Starry Days & Sunlit Nights: Volume 2 - Haze of Shadows

Chapter 2.9 - Behind Our Masks

On his way to get a drink for himself and his date, Jay felt someone knock into his shoulder forcefully and purposefully.

Glancing back, he noticed that it had been Miguel, that playboy whom he had pacified with blackmail, dressed as some sort of vampire covered in glitter. Jay could easily understand why he had chosen to pose as that particular character of all things, but the look didn't really suit him--he wasn't pale enough for starters.

The playboy looked back at his new enemy, glaring sharply. Jay, despite the feeling being mutual, decided to irritate him by playfully showing how unintimidated he was.

The Modern Van Helsing smirked and tipped his hat. Whipping out his paintball pistol, empty of its ammunition, he pointed it at the sparly vampire's head while holding it sideways.

"Bang."

Miguel simply rolled his eyes and shook his head before stalking off into the crowd, probably to try and improve his mood by scoring some ladies tonight, despite most of the school's females being present all at once. Good riddance either way.

The Modern Van Helsing put away his pistol stopped at the now-half-drained punch bowl at the end of the buffet table. Dipping a ladle into the bowl, he filled up a pair of cups.

Now that he thought about it, the realistic non-lethal weapon holstered under his coat was more than just a prop for tonight. He had been saving up for one of those next generation gaming consoles, but ended up buying the whole package for paintball warfare instead. And why was that?

If there was one thing he had learned from his father, a private investigator who frequently consulted police cases, it was that anything can become a dangerous weapon in the hands of someone resourceful and creative. Not that he really considered himself either, but he never knew when it might come in handy. With the path he and Yumi had taken, he probably wouldn't have much time to play games anyway. He only hoped it was worth it in the future.

Who was he kidding? The pistol was nothing like the real thing he had used against Greyford, but holding onto an officer's sidearm was generally a bad idea. He wasn't really good with anything else, so he figured this might be the next best thing. At the very least it could blind or distract people—people who could throw fireballs or freeze things, or control minds.

Yeah, a paintball gun was definitely going to be useful somehow.

He glared at his reflection in the punch. Why was he even involved in these kinds of fights to begin with? Why not just go to the police about it?

Because the truth about Magi and Witches of Day and Night becoming public knowledge would be bad for Yumi. They probably wouldn't believe him anyway. As it seemed right now, he and Kylie were probably the only mundane who understood the magic hiding in their world.

The boy shook his head. Whether or not he was biting more than he could chew by choosing to be involved with the supernatural, he could not ignore its presence in the world. He was still burdened with the guilt of failing Rebecca and dooming her; fighting a secret fight would at least be a little bit of atonement it meant protecting people who were unaware of hidden dangers.

He was about ready to return to Yumi with the beverages in hand when something, or rather, someone drew his eye.

A small, pale girl in a snow white kimono with short dark hair and sky blue eyes.