CHAPTER 4: In Somno Veritas
The pleasant melody of her ringtone was made less so by the jarring sound of her phone vibrating against the hardwood surface of her bedside table. Kyoko lifted her bleary-eyed face from where it had previously been firmly pressed into her pillow and made several failed attempts to grab the offending device as it danced and skittered beside her until her fingers finally closed around it. Not bothering to check who was calling, she decided that, whoever it was, would get an unfiltered piece of her mind.
"If this is a marketing call, be advised that I will find you and I will hex you so hard, your great-great-grandchildren will feel it," she growled.
"I would love to see you try," came a taunting voice on the other end.
The fog cleared from her head in an instant upon hearing that familiar, sonorous voice. What the hell was he doing calling her so early? Furthermore, since when did he have her number?
"Ren, how did you get this number?"
"Your employer was kind enough to give it to me," came his matter-of-fact reply.
Kyoko made a mental note to herself to kill Kanae later. Maybe she would curse her first. Yes, a triple cursing followed by eventual death sounded like a good plan to her.
"And why are you calling at," she pulled her phone away to look at the time displayed on the screen, "four in the morning?"
"I found something I thought you might be interested in."
"And this could not wait until later because…?"
"I couldn't sleep," he supplied, finishing her sentence.
"Poor baby," she sounded not the least bit concerned.
A self-satisfied smile settled on her face at the sound of his frustrated sigh. If he was expecting sympathy for waking her up, he was sorely mistaken.
"It is hard to get a good night's rest when I can't stop thinking about you," his voice sounded husky and tired.
She cursed her traitorous heart for stuttering at his words. It's not as if he meant any of it, because the stupid spell was to blame. Still those words had never been said to her with such sincerity; at ungodly hours of the morning or otherwise. Banishing the sudden flood of warmth she felt, she focused again on the conversation.
"I suppose that's as good a reason as any," she rolled over onto her back. "So, what did you find?"
"I think this is something best shown in person."
Kyoko breathed silently for several seconds, trying to curtail the sudden rage that flared.
"You woke me up before sunrise and you want me to leave my extremely comfortable bed because you found something interesting?" she stopped short of screaming it into her phone only because she didn't want to wake her neighbors.
"I'm being denied proper sleep because of your actions," he reprimanded her sharply. "Perhaps I was incorrect in assuming you would take responsibility. If my memory serves me correctly, we both agreed that we wanted to find a resolution to this as quickly as possible, did we not?"
That stopped her tirade in its tracks.
"I-I'm sorry."
"No, I should apologize," he exchanged his indignance for penance. "That sounded way less manipulative in my head."
Now that she had a second to think about it, she found she had to agree with him on that. Oddly appreciative of his self-correction, she conceded.
"Well, I guess I'm fully awake now anyway. I assume you're at the coven?"
"Yes."
"Is it even open at this time of the day?"
"I'm the coven Head," he reminded her. "I can come and go whenever I please."
"Yes. Right. Of course," clearly she was not as awake as she claimed.
"Call me at this number when you arrive and I'll release the wards to let you in," he instructed before his voice softened considerably. "And be sure to dress warmly. It's quite cold outside."
She did as he told her and called when she was standing at the entrance to the building. The realization that she now had the personal number of the leader of one of the most influential covens in the city was not lost on her as she pulled it up on her phone. They hung up after a brief exchange and she wrapped her coat tighter around herself against the frigid breeze. Moments later, the door unlocked before her and opened.
He stood just inside, dressed in jeans that appeared to be at least once size too large and a well-worn t-shirt with faded lettering. His hair was an adorable mess atop his head and Kyoko internally warred with herself for admitting that he was still attractive even in this state of dress. Dismissing the thought, she hastened inside the door to join him, exchanging quiet greetings. She was confused at first when he led her upstairs to his office, but soon realized upon the blast of toasty heat that pushed through the door when he opened it to let them in.
"It didn't make sense to heat the entire building when we're the only one's here," he explained, when he noticed her starting to shrug out of her coat.
She nodded in understanding and followed him over to his desk where he had several books laid out. When he reached out towards the arm over which she'd draped her coat, she looked at him strangely before handing it over.
"Here, I'll trade you," he took the coat from her outstretched hand and replaced it with a mug full of steaming liquid.
