Chương 9: Lovely Minx

Another week had passed since Mason had canceled most of his classes and started going only to Tai Chi and MMA, and he did not regret his decision. He had first thought about keeping all of his fighting classes, but he ended up only keeping MMA because he started seeing some redundancy, as MMA was the acronym for Mixed Martial Arts. Following these classes would not make him an expert in any one martial art, but it would make him good enough in several.

It also gave him more time, and thus more sessions, for his Tai Chi. However, today's matters had scant to do with his martial arts. A little over a month ago, he had received a call from an old schoolmate, a girl he knew from High School, who asked him for help. Today was the day. Minx's tattoo salon was located in Hell's Kitchen, which was not exactly the safest place to settle in, but her family was not filthy rich, and this was mostly an independent operation, so she settled where she could.

Her salon was still mostly bare, being a few days from opening still, although there already were a few pictures of tattoos hung on the walls. Minx had been running a semi-clandestine tattoo parlor in High School, and became the source of quite a few headaches among parents. The small pictures, probably taken with a Polaroid, gave the little salon a kind of homely, quaint vibe. As for the owner herself, she was currently hunched over a client, carefully inking her arm.

Minx was on the shorter side, and despite the hot summer, she was dressed in a black dress. Black was her color, as she also had black lipstick and a black wolf-cut. Looking at her carefully working, Mason felt a pang of something within him. An old echo of who this body used to be. He knew her, and the complicated history she shared with Old Mason. They had once been childhood friends, back when Old Mason was not as desolate and asocial as he had grown to be in the last few years.

But even then, the two had continued to fit for a while, both being some sort of social pariahs, or at least, that was how Old Mason saw them. But then, things became complicated as they entered Middle School, and Old Mason fell in love. Their relationship held on for a while, Minx's whole goth persona not making her very popular either, but while she fully owned it and accepted it, Old Mason got bitter. Having seen the whole thing play out, Mason had to admit Minx was remarkably kind.

Even as Old Mason shut himself in and expected Minx to do the same, to slowly wither away with him, she kept him company through the years. But expecting her to wither away for eternity was just cruel, and thankfully, she did not put a stop to her life for him, chasing her own dreams instead as she made her own friends, causing the two of them to drift apart.

It was not like they had completely stopped talking to one another, but Old Mason's bitterness kept him from rekindling their friendship, or developing it into something more. Of course, it did not help that Old Mason never found his faults, and blamed Minx for what happened to them. And even then, Old Mason had the tendency of dramatizing their relationship, believing he was on Minx's mind all day.

Then, as more years passed, and she grew more beautiful with the years, Old Mason only spiraled down his self-destructing lifestyle. Every boyfriend she had felt like a personal attack, a stake to the heart, and so he started avoiding her altogether, all the while blaming her for the distance forming between them.

Minx herself had no idea of any of this, as it mostly happened inside Old Mason's head, who read signs that weren't there, who thought that whenever they were in the same room and she laughed, it had to be directed at him. She was the center of his world, so it was expected he was hers, right? In the end, this was yet another aspect in which Mason found Old Mason to be pathetic, and why a part of him despised him.

Of course, that did not stop him from loving him as a brother; he had felt everything the boy had felt for his entire life, and while he was certainly a sad existence, Old Mason simply could not help it. It was how he was, and while Mason had often felt like screaming at Old Mason, the past was immutable; Old Mason was in a better place, and Mason was given the chance to right some wrongs. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Since she was so focused on her work, Mason stopped at the door, glancing at her, then the client, whom he recognized too. She was also a student at their high school, and a friend of Minx. She said nothing as their eyes locked, but Mason saw the confusion in her gaze as she studied him, likely finding some familiarity, yet struggling to find where she had seen him. It took her a full minute before she was enlightened, her eyes widening in silence.

Minx, still unaware of his presence, clamped down on her arm, grumbling, "Stay still." The girl, Jessica, looked at Mason in a new light, having recognized him, but said nothing, keeping the surprise. It took Minx a couple more minutes before she finished. As she leaned back, Mason noticed that she had been working on a purple butterfly. She looked proud of her work as Jessica exclaimed, "It looks fantastic!" Minx nodded and slowly turned, only to flinch as she found Mason just standing there.

