Merrick (shadowsremain) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-12-23 19:57:00 |
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Entry tags: | ~merrick, ~steven grant |
Cheer and Meetings
Who: Steven Grant, Lily (NPC), and Merrick
What: Christmas Lights and First Meetings
Where: Las Vegas Strip, Near Bellagio
When: December 19, 2020
Ratings/Warnings: Mild
Thankful for Ro and her not demanding wishes or the like, Merrick was walking about Las Vegas once more. He moved down the strip from Circus Circus. The djinn wore a charcoal colored suit with a sky blue shirt. His hair was combed in a mild pompadour. And he wore the rings around each finger.
Now he had reached the corner of Tropicana and Las Vegas. Turning west he stopped in front of New York. Hadn’t the djinn walked the streets of the city for the last few years and been by this casino before? Merrick shook his head for a moment, but turned his eyes back to the replica facade of the city he had once lived in and loved. His dark brown eyes seemed to lose the cynical crows feet as heartfelt emotion began to well up.
Arthur.
“Come on, daddy!”
The brown haired little girl in the pink overcoat motioned for her father to follow. Her cheeks were a rosy pink, Steve could see her words escaping her lips as she chirped at him. His knee was bothering him. He kept up the best that he could, smiling the whole way.
“I’m coming,” he called, wrinkling the end of his nose. “I’m not as fast as you are.”
By then, Lily had begun to shed her coat. The five year old began to simply drop it as if it were an unfavorable second skin but Steve managed to pluck it gently away and up, folding it over an arm.
Christmas challenged them both. It weighed heavier on Steve’s shoulders than it did Lily. She had been young when Casey had her accident, the girl barely remembered her mother and Steve did the best he could to keep Casey alive so Lily would know her without her actually being there.
The girl shimmied as they walked, dancing in place at one point before she did a twirl. Steve smirked. “You coming up with a new dance?” Lily giggled. “It’s called The Wiggle, daddy.” That wasn’t what it was called - the dance didn’t have a name - but to her it fit.
And then she caught sight of a string of holiday lights and she stopped to gawk. “Ooh, look at the lights!”
The voice of the little girl brought Merrick out of his downward slip into another valley of mourning.Turning, he watched Lily and Steve as they moved about. Such a sweet father and daughter. So sweet. It was a life he was convinced he couldn’t have. So he watched people, even aided in raising some of his many masters’ children.
The djinn wasn’t aware of the tears that had welled up in his kohl-lined eyes. He could see that the father was favoring one of his knees. Sports injury? Military injury? Curious.
“She is adorable.” Merrick commented as he stepped within comfortable speaking distance of Steve.
The voice was a strange one. The compliment a common one. Steve turned, focusing blue eyes on the giver. He smiled a bit, proud of the girl. “Thanks, but do me a favor and don’t let her hear you say that. She’s for a huge ego.” He was kidding, of course.
Turning back to Lily, the smile remained. She was adorable, even though it was his kid and he was biased, he couldn’t deny it. More and more like her mother every single day.
Lily looked over at the strange man. “I like your jacket,” she chirped, radiating brightness.
“You’re welcome,” Merrick replied as he bowed his head for a moment. “Oh I won’t.” He wrinkled his nose, joking back. It was so refreshing to talk to people he didn’t know. This one seemed to have a kindness about him, especially with this cute little girl.
“Oh, thank you,” the djinn smiled and knelt down so Lily wouldn’t have to crane her neck.”Is this pink one only our dad’s arm yours? If it is, it’s beautiful.”
Lily tilted her head. She looked up at her dad, watched him nod at her, and then her attention focused on the decorated stranger. “It’s mine,” she offered. “I got it at the kids store, it was the last one they had,” Lily explained. She lifted a hand up as if to tell a secret, cupping fingers over her lips. “I really liked this one over the purple one.”
Steve bit back a laugh as she told her little secret. He cast a look around, peering at the crowd.
