The book party had been exhausting. After all the years of attending parties like this, people expected him to be used to it. The total shocker though is that he never was fan of the way his book launch parties are organized. His publicist decides what they thought is best for his career and they have done a pretty good job at it so who was he to complain?
Rick Castle turned another block away from the building where his own party was - is still being - held. The moment he thought it'd be gracious enough to leave, he slithered out of his own party to walk along the still busy streets of Manhattan.
He would rather go home and spend time with his daughter, but she is in LA with her mother. That left him with no choice but to head home to his empty apartment and mope for killing his own best-selling character or stroll the streets and wander aimlessly. Right now, the latter seemed more appealing. It required no amount of thinking whatsoever and he cherished it.
It's one of the reasons why he killed off his most popular character, Derrick Storm. Everything had been so predictable. He knew exactly what's going to happen next and eventually he got bored. What he needed is that sense of thrill and adventure that is now lacking in his stories. He needed inspiration, he needed... magic. Yeah, That's it. Magic.
After a few more minutes of walking, he found himself heading towards a small park. It's almost midnight but there are still a lot people walking around. They called New York "The City That Never Sleeps" after all.
He settled himself in one of the empty benches. He watches people a lot but times like this is different. People act differently at a time like this if compared to regular hours of the day. It's less binding, more uninhibited. He hoped for some inspiration.
Lost in his thoughts, he did not even realize that someone occupied the empty space beside him.
"That's a nice suit you're wearing." The woman's voice made him jump on his seat.
He turned his head to look at the woman and startled at the proximity of beautiful hazel eyes staring at him. He blinked once, twice, as the woman continued to stare back at him. The sound of raucous laughter from a distance cut through their sudden silence and it seemed to be enough to break the spell they have lost themselves into.
Rick immediately looked away, scooting further from the woman who doesn't look as affected as he is with this fateful encounter. "I-uh, I came from a party." He explained, remembering her question earlier.
The woman nodded as if in agreement. "In Paradise, men wear a lot of suits like that."
He glanced back at her in confusion.
"Are you from there, too?" The woman asked.
"From where?"
"Paradise." She pointed out. "You look just like the people there."
Talking more to herself than him, the woman continued. "Although, you couldn't have been from Paradise. Entities don't leave Paradise. Except for the Phoenix. But o nly one Phoenix can exist at a time and since I'm the Phoenix, you couldn't be one, so you could be one of those-"
"Woah, wait," He interrupted her rambling. She didn't make any sense at all. "What's with all these mythology stuff? Are you high?"
"Mythology?" The woman laughed. "I am right here in front of you, flesh and bone, and you call it mythology?"
"What is it exactly? What are you?"
The woman rolled her eyes. "I just told you, I'm a Phoenix."
"But you're a woman!" Rick argued incredulously.
"Wow, that is incredibly sexist of you." The woman's response dripped with sarcasm that he had to do a double take before it registered to him.
"See! If you're a Phoenix, you couldn't have used the word sexist. You couldn't have known what that means!"
"Oh, and he's racist, too."
Rick gaped at her in shock.
"Just like I said, I am a Phoenix," The woman started. "I have lived with the gods in Paradise for 500 years. We know everything."
Unconvinced, Rick pressed on. "If you are what you say you are, why are you here then?"
The woman – phoenix, smirked. "Well, tomorrow is the Autumnal Equinox and it is the day I am destined to fly through the sun and be is just a fly-by. A denouement, if you must, in preparation for my destiny."
Rick froze, the legend of the Phoenix not lost to him. The story of a magnificent creature burning in itself until it becomes ashes. The woman must have sensed this because he felt her hand creep through his arm.
"Don't look so forlorn." She consoled.
"But you're gonna burn." His voice cracked at the end of his sentence, his grief sudden and unexpected. He hurts for her. This beautiful woman, an enigma of an even more beautiful creature, is literally flying to her death.
The woman smiled, not quite a sad one but more like accepting. "This is my destiny. You cannot escape your destiny."
"What's your name?" She asked when he didn't answer.
"Rick." He managed to choke out.
The woman stood and held up her hand. "Hi, Rick, I'm Kate." She tells him with a smile now brighter than the first that he couldn't help but return.
"I didn't know that phoenixes have names." He says.
"Phoenixes. Is that right?" He tested the word as if he can taste it in his tongue. "Phoenixen?"
The woman laughed, bright and freeing and he felt his heart pound in his chest. The magic he had been missing in his writing flood him all at once with this creature beside him. One that he isn't even sure is telling the truth. But the magic is there, it runs through his veins and the call, the need of words to be freed from his hands are loud. He came out here for inspiration and he might have just found one.
"Just Phoenix, Rick. It doesn't really have a plural form because we can't co-exist. Therefore, there only ever was one."
He's gotta admit, she made a lot of sense. But telling the truth or not, this Kate has given him inspiration that can last for a series of books. And though a fool he may seem, he let himself believe.
He accepted her hand for a shake, squeezing it briefly before using it to pull himself up. When face to face, Rick dropped Kate's hand and opted to offer his arm instead.
"Well, Kate," He stopped to check his watch. "There's still a few more hours before sunrise. Can I persuade you to a walk around the city?"
"Oh, why not." She chuckled, looping her arm through his.
"I'm in a mission to make this the best night of your life here." He enticed.
"I've only been on the earth for a couple of hours." She retorted.
"That's totally not the point."
A/N: Thank you for reading :))