Sid Capra (machocabrio) wrote in summerview, @ 2019-02-19 23:15:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, player: dorothy, player: lyddia, sid capra |
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes turn and face the strange
2/12 (after this
Dia ✦ Sid
A 2000 Year Old Satyr Attemps to Explain Things to a Teenager PG COMPLETE |
Sid gave a very indignant click of his tongue at the implication that he could be anything but delightful. “We are going to be the best of friends, Sheriff. I promise you,” he insisted, offering a wink to Dia. “There’s no better place to get settled in Summerview than the Satyr. Believe me, I’d know.” He had only been there for six months, after all. It was where he’d gotten settled in himself. He gave Jayati a salute as she walked out. “Alright. So let’s see. Where should we put you..” He galloped around to the reception desk to look at the wall of room keys, tapping an index finger against his chin thoughtfully. After a moment reached for a key that would put her on the third floor, near the back of the B&B. It had the least amount of windows, but was a warm room. And cozy. Safe. “Let’s go see your room, shall we?” He skipped back around the counter to offer her an arm like some kind of old timey gentleman. Dia watched the young man with great interest and a measure of amusement. He was really quite beautiful, especially with those green eyes and the delicate curves of his neck. And he had so much energy! Yet manners, too. Instantly charmed, Dia slipped a hand into the crook of his elbow as she giggled. Best of friends, he had said. Well, this was certainly a good start. “So, I’m Dia, but I never got your name,” she said, cheerily. As they walked, her head practically swivelled from side to side in her attempt to notice everything, until she realised that she might be perceived as not listening. Even then, she was easily distracted by the artwork and furnishings. It was good he wasn’t a mind reader, because Sid would have been absolutely tickled the point of laughter that she considered him young when he had nearly two thousand years under his belt. But it was an easy mistake to make. Fae were very slow to age, and he had more energy than he should have. Than was reasonable for anyone to have ever. Had he not linked arms with her, he’d be taking the steps two or three at a time with a long-legged, bouncing gait. But for her safety, he tamped down his energy enough that he mostly didn’t rush them up through the B&B. “It’s been a lot of things, but the one I like most is Sidney. You can call me Sid though. Everyone does.” The inn itself was very rich in color and decor--a lot of deep, warm hardwoods, a lot of reds in the carpets, curtains, and furnishings--but the trip up the stairs ultimately wasn’t terribly interesting. “I haven’t been here very long myself. This was my uncle’s place before, I guess he wanted to retire.” “And he just gave it to you?” Dia laughed. From all she'd heard of Summerview, she fully expected that to be the truth. Like, ‘Here, have it or I'll throw it away.’ She was beginning to wonder if she was dreaming. For as energetic as Sid was, Dia found she had the capacity to keep up, even skipping a step here and there, laughing as she did. She had no baggage (just her purse) and it felt good to play like a little child for a moment. This town invited it and Sid was infectious. When they made it to the hallway, she tugged on his arm, lightly, enticing him to run with her. If her mother hated cities, obviously, she'd never been to Summerview! “Oh yeah,” Sid said, shrugging casually, “I mean, he didn’t have any kids, but he wanted to keep it in the family so I was the obvious choice.” This was said with a heavy implication that he was the favorite. “I was supposed to come take over a few decades ago, but I was busy.” Settling down at any age was difficult for a Satyr--though obviously there were exceptions to that rule, like his uncle who’d settled in Summerview centuries ago and hadn’t left until Sid showed up to take over--so he hadn’t really felt like he was in any particular hurry to respond to his uncle, and then he simply forgot. They stopped outside the door to her room, he let go of her arm and turned the key. “And here we are.” He flung open the door to reveal a cozy little room filled with very antiqued furniture, following the same color scheme as the rest of the B&B. “I can find you a different room, of course, if you don’t like this one, but I figured… Fewer windows.” Perhaps the phrase ‘a few decades ago’ would have meant something to someone else, but to Dia, it translated as a mere hyperbole for ‘a few years ago’. After all, he didn't look much more over 25, if that. A few decades ago, he would've been a mere child, by her estimation. Obviously, he was exaggerating. Stepping into the room, she breathed a soft, “Wow!” and ran her fingers over the nearest table. “This is beautiful, Sid, but….” She knew what Jayati had said, but that was Jayati. This was the owner of the Sleepy Satyr Inn. “How long could I keep it and how much would I owe you?” Magic was fun wasn’t it? And deceiving. Absolutely deceiving. But she’d figure that out soon enough. He was pleased she enjoyed the accommodations, though he really couldn’t take credit for them. It had all been done by the previous owners. Still, it was all very tasteful and cozy, so he could appreciate it as well. “As long as you need,” he shrugged. It wasn’t as if they got a lot of traffic. They didn’t have a full house now and probably wouldn’t for some time. “No charge, babe. You’re settling in. If The sheriff says you need a place to stay, I give you a place to stay. This is how it works around here.” “Really?” She was having a lot of trouble believing this. “Aaaaw, thanks. I'll...owe you one.” Dia's expression turned somewhat troubled then. “But all my stuff is in Atlantic City. I didn't pack anything. My car