Chapter 19: Wishes, Wants, and Needs
Like so many nights before, his mind was playing cruel tricks on him. Drawing a ragged breath, Evenson tried to tune out what sounded like his wife airy chuckle. By the gods, the soft hiccupping laugh playing in his mind was driving him mad as he tossed and turned upon the thin lumpy mattress. Opening his eyes and sighing heavily in defeat, he knew gaining sleep tonight was going to be futile. Sitting up and drawing away the holey blanket covering his body, he proceeded to run his hands through his dirty blond hair.
He paused in mid stroke, fully attentive. With the haze of drowsiness lifted, he was sure that he heard it that time. Yes, there it was again! Immediately jumping to his feet and tearing open his bedroom door, Evenson bypassed putting on his battle wary boots, in hopes of finding the source to the beautiful laughter. "Could Maya have fulfilled her promise so quickly?" he questioned himself as he ran on. Like a half crazed man searching for some form of sanity, he accelerated his steps.
Tearing through the doors into the tavern, his eyes intensely searched for the mirthful sound. He squinted into the dim bar haze, desperate to lay his eyes upon the source of the copycat laughter. Only to his disappointment and disgust did his gaze focus upon a lady highlander laughing at the joke of a fellow drinker. He couldn't believe the wonderful sound he just heard came from such an ugly creature. Turning away, he made his way over to the barkeep, muttering foul curses under his breath. Running his hand slowly down his face, he leaned upon the wooden bar. Before the order a mind numbing drink left his lips, a frosty chilled mug of beer slid near his hand.
"Want to talk about it?" Juri asked nonchalantly as she took a swig from her own glass. In his momentary lapse of sanity, he didn't even realize the red head sitting on the bar stool next to him.
"No." Evenson replied briskly, taking a long drought from the cool mug. "I don't!"
Shrugging her shoulders, Juri proceeded to eat the bar peanuts as she cut her eyes in the mirror behind the barkeeper to take note of the highlander and her friend. Running her slim pointer finger against the mouth of the mug, she turned her head slightly to the disheveled man sitting next to her.
"You know, I have probably seen more death than most of the people in this bar will ever in their lifetime. Being a soldier, the only obligations you have consist of protection and sacrifice. The only feelings you're allowed are apathy and anger." She sipped the remnants of her beer as she finished her sentence.
"Yeah, so what." Came Evenson's unfeeling reply as he took a long draught from his beer.
"So," she returned, turning to face him. "I'm trying to explain even with shallow emotions as these, I never lost believing in the good of man and beast alike. Life is more than black and white lines..."
Evenson gave Juri a ridiculing chuckle as he finished off his beer. Signaling to the bartender for another, he shook his head slowly.
"Then you are more of a fool than I thought." He added scornfully as he took a drink. "You know nothing about life."
"And what do you know other than the bottom of a beer mug? Look at you, you have no home, no one to love, no anything and you sit there passing judgment on me." Juri returned incensed at his lack of concern towards her words.
It's people like you, with that "I don't give a shit what happens" attitude, that knows nothing about life. How could you, when you're grasping at the coat tails of ghosts? Juri added as she pointed in the direction of the highlander to remind him of his wild episode.
Evenson turned his head slightly towards her. A dangerous rage danced within his eyes as they turned to slits. "You know nothing about me." He voiced through clenched teeth.
Juri continued on "If we are going to work together as a unit, I suggest you let go whatever is holding you down and move forward in life. The Maya needs warriors to champion her and I need a partner to have my back in battle and as I see, you don't qualify for either."
Evenson banged his mug upon the bar, gaining the attention of the few patrons within the drinking establishment. "I am committed in completing what Maya asked for fully and without error. She owes me a promise for my dedication and I'm going to make sure I get it. So back off before I make good on my earlier threat!" He voice trembled with anger.
Standing from her barstool, she fearlessly turned her back towards the reddening face of her associate.
"I doubt that highly, Otori. I could care less about the favor owed to you or any other part of your sob story. Our mission is to kill the blue seed and his followers. So I suggest to you get over whatever it is that's clouding your judgment. We're following that lead on the beast at dawn so you best get ready for it!" With that she went towards the door that led upstairs to the bedrooms.