Her eyes rose up to his face in alarm, but unlike Jessica, it only took her an instant to recognize him, as the wariness in those black eyes of hers was replaced by astonishment, "Mason?!" Leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed, Mason grinned, "It's been a while, Minx." Internally, he could not help but feel surprised she had recognized him, considering the changes he had gone through recently.

Minx abruptly got off her stool and stopped in front of him, looking up at him as her head only reached his chest. She grabbed his arm, rubbing the muscles as if they were her own as she muttered, "They're not fake…" The amazement instantly turned into anger as she pointed her finger at him, stabbing his chest with it several times as she said, "Did you take steroids, you piece of shit?!" Mason grinned at that, grabbing her by the wrist to stop her as he shook his head, "I didn't.

You think my mother, out of all people, wouldn't have hung me by my guts if I had?" Minx narrowed her eyes at him, agreeing with him, yet still finding his transformation hard to believe. And how could she not? Mason's training, alongside the influence of his soul, had resulted in immense changes to his physique. He had not just grown almost as tall as his father; his limbs were also twice the size they used to be.

Considering the miserable base he used to have, even the Mason of today could only be considered fit, but the difference was still stark. He had gone from what was essentially a dried-up corpse to an athletic physique in very little time. His facial features had also experienced some changes, though not as drastic as the rest. Mason believed this was because he and Old Mason shared a connection, and perhaps were the same person, only in different universes.

They not only shared the same name, but they also somewhat looked alike. The main difference was in how they had taken care of themselves, as Mason had spent his old life carefully cultivating his appearance, while Old Mason let himself rot away. Still, even though they looked similar, they were not identical, resulting in changed facial features. The changes were not big enough to cause any suspicion, but it was reasonable for people to struggle to recognize him.

Placing his hand on her shoulder, Mason pushed her back a little and said, "So, you needed help?" Minx smiled, nodding towards the back, "In there. Give me a moment." She hugged Jessica goodbye while Mason got into the back room. There were a few boxes there, so he supposed she needed help unloading them. Still, he waited for her before doing anything. She joined him a moment later, prompting him to ask, "Will it just be the two of us?"

Minx scoffed, opening one of the boxes as she replied with a huff, "I asked others, but they were all busy. Or they said they were, at least." She sent him a grateful look, adding, "Thank you, by the way. For coming." Mason grinned, following her gesture, "You figured you'd ask your one friend you were sure had nothing better to do?" Minx cocked an eyebrow, teasing, or testing, back, "I figured I'd ask the one friend who's stopped speaking to me."

Mason's grin receded into a smile, and he shrugged as he genuinely apologized, "Yeah, I haven't been the best friend lately. Sorry for that, Minx." Minx looked taken aback by the apology, her features softening as she breathed, "It already takes a lot to admit that. Thank you." Even Mason felt surprised by this point as he realized something he had missed. Minx might not have shown it, but she had been hurt by Old Mason's behavior, avoiding her.

He may not have said anything to her face, but being avoided by a childhood friend probably was not pleasant either. Rubbing the back of his head, Mason continued, "You weren't the problem, by the way. Never was. Actually, you have been a rock for me. For many years. And… it scared me."" I scared you?" Mason chuckled, "Yeah, I don't want to be sacrificed to the devil." Minx laughed along, hitting him lightly on the arm as she exclaimed, "Will you never let it go? We were six!"

"Never." The two continued smiling, and as they took out what Mason figured was a chair and he started assembling it, Minx admitted, "Listen, I don't know what happened, but you look better. Much better. And I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, Minx. It means a lot coming from you." Minx smiled back, and watching him work, she suddenly proposed, "Say, would you like to become my first official customer? I'm opening on Thursday." Mason smiled at the offer, but shook his head.

"If I were to ever get one, I'd come to you, but I'm just not interested in getting a tattoo at the moment. Besides, I'm busy on Thursday."

"Really? Does it have anything to do with your recent changes?"

"No, actually. There is Tony Stark's Senate Hearing. I'll be there to support my parents."