but he was not going to move on without looking around himself very carefully.

Leonidas' eyes wandered towards a nearby clump of bushes and he spotted a blue-and-pink conical object protruding from the top of it. The scar-faced mage frowned when he recognized what it was. There was only one person he had seen recently who wore that particular color combination.

Sabrina.

"You're not fooling anyone, Sabrina. Come on out." Leonidas commanded. The object rose up to reveal that it was indeed Sabrina who had been following him. She stood up with a sheepish smile on her face.

"How did you manage to see me?" Sabrina asked while trying to sound innocent.

"Here's a tip... blue and pink don't blend in with green surroundings." Leonidas replied sarcastically. He could tell that she was trying to feign ignorance and his sarcastic response was a product of his irritation. The young blonde woman approached Leonidas and stopped a short distance away from him.

"I knew that I should have taken off my hat." Sabrina stated with a face red with embarrassment. Leonidas continued to look at her.

"What do you want with me?" Leonidas asked her. Sabrina forgot her embarrassment and smiled at him.

"I told you that earlier, Big Guy! I've been looking for someone like you!" Sabrina replied. The scar-faced mage frowned and folded his arms over his chest.

"I don't have time for games, Lady. Why are you looking for someone like me?" Leonidas asked her again, trying to stay patient with the young woman despite his irritation. Whether he stayed patient or not depended on her answer.

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"I'm looking for a strong mage to follow as a companion and you fit the bill!" Sabrina explained what she had meant. Leonidas was not exactly impressed by that reason and his face showed it. He had had enough of her nonsense... it was time to get a move on.

"There's other people who might need your help more than I do. You should go find them." Leonidas remarked dryly, making no secret of his impatience with her antics. She had wasted enough of his time and he was ready to move on. He had a silver pendant to find and money to earn. He turned around and continued walking towards Magnolia Town.

"WAIT!" Sabrina called out to him.

"Good luck with your search!" Leonidas called back without turning around. He did not have time to play games, not when there was money to be made. He still had a long way to go before he reached Haunted Guild and he did not have all day to waste in conversation with some random blonde mage who wanted to follow him around.

-Outside Magnolia Town, fifty-three minutes later-

Leonidas had passed through Magnolia Town heading in the direction of Oak Town when he stopped to take a brief break. All of this walking was starting to take its toll on his feet, but he still had a long ways to go. He took a few quiet breaths as he looked down the path ahead of him and was going to start walking again in a few minutes when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Hey Big Guy! That town took awhile to get through, but it looks like I caught up to you without too much difficulty!" A familiar voice told Leonidas. He turned around to find none other than Sabrina standing a short distance away. The scar-faced mage frowned at the sight of her... she was going to waste yet another chunk of valuable time with her antics.

"What do you want from me?" Leonidas asked, his patience with the blonde having long since been exhausted. Sabrina ignored the impatient tone of his statement and replied to the question.

"It's simple, really. I just want a strong mage to be a companion to!" Sabrina answered with the same response she had given earlier. Leonidas continued to frown because in his opinion that answer was not really an answer. Still, he had to give Sabrina credit for persistence. If she was really that determined to follow him he would give her a chance to prove her worth.

"OK then. If you want to travel with me that badly you can travel with me." Leonidas conceded to her. Sabrina literally jumped with joy and when she landed on her feet ran over to Leonidas and hugged him as far as her arms could reach around him.

"YAY!" Sabrina exclaimed loudly enough to hurt his ears. She let go of him and stepped back so that she could look him in the eyes.

"Great! So, uh, where are we going?" Sabrina asked Leonidas. Leonidas frowned for a moment but said nothing sarcastic, instead going with honesty.

"We're going to Haunted Guild." Leonidas told her their destination. Sabrina was not deterred by that and simply raised her staff.

"OK! If you've been there at least once I can take you right to it without us having to walk all the way!" Sabrina told him. Leonidas' frown disappeared almost instantly. If she could really do that she could save him a lot of time and energy.

