She said confidently.
“Ah, okay well. That day-”
Quinn feels a hand pressed firmly on his right shoulder. Whispering sternly into his left ear, Lucifer says.
“Tell her whatever you want, but leave me out of it.”
The boy feels a cold sweat, drip down the side of his face.
“Ahem. I found a dying oddity. After having a prolonged conversation with it, I decided to help it out. Through doing this, that oddity now resides in my body. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it seems like the mere presence of this oddity, draws other oddities towards it. Or maybe more correctly, it causes energy to center around it, which causes oddities to form near it.”
Neri quickly wipes away her excited smile.
“So, you’re saying you have turned into an oddity magnet?”
“Yes.”
“And before helping that oddity, you didn’t even know what they were?”
“That would be the gist of it.”
“Does that mean, that oddity is here right now.”
“…Yeah.”
“Interesting.”
“I guess that is one way to put it.”
“Then before we go any further, I just have one thing to say.”
“?”
“Welcome, to the world of the occult.”
Quinn feels something well up inside him. “That earnest welcome, almost gives me a sense of ease. Almost. Actually, maybe it’s more accurate to say, having someone else to talk to about this with, has lifted a weight off of me.”
“There should be plenty of time to explain everything, else with due time.”
“Hm?”
“While dealing with this dream eater, that is.”
“I thought you said, it was practically solved?”
“It is, you just need to stay awake; but you might find that easier said than done. That’s why, we should have a plan of action, to keep you awake.”
“Alright, I understand.”
“Tell me what I need to know?”
After catching her up on the details, the two make plans on what to do for the next day.
“Since tomorrow is Friday, we just need a way to keep you awake until after school. Then you can come over here and we can work together, keeping you awake until the oddity is beat.”
“Over here?”
“Yep.”
Quinn shuffles in place slightly, while feeling some type of concoction of emotion.
“Okay.”
“That’s when we can go into more detail, on what I do and don’t know, about oddities.”
“That seems like a very specific way to put it.”
“Because it was.”
“Huh.”
Quinn gets up.
“Alright then, I’ll head home and get ready for tomorrow. Even though, it’ll still feel like today.”
“You’ll be fine on your own, for tonight, right?”
“Yeah, well, I’m not really alone.”
“Ah, that’s right. Then I won’t worry about it.”
As Quinn leaves, Lucifer pops out, looking at the house.
“You know, I won’t be helping you stay awake?”
“Come on, we’re almost there anyways, why not just end things?”
“Because not just do I not get anything out of it, you putting strain on your body only serves to hurt me.”
“You’re really going to be like this, now?”
“Maybe if you made it worth my while, but you simply are not in a position to offer me anything.”
“It sounds like you wouldn’t help me, even if I was in serious trouble.”
“That’s right. If it doesn’t affect whether you live or die, I could care less.”
“Real bundle of warmth, aren’t you?”
“I’d like to think so, thank you for noticing.”
“How is that not a lie?”
Lucifer places his fingers onto his forehead.
“It isn’t easy, being as well rounded as I am. It makes other assume that you’re putting on airs, simply because you were being yourself.”
“Is there any reason you would do something, without profiting from it?”
“…”
“That seems like a yes to me.”
Quinn gets a mischievous grin. “You’d better hope, I never find out what that thing is.”
Returning home, Quinn uses every stimulus he can think of, to stay awake. At school, he focuses on snapping a rubber band, on his wrist and writing down lines of code, onto paper. “I can’t even feel this rubber band anymore and I’m fairly certain not an ounce of this code is correct. I’m also, starting to feel like I am at deaths door.”
Lunch picks Quinn’s energy back up, for a couple minutes, before it plummets back down. He sits down, back against the wall outside.
“How’s it going thus far.”
Quinn glassy eyed, looks up at Neri.
“Yeah, not good. Honestly right now, I’m sure about making it through class, let alone the day.”
“Hm, you should pick up once school is over; but first you have to get to that point. I know, why don’t I do something to wake you up?”
“Uh-huh, like what?”
“What could I do, that would give you the biggest surge of energy?”
“…”
Quinn slowly closes his eyes, keeping them shut for a bit, before reopening them.
“I could scare you.”
“How?”
“Good point. I could hit you.”
Quinn winces back.
“Come on, it won’t be that bad.”
“But…”
“You really don’t like anything. How about words of encouragement?”
“Would that work?”
“We could try.”
“Okay…”
“You can do it! I believe in you.”
“…”
“Are you more awake now?”
“No.”
“Fine then, last resort, stand up.”
He does as instructed.
“Close your eyes.”
“w-Why?”
“Close your eyes!”
“Eh…”
He nervously does so, standing still for a moment, he feels his nervousness grow. “What is she doing?”
