by P. S. Power
Without hurrying Zack went home in the dark, taking only a few minutes of walking to get there, now that he'd figured out where the stores were.
Chatting with Troy for a while, he realized they needed to throw out the pot that had been used for the Samsara, before Troy ate from it, and convinced him to eat cereal instead. Then he went out and bought a full set of towels and a large box with pots, pans and other kitchen stuff. It would be an adventure of sorts, actually owning a few nice things, he reflected.
He got to bed earlier than expected and shocked himself by sleeping without any dreams.
Chapter twelve
He rounded the corner just before nine in the morning, hands loaded with the things he'd bought for the window display, to find the store already open. Lisa waited for him at the front, sitting behind the counter. She watched him with a smile as he walked up to her.
“Zack! How are you doing today?”
“Good. I thought I was supposed to open today... Don't you get today off? You just worked open to close for the last two days.” He put the bags on the counter, which landed heavily on the glass surface making him want to wince a little.
“I'm just here for a bit, then taking off for the day. Some people are coming to do some paperwork in a few minutes. So I heard there was a bit of adventure Friday? It was good of you to help out Charli like that. Claire told me that you and Apprentice Dan went all the way to Toronto, to the Underground there? I hear that place is wild!”
She nodded at the front door as Master Wu-Li and Dan came into the store, followed by a very good-looking woman with brown hair, and Valerie. Claire saw this, walked over from her shop, and came right in. Lisa invited them all into the back, taking Zack by the arm so that he knew that he needed to come too. A ring of chairs had been set up off to the left of the node and the carpet that covered it. He sat next to Lisa as she indicated him to do with a wave of her hand and a small smile. It wasn't real, being a bit too professional for that.
“We've all been filled in as to why we're here, or were present at the events in question. As Zack's employer, I'm here only to represent his interests and not in any other capacity at this time. Shall we begin?”
The woman with Valerie stood up, drawing all attention to her instantly, even though she didn't project any air of allure that a pretty face wouldn't have commanded.
“Mr. Hartley, I'm Patricia Swanson, leader for the Alede at this location. Did you sign this document yesterday?” She held up the paper Valerie had written the day before. He nodded after looking at it and smiled at Valerie, who looked a little subdued.
Patricia handed the paper to Claire, who read it, then handed it off to Master Wu-Li, who in turn handed it to Dan. Dan looked perplexed when he read the document. He handed it to Lisa, who spent the most time reading it.
“Zack... You know you could ask for a lot more and get it, right? What you're charging for this is... small compared to what anyone here would have expected,” said Lisa, frowning. Her Shadow self asked him straight out if Valerie had coerced him using sex... or threats.
He answered in the same way that Valerie hadn't and that she had actually behaved herself pretty well in that regard, all things considered. The Shadows of the others chimed in all at once, except Wu-Li and Dan, who simply regarded him in identical postures on both levels of being.
“Well, honestly, I can't see that I did anything so special. I mean, I'm glad we were able to help Charli and that she's okay, but I can't see why you'd be paying me for anything. As it is, as far as I'm concerned, we can tear that up if you want. Valerie wouldn't leave until I took more than making shopping available from Beautiful Plus for Hilda. She said that people would think they were taking advantage of me or something.”
Lisa looked at him, deliberating for a moment. “I see. Well, that document is signed by Zack already, and Valerie. I say we run with it, on the condition that this emergency situation doesn't reflect on any future work or payment. Let's finish that and move on then?”
Patricia signed it, glancing from Lisa to Zack several times first. Lisa took the paper and signed it next, then handed the paper back to the head Succubus.
Master Wu-Li went next.
“What do you think would be fair from us, sir? We can easily match what the ladies are offering in gold. I doubt that either my or Dan's 'services' would be as interesting to you however.” The room chuckled as one.
“Actually... I think maybe you could help me with something. Could you, or Dan maybe, show me how you do that running thing you do? Dan almost ran me into the ground the other day and I know he slowed down a lot, waiting for me to catch up.”
Dan started to say that it took a long time to learn such things, but Master Wu-Li held up a hand and asked Zack if he'd like to learn some other secret things as well, such as what he witnessed in the basement when they got Jennifer back.
Zack agreed readily. The old man knew stuff, a lot more than he showed in those few moments of one fight. While being able to run fast and without stopping would be useful, probably more useful than fighting, it would be interesting to see what the Master had to share with him.
“That's... probably worth more than what Patricia and Valerie signed for, if I can learn any of it. Is it fair of me to accept that?” He looked first at Lisa then at Claire, who wouldn't steer him wrong in such a thing.
Claire spoke up, saying that it would be a valuable thing indeed, if he could master any of those skills and that she thought it of at least equal value with the first contract. Even Patricia nodded after a moment.
Lisa wrote up this contract, leaving what secrets to be shared up to Zack's ability to learn and any strictures Wu-Li's group might have. They all signed, this time Claire also signed as a witness.