"Can you really do that?" He asked the blonde with genuine interest. She giggled.

"Of course I can, Big Guy! Watch this!" Sabrina assured him. She raised her staff above her head and cast a shimmering blue sphere of magic that came down around her and Leonidas, forming a dome around the pair. Within seconds they vanished from the road outside Magnolia Town.

-Outside Haunted Guild, four seconds later-

Sabrina and Leonidas reappeared inside the blue dome, which faded once they had reached their destination. Leonidas was amazed by how quickly they had managed to get here. Sabrina had certainly made good on her promise to transport them, something that the scar-faced mage was grateful for. Now they were only a short distance away from Haunted Guild's doorstep.

"Do you still think I'm just a pretty face?" Sabrina asked Leonidas in a lightly mocking manner. She had probably gotten the impression that he considered her to be of questionable use as a companion. Leonidas turned around to face her.

"OK, you brought us here in a matter of seconds. I can't deny how useful that ability is. But can you fight ghosts?" Leonidas admitted that she had proven herself to be useful in transporting them before asking whether she could also take on ghosts. It might sound like he was moving the goalposts when it came to him accepting her as a useful companion, but before he went into a place that was home to ghosts he wanted to know if she could fight them or not. He did not want to go deep into Haunted Guild only to learn that her magic was useless against the building's spectral residents.

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"Yeah, I can fight ghosts! I can even reveal them with a special light from my wand!" Sabrina asserted. If that was true Leonidas would be able to get though Haunted Guild a lot easier due to being able to see normally invisible enemies and thus being ready for them. He would find out if Sabrina's claims were true soon enough.

"All right. I'll lead us in and you use that light of yours to light the way. If we encounter any large groups of ghosts I want you to show me what you can do." Leonidas said to her, giving her a chance to prove herself. Sabrina was not daunted by his barely disguised skepticism and hugged him again.

"All right, Big Guy! You lead us in and I'll help out any way I can!" Sabrina agreed to the arrangement. Leonidas did not say anything in response... instead he began walking toward the front door to Haunted Guild. When he reached the door he went in first and Sabrina followed right behind, shutting the door behind them.

-Inside Haunted Guild, the first floor-

Leonidas and Sabrina were now standing inside the foyer and it was hard to see down the hall in front of them. Leonidas turned towards Sabrina, who had stepped to his right and was now standing at his right side. The young woman seemed to anticipate what he was going to say and spoke before he could say a word.

"Don't worry, Big Guy. I've got this covered!" Sabrina assured him. She raised her staff and created a blue light on the end of it that did not fade away but instead lingered, lighting the area around them. Leonidas was glad for the lighting because he had forgotten his flashlight and was not about to go back home to get it even if he could teleport thanks to Sabrina's help.

"Thanks, Sabrina." Leonidas thanked the young woman for the light.

"No problem, Big Guy! I'm with you all the way!" Sabrina asserted that she was going to stick by his side throughout the job. Leonidas recalled his objective of finding the silver pendant and looked at Sabrina.

"I'm here to locate a silver pendant. A client came here to look for thrills and found them all right, but they lost their silver pendant when they fled the building." Leonidas briefly explained to her why they were here. If she was going to help him, he felt that she deserved to know what he was doing here.

"A silver pendant, huh? OK, I'll help you find it!" Sabrina promised her aid with the endeavor. Leonidas was glad to hear that because he was going to need her light to cut through the gloom and her ability to teleport to Capital Crocus once they found what they were looking for and got out of Haunted Guild. While the circumstances of their meeting were strange, the scar-faced mage was glad that he had permitted Sabrina to travel with him.

"All right, let's start down in the basement. The stairs are that way." Leonidas informed Sabrina of their next move, pointing to the staircase that was forward and to the left of them. Sabrina looked in the direction he was pointing and began walking towards it before he could move towards them. She did not seem bothered at all about going down stairs that could take them into a basement hallway full of ghosts.

