Difference between revisions of "Myrios LeJean"
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− | =• A Day Off For Malak •= | + | =• Story: A Day Off For Malak •= |
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+ | =• Story: Food For Thought •= | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | (This one’s a bit weirdly written and a bit edited to try and write someone out from years ago.) | ||
+ | |||
+ | The last couple of days had been somewhat attrocious. The dealings with the Dark Beings had set off something that had left him with a bad taste in his mouth. All of this was new to him. The love, the danger, the conspiracies had all happened to other people until recently. He decided to start leaving his shop, to help deal with the Filth, to stumble into love, and it had been the downfall of the being he’d been prior to this. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The scenes from days before were fresh in his mind. They’d always be there, fresh and ready for the viewing like a wound that will never heal because you can’t help but play with it. Myrios LeJean stared up at the ceiling of his shop from the floor behind the counter and thought. This wasn’t entirely out of character for him; he’d had far too many years spent in much the same position in much the same intent. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The look on her face as she hung from the ceiling was etched into his memory. The begging words from her lips for him to kill her. It was an incredibly new experience for him and he wished he could let it slip from his mind but he was given an incredibly long memory and he couldn’t help but use it. All of these new emotions were infuriating at times. Why did people have so many of them. He’d written down seven new ones this week. Rage being the one he’d identified with the day before. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He was broken from his brooding by the bell above his door. His face changed from brooding to pleasant in a matter of moments. Fat George was a regular of Darkside and always brought pleasant conversation. The ‘man’ wasn’t a man at all. Perhaps like much of Darkside, he was a supernatural creature trying to blend in. He was, as the nickname suggested, quite fat. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Where ye been brudah? De shop be closed na more dan it be open?” Myrios chuckles at him and grabs something from under the counter and slides it across to Fat George. “Don’t worry George, I’ve still got your dust. I’ve just been getting out and seeing the world a bit more lately. Fat George erupts into a full belly laugh, his body shaking in small waves as the sound bellows out of him. "You been seein’ a girl. Seein’ de rest'a de world hadn’t mattah’d one bit to you, did it Little Malak?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios had to laugh at the man. He had of course been seeing someone and had mostly tuned out the rest of the world. “You caught me George. No one down here could ever sneak anything by you” Fat George had turned to walk out of the store. “Dats why I always have de best informayshun. Stop on by de stall latah and I’ll fill ye in on what'chu been missin’ lately.” The sound of the bell heralded Fat George’s departure from his store but the sound was soon replaced by a little girl of no more than 10. She was dressed in quite the Victorian style. A waifish, scraggly little thing though. Obviously grown up on the street. He leaned across the counter to look down at her. “So, what can we find for you among all these wonders young lady?” The girl looks up at him with impossibly large green eyes that have seen their share of dirt and sadness and doesn’t say a word to him for long moments. “I’ve got just the thing for you, young lady. Just sit right there and I’ll be right back.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Her name was Amanda and she was everything that she appeared to be. The girl had grown up on the streets of VIctorian London and may have been the subject of a Dickens novel or several. More importantly she was incredibly close to death. The supposition was that stores such as these gave you what you wanted in exchange for a price but with The Rift that simply wasn’t true. It gave you what you needed, which was often vastly different. While you may feel that you want wealth, adoration, and objects, you’ll find that more often than not what you need more than anything is something simple; sentimental. Amanda Laike needed a friend more than she wanted money, clothes, or fancy houses. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She found her way inside the store through the dusty door in the corner of the alley. She hadn’t noticed the storefront with the large copperplate lettering before but something in her mind told her that it had always been there. It had to have been. Stores don’t just spring up out of nowhere. So she had wandered in looking for a bit of warmth before the store owner inevitably kicked her back out to the cold London winter. She was amazed when she entered at the size of the place. The strangely dressed man leaned down over the counter with the dark glasses covering his eyes. He brought her cookies and a glass a milk and had set her up behind the counter. She kicked her feet while the man seemed to study her. He’d lean in close and tilt his head in a way that reminded her of a confused dog. He’d mumble something under his breath and look at her from a different angle, only to repeat the process again. “Would you like a job?”, he asked. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The agreement was unusual but so were the circumstances. She worked for Myrios, sweeping and doing the odd bit of dusting. He set her up a room in the back of the store. What went said between the two of them was that she was dying. In several months more on the streets of London she would have died of illness. So long as she remained in the store she was locked in a sort of timeless stasis, never aging or growing any more ill. He had brought in the odd citizen of Darkside to provide medicines to help the illness. If she left the shop she could only enter back onto that cold London street at the moment she’d left. So she read, and learned, and helped however she could. She was grateful to the one adult that hadn’t yelled at her and kicked her back out to the streets. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | =• Story: Visiting Family Part 1 •= | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Malak had had a wonderful roller coaster ride of an evening. The smile was still on his face when the door closed and he quietly flipped the sign over to ‘Closed’. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Shopkeeper turned and walked to the back rooms to clean up the dinner plates. He could leave them, and undoubtedly they’d turn up back in their proper place before terribly long. It was simply the routine of the thing that he enjoyed. The smile was still on his face, but his mind had been working, as there was some internal struggle going on. People always talk of the angel and the devil on their shoulders telling them to go in divergent directions. Malak only had two copies of himself in their place, and neither of them were any help. | ||
+ | |||
+ | His decision had already been made, of course. Far too often, though, his decision-making process involved making the decision, then discussing the merits and flaws of the exact plan while thing were already in motion. It wasn’t a perfect process, but it had worked out for him this long–why change it now? | ||
+ | |||
+ | With the last dish put away, he tidied up and turned off lights as he left. All of this was entirely unnecessary–there was no power bill and things would never wear out–but the process was calming, something he could do on autopilot to keep occupied while he thought. The smile still rested on his face, only slightly fading as he worked out still more details in his head. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Though he seldom used it, Malak had a bedroom. The room was more a private vault of what he considered personal and cherished. He thought and considered whether the other shopkeepers would have their own bedrooms. | ||
+ | |||
+ | As he tossed the hooded sweatshirt onto the largely unusused bed he considered what each of the other Shopkeepers might have in their rooms. As his t-shirt hit the bed, he chuckled a little as he considered his other favorite associate, Azi. Azina Callas, the great Shopkeep of Carthage. He smiled a bit as he sat briefly on the bed to remove his boots, thinking of the stories she’d tell over Soma and lamb. He folded his jeans as he remembered the discussions walking through those ancient streets. The other shopkeepers weren’t often as friendly, and there’d been so many of them in those days. There were also agreements and compacts and various binding pieces of paper and parchment which kept it that way. Azina was the friendliest of them. | ||
