Chapter 6: Six of Pentacles
I'm downstairs. Would you feel comfortable opening the door for me?
The fae pulled at the strap on her shoulder. She had a bra, and her knit pajamas looked somewhat presentable.
Sure.
She stood up and folded the blanket she had called home for the past few days.
The 15th of October always carried heavy energy for Rainy. She visited every destination Mother told her to go to, charged her crystals, and prayed to every lineage in the Ether's Congregation whose strength she needed. Meditated, ingested every herb, lit all the candles, hired someone to make it easier for her to look for the god… Yet here she was, two weeks away from the opening of the Ethereal Gates, sitting with the same results.
Today didn't feel like the right time to talk about magic and the universe guiding humans down the right path. Magic felt so far away from her.
"I brought you coffee and some sweet pastries."
Yet, Nanami radiated the kind of magic she hoped to acquire. He was hopeful about his future. Bits and hints from the Ether told him he was moving in the right direction. He just needed a little guidance along the way.
It felt almost ritualistic to help. Maybe in doing so, Rainy could also acquire some of that luck. Even if it was just a reminder that the Ether would also one day communicate with her.
She took the coffee before placing the pastries on the table. "Thanks." The human body needed nourishment, and she had been lacking in her effort to provide it with much.
Before moving, he waited by the door for her to gesture him towards the couch.
"What is the purpose of this offering?"
"While I appreciate your generosity, I'm not comfortable receiving payment if I don't get to at least do some work."
He understood the rare occasions when she didn't want to take advantage of his free time for whatever reason but paid him because she knew he arranged his schedule around hers, and last-minute changes bothered him. However, this had been going on for several days now.
"You're free to make me more stuff with condensed milk. Food keeps me from starving, so that's like indirectly protecting me."
Nanami sighed. "It's not about the money. It's about the work. I understand this is the last two weeks you have here, and while I will not partake in feeding you unnecessary hopeful scenarios, I will advise you to take advantage of the time you have left."
It was her turn to breathe out. "I know… It's just… Hard…" Especially when every day felt like a battle just to remain present.
The blanket made her feel warm, her pajamas were comfortable, and doing nothing made time stand still. And if she didn't feel time moving, she wasn't closer to a disappointing end.
"There is a free concert in a park not far from here. It's quite popular as a beginning of autumn event and should pull a good crowd. We can take a walk once around. I'll bring you home if you don't want to stay."
Rainy sipped slowly. Chocolate and coffee with a hint of caramel. "What kind of music?"
He shrugged. "I think they have a variety. Mostly local talents."
"Music is good for the soul…"
He agreed. "It's helpful."
She stood up and stretched. "I'll be back in a few. Feel free to-" She circled her hands. "I don't know what guests are supposed to do."
"I'll wait here. It's fine," he assured her.
Nanami sat still. He closed his eyes and allowed his body to welcome a familiar current in the air. It felt disgusting, heavy, and… His eyes widened.
Cold.
The former sorcerer stood up.
Rubi perched herself on the altar next to the window.
They both looked at the bedroom door for a second before patrolling the window again. Ice veins crawled along the glass. Frost tainted the view beyond it.
The energy source stayed quite a distance away.
It didn't feel like a fully realized winter curse, but a sub-member in that family. Overall their strength didn't come from the curse's brute force but from their ability to immobilize their enemies with their long-range attacks. As a close-range fighter, Nanami struggled with weather curses throughout his school days. Winter kinds earned a large concentration of his hatred.
But like hell his pride would allow him to graduate without mastering countermeasures against those beasts.
"I'm going to-"
Gone.
Water dripped down the window where the ice had flourished just seconds ago. The cool air in the apartment vanished.
Rubi jumped from the altar and stood next to him. "She needs the distraction. Go on. I'll stay around here trying to see if I find it. It's been a few days since I ate anything substantial."
Nanami reached into his pocket and retrieved his vibrating phone.
Satoru Gojo
The vibrating stopped for a second before a single quiver announced a message.
Sorry bout that! But hey, wanna meet up tomorrow? I really think you're gonna love your souvenir 3
"Thank you, Rubi."
He closed the messaging app and sighed. The winter curse was enough school nostalgia for one day.
[6]
The uplifting mood and lyrics didn't comfort her soul. As much as Rainy appreciated the art of music, she preferred something that touched upon the misery she felt now. Nanami didn't look invested, either. He stared blankly into an empty spot on the grass and barely acknowledged her when she prodded his arm.
Rainy used his shoulder for balance and stood up. His eyes finally moved. "Let's go."
"Home?"
"No, we can walk around."
People wanted to take the bits of summer still scattered in the waking autumn season. They wore flowy dresses and took pictures of blooming flowers. Bubbles floated in the warm air along with so many names. Parents calling children, friends meeting up, dates workshopping cute monikers.
So much to work with. It almost made the fae feel hopeful.
She sighed.
Only almost.
Nanami walked quietly beside her. After getting her out of the apartment, he lost himself in thought, only coming out occasionally to survey his surroundings before diving right back in.
"What kind of music do you like?"
The night began to make its ascension before them. Curses would come along with the dark veil. If they were both to lose themselves in thought, she preferred being safe at home. Still, she wanted to try her hand at a conversation before calling it quits.
"Uh… Music?" He fumbled over the words as if combing through a foreign definition.
"You don't look like the type who likes such cute and modern things."
"No," he cleared his throat. "I just happened to find the event online."
Made sense. "So, what kind of music do you like?"
He hesitated, and for a moment, she thought he had returned to the safety of his mind.
"Symphonic metal."