"Follow me, Big Guy! I'll light the way!" Sabrina declared. She waited until Leonidas got close, then began walking slowly down the stairs so that he would be able to catch up with her. Leonidas followed close behind her while bending down so that he did not hit his head on the ceiling as he descended into the basement.

-In the basement hallway-

Sabrina reached the bottom first followed by Leonidas, who drew his Silver Falchion to have it already in his hand in case Sabrina's light revealed any nearby ghosts. The pair looked down the hallway and around them, but their surroundings seemed to be free of ghosts so far. Leonidas hoped that Sabrina had not lied to him about what she could do so that she could tag along with him. Leonidas felt a chill in the air and looked straight ahead a second time... he spotted seven blue balls of light the size of a human head floating down the hallway towards them at a normal walking pace. He began to wonder if that was what ghosts looked like when they were invisible.

When the balls of light turned into pale human shapes Leonidas had proof that Sabrina was not lying about being able to make ghosts visible.

"I'll handle these ghosts for us!" Sabrina declared, stepping in front of Leonidas and holding her wand upright in front of her body. She channeled blue magic into it for several moments and then thrust the wand towards the ghosts, firing a visible and shimmering blue cone of magic that caught all of the ghosts inside of it. Within moments the ghosts screamed in unison and disappeared, leaving the hallway clear for the time being.

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Leonidas thought that Sabrina was promising more than she could deliver, but with the display of power she had just put on the young woman had proved that she was the real deal. The scar-faced mage looked ahead of them for any more ghosts but did not see any yet. Once he was sure that they were safe he walked to Sabrina's right, then turned and faced her.

"Nice work handling those ghosts, Sabrina." Leonidas said to his companion. Sabrina giggled and did a little twirl before facing him again.

"Aren't you glad that I traveled with you after all?" Sabrina asked Leonidas pointedly.

"Yes." Leonidas answered laconically. Sabrina did not press her point any further but instead giggled again. Despite his declining her "invitation" earlier part of him was glad that she had persisted in trying to travel with him. Sabrina had proven that she could do something else beyond being annoying... she had a few useful abilities that made life a lot easier for the scar-faced mage.

"You shoulda taken me with you to start with, but that's OK, Big Guy. We all make mistakes." Sabrina said to him with a smile. Leonidas frowned at her. He did not appreciate her saying something like that, but he chose to let it go because he needed her help. He still made a snide remark back at her, though.

"Says the young woman who wears blue and pink and a pointy hat when trying to hide behind a bush." Leonidas sniped back, referring to her earlier attempt to hide from him on the outskirts of Magnolia Town. It was Sabrina's turn to frown at him.

"Oh yeah? At least I'm not a rude jerk like you!" Sabrina retorted and folded her arms across her chest before doing a 90-degree turn and turning her back on him. Leonidas was not affected by that gesture at all and began to walk down the cleared hallway. Sabrina must have seen him leave because she shouted at him from where she was standing.

"HEEEEEEY! WAIT FOR ME, BIG GUY!" Sabrina implored Leonidas and sprinted after him. Leonidas slowed down a bit and she soon caught up with him.

"What are you doing leaving me like that?" Sabrina asked him.

"Looking for the silver pendant." Leonidas answered with a straight face.

"You're a terrible comedian, Big Guy." Sabrina remarked dryly. Leonidas looked at the bend to the right and saw something gleaming on the floor. He then pointed towards the object for her benefit before moving towards it. He did not wait for her because if he did Sabrina would likely try to swipe it from him and hold the pendant hostage to try and force him to give her something.

Leonidas reached the object and bent down to pick it up with his left hand. He stood up and held it out in front of him. On a silver chain was a silver pendant with a finely cut sapphire in the center. This had to be what he was looking for.