+ | |||
+ | As he put on perpetually perfectly-pressed suit pants, his smile faded just a hair, almost imperceptibly. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He remembered what the rest of history remembered. Carthage was sacked and burned to the ground. | ||
+ | |||
+ | His smile faded a bit more when he remembered the nine hundred survivors huddled in the Temple of Eshmun. He buttoned up the black shirt with the red tie draped around his neck, and he remembered the survivors throwing themselves onto the flames. His smile faded a bit more. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Then he remembered the part that the history books disguised. All traces of his smile had disappeared by the time he’d buttoned the final button on the black, pin-striped suit jacket. | ||
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+ | He remembered that it was not a Temple of Eshmun that the survivors had hidden in, but a quaint shop. They had worshipped Azi as a seer and magician. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A bit of the smile returned until he had slipped his shoes on, and the images of the Daemonic horde descending upon the shop wearing the skins of Romans. Terrible weapons of a lost Age. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She had stood admirably. Both the store and Azi. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He frowned at himself as the final memory of that time played out in his mind. He had walked through the crowds of soldiers practially unseen, walking the miles quietly back to his own shop two cities over. | ||
+ | |||
+ | This was the price of getting too involved. That lesson had stuck with him since. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “You’re getting too involved,” came Amanda’s far-too-sweet and far-too-British accent as he studied himself in the mirror. She had thankfully started taking to modern dress lately. However, her propensity for reading his thoughts remained exactly as it was, if not worse. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Malak wasn’t going to let her know that, however. “Don’t you think that’s a bit melodramatic, even for a ten-year-old?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | He adjusted the suit here and there, and turned to look at the small blonde girl standing in his doorway, arms crossed in the pink shorts and 'My Little Pony’ t-shirt. She looked stern. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “You did this before. It wasn’t even that long ago. Even /your/ attention span is longer than that.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | He tilted his head at the girl, trying awkwardly to scoot around her in the doorway, losing any sense of power over the situation. She blocked his path like a rock. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Who do you think you are? This is just a favor for a friend. This isn’t getting too involved.” He was starting to get irritated with this situation. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “I just thought that I’d remind you. You forget the important things for what’s shiny and right in front of you.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Malak clears his throat, trying to think of a way to regain the high ground from the pink terror in his doorway. “This IS important. But it is also shiny, and right in front of me. And I can DO something about this.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | He shrugs a bit and manages to get by, but only because Amanda had said her peace to him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “I keep forgetting that you’ve grown past that body of yours. Be good. I should only be gone a little bit. Definitely shouldn’t miss any customers. Put on some tea for when I get back.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | He walked with purpose down the hallway and out into the shop proper. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Stepping from the shop door into the bright sunlight of California, he squinted involuntarily at the sudden glare. | ||
+ | |||
+ | It was time to break some rules. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <hr> | ||
+ | |||
+ | The problem with visiting other shopkeepers is that there is never more than one store in a given city. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In these modern ages, the problem is much less than in the days of carriages and horses, but still a minor inconvenience. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The sun was setting when he arrived in Los Angeles, and the city was bathed in a rusty red tone when he stepped from the taxi and looked up at the sign, painted in a flawless gothic font: 'The Sunken City.’ | ||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios shook his head as he walked to the glass paneled door and opened it with a suitably ominous creak. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He peered around as he entered. The building felt dead and cold, almost as if there was a total lack of anything contained within the space. | ||
+ | |||
+ | This place was a void. Even the grey light that filtered through the windows felt empty, null. It didn’t so much illuminate as it simply spread across anything that it touched. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A complicated, oddly spider-like male shape unfolded from behind the door. There seemed to be too many motions to the way he moved, but you could never quite put your finger on it. He was only an inch or two taller than Malak, but his thin frame made him look supernatural. His white hair was cut neatly and completed the image of a man who was more stork than he was funeral director. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “How’s it going, Lance?” Malak asked with a grin on his face. He placed his hands on the counter and leaned imposingly toward the man until he was only a few inches from his face. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “I do wish you would stop calling me that. What have I done to warrant the… dubious pleasure of your company, Myrios? I’m assuming this isn’t you wanting to catch up on old times. You know my feelings on that.” The man seemed to intone more than he spoke. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “I have some questions for you, Lance. I’d like for you to be honest for once in our existence.” | ||
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+ | The other man seemed entirely unamused by Myrios, looking down and brushing some dust from his sleeve. "You come into my store and insult me, and you think to get answers from me, Malak? HA! Fancying yourself an angel now? Come now. Call me by my name and I might consider if I have answers for you.“ | ||
+ | |||
+ | The grin returned to Malak’s face, and he hopped back upright, his eyes fixed on the other man. "That’s exactly what I wanted to hear, Sebastian. It seems we’ve got ourselves an accord then. So, what I want to know is if you’re dealing in blood. You know that’s not how this works.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | The man seems almost empowered now that Malak has spoken his name. "I simply said that I would consider if I had answers.“ The man’s grin seemed to broaden, containing perhaps a few too many teeth if you perhaps looked from the corner of your eye. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "It’s a simple question, Sebastian. You can even do it without words. Up and down for yes, side to side for no.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | The man remained stony silent, neither a nod nor a shake. "You want this too bad for me not to make a bit of something from this, Myrios. You know how deals work in this shop. You give me something, and then I decide its worth. I will give you what I feel is appropriate. These are the rules. You do remember the rules, yes?“ | ||
+ | |||
+ | Malak bristled a bit at the man’s tone, his voice lowering and perhaps taking on a hard edge. "Just tell me what you want, and I’ll decide if it’s worth the price.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | That wide grin returned to Sebastian’s face. "You will give it. You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important to you. You wouldn’t be breaking the old agreements if this weren’t something you were worried about. Though I’m not sure whether to be touched or insulted that you came to me. What I want, is a week of your time. A week of your time, that’s all. Seven days. It won’t even pass outside. You could be gone moments to whoever you’re doing this for. We live for Ages. What’s a small collection of hours, hmm?“ | ||
+ | |||
