42_souls table 3 theme #37) "A Little Less Bark, A Little More Bite."

Oceania. She was being put in charge of the Oceania mission. To understand the whole "far away from Nevada, and therefore far away from Stein and his progress" issue, Azusa planted a globe in front of a seated Marie and spun it before planting her finger in the center of the Oceania region.

"Around... Australia?"

"And thereabouts," Azusa nodded, pushing up her glasses. "Heat. Sun. It's incredibly similar to Nevada."

Marie clenched her folded hands together."... I see."

Azusa almost sighed. She was never one for comforting others, and she certainly wasn't about to start now.

"You'll be back eventually, Marie. Consider it an honor that Shinigami-sama is sending you overseas on such an important duty. It's because you are incredibly skilled at what you do."

Yumi left Marie's room to put away the globe, leaving the blond staring out her window with long-gone eyes.

"I'm being sent to the other side of the world. I wonder if he'll see me off..."

Marie left for New Zealand with only Azusa to watch her depart. When she stepped off the plane alone, Marie was greeted by Shinigami-sama's contact, whose name she found mind-numbing to remember. Not because it was difficult... more likely because she didn't quite care.

The contact, a man of large build with a tawny beard and a welcoming smile, had a large cardboard sign held high above his head with huge letters spelling MARIE MYOLNIR in thick black ink. Marie didn't wince; people spelling her surname incorrectly happened commonly in the states, so why wouldn't they do so across the entire expanse of the Earth? She was used to it. She wouldn't even correct him this time around.

Marie swam through the sea of people and made it to her new companion, who wore a high white collar and khaki shorts in a very comfortable (had she mentioned large?) fashion. He looked down at her seriously.

"Are you Marie?"

She nodded and smiled politely. "Marie Mjolnir. That's me."

His huge hand appeared from inside the pockets of his khakis and he held it out to her. "I'll be your partner. Has Shinigami-sama told you about me? My name, at least?" He chuckled at his little joke. Marie continued to smile and took his hand to shake it.

"I'm afraid not," she said, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the middle of the swamp of people with places to go. She wanted to get out of this place, and she certainly didn't want to take the time to explain that she had lied, because Shinigami-sama had spoken volumes (and in different tunes) about the bear of a man before her, and she just hadn't paid attention. Her partner's grip never slipped, but she thought she saw a knowing grin on his face.

"Joe. Buttataki Joe."

"Pleasure to meet you, Joe."

"Same here, Marie."

Oceania was interesting. Joe was nice. He had a weird thing for coffee, though. The stuff at hotels just wouldn't do. He had to go to this cafe on this side of town because this guy made it best. He was weird, but... appealing. Sincere. And he always seemed to know when she was not. When she had confronted him about it, he laughed in a good-natured way. "I've just always been able to tell when a person is hiding something behind their words."

"So you're not psychic?"

"No, Marie. I'm not psychic."

As the months in Oceania dragged on, the two spent their time chatting up foreigners, battling kishin per Shinigami-sama's orders, and swapping tales from their own personal experiences at Shibusen.

Buttataki "Mole Hunter" Joe had been devoid of friends in his first two years because of his size and his reputation as a lie-catcher, or as fellow students so affectionately put it, a snitch. Marie suspected that when people finally realized that he had a truly kind and honest nature beyond Shinigami-sama's use for him, he was flooded with good mates for the next years to come. (She also supposed that it was in those first two years that he had developed his coffee OCD).

"Crushing Weapon" Marie Mjolnir had only been called to Shinigami-sama's "office" on the terms of punishment once. She had received three days of suspension for destroying half the science wing at some ill-chosen but factual discouragements on the Stein front. She had cried.

Joe had never intended to become Shinigami-sama's lie detector.

Marie had never in her wildest nightmares dreamed that she'd be deported so far away from the home she'd known all her life.

He wanted to find the world's greatest coffee shop.

She wanted to retire and get married.

Joe lay in one of the hotel's beds and gazed seriously at Marie on the other.

"You're fresh out of graduation and you already want to retire?"

Marie nodded and pulled the blankets closer around her neck.

"My temper gets the best of me at times, but I don't particularly enjoy fighting." She yawned. "Being in a meister-weapon relationship entails two things; a deep connection, and the power to destroy. Soul resonance is the most wonderful feeling in the world to me, because it's only meister and weapon in the raw." Marie closed her eyes. "I want to feel that same connection without destruction. I want to settle down. I want to be a housewife. I want to stay home and do chores, bake things, and clean up after children. My own children."

Joe had nothing to say, and so Marie fell into a sound sleep.

