The Gift
Richard's (SF) Storyline, Chapter 4.3
copyright comidacomida 2018
Jack got back to the point. "So... what ARE you doing tonight?"
That was a good question, and I looked to Balam for the answer. "Right... what are we doing tonight, Balam?"
Although I motioned between myself and the Jaguar, Balam smiled, motioning to all three of us. "Nosotros? Mucho."
I looked to Jack and translated. "All of us? A lot."
The Gryphon's smile was the widest yet. Smiling back, I was slowly overcome by a frown. Despite the Wolves' general intolerance for Jack's ways I didn't want to leave things like that. "Well... to be honest, I think we should go after those two."
I repeated it again in Spanish for Balam's benefit. Although Jack nodded his head, the Jaguar rubbed his forehead with veiled frustration before speaking. "Why?"
It seemed like an odd question, but I answered it anyway. "I do not want to end the talk like that."
He motioned to door. "They left, Seer. If they left then they do want the talk to end like that."
Jack looked back and forth between me and Balam. "Thou art discussing the Wolves?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Balam doesn't think we need to go after them."
The Gryphon rubbed the underside of his beak like a scholar stroking their chin. "I think they want thee to chase after them."
When Balam raised his ears and looked to Jack I realized that he was curious so I relayed the comment. "Jack thinks the Wolves want me to go after them."
The Jaguar blinked. "Why?"
Turning to look at Jack, I could tell that the Gryphon knew the meaning of 'por que?' and he wasted no time in conveying it. "If Spirits are really leaving then they could choose any manner other than a door. The fact that they left as Humans would do leads me to believe that it is an unspoken request for thee to follow."
I stroked my own chin at that. "Hmm... sounds a little passive-aggressive for Treboada, don't you think?"
The Gryphon offered a shrug, including his wings in the action, and I saw his nares redden. "Spirits are not without faults, and many of us step outside our norm when we are desperate for the attention of a Human."
Something about the way he offered that statement made me realize just how much the words pertained to the time he and I had spent together; I found it endearing that he would willingly call attention to his own 'social games' as a comparison into what he was suggesting Treboada was doing. I tried to keep my response neutral, without judgment, and without letting the humor of the comparison make me smile. "I see."
Although Balam would have been well within his realm of understanding to ask for clarification as to which direction the discussion had gone, he instead kept things simple and brought us back on track. "Are we going to go after the Wolves, or no?"
Even with taking Jack's opinion into account, I couldn't avoid the fact that it didn't feel right ending the conversation with Treboada and Sabhana the way I did. "Well... I know I need to, and you're welcome to come along, but you don't have to."
The Jaguar nodded. "I will remain here, but if there is trouble you only have to call."
Hearing Balam's answer, I turned to Jack. "I'm going to go find Treboada and Sabhana. Do you want to come along or would you rather wait for me?"
The Gryphon's ear-tufts rose when he heard my question and he shifted his weight from paw to paw before answering. "Richard... as I said, Spirits may do strange things when denied Spirit Energy, and that is far more true with regard to a Seer such as thyself. Although I have known Treboada for some time and my experience with him suggests that he will take no hostile action, and, while I would not ever expect him to hurt a Human, as I have already said, Spirits may do--"
I raised a hand and he stopped. "Alright. I get it. You're welcome to come along if you are worried there could be trouble."
Jack nodded, obviously approving of my decision. I looked back to Balam. "Jack is coming with me. We'll be back soon and then we can have our night together. Okay?"
The Jaguar nodded, disappearing through the wall as he made his way back toward my room. As he phased through it, I heard him state "Claro que si."
I translated for Jack. "He's fine waiting here, and I told him that we'll be back soon. You ready?"
The Gryphon motioned to the door. "Of course, Richard. Let us be off. Lead, and I shall follow after but, in the odd chance that there is trouble, please get behind me and thou shalt be protected."
It felt like it was a little overkill, but it still felt nice to be valued so much. Heading out the door, I spoke over my shoulder. "Okay... but, like you said, there shouldn't be any trouble, right?"
His answer felt almost dire. "Tis far better to be prepared and have it be unnecessary than to have need but lack the preparation."
With that response bouncing around in my mind I stepped outside into the late evening air and glanced around; as anticipated, the Wolves were nowhere to be found. As I stood there I took a moment to realize that they hadn't bothered explaining where they were going, let alone whether they were going somewhere together or heading off separately. Sighing, I looked back to Jack. "So..."
His ear-tufts raised again. "Is something wrong, Richard?"
I shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Well... to be honest, I'm not completely sure where they might have gone."
Jack nodded sagely. "Well, there are a number of ways thou mayest seek them out. Although many Humans in this day and age set their intuition aside, in matters of the Spirit tis often better to embrace it and listen to what it is telling thee."
I laughed. "My mom always said that my intuition was really good, but I haven't always thought so. What else?"
He held up his talon, revealing two clawed digits. "A second option would be calling out to them and hoping that they will respond."
It seemed as reasonable an option as any. "Okay... assuming they're close by. What else could we do?"
Jack raised another digit. "Thou mayest attempt a ritual of summoning. Thou knowest the Spirits in question and their names, so nothing would stop thee from calling to them in a spiritual sense rather than physical."
I nodded. "Now we're talking... so I can summon them both? You know how to do the ritual, right?"
He fidgeted. "To be honest, I have seen it done, and I believe I may help thee recreate it... though thou mayest only summon one spirit at a time, so thou woudst be required to figure out which to bring forth."
There were a lot of variables in that plan so I figured any final options for the brainstorming session could still be worthwhile. "Anything else?"
The Gryphon nodded. "I can attempt to find them for thee-- thou needs but ask and I shall be off to search."
Considering all of the options he provided, I--
b) -- kept it simple. Turning back to Jack I asked, "Could you please try to find them for me?"
c) -- decided I'd try the ritual of summoning thing Jack was talking about and see about summoning Treboada then Sabnaha.
d) -- decided I'd try the ritual of summoning thing Jack was talking about and see about summoning Sabhana then Treboada.
e) (Intuition + Spirit must be > 7) --went with the least logical but most (hopefully) applicable option and chose to follow my intuition.
....................
A - Sabnaha (whistles) here girl, Treboada (whistles) here boy. If that doesn't work, try something else.
-TGU.
Gonna have to go for (A) here, Comida. (B) is a no-no and (C) & (D) seem a little too formal and frankly I don't think they're worth the hassle (I'm probably still salty, sorry!).
So yeah, (A) for me!
-TGU.
-TGU.
But, if it were possible I'm sure he'd be grateful... assuming Kon didn't intercept it.
[I]HEY! I resemble that remark![/I]
Yes. Yes you do.
[I]I didn't mean resemble... I meant-- you know what I meant.[/I]