Dragon Fist and the Silver Avenger
The door slams shut behind Matthew, though the sounds of the Chinese New Year celebration are barely diminished. A quick look around the apartment shows that it's been cleaned since he left for the office this morning -- and someone has been cooking. Matthew sniffs. Chicken, by the smell of it. Inadvertently his stomach rumbles -- breakfast had been a long twelve hours ago, and he'd been pitching his latest creation to software company's backers all afternoon. Grandfather's phoned request for Matthew to pick up groceries and the insane pedestrian traffic in Chinatown had added the extra time onto his normally short trip home. At least Grandfather had taken care of dinner.
As Matthew rounds the corner into the kitchen, the sound of a woman's hearty laughter takes him by surprise. In the kitchen, his grandfather stands before a wok, and a tiny, attractive black-haired woman is perched on the counter. "Ah, here is my handsome grandson. I knew he would not let us down." Matthew's grandfather says as Matthew sets the groceries on the kitchen table. The woman turns to Matthew, who finds he's looking into the large brown eyes of the Silver Avenger of San Francisco.
Matthew is usually the soul of serenity, and very little can shake him from this. The solid mental discipline of his martial art gave him the ability to take almost anything in stride. The mysterious and painful effects of Odyssey's teleportation was the only thing within recent years that came close to truly shaking him.
Today it happened again.
OK, Matthew, get a hold of yourself. You're in your secret ID, at home, and Avenger Chow is sitting in the kitchen. It's not THAT big of a deal. Remember the still pool of water, like the sifu taught you. Be calm. Calm, yeah right.
A long appreciative whistle sounds within his mind. Matthew could almost feel the appraising look of the Dragon staring through his eyes. The creature was also laughing at him!
Stop that! Not you too?! You're the last thing I need popping into my head right now. Besides, it's not nice to leer, so go away for a bit, please?
The presence, much to Matthew's relief, departs to whatever realm in which it normally resides. Matthew turns his attention back to the situation in his kitchen.
"Ms. Chow, I would like to introduce you to my grandson, Matthew," the old man smiles. The Silver Avenger hops down from the counter, and holds out her right hand. She's dressed like a college student, wearing jeans and a flannel shirt and hiking boots. Hanging from the coat rack is a North Face jacket.
Looking just slightly stunned, Matthew takes her hand. "It is an honor to meet you Ms. Chow."
"Please, call me Maria," she says, shaking his hand firmly. "Your grandfather has been telling me all about you. Is it true you were on the team that did 'Descent 2?' It's the Golden Avenger's favorite computer game, and I daresay he's got me hooked on it."
"Um. It's a great game, isn't it?" Matthew smiles, feeling a bit more at ease with the familiar subject. "Actually, the team deserves most of the credit. We had some good people on that project."
After Matthew introduces himself to the Silver Avenger, his grandfather says, "I was very lucky today -- Ms. Chow saved me from certain death. I was nearly trampled by some of the dancers in the street this afternoon, but she pulled me out of the way in time." From behind the figure of Maria Chow, Matthew's grandfather looks none too shaken -- more like proud of himself, Matthew notes.
"Your grandfather was kind enough to invite me for dinner. I must say, I'm starving," she completes, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Matthew smiles even wider. 'When the most unsettled, it is best to appear even more relaxed. It calms the spirit and keeps one's enemies off balance.' The sifu's words return to Matthew, and like with most things, he throws himself completely into the effort.
"Well, then you're in for a treat, Maria. I'm a decent cook myself, but Grandfather adds something special to the food. He won't tell me how he does it, but he makes the best in Chinatown."
Matthew began unloading the groceries while thinking furiously. Whatever happened, he and Grandfather were going to have a LONG talk afterwards.
"Ms. Chow --" the old man begins.
"Please," the Silver Avenger interrupts, "Call me Maria."
Grandfather bows slightly, and his smile widens somewhat. "Maria was just telling me about her first fencing competition, when she was eight. It reminded me of your first competition -- when you tripped on your gi and fell on your face. He did win, though," Grandfather finishes.
Matthew shoots a quick glare at the older man. Great, he thinks, next he'll be bringing out those embarrassing pictures of me as a baby. Well, at least he won't be mentioning the time the Dragon ate the neighbor's dog. Matthew inwardly shuddered. That was SO embarrassing, not to mention difficult to explain.