"Oooh, it's so pretty!" Sabrina remarked and reached out for it. Leonidas anticipated that move and raised the pendant above her head. The young woman jumped for it several times, each time failing to grab it. After eight attempts to get it she bent down slightly and put her hands on her thighs to recover from the exertion.

"Why are you so... so mean to me?" Sabrina asked him in between short, sharp breaths.

"This jewelry isn't yours. It's the client's and they want it back." Leonidas answered without malice. Even though he did not care for her childish behavior, he did owe her some gratitude for helping him, which was why he was not nearly as blunt as he could have been. Sabrina's face was still in a pout but she soon recovered from it.

"OK, Big Guy. If you're ready to leave we'll leave this place and go outside, then I'll teleport us back home." Sabrina said to him.

"There's nothing else I need to do here. Let's go back to Capital Crocus." Leonidas told her. Sabrina regained her good cheer.

"All right, Big Guy! Let's go! Follow me and don't be slow!" She said, turning around and skipping off towards the stairs. Leonidas hurried to catch up to her without saying a word. Sabrina was a strange young woman, but he could not deny how helpful she was.

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-Capital Crocus, two hours and thirty-five minutes later-

It had taken the pair about five minutes to get out of Haunted Guild after finding the pendant and only a few seconds to teleport to the outskirts of Capital Crocus thanks to Sabrina. However, it had taken them over two hours to walk to the client's house because of the dense pedestrian traffic. There were people everywhere... in fact there were so many people that foot traffic slowed to a crawl when someone stopped to make a turn or stopped at a pedestrian crossing. Despite the dense foot traffic the pair managed to reach the client's house without incident.

Once there Leonidas turned in the silver pendant and received his payment from the grateful client's parents. Now he and Sabrina were standing outside the door to his house. Leonidas reached inside his right cargo pocket to pull out his apartment key while Sabrina stood behind him. His fingers soon found the key and he pulled it out, then put it in the lock and opened his apartment door.

"Hey Big Guy, mind if I come in for a bit?" Sabrina asked him politely. Leonidas was grateful to her for her help earlier, so he saw no harm in the request.

"Sure, Sabrina." Leonidas gave her permission to follow him in. Sabrina jumped for joy.

"Yay!" Sabrina exclaimed happily. Leonidas did not comment and walked inside, leaving the door open for the young woman. When she finally entered he shut the door behind them.

-Inside Leonidas' Apartment-

"This place looks like such a bachelor's pad!" Sabrina exclaimed. Leonidas began to reconsider his extending hospitality towards her. If she was going to talk bad about his home he was going to put her on the road so that she could go somewhere more to her liking.

"That's because I am a bachelor." Leonidas said dryly. Sabrina giggled when she heard him say that.

"I didn't mean to insult your home like that, Big Guy. It could use some cleaning, though." Sabrina apologized for the insult and put what she meant in a more palatable way. Leonidas' displeasure lessened when he heard that, but it did not entirely go away. It seemed like every young woman who entered his home had something negative to say about it.

"OK, you have a point there. But don't think that you're going to be the one doing it. You're just a temporary guest in my home." Leonidas informed Sabrina. The young woman laughed at him.

"It sounds like you don't want me here, Big Guy. Are you gonna have a girlfriend over later tonight?" Sabrina asked him mischievously. Leonidas frowned.

"That's none of your business." Leonidas said bluntly, his patience with her antics starting to wear thin. The blonde giggled at him.

"So, who's the lucky lady?" Sabrina continued to ask him.

"I don't have a girlfriend." Leonidas replied plainly. The young woman grinned widely.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's OK. If you want me to leave now I'll go so that you can host the lucky lady without me taking up space." Sabrina offered in a teasing voice. The scar-faced mage crossed his arms over his chest and wanted to say something blunt but stopped himself.

"I don't have a girlfriend, Sabrina. I have friends who are females, but I don't have a girlfriend." Leonidas told Sabrina and emphasized the fact that he had female friends. The young woman continued to smile.