Rainy whispered the words. She searched the archives of her brain for a familiar example. The individual words made sense, but together they created a foreign concept.
"It's intense metal music set to dramatic classical melodies."
"Oh..?"
"I grew up listening to classical music," he explained. "But during my teenage years, I developed a fondness for… dark… things."
It was the best way he could explain going to the basement of his soul to try sorting all the suppressed feelings that rotted there.
"I stumbled upon an art form that accommodated the type of music I was trained to enjoy alongside something I connected with on my own."
"Your soul must have been happy."
"Comforted," he corrected her. He was still waiting to feel happy.
She smiled. "That works."
His eyes flowed along the road as if familiarizing himself with their new surroundings. He must have really been deep in thought not to have noticed the first two times they had taken the same road.
"Would you like to name the vines keeping your thoughts hostage?"
He stifled a chuckle. "That sounds dramatic."
Rainy shrugged. "You like dramatic music, so I figured you'd respond to it."
As a fae, she too lived for whimsical imagery and dramatic words. Maybe she'd give this symphonic metal a try.
"I haven't called Airi."
"If you don't call her soon, she will think you're not interested."
"I know." Hence the frustration.
"Text her, at least. Voices are like waves of emotion. Letters are more like calm rivers."
"Huh…" He felt the phone in his pocket. "That works."
"Scorpio is going to be so proud," she beamed. "I'm helping humans before I even start the job."
He looked at his phone, but the blank screen seemed to mirror his mind.
"'Hey, this is Nanami from the cafe.' Simple, and go from there."
The words jolted his fingers to move, and he managed to type it out exactly.
Rainy watched his finger hover over the send button. "Send," she prompted, hoping it would push him as her previous words had.
He bit his lip. Nothing.
She leaned over and tapped the button for him.
He breathed out. They weren't even his words, and he already felt he had exhausted his emotional capacity for the day. Nanami had nothing in his reservoir to push him to send it.
"Thank you."
The clouds stood still, and so did the blue hues that promised the end of the day. They walked quietly again.
"Maybe she's working."
Her words pulled him away from the tangled vines he had decided to call by their proper name; Overthinking. Just because he recognized the pattern didn't mean he'd become immune to it. Some days were better than others. Today, he felt himself back at square one.
But recognizing the pattern also unlocked a new perk; Nanami could now make an effort to walk away from those thoughts when given a chance. Rainy was right; maybe Airi wasn't answering because she was working.
"That's plausible." No need to give those vines any more strength.
Rainy slowed as they reached the exit. The top of the building just outside harbored enough low-level curses that they could see them clearly from down there.
If they turned now and headed towards the other exit, it wouldn't add much time to… It's not like they had decided on their next destination. Rainy looked at him for guidance.
"Mind if I kill them?"
Not the answer she expected.
But… "That could ease your frustration…"
"Right. I'll be quick."
Those things made her stomach churn, but killing them lowered the number of curses and ultimately made for a better tomorrow.
She stood on her tiptoes, her arms raised.
Nanami picked her up gently. He always made sure to relax the muscles of his chest where she preferred to lay her head.
As they ascended the stairs on the side of the building, Rainy focused on the gentle lavender scent of his cologne. It helped settle her stomach before witnessing the disgusting monstrosities he faced with such ease.
"Want to get dinner after?"
He sat her down gently in a corner where her pink pleated skirt would remain clean and vibrant.
"Sure."
Rainy watched as he moved his jean top to one side and reached under to remove the weapon strapped to his white t-shirt. The carnage would soon begin.
She scrolled through the list of options on her phone as the first screams of pain filled the air. They deserved something with loads of carbs and flavors. Italian would do.
[6]
Nanami didn't notice the message from Airi until he got home close to midnight. Maybe it was the lighter mood after a good dinner or the half a bottle of wine that still buzzed through his system, but he chose to reply right away with the hopes that she would answer in the morning.
The screen didn't have a chance to grow fully dark before a reply bubble emerged.
He placed the bag of leftovers on the table and read along the explanation for her late reply.
Work was very busy with the nicer weather, and she had to work a double shift. She was also very excited that he reached out.
I hope your day was a little easier than mine!
Nanami stared at the screen. It didn't look like a sharp end to their conversation, and she replied quickly yet again after he expressed his gratitude for her response after making her wait so long.
Texting did feel like a calm river.
Sometimes they answered right away; other times, they slowed down.
He distracted himself by trying to remove the wine stain from his shirt. Rainy had offered to pay for another one since it was her inappropriate joke that surprisingly made him laugh mid-sip, but working on it now offered him a chance to think of the best ways to reply.
She was born in Tokyo but moved away to study and ultimately returned because she liked her hometown. Going away was her trying to force herself to do something new, and while she enjoyed the experience, it wasn't enough to make a lasting change.
Relatable.
Nanami didn't share as much about himself, which didn't disturb the flow of the conversation. Airi liked to talk, and he enjoyed listening.
The conversation continued through the following day, though at a slower pace.
His nerves had settled into a manageable bundle.
They spiked again when she mentioned her days off during the weekend.
The burst of confidence from the wine had waned, yet the idea of working with his luck revitalized Nanami's strengths.
He wanted this.
He would talk to his parents about his impeccable finances for his cousin's wedding and even hint that he was seeing someone. By Lunar New Year's day, they could meet her.
He could already see the tree that could blossom if he continued to water the seed he planted today.
Hope. He felt it.
Would you like to meet up on Saturday? He took a page from Rainy's book and hit send without a second thought.
She responded with a yes next to a smiling face.
He found it cute.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading!