Helena was left breathless, gazing at this new world. Had… she just traveled back in time?! She turned back to Xavier, feeling him move his hand from her head to her shoulder.
“No, before you ask, we haven’t traveled back in time. This is a memory of mine. This was a real naval battle that I got to see.” The smile slipped free before she could stop it, but it was wide and beautiful. She was about to cover her mouth, but he stopped her. “Don’t. I’ve already seen it, that’s two. Tell you what, until the memory ends, the deal is suspended. Want to get a closer look?”
She turned to him, unable to reel in the smile and feeling embarrassed that she was showing him a look of anything other than disgust. There was no point in playing tough. She rushed down the stairs she had just climbed, the stone steps still pristine and sharp in this look back at history. She came to the edge of the arena, jumping up and down and laughing as she watched the warriors battle. A part of her was telling her that she was wrong to enjoy this, that she was actually watching people die in a place where, as she had said, Christians had been executed. But the rest of her knew that these guys had died almost two thousand years ago, and besides, with all the fights she had gotten into in her life, she would be a hypocrite to turn her nose up to this.
Xavier stood beside her, watching the combat unfold. “This is a reenactment of the battle between the Corcyrean Greeks and the Corinthians. Amazing, isn’t it?”
For over an hour, the battle waged, with swords and spears striking shields and armor. More and more gladiators were sent out onto the ships, as if the ships themselves represented every vessel from the actual event and the directors wanted to show just how many people fought in it. Blood and bodies spilled out into the flooded arena, turning it into a marsh of gore. Xavier eventually ended the memory, leaving Helena much less tense than she had been before. She almost had a heart attack when she realized she had to go back to hide her smile. Xavier had already caught her twice; she couldn’t let it happen any more times!
“Come on, there is still so much more to show you.”
The two students rode through Rome on back of the Vespa, continuing their date. After getting pulled on the first time, Helena made sure to stay out of Xavier’s reach and ride behind him. She tried to make as little contact as possible and lean away from him, but even while knowing that his powers would keep them safe, she immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and held on for dear life, especially on the turns. As well as the tourist attractions, he brought her to places that had nothing to do with Rome or her history, but were interesting nonetheless. They were little pockets of amazement that Helena had never known existed, but he showed her to and made her laugh and smile against her will. At many historical landmarks, he would show her more of his memories, letting her see Rome the way the city had been in its prime.
The longer the date progressed, the harder and harder it became to keep from smiling, laughing, and dare she say even enjoying herself. Every grin slipped free easier than the last, and was all the brighter.
The Roman Forum was bustling with life, with citizens in togas and tunics buying and selling merchandise from across the empire with coins bearing the face of Caesar. Helena moved through the mental projection, amazed by everything from the smell of fresh fruits to the calls of wild animals. The air itself was rich with culture, with Helena wishing she really could travel back in time and insert herself into this web of life. She jumped when she felt Xavier put his arm around her.
“Look at that handsome bastard go.”
He was pointing at someone through the crowd, and Helena’s eyes widened realized it was his past self. Dressed in the clothes of the citizens, the young Xavier was gambling in the street and winning gold from his opponents with every roll of the dice. He looked exactly as he did now, but he spoke in Latin when he bragged and told the losers to pay up.
Sitting on the back of the scooter, Helena was struggling to work up her courage. Goddammit, this was humiliating. She tugged on his sleeve. Xavier pulled over and turned to her. She shied away, unable to believe she was about to ask something from him. The look on her face was the one she had worn all day when he placed that vibrating hex on her panties.
“Can… can we go to St. Peter’s Basilica? It’s just over there.”
She expected him to laugh or ridicule her in some way, but instead he simply nodded. “Of course.”
They drove over to the Vatican, parking in the tourist garage, and made their way inside. The cavernous cathedral left her breathless, the beauty of the walls, floor, and ceiling filling her with warmth. She didn’t even bother to hide her smile, feeling like she was going to start crying in joy.
Xavier placed his hand on her shoulder. “Is this your first time coming here?”
“No, Rosewood University has yearly fieldtrips here for every class. This is just my favorite place in the world. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I would end up here as a member of the Swiss Guard. When I’m here, I truly feel…”
She trailed off.
“You were going to say “I truly feel God’s love” or something like that, weren’t you?”
She swatted his hand off his shoulder. “Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be here. You should have burst into flames the moment you stepped inside.”
Xavier looked around, watching the other tourists pass by. “You know, when I take over the world, I think I’ll make this place my office. I’ll set up a desk under the main altar and play World of Warcraft. You could be MY Swiss Guard.” Helena just sighed in annoyance and Xavier gave another look around. “Sometimes when I’m bored, I’ll send a threatening letter to the Pope. And I get bored A LOT.” Making sure no one could see, he drew forth a piece of paper from nonexistence. “This was my most recent. Take a look.”
Knowing that he would keep bothering her until she read it, she gave another sigh and started reading.
‘Dear Chief Replacement,
I wanted to send you this friendly little letter to remind you of your imminent demise. If you’re curious as to the frequency in which I’ve sent these letters, it is merely to instill as much fear as I can. As if basting a turkey. Which I will then proceed to have sex with.
That’s right.
I’m going to FUCK the fear turkey.
Follow me @themanofsin!’
Helena was not proud of how hard she laughed and the scene she caused.
“It’s this way, they sell some really cool stuff here.”
Xavier was leading Helena through the back roads, wanting to show her an obscure shop hidden amongst the buildings. Wandering the crooked streets, he stopped when her footfalls became silent. She was looking down a narrow alley at four men, ganging up on a woman. At least one of them had a knife and she was removing all of her jewelry. Helena was shivering in uncertainty, her hands balled tightly into fists. Wretched sinners, she wanted to bash their skulls in, but Xavier would probably stop her. Hell, he’d probably join the men and they’d gang rape her.