"You have another friend who's a girl now." Sabrina told him. Leonidas knew that he would probably regret asking the question, but he had to know.

"Who's that?" Leonidas asked her.

"Me!" Sabrina exclaimed. Leonidas frowned. He should have known better than to ask that question.

"We make a good team, Big Guy! We need to go on another adventure together soon!" Sabrina said to Leonidas. The scar-faced mage remained silent while trying to figure out what to say to that. He also needed to figure out whether Sabrina was going to try and live in his apartment with him or not. As much as he appreciated Sabrina helping him in the brief adventure in Haunted Guild he did not want some strange young woman living with him.

One reason was that it would be a violation of his lease, which was for a one-bedroom apartment that he and he alone lived in. Another reason was that he did not know Sabrina well enough for her to be his roommate. A third reason was that he did not need a roommate at all... Leonidas liked his independence and liked having his apartment to himself. He would prefer to keep it that way for as long as he could.

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-Twenty-one minutes later-

After the conversation concerning Leonidas' romantic relationships Sabrina had left his apartment to go for a walk around the city and he was finally alone again. He had some time to himself before he had to go to sleep and look for another job. Tomorrow Leonidas was going to look for something that promised a lot of action... and he would take Sabrina with him. She had proven to be handy despite her quirks and he needed the help she could offer.

Leonidas was about to go make a sandwich to wolf down when he heard knocking on the door. He frowned. He hoped that it was not Sabrina trying to con her way into his apartment again. Leonidas took a quiet breath, then walked over to the door and opened it. To his surprise it was Samantha.

"Hi Leonidas!" Samantha cheerfully greeted the scar-faced mage. She was wearing a baby blue t-shirt and blue jean short shorts with sandals.

"Hi Samantha." Leonidas greeted his neighbor. He had not expected to see her today, but he was not going to turn her away. She made eye contact with him and smiled.

"Who was that blonde girl in the pink and blue outfit I saw just a few moments ago?" She asked him with a small but perceptible hint of jealousy. Leonidas did not like how she had asked the question... he was not sure what she was getting at. He did not know if she already considered him "hers" and was getting ready to fend off a romantic rival.

"She's a friend I made just recently. She helped me get through Haunted Guild when I went on a job there earlier today." Leonidas decided to go with honesty, hoping that it would be enough to convince Samantha that Sabrina was not a love interest. He kind of liked Samantha and did not want to be rude to her if it could be avoided, but who he associated with was none of her business. She had not asked him to be her boyfriend, so as far as Leonidas was concerned he still had freedom of choice.

"Oh, OK! I thought that she was your girlfriend or something!" Samantha said. Leonidas was still not sure what she was getting at, but he was going to let it go for now. Romance was not one of his priorities at the moment and if Samantha was dropping hints that she wanted him as her boyfriend he was missing them by a mile.

"Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Capital Crocus Mall with me." Samantha stated her reason for being here.

"Certainly." Leonidas answered. All he needed to do was get his wallet and he would be ready to go. He went to do just that while Samantha waited at the door.

-Capital Crocus Mall, forty-eight minutes later-

The duo entered Capital Crocus Mall and walked through the entrance hall to find themselves on the edge of the food court, but for once it was not incredibly busy. In fact there were only twenty-five people scattered in the lines, which meant that they could get something to eat if they wanted. Samantha turned her head right and looked up at Leonidas.

"Hey Leonidas, wanna get some pizza?" She asked him.

"Certainly." Leonidas replied. He was more than a little hungry and pizza was a definite step up from a sandwich. Together the pair walked towards the pizza place and waited in the short line of four people until it was their turn to order.

Once they got their orders they walked over to a small circular table in a cluster of six situated off to the right of the pizza place and sat down at it. Samantha had ordered two slices of cheese pizza and Leonidas had went for two slices of pepperoni. Both of them had ordered a large Cherry Charge soda to drink and Leonidas sort of liked it, if only because coffee and pizza would be an awful combination.

