The Gift
Richard's (FA) Storyline, Chapter 4.1
copyright comidacomida 2018
Ever since elementary school Sunday has always been my 'get ready for the week to begin' day. If I had leftover errands or chores from Saturday I'd take care of those first. After that I'd focus on any homework I hadn't completed and prepared for any upcoming tests. When I moved out to Cherry City I also added food prep for the week to that list; since I liked to buy in bulk I'd spend some time on Sunday roasting a half dozen chicken breasts or searing off some pork loins. After distracting myself with all of that on Saturday after my trip to the coffee shop I had very little to actually do.
I stayed busy during the morning working with the Cats on some basic understanding of rituals. After lunch I straightened up the bathroom (the property manager's handyman came in and changed out the wiring but didn't bother to clean up the mess le heft). With the evening fast approaching I gathered up my three spirit room mates and laid things out. "Phillip-- Sabrina-- are you two going to be okay tonight?"
Phillip went right into things. "I think we should be able to go with you, Warlock. The evening can be a dangerous time."
Sabrina stepped in front of him. "What he means to say, Warlock, is that we would prefer to go with you rather than waiting here for your return."
I stood my ground. "Sorry, but the whole point of having quiet time with Jack is to have quiet time with Jack. I can't do that with you two tagging along."
The male wasn't about to give up. "We can be quiet. Sabrina and I can follow you and you wouldn't even know we were there. What if you--"
Sabrina gave him a light elbow. "If that is what you wish, Richard, we will wait here, but I hope you will devote yourself as fully to your training as you do to--"
Phillip stepped right back in after elbowing HER. "You know, Richard... we COULD follow along so quietly we might do it anyway and you won't even--"
Another elbow was thrown by Sabrina and the two shimmered and faded, shrinking down amidst a blackish-purple haze of opaque smoke and shimmering motes of light. Two normal-looking cats jumped all over one another, rolling around on the ground, hissing and spitting before they raced off further into the house. Jack's response to the event was matter-of-fact and to-the-point. "Familiars can be quite strange, and cats even more so."
I nodded. "There are tons of YouTube clips about psycho cats. I figure mixing that with spirit life would multiply that to a whole new level of crazy, right?"
Jack smiled though his eyes seemed a little troubled. "I just wish that spending time with me did not cause thee further problems involving the cats."
The thought of whether or not all Guardian Spirits had martyr complexes briefly crossed my mind but I quickly squelched it. "Well, the solar eclipse is tomorrow morning; we can all watch it together but I already promised tonight to you. Until then, we have tonight."
His next smile was a little more genuine as my words seemed to have a genuine impact. "I know, and I thank thee for thy attention, my boy."
When I held out my hand his talon found it and his fingers closed around mine on his first try. As I walked through the open front door I turned back to the Gryphon, suddenly just a little self-conscious. "You know, Jack, I've-- I've never actually been out on a date."
His beak parted in an even wider smile. "Yes, my boy. I know."
I smacked myself mentally; of course he knew! Moving past that initial pause I pressed onward. "What I mean is that I don't really have any experience in the matter. I- I guess there's lots of reasonable ways to spend the time together but they're all... you know-- theoretical. I haven't had a chance to--"
He circled me, his talon still holding onto my hand until he was standing in front of me; at some point I hadn't noticed that his plate and chain armor had changed into a fine tunic and breeches. Rather than a long sword the Gryphon instead wore what looked like a ceremonial dagger with an intricately carved pommel on his belt. He also wore a smile, and that was what drew my attention the most as he spoke. "If I am with thee, my boy, then what we do with the eve is nowhere near as important as the fact that I spend it in thy company."
His statement made my heart skip a beat, not just because of how well he pulled off the casual romantic, but because I realized that, alone, we would have ample time for talking and, considering how well he knew me, there would be very little getting-to-know-you small-talk on my part. I figured the best time to address that issue would be from the get-go. As I walked down the path leading to my front door I did just that. "Jack... I always figured when I went out on a date I'd spend some time exchanging little bits of personal information but you know almost all there is to know about me."
He nodded, finally letting go of my hand so he would walk beside me without having me move at what would appear an awkward gait to any passers-by. "True, my boy. I would assume that this would make things easier for thee as thou hast no need of wondering what would be appropriate to share and what would bring thee discomfort."
I sighed. "Just the opposite, actually. How am I supposed to keep up with a mutually expressive conversation when you already know all there is to know about me?"