+ | Malak quirked an eyebrow at the statement. There was more to this, always more to this. "What’s the catch? I know you, there’s always a catch.” His face became serious. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The man tutted him and shook his head. "Oh, brother, you too know that’s not how this is played. You pay the seemingly innocuous price and only later find that it was so much more than you’d thought. If I told you up front, you’d never take the deal, and I’d never do any business at all. Give me your answer and we’ll begin. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Come now, Malak. Play the angel. Be the hero. Though you always liked that role, didn’t you? You just couldn’t say no to a soul in distress. So, let’s quit pussyfooting about and get on with our days. Or, at least, /my/ day. /Yours/ will be a bit full.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sebastian stood behind the register, his fingers drumming on the counter top. Tap-tap taptap-tap. Over and over again in the long moments, as Malak thought over his options… and finally nodded, only somewhat grudgingly. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Okay, Sebastian. You’ve got your week. Now tell me what I’m asking for. Which one of us is dealing in blood if it’s not you?” Malak was a bit more in his element, now that the decision-making process was over with. "Obviously it’s not you, or you would’ve been more coy and well… /you/ about the whole thing. I was really hoping it was you.“ | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sebastian tapped the keys on the old register and grinned as he completed the transaction. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I prefer other methods of control. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Now, follow me and we’ll begin. You know that I’ll honor the deal. First, tell me, Myrios… when’s the last time that you’ve dreamed of Atlantis?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | =• Story: Visiting Family Part 2 •= | ||
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+ | “The Sunken City. Isn’t that a bit on the nose? I liked the old name, myself.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios walked through the back of Sebastian’s store with him. The place felt just as cold and barren as the front. He tried to listen but could only feel something like ominous breathing, nothing like the life he felt in his own store. This store had plans and ambitions. This store had schemes, and these were reflected in its owner, Sebastian Blacke. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “I thought it was fitting. Considering the circumstances, it was the smallest dagger that I was allowed to wield,” the man intoned as they walked through long, barely lit hallways that twisted and turned until you had no bearings, no idea of where you could possibly be going. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | They stopped at the entrance to an amazing baroque antechamber. The walls were covered in frescoes and paintings. Gold accented the pillars, and met at the top of a large dome covered in paintings, much like the Sistine Chapel. In the middle was something that resembled a gazebo. Four black pillars rose to support a smaller dome, ringed in gold and obsidian. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “You should remember all of these, Myrios. You were there. You caused this. Don’t tell me otherwise. I saw you. Walking away amid the chaos.” The man shows the first cracks in his facade. “You let this HAPPEN! And for WHAT?! Because your favorite little sister was killed? You let an entire continent sink while we destroyed ourselves because you were SAD?!” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios winces at the man’s words, perhaps the first expressions of shame and regret crossing the man’s face in an Age. “You know full well it was Xander that started that. That’s why we have our accords. A continent sank and we lost five siblings. We got too involved. We puffed our chests and acted as Gods, and priests, and Prophets! We were stupid! We have the Accords now. That hasn’t happened in an Age. Let this go.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Accords you’ve now chosen to violate! I nearly lost my store, you insipid pacifist. Rome burned while you stood watching! You’re only lucky that I had another storefront opened or I’d be gone as well.” The man’s anger was welling up inside of him but he stopped himself, the fury departing him just as suddenly as it had come. “Of course, you managed to keep your hands clean in all of this. I saw you, watching. You did nothing. Five. That’s how many of our siblings you let die.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “I tried to talk all of you out of it,” Myrios said grimly. “The warring was foolish. You all got caught up in your egos and the worship. Azi was the best of us. I learned from her unfortunate lesson and tried to make you all see as well.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios sighed and his strange eyes swept around, taking a closer look at some of the frescoes. The intricacy of detail was amazing compared to even modern capabilities; relics of an Age long past. The ones closer to the ground depicted seemingly mundane endeavors: crowds gathered around performances. Gods on the steps of temples. Many wonders were depicted, wonders now lost to the sands of Time. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | As the eye was drawn upwards, the pictures became more dire; depicting conflict, battle, fire, and ultimately the mural at the top of the dome. In brilliant, blazing colors spread out a series of toppled buildings, smoking temples, and scores of bodies littering the scene. In the foreground, a man in black knelt, weeping over the bodies, long white hair and sullen face blood-streaked and mangled. In the background, atop the broken head of a fallen statue stands a familiar man, dressed in white robes with a brilliant blue scarf blowing in an imagined wind, like some sort of judging god or avenging angel. Arms crossed on his chest, he looks down at the scene, sunglasses obscuring his eyes. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “That’s quite the revisionist take on Atlantis, don’t you think, Sebastian? You were in no way the savior. You drew as much blood as Xander and Cruxi, maybe more. THAT is a farce.” He pointed at the mural with outrage on his face. “You did none of that for your family or the people of Atlantis. You did it for yourself and you know it! Now can we stop this pity party and get on with whatever you want? I have important things to do.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The man bristled again but managed to maintain his composure. “You’re right. You may be a coward, but you are absolutely right. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | "Please, have a seat in the chair.” He gestured. “I’m sure you remember these. I managed to save this holo-inducer before the whole continent broke apart and was swallowed up by the Void.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Sebastian circled around what appears to be some sort of stone examination table. He patted the flat spot in the chair and motioned for Myrios to sit. “This won’t be pleasant, but that’s not a concern of mine. You know that I can’t harm you due to the accords, but I have other ways to get my point across. Now, before we begin, won’t you give me an idea of what I’ll be informing you about? I would know the specifics so that I can honor our deal fully. At least one of us will keep to the Accords,” he said in a scathing tone. “Is there anything you’d like to say before I leave you to… this… for the next week?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios took his jacket and shoes off and lay them on a nearby bench before hopping up on the table. “You know exactly who I’m talking about. If you know enough to propose a deal, then you know what I’m after. But so we can avoid a mistake that I made earlier, I will speak very clearly and very slowly so that you can’t twist these words. One of us. took blood. From Sulwen. Morgan-Dorne. You have that, every syllable? Because I want to know which one of us made the deal. I wish to visit them. The details beyond that are mine to know.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “So you intend to further violate the Accords, then?” Sebastian shook his head, gesturing and causing a hard light panel to appear. Then he began typing on buttons. “We don’t interfere in other shops’ business. That’s what happened in Atlantis, and that’s why we’re here now.” He hits a few more buttons and light starts pulsing from pillars, one by one. “As a matter of fact, if I had been so inclined… I took issue with a few of the sales that you’ve made over the years. I didn’t darken your doorstep, did I?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios shook his head. “You did not. Though, before you turn the lights off and I have to experience whatever this is for the next week, just tell me one thing.” He tilted his head to get a better look at Sebastian. “Do you have a bedroom?