The mood was a good one because the area was not too noisy and not particularly crowded, which made it easier for him to focus on gauging Samantha's mood. He was not sure if they had went to the mall as friends or if she was going to ask him to be her boyfriend, so he was trying to figure out what was going on. Or at least he was before he caught a flash of pink and blue heading straight for him. Leonidas frowned and began to silently hope that Sabrina was not going to ruin this for him.

"Hey Big Guy!" A voice called out to him. The scar-faced mage's frown grew deeper as Samantha turned to face Sabrina. Sabrina was going to ruin this moment for him.

Why was this happening to him?

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Sabrina walked up to the table and pulled up a chair from a neighboring table, putting it down to Leonidas' left. Samantha watched with interest as the other blonde sat down beside Leonidas and leaned into him, grabbing his left arm. Leonidas could only find the energy to frown harder as Samantha looked at them.

"Hi there. What's your name?" Samantha asked Sabrina. It sounded like the former was getting a feel for how close Sabrina and Leonidas were.

"I'm Sabrina." Sabrina answered curtly before hugging Leonidas' left arm like she was claiming him. The scar-faced mage was growing more and more unhappy with each passing moment because he was sure that Samantha thought that Sabrina was his girlfriend and that he was leading his neighbor on for the fun of it. Leonidas silently cursed his luck that Sabrina had picked this time to show up.

"Leonidas told me earlier that you were his friend." Samantha said in a calm voice that was way too calm to be normal.

"That's right, he is. He's my friend." Sabrina replied curtly. Leonidas did not like the direction this conversation was taking. It sounded less like a friendly meeting and more like an interrogation. If Samantha was going to act like this every time another young woman approached Leonidas maybe he would be better off staying single.

"So if you're just a friend of his, why are you clinging to him like that?" Samantha asked pointedly.

"Because I don't see a sign on him that says that you own him. He can be friends with more than one person!" Sabrina answered bluntly.

"Sabrina, please..." Leonidas finally spoke up, trying to defuse the tension before it got any worse. He was trying to be nice about it, but if things got any worse he might have to put his foot down.

"It's time for me to go. It's been great, Leonidas." Samantha said to Leonidas, ignoring Sabrina entirely. His neighbor pushed the chair out, stood up, and walked away, leaving the rest of the meal sitting at the table. Leonidas watched her walk away while feeling more than a little angry at the interloper on his left arm.

"That lady doesn't own you, Big Guy. I don't know why she thought that-" Sabrina started before Leonidas cut her off.

"Not now, Sabrina. Not now." Leonidas said curtly. He was not in the mood to hear anything she had to say, not after she had cost him a chance to spend time with Samantha. He just wanted to go home and be alone for awhile.

He silently pushed his chair out and felt Sabrina release his arm. He did not say a word as he got up, took his pizza and drink, and carried it with him, leaving the other blonde behind. While it might look incredibly rude for Leonidas to walk away from Sabrina, he was doing his best to remain calm because his mind was in a very bad place right now.

-Leonidas' Apartment, two hours and thirty-five minutes later-

Leonidas was back at his apartment and feeling more than a little angry at Sabrina. She had invited herself to a meeting between him and Samantha and he did not appreciate that. While he still would have been angry he could have lived with it if the conversation between Sabrina and Samantha had been civil, but Sabrina's clingy behavior and rude demeanor had caused Samantha to walk away. Now Leonidas was alone with his thoughts, but that gave him less solace than he thought it would.

All he had wanted was to spend some time with an attractive young woman who seemed to like him.

Was it too much to ask?