is there. My job! And Jayati left.” Had she been abandoned here? Was this the other shoe finally falling? “How do I get back?” Her hand rested on her purse, which was still on her shoulder. It contained her wallet, but that was only a small comfort. “Nah, kid,” he shook his head fervently, curls wobbling in all directions as he did. “We look out for each other here, at least as far as I understand it.” Although, that was sort of his motto wherever he went. It was the way of the Old Gods from back in the day when he was born, and even before (like when his old ass uncle was born), and hospitality afforded to travelers was just good karma. And as a traveler of the world himself, it was particularly important to him now to pay that forward. “We can get you some things for the night I think, and we’ll find you someone to collect the rest of your things in the morning. How’s that?” And then, and mostly because he usually was, he asked, “Are you hungry?” Dia’s eyes widened with a touch of panic. “So...I can check out, but I can never leave?” It wasn’t that she wanted to leave, per say, but she did very much want to be able to leave should she ever desire to. “And what about my job? I can’t just not show up for work! I mean….” Could she? It was a terrible, horrible thought, but yes, she could just not show up for work. She swallowed nervously. “They’re good people, Sid. I need to at least break my lease on the apartment, legally. Reputations and rent histories are important!” Sid laughed lightly, humming Hotel California for a moment before shaking his head. “Nah, it’s not a prison. But you’re definitely asking the wrong guy about that logistical stuff. We’ll see what the Sheriff suggests in the morning, maybe? She might be setting you up with some kind of mentor a little uh… Better at human things than me.” This was the only piece of property he’d ever owned. He had no rental history to speak of, nor had he ever had a “real” job. But those all sounded like very real concerns. “I can’t be certain, but I would assume she brought you here for a good reason. And it’s fairly easy to get on and off the island. If you’re. You know. A little different.” Apparently people didn’t take kindly to being called weirdos which was his prefered affectionate moniker for the people of Summerview and other sanctuary cities. “I’d take you myself, but my bike doesn’t hold two.” Just a little, restored, mint green, Sunbeam S7. A late 1940s beauty that had traveled the world with him for the better part of the last century. His reassurance did help a little, but Dia was hardly relaxed about the entire affair. Had she known she was moving tonight and not just getting a quick peek at things, she would have insisted on bringing her car at the very least, and hopefully an overnight bag. But here she was with nothing. Except a little cash. Mostly quarters. “Okay,” she said quietly. “But I hope Jaya-- the sheriff comes before morning. I sleep during the day, typically.” And then she frowned in confusion, turning on Sid. “Doesn’t everyone? I thought the whole point of this place is that everyone here is like me: allergic to the sun.” “Ah, hmm.” Sid was rather easy going, and he was definitely not annoyed that he seemed to be left to explain the entire history of magic to his new guest but… It certainly would have been helpful if Jayati had given him an idea of what to expect before she went home. But he supposed that was why she was the sheriff and he was the bard? “Six of one, half dozen of the other,” he said with a shrug, hands in the pockets of his furry pants, rocking back on his heels. “I personally only sleep when I feel like it, but I’ve always been that way. Satyrs have a lot of energy. There are some like you who are only out at night, there are all sorts of daysiders, and then there are those like me who make their own hours. Different strokes for different folks, my dear. Magic is weird, has all kinds of rules.” Dia listened with ever-growing perplexity. Her brows lowered even further. Then one lifted. When Sid had finished speaking, she stared at him in complete silence for ten seconds. Finally, she spoke. “Magic isn’t real, stupid.” The sound that came out of Sid’s mouth was one of extremely exaggerated indignation. “Rude.” He said, one eyebrow raised right back at her. “I assure you, Magic is very real.” And with that, he let his Glamour drop--the one he employed to appear more human and less… Shiny and goaty--kicked off a shoe and revealed one lone goat hoof. “If that’s not Magic, I don’t know what is, Miss Thing.” The young girl's mouth fell open and she took a step backwards, her black eyes still very wide with shock. Several expressions flitted across her face, from confusion to a desperate search for denial and back to shock. Simultaneously, her mouth moved as if trying to form words, but none came forth. Finally, after finding a semblance of balance, seated on the bed, she asked in halting syllables, "What...are...you?" Sid was maybe a little impressed she hadn’t outright fainted. He re-Glamoured himself and put the shoe back on. “I told you, I’m a Satyr.” The word had no meaning to Dia. Was it one who could change form? Perhaps. She pondered the sounds a moment and then logged them away for further scrutiny when her brain was working again. For now, she merely whispered, “Okay,” as she continued to frown at Sid. She was glad he looked normal again, but she kept glancing at his feet, almost afraid they would change again. Then she had to know. “Can Jayati do that?” She gestured indelicately towards Sid’s feet. What? How didn’t she know about Satyrs? The words broke his poor little heart. Could Jayati do… No, of course not! How ridiculous. “I think we need to get you a book.” A children’s book of Fairy Tales probably. “The Sheriff is most decidedly not a Satyr.” She was far too stern. Even the grumpiest Satyr had at least a hint of a sense of