Bringing the mug to her nose, she sniffed and caught the rich, heady scent of coffee. She took a sip and hummed pleasantly at the flavor.
"Thank you," she said after savoring the first sip.
"I didn't know how you took your coffee... but I figured a hot drink after being out in the cold wouldn't be amiss."
She noticed the awkward pause after the first part of his sentence, like he was restraining himself from asking if it coincided with her taste in men. At least, considering his previous track record of random outbursts, that's what she imagined he would say next.
"This is perfect," she assured him. "I acquired a taste for black coffee after I got lazy while pulling all-nighters before final exams. Sometimes you're too tired for sugar and cream."
Ren chuckled fondy at her and shook his head.
"I don't miss those days."
"I long for the day when it's nothing but an unpleasant memory for me too," her laugh was short and rueful. "Anyway, you said you had something to show me?"
Ren invited her to sit in the chair he'd moved behind his desk alongside his own. Once they were both seated, he showed her a passage in the book he had open just in front of his keyboard.
"I found an account in another book written by a contemporary of Takarada's," he explained, handing the book over to her. "She described a conversation she had with him about the spells he had created."
She gently took the book from his hands and looked down at the passage he pointed out.
"After the consumption of an inordinate amount of spirits one evening, Lory confessed to me the secret to his spellcraft," Kyoko read aloud from the book. "He was well aware of his infamy for creating spells—particularly those that focused on love and relationships. That night, he divulged the secret that, while they appeared otherwise, none of his spells were permanent. He believed that reversals should be similar to the turning of a coin."
She took a few seconds to fully process what she read.
"So, all of his spells are reversible?" Kyoko asked, her voice hopeful. "Oh thank goodness."
Ren nodded sleepily with a knowing smile, "Keep reading."
"When I pressed for more details as to which spells were the reciprocals of others, he waved me away with a laugh," she continued from where she left off. "While his ethos may have compelled him to make his spells reversible, he had no inclination of revealing the solution. More fun was to be had from making the discovery on one's own, he declared."
Kyoko stared blankly at the words before her and took another slow sip of coffee.
"I honestly should not be surprised that historians have chosen to highlight the ravings of an absolute madman," she griped.
"Hmm?"
She looked over at Ren, whose head lolled against the back of his chair, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open. Her lips quirked up in a smile and she let out a brief snort.
"Are you sleeping?"
"Mm, pretty voice. Soothing," he mumbled and she strained to make out his words. "Read more."
"Are you sure you don't want to stretch out on the sofa?" she cautiously reached out to poke the side of his face and was amazed to find he didn't budge.
"Only if you join me," well that sentence came out crystal clear.
"When I said I could hold my own against you, that did not include you trying to jump me on your office furniture," she pointed out with a complete lack of amusement.
Ren's face wrinkled in disgust. He yawned and his body slumped to one side until his head rested on her shoulder. Kyoko was glad he was drowsed enough to miss the squawk that came out of her mouth when his body made contact with hers. Her face was instantly aflame and nonsensical syllables formed on her lips.
"Wouldn' do that," his words continued to slur together. "Not very nice."
"Then go lie down on the sofa and leave me here," she suggested again.
"Nooo," he whined, his face snuggling closer into her neck. "No leaving."
She pushed against his side, quietly trying to pry him off of her. It wasn't until his arm stretched out to snake around her waist that she reached her tipping point. Forcefully pushing back on her chair, she stood up and watched his body arch precariously over the armrest of his chair before he jolted awake.
"What happened?" he asked when his eyes finally focused on her face after several blinks.
"You fell asleep and turned into some sort of cuddle monster," that really was the best way she could describe it.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself and she tried not to think too hard about what shade of red her cheeks must have been in that moment.
"I didn't… do anything to you, did I?" he winced, waiting for her to tell him of his misdeeds.
"Short of using my shoulder for a pillow and, I think, trying to hug me? No."
Ren let his head fall into his opened palm, "It seems I cannot control myself when I'm not conscious. My apologies."
"It could've been worse, I suppose," she tried to shrug it off.
"Wasn't that bad enough?" he frowned at her blasé attitude.
"Well, if you've learned your lesson, then how about you go finish your nap on the sofa over there so I can keep working?"
Now that he was awake, she hoped the third time was the charm for her initial recommendation.
"Oh, yes, of course," he looked over at the sofa and back at her. "You don't mind?"