As she walked by the highlander's table she stopped, glancing suspiciously at the hairy beast. Their gazes met for a brief moment as Juri continued on upstairs. As soon as she left the room, the highlander rose to her feet and left the building.
Evenson returned to his beer and his sorrows. He hated the fact Juri couldn't fathom what he was feeling. People's illogical fears of old wives tales ultimately killed her family, not that damn fire! They were distant neighbors, strangers almost, people who probably never said more than two words to her in a day, which contributed to their death. It was, in the worst case, an accident.
It was his own blood murdered his wife and child. They weren't killed because of some omen or some other logical reason. They were murdered because to his father it was just another thing to do on Saturday for the Alliance.
"By the gods! What are the rules to this game I'm in?" Evenson considered absentmindedly as he finished the beer. Another offending thought entered his mind. He had given the last of his zenny to the ox woman and her family. No home, no love, no anything and now added to the list of failures, no money. Now he needed Juri to provide for his funds. With a disappointed sigh, awareness of the situation finally sunk in, Evenson realized he was indeed stuck with Juri.
Groaning, he rapped his knuckles upon the bar table. "Keep 'em coming," he voiced to the barkeep. "And put the bill on the lady's tab."
(Elsewhere in the world)
Standing, ancient god hummed to himself as he absorbed the essence from the beast presented to him. He was tiring of "eating" the repulsive lower life forms in order to sustain his life day to day. His weakening body shell needed more of them each day. Removing his hands from the now shriveled body of the red drake, he paused for a moment. Glancing at his partisan, his own purple eyes drawing into questionable slits.
"What are you not telling me, Nori?" he began "What secrets are you hiding that causes your heart to pound so?" the old one questioned softly. The young man stiffened as he realized his dying master heightened senses were still effective. He thought he suppressed his fear just enough not to be noticed by the aged deity.
"What are you hiding from me?" the ancient voice rose suspiciously.
"Nothing important..." Nori began hesitantly, lowering himself lower to avoid the aged one's eyes.
"You lie." came the elder's casual reply as he walked to his throne "Very badly I might add."
Deeply sighing, the youth recanted and began to speak slowly "A new development has come into play, milord. The mother's are using Maya to implement a plan to stop The Awakening. She has gained the services of two mortals to seek him... yet this is a matter you do not need to concern yourself over..."
"I will decide what I need to concern myself with!" the holy being slammed his fist upon the pearl throne in a fit of anger. Drawing a ragged breath, weariness covered his face as he wobbled unsteadily upon its arm. Nori was immediately upon his feet placing his hand gently upon that of his master.
"Milord, please do not burden yourself with unimportant things." Nori began again "Loru and I will see to it these mortals will not ever reach the child."
Mocking laughter flashed within the depths of the elder's eyes, as he pulled his arm away from the young man. He resumed his position upon the throne, his intense purple eyes looking into the insolent youth in front of him.
"Dracon blood flows through your veins" the god laughed at the youth, "Yet, you can not sense what she is yet." The god turned his head from his observer and lightly coughed into his fist. "Even she doesn't know what she is. The little tart is just like her damnable mother! It was her mother that made me this way and now her child is trying to finish what she started. She is using a fraction of her power and is still able to thwart my actions." The god growled to himself as he faced the youth once again.
"You can't fathom how serious this situation has become, Nori. If she realizes how to use the rest of her powers, I fear that our efforts will be in vain. I will die and be a god no longer!"
"Master please" Nori cut in "Do not talk that way, you'll live to see to see the completion of your dream..." yet he was silenced when the elder raised his hand to stopped him. Mocking laughter once again twinkled in the god's eyes.
"I AM dying Nori." The old one chuckled "When mortals stop believing in a god's actions and allow them to become legend then myth and forgotten in time, he fades and dies. I am becoming just a fairy tale to these new generations of this planet. If Maya is reaching out and communicating with other humans then our situation has become worse than I feared."
"How so milord? What harm can her talking to others possibly cause?" Nori questioned. "Their essences are so shallow..."