She lay on her back in the center of a wheat field in New Zealand, panting heavily from prior exertion. Luckily, she and Joe had been able to lure the kishin away from the town and chased him out into this empty land, but it had burned more of her energy to get it to a secluded location, and because she wasn't in top condition at the true beginning of the fight, it had lasted much longer. But smashing kishin into oblivion was what she did, so she fulfilled her duty. And now she rested.

"Marie? Marie!? Where did you land?"

Shutting her eyes, Marie rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself on to her elbows. Joe had thrown her, as she had asked, directly at the kishin from far behind it. At a distance. Actually... it was a pretty great distance. His huge arms were good for something, after all. Marie smiled.

"Ah, there you are...!" The tall stalks of wheat reached almost to the top of Joe's khaki shorts as he stopped above her, not having broken a sweat at all. Joe looked down at her in relief. "Why didn't you answer me?"

Marie gazed back up, finding it impossible to stop the blooming smile on her lips. "I liked hearing you call my name."

Joe didn't quite know how to respond, caught in a tight spot it seemed, so Marie put her hand in the air. She reached for the cloudless blue sky above, brushing against swaying grains of wheat.

"Help me up?"

Joe jumped, "Ah, of course!" and hoisted her to her feet in one great movement.

"Hiya, Marie-chan," came the cheery voice of her superior. "Mission accomplished?" Marie smiled back through the bathroom mirror.

"Yes, sir. We're awaiting our next assignment."

"Oh, I have no thing for you yet, my dear Marie," Shinigami-sama crooned, scratching his head. "So let's small talk!" He leaned forward. "Have you eaten all of your souls yet, Marie-chan?"

"Ninety-three and one witch," Marie replied proudly. Shinigami-sama clapped.

"OH HO HO! You're very close, Marie-chan! I'll have another weapon soon! They seem to have been flooding in lately!"

"Really?"

"Oh yes! Justin-kun, your old classmate, reached one hundred souls in record time all by himself just months ago! And your old friend Yumi-chan has recently completed her assignments. Spirit-kun is my oldest addition, but he's with me now. Say hello, Spirit-kun!"

From behind Shinigami-sama, sure enough, leaning against a cross was Spirit Albarn. He gave a wave. Marie's heart leapt into her throat. S-so fast... As expected, with Stein, Spirit-senpai has flown past me at record speed.

"Kami-chan, Spirit-kun's old meister, will be returning from her own assignment shortly in time for their wedding. It's very romantic." If he had eyebrows, Shinigami-sama would have wiggled them.

Marie wasn't sure she'd heard him right. "Did you say... Senpai's meister?"

"Yup yup, I did!"

"What... what about Stein?"

Spirit turned pale and hugged himself tightly. "He... He cut me! He cut me so many times... I don't even know if things are in the right place anymore..."

"Stein lives outside of Death City now," Shinigami-sama explained. "Spirit became Kami-chan's partner to obtain his last souls."

And that was... that. Just that. Shinigami-sama released a bit more gossip with Marie before waving cheerfully. "When the time comes, I'll be sure to relocate you two. Bye bye!"

Spirit wasn't with Stein.

Spirit had a new meister.

Spirit was a death scythe.

Spirit left Stein.

Stein was alone.

And Marie was on the other side of the planet.

Loving Joe was easy. He was always kind, always thoughtful, and always seemed to want her. He confessed over (no surprise) a cup of coffee. He was blushing through his tan, and his expression made Marie's heart move in a new way. He grew on her more and more with each passing day. Moreover, she had decided that it was long past time to move on. Stein was no longer a part in her life. He was a factor of memory; a cherished one, certainly, but a memory none the less. Joe was here, now, and very much in love with her. It was something she could never ask of Stein.

Joe was her first kiss, her first waltz, and the first to mold her beneath his hands with eyes and lips of passion. He humbly accepted a gift that could never be returned to her. Oceania was her first taste of adult love.

Everything was perfect, lovely, rose-colored. Joe was the perfect lover. Marie could already see white picket fences and a house big enough for two (maybe three...) just beyond her reach.

She was happy.

But Shinigami-sama had other plans.

Two years passed in Oceania. Marie became a death scythe, but was instructed to stay in New Zealand to continue fighting evil souls.

Five years passed in Oceania. On Marie's twentythird birthday, Joe baked her a coffee cake and Shinigami-sama popped in to tell them to pack their bags for Australia.

Nine years had gone by in Oceania. Still no wedding ring. Joe was as attentive as ever, but a bit... distant. She had eaten four-hundred and thirty five souls. They went straight to her hips.

On the thirteenth year in Oceania, Joe dumped her. In Polynesia. Tossed her to the curb claiming that he "didn't like being distrustful" of her. Really, it was more than Marie could stand. Her heart ached, and their time spent together was awkward and painful. Luckily, Shinigami-sama intervened.

"Hiya hello, Marie-chan! You look as lovely as ever! Ah, don't look so sad. It's time for you to come home."