Maybe it was too much to ask. Leonidas raided his refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water to drink before shutting the appliance door and walking back to his couch to stare at the blank television screen. He twisted off the cap on the bottle and took a sip while wondering where things would have went between him and Samantha had Sabrina not decided to interrupt their meeting. He did not think that he and Samantha would have become a couple, but now he would never know for certain. As he continued to stare at the blank television screen he had only one question on his mind.

Why did Sabrina have to show up when she did?

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[Total Word Count: 6,204/7,000]

-Leonidas' Apartment, 12:05 A.M.-

It was a few minutes past midnight and Leonidas was still not happy about what had happened to him at Capital Crocus Mall. He was lying on his couch and mentally replaying the conversation with Samantha Halsey all over again. All he had wanted to do was talk to her and get to know her better, but his new "friend" Sabrina had decided to appear and ruin everything. Samantha seemed to take exception to Sabrina's presence and the blonde mage seemed to think that Samantha was controlling Leonidas because the two clashed in a verbal sparring match that resulted in Leonidas' neighbor leaving the mall food court.

Maybe the pink-and-blue wearing blonde had done him a favor by showing a side to Samantha that would have been much worse had he actually committed to being her boyfriend. Maybe the argument would not have happened if Sabrina had not been so tactless... or if Leonidas had been bold enough to put his foot down early in the discussion. Maybe he could have saved the conversation had he acted at all rather than sitting there letting the two young women argue.

Leonidas was not sure, but it did not matter anymore because everything was already said and done. He had probably lost any chance of meaningfully connecting with his neighbor thanks to Sabrina's interference. The scar-faced mage frowned as he looked at his ceiling and wondered what could have happened had things gone just a little bit differently.

He was about to try to go to sleep when he heard a set of three short knocks on the door. He rolled over to face the blank television screen and ignored the knocking until the set of three knocks repeated. Leonidas closed his mouth and exhaled through his nose, then forced himself to get up to answer the door. He wondered who would be here this late at night.

Leonidas walked over to the door and opened it to find Sabrina standing on the other side. The scar-faced mage frowned. His blood pressure went up a bit and he had to focus on staying calm.

"Hey Big Guy!" Sabrina cheerfully greeted him like nothing had happened hours ago.

"Sabrina." Leonidas tersely greeted the young woman in a tone of voice that made it plain he was not thrilled to see her.

"It sounds like you're still sore about what happened earlier." Sabrina noted.

"I wonder what gave you that clue." Leonidas dryly remarked. Sabrina put her hands on her hips and frowned at him.

"Look, Big Guy. You heard how she grilled you about our relationship. You don't need someone who's gonna see every other woman you know as an enemy." Sabrina said to him. Leonidas was not sure if she was aware how hypocritical her remark was. Earlier she had seen Samantha as an enemy and now the blonde was lecturing him on Samantha's alleged shortcoming. If he was not so busy trying to control his temper he would have laughed at what Sabrina had just told him.

"Maybe Samantha just thought that I was going to use her as a girlfriend on the side." Leonidas attempted to defend his neighbor. Sabrina was not having that line of thought.

"If that's the case, she could have said that better than she did!" The blue-and-pink wearing blonde asserted. Leonidas took a quiet breath before speaking.

"Perhaps." Leonidas conceded that point. While he was not happy about how things had went, he had to concede that Samantha could have expressed herself better than she had. He could not help but to note that the earlier conversation between Samantha and Sabrina had sounded more like an interrogation that a conversation.

"Look, Big Guy. I'm not saying you have to cut contact with her. I'm just saying that you might want to think it through before becoming her boyfriend." Sabrina suggested in a calm tone of voice. Leonidas was not going to take relationship advice from some random blonde he had known for less than a week. Besides, Sabrina had been the one to cause the discord to begin with.

"I might." Leonidas answered tersely. He would decide for himself what he would do about his relationship with Samantha. However, that could wait until later.

"All right then, Big Guy. I can tell that we're at an impasse, so I won't overstay my welcome and I won't drag things out any longer. Just look before you leap." Sabrina said to Leonidas. The scar-faced mage did not respond to her words.