Then his attention went back to the girl and the stranger.
Merrick smiled and lightly laughed. “Me too.” Sometimes it was so easy to speak to a child. Many times the djinn was so limited in his conversations. He looked up at Steve and grinned.
“Sweet young lady.”
Steve smiled, nodding. “Thanks.” While he wasn’t always keen on strangers, this man didn’t seem threatening right off. His gut wasn’t telling him something was amiss.
“We came to see the Christmas lights,” Lily explained, as if the stranger had asked for a reason why they were standing - or dancing - on the sidewalk. “Daddy loves Christmas lights.” Her smile was proud as if she revealed a deep secret.
Her father blinked, expression surprised for a moment, and then he shrugged and grinned. “A lot of people do, Lils.”
“Really? There are many to see here. Oh, he does?” Merrick smiled as he looked back over at Lily. He could easily stay happy around this little girl. Such spunk, such honesty. Her smile must light up most days for her father.
Slowly, the djinn rose to stand and nodded to Steve. “I like the lights too. The twinkling white ones are my favorite.”
Steve offered the stranger a smile, “Yeah, those are good ones. I’ve always liked the colored ones.” Vegas had lights. Neon, Christmas, flashlight on your cell phone. Either way you saw it, it was vibrant.
“We decorated our tree,” Lily said to the man. “But we have an apartment so we can’t decorate the outside.”
“Lily,” Steve sighed.
Merrick smiled. “Those are lovely.” He remembered the Christmas lights in the early 1940s while in New York City. Beautiful and new. It was a simpler time that even several candles were lovely.
“That’s good. I bet it’s pretty. It’s okay,” he nodded to both Steve and Lily and grinned. “I wasn’t able to decorate the little place I live,” the djinn spoke again, referring to his vessel but keeping it ambiguous. “That is why I am out here - to visit Las Vegas’s lights.”
Lily smiled. She did another little dance there in place and Steve sighed softly, though his smile didn’t fade. “Sort of the same situation here,” he explained. They didn’t get snow, but they had lights aplenty to look at. He kept Lily out of the casino. He didn’t want her there for a second, even if they were marketing to families.
“I made an ornament in school,” she told the man as if he had asked. With a bit of pride the girl smiled.
Steve offered the stranger an apologetic look.
“We are going to go this way, why don’t you come with us?” Steve offered to the strange man.
Merrick nodded to Steve. It was lonely being what he was, so living vicariously was always fun. But sometimes, just sometimes he ventured into having acquaintances and friends. Thus the djinn's longest pastime - walking. The casinos were not the best - the experience of certain venues was fun.
“You did?” Merrick smiled down at her. He caught Steve’s look and shook his head a little.
“Oh? Why not. There should be a fountain show at the Bellagio soon.” He offered.
Amused, Steve just watched the man and child interact. Then her attention waned and she noticed something else she was eager to look closer at. “Look Daddy!”
“I think the Bellagio is on the way, why not?” Steve murmured, shrugging. Turning himself slightly, he got a bit of a better look at the man. “I’m Steve. This little ball of energy is Lily.”
Lily beamed and then grabbed Steve’s hand and started to tug him in the direction she wanted to go.
“I think it is.” Merrick nodded. He had the whole Strip memorized by now, but new places sprung up every other year. The djinn looked Steve in the eye, noticing how he turned. “I’m Merrick. Nice to meet you, Steve. And you, Lily.” He smiled down at the little girl.
“Looks like she knows where to go.” The djinn had never been a parent, but had cared for children from time to time over the centuries.
Steve offered a hand to Merrick to shake. Lily only radiated and then kept pulling on her father’s hand eagerly. With a sigh he turned back to the girl and followed after.
A few paces would take them all toward the Bellagio. Nearby stood a vendor selling festive trinkets, Lily gawked but kept close to her dad.
He ignored the throb in his knee as they moved. It would be time to go back to the apartment soon but the outdoors was nice enough.
