The Gift
Richard's Storyline, Chapter 7.2
copyright comidacomida 2018
I felt dizzy, and a little giddy. Turning to Jack, I saw the Gryphon looking at me, feathers crowning his head raised and eyes watching me like a hawk-- or, rather, like an eagle, I suppose. Not missing a beat, I gave his talon a little tug; he obediently leaned closer, and I gave him a kiss in mirror to what Balam had offered me. The sensation was different in the same way the two Spirits were, but it was no less intense or meaningful. When we finally separated Jack blinked several times, his beak still slightly parted, Golden light visible from deep within, and he said simply "Wow."
My smile was probably just as strong as Balam's... but most likely twice as goofy. It felt nice spending the morning with my Spirits and I honestly hoped the entire day would go as well. There was time for me to focus on us, and enjoy the company of both the Jaguar and the Gryphon without interruption... or so I thought. Just as I was getting ready to climb down the ladder, I cursed my luck; I wanted to have the day available but I still hadn't paid bills for the month.
Not only would I be taken away from time with my Spirits but I had to spend it draining my already meager bank account and then balancing my finances. Sighing, I started down to the ground. "Damn it."
Jack sprang into the air off the roof and, with a quick flap and a tip of his wings the Gryphon made a tight circle down to land on the ground beside me; Balam took a much more direct route, jumping off the roof and landing with all the simplicity and grace of having hopped off the last step of a stairway. It was the Jaguar who asked "What is the problem?"
Sighing again, I motioned back to the house. "I forgot-- I have to pay bills."
Still not as well versed as either Balam or myself in Spanish, Jack stumbled through the conversation, repeating the last word. "Facturas?"
I offered the translation in English. "Bills, Jack... I have to pay bills for the month so I can drop them off tomorrow morning on my way to class."
He offered an optimstic grin in response. "Ah... well that is hardly worth frowning over, Richard-- a matter of minutes to affix thy name to a collection of debentures... tis but a small amount of time for thee to complete such as task, is it not?"
Despite the Gryphon speaking English it still took me a minute to translate the words he'd chosen into something a little less archaic. "Five or six checks... but I also need to add my debit card purchases to my check register and make sure everything balances out."
He looked just as confused as I was when he spoke and, to my credit, it took longer for him to recover. With the feathers around his beak still puffed up in confusion, he nodded, acknowledging me before asking another question. "Ah... I see... and how much longer will that take? Surely not so long as to let it ruin thy day?"
Despite my soured mood, Jack really did make a good point, and it helped. "No... I guess not. I just-- I had looked forward to an open day to relax."
Balam, who had stood off to the side watching the exchange apparently understood enough that he could compose a reasonable addition to the conversation; that, or he was just plain lucky with his chosen time to speak up. "We can have patience, Seer. Do what you need to and we will be here... we did nothing last night, and I would like to do something tonight."
The statement hit me like a ton of (memory-recalling) bricks. Amidst all of the chaos of the grocery store I'd completely skipped out on the ritual Balam had asked me to join. Considering all of the ritual-based mistakes I'd made in the past week that realization made me feel horrible. "Oh, Balam! I'm so sorry! I--"
He held up a paw to forestall any apology. "Join me tonight and you are forgiven."
It was a simple and straight forward statement and, despite it being so blunt it did help me feel a little better. "I will. I promise."
While I was glad he wasn't as angry as he could have been, the sudden recollection that I had other obligations in addition to paying bills really didn't help my outlook and I walked through the front door and into the house before going over to the couch and slumping down. Balam came in next and Jack followed; reaching out carefully and with no small amount of concentration the Gryphon managed to close it. After that he came over and took a seat beside me. "I would be happy to help thee if I can, Richard."
Balam took a seat on the other side of me. Having figured out what the Gryphon had offered, the Jaguar addressed me in Spanish. "I can help too."
At first, all I could think was that the Spirits would distract me and cause nothing but trouble but, despite my misgivings I said nothing; they were going to wait for me to do my work and, considering that courtesy, the least I could do was keep my mouth shut and focus on my work. As it turned out, however, both ended up being invaluable. Jack's attention to detail helped me keep from adding up a bill twice and Balam was unnaturally skilled with math-- so skilled in fact that he did all of the balance calculations in his head and when I went back over the numbers with my calculator I couldn't find a single error.
In the past, balancing my transaction register would regularly take me several hours-- not just because I had to pay bills but because I needed to record receipts, verify withdrawals, and compare the totals to my running tally and then my prior month's totals. With the help of the two Spirits I was done in record time; it was barely noon and I had one more obligation down and out of the way, leaving me free-- completely free, until nightfall.
