Into the Realm Eternal
Day 3, morning to afternoon
Shay poked her head around the corner of her room and peered down the hallway in probably the most suspicious manner possible. She’d heard Lazarus say he was leaving for breakfast, she knew where they were going so she could follow at her own pace. That left the two boys unaccounted for but given that she’d locked herself in her room last night and go right to bed she wasn’t sure if Andri was still there. Creeping down the hallway in her cami and short shorts. Now was the time. Sneaking into Lazarus room she closed the door and began her search.
Quite a while back she had noticed a collection of disks that were titled “Herald” She knew that there had been an incident in Loom a few years back and it had to do with Lazarus. A new search had turned up quite a bit on the subject but she had to wonder why Lazarus had the collection of disks.
It was morning. It felt like it hadn’t been morning in a month. Not the physical definition of the time of day, but the subjective one, the “morning” that followed “a night” and “sleep”. A veil had been lifted and the world had regained its colour, its smells, its vibrancy. It was magical.
He scoffed as he got up. It
had been magical, of course. Lazarus had been kind enough to offer him to stay overnight and Andri had been too exhausted to refuse. He had been too tired to shower as well which he fixed quickly. Then he stared at his phone for a while, wondering if he should contact Kanna. Deciding against it, he slipped the device back in his pocket and went out of the guestroom once again completely dressed.
He had someone to thank. And he had no idea where to find her. But interestingly, he didn’t have to look for long. Her figure was sneaking out of a room in a
very suspicious manner that made his eye twitch. She noticed him but as soon as she did, he turned his face away, pretending not to have seen her.
My first gift for you he thought as he walked towards the kitchen, flowers in hand hoping she would come find him when she’s ready.
Pawing through the boxes in the top of Lazarus closet Shay narrowed her eyes as she seized upon a box. The disks were in it; with quick fingers she tapped through them. Taking one of them out she peered around his room once more before sliding out of the room and stalking down the stairs towards the dining room. She needed her laptop which was no doubt still in the living room.
Turning the disk over in her hands she was lost in thought as she walked into the kitchen; stay ringlets of her hair blocked her vision as she contemplated her find. Looking up she froze and her eyes went wide as she noticed Andri. Rather slowly she lowered the disk to her side as though it were nothing in particular. “Good morning. How are you feeling?” Her voice all but squeaked.
Come on pull it together. You weren’t doing anything wrong, well...that wrong. Lazarus is still keeping shit from you. It’s really his fault.Shay made a beeline for the teapot doing her best to act normal.
Shit. Her laptop was sitting on the dining room table.
Andri's eyebrows arched - apparently she hadn't noticed him after all. She was holding something and feeling obviously guilty about it. He didn't question her but as she stepped around him a smirk blossomed on his lips and he dropped the toast he was buttering to turn around and watch her better while leaning on the counter. “I'm okay, thank you. Alive and healthy, thanks to you.” He reminded her that he wasn't contagious, although an under note in his voice was definitely teasing. It vanished with the next sentence, which was as well-meaning as intended. “So I got you these.” He reached behind and withdrew a large bouquet in greens, whites and pinks that he'd somehow managed to get yesterday night. He'd been too tired for anything else but this couldn't have waited. “Lazarus told me you like camellias.”
The look that blossomed on Shay’s face was pure shock at the gift he presented. It took her a few minutes to gather her thoughts before she smiled. “Thank you, I love them. You didn’t have to do that.” Taking them she turned to one of the cabinets and hunted for a vase. Taking it down she stuck it under the water still staring at the flowers as she set the case down on the counter. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Its funny but I’ve never tried to separate souls before or I guess parasitic essence from a soul. In theory it should be rather straight forward. But it’s different when it's actually a person.” Pushing her hair back over her ear it was clear she felt bad about suggesting he was just a project. “Lazarus makes it all so impersonal when he talks about dealing with essence but it's so...not...in fact it's the exact opposite.” A smile curled at her lips and she suddenly snapped around and shut off the water before setting the vase on the counter and adding the flowers to it.
“Although I see you have a super power too, finding flowers at such an hour.”
It was playful and she followed it with a teasing smile; the disk sat forgotten on the counter.
Andri chuckled and rubbed his forehead. “Untangling souls doesn’t sound easy to me at all. I can barely see essence and even then it’s only thanks to my weapon. But I can’t blame Lazarus for misleading you. Teachers at the Academy are on a completely different level than most of us, and even among them Lazarus is special. Either way, I have to admit I’m impressed. I’m sorry for doubting you at the start.” Feeling slightly embarrassed he turned back to his toast, put some salt on it as well and bit into it hungrily and spoke through it with a smile. “Which begs the question, how quickly can you get dressed? Unless that’s what you wear outside, of course.”
Shay shook her head and waved her hand “Please. I’m barely an adult and frankly I wouldn’t trust me either. You know the first time I came into contact with something like magic I was kinda drunk. So this is a much better start for us I should think.” Blinking Shay looked down at herself. “Oh. Crap.” Blushing she tucked the rest of her hair over her ears. Looking up at him she chuckled. “This is as close of a peek as you are getting. And as for the essence things it's really not as great as you think it is. It really just...complicates shit.” Looking up at the stairs she considered for a moment. “Like. Ten minutes maybe? Depends. Do you want make-up or not?” The playful grin was back as she stood hands on her hips and an eyebrow quirked. “Don’t make a lady wait.”
Andri almost choked on his bite as it got in the way of laughing. “It depends on what you intend to do with me!” Now she was definitely flirting with him and he could have pointed out that there’s at least three more (innocent) ways to see more of her but he didn’t. Instead he demonstratively looked at his watch as he finished his toast.
Rolling her eyes Shay turned and started up the stairs. It felt like a no make-up day. Something about Lazarus being gone and Ian being strangely absent. The dressing didn’t take long and neither did the pony tail since her hair decided to cooperate with the brush. Turning her head she looked at her face in the mirror. Yeah, it was a no make-up day.
Turning she walked over to her bed and pulled out the trunk underneath it. Unlatching it she pulled the top up and contemplated the contents. In Finch’s Loft there was an armory; it was anyones guess why Lazarus maintained the damn thing considering she’d never seen him touch a firearm beyond teaching her how to use them. The trunk held her gear and it was significantly smaller and less deadly. Fishing in the truck she retrieved a subcompact handgun and the lower back holster for it. Plucking two more sets of items from the trunk Shay hooked a pair of cylinders slightly larger than old fashioned film roll containers onto the back of her belt. The second pair of items were rectangular and the length of her arms which was where she strapped them. A gift from Lazarus, the lethal kind.
Pulling a hoodie on over her long sleeve shirt. With a final look at herself in the mirror Shay headed down the stairs. “Okay where are we off to?” she said as she rounded the stairs.
Khepri. Stay.Andri gave her an approving smile and a nod. “I asked Lazarus what you like and he didn’t really say ‘flowers’ but what he said was impossible to get at night-time. So… Unless you mind, we’re off to see the Academy’s private collection of Egyptian magic and rituals.” He beamed as he offered her a buttered toast. “Breakfast on the go is included.”
Shay’s mouth dropped. The look in her eye was that of girlish delight. “You’re kidding me.” Taking the toast she grabbed his hand. “Come on, let’s go. Forget Lazarus and Ian. You fucking rock.” Dragging him by the hand Shay pushed the door open and tugged Andri after. Kicking the door closed and snagging the lock mechanism with essence she pulled it closed. “Flowers, Private Egyptian collections, and a cute guy. Let's go.” Shay’s ears turned pink at the last comment. “Don’t let that go to your head, yeah?”
Andri couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm and the utterly confused messages she was sending. It had been a while since he’d managed to do that carelessly. “As you wish, princess.” He joked and let her lead the way.
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