Let's see... about all we need now is a band of ninja, or some tongs to come crashing through the window to make the day complete. Ah, I shouldn't be so sarcastic. If I've got an Avenger in my kitchen, then I have an Avenger in my kitchen and such is God's will. Have fun with it, Matthew.
Maria gives Matthew a sympathetic look. "If it makes you feel any better, I stabbed myself so badly it required stitches -- and I didn't win."
Matthew winces in sympathy. "All I got was a bloody nose." Of course, that was before I'd come into the fullness of my abilities, otherwise I'd have been unharmed.
"Dinner is ready," Grandfather announces.
"I am just famished," Maria announces, picking up her chopsticks. "It certainly smells wonderful. So," she says between bites. "I've been told that you're quite the master at hand to hand combat. Perhaps we could go head to head sometime," her eyes twinkle.
Matthew gives her a long appraising look. He nods. "That would be an interesting fight. I've never sparred a Silver Avenger before." Of course to compete against a paranormal, I'd have to perform at a paranormal level. Probably not a good idea, though I _am_ curious. The grin lights up his face like lightning on a summer evening. "Actually, I was going to head down to work out at my school after dinner. It would be an honor if you would come with me. I know the students and our sifu would be honored by your presence, and who knows..." His grin shows he isn't serious. "...maybe we'll get that spar."
"You're in luck, Matthew," Grandfather says. "Lessons for this evening have been cancelled -- the New Year celebration, remember?" He shakes his head sadly at Maria, who raises her eyebrows and smiles at Matthew as Grandfather continues, "He just is so unfamiliar with the old ways. I have done my poor best with him," he sighs.
"Oh, I'm sure it's just been a long day for Matthew," Maria covers. "I can barely remember how to spell my own name after a few hours of PRIMUS meetings. I'm almost dreading the Avenger Games next month -- I'm signed up to take a class on 'Getting the most out of your Cyberline physiology.'" She shudders. "It's going to be four hours of telling me to eat more fruits and vegetables, and to get eight hours of sleep. Like I have time for eight hours of sleep with the forms we use at PRIMUS!" She smiles. "Sorry -- sore subject."
"I can sympathize," replies Matthew, "You ought to see the software specification documents we have to produce for government contracts. They're hideous."
Only one thing will satisfy Grandfather, he thought, well, I guess I'll make him happy. Besides, It'll be fun, and that's important as work.
"Well," he continues, "I guess I could use some relaxation time, and also make up for this appalling lack of culture I seem to have." He turns to Maria. "Would you like to join me? A Chinese New Year celebration is guaranteed relief for work-induced stress."
"Don't make it sound like so much fun," she jokes. She seems a lot more relaxed -- and low key -- here than she has whenever Matthew had previously met her -- almost as if the "devil may care" attitude itself were a façade.
As Matthew hands Maria her coat -- it's her black Silver Avenger coat -- and they head out the door, she says, "You know, you're really lucky to have a grandfather who cares about you so much. He talked about you non-stop since" she glances at her watch "3 this afternoon. You don't have to entertain me, though, just to make him happy. I'm sure you have better things to do than try to raise the morale of one civil servant," she says. From the corner of his eye, Matthew notices movement. His grandfather is mocking pulling his hair out, shaking his head, and frantically gesturing him forward. "Go, go!" he mouths.
Matthew ignores the antics of his grandfather for the moment, and tries to figure out how to respond. Boy, you're butchering this badly, Matthew. Get yourself together, man.
"I've got to admit, not much throws me for a loop, but finding a Silver Avenger in my kitchen just about did it. It doesn't happen often, so I guess I don't handle it well."
He looks Maria straight in the eyes as he continues, "Actually, Maria, there is nothing I would enjoy more right now. Not because it would make my grandfather happy, not because you're an Avenger in need of a morale boost, but simply because I want to. Let's put aside everything else, if only for a few hours, and simply enjoy ourselves."
The Silver Avenger raises an eyebrow. "I think I'd like that as well," she says, smiling (almost) shyly. "How about we go for a walk, through the streets?" She takes Matthew's arm. "I'm warning you, though -- don't be surprised if some icky monster, freaky villain or sneaky grandfather tosses himself in our path. I seem to attract that kind of attention," she smiles.