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Of course not. I have no need for such nonsense. I don’t try to be more than what I am. I don’t hold any love for these mayflies we call patrons. They’re gone like THAT!” He snapped his fingers, and in the building aura of the holo-inducer the sound became amplified until nearly deafening. “Why would I try to endear myself to that which will barely persist beyond a heartbeat of ours?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios simply nodded stoically and took his sunglasses off, tossing them onto his suit jacket. He looked up at the malice-saturated face of Sebastian, who was applying a band around Myrios’s head, covering his eyes and blacking out the light. He smiled a bit, but he knew what was coming. “Because some of them are worth it, Sebastian. Some of them need the help.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | As the field built, Sebastian exited the gazebo structure and watched inside. “Where was this sentimental streak when we were killing ourselves? When thousands of people died and an entire continent was lost? Where was that love then?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Sebastian watched as the field reaches a critical point and with a loud WHUM sound the gazebo was filled, playing scenes of fire and death and the screams of the dying… and those who only wished for death in vain. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The man had to turn his head from the scene. This wasn’t his punishment, after all. These were only his memories, and ones he wished would fade. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | He made his way back to the entryway, a wicked smile on his face as the first painful noises came from the man in the chair. Sounds that would only grow in intensity… | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Sounds that he’d relish for the next week. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <hr> | ||
+ | Myrios walked stiffly from the shop. His head was upset with the activities of the last week. His eyes burned in the blinding sun, and everything had a red tinge to it. He shook his head and tried to get his bearings for a few moments.The images and flashes filled his mind. Screams and bodies. Fires filling the streets. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The sound of cars violently crashing together in a sudden accident rattled him to the core, sounding much like the cracking of the earth as Atlantis broke apart and tumbled into the Void. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios slumped against the front of Sebastian’s shop, trying to shake the images from his head. Shakily, he brought his hand up to read the piece of paper in the light of day. It took several minutes before his sight cleared enough to make out the writing. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Phaethon LeGrande, eh?” he muttered to himself. “I didn’t know you were even still around… you sneaky bastard.” His voice sounded hoarse and cracked in his ears, his mind returning to the images of shops burning under fire from terrible weapons and magic. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios then looked around him and forced himself to focus for a few moments, a focus hard-won. He saw images of himself, standing silent witness to the destruction, every time he closed his eyes; as if that terrible cinema was magically seared into his lids. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | At last, the disoriented Shopkeeper managed to disappear into a golden halo of light. When he rematerialized, he found himself on the endless beckoning paths of Agartha’s branches. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | He felt more energized as he stood in the enfolding arms of the tree, and before long the smile returned to his face. He closed his eyes. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Where are you today?” He murmured quietly to himself as he reached out his senses to find Phaethon’s shop. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Phaethon LeGrande had one of the more unique shops in the ‘verse. There were several rules that he didn’t follow, according to the nature of his shop. Unlike the other shopkeepers, Phaethon’s store appeared wherever probability dictated he could make the highest number of optimal deals for his current stock of merchandise. Only temporarily did he have multiple storefronts, so he could neatly skirt around having more than one shop in a city. This made it difficult to find him, as he could be anywhere at any point in time or space. The last time Myrios had seen him was in the 1860’s; the American Civil War. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | He focused his attention and reached out with his power. Agartha was the perfect place for this, aside from his shop, but he wasn’t ready to return there yet. Too many chances for something to intervene. Too many opportunities for someone to stop him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | His body glowed in the mystical environment for several long minutes before he stumbled on a thread belonging to his target. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Gotcha, Phaethon.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios grinned with relief, disappearing in a flash to find himself on the streets of Philadelphia. The hustle and noise of the city disoriented him for a moment, and he found himself incredibly pleased that he didn’t materialize in the middle of 6th street. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | He rallied quickly, and a wary smile came to his face. This was not the time to show weakness, but also, he did love the Old City. It had a certain… revolutionary charm to it. He chuckled to himself at his own pun and crossed 6th street to stand in front of the vintage sign, painted in the tacky 1970’s plain font that was ever so popular. “The Storied Altar? Really, Phaethon?” He shook his head. “ And here I thought I was a too fond of cliches.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The redhead peered in through the large plate window before he entered. The counter reminded him of an old 1920’s shop, but, gods… that tacky yellow and pea green tile made him want to throw up. He was glad that he had sunglasses when he opened the front door and the tacky 'bing bong’ sound of the electronic bell sounded. The place was gauche and it felt… filthy. The shadows didn’t move right, and it felt as if it could’ve been infested with roaches or… something. This place seemed to exist just behind the veneer of the world, and somehow it gave him the distinct sense that like the storefronts, the inside of this place would shift, attracting whatever sort of customer its feelers had sensed might seek its stock. Either the shop’s current stock wasn’t seeking the cream of the crop when it came to Philadelphians, or the entire place was uniquely shaping itself to repel an unwanted invader… him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios poked at a magazine rack. All of the magazines were from earlier eras. He picked up a Time magazine from the '20s and flipped through it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Eventually, he felt rather than heard the presence of another Shopkeeper. His eyes lifted up over the rim of his sunglasses and he casually put the magazine back on the rack, trying to seem aloof. Playing it cool was never a strong suit of his, but he felt it was time to give it a try. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “What brings you here, Myrios?” The man sounded suspicious, but confident, like a man who knew that he had the upper hand–a man on his home turf. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios picked up a ritual dagger from the counter and tossed it into the air, eyeing Phaethon. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Is that supposed to be intimidating, Myrios?” Phaethon inquired solicitously. “You know as well as I do that you can’t hurt me. Even if you could, it wouldn’t do you any good. I’m assuming that you’re here to discuss things, and you’ll get much farther if I’m able to discuss. Correct?” The man exuded a smooth confidence with a whiff of hubris. He puffed up his personality as an animal would in the wild to dissuade predators… then again, so did many dangerous serpents. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Phaethon LeGrande was a diminutive being. Much like Sebastian, he resembled someone’s grandfather, if that grandfather was a particularly slick used car salesman. His hair had thinned to balding, a calculated effect to set visitors at ease. His grin both warmed you and made you look around, in case there was someone coming up to surprise you with a knife to the kidneys. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The stab never came in the way you’d think it would. It didn’t come in the form of shadowy assassins or sneering rogues. The stab came in the form of little fellow with a pencil-thin moustache and a slate grey suit with a charming yellow flower on his lapel. He reminded you of the smells of candy and chemicals; he looked sweet and tasted foul. In fact, this whole place tasted foul to Myrios every time he breathed. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “I’m assuming that Sebastian has contacted you in the last week,” Myrios notes. “He’s had plenty of time to do so. I would think that he would simply to gloat, if nothing else.” He picked up a small vase from the counter and turned it over, pointedly looking at the bottom before shaking his head and replacing it on the tacky fake-wood veneer of the counter. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “He hasn’t said a word to me, dear brother. Why would he have occasion to contact me? We stay out of each other’s business. As you did, until recently.” Phaethon walked down the counter, running his hand along the beaten and worn cash register, the round, raised push buttons of the early twentieth century device making clicking noises as he went. His eyes were always fixed on Myrios; appraising him with the watchful gaze of a hawk, but knowing full well that he was the one with all the power here. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios followed him along the counter, tapping his fingers along the glass front panel as he walked. Passing an old typewriter, he resisted the urge to hit the keys. He did so enjoy the sound of a properly used typewriter. He’d have to dig one up from the back sometime. “Then let’s talk blood, and all of the reasons that we don’t broker in it. We don’t broker in control. We don’t broker in death. And we certainly don’t broker in the summoning of ancient beings. I’m not sure how many of these you’ve broken over the years, but I’m most interested in one.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Tea?” The old man broke Myrios’ attempt at an intimidating tone without so much as a waver or an ounce of worry in his voice. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The man set a cup on the counter and slid it between two vintage cookbooks towards Myrios. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios eyed the tea cup and looked harshly at Phaethon. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Suit yourself, Myrios. I can’t force you to effect good manners. But you know there’s nothing between us to worry yourself over. I can’t poison you. I can’t infect you with anything. Take it or leave it–of all the things I’m going to bargain for today, tea with you isn’t going to be one of them.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The man sipped his own tea, loaded with cream and sugar to where it would barely resemble tea in appearance or taste. Myrios grudgingly took the offered cup, sniffing the liquid inside before adding milk and a tiny bit of sugar, and began to drink it with a sigh. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “That is, surprisingly, just what I needed. Everything else aside, thank you. But we have business I need to conclude, and it seems that you’re the person to ask about it.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “You’re only partially right, my brother,” Phaethon corrects, one finger briefly held in the air. “YOU don’t deal in blood and control. I do, though, though, in one highly specialized little area which DOES suit the terms of the accords: magical blood. The blood of beings who are in the know about the secret world, and of beings who can defend themselves should be it used against them in some way. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | "Did you know that there’s a very distinct lack of truly magical families these days?” Phaethon began to pace slowly along the counter, musing to himself. “The world has changed. People are not as devout to the gods as they once were. Fewer and fewer mortals are… 'superstitious.’ That means blessings and bloodlines alike are becoming fewer and farther between. Some dynasties, particularly amongst the Templars, have fallen into true disrepair. So, I get it where I can… those few bright souls from wherever or whenever who wander into my shop with a need for something… special.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The man sipped his tea, continually sizing Myrios up. “And as for control, we ALL deal in control. You may not like to admit it, and some of our more… wayward siblings may revel in the dark and the Filth and the horrors; in things like souls and the pieces thereof… but at the end of the day, we all deal in control. But please, continue to lecture me about my business practices–as long as you recall that you can only do so because I choose not to harbor such foul means to use against you.” He smiles faintly. “I do so love these talks.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Abruptly, then, Phaethon placed his teacup on the counter, and stood to his full height. Despite the unimpressive nature of his stature, the awful fluorescent lighting of the ceiling did a wonderful job of shrouding him in shadow, making him look much more dark and intimidating than he should. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “I’m not here to play games, Phaethon.” Myrios frowned. “Any other time I’d love to settle in on a game of Checkers or Go, but I want blood. I want a very specific person’s blood that I’m sure you still have.” He sipped his tea, hesitating each time as if he was trying to figure out if there really could be something in it, despite what the other Shopkeep had said. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | He set the tea down when it was dry and stood across from Phaethon, hands flat on the counter and looming over him. He wasn’t trying to be intimidating this time, which was strange because it was probably the only time that he had been. “I want what’s left of Sulwen’s blood.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | His face was serious, but Phaethon grinned, knowing he had a bargain in the making. “Oh come now, Myrios. You’re the fool. The whimsical, scatterbrained magpie. This is far too serious a business for you. Where’s that odd smile, and the inane banter about walruses and sealing wax and all that?” With a trace of sadism then, he queried further, “where’s the patting on the arm and whispering that things will be all right?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Phaethon’s grin intensified as he let his words sink in for a moment. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “You’ve been using it to watch?! That was too specific to be a guess, even for you!” Myrios had gone pale for the moment. He found the intrusion nauseating, not for his own sake, but on the part of parties that he was fully glad weren’t here. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “I only wanted to check up on the girl,” Phaethon corrected, a little smugly but with a grandfatherly air that was disturbingly sincere. “She seemed a very nice girl in a very bad position.” His sculpted brow tilted upward, and he jerked his head slightly. “You know the type. You obviously know the very specific example, in fact. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | "We made a deal. I got her blood, and she got a book full of vital information that served her purposes nicely–and informed her about her very own magical bloodline, a cause near and dear to both my heart and my shop. Business complete.” He spread his arms in a grand gesture, then calmly picked up his teacup once again and took a sip. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “I really did like the girl,” Phaethon mused then. “She was sweet. Kept inquiring after my health and offering to help heal my wheeze free of charge, but she was a wreck without any answers to her questions. Why, she thought she was a freak, a monster! Not a precious relic of a bygone era, blessed by a goddess and capable of achieving her favor.” Phaethon actually seems as if his sensibilities had been offended by the state of affairs; as if some travesty of justice had occurred and appalled him deeply, but he shrugs his shoulders and smiles in the end. “The poor child needed to know the truth of her lost bloodline and her nature as a witch, in order to have peace with herself and a chance at fulfilling her true potential. The perfect person to wander into this shop, and you know the shop. It goes where it is required. It went right to her.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios sighed, unable to argue with that part, however much he would like to. “In any case, I would like to make a deal for her blood. I can’t let you sell it to anyone else.” He bent his elbows to bring his face a few inches downward until he was at eye level with Phaethon, removing his sunglasses to stare into his eyes, a brief flash of cyan visible. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “You are absolutely correct on that front. I can NOT sell it to anyone else. The buyers I had lined up could not afford the price I set.” He tut-tuts, shaking his head. “They might return one day, but I find it quite upsetting when a deal falls through–they seemed so promising.” Oddly, Phaethon seems entirely insincere about what he’s saying, almost as if he secretly found this preferable. His nearly imperceptible trace of a smirk only adds to this effect. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “But now we have a new deal on the table, dear brother. Let’s see what terms we shall come to with one another.” Phaethon’s grin could nearly encompass the width of his head, and his eyes flashed a brief yellow in his delight. “Now, what do you have to offer me for this wonderful vial of vitae? It can be yours for just the right price. What do you have to give that I don’t already possess?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios stopped to consider for a few minutes. He shuddered just a bit thinking of the last deal that he’d made with Sebastian, regretting his choices on the matter. He’d need to be more careful this time. He should’ve been more careful with Sebastian, but he had been caught up in the moment. “Well… I’ve got a bottle of Soma, several tomes that I’ve confiscated from some blood cultists over the years, and several artifacts from the last Age. C'mon, who doesn’t love a good artifact? And the Soma! You know how hard that stuff is to get a hold of nowadays. It’s been a couple hundred years since they’ve been able to make the stuff. Tell me, what do you want? The whole lot’s yours for that blood.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Phaethon considered, making a display of looking torn on whether to accept or not. He 'hmm'ed and 'aaah'ed for several long moments. Then he chuckled, dismissively waving a hand. “Mere trinkets and baubles. You know, with time and space at my disposal, it only takes the right kind of person at the right moment in history and I have all the Soma and eldritch tomes that I could fit in the back room.“ He grinned wickedly as his teacup reached his lips, and he looked over the rim, speaking before taking a sip. "And you know how large that is. The artifacts? That’s all rubbish. I’ve got just as many, and much more useful in the back.” He took a long sip of his tea. Reasonably he should have finished it long before that sip, but the cup was just as full when he pulled it from his mouth. “You can do better than that.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios went back into his head for a few minutes and thought hard, shaking his head as he fought off the returning images. His voice wavered as he got his mind under control. “Please?” he offered the man across the counter, not caring about paying the price of a little humiliation. The look on his face had softened, perhaps even becoming a bit pleading. “You said you liked her. You said she was sweet. She might be a bit of a train wreck in ways if what she’s told me is so, but you’re right, she is sweet, and she doesn’t deserve to have a deadly vial of blood floating around in the world–one that might as easily be used to kill her as to call whatever entity she’s connected to. I’m asking you as a professional courtesy. Please, just give me the blood.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | The sound started as a chuckle and built into a laugh of pure amusement before trailing off almost a minute later. Finally, Phaethon says smoothly, “I’ll take your sunglasses. I have a place for them already in mind–right there on that shelf, so everyone can see them when they enter. I want them to remind me of the time you came pleading for my help. You went begging for a creature who is barely more than human; a little ascended ‘mayfly’, as Blacke would say. So, you give me those, and I’ll give you the blood. Do we have an accord?” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios looked down at the sunglasses. He’d lifted them to disguise his strange eye color when the people of the city he’d been in were staring at him. They’d served him well over the Ages to the point where they were like an old friend; a literal lens through which he’d seen the world, and made many memories colored in the hue of that faint tint. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He folded them up and slid them across the counter to where Phaethon stood, grinning and then practically skipping down to the cash register. The old rogue typed furiously for a few seconds at the register, and the sound of the mechanical keys striking led to the ding of the drawer being opened. It then immediately slammed shut, signifying that the deal was complete. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Phaethon climbed on the stool and placed them on the shelf behind the register. While stepping down, he spoke again. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “You know, I was hoping that you’d come for this, Myrios. I would say it was meant to be, but we both know that’s not how this all works. Nevertheless, for what it’s worth, I’m glad that nothing more came of it. She was a lovely girl in a bad position. She was the ideal customer at that moment. Nothing personal against her, but business is business, after all. You understand that as well as any of us. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “So, go back to your shop, and go be the hero. Go be the good guy, the fool, the bard, and the Sun. Go save damsels and slay dragons… for all the good it will do you at the end of the Age. All of this will pass away, and you’ll be alone with your thoughts again, just like the rest of us.” He grinned a bit, twisting the point home. “At the end of all things, one does expect the company of immortals. After all, family’s all you’ve got to count on.” He grinned a bit more. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios nodded solemnly in response. “You’re not such a bad guy, Phaethon, when you don’t have your head entirely up your own ass. You’ve never fooled me. You try to be like Sebastian or Cruxia, but you just don’t measure up to that sort of evil. They give us a bad name. You… well, you just creep people out, which I think may just be your entire thing.” He smiles a bit to the other shopkeeper and inspects the vial, shaking it a bit; the blood was magically kept fresh by the small glass container. “And this is all of it, correct? We had a deal, Phaethon.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | “That is every last drop, brother. You have my word on that, for whatever it’s worth to you.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Phaethon grinned up at the sunglasses on the shelf again and began chuckling to himself. “Now it’s time for you to get out of my shop. I have customers that have been waiting, and I’d like it to be another Age before I deal with you or any of the others again. I’d say to take care, but I know you won’t. You’re the doer, out of all of us. You’ve never sat still. Just don’t do anything dumber than you already have.” Smirking, he moved from behind the counter to open the door for the young woman waiting behind it. Her face looked frightened and gaunt, like a prey animal that had reached its limit. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios stood aside to let her in and she looked between the two men nervously. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting, my dear,” Phaethon soothed her battered nerves with his distinguished, grandfatherly voice and bearing. “I’ve just finished up a surprise tete a tete with my little brother here, so sorry. I do hate to keep a customer waiting.” He grinned and motioned to Myrios with a flick of his eyes toward the door. | ||
+ | |||
+ | “Pay attention and be wary,” the redhead leaned down and whispered to the woman before he left, vial in hand. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios walked the streets of Philadelphia for a while, letting time wash over him for the first time in a week. The reality of the city’s layout was replaced with the cobble and brick of Atlantis. He shook his head, but the images persisted. Everywhere he walked, he was flanked on all sides by the dead and dying. This was Sebastian’s revenge, the deal he’d waited an Age for. These were his memories now. He was now burdened with the total picture. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He kept going until the street lights came on along Chestnut Street as he traveled towards the river, turning and looking over the vial as he moved. His mind wandered again as he approached the water. The blood on his hands, the blood covering his robes as people clutched at and clung to his departing frame. The scene was replaced again with concrete and water, and he sighed a small bit of relief. Once there, he stood by the concrete barrier along the shore, and watched the river flow for a while longer. He needed the peace before he went home. | ||