After a couple more moments, he asks.
“What are you doing?”
“…”
“Neri?”
Quinn slowly opens his right eye. “Huh?”
Not seeing anything in front of him, he looks around, taking a step forward. “Where’d she go?”
“Gah!”
Jolting forward, Quinn turns around seeing the girl hanging off of the roof, with a big smile.
“How was that?”
“Yep, I do in fact feel more awake.”
“Good, then make sure to make it through the day.”
“I don’t got much of a choice.”
Finishing the lunch break, Quinn drags himself through the rest of the school day.
“Nice job.”
“Thanks.”
The two of them begin walking back to Neri’s place.
“Any ideas, on how to keep me awake for the next, Mh… for the next twenty hours or so?”
“Team work makes the dream work.”
“Ah.”
“I mean, the opportunity to learn more about oddities, should keep you awake that long.”
“You have twenty hours of information.”
“Ah, well, I can stretch it out.”
“By how much?”
“Nineteen-hundred percent.”
“I don’t need to be able to do math right now, to know that probably isn’t happening.”
“It’ll be fine.”
When they arrive, Neri stops outside.
“Okay so, you’re going to have to stay on the downlow while you’re here.”
“Huh?”
“I couldn’t really think of a way to explain, why you’d be here for a c
ouple days, to my grandparents.”
“I’m just supposed to stealth around the whole time?”
“Don’t worry, it’s a big place. The odds of them finding you, is like a one in two chance.”
“Those aren’t good odds.”
“Really? I’m rather partial towards those chances. Well, let’s head in.”
Quinn hesitates. “At this point, I’d rather not.”
Carefully heading back to Neri’s room, the two sit down at the desk.
“Wide awake right?”
“For right now.”
“Then this is as good of time as any.”
Quinn gets a bit more serious.
“Let me tell you everything I know, about oddities.”
Quinn tightens the grip on his knees. At that moment, there’s a knock at the door and a little, grey haired, old lady comes in.
“Sweetie, would you and your friend like some snacks?”
“Sure grandma, thank you.”
“No problem dear. Nice to meet you, young man.”
“Likewise…”
The older woman takes her leave.
“Where was I? Ah, right. Oddities are collections of energy, formed by people’s desires.”
Quinn twitches a bit. “Right back into it I see.”
“Because of this, it seems like what they can do varies wildly, along with how dangerous they are to people. Thwarting them, are oddity specialists.”
“And what exactly is that?”
“People who learn about and use special means to counter oddities.”
“Special how?”
“I don’t really know.”
Quinn frowns.
“Okay.”
“And that would be the gist of it.”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t worry, I still have a variety of details to add, it’s just…”
“Just what?”
“The accuracy of them varies greatly.”
“How so?”
“Some of them are theories, others postulates, and conjectures.”
“Those are different things?”
“Of course, every word has a subtly, or not so subtly, difference in meaning. With those, I would say accuracy of the claims will be about, ninety-nine percent, seventy-five percent, and under fifty percent.”
Quinn let’s out a sigh.
“Alright then, tell me everything you can.”
“I was already planning on it.”
Over the course of the hour, small nuances where explained, in extraordinary detail. Concepts on how different specialists, will have different specialties. “They seem almost like law enforcement.”
How it seems like some oddity’s intelligence can match, or outstretch that of a humans. It’s likely that there are multiple groupings of superior oddities, working together to further their own means.
“I wouldn’t be surprised, if some even worked with specialists.”
“Hmm.”
Quinn thinks about his own. “Not so helpful helper.”
It also is pointed out, that it’s clear that specialists have their own information network, along with having access to some form of special help.
“Help, like what?”
“I’m not entirely sure. It’s clear that regular people can’t deal with oddities on a consistent bases; but I haven’t got a clue on what they might have specifically.”
She glances to Quinn, then away from him.
“Well, maybe I have an inkling forming; but nothing to concrete yet.”
The girl starts going into even more specific concepts, like types of reading materials, different activity’s a specialist might do and how they might make their income. Quinn raises his hand to stop her.
“This is information.”
He pauses and looks at the glitter in the girl’s eyes.
“That I am sure to hear eventually; but I would like to shift focus here. How is it you know about this stuff?”
Quinn glances to the side. “Especially, how incomplete the knowledge is.”
“Ah, that’s because my mother was a specialist.”
Quinn feels himself tense up. As he calms down, he notices Lucifer is at his side, looking down at the girl.
“I figured it out that she was an oddity detective, through putting together bits and pieces of conversations, from over the years. That’s how I figured out what I know now.”
“I see. Wait, so you found this information out from things she said?”
“Primarily. After they passed, I had looked through our old house; but it resembled that of any ordinary home.”