humor. Sid had yet to crack the code on hers, if she had one. “She can do… Other things.” Frankly, she was kind of scary. Dragons in general were scary. “Come on, I’ll show you the library. Maybe it will help clear some things up.” He offered his arm again, though he wouldn’t blame her now if she didn’t take it. That was sort of a rude awakening, even by his standards. Dia hesitated, but nodded. She found her knees were a little unsteady now, which was the only reason she took Sid’s arm. She wasn’t at all sure she could walk reliably. Her trek down the hallway was far less jovial this time and if Sid said anything, Dia didn’t catch most of it, until she asked, “How did you get magic?” What an odd question. There weren’t many species around who… Became magic. It was almost all inborn. He gave her a strange look as he led the way back down the stairs to the main lobby of the inn, and through a wide, open hallway to the cozy living areas. “I was born with Magic. We’re related to the Faeries, so the Magic we have is very old.” She had heard of faeries before, but everyone knew they were pretend, too. Didn’t they? The girls in Dellville and in Atlantic City wore them printed on their shirts, in their jewellery, and on their cell phones. They were very popular, but they weren’t supposed to be real. And there were the mushrooms. Faerie rings. She still didn’t know what those two had in common. “You don’t look like a faerie,” Dia said. “Why don’t you have wings?” Everyone was always so hung up on wings. Sid made a mental note to be very careful when he introduced Dia to Chrys, one of the other guests and a proper Faerie. Or worse, the bar owner who’d probably at the very least, give her a nasty glare. For his part, Sid laughed. “Faeries don’t have wings. Pixies have wings. There’s a difference.” That made the young girl laugh and the look she gave Sid clearly conveyed the fact that she did not believe a word he was saying any more. “Everyone knows faeries have wings. Duh. Besides, you’re too big to be a faerie. Unless you can make yourself little, too. Can you? Change your size?” The shock of seeing Sid change was beginning to wear off and with that, some of her curiosity, wonder, and cheerfulness was beginning to return. “No, that’s also Pixies.” Too big to be a Faerie indeed. Actually though, he was much taller than the Seelie or Unseelie, and frankly also taller than a Satyr had any right to be either but. There were always anomalies. “The other Fae in town are shorter. There’s one on the first floor here, one owns a restaurant, and one has a bakery. But not tiny.” He marched over to the shelf to pull a picture book containing different species of all manner of magical creature off the shelf for her perusal. “This should help clear some things up, I think,” he said handing the book to her before flopping down on one of the sofas, feet perched on an ottoman. Dia rolled her eyes, but gratefully accepted the book. It was like receiving a dictionary in a foreign language, but a forbidden language. It was both a key and a poisoned apple. Just staring at the cover made her look over her shoulder guiltily. Then she opened the book. Image after image passed slowly before her as she flipped the pages, not even bothering to read anything. There were faeries (or pixies, to keep Sid happy) and dragons and unicorns and mermaids. She knew those. They were popular among the teens. And there were other strange creatures that she’d never seen before. Like Satyrs...except that she had seen one of those now. And...oh! “Gargoyles?” she asked, looking up at Sid. “Gargoyles are...people? Like, real people that move and stuff? Not just statues on buildings?” There were definitely Faeries in there too, but they wouldn’t be what she’d expected. Hobs and Brownies and Cait Sidhe. Seelie and Unseelie. Tricksters and deals and stolen babies and changelings, but also helpers and cooks and menders and house cleaners. Magic was varied and complicated, and so were it’s people. “Oh yeah, they’re very real. There are some here even. They look just like you and well, me I guess, when they’re not stone. You may have met one before even and not known it.” She frowned at that and looked closer at the page, finally beginning to read. Flipping forward, she found Satyrs and read about them, too. Then Faeries, then Pixies. Then she shut the book and pondered a moment. Maybe this was why her mother hated the city. She was sure she’d never seen a gargoyle until she’d moved to Atlantic City. And, although she couldn’t be certain she’d never seen the other creatures, since they had this thing called a Glamour, she guessed her mother would know and pick a place where there weren’t any. And that explained why she had so carefully kept her daughter away from such things. Perhaps. But what about other people whose mothers didn’t prevent them from watching certain movies or reading certain books or using the internet? What about the girls and boys who wore Magical creatures on their clothing and things? “So, if all this stuff,” she gestured vaguely at the book, “is real, why don't people believe in magic and stuff? I mean, my coworkers talk about unicorns and dragons and stuff, but no one really believes it because it's not real. Is it? Is Harry Potter and Twilight and Disney...are those true stories?” Not that she’d ever seen any of these things, but coworkers talked and when they did, she listened. Well at least she was coming around to the idea, but if course that meant there were even more questions for him to answer. Sid was still not sure he was the right one to answer any of these questions. But he supposed, being one of the oldest people on the island, maybe it was more appropriate than he originally thought. “No, definitely not. Especially not Twilight.” He raised an eyebrow at that. Did she really not have any idea what she was? He wasn’t going to spill the beans on that if she