by Carrow Brown
A small girl, no older than nine, watched us with unblinking eyes.
Hoping we hadn’t scared the child for life with our disgusting appearance, I set my pack on the ground and stripped off my soiled wetsuit and shoved it into a garbage bag. I left my damp clothes on the ground while pulling out a clean pair of jeans and my Punisher shirt. David followed suit and used a towel and baby wipes to clean himself off as best he could before yanking out a set of clothes.
I spent ten minutes trying to untangle my hair, but I didn’t make any headway no matter how hard I tired. Resigned, I pulled Silence free and sliced my hair off in sections. Halfway through, I noticed David’s wide-eyed stare. “It’ll grow back by tomorrow.”
“Is that an immortal thing?”
Grabbing another chunk, I sliced it off in one clean motion. “Nope, just a me thing.”
This is so disgusting! Silence wailed. I’d rather you ogle David’s ass than this! Get it off me! Quick!
“You are a fucking baby,” I muttered while grabbing a baby wipe to clean Silence after the last of my hair rested in a pile. Pulling a baseball hat out of my bag, I worked on my parka before shouldering the bag again and covering my choppy hair with the hat. Returning everything back inside, I lifted a hand to David. “Give me your stuff. We can store it with my things.”
“I think that’ll be too much for your bag.”
“Naw.” I patted the side of it. “I have this thing routinely enchanted to carry more than it looks. Here,” I nudged the back toward him, “check it out.”
David knelt next to me and rummaged around in his pack. In seconds he pulled out the items I’d shoved in along with a flashlight, umbrella, a two-person tent, dog treats, dice, and a plastic bag of dried herbs.
David held up the baggy. “Let me guess, you’re holding this for a friend.”
I took it from him. “I am, actually. He has chronic pain and the regular stuff doesn’t work for him.”
“I’m low-key jealous of your Mary Poppins bag. What do I have to do to get one?”
“Well,” I grabbed various items and put them back inside, “you can either pay a bunch of money or threaten someone until they do it for you.”
With everything packed away, I looked over to see the little girl still watching us. I took in her dirty face and hollowed cheeks and felt my heart ache. I fished a protein bar out of my bag and tossed it to her.
She caught it and bowed deeply before scurrying into her cardboard home.
We didn’t bother trying to blend in as we made our way into the depths of Tokyo. Being a six-foot-tall Scandinavian woman walking about Japan, I couldn’t blend in even if I wanted to. Add in David with tattoos along his arms, and the locals probably thought we were associated with the military or the mafia. People parted from us even as it grew crowded. Some stared, others discreetly took photos, and the occasional child pointed at me.
Make way! Silence said, for the Amazon Queen and her Yakuza companion!
David nudged me with an elbow after we joined the mainstream of people heading into the train station. “What do I need to know before going in?”
My teeth ground together, but not because of David’s question. More along the lines that Badb really should have been doing this and not me. I sorted through all the information I knew and tried to narrow it down to what mattered at that moment. “We’re going to a marketplace where Kitsune Haven is at. You’ll find a lot of different creatures there, which we refer to as mythics. Pretty much every myth and story you’ve heard are about mythics.”
“All of them? Even the stuff about Bigfoot?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t call him that. It started out as a joke and now it’ll get you punted across the room. Anyway, we are going to see a magi and there is only one thing you really need to know about magi and mythics in general. Don’t give them your true name.”
David frowned. “But you gave me your name, even if I can’t pronounce it.”
“Because I trust Badb and her sisters. Everyone else sticks with Ghost. You need to create a pseudonym soon.”
“But my name is on public record if people want to find it.”
“Yeah,” I said, drawing the word out. “Later you either have to get that record changed or get Badb to do a naming ceremony for you when she does the official avatar bit. I recommend the latter since that will only be something between the two of you. Public record is on the internet these days and the internet forgets nothing.”
David nodded, his expression troubled. “So I need a new name, all right. Magi even do this with each other? Keeping their names a secret?”
“Especially with each other. Human hearts are fickle and friends turn to enemies too easily. No one knew Merlin’s real name except those who raised him.”
And you gave him such a weird name as well. What does Terrwyn mean again?
“It means ‘brave,’ which isn’t the worst name out there.”
David shook his head. “Is it bad that I’m getting used to you talking to yourself? If it can speak to your mind, why can’t you do likewise?”
I tapped a finger to my temple. “Silence digs around in my head all the time, but he doesn’t understand my thoughts. He bitches that my feelings and images associated with my thoughts muddle up the meaning. My words are clear for him to understand if I speak. And,” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small Bluetooth headset, “at least I have these now. So not everyone thinks I’m nuts.”
He took the device from my hand and looked it over. “This looks like a plastic replica.”
“Because it is.” I took it from him and stowed it away in its rightful place. “It’s for looks, not functionality.”
At that moment, someone jostled against me and I stumbled into David.
His free arm wrapped around my shoulders and kept me steady. I got a lungful of his scent in my nose, the smell sending tingles up and down my spine. Combined with the solid feel of his body against mine, it took more willpower than I wanted to admit to stop myself from running my hands up along his back.