She gains a somber look for a moment, before shifting back into her previous gear.
“I mostly had gotten one major clue.”
“That would be?”
“Ah, well.”
The boy narrows his eyes. “Why does she seem bashful all of a sudden?”
“That would be a puzzle my mother left me. When I saw it for the first time, I knew it confirmed the theories I had.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I believe it’s her last message to me and that it will answer my questions, about this world.”
“You believe it will?”
“I haven’t solved it yet.”
“Ah… Do you really think it will answer your questions?”
“Yes.”
“Hm.”
Quinn starts contemplating. “What type of questions do I want answered? A target of vengeance, would they be an oddity specialist? If so, then if I where to find one, could I also find the one Lucifer is looking for?”
“Do you have any idea on how to get in contact with any specialists?”
“Nope.”
“Hm.”
Quinn glances to his side. “Does Lucifer have any input. Mhh…”
Lucifer has a vacant, melancholic expression. The slight que in Quinn’s face, causes Neri to look over to where his eyes where gazing. When she does, her and Lucifer’s eyes meet.
“Uh.”
Lucifer’s eyes widen, before closing. He vanishes.
“You can’t see them, right?”
“No. Just saw that you were looking at something.”
“Huh.”
“Are you still feeling awake?”
“For right now; but I can constantly feel the weight of my eyelids.”
“That won’t do. We have to do something, to keep your mind awake.”
“Okay.”
“Hmm.”
As the girl thinks for a moment, Quinn’s thoughts subconsciously drift away. “I’m not sure what to do with this information.”
The feeling of waking up in a panic, flash to mind. “I can still feel the adrenaline. I’m so tired, as well. At this point, I’m really starting to hate this.”
Thoughts of dancing around a knife, playing with his life, the moments of gripping fear. “Why me? Well, at the end of the day, it was my decision to make.”
“I know, some light exercise should do it. Let’s see here.”
Neri looks through the sports section.
“This will do.”
She grabs a soccer ball and begins heading outside.
“Come on.”
“Ah, if we must.”
As the boy gets up, still thinking about the haunted house, the parts of his memory with Neri in it play out. For an instant, an image of the other girl their flashes in his mind. “Oh, that’s right. Maybe, I can keep dealing with this, for right now.”
Time begins passing. Some moments where each tick can be felt, others that slip by rather quickly. The difference maker seemingly isn’t the activity, but the involvement of a certain someone, in said activities.
"If getting up after a fall and trying again was really all it took to win, then we'd all be winners, wouldn't we?"
The lose screen pops up again. Quinn quizzically looks at his controller.
“Did that move just insta-kill me?”
“Yep, that’s the power of the Single
Blow Sure-Killing Art.”
“I can’t tell if it’s because I’m tired, or just bad in general.”
“The answers obviously both.”
“I know, I just wanted that moment of hope.”
“Want to go another round? I can try winning with only pokes.”
“No thanks, I’m starting to zone out.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No, I just need a moment to refocus.”
Quinn rubs his eyes.
“Alright then. This is around the time my grandparents will be heading off to bed, I’m going to go tell them you left already.”
“Okay.”
Being left alone, Quinn tries to get his mind thinking straight.
“…Hey, Lucifer.”
No reply.
“Fine, be that way.”
After a minute, Quinn begins feeling the danger of having been left alone. Struggling to keep his eyes open, until Neri returns.
“You seem, like your about to pass out.”
“Yeah!”
“Don’t worry, that’s why I brought this.”
“Hmm?”
Neri hands the boy a cup of coffee.
“I put a pot on. I’m not sure how you like it, so I just brought everything with me.”
“Ah.”
Quinn stares at the cup. “I’ve not really drank much coffee.”
He takes a sip, puckering his face from the bitter taste.
“Bleh. Okay, things need to go into this.”
“Here I was thinking, you seemed like a black coffee type. I still have a long ways to go, it seems.”
“Couldn’t we just go out and buy some energy drinks or something?”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“Energy drinks are bad for your health.”
“Oh-uh, okay then.”
The boy finishes stirring his coffee, taking a sip.
“Feeling better?”
“The bitterness woke me up, a bit.”
“How many hours do we have left?”
“About that, I can’t seem to get a clear answer.”
“Hm, from your oddity friend?”
“…Yeah.”
Quinn gives a subdued look. “That doesn’t seem right. Though, I can’t think clear enough, to know how to correctly describe him and I.”
“Either way, just keep chugging caffeine and focusing on staying awake. Until the dream eater is beaten.”
“…Uh-huh.”
Quinn takes a particularly long time to respond, with such a simple reply.
“…Hey…”
Oddity Specialist: World Of The Occult Page 10