"It's fine. Go get some sleep."
The heavy-eyed look of gratitude on his face told her she gave the right response. She watched him settle onto the ornate piece of furniture and suppressed a giggle as he spent a few seconds trying to find the most comfortable configuration for his long legs. With a snap of his fingers, a soft blanket and fluffy pillow materialized out of nowhere and settled on his body and under his head respectfully.
"All that effort and you don't even adjust the size of the sofa to fit your body?" she muttered under her breath.
"It's an antique and extremely difficult to enchant without damaging the structural integrity," his voice was muffled by the blanket and pillow.
Kyoko covered up her shock at being heard with a snarky quip, "Not your first time napping in your office, huh?"
He tilted his head back on the pillow to look at her over the armrest with a smirk, "Not even close."
She couldn't hold back the laughter that burst from her lips. The dreamy-eyed way he looked at her at the sound of her mirth caused a return of the furnace in her face. Choking on a final giggle, she averted her eyes and coughed awkwardly into the crook of her arm.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, really," she scrambled for something to distract from her embarrassment. "Is the spell making you more concerned than usual or are you always this paranoid?"
"Is it wrong to be worried about someone you… respect?"
She raised an eyebrow at him and rested her chin against her hand, "Respect, huh?"
"Believe me, you don't want to hear the other options the spell has placed in my brain," he assured her.
"Right, no," she waved a hand frantically, as if to shoo away imaginary flies. "I'll take respect. Respect is good."
"I thought so," his voice was both sleepy and smug.
"Oh, go to sleep already," she rolled her eyes at his tone.
"Yeah, yeah," he turned over and resituated the blanket over himself.
Kyoko watched him for a few moments with a soft smile before she shook herself out of her reverie and turned back towards the books before her. Try as she might, it was hard to ignore how much she appreciated this side of Ren. Their first meeting was embarrassing and their second even more so. She didn't know if the spell was to blame—and she wouldn't be surprised if it was—but the gradual softening of his prickly exterior in her presence was a welcome change.
She tried her best to ignore the feelings her thoughts were causing. That was a dangerous road she swore she would never travel again. Despite the fact that he was handsome and kind and caring and he worshipped the ground she walked on none of this was real!
Shaking her head, she forced herself to read more from the book she had in front of her. By the time she had skimmed through three more books and performed multiple online searches on Ren's computer, she was oblivious to the way her eyelids drooped. Her mug of coffee had long since been drained and she was feeling the repercussions of waking up so early. Still, she was pleased to learn that some scholars had discovered the counterparts to a number of Takarada's spells.
It seemed that the revered warlock was not without a sense of humor. Many of his love spells were counteracted by his curses or affliction enchantments, and vice versa. Love at first sight? Cancel it out with a blindness curse. Infatuation? Try a generous application of a temporary insanity enchantment. However, no one had yet to find one for her spell in particular. Many shied away from it due to the fact that it was purported to be a true love spell. No one wanted to risk the consequences of what would happen if they were incorrect.
When she picked up one of the other books on the desk, the last things she remembered were the crack of the spine as she opened it and the first sentence of the page she turned to before she, too, fell asleep.
Yukihito opened the door to Ren's office a few hours later to find the two of them out cold in their respective places. He took a second to smile at the sight before tiptoeing over to his superior and quietly waking him for their scheduled meeting across town. Once he opened his eyes, Yukihito silenced him with a hand before pointing to Kyoko's sleeping form at his desk.
After stretching slowly once he stood, Ren walked over to the rack near his desk and reached for his coat. In one fluid motion, the fabric swirled around behind him and, by the time it had settled about his shoulders, his previous attire had changed from old jeans and a shirt to a dark, tailored suit. He silently motioned to his Assistant Head for the two of them to depart. Once they reached the door, he paused to turn around. With a flick of his wrist, the blanket he left on the sofa swooped into the air before it came to rest on Kyoko's shoulders with a flutter. Satisfied, he continued on his way out of the office, leaving the door to close quietly behind the two of them.
SERVING UP A LITTLE FLUFF WITH YOUR HUMOR. I can't wait to work on more interactions with everyone in this story. The dialogue is so fun to write. Anyway, I hope your enjoying my Halloween gifts to you all!
AUTHOR OUT (of eye of newt)!