He came to a stop and, as I did as well, he turned toward me. "I know all about thee from a singular point of view: my own. More than anything else, I value this time with thee because it lets me get to know thee in a deeper sense. Thou sayest that we have nothing to speak about as it pertains to thee? I greatly disagree, my boy. What we may discuss with regard to thee is so much more."
Jack spoke with such passion that I felt myself beginning to blush despite not really following his argument. When he finally gave me a chance to speak I did so, leading the way with a question. "What do you mean?"
The Gryphon took a step closer, resting his talons on his hips; I didn't miss the way he left his right elbow out at a slight angle, making it easy for me to slip my hand through. "Dost thou recall the first time thy parents took thee horseback riding?"
To avoid having my arm hanging out in the air I mimicked his stance, pushing more of my arm through his until his forearm was almost up under my armpit, and that gave me enough room to push my hand down into my pocket, providing me a much more natural placement for it as we walked. After a few steps I finally responded with a half-smile. "You mean the ONLY time we went horseback riding?"
The feathers puffed up around his beak as he grinned, glancing my way as we continued down the sidewalk. "That's the one."
I found myself smiling, and realized in that moment what Jack had meant; I may not be able to tell him stories about before we met, but what he was offering was reflection and nostalgia, which had value in its own right. "I was four, and I rode in the saddle with my mom behind me... I don't really remember it except from stories that she told about how our horse apparently didn't want to walk the trail that day and laid down with us on top of it."
The Gryphon nodded vigorously. "Thou had little trouble wriggling out as the horse moved to lay on his side but thy mother remained trapped for nearly five minutes because her leg was pinned beneath it."
I fell silent as an older couple passed by us on the sidewalk; moving over as far to the right as I could the passed to my left, walking right through Jack. Only once they were a good distance behind me did I respond. "My folks still bring that story up now and again. My mom was surprised that she didn't end up getting hurt."
Jack's eyes glinted brightly with a golden sheen between the street lights. "I am not. Twas an act of mine that protected her."
Based on what little I knew about Spirits I was surprised; Spirits weren't supposed to be able to affect the physical world so how had Jack protected her. "You're the reason her leg wasn't injured?"
He nodded. "Yes. The Horse was going to roll over onto his back, but I kept him steady until its caretaker could get it to stand back up."
That was news to me. "You can interact with animals?"
Jack's feathers puffed up slightly. "When we wish to, yes. It requires energy, but it was well worth it to keep thee and thy mother safe."
We walked in silence for a half block before I could come up with something to say. "So... fishing for compliments?"
He obviously noticed the humorous tone to my voice and he shot back with surprisingly quick wit. "Well... assuming gratitude is not out of the question, thou mayest begin there as I find tis more than a decade overdue."
It was a side of him I'd rarely seen, and I had to admit that I liked it. As we were walking arm-in-arm it was easy enough to give him a playful elbow, which I did. Walking down the street with him was nice but, I realized, it wasn't really a date. With that in mind, I--
a) (not available for Richard)-- thought a to-go dinner from a restaurant for both of us would be a good idea and we could eat in the park.
b) (not available for Richard)-- figured we could go see a movie together.
c) (not available for Richard)-- decided to take Jack to a local sporting event. A baseball game might be fun.
d) -- realized that the campus was open to students until 10pm and it had some nice walkways with minimal foot traffic. "Come on... I know a place we can walk and chat without worrying about anyone thinking I'm schizophrenic."
e) -- thought back to Apana and the café where we'd met Stephanie. "What do you think about getting coffee?"
f) -- chose to head to a local fast food place. The food was cheap but I could get something for myself and choose something to gift to Jack without breaking the bank.
g) (Intuition + Romance + Spirit > 15) -- realized that there was something we could do together that would be of interest to my Gryphon. "You know... there's a free medieval exhibit going on right now at the community hall and they're open until 8."
h) (Compatibility + Intimacy + Regard > 15) -- was just about to make a suggestion but Jack beat me to it. "Richard, I know that thou art attentive to expenses and that reserving thy funds is important to thee. Tonight, perhaps we should walk the river front park-- tis quiet and tis free... a good combination, wouldst thou not agree?
Physical intimacy and/or romance is a very real option for these two-- likely toward the end of this chapter or, depending on choices made by readers, next chapter. It is still possible to ruin it too, so we'll have to see. ;)