didn’t, but but he’d definitely dissuade her of that opinion. “But there might be a grain of truth in some of the old Disney movies. If you squint maybe.” This was all very strange and hard to take in. She remembered speaking with Jayati earlier that evening. What had the sheriff said? The sanctuary cities were there because people had persecuted the Others and, presumably, driven them off their lands like the American Natives had been done. Which meant that there were some people who believed this stuff. It didn’t make a lot of sense. And then she looked straight at Sid with wide eyes as goosebumps rose up on her arms and she felt the hair on her scalp stand on end. Horror! “Sid,” she breathed. “Why did Jayati bring me here? I’m not Magical!” Oh dear, had she really not? Had she completely overlooked the most important bit of information before dropping Dia off at Sid’s B&B? Oh he had some words for the Sheriff now. Which he would likely cushion with a batch of Shara’s cupcakes. He leaned toward her and sniffed the air around her. “I can’t tell you what you are for certain,” he said, which was mostly true. She had that metallic smell that Vampires did but it was fainter than that. And different. “But I can tell you, you’re not entirely human. You’re magical, babe.” “No?” Dia's voice hitched higher in panic. “No. No, I'm not. Magic is evil and I am definitely not Magic.” Her eyes were starting to water now and her hands began to shake as she clutched at the arm of the chair. “I don't want to be Magical, Sid. Don't make me be Magical.” And then the first tear fell. Whoa, whoa. “Whoa, babycakes, I don’t have that kind of power. You kind of either are or you aren’t, but I can tell you there’s nothing inherently good or bad about Magic. All of that is in the hands of the person wielding the magic. Magic isn’t evil, but people can be.” Who told her that anyway? Because he had some words for them too. Dia shook her head, not yet ready to accept this new fact, as she wiped away the tears. “I'm just allergic to the sun. That's all. Jayati misunderstood.” More tears, which she hastily wiped away. “I can't be Magical. My mom would hate me!” And suddenly, she was done with this conversation. Standing up, she said, “Thanks, Sid. You're nice and all, but I need to go back. Can you call Jayati?” Well if that didn’t just break his soft mushy heart too. “I hate to tell you kid, but the Sheriff is never wrong.” Or at least rarely. Though he’d pay to see the cajones on the guy who told her she was wrong sometime. That would be a sight to see. He reached for a full box of tissues from an end table and handed it to her. “And if your mother would think any less of you for being different, then she doesn’t deserve you.” It was a rare thing for him to be in the position to be giving any pep talks, but he was usually okay at them. At least he was pretty sure. His intention was sweet and she accepted the kleenex gratefully. However, for all the woman's faults, Dia still loved her mother, and the ‘pep talk’ just made her cry harder. Since Sid did not seem to be calling Jayati any time soon (and even if he did, chances were, the sheriff wouldn't want to hear it), Dia sat back down and tried to compose herself. Three soaked kleenexes later, she sighed and rested her head on her hand, with a defiant sigh. “So, what kind of Magical am I then? A damn faerie?” She scoffed, obviously not believing that to be true. Ah, well, he tried. In any case, he felt like he was still doing an okay job, considering he had no idea he’d be doing this tonight. “Uhhh… no definitely not a Faerie. If you were you’d smell something like this—“ he held his wrist out for her, pretty sure Vampires, or at least Vampire adjacent whatever she was, could probably smell his magic on him. “Or at least, something along those lines. Let’s work through this.” He patted the seat next to him. “Bring the book, and let’s see what matches.” Because honestly he wasn’t sure either. Dia gave him her most unhappy teenager look, but with a dramatic flourish, brought the book and sat down beside the Satyr. “You do smell nice,” she offered. “Thought it was cologne.” Setting the book on her lap, she opened the first page. “Dragons. Yah. I think I'd know if I was a dragon.” She gave Sid the tiniest of smiles and flipped the page. “You know a lot of people with cologne that smells like weed, do you?” Sid asked, an eyebrow raised. “If anyone tells you that, they’re lying.” Though probably a lot of teenage boys tried that trick, now that he thought of it. “No, definitely not a dragon,” he agreed on a laugh. Oh the irony of that. Would she even believe it if he told her Jayati was one? Probably not. At this level of distrust, seeing was believing. “Besides the sun thing, is there anything else strange? Anything that sets you apart?” Dia made a face at the weed comment. She wouldn't know what weed smelled like if she smelled it. Apparently. She tried to think of anything strange about herself, but her heart was not in it. She didn't want anything to be strange. Staring at the picture of an enchanted object, she ran her finger along the pages. “I was homeschooled,” she answered. “We never had guests or parties and never went anywhere. That's kinda strange, isn’t it?” And then a happy thought suddenly occurred to her. Without waiting for an answer, she smiled and added, “I'm really good with horses. Is there something in here that's good at training and riding and stuff?” And what a shame that was. The first few things she listed off were very human things. He wasn’t even really sure what home schooling was, to be honest. “It is,” he agreed with a nod, in response to not going anywhere or having people over. Sounded like her mother knew she had something to hide. “I don’t think so,” Sid said apologetically, “but let’s see.” He flipped to an index so she could look for something--anything--about horses. “Anything