Noon was just approaching, and I was bent over the front counter of the shop, finger idly tracing lines on a fine, silken cloth. It was crimson in color, decorated with silver stitching in the pattern of an arachnid, a spider. Still, the pattern was odd for that particular craftsmanship; this was likely the product of a seamstress of the courts, one hired by the palace, itself. Why it would fall into my possession was beyond me, and though Nadia took every step to make sure I was well cared for during my stay, a simple cloth seemed rather odd to leave outside my door.
I sighed, laying my palm flat upon the counter. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the silken fabric beneath my hand, fingertips lightly stroking the smooth material. There was a certain magic in it, not too strong, but enough that I could latch onto it and pull. It took more concentration than I had anticipated, but nevertheless I persisted, poking about in the essence inlaid in the very fabric. It was kind, warm, and yet there was a hint of uncertainty and dejection about it that was all too familiar to me.
A faint skittering across the wooden floor brought me from my trance, and I loosened my hold on the magic, feeling the sensations slowly fade away. While I was not concerned as to what critter might be scampering across the room, I was still curious as to what had managed to get into the shop. Slowly, quietly, I stepped away from the counter, brow raised as my eyes fixed upon the floor, searching for any sign of movement. I was cautious with my step; whatever it was, it sounded smaller than Faust, with loads more legs than the serpent had. Each step was gentler than the first, and I drew toward the front of the shop, coming to a stop at the center of the room, turning slowly on the spot.
"All right," I murmured, listening for the skittering. "Come on out, I'm not going to hurt you." From behind me, small feet scratched against the floor, and I turned, facing the door, gaze falling to the ground as a pair of small, fuzzy legs came from the shadows cast by a shelf. Eight eyes followed the two legs, and six more legs followed the eight eyes, and before me rested a tarantula, far larger than any I had seen in Vesuvia. It seemed a bit skittish as I knelt, but it did not shy away. Rather, it watched me with eight, curious eyes, and I held out my hand before me, palm up, so that it might climb on it.
"Look at you," I mused as it hesitantly drew forward, front feet touching my hand gingerly. I could see its pincers moving, as though talking to itself, and after a few moments, three more sets of legs found their way onto my hand, and the creature–which was a lovely, deep blue in color–made itself comfortable against me, fuzzy feet tickling my skin.
"Aren't you a pretty thing?" I cooed, and the tarantula continued up my arm, feet moving slowly, as though exploring me. It seemed familiar, somehow; it looked like the same creature I had rescued Julian from, nights ago, and yet, there seemed to be something more about it that called my name, but I could not place it. It was as though it was on the very tip of my tongue, in a place in my brain that was behind the simplest of locks. However, if that lock broke…who knew what would happen…
I didn't have a chance to think more on it; behind me, from the window located near the reading table in the back room, I heard a unpleasant clamor as someone collided with both the table and the floor. A faint tinkling of shattered glass followed the cacophony, and a displeasured grunt from whomever entered the shop through the window accompanied it. The tarantula skittered up my arm in a fright, burrowing itself in my hair, hiding. My left hand clenched, while the right hovered slightly behind me, a deep warmth coalescing in my palm as a flame flickered into life. I stepped silently toward the curtain that separated the back from the front, hand hovering for a moment as I contemplated my next move.
Yet, my chance never came.
Bursting from the curtains with a bravado known only of him, I jumped back as Julian and I nearly collided, stepping aside with utter bafflement spreading quickly across my features. He didn't seem to notice that this was quite out of the ordinary, and sparing a quick glance to the back room, sighing as I saw the wreckage left in his wake, I rolled my eyes, extinguishing the flame in my palm, and strode purposely toward him.
"Julian! What–"
Turning on his heel, his arms stretched out toward me, hands clasping both my arms, pinning them to my side. It was now that I finally got a look at his face; his features were more haggard than usual, and there was a bit of stubble lining his jaw. The bags under his eyes were far darker than they had been the last time we met, and yet it was as though nothing bothered him. His lips were spread into a wide smirk, brow arched cheekily over his half-lidded eye.
"Athena! Who knew you'd be here?" he asked, and what concern might have been on my face deadpanned, giving him a flat look. "What, can't I drop in, unannounced? I thought you likedthrills." Still, his grin did not falter and hands falling from my arms, the wrapped around my torso, and I found myself being hoisted into the air a second later, Julian's face tucked into my neck. I very nearly yelped, but the warmth that blossomed within me replaced all irritation I might have felt at the chaos in the backroom, and my arms wrapped around his shoulders, resting my cheek against his silken, red hair.
"You knew exactly that I'd be here, you big dope," I murmured, eyes fluttering closed. The tarantula in my hair shifted, and I could feel it crawl to the top of my head, to keep out of the way of the kisses that began to pepper my neck happily. "What are you doing here, anyway? It's the middle of the day, you could have been caught."
The concern the colored my voice had Julian loosening his grip on me, gently lowering me to the floor. As my gaze met his, he stroked a strand of hair out of my eyes, tucking it behind my ear gently. "I don't want you to worry–"
My features hardened, eyes flashing seriously. "Julian."
His hands found either side of my face, thumbs stroking my cheeks softly. "Athena, relax," he continued, pressing his brow to mine. "Everything's fine, my dear. Nearly ran into some palace guards on the way to the Rowdy Raven, but nothing out of the ordinary. Besides," he paused, pulling away to properly look at me, a certain warmth spreading across his features. "I wanted to see you."
My features burned bright red, and a goofy grin curved my lips before standing on my toes to press a soft kiss against his waiting lips. It was short and sweet, and when he pulled away, his eye flickered to the top of my head, finally noticing the tarantula and giving a start, though he recovered a moment later.
"Is…is that the spider from the other night?"
I could feel her….her? As though overturning a stone, it was apparent to me that this creature was a female. Regardless, she crawled down my head and onto my shoulder, and I held out my arm so that she could rest on my palm.
"I think so," I said, walking slowly to the counter. I set my hand on the surface, allowing her to crawl off, and I turned back to Julian, shrugging nonchalantly. "I feel like there's something more to her than I know, though."
He watched me, looking rather confused, and I pursed my lips, glancing at the tarantula once more before returning to Julian's side, intertwining my fingers with his, a demure expression fixed on my face when my gaze met his.
"You look exhausted," I said, pressing another kiss to his cheek. "Asra isn't here right now, why don't we go upstairs and get some rest?"
A sly glimmer danced in his eye, brow raising cheekily as his lips lifted in a crooked grin. "Isuppose a nap wouldn't hurt," he mused as I dragged him along. The inflection in his voice had me believe that he had something else on his mind, and I chuckled softly, releasing his hand.
"You're going to sleep, Julian," I said, though I was far from serious. I skipped to the stairs, twirling gracefully when I reached the base, and I placed my hand on the railing, looking over my shoulder with a cheeky grin.
"I'll be sure of it."