Jack was the first to declare victory. Standing, the Gryphon arched his back with the skill and flexibility that only a cat could muster, followed by straightening up and extended one wing, the other wing, and then both at the same time. "See, Richard? Thou art done, and scarcely ninety minutes of the day was spent on it."
I smiled despite myself, and willingly admitted my overreaction; even though my bills gave my bank account a huge hit I had expected it so I was able to reason away the frustration. "You're right... I guess it was a silly thing to get all worked up over."
Balam, who had practically oozed off the sofa and onto the floor rose up behind me and I felt his velvety paws come to rest on my shoulders; the tips of his fingers brushed against my flesh without contacting my shirt and I could barely detect his withdrawn claws as they tickled my pores. "Do not forget your promise to me, Seer... tonight, we will share in a ritual."
I stepped away from the Jaguar and turned around to face him. "I know, and we will. Just to be careful, I'm staying around here today so nothing else will..." Pausing, I tried to figure out how to convey that nothing was going to get in the way of the ritual but I couldn't think of a way to explain that in Spanish without using a turn of phrase. In the end I settled for "...happen. Nothing else will happen. We will have the ritual."
Jack remained off to the side, watching us both with his feathery ear-tufts raised. Before I had a chance to speak to the Gryphon, Balam did instead, using halting English. "You come? You ritual with us?"
Beak parting in a wide smile, Jack nodded affirmatively, replying happily in Spanish. "¡Claro que si!"
It was a good feeling to see both of my Spirits working so well together, and it felt even better when both stepped up and embraced me from either side. There was something otherworldly about being surrounded by Spirits and feeling nonexistent body heat wrapped around me at the same time as ephemeral arms... and yet they were both so real and so solid. It had taken a lot to get us to that point and I let out a contented sigh; it had been worth it.
Balam released me first, which made sense I suppose since Jack was definitely the more 'clingy' of the two, and the Jaguar bumped the side of my head with his snout, whiskers tickling my ear from the gesture. "You have been through much, Seer... I need to prepare for the ritual you need to take some time and rest today so you will be ready for tonight."
It wasn't a bad idea, to be sure. Waiting patiently for Jack to disengage, I smiled at the Jaguar then the Gryphon before running a hand through my hair. I--
B) -- couldn't argue with the idea of taking it easy for the afternoon but I really didn't feel the need to get any more sleep. "I'll just relax here in the living room... it's been awhile since I've had a nice, quiet day for reflection and unwinding."
C) -- hated thinking about it, but I still hadn't managed to get any groceries. "You know... I-- I... still need to go get some eggs."
D) -- smiled, turning to my Gryphon. "You know... it IS Sunday... do you think it'd be possible to go back to see that one church with the Sheep Spirit minister?"
E) -- (Positive result only if Richard's Sexuality + Jack's Intimacy >10) reached out my other hand and wrapped it around Jack's wrist. "You know, Jack... I've really enjoyed our kisses... but, if you're okay with it, I'm hoping for something.... more."
Voting is now open, and will close as of midnight (pst) on Thursday, November 29th.
..............................
A: Sleep first. Unwind and relax. Then start again.
Much as I would love for Richard and Jack to share some intimate time together, the fact that you point out a Positive result will occur only certain criteria are met, along with my desire for the first encounter of an intimate nature to be with all three involved, leads me to also eliminate (E) "seduce" Jack. ;)
Thinking a bit more, (C) go get some eggs should also be eliminated, as the Spirits would want to accompany Richard, especially given what happened during his last "mundane" trip to the grocery store. That would interfere with Balam's preparations for the ritual, and while Jack could certainly protect Richard, I don't think Balam -- under the circumstances -- would leave Richard alone in the event that a certain other Spirit plans additional chaos.
That leaves (A) Take a Nap, and (B) Relax, Reflect, and Unwind -- either of which would be good, but I believe in this case, I'll go with (B) as it gives Richard time to process things, perhaps even have a conversation with Jack, so they can both be prepared for this evening's ritual with Balam. Richard might get some additional advice from Jack that could prove just as helpful, and being centered and prepared may be a tad better than a few extra winks of sleep.
Now that I've picked (B), I'm going to take a nap. ;)
Why in the hell would he want 'D'? No.
He needs to take the ritual seriously... that means resting up for it. I think 'A' will get him charged up for the ritual, plus he will have no distractions that might detail his attention before the evening.
'A'.
-TGU.