Merrick took Steve’s hand in his, giving is a firm and brief shake before letting go. He took a half step back, not wanting to intrude on the father and daughter.
Soon the djinn followed, slowing as Steve and Lily did. The girl was so adorable - a handful but sweet.
He slowed, looking over at Steve, Lily, and back to Steve. “I really think they need to have some sort of horse-drawn carriage ride to go with the season. It would take a load off. The Strip could be tiring.”
A glance around. Steve hadn’t realized the lack of a horse and carriage before but now Merrick said it aloud he wondered the same thing. “You know...that’s a good point.” His brow furrowed with a bit of emotion - a mixture of amusement and confusion - but then his expression evened out.
Maybe this area just had too many bystanders or moving vehicles, but he didn’t think that was a good excuse. Steve simply shrugged. “Oh well, maybe next year.”
With all of the technology and internal combustion transportation, the world was lacking the simple things - less expensive and nature. The djinn nodded. He was good at watching people - gauging some things. But he wasn’t perfect. There was a touch of sadness in his eyes, but he often blinked and let it dissolve for the moment.
“Maybe. The Excalibur would be a great hotel and casino to feature one.” Merrick grinned.
There was no doubt that Merrick was right. Steve simply nodded, smiled. “Even if they just had one, it would solve a lot of problems.” Like an overworked knee or help a little girl with tiny legs see everything at once.
Lily wasn’t fazed though. She kept hold of Steve, almost dragging him along the sidewalk. She wouldn’t know the value of vintage things for some time.
A few more steps and they approached an area decorated with illuminated animatronics. “Daddy look!”
“It would. Maybe there is a street car or something going about for tourists. Taxis, busses are not that good.” Merrick sighed as he gently slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers.
Oh to be young a little, full of energy - Merrick wondered what it would be like to be human.
“I forgot about those.” Merrick lightly laughed. Then he saw a wooden bench nearby. “There’s a bench over there.”
Steve glanced at the bench. He wanted to sit but he knew better. Letting Lily out of sight for a second could mean trouble. “I’d better stay with her. If she gets away she’s liable to stick one of those things under her shirt.” He was joking, of course, but only sort of.
“Look! A rabbit!” Lily tugged Steve. He went with her so she could get closer and see it better.
Helping those outside from his guardian or those his guardian dictated was frowned upon, but Merrick occasionally used his magic to help random people.
Then he laughed as he pulled his hands out of his pockets. “I don’t doubt that.” The djinn nodded, amused by Lily.
But he moved alongside Steve and gently kept his hand to his side. But he lighty drummed them, sending a temporary pain relief to the man’s knee. It would last till morning.
Steve let Lily’s hand go. The girl twirled closer to the animatronics, hanging back so that others could look while creeping up to the bar that kept anyone away who didn’t belong there.
It warmed him to see her enjoying herself. Lily was fairly resilient, she found the joy and wonder in nearly everything. He wished for a bit more of her optimism. And her energy.
A man who had grown to live with the bit of an ache in the muscle, he found himself able to shift more nimbly suddenly without shooting pain. He blinked.
Wanting to find more kindness and happiness in the world, Merrick had decided to make them for at least two people. He stood now, his hands clasped in front of him for a moment as he watched Steve move a little better and the blinking.
“I think I will let you two be. It was nice meeting you and Lily, Steve.” the djinn gently spoke.
Distracted, Steve nearly didn’t hear Merrick’s farewell. Lily smiled at the illuminated rabbit. Her fingers itched to stretch out and see if the animal covered in lights felt any different than a real rabbit, but she decided against it.
Then Steve turned to Merrick, finally realizing what the other man stated. “Ah, yeah. Well, it was nice to meet you, Merrick. Have a great holiday.” It was offered with cheer and a small grin, before his gaze turned back to the little girl.
“You too,” Merrick nodded with a soft smile. Then he turned and made his way further down the Strip. It was nice to meet new people and give a temporary gift of his magic.