User:Fire InThe Hole/The Incredubious Industrial

''They sat there on the bench, Lyka's legs hanging over his. " Honey? " She put her head on Delinius' shoulder. " Yes, dear? "''

''" Remember when you first met me? " He grinned. " How could I ever forget? " Lyka put a hand on his chest. " You walked us around the place... and you were talking like you already knew we were going to make it our home. " He softly shook his head. " Trust me, I had little idea of what I was doing... "''

''" But I did. And I fell in love, really. Did you know? Right then? " He turned his head sideways and kissed her. " Knowing, no... I thought so at the time, but I was far from certain. " He sighed. " And look now... " She nodded. "We're rich, huh?" Delinius laughed. " We are disgustingly rich. Silly, isn't it? "''

''" You're silly. I love that. " She kissed him. " And that's why I love you, Lyka. "''

Introduction - Press conference
" Mr Langton, rumor has it that you are now one of the richest individuals of this continent. How much exactly do you possess? " Delinius only smiled. " I'd have to ask my bank, and quite frankly, I do not believe in the relevance of such showcasing. Let us keep it at this: for someone of my position, history, and origin, you may consider me disgustingly rich. I have no noteworthy additions to this. A very good day. " They wanted more answers, of course, but Delinius calmly walked out of the circle of reporters, some of which kept walking alongside him. " But sir, what about your mansion? What were the build costs? " Though he appeared calm, Delinius tugged the microphone out of the man's hand with a swift movement. " I warn you. When I say I have nothing noteworthy to add, it means that you are to cease your inquiries for that time being. If you choose to proceed, I cannot guarantee the wellfare of your equipment. " He then dropped the microphone on the floor and walked on, shaking his head.

Jack turned off the television and picked up the newspaper article that had suddenly made him into a popular figure, with a promotion on top of that. Delinius was in fact his distant relative, almost like a piece of living family heritage and history. He'd been the cause of the unpopularity of the name at first, but he was equally responsible to bringing it back to the respect it deserved. " Jack, hun, d'ya know what the weather's gon be? " He sighed angrily. " Why don't you check that yourself while I'm off to a meeting. " She yelled something at him that he couldn't hear properly. He put on his coat. " I'll be home for dinner, Marian! " He wasn't sure if that would be true. They dined late anyhow, so he could maybe make it to this Delinius and back before then. He closed the door and got into his car. As he was now a corporate manager, his company had supplied him with a slightly 'better' car, though it wasn't exactly a luxurious business car either. Still, he knew his colleagues were pretty jealous of it.

He drove for hours before he finally reached the desert, all the way from around Steckenberg. He lived about an hour's driving away from it, but that didn't help much to change the length he had to drive. The desert roads were fairly empty, with only a few cars and rusted pickups on the way. The sun was setting already - his promise was impossible to keep already. At last, the famous structure he desperately sought emerged on the horizon, lit by the last few rays of sun that made it past the surface. It loomed over him like a benevolent giant when he drove through the gate. This was an arid area, but the garden certainly didn't show it that much. He parked and walked up to two large doors, decorated with polished metal - not gold, but certainly something expensive. He rang the doorbell and glanced around nervously. What if Delinius didn't appreciate his visit at all? Or doubted that he was really a relative?

A calm-looking woman opened the door and faced him with some confusion. " Hmm. Can I ask you why you're standing here? " He answered, trying not to hesitate too much. " I'd like to see your husband, please. He's a far relative, you see. " She laughed. " Oh, we're not married, sir. Silly thing. Delinius isn't here right now, though. He'll be in around six or seven, probably. Might be earlier if he's impatient enough. We've been trying to find a storage space for some thing that got left behind, but that's much harder than we thought at first. Come in, though. " She guided Jack through the mansion, though it was better described as a palace with all the decorations and ancient things he was sure were part of his family history in some way. They eventually stopped in an open room. It could be a dining room, or meant for parties and such. " Don't worry, we don't usually use half of this house for anything. Or mansion as Delinius calls it sometimes. Wait, I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? My name's Lyka. " Her handshake was firm for a woman's. " Jack. Or Jacues, if we have to stick to my full name, I guess. " Lyka pulled on a cord, and a curious creature appeared shortly after this.

This had to be what they called a pet. It was surprisingly humanoid, and Jack initially mistook it for some kind of alien at first, one that had a mostly black and white skin. " Sherman, would you offer this man a drink? He's waiting for Delinius to get home. " The pet nodded, apparently understanding what she said. It then actually talked back." Of course! What would you like, sir? " He presented Jack a sheet with a list of available drinks, as if he was the waiter of a restaurant presenting the menu to a customer. " Uh... I'll go for some coffee. " Sherman nodded. " Right away! Some tea for the lady, too, I suppose. " He seemed very in is element, as if this was something he'd studied on for a while. " So why exactly did you want a talk with him? " Lyka had a very inquiring tone, making him uncomfortable. " J- just wondering if he can tell me something about our family's history, and something about himself. "

" Oh, I see. Well, I can't say much about that. Best way to know Delinius is meeting him, so you did that alright. By the way, would you stay for dinner? We've moved here to be away from the press, but we don't get many guests because of that. " Jack shook his head. " My wife's expecting me for dinner, really. " Lyka didn't understand this. " She can come for dinner too! We could pick her up, if you'd like. "