Shoji and the Field of Memories
CHAPTER 18 - What Rumi Said
(The Bangkok Institute, Thailand)
Sho found himself with Filly through most hours.
A week had passed since that night in the north and though Filly was well again she remained in the parlor, as Arisa was still not inclined to see anyone. The Downworld parlor itself had been disassembled and refurbished to house weapons, gear, and supply of food to satiate an army.
Filly's cot was now hidden behind a wall of crates filled with onions, beets and potatoes. She and Sho spent a lot of time sitting wedged between the wooden crates pouring over Clave records or walking down by the river, bartering in broken Thai with the canoe vendors for fresh dragon fruit and dried candies.
They talked of simple, uncomplicated things; Filly shared her stories of meeting people of great importance throughout the centuries, and Sho discussed fighting tactics and even instructed Filly on how best to use her naginata. They both sought respite from the busy preparations for a battle neither wanted to see come to fruition.
Sho knew he would have to face his mother again, and Filly had confessed that she was more than a little weary of facing a Greater Demon. They feared for their loved ones, friends, and each other.
"Shakara seems to have made a full recovery," Filly said absentmindedly one evening. She was sitting on her cot with her knees tucked up under her chin, reading a collection of poems by Rumi she had found in the library. Her hair was wet from the shower and braided loosely around the base of her ivory horns. She wore a baggy T-shirt that Kevin had let her borrow that hung loosely off her shoulders. It was night again, and the lamp on the bedside table shadowed everything in a pale yellow light.
Sho was laying on his back across the end of the cot. He had a shuriken he was twisting in his hands above his face and the shining metal was catching the light and bouncing little stars around the enclosed space. Around his head there lay copies of documents the Clave had given him to read regarding his family, but nothing had yielded anything he didn't already know.
"I'm pretty sure if you asked Shakara she would tell you nothing happened. I think she enjoys making people exacerbated," he mused.
"Ever the faerie," Filly snickered into her book.
Sho turned his head. "Are they all like that?"
"Oh yes. In my experience anyway. And I've got eons of it." She winked at him and brought the book down from her face. "That, or they can be incredibly moody and hotheaded. The faerie Queen is the former, the faerie King the later."
Sho's eyes widened. "You've met both of them?"
She nodded. "Yes, I know it's unusual for the Shadowhunters to be called into faerie court, but among the more well-known Downworld it is quite common. They have requested my services once or twice. The King and Queen enjoy showing each other up in their respective courts. They like to throw elaborate galas and enjoy a bit of warlock magic to mix things up. I'm known as quite the event planner among the Downworld believe it or not," Filly raised each shoulder matter-of-factly.
Sho laughed shortly. "I would never have guessed that was your occupation. You seem more...reserved, if that doesn't sound too prudish."
"Hey now, I can be so much fun!" Filly sat up straight and relaxed her shoulders. She began to rub her palms together where gold sparkles ignited and something started to take shape.
The lamp light on the table faded away and as she snapped her fingers, suddenly a black stone appeared in her open palm. Brilliant light was emanating from countless holes in the stone, enveloping the room in a million twinkling stars. The stone floated in her hand, spinning slowly in place. As Sho glanced about it looked like the room was being lit by a disco ball but all the specs were alternating colors.
Sho sat up slowly and looked at the glowing stone in Filly's hand. She was smiling proudly at him as the lights rolled over her face in a barrage of color. He smiled back in awe and reached out to feel the stone and noticed it was cold to the touch. Sho's hand grazed hers and he heard Filly inhale sharply, closing her hand and the stone disappeared into her fist.
She laughed and leaned back, flicking a wrist to turn on the side table lamp and opening her book again. Sho also backed up and laughed nervously, shuffling through the papers at his side.
He looked down at the scrawled text with his mother's name emboldened at the top of the page, and it once again brought his fragile mood crashing down. He frowned and grabbing one of the papers began tearing it slowly from end to end until it was in small white shreds in his lap.
"Still no word from Liam or the Clave about your mother, huh?" Filly asked gently, watching the paper fall from Sho's hands.
Sho let out a long, slow breath and leaned back on the cot. "Nothing. I'm torn between believing they're purposely keeping something from me or simply don't have any answers."
"We both know the Clave are too meticulous about record keeping to not have the whole story. I think it's more likely they are keeping it from you. Maybe to keep you biased for the...task ahead," Filly paused, glancing up at Sho apologetically.
"It's fine Filly, I know how the whole thing will play out. My mother can't be banished again, not for this. She will need to be taken out." Sho tossed little balled-up pieces of parchment that rolled and collected in a small, snowy mound at Filly's feet. She looked at him with an expression fused with pity and pensiveness.
"Hm. Do you know what Rumi says about suffering?" She waved her book of poems softly in Sho's direction. "He says that, 'The wound is the place where the Light enters you.' I know he's referring to his God here, but the sentiment is comforting." She smiled at him encouragingly.