That left the Vampires.
“Normally my, organization, would trade information, favors, or gold for such things if we could. We're prepared to offer fifty-thousand in gold, unspecified information that may be requested or provided as needed, at our discretion, over the next five years, and contracts to no less than five businesses for candles. Oh! Also I'll deliver frozen yogurt upon request three times per week.”
The others stared at her for a moment, no mouths hung open, but they were truly baffled. Zack smiled though, getting it for once.
He looked at her and returned with a suggestion of two frozen yogurts per week, two thousand gold, information as they saw fit, business contracts for Candles and More and dancing lessons. Because he knew that he had been sorely lacking in that department, even though it had been fun in an odd way.
She actually clapped her hands and said 'oh, goody' in front of everyone before she said it would be agreed, as long as he took at least five thousand in gold.
This agreed and signed to, he shook hands with Master Wu-Li and Dan, Patricia and Valerie, who held themselves in so tightly they seemed like normal people at the contact, and then Claire, whose hand left a chill on his own for several seconds after she let go. Then Zack ushered them out of the store so some actual work could get done at some point during the day.
“You know that if you'd asked for ten times as much, and no one would have batted an eyelash, right?” Lisa said. “For that matter, you probably still could. Since the topic of payment for services has already come up, there's that little matter with Jennifer... Everyone is waiting for your demands, or requests, as I think this incident will show everyone that you aren't dealing like the Demons do at all, once word gets out.”
She sat looking at him, the soft pink sweater dress she wore looked nice on her, he thought. She also had on a belt that looked cool, made of silver rings maybe? She wore the same mid calf boots as the other day, he noticed. He realized that he'd pulled his mind away from the topic at hand, trying to avoid it, knowing she wouldn't like his answer too much, or at least her people wouldn't.
He took a deep breath and let it out in a soft sigh.
“No.” He made eye contact then.
“Huh?”
“I... I'll tell them that, Zack. Beth and Barbara might have something to say about it, but everyone else will just have to accept it if that's what you've decided...”
“Barbara?”
“Oh! That's the other woman that left with Jennifer? Beth's partner. They run a bakery. They're also a couple... I don't know if that kind of thing matters to you. We haven't had a lot of time to get to know each other yet, have we?” She had tilted her head down and looked up through her lashes at him a little.
“Why would it bother me that they're dating? Or is it the bakery that might bother me? I like baked goods. I thought you were all Mages and stuff, though. Do Mages run bakeries often?” He leaned forward, interested in her answer.
“Most high level Mages, and Beth is high level, make money a lot of different ways. Beth is worth millions. She runs a Bakery because it makes her happy. Barbara knows about us, but she's a regular Human. What I meant though, was that I didn't know how you would feel about gay people.” She held his gaze meaningfully.
Her Shadow self cleared her vague hint up though, being nice like she was. I like women. I have a girlfriend. Can I bring her here or do I need to hide her, so you aren't uncomfortable?
“Oh, I see. Well, I'd love to meet your girlfriend, Lisa. What's her name?”
Lisa sat up suddenly. Getting up she rounded the chairs and went into her office coming out a few minutes later with a framed picture.
“Her name is Deidre. This is her here, on the left.” They were both in the picture. Lisa stood next to a slightly round lady with short, curly, dark-colored hair and light olive-colored skin. The woman, Deidre, had a nice smile.
His inner self spoke to the photo, Hello, Deidre!
Her Shadow self poked out of the photo briefly to say, Hello, person I don't know!
Handing the photo back he told her that her friend seemed nice. He hoped they could meet in person soon. Lisa beamed at him, as if he had done something particularly special or good.
“All right, Lisa. Now, unless you have work to do, go home or do something fun! Go, go! It's Sunday, I should be able to hold things down for a day or two even. I'll call if I need you... Bye!”
A short thirty-five minutes later he got her out the door. He wondered if she might be a workaholic or something? When she had gone, he started getting things ready to change the front display into something special.
Hours passed as he worked, slipping by in a haze. The display looked good as he finished it, even if he was saying so himself. There was a mass of cream silk, bright flowers, candles, oil lamps with red oil in them, and two incense holders. As he finished he realized he hadn't gone to the Import store to check in with them about having incense burning.
“Hey, Claire? Is there a directory of phone numbers for stores in the mall? I need to call down to the Import store and make certain it's all right for me to burn incense here. Lisa said they did fire safety for the whole building, right?” He saw her through the front glass of the store, coming over with something held in her hand.
“Indeed there is, but I wrote the number down for you so you won't have to rifle Lisa's office.” She appraised his work as they stood in the door. “I have to say, I'm impressed with your window display. It looks very professional. Have you had similar experience before?”
“I worked in a fine furniture store for a few months. They mainly had me doing floor displays, then fired me when I didn't sell enough furniture... The furniture looked nice on the surface, but it was all wood, mainly, and they didn't kiln dry it, so it would crack and stuff after people bought it. So... yeah... I didn't do so well there in sales.” A shrug followed this.