else?” There was nothing in horses, per say, but there were Centaurs and Unicorns. She read both, quietly and with care. Neither really fit, both to her relief and disappointment. She might not have minded being Magical if she could be a horse. Right next to Unicorns was Vampires. She'd hastily skipped over that section her first time through. Like faeries and mermaids, she'd heard of vampires and they were scary: dark, sadistic, predatory creatures. Some of her coworkers played a vampire game that made her skin crawl when they talked about it. Even the sparkly Twilight ones looked like death warmed over in most of the merchandise. And this one had blood dripping down her chin. How revolting and gross! Dia had drunk blood before. Well, her mother had called it a blood tonic, so it was different. It was medicinal. That didn't make her a vampire. Anyone could take a blood tonic. She paged quickly through that section, again, until she came to Werewolves. Werewolves weren't so bad. Maybe. Except, this book said they were cursed. “Anything?” Sid asked, watching intently as she flipped past Vampires without reading it. Wasn’t it funny how people refused to see what was right in front of them? Always making things complicated when the answer was so simple. “No,” Dia sighed. She let the pages slip through her fingers and nearly shut the book. But one other word in the index caught her eye. She quickly flipped to the section and scanned the entry. “Gifted humans?” She looked up at Sid. “Is that it? I'm gifted?” Sid wasn’t one hundred percent sure what she was, and while he was fairly certain gifted human wasn’t it, he was pretty sure it wasn’t his place to tell her even if he did know. And the night had been strange enough for her as it was, he decided the best course of action would be to let her have some small peace of mind, despite the fact that he had some misgivings. “Ah, hmm. Could be! I’m not really the expert though.” He shrugged emphatically. “In any case, finding out will be an adventure, won’t it?” Of course Sid thought it would be an adventure. Dia was just happy the conversation was over. If she had to be Magical, there was some comfort in still being human. At least she didn't have to worry about getting goat feet or something worse. “Yah,” she agreed, giving him her best customer service smile. “Can I keep the book for a while? There's a lot I haven't read yet.” Everything was an adventure as far as he was concerned. “You can keep it as long as you like,” Sid replied with nod. “I think it will be helpful for you. Getting settled in. If you decide to stay, and all, that is.” It seemed like a good safe place for her, especially with her complete lack of knowledge--because, please! Who didn’t know what Satyrs were? Dia smiled gratefully, both for the book, and for the hint that she didn't have to stay if she didn't want to. That actually made her more inclined to stay, oddly. After she got her car and things and-- “Oh! I have to figure out what to do about school!” She bit her lip in a frown, and then pushed the thoughts aside. “We can figure that out later. I think you mentioned something about food a while back. So, I'll just run this book to my room and get my purse and then meet you back down here.” School? Pah. What a modern, human concern. What could one learn in a classroom that one couldn’t learn simply by living? Sid had never been to school. He did not see a use for it, and he’d gotten by just fine for 1990 years without it. “If you say so,” he said, wrinkling his nose, “I think there’s a school on the island though. Maybe you could just transfer?” Sid nodded. “I’ll meet you in there, it’s off the lobby to the left. Or uh. The right if you’re coming down the stairs, I guess. You’ll find it.” “Okay,” Dia answered, cheerily. The moment she thought she was far enough away that Sid wouldn't notice, she ran the rest of the way to her room, unaware that she moved uncommonly fast. She slung the door open and grabbed her purse, locating her phone in a moment. Oh, where had she put that card? Table? Dresser? Pocket? Ah, pocket, of course! Hastily, she dialed Jayati’s number, just as the door clicked shut from her entry. Jayati had definitely not been expecting a call so quickly, although maybe that was her mistake. She found a out of the way spot in the aisle of the market and dug her phone out of her pocket, “Dia?” Because why answer with hello when someone had worked so hard inventing caller ID? “Jayati!” Dia kept her voice quite, but her tone was as firm as her mother used whenever she was in trouble. “Why did you bring me here? This is a place for Magic people! Sid’s got me down there reading a book trying to figure out how I'm Magical and the closest thing I can come up with is maybe I'm a Gifted Human. Except being allergic to the sun is more of a curse than a gift.” As she talked, she fished the hairbrush out of her purse and began willing some order to her hair. It was tricky trying to balance the phone on her shoulder and brush her hair at the same time, but maybe she had a Magical talent for that. Nothing was certain to her any more. The handle of the buggy was cold when Jayati sighed and leaned down to press her forehead to it. Maybe she should have called Mircea first or Mai, but it had seemed like a better idea to get her settled where she would be sleeping first. Really, it seemed rational. Plus, Sid was harmless, as far as the Fae went, right? “I brought you here because you are Magic, otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to cross the barrier.” True, and it was straight to the point as well, something hard to argue with even though Dia probably didn’t realize that, “Look, Sid hasn’t been young for a long time, he doesn’t realize how overwhelming all this is. Just tell him you need some time, and he’ll probably let you off easy.” Probably, hopefully, “I have someone a little more, eh, your speed