Sho smiled back despite himself. "Rumi was entirely too optimistic about everything."
"And you're a professional wallower, my moody, cynical friend," Filly laughed and closed the book, tossing it playfully at Sho's face which he batted away in a flash. She then grabbed a handful of the paper pebbles at her feet and tossed them at him one by one, trying to hit his face to no avail against his Shadowhunters reflexes. They laughed and Sho marveled at the fact he felt more at ease yet again.
"Sounds like you two are having fun," came a familiar voice from behind the wall of boxed onions.
Sho and Filly stopped abruptly, looking to the opening in the labyrinth of crates where Arisa walked out and stood quietly in the shadows. Her pale skin shone a ghostly white but her eyes had returned to their sparkling brown shade. She must have fed recently and her posture was back to normal; straight and dignified. Sho was relieved to see she was looking more herself than she had over the past week.
Filly unfurled and sat cautiously on the edge of the bed. Sho knew she wanted to rise and go over to Arisa but something seemed to be holding her back.
"Arisa! How are you feeling? Are you...I mean, you look like you're feeling better," Filly's words came out careful and pitchy.
Arisa smiled fondly and stepped out of the shadows into the light. "I'm fine, Filly. I'm sorry to have worried you, the both of you, so much over the past week. It was inexcusable to cause you such distress simply because I could not handle my own pain. There have been issues with vampire sires using charges for their own selfish deeds, but never something like what we saw-" She grasped her crossed elbows in front of her and looked at them both with a fervent benevolence.
"I hope you can forgive me. I was not myself."
"There's nothing to forgive," said Sho. Arisa smiled at him, warming his heart.
Filly stood slowly and went to Arisa, taking the vampire into her tall embrace. Sho watched Arisa close her eyes and smile sadly into her lover's shoulder, hugging her back. Then she opened her eyes and looked to Sho, who felt rather shy and out of place watching the two of them. The vampire let go of her grip around Filly and reached out a hand to him.
An image flashed in Sho's mind then, of a tall and statuesque Arisa with long, raven black hair reaching out to hold his hand. It was back in the Tokyo Institute when he had first arrived after finishing academy. Since the Institute was not built on hallowed ground, Arisa had been free to visit and spend time with him and Kevin there.
She had walked with him as a child, pacing in long circles around the patio and through the gardens, answering all his questions and listening to all his stories. She had bared her fangs at him when he had asked to see them, and jumped up to perch on telephone poles to amuse him when he was sad. She scolded him when his room was a mess and made hotpot for them all on cold winter evenings while they sat under the kotatsu, watching the New Year's concerts on TV.
He could feel his face flushing with shock, relief, and love. Sho knew now that he carried an insurmountable respect for this woman who had been more a mother, a parent, to him than anyone he had ever known.
He stood and took her hand. He was a head taller than her now, she was of course no older in image but he felt the weight of their years in himself. His responsibility as a Shadowhunters was to protect her and all those he loved among mankind and the Downworld. It was ridiculous for Liam and the Clave to question his allegiance. He was a man of no country or creed, he followed his heart and trusted where it led him.
They stood like that for a moment, his hand in hers staring at each other. Filly's arms were wrapped around Arisa's shoulders with her face turned away.
Sho smiled to himself: "This is love," Rumi had also written, "to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet."
And here they were, the three of them, stepping forward together toward an uncertain future.
They all released their hold on each other and stood in a small circle. Filly had tears in her eyes which she wiped away irksomely causing Arisa to laugh. It was a wonderfully uplifting sound to Sho's ears. Arisa looked to Filly and Sho in turn, smiling to herself.
"I'm so glad that you two have finally become friends. I suppose it was silly of me to think you could not have gotten along. You were able to comfort one another when I was unable." She placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Promise me you will remain friends when all this is over?"
Filly made a sad little sigh. "Of course we will. We will be a happy little troupe, the three of us. And Kevin too of course. If we can pry him away from his lady Min Hee."
"His lady what?" Sho asked, confused. Arisa and Filly laughed at him.
"Surely you've noticed the chemistry between them?" Arisa said condescendingly.
"Well yeah, they've been friends a while and they're working with the Clave to come up with battle strategies-" he cut himself off when he realized what they were actually talking about. The women laughed again at his enlightenment and made adorable, affectionate faces at him. He blushed and shrugged off Arisa's hand, annoyed with their amusement at his expense.
"Try not to be jealous of your parabatai, Sho-chan," Arisa cautioned.
"I'm not jealous! It's fine, it's whatever. He's had girlfriends before. Why are we talking about this?!" He felt alarmingly uncomfortable talking about Kevin's love life with the two of them.
They stifled their laughter and agreed to stop making fun of him but it was too late. Whatever moment of clarity concerning his manhood he had moments ago it was gone now among the chiding laughter of his immortal lady companions. He found himself laughing along and when Filly suggested they go have some tea the three of them left the tall maze of crates, Filly turning off the bedside lamp with a flick of her wrist.