“Well, this looks great. People might actually start thinking this is store and not a storage room with a glass front. Lisa's a doll, but her idea of running a store... Well, you saw what that was. I guess I don't have to mention it, really.”
A hand reached out and touched him on the upper chest. It chilled him a little through his shirt. Her inner self simply said, You did well earlier. People will begin to understand soon, I think.
Then she turned to leave after handing him the paper, a small smile on her face.
Since he didn't have anything better to do he decided to give Imports a call and see what the fire code and rules were. The phone picked up instantly, without ringing, and a voice with a Middle Eastern accent spoke.
“Imports, this is Ghurian speaking, how may I be of service today?”
“Hi! This is Zack, down at Candles and More? I was told that I needed to check with you about fire safety and such. I have a new window display and I thought that it might be nice to have some incense burning in it. So...”
“Ah! Very good then. I shall be right down to check as to its safety. I shan't be a minute.”
The phone clicked.
About that minute later a man with dark skin and hair, brown eyes, and a very nice suit walked in the door.
“I am Ghurian. We just spoke on the phone I believe, Mr. Hartley? You are Mr. Hartley, yes? You said your name was Zack? Very good to meet you. Much talk has been about you in the last few days here and in some other places as well.”
The man appeared to be made out of fire. He didn't have a Shadow in him at all, he seemed to be the Shadow, with fire and flame being condensed somehow within him, to make the solid parts visible to Human eyes. It made sense that his people would be in charge of safety that way then. They probably knew all about not burning the world down, after all.
“Yes, I'm Zack, Zack Hartley. I... I don't mean this to be rude in any way, but, are you made out of fire by any chance? I sometimes see things that are unusual, so I thought I'd just check, as this one is new to me...”
The man laughed out loud and clapped him on the back heartily. His hand warm, but not burning.
“I'd been told you were a man of great discernment! Indeed, I and those like me are of fire... Speaking of fire, shall we look at what you have for me today?” He walked to the front and eyed the display for a moment.
He suggested an additional fire extinguisher be placed on the wall near the display, and gave him the number of a company he could contact to have it installed. They found a small one in the supply closet that Zack could place near the display, but out of line of sight until one could be put in permanently.
“I do like your use of fireproof faux stone there. If it's not stealing your idea, I'd like to use something similar in my own window in the future... Not that it's my business... but incense can at times irritate those with sharp noses. You may wish to check with the proprietress across the way before you begin? Just so you won't have to call again, yes, I think you are also safe for candles and oil lamps. Anything with a flame less than four inches should be fine. If greater fire is desired, please do not hesitate to contact me. Allow me to leave my card with you. Please use it at need.”
He bowed slightly and left.
Taking the Djinn's words to heart, he selected a dozen different sticks of incense from the display, discarding most as being too strong even for him. Walking them to the front of the store, Zack waited a few minutes and smelled them again, after his nose had time to recover from the first scent testing. He discarded two of them and packed the other ten over to Claire for the real decision.
He stood outside her shop and explained what he had in mind before she came out, in case it turned out to be a bad idea. She laughed and came out, smelling each one in turn.
“Oh, this one is rather nice... No...No...I could handle this I think...No...Yes.” The final one she pulled out had a r
ose color and a slight woody scent to it.
“This one is very fine. You should check with your Hilda, but I think this might work for her as well. She has a keener nose than I do though.” She smelled the stick of incense one last time and handed it back to him.
“My Hilda?” He tried to raise his eyebrows as he had seen others do.
“Well... You've shared meals with her several times, and in dealing with Succubi you made a point that they were to deliver her pretties and not bother her with their, erm, intense natures? That could be construed as laying some claim toward her at least, so yes, your Hilda, I think.”
He pondered this for a moment. He hadn't really thought about it in that light. He certainly liked her, but since he had been making a point of not thinking about his past, that meant avoiding thoughts of sex all together at times, since so many negative things from his past had involved that topic, the idea just hadn't come up for him.
He said as much to Claire.
“I wonder if that's why I keep trying to avoid them, the Succubi. The Incubi too, come to that... That Norris guy creeped me out the other night, to tell the truth. Hm. I guess I need to face that stuff eventually. I can't go through life avoiding all thoughts of sex forever. Or my past, as much as I'd like to.” Seeking to change the subject he cast around in his brain for something less potentially painful.
“Um, you know when Master Wu-Li and I went to find Jennifer and bring her home? I killed a guy. I think it may have been Jennifer's father.”
She just nodded as if they were talking about the weather. He wondered if she'd already figured most of this out for herself, or if she just had a superior poker face, what with three centuries of practice and all.
“It was her father, according to the Master. He said that you acted only to protect the girl from certain death. How do you feel about that?” She had turned and looked down the almost empty mall, toward the other stores.