coming by tomorrow to talk to you. It’s going to be fine. Everything will make sense soon.” Was that a good pep talk? Honestly, she wasn’t sure, she was not the one people brought kids to when they were upset, unless they were looking for Revenge or a harsh snap back to reality. Dia paused with the hairbrush long enough to give the phone a queer look. Did the woman really just say Everything will make sense soon? That didn't sound at all suspiciously like Jayati wasn’t telling her something. Nope. Not at all like the sort of thing her mother would say when she was trying to plan a surprise. Dia huffed. “Well I got Sid to let me borrow the book and finish reading it later. Right now I'm supposed to be meeting him for dinner, so I've got to be quick. I don't mind staying here. It's a heck of a lot better than my apartment. But I need my car and I need, like, clothes for tomorrow and a toothbrush and stuff? If you can make that happen, I'll stay.” And if she didn't, she'd have to stay anyhow, because it was too far to walk. Hopefully, the sheriff wouldn't think of that. As if…. Oh, she recognized that kind of noise alright. Jayati’s fingers toyed with the container of cherry tomatoes in her cart, barely restraining from popping one in her mouth, “Look. I’m not the best teacher, or explainer, clearly. Or I would fuck this up even more than Sid already has.” If he had. At least the girl called her instead of running away, so progress? Now that the thought occurred to her, maybe she should call the people on shift at the bridge to keep an eye out. Dia wasn’t a prisoner, but having her take off with knowledge of the town and half formed ideas wasn’t a great idea. Plus, she was a kid. Legally, physically and emotionally. “None of that will be a problem. I’m at the store now, I’ll pick you up the basics and drop them off for you, tomorrow we can have someone drive you into town to get your car. Or just have it towed, we have a pretty reliable mechanic.” Daniel was probably one of the better at passing for normal, all things considered. “I'd rather it not be towed. If I'm going to be here, I might as well close my lease and move in.” Breaking lease was going to be expensive. She might have to bounce a check. But she'd solve that problem later. “Don't worry. I'm still living out of my suitcase, so it won't take me long to pack up. But I've gotta get back to Sid before he starts to worry. Thanks Jayati!” And then she remembered what she was going to ask. “Oh! Say, how old is Sid anyhow? Is it okay for me to be hanging out with him like this? I mean, going to dinner and stuff?” Jayati hummed her agreement to that before remembering that Dia wasn’t one of her deputies and would need a bit more than that, “Good idea. Let me know if you need any help covering the cost.” How had she even managed to get an apartment at her age? Did she already have a fake ID? That was impressive, she’d fit right in around town. Uh, how was she supposed to answer that in a way that didn’t make Dia freak out more? Well. Better throw the truth at her, Sid couldn’t lie and she didn’t want him making a liar out of her later, “Last I heard he was pushing 2000, we’re all kids to him. If you’re uncomfortable though you can excuse yourself from dinner, or just eat in the dining room. You guys probably won’t be the only ones there.” Another thing she wasn’t expecting. Clearly she was far too used to kids raised with this sort of knowledge, taking it for granted. Two thousand years! That would mean he was born around 19AD. Electricity hadn't even been discovered yet. Or the New World. The Romans were still the big world power, but not yet Nero. Dia barely heard the rest of what Jayati said, so when there was a pause and her mind was still reeling, the best response she could come up with was slow and lacked most of the inflection. “Okay. Thanks. I'll...talk to you later.” She slipped the phone into her purse, then, along with her hairbrush. She still hadn't quite caught up to the fact that anyone could live two millenia, but she didn't have the time to get used to it if she didn't want to be under suspicion for her tardiness. So, she ran back down to join Sid, slowing first to a walk when she thought he was close enough to notice her haste. Sid was not a gourmet chef, nor did he want to get too crazy in the kitchen after dinner had already been been served and the cook who would be in to make breakfast the next morning would certainly have words for him if he left the place a mess, but if Dia said she needed to eat, by Oberon he was going to make her something to eat. Jayati had left the girl in his care, after all. This was his job now. So, based on what he knew about American human children, he’d cobbled together a can of tomato soup, which he’d dumped messily into a pan with some milk, and grilled cheese sandwiches--two, one for each of them with an obscene amount of butter and cheese--because while she might be an adolescent by human standards, she was still very young in comparison to him. And he was pretty sure this was what could be considered “comfort food”. And what better thing to eat when one had just had their world turned upside down (personally for him this would be something with olives or mizithra cheese, so not totally far off, cheese seemed a key ingredient in the creation of comfort food)? “Ah!” He said, looking up from the frying pan just as he flipped over one of the sandwiches, “There you are. Hope you’re not lactose intolerant!” Seeing Sid cooking caught Dia off guard. “Oh. No. I'm not. But, I thought we were going out?” She almost regretted saying it as soon as it was said. How rude, when someone had just made dinner for you! “I mean, that's why I got my purse. That's all.” She smiled, hoping that would soften the edges. Now suddenly awkward, she sat down at the table and slung the handle of her purse over her knee. Oh, that would have been smart. Show