"See you later, Big Guy." Sabrina bade him goodbye before turning and walking away. Leonidas shut the door and walked back over to his couch, where he sat down and stared at the blank television. He had so much to think about that he was not going to get any sleep tonight.

[Post Word Count: 810]
[Total Word Count: 7,014/7,000]

-10:35 A.M., Capital Crocus-

Dressed in his usual outfit of olive green jacket over white t-shirt and olive green cargo pants with boots, Leonidas walked through the city on the way to Capital Coffee to buy an espresso or two and try to take his mind off of yesterday. He had spent most of last night and this morning going over what had happened and he was still going over it even as he walked to his destination. He was also not sure whether he should bother trying to approach Samantha and explain what was going on with Sabrina or if he should just respect her boundaries and let her go. He was leaning towards the latter because he did not want to seem like a creep who could not take a hint.

Maybe there had been no real chemistry between them.

Maybe he had just been infatuated with Samantha because she was an attractive blonde.

Leonidas looked ahead as he walked and saw Morgan walking towards him. The short-haired brunette was wearing a pink tube top and blue jeans with white tennis shoes. She took notice of the scar-faced mage and smiled at him before altering her course so that they would meet. Leonidas decided to let the meeting happen, if only to hear what Samantha's friend had to say.

"Hey Leonidas! It's been awhile!" Morgan greeted him. The scar-faced mage had been expecting her to give him an earful on Samantha's behalf or to otherwise make her disapproval of his behavior known, but right now she was friendly towards him. He wondered if she knew what had transpired between him and Samantha yesterday.

"Hi Morgan." Leonidas calmly greeted the brunette.

"Sam told me what happened at the mall yesterday. She told me about your friend Sabrina and how the verbal exchange went." Morgan continued. Leonidas was hoping that the brunette had not heard about what had happened, but now he knew that she had heard everything from Samantha herself. He was expecting Morgan to start verbally tearing into him for making her friend upset.

"On that note, she wants me to tell you that she's sorry for overreacting. However, she needs some time to sort things out." Morgan informed him that there might be a glimmer of hope that Samantha had not totally given up on him. He was not going to get his hopes up, though. Part of him had already resigned himself to losing Samantha as a platonic friend because of what Sabrina had said, so he was not going to bet the house on he and Samantha becoming a couple.

"All right then. I'll leave her alone until she's ready to establish contact again. I'm gonna let her be the one to decide when she wants to talk to me." Leonidas assured Morgan that he was going to give Samantha some space until the other blonde was ready to meet up. The scar-faced mage had no problem keeping his distance because he had plenty to do in the meantime. Chief among those things was finding another job to earn some money to be able to afford rent for a better apartment... or at least buy some new furniture for the one he was already living in.

"Thanks." Morgan replied with an economy of words. Leonidas was also willing to keep his distance because the more he thought about the exchange between Samantha and Sabrina the more he got the impression that Samantha was possessive of him. Her attitude towards Sabrina and word choice during the conversation had reinforced that impression, but he was not going to write off his neighbor just yet.

"Want to go to Capital Coffee together?" Morgan asked him out of the blue, her good cheer returning.

"Sure." Leonidas replied. The short-haired brunette was kind of cute and had a good personality, so he had no problem with going with her to get coffee together.

"We're going as platonic friends. Nothing else." Morgan laid down the law in no uncertain terms. Leonidas looked at her and noticed a slight blush, suggesting that she was not entirely without feelings for him. He looked away from her face and made eye contact.

"Are you ready to go?" Leonidas asked her. The brunette smiled.

"I'm ready!" She said with enthusiasm. Together the pair started out for Capital Coffee. Leonidas hoped that Sabrina would not ruin this moment for him like she had ruined the moment between him and Samantha.

[Post Word Count: 744]
[Total Word Count: 7,758/7,000]