I caught our reflection in the window. The awkward expression anyone else would have had in David’s place wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Instead, his eyes were half-closed and his head pressed close to mine while his arm tightened about my waist possessively. Anyone on the outside would have seen two lovers traveling together.
The thought created a twisting pain in my chest. Stepping away from David, I muttered, “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be.” His hand trailed along my side and down my arm until our fingers were loosely linked together. “I’m not.”
Hey, can I interest you in a naked grandma in the shower today? Extra wrinkles and saggy tits for all!
Turning from David, I focused on moving with the herd of people toward the exit. David and I emerged out of the station and wandered into Tachikawa, where multiple people attempted to hand us flyers, until we made it away from the station and surrounding stores.
After twenty minutes of walking, I pointed to the gap between two buildings. “There it is.”
He hesitated before following me into the narrow passage and remained quiet as we approached a vagrant huddled up on the ground next to an aluminum roll-up security door. I fished around in my bag and tossed a red gem into his tin cup. In a smooth motion, he palmed it into his hand and used his cup to knock on the door.
“Mind your step,” he rasped, while the door rolled up high enough to allow us inside.
We entered, and the doorway slammed shut. In the distance, a pinpoint of light could be seen, and I walked toward it with David close behind. Magic flowed and ruffled my clothes as we passed through the dark hall and a modest archway.
As we stepped into the light, a large dog with shaggy fur lifted his head to sniff at us. I couldn’t see his eyes through all the fluff, but I did note the large paws and white teeth peeking through his parted muzzle.
Why are you here? the dog asked, making David jump. His voice in my mind was a lo
w rumbling growl akin to a passing thunderstorm.
“We have an appointment with a client in Kitsune Haven,” I said. “Possible bar hopping afterward.”
The dog snorted and rested his head back onto his paws. Behave.
“Yeah, yeah, we’ll be good.” Grabbing David by the arm, I pulled him with me.
He kept his head turned in the direction of the guardian. “That dog talked.”
“Foo dogs do that.”
“Foo dog? Isn’t that—” David’s words cut off and he came to a sudden stop as a beautiful woman dressed in a decorative kimono sashayed by. Her gait drew attention to the sway of her hips and two foxtails. One of her fox ears, the same color as her midnight black hair, twitched at us in passing. Her scent, a mixture of temple incense and animal musk, filled my nose.
“That’s a kitsune,” I said to David, pressing a finger under his chin to close his mouth. “Some are good, some aren’t. Keep them at arm’s length unless you can get them to owe you a favor.”
A large raccoon-dog-looking thing, walking on his hind legs and holding two clay jars in each furry paw, bumped into my leg. He gave me an angry look and snapped at me in Japanese.
“You watch where you’re going,” I snapped back. “How did you not see me? I’m six feet tall!”
He snarled and kicked dirt at my leg with another nasty comment before walking off.
“Yeah, keep moving, trash-panda,” I said to his retreating back.
David stepped to my side, watching the creature disappear into a crowd. “Was that a tanuki?”
“Yeah.” I adjusted my jacket and looked at David. “You know them?”
“My dad used to tell stories about them when I was a kid. I didn’t consider the possibility they were actually real.”
“Well, they are.” I tugged on David’s arm. “Try to not look like a tourist in the market area.”
Hanging gardens decorated the walkways above us, adorning the early evening sky. Floating lanterns traveled through the air, illuminating darkened corners and casting a warm light on the surfaces and the crowd of mythics. The moment we came into sight, merchants swarmed us like preschool children with an ice cream vendor. Some waved their wares in our faces as we passed, yelling their sales pitch in a mixture of languages from Japanese to English to Swahili.
“A lover’s problem? I have the solution here with my potions! They can’t argue with you if they’re dead!”
“Keep yourself safe with my specialty blades! Discount for pretty ladies.”
“Hey, there, pretty-pretties. I’ve got just the charm for you.”
“Suspect a lie? My artifact forces all to speak the truth to you!”
Along with their words came the magical pull to move toward them. I felt subtle desires for items I didn’t need, like a coin that always landed on heads, a necklace to attract new love, and even a leopard-patterned Snuggie.
I turned to check on David and pull him away from merchants if needed, but he was busy shoving one away who was waving women’s thongs at him.
I tried to not laugh at the sight, mostly because of the glare he gave me. “You all right?”
“Yeah,” he grunted. “These people are pushy.”
David and I continued our march through the demanding merchants and let out a breath once we emerged from the bombardment.
When we were finally in the clear, David let out a long sigh. “That was intense.”
“Yeah.” I looked back to watch merchants swarm the others passing through. “Must be farmer’s market day.”
“Is it always focused on self-defense items? Half of them were selling things for magical protection. I’d think your type would keep things in order.”
The observation gave me pause. “It’s not uncommon to have those things sold, but the market only goes up when there is a need for it.”
You’re thinking about the missing Valkyrie, aren’t you?
