To Master a Craft, Continued
At a nice clean restaurant they sat in a booth just the two of them, where they discussed the layout of their report and made plans for the exorcism. Mai hoped she would get a chance to talk to the lingering spirit and put his concerns to rest and subsequently him as well. They even discussed their friends (not that Naru would openly address them as such) and how each of them would handle the situation. Mai's animated impersonations actually provoked a dry chuckle from the inexpressive scientist; who couldn't stop one corner of his mouth from quirking up in a half smile, much to Mai's delight. If only he wouldn't look away at moments like that, while the smile was great, it was his eyes that she wanted to see smiling.
The eyes are the window to the soul, as it's always been said. After numerous meetings with Oliver Davis' lost identical twin, Mai couldn't help but agree. It was through their eyes where she would see the true identity of the person beneath. While both twins had deep, piercing blue eyes there was something more hidden under the surface of their gaze. When Gene smiled, there was a warm, soft glow of understanding and comfort that would radiate from behind his look. But when Oliver truly smiled, (Mai's heart skipped a beat just thinking about it) It was like every star in their Galaxy lined up and shot right through her, as though his smiling eyes were a gateway to the Universe. Maybe that's why they are so well guarded, for Mai had really only seen it happen twice, three times maybe, and those instances were so brief she almost thought she had imagined it. She probably would have gone on thinking so if she couldn't still feel the lasting impression those tiny moments in time had left on her soul.
Mai brushed aside her disappointment and tried not to think about what a good time she was having. This was a case not a date. Although when you added up their activities through out the day it seemed awfully close. He held open her car door for her, they went for a walk in the park and he bought her lunch! Not to mention all the touching that had happened between them in the last twenty four hours, she could still feel the warmth of his palm against her cheek from when he had cradled her head after her vision. Her cheeks began to burn at the thought and she hoped that he didn't notice her seemingly unprovoked reaction. They were now on their way back from an unexpectedly pleasant lunch and a glance at her companion told her that he was lost in thought, which was just as well. He had to know that he was the number one source of her blushes, and he caught her doing so way more often than she was comfortable with. It must be awkward for him to know she still felt that way even after having turned her down, but she really did enjoy his company and wanted him to be comfortable in her presence.
Meanwhile, Naru was mentally running through all the forced dates he's had with Masako. He couldn't help but compare them to the friendly lunch he had just shared with Mai. She was so easy going and friendly it was hard not to get pulled into her vortex of easy smiles and casual mien. While his time with Masako had always been a dreaded affair full of fake giggles from behind a sleeve and elitist scorn in stuffy, high end restaurants. Their conversations would be painfully forced, at least from his end. Whereas with Mai it seemed as though their meal was over far to soon, and their conversation flowed freely, talking about the case, their colleagues and everything in between. He found himself mesmerized by her limitless facial expressions and animated way with which she spoke, drawing him in with her magnetic personality. He fought hard to suppress his reactions to her antics but could do nothing about the fuzzy warmth that had swelled in his chest with every radiant smile she flashed his way.
When they made it back to the shop, it was nearing Three PM. Suki was still working away in the back room and perked up at the site of them.
"Mai-chan! I just received an order for an ENORMOUS birthday bouquet that has to be ready by Six. Want to help me put it together?" The way she was biting her lip through her smile and bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement made her seem much younger than she was.
Mai's face lit up at the prospect but then appeared apologetic as she remembered why she was there in the first place.
"Sorry Suki-san but-" She was interrupted by Naru.
"It's fine Mai, I have to write the report and it will take twice as long with you hovering around. I will call you when you're needed." With that he went straight to base and firmly shut the door behind him, leaving a pleasantly surprised Mai and a madly clapping florist in his wake.
Inside the safety of the surveillance room, with his hand still on the door knob, Naru took a calming breath. He needed to take a few moments to clear his mind and reign in his emotions. Allowing himself to feel too much of anything tended to be risky, because having his emotions close to the surface was almost indicative to his PK simmering just below the surface too.
When he became emotional as a boy, he would easily have objects floating about the room and as he got older, his PK grew stronger, leading to drops in temperature and objects would not only float but disassemble themselves in mid-air. Now that he was reaching adulthood, he could feel the intensity of the power running through his veins and knew that he could shut down the entire power grid if he wanted; killing himself in the process, of course.
With out his older twin brother around it was only a matter of time before his control slips and ends up following his other half into the afterlife. His brothers skill set had included the ability to obsorb, level and return his incredible energy back to him, helping him 'burn off steam without breaking the container' as Gene himself had once put it. Oliver liked to think of it as the inner workings of an alternator, which produces electricity when a spinning magnetic field comes into contact with the metal wire coil inside the motor. Creating a high voltage when it's needed. Oliver is the always charged magnetic field and Gene was the machinery that turned that energy into something productive.
The Telekinetic teenager mentally shook off the depressing thoughts and focussed on his training. His adoptive parents had insisted he develop other methods of controlling his powers, resulting in years of martial arts and meditation. He was grateful for their meddling now that he was older but he had put up a fight in the beginning; believing it was a waste of precious research time, but Gene convinced him to undergo the training together. The same way they did everything, that was until Gene's trip to Japan.