her some of the town. Really sell it. Except that seemed like it came with the possibility of information overload. Though now, he was sort of kicking himself because he could really go for a milkshake, and Roman probably did grilled cheese about a hundred times better than Sid did, but he’d already started cooking, so. “Rain check. We’ll hit the diner next time, I promise. But why go out when I have such a fabulous kitchen?” He’d never actually had a proper one before, so it was sort of a treat. He stirred at the pan, mixing the gloppy mess of liquid and… Semi-liquid into something that actually resembled a soup and managed to flip the sandwiches again before they got too brown. “I probably should have asked you what you like to eat.” Oh yeah! A comfortable topic, finally. Dia smiled and leaned back, taking in the smell of the food. Toast, bit of burnt cheese where it melted into the pan, tomato soup...all very mouth watering. “A little of everything. My mom and I keep a garden, so we eat a lot of vegetables. I imagine we eat like anyone else. Well, anyone...um, not Magical. We almost never ate out. I remember a few restaurants when I was a kid, but then that kind of stopped. So, my mom and I cooked at home all the time. It's not bad. Restaurants are expensive!” “What do you like to eat?” Sid was liking the sound of her mother less and less as he learned more about her. She sounded like some kind of strange hermit who never wanted her daughter to experience anything. What could be learned about the world if one always stayed close to home? “There are plenty of food experiences and restaurants that can be had cheaply, babycakes. Food trucks! Festivals! Pop-up ups! Soup kitchens! Get creative!” Her question had him stumped though. It was more of a question of what didn’t he like to eat? “Cheeseburgers,” he said finally. “Really good, juicy, messy cheeseburgers.” That was his favorite, though to be quite honest, he loved just about everything.” Dia laughed. “Those are good! And steak, on the rare side. Actually, have you ever tried raw hamburger? It's surprisingly good. Ha! Now that I think about it, those might be the things I would have the hardest time giving up. Vegetables are good, but meats and gravies...now that's where it's at! Except white gravy. That doesn't count as gravy any more than eggs count as meat.” She leaned her elbows on the table. Talking about food was making her even more hungry and she watched Sid with anticipation. Sid literally bit his tongue from saying something when she brought up rare steaks and raw hamburger, instead turning his attention back to the sandwiches, sliding one onto each plate and scurrying about the kitchen for a ladle. “I have,” he confirmed. “There’s not much I haven’t tried at this point.” No molecular gastronomy yet, but other than that, he’d had a little bit of everything. “Sounds like a craving you shouldn’t ignore though, if I know anything about young people. If your body’s telling you you should have something you probably should.” Or maybe that was just the hedonist in him. “You want me to see if we’ve got a steak I can sear for you you?” Because if she was what he thought she was, it wouldn’t be a bad idea. “Don’t knock eggs though,” he said with a good natured grin, as he shook the ladle in her direction. “They’re nature’s most perfect food.” So, so many delicious things you could do with eggs. And so many kinds! Quail eggs! Duck eggs! Ostrich eggs! Yum! He ladled the soup into some old chipped mugs the staff typically drank out of and carefully brought the soup and sandwiches to the table. Dia smiled and nodded as he talked. Any excuse to eat rare steaks was a good one to her. And while her mother had been alarmed that she'd eaten raw hamburger, if Sid was okay with it, she was going to add that to her diet, too. The food smelled delicious, even if it lacked the presentation that most people would have preferred. Dia was not accustomed to much fuss over presentation, though. All her mother had assured was that they had a full set of dishes every meal. A full set being plate, knife, fork, spoon, and glass. Every meal. Soup or salad added a bowl. The only exception was if breakfast was just cereal. On the other hand, that wasn't a sit-down meal, either, so maybe that's why cereal breakfasts were treated differently. Dia couldn't always understand her mother's reasons. She ate in silence for a little while and then set down her spoon in contemplation. “Sid…” She hesitated. “Were you born with goat legs? Like…” How to phrase it delicately to an almost stranger. “Did you look like a human baby first or a…Satyr first?” Sid tucked right into his food, rather impressed with his own cooking, considering he didn’t do it very often. He’d made a point to make as few dishes as possible so as not to alarm the kitchen crew with a huge mess right away in the morning. Still, he’d wanted to make sure she had at least something in her stomach after the long night she was having. Shara was probably better at this sort of thing, but he was trying. If she was still hungry afterwards, he’d whip up that steak or maybe find some raw hamburger. It seemed like a more appropriate meal for someone who smelled vaguely of Vampire, after all. Her question made him laugh--nearly causing him to choke on the bite of sandwich he’d just taken. He smacked his chest a few times to clear his throat before responding. “A Satyr first of course. I only look like a human when I want to. It’s a trick called Glamouring. All Fae do it for whatever reason. Some are too beautiful, some are too scary, and some have goat legs. It’s all done to make humans more comfortable. Or make us safer around humans. Either way.” The young girl frowned and took a few contemplative bites of a grilled cheese sandwich, chewing slowly and thoughtfully. She didn't really like Sid's answer. It left her with a very unnerving feeling. Glamouring. She'd