The elder leaned close to the handsome Dracon, whispering feverishly "Do you not understand what I am saying to you. One whisper in the air is nothing but a multitude of them can create an enormous wind. She is beginning to gather a following. The more who believe in her, the greater her strength becomes. I alone cannot stop her, my powers are a shadow of that I once held. This is why the awakening must happen at all cost. You must stop the boy from reaching the emblems until I can merge with him."
"Go Nori," the god gently patted the youth on the shoulder "you must find the child before he finds the first gene."
The youth once again bowed deeply to his master, slowing turning away to carry out his mission. As Nori faded into the air, he heard the shattering of glass somewhere and a sadden groan of his master reverberate within his ears.
Like so many nights before, his mind was playing cruel tricks on him. Drawing a ragged breath, Evenson tried to tune out what sounded like his wife airy chuckle. By the gods, the soft hiccupping laugh playing in his mind was driving him mad as he tossed and turned upon the thin lumpy mattress. Opening his eyes and sighing heavily in defeat, he knew gaining sleep tonight was going to be futile. Sitting up and drawing away the holey blanket covering his body, he proceeded to run his hands through his dirty blond hair.
He paused in mid stroke, fully attentive. With the haze of drowsiness lifted, he was sure that he heard it that time. Yes, there it was again! Immediately jumping to his feet and tearing open his bedroom door, Evenson bypassed putting on his battle wary boots, in hopes of finding the source to the beautiful laughter. "Could Maya have fulfilled her promise so quickly?" he questioned himself as he ran on. Like a half crazed man searching for some form of sanity, he accelerated his steps.
Tearing through the doors into the tavern, his eyes intensely searched for the mirthful sound. He squinted into the dim bar haze, desperate to lay his eyes upon the source of the copycat laughter. Only to his disappointment and disgust did his gaze focus upon a lady highlander laughing at the joke of a fellow drinker. He couldn't believe the wonderful sound he just heard came from such an ugly creature. Turning away, he made his way over to the barkeep, muttering foul curses under his breath. Running his hand slowly down his face, he leaned upon the wooden bar. Before the order a mind numbing drink left his lips, a frosty chilled mug of beer slid near his hand.
"Want to talk about it?" Juri asked nonchalantly as she took a swig from her own glass. In his momentary lapse of sanity, he didn't even realize the red head sitting on the bar stool next to him.
"No." Evenson replied briskly, taking a long drought from the cool mug. "I don't!"
Shrugging her shoulders, Juri proceeded to eat the bar peanuts as she cut her eyes in the mirror behind the barkeeper to take note of the highlander and her friend. Running her slim pointer finger against the mouth of the mug, she turned her head slightly to the disheveled man sitting next to her.
"You know, I have probably seen more death than most of the people in this bar will ever in their lifetime. Being a soldier, the only obligations you have consist of protection and sacrifice. The only feelings you're allowed are apathy and anger." She sipped the remnants of her beer as she finished her sentence.
"Yeah, so what." Came Evenson's unfeeling reply as he took a long draught from his beer.
"So," she returned, turning to face him. "I'm trying to explain even with shallow emotions as these, I never lost believing in the good of man and beast alike. Life is more than black and white lines..."
Evenson gave Juri a ridiculing chuckle as he finished off his beer. Signaling to the bartender for another, he shook his head slowly.
"Then you are more of a fool than I thought." He added scornfully as he took a drink. "You know nothing about life."
"And what do you know other than the bottom of a beer mug? Look at you, you have no home, no one to love, no anything and you sit there passing judgment on me." Juri returned incensed at his lack of concern towards her words.
It's people like you, with that "I don't give a shit what happens" attitude, that knows nothing about life. How could you, when you're grasping at the coat tails of ghosts? Juri added as she pointed in the direction of the highlander to remind him of his wild episode.
Evenson turned his head slightly towards her. A dangerous rage danced within his eyes as they turned to slits. "You know nothing about me." He voiced through clenched teeth.
Juri continued on "If we are going to work together as a unit, I suggest you let go whatever is holding you down and move forward in life. The Maya needs warriors to champion her and I need a partner to have my back in battle and as I see, you don't qualify for either."