David’s head swiveled around at the buildings on either side of us and up at the lanterns floating overhead. “How is this place even here? There is no way it fits inside that tiny building.”
“We’re in the Under, the whole of the market is, and we make multiple entrances, though some get destroyed over time. Some creatures, like the Fae and those who escort souls to the afterlife, can create temporary doorways.”
“Good to know. So where are we heading?”
I pointed to the end of the road where a large building rose up and towered over the other two-story structures around us. It kept to the structure of a several-tiered tower with multiple eaves common among the traditional Japanese buildings. The tiles lining the roofs were dark, bringing out the white paint of the building. “There.”
“Looks fancy.”
We walked the rest of the way to the building with only an occasional merchant calling out to us. David, though his face impassive, took in every mythic who walked by. By the time we arrived at the base of the building, David’s head had stopped jerking around at every creature we passed.
A flight of stairs painted in a rich red led to the delicate paper sliding doors of the building’s entrance. Along the outside a few mythics mingled among each other and spoke in soft voices. Most of them sported fox ears and a varying array of tails, ranging in number from two to five.
By the stairway leading up to the main building, A sign stood tall with golden kanji characters painted in an elegant style labeling the building as “Kitsune Haven.” Next to it rested a menu of the dishes prepared inside.
“I don’t think I can afford to walk in there,” David said, looking the sign over. He walked over to study the menu. “Definitely not. There aren’t any prices listed here.”
“Good thing the client is paying,” I said, taking the lead up the stairs.
We stepped into the lobby with a neutral faced hostess glancing up at us. Her attention settled on David. “Irasshaimase.”
David looked at her and then me. “Tell me you speak Japanese.”
“I speak most languages,” I said. Looking to the hostess, I said in Japanese, “Hello, we have a reservation with a Caldrin Leafstorm.”
She blinked but recovered herself enough to nod and jot something down on the notebook in front of her. Still speaking in Japanese, she said, “This way, please.”
The woman led us down a hall toward a set of stairs.
“How many languages do you speak?” David asked.
“All of them, more or less,” I said. “Part of the job requirement. You don’t know Japanese?”
He snorted. “I speak English and Arabic. My father is Chinese, but he never taught us.”
“Really? No curse words in Mandarin? Or Cantonese? I learned some good insults in Cantonese from a monkey.”
David gave me a look. “Do I want to know why you learned Cantonese from a monkey?”
“It was forever ago when I was learning this fighting style called Fist of the Impulsive Monkey. Profanity was part of the training.”
“Now I know you are fucking with me.”
“Am not! It’s great for beating up people bigger than you and mocking them at the same time.” I tapped the back of my hand to his chest. “But it’s still weird your dad didn’t teach you anything. What was his reason?”
“He said he wanted us to be Americans and not Chinese in America.”
I shook my head. “Different strokes, different folks.”
We followed the hostess through another narrow hallway and around a wall separating the bar from the dining area. The neatly arranged tables had a fantastic view of the cityscape through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view was impressive for sure, but I focused my attention on the man the hostess walked toward.
He fidgeted in his seat, eyes shifting about at each person who walked by. Dressed in a plain black suit, black shoes, black undershirt, and black tie, this was clearly a man who liked black. His clothes matched his eyes, but they made his pasty pale skin appear translucent. He’d slicked back his blond hair to an old ‘70
s style I’d seen with business men.
This is the guy that wants to kill someone for fourteen million? I hoped for more, Silence said, his tone unimpressed.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Silence.”
Why not? Everyone else does.
I had to admit I agreed with Silence. The guy didn’t look the part, but I would have been the worst to judge someone based on appearances.
Pulling in a breath, I mentally thought back to the list I’d created from the Friends and Influence book. Smile. Use name. Be genuine. Listen. I could do it.
When he saw us walking toward him, his eyes brightened as he rose and extended a hand toward me. Spotting David, he hesitated. “Ms. Ghost?”
I took the hand and shook it. “Just Ghost, Mr. Leafstorm.” His palm felt clammy in mine, but I didn’t scent anything akin to fear or nervousness from him. I withdrew my hand, keeping my face neutral, and gestured to David. “This is my partner, Phantom.”
David nodded his head to the man and offered his own hand. “Pleased to meet you, sir.”
I watched the magi carefully, taking in another breath through my nose. He fidgeted enough to show he was nervous, but I couldn’t pick up the aroma for it. The unease I felt about the job became a heavy weight in my stomach.
Caldrin and David finished their handshake. The magi’s eyes shifted between the two of us. “I thought I hired a single enforcer.”
“Sometimes we work in pairs, Mr. Leafstorm.” I waved a hand to a chair and smiled. “May we sit?”
“Oh! Yes! Forgive me.” He sat in his chair, as we did likewise. “Sorry for the misunderstanding. There isn’t much information when it comes to the enforcer known as ‘Ghost.’ And what there is, is a little contradictory.”
I grimaced at the thought that he’d asked around about me, and what he’d been told. “I’m sure there is a lot out there, but our work history reflects good quality and timeliness.”