Now frustrated with himself (Mai must be rubbing of on him) he tried once more to clear his head and level himself out, this time with some measure of success. Finally taking his seat he went about starting his report, doing his best to ignore the pleasing bell tones of his former assistant's voice that reached him from behind the door closed door.
If he wasn't careful, she really would be the death of him.
A few hours passed with Mai happily learning the ins and outs of flower arranging and Naru piecing together a very detailed paper on the paranormal happenings of the store. When Sakura was ready to go home for the day, he and Mai presented to her their findings and explained their plan of action. She was shocked when Mai showed to her the dried roses they had discovered beneath the gazebo and became teary eyed when she learned her ghost's sad story. Immensely pleased with their efforts she wished them good luck with the rest of their task and headed home for the night. The store would remain open for another hour or two with Suki watching the front and tidying up for the day, then the store would close and she would assemble any last minute orders for the next day before going home.
Naru had found Haru's obituary in some old news paper records, meaning his body had been properly tended to. So in order to encourage him to move on, they were going to try to convince Haru that he had Mimi's forgiveness by explaining it to him; after he had retrieved the roses, but before he reached the location of his death. Mai felt that if she confronted him in the park she might be able to convince him before the cycle completed again. If she can't, then they might have to call in Father Brown or wait until the next Saturday of his ritual.
Mai had come to love the feeling she associated with persuading a Spirit to choose to move on. The golden glow and tingling warmth that accompanied the sensation of tranquility was without a comparison. She was glad to have the chance to experience it again. The high-schooler felt confident in her plan and that seemed to be enough for Naru.
They thought it was best to leave their cameras in place, to capture the disappearing roses with an infrared camera this time. Since their little intervention would be held off site they would let Suki go home at her usual time and just return for their equipment the next day when they brought back the (hopefully) last batch of runaway roses.
Since they had time to kill before the cleansing, Naru lead her to a coffee shop where they each ordered a drink and he ordered them two sandwiches to go, before picking up the entire tab. Mai was a little surprised that they hadn't just gone back to the office, it wasn't that far of a drive and they had at least two hours before they needed to be in position.
Killing time in a public setting was something she had never witnessed her Boss do willingly, it was suspicious. But she wasn't going to question her luck too much, she was having a wonderful day. This was the second meal that Naru was treating her to and she couldn't help but tremble with giddiness for a moment. They were slowly making their way along the side walk, after having finished their drinks in the coffee shop, where they had discussed Mai's classes and Naru's next dissertation. The conversation flowed so naturally that when there was silence it was always comfortable, neither ever felt the need to make small talk.
Mai was broken from her thoughts when a plain, dark scarf wrapped itself around her shoulders, causing her to look up at Naru in surprise, but he had just continued walking with his eyes forward, as if nothing had happened. He must have felt the heat of her gaze because his soon slid back to her face before he answered her unasked question.
"It's cooling off and we can't have you shivering your way through an exorcism." His deep, smooth voice drawled with finality, as though to end the discussion.
Mai realized that he must have mistaken her tremble of excitement for a shiver, and decided to offer her the scarf that he kept in his coat pocket. Her skin burned where his thoughtfully offered garment graced her shoulders and the feeling spread to a bright red blush on her face. She was very happy that he chose to offer her his scarf rather than rekindle their argument from the night before. This also made her realize that he was paying much closer attention to her than she thought, if he had noticed that.
She chanced another sideways glance up at his face and was perturbed to see the smirk he usually wore when he caught her blushing because of him. This only caused her to avert her eyes and huff petulantly while blushing even deeper. If she had still been watching she would have seen a small but very genuine smile briefly grace his handsome face as he watched her covertly out of the corner of his eyes.
After Some aimless wandering with Mai stopping their progress every now and then to comment on some of the more demonstrative window displays; through which Naru humoured her by waiting, listening and responding when necessary, they were finally back at the gazebo. They were sitting in the same spot where they sat that morning, only this time they were sharing the sandwiches Naru had purchased them in the cafe.
The park had a completely different vibe now than it had in the day light. Now that night had set in, the pathways were lit with large lantern style lamp posts, with matching fixtures lining the bridge over the pond, causing the water to shimmer with gold. The gazebo itself was outfitted with solar lights on either side of each post, creating a warm glow in and around the structure. Mai couldn't help but admire the beauty the scene presented, for she wasn't one to linger alone in parks after nightfall; for obvious reasons, and doesn't get to see such a sight very often. There were still the odd pedestrian roaming about, a couple walking arm in arm, some runners and dog walkers but mostly things were quiet.
"Have you thought about what you are going to say?" Oliver had broken the silence, effectively drawing Mai's attention back to him. She seemed to ponder about his question while she quickly finished chewing her food.
"Well, I think if I can gently explain to him that they are both already dead and that in order to see her again he has to move on, he just might. I'm not sure he even realizes that he is dead. He was so distracted at the time that the lightning hit and then it was over so fast that I can't even be sure that I felt anything." Her eyes grew wide before her expression became sheepish. "I mean, that HE felt anything."
"Would you say that you experience most of your dreams from a first person perspective?" The Scientist in him saw this as an opportunity to get some more details from the less than forthcoming about her ESP, former assistant.
"Well, it depends which kind of dream it is. Sometimes I am myself in the dream, and I am floating in the darkness surrounded by fox fires and wisps. Often that place will let me see what is going on in the building around me, and I can see way more than I can when I'm awake." She continued to look out at the park as she spoke, before taking another small bite of her sandwich.
"What kind of things do you see?" Naru internally struggled to contain his intrigue at her statement.
"You remember the case at Yasu's school right? well it was like I was hovering above the whole building, but I could see through every wall and floor. It was almost like looking at 3D blue prints that had people walking around inside them. I could also see the different spirits floating around and I could tell if they were a part of the curse or not." She swung her feet back and forth as she spoke, still not looking at him.
Naru fought the urge to get out his note book and write this information down so that he could remember to go back and update the old case file.
"Is there anything else you see when you are dreaming as yourself?" He wondered how much he could get out of her before the spell was broken.
"Umm, I am myself when I speak with Gene. Usually this all takes place in the same, Realm, I guess you could call it. But I noticed that Gene is more likely to appear if I don't have a location in focus. If he does show up to talk to me then, he is always a little distant. The only times that he is between me and a structure is to show me where to go, and at those times he doesn't seem to be able to speak."
Naru's throat grew tight at the mention of his brother but he wasn't completely unprepared for him to come up. As she continued into more detail than she had ever been willing to divulge before, Naru realized that there was so much more to her time in dreamland than he had realized. He was about to continue along his line of questioning when Mai suddenly froze with her wide cinnamon eyes glowing brightly in the lamp light. She then set aside what was left of her sandwich and stood, before making her way down the steps.
Naru pulled out his cellphone and set it to record, wanting to catch as much of the interaction on video as he could.
Slowly, a disturbance in the air about fifteen feet away from Mai was noticeable, only becoming more obvious as it approached them. Once the entity carrying a large blurry bouquet was nearly right before her, Mai spoke clearly.
"Haru." The bouquet halted its forward progress but did not stop manifesting in the real world. "Haru, you don't have to bring Mimi flowers anymore."
An echoey voice responded, coming from nowhere and all around them at once.
"She won't forgive me." The voice was laced with anguish and despair. No doubt this spirit was beginning to warp from being stuck repeating the same incident over and over again.
"You're wrong Haru-kun, She forgave you before you even made it out of the building." The opaque man was now visible standing before her, with his arms full of roses. He seemed to be listening to what Mai had to say.
"She wanted your forgiveness for having to leave you before you were both ready. But that doesn't matter now Haru-kun, because there was an accident, and you have been stuck trying to bring her these flowers for years now. Mimi has already passed on and is waiting for you. Why don't you leave those here and go to her? You have both been waiting so long to be together, don't you think it's about time?" There was a clear, compassionate, almost dreamy sound to Mai's voice as she spoke to the confused spirit, whose expression cleared and body began to glow in a warm light as she explained to the ghost that he didn't need to do this anymore.
"Mimi is waiting?" He was smiling now, and beginning to rise up as he glowed brighter. Mai smiled and nodded her assurance to the young man, who returned it before turning away and disappearing in a bright flash, leaving the roses to cascade towards the ground.
Mai dashes forward and managed to catch most of them in her arms, giggling as she struggled to accommodate them all. She beamed over her shoulder at Naru.
"Well that's a case closed, huh Naru? It went a lot smoother than I expected it to." Naru hit the 'stop recording' icon on his phone and took a moment to soak up the image she made, frozen on his phone. Her hair and features a warm hue in the lamp light, with the bright smile on her face and her arms full of flowers, her cheeks were flushed with the success of her exorcism while the darkness of the park around her made her seem to glow like an angel. When he glanced up to address the real thing he couldn't help but give her a small, half smile.
"Well done."
Next Chapter: Just Think About It
A/N: So here is the second half of that too long chapter. I wanted to have it done in time to wish my neighbours to the South a Happy Thanksgiving. But I have wondered, don't you find it to take place too close to Christmas? It is less than a month away. In Canada we celebrate it in mid October, which helps to space out the turkey dinners nicely I think. It may be closer to Hallowe'en but since that is a different kind of holiday I don't think they impose on one another at all.
This is the end of the first case in this story and I'm sorry it wasn't scary. I wanted to ease into it, and figured that they shouldn't all be the same kind of case. I do have some very dangerous and frightening cases in mind, but first there will be some more everyday problems to address before that happens.
But tell me, are things moving too slowly? Am I focussing too much on little details? So far this story has not been very popular and I want to know if I should rethink my approach.
Thank you again to my regular reviewers, you know who you are. Your support means a lot to me.
Looking forward to your thoughts,
Thanks for reading,
S.