+ | |||
+ | At long last, he forced himself to concentrate, and left the city for the warm coziness of Ealdwic, choosing to walk back to the shop in Darkside. He needed this time to realign himself. He needed to surround himself with the familiar, the small enjoyments. He enjoyed the sounds and the flow of the district. He waved to several of the denizens as he traversed the cobbled walks and the old stairs, finally arriving home. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He stepped through the store and into the back apartments, smiling at the well lit and cozy hallway before the dining room. He ran his hand along the backs of the intricately sculpted wooden chairs, and drummed his fingers on the table top. This caused him to need to fight images of charred wood and leather from his head, gritting his teeth as he shook it off with effort. Then he left and wandered into the next room, shrugging out of his suit jacket and laying it on the back of one of the large stuffed leather chairs in the sitting room. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He glanced at the couch where he’d spent an evening awash in a plethora of emotions, and enjoyed the company of an old friend. He left his tie draped over the back of the couch and stood by the fire for a few minutes, shirt half-unbuttoned. He enjoyed the feeling of warmth from the fire, and only reluctantly left it to adjourn to the room just off to the right. | ||
+ | |||
+ | His bedroom felt like a welcome sanctuary. It was his personal vault of fond memories and things that he cherished. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He flopped backwards onto his bed and held the vial up to the light, turning it to see it slightly coat the side of the container before rolling along with the motion. He sighed then, and set the vial on the nightstand. It had come at a high cost. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He closed his eyes for a while, tears falling as he saw himself standing atop the statue of a long forgotten god. He looked down at the scene of war and blood; of suffering unlike anything seen since. | ||
+ | |||
+ | He rose from the bed quietly and went to the closet. He stood before it for long minutes, hands shaking before finally summoning the bravery to open it. He pulled the long blue scarf from the recesses and stared at it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios cried fully then. Memories that he’d hidden away with humor and ridiculousness flooded back. Memories of the time that he’d failed an entire continent. He slumped back onto the bed, curled up holding that simple object of clothing that he had once been so proud of, but which only brought him shame now. He was content to be home, but he’d need time to recover. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The moment he tried to focus on was the moment he put the vial into Sully’s hand and saw her expression of relief and gratitude. That one moment would be worth the week of hell. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | =• Story: The Present •= | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The girl fairly bounced through the shop, dragging a broom behind her. Amanda seemed to be in an amazing mood on this particular morning. She was worried earlier in the morning however as she spied Myrios passed out on the floor of his sitting room. He had almost made it to the couch but had decided to curl up, one boot in the doorway, one still on his foot, his hand so close. She’d shaken her head at him, covered him with a blanket and gone about the morning duties. The tiny blond girl had much to be thankful for since she’d wandered into this shop on that horrible winter’s night. This was the least that she could do to repay his kindness. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | She set about sweeping the dust from the corners and from around the counter. How this place could stay perpetually dusty she didn’t know. She swept and dusted every morning but still every night it was as dusty as before. It gave her something to do when she wasn’t reading and learning all that she could. She’d been given an amazing opportunity, and sometimes to Myrios’ chagrine, she had absorbed everything that she’d come across. She watered the plant that Myrios had purchased a few weeks before, though the concept of time in this place left her often wondering if it had really been only that long, or had it been centuries. There was little to no way of telling. So she simply shrugged and carried about her day as always. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios had taken in the tiny blond waif several years before and she’d fully appreciated every moment of her time here. She wasn’t as childish as Myrios seemed to assume and she picked up very quickly on several facts. After she’d arrived, she had a veritable train of people visit her from the surrounding area. The place was known as Darkside in her time as well, but it had been much different. "Well of course it was, that was several centuries ago.“ She’d thought to herself as she tidied up. Myrios hadn’t told her what all the fuss was about, but she’d figured it out before too long. She’d had the coughing, the blood, the fevers and seizures for a long time before she’d sought warmth in the store. The harsh winter would surely have been the end of her, in her condition. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios had given her food and a warm place to sleep and only asked for a bit of help around the shop. She’d noticed that her symptoms had subsided, but she still felt the prick of sickness in her lungs, and the faintness of her head when she exerted herself too much. She couldn’t understand why they couldn’t just fix her problems. She’d heard so many marvelous things about the wonders of the time but there was no cure. Fat George had looked so pitiable as his eyes looked at her sadly for the first few weeks. She shook off the cobwebs of the past and leaned the broom against the counter to check on Myrios. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios had managed to stretch and squirm his way out of the blanket, it now twisted into knots around his legs. His head was now under the couch and he made quiet groaning noises. He would not be up in time to greet his first customer of the morning. She sighed and pulled at the blanket, trying with all of her tiny might to untangle it from him. The effort was ultimately pointless and she kicked his leg playfully before skipping off to the store room to put the day’s inventory out. "I told you. You’re getting too involved again. This doesn’t end well.” She talked to herself quietly as she grabbed the crate and dragged it towards the front of the store. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | There weren’t a lot of items in the crate this morning, as if the store knew who would be handling things. Amanda made a mental checklist and began placing items where she felt they could go. To the front counter went a pair of golden rings on a bright chain. She grabbed weatherbeaten book and placed it onto the small table next to the overstuffed reading chair in the corner. It really was surprising how often that chair was used by customers. She’d just placed the beaten and well-loved teddy bear onto a shelf when she heard the bell ring and the young woman entered the store. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Amanda eyed the door to the back rooms and decided against doing anything but climbing the stool behind the counter and smiled brightly. "Welcome to the Rift! Let me know if there’s anything you’re looking for!“ she said so incredibly cheerfully but she appraised the young women as she spoke. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | She was a tall girl, probably no older than seventeen. Tall and thin, built almost like a stork with fiery red, wild hair flowing in every direction. The type of hair that people would call "impossible to tame”. The girl had a sadness to her that Amanda could tell that she tried to hide, but was incredibly horrible at it. Her bright blue eyes were tired looking; tired and sad. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “You’re not who I was expecting.” The girl stated, glancing around the shop. She eyed Amanda, sizing her up much as Amanda had. She inspected the small Victorian waif and leaned on the counter. "I really need to speak to Myrios. We had an appointment this morning.“ | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | "I’m sorry, but he’s unavailable.” Amanda stated matter of factly to the strange woman. There was something about her that put Amanda on edge. She made herself taller on the stool, thinking that the extra inch could possibly make her statement any more definite. The woman grinned at the girl’s bravado before breaking into a chuckle. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Well, tell Myrios that Mnema is here and that I’ve finished that thing for him, if he wants to collect it, he’ll have to meet with me.” The woman sounded matter of fact, the sad tone to her voice and mannerisms replaced with a directness as she looked at the young girl again more closely. "I’m his sister, you could say.“ | ||
+ | "I’m not lying!” Amanda blurted out, fully embracing her age for just a moment. She stared the woman down, not liking her one bit. The woman for her part looked amused at the outburst, a familiar sort of grin crossing her face. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “I didn’t think you were, little one. It’s just that I know my brother. Is he in the back?” Mnema glanced at the worn, dark oak of the door leading to the back and arches a fiery eyebrow. She takes several steps towards the door and turns the handle. Surprisingly the door opens for her and she glances back to Amanda. "You coming, little one?“ | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | "HEY! You can’t just go back there! It’s against the rules! Says so on the door!” Amanda leapt off of the stool and tore away after her, catching up to her as she looked down at Myrios, his body now half hidden beneath the couch. He’d managed to kick one of his boots into the fire in the time that Amanda had been gone. She shook her head in resignation and cleaned up as best she could. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “What’ve you gotten yourself into this time, little brother?” Mnema asked to herself before grabbing his feet and pulling him out from under the couch. She looked to Amanda and glanced down at Myrios inquiringly. "What’s he gotten into now?“ | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Amanda glanced about the room and found the empty bottle that had rolled under one of the chairs. "Some’ve this stuff. He’s been bringing some with him a lot lately. I think ‘e’s experimenting with humanity again.” Amanda walked the bottle over to Mnema, who sniffed the opening of the bottle before nodding and setting it on an end table. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “I think you’re right. He’s been into the Soma so he’s trying to get drunk. It’s a nasty thing for our kind. His brain’ll be mush for a while.” She looked down to Amanda who, for her part, was still standing defiantly before the woman. "You can stand down little one. I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’m here to deliver something he’d asked me to make.“ Mnema looked down at the quietly snoring Myrios and shook her head. "I don’t know why he does this to himself. Get the blanket, I’ll put him on the couch.” True to her word she lifts Myrios easily and places him on the couch. Amanda covered him back up and they both looked at him, each from radically different heights. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The woman looked down to Amanda and seemed to have an idea come to her, a sort of startling realization. "You know, there may be something you can do for me. Come with me.“ Mnema took a package from her pocket and motioned for Amanda to follow her. "He asked me to make this for him for someone. You see, Myrios is good, but I’m much better at a lot of things. I don’t distract myself with silly things like bubble wrap and..” The woman shudders before she utters the next words. “..corndogs. But I supposed he doesn’t have to, does he? He has me, and I’m going to guess that he has you. And I’ll guess you’re who this is for. Let’s get it set up.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Amanda seemed confused. He had promised that he had something for her, but not where it was coming from, or what it was. She’d assumed it was some new, silly thing or perhaps one of the things she’d found on the internet that she had been fixated on. The woman walked down the halls of the shop like she’d known them for Ages, which she may well have. Amanda followed her through the library, her little shoes clicking on the marble tile of the massive room, needing to take almost fives steps to Mnema’s one long stride. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Mnema stopped and pivoted. She seemed to be looking for something. A sly smile crosses her face as she seemed to have found it. Amanda looked puzzled as she finds the object of Mnema’s interest. She’d never seen that door there. When did Myrios make that room? She hoped it hadn’t been last night. Who knows what that room would look like. Mnema crossed the massive room and opened the door, stepping in and glancing about. Amanda followed as quickly as she could and was both surprised and relieved that it was simply an empty, dimly lit room. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | “Now, watch this, little one.” Mnema unwrapped the package and placed the item in the middle of the room. The item was the size of a decently sized book, cast in what looked like silver and some sort of golden metal that subtly glowed. There were green, glossy shafts of metal knotted and wound through the entire item. The woman turned and walked to the door, placing her hand on Amanda’s back to usher her out. She quietly closed the door and touched her hand to the new oak. Her hand started to glow, energy flowed into the door in soft golden waves. She smiled and knocked on the door, shaking the energy from her hand before she looked down to Amanda. "I think you should do the honors.“ | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Amanda was still unsure about the woman, but hadn’t heard Myrios mention her name, so she was either a stranger or one of the ones he didn’t mind so much. Myrios had talked from time to time about the other shopkeepers but her name hadn’t come up. Hesitantly she opens the door and squinted in the suddenly blinding light. She rubbed at her eyes and slowly they adjusted. She took the whole scene in and gasped, her face lighting up immensely and she looked up at Mnema as if she was asking permission. The tall woman simply nodded and Amanda burst into the room. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Only it was no longer a room, per se. Brilliantly warm and bright, the sunlight filtered through the thick glass of the greenhouse that the room had become. There was a garden in the middle, complete with small green sprouts and flowers. She could smell the scent of the flowers that had bloomed and felt the warmth of the sun on her skin for the first time in years. She nearly cried as she ran around, smelling everything and lifting her face up to soak in the sun as if she were a hungry flower herself. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Mnema simply smiled and left Amanda to her own devices. The girl would probably be in there for hours. The sad smile turned warmer as she walked back to the sitting room where she looked at Myrios, still slumbering on the couch. She crossed the room, looking around with a sort of amusement. Even through the rooms that separated the two she could hear the squeals of delight from Amanda and the distinct splashing sounds that must mean that she’d found the small pond that she’d included. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | She stood, looking down at Myrios and smiled before bending down and placing a kiss on his forehead, golden light flowing from her lips for the briefest of moments. "I get it little brother. But, I don’t know why you do it. They only live so long. Why get attached?”, she mused quietly to herself before she stood again. She smiled for just a moment longer before she turned to leave. She looked around as she leaves as if she’s critiquing the store. "Take care of him" She seemed to the store. The sound of the bell indicated that she’d left, the store stood silent except for the sounds of Amanda in her new garden. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Myrios awoke moments after Mnema had left, putting his hand to his forehead and feeling around it gingerly. A weary smile crossed his face and he moved to stand stiffly from the couch. He frowned as he noticed the charred remains of his boot in the fireplace. He glances about, hearing the sounds of Amanda from far away. He wandered in the direction of childhood wonder with a weak smile on his face. He stopped only in the kitchen for a cup of tea to help sort his head out. He touched his forehead gingerly as he walked, tea cup in hand, into the library. He could see the sunlight streaming out from the open door and he smiles warmly to himself. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | His steps were the uneasy shuffles of a person who is far too hungover to be awake at such a beastly hour, but he makes the trip and leaned on the door frame. He watched Amanda play in the sunlight and he smiled to himself, taking a sip of his tea. He’d promised her a garden. He could give her that much at least, even if he couldn’t give her an adulthood at least something could grow in this place. | ||
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