had no clue that Sid had goat legs until he showed her. Even now that she knew, she couldn't see it. The furry pants were just weird furry pants, not actual fur on his legs! And if it was true that only magic people could come into Summerview, did that mean Jayati had something weird too? Or was she unearthly beautiful? Or a horribly ugly crone? Maybe she had a wart of her nose. A giant red one. Right on the tip. With hair growing out of it. But how would Dia ever know? “So...say I meet a cute boy one day and he lives here. How will I know if he's a Satyr or a warty, pimple-faced nerd? I don't want to be dating somebody and then find out they're not even who they say they are after we're married with three kids or something.” She certainly had a lot of questions. He had to bite back the urge to laugh at that one, because it was so classic human teenagers. So concerned with appearances. “It’s strictly a Fae thing, I’m pretty sure.” Though actually he wasn’t sure what witches were actually capable of. Maybe they did have some kind of Glamouring potions he didn’t know about. But they also didn’t live nearly long enough to get really hideous. “You should be demanding honesty from anyone you’re in a relationship with anyway, probably. But I think most people grow out of being pimply eventually. So if someone is hiding their pimples from you, there’s a good chance they won’t always be so pimply.” “Long story short though, I don’t think you should be worrying about having three kids any time soon. And also, not everyone on this island is a Faerie. Maybe you meet a nice young Witch boy or a Vampire? They all kinda look the way they always look. No magic there.” She listened and decided the advice was sound. She remembered in the entry on Satyrs that the book said they couldn't lie. That sounded like a dangerous handicap to have. Like, what if she asked him for his bank account number or for his deepest darkest secret? If other magic people were like that, then maybe she could simply ask. She, for one, was thankful she could lie! And then Dia rolled her eyes and set her spoon down with a clank. “Seriously, Sid? I didn't mean now! I'm sixteen for Pete’s sake! But I also don't want to be a bitter old hag some day. So it stands to reason that I'll get married...eventually!” And not to a vampire! She push her dishes further up on the table and leaned back in her chair. “That was really good.” She wasn't entirely full, but it was enough for a breakfast, and she didn't want to take advantage of his hospitality. “You make a mean grilled cheese sandwich.” “You’ve got a lot of time to worry about that, baby cakes.” Sixteen was nothing even if she wasn’t immortal. Certainly too young to be worried about spouses or children. He had a lot of things to say about marriage and children not being the be all end all in life, but he bit them all back since he didn’t think it would make a lick of difference. Not yet anyway. She was too sheltered to begin with and everything tonight was too new, too fresh and too unusual to spring his life philosophy on her. “Feeling better then?” He hoped so. At least a little. Because he was not a creature of the night, and as much as he liked to pretend he was, he was not as young as he used to be. He’d eventually need to catch at least a few z’s in order to make it through the day tomorrow, especially if it meant answering more questions he wasn’t sure he was supposed to be answering. “Yah. I'm good,” Dia answered. She looked at the mess the kitchen was in and considered offering to help clean up. In their own kitchen, she and her mother cleaned up right away. But Dia didn't know where everything went. This was a weird place. Maybe the dishes cleaned themselves. Maybe they all, secretly, had goat legs. She giggled and stood up, careful to push her chair back in place. She would, at least, carry her secretly goat-legged dishes to the sink so they could all bathe together like a Japanese Bath House. She was tempted to run them water, but decided that they were old enough to figure it out on their own. Turning her back to the sink, she leaned against the counter and considered Sid. She should probably finish reading the book she'd borrowed, but she also wanted to see the theatre, maybe even see about getting an application. But she didn't want Sid along whenever she went. What if they said no? What if she got there and it was a colossal disappointment? She needed to be able to cry in privacy if either of those happened. But she also didn't know where the theatre was. “I think I'll go upstairs and keep reading, if that's okay,” she said. “I have so much stuff I need to figure out and all.” And maybe after a time, she'd come back downstairs and look for a town map or something. Anything to get her from point A to point B. Sid sat back in his chair, patting his now pleasantly full stomach. But then, he could always eat. It’d be empty again in an hour or so. Which meant he’d be down for some midnight snacking at some point. “Good. And good idea.” He pushed himself up from the chair and brought his own dishes to the sink, though if she hadn’t done so he might have just left them. Possibly used them later for the aforementioned midnight snackage. The Satyr equivalent of leaving a butter knife on the edge of the sink--maybe I’ll use it later, maybe I won’t, I haven't decided yet--or possibly just the Sid version of that. “There’s a phone in your room, should be someone on duty at all times, so give the front desk a buzz if you need anything, baby cakes, okay?” “Thanks, Sid,” Dia said with a smile. She kept her lips carefully closed in the way her mother had always said made her look prettiest. “I'll see you later, then.” And with that, she went back to her room, more slowly this time, and spent quite a lot of time pouring over the entries for all the strange and fantastical creatures that supposedly lived in Summerview. |