Evenson banged his mug upon the bar, gaining the attention of the few patrons within the drinking establishment. "I am committed in completing what Maya asked for fully and without error. She owes me a promise for my dedication and I'm going to make sure I get it. So back off before I make good on my earlier threat!" He voice trembled with anger.
Standing from her barstool, she fearlessly turned her back towards the reddening face of her associate.
"I doubt that highly, Otori. I could care less about the favor owed to you or any other part of your sob story. Our mission is to kill the blue seed and his followers. So I suggest to you get over whatever it is that's clouding your judgment. We're following that lead on the beast at dawn so you best get ready for it!" With that she went towards the door that led upstairs to the bedrooms.
As she walked by the highlander's table she stopped, glancing suspiciously at the hairy beast. Their gazes met for a brief moment as Juri continued on upstairs. As soon as she left the room, the highlander rose to her feet and left the building.
Evenson returned to his beer and his sorrows. He hated the fact Juri couldn't fathom what he was feeling. People's illogical fears of old wives tales ultimately killed her family, not that damn fire! They were distant neighbors, strangers almost, people who probably never said more than two words to her in a day, which contributed to their death. It was, in the worst case, an accident.
It was his own blood murdered his wife and child. They weren't killed because of some omen or some other logical reason. They were murdered because to his father it was just another thing to do on Saturday for the Alliance.
"By the gods! What are the rules to this game I'm in?" Evenson considered absentmindedly as he finished the beer. Another offending thought entered his mind. He had given the last of his zenny to the ox woman and her family. No home, no love, no anything and now added to the list of failures, no money. Now he needed Juri to provide for his funds. With a disappointed sigh, awareness of the situation finally sunk in, Evenson realized he was indeed stuck with Juri.
Groaning, he rapped his knuckles upon the bar table. "Keep 'em coming," he voiced to the barkeep. "And put the bill on the lady's tab."
(Elsewhere in the world)
Standing, ancient god hummed to himself as he absorbed the essence from the beast presented to him. He was tiring of "eating" the repulsive lower life forms in order to sustain his life day to day. His weakening body shell needed more of them each day. Removing his hands from the now shriveled body of the red drake, he paused for a moment. Glancing at his partisan, his own purple eyes drawing into questionable slits.
"What are you not telling me, Nori?" he began "What secrets are you hiding that causes your heart to pound so?" the old one questioned softly. The young man stiffened as he realized his dying master heightened senses were still effective. He thought he suppressed his fear just enough not to be noticed by the aged deity.
"What are you hiding from me?" the ancient voice rose suspiciously.
"Nothing important..." Nori began hesitantly, lowering himself lower to avoid the aged one's eyes.
"You lie." came the elder's casual reply as he walked to his throne "Very badly I might add."
Deeply sighing, the youth recanted and began to speak slowly "A new development has come into play, milord. The mother's are using Maya to implement a plan to stop The Awakening. She has gained the services of two mortals to seek him... yet this is a matter you do not need to concern yourself over..."
"I will decide what I need to concern myself with!" the holy being slammed his fist upon the pearl throne in a fit of anger. Drawing a ragged breath, weariness covered his face as he wobbled unsteadily upon its arm. Nori was immediately upon his feet placing his hand gently upon that of his master.
"Milord, please do not burden yourself with unimportant things." Nori began again "Loru and I will see to it these mortals will not ever reach the child."
Mocking laughter flashed within the depths of the elder's eyes, as he pulled his arm away from the young man. He resumed his position upon the throne, his intense purple eyes looking into the insolent youth in front of him.
"Dracon blood flows through your veins" the god laughed at the youth, "Yet, you can not sense what she is yet." The god turned his head from his observer and lightly coughed into his fist. "Even she doesn't know what she is. The little tart is just like her damnable mother! It was her mother that made me this way and now her child is trying to finish what she started. She is using a fraction of her power and is still able to thwart my actions." The god growled to himself as he faced the youth once again.
"You can't fathom how serious this situation has become, Nori. If she realizes how to use the rest of her powers, I fear that our efforts will be in vain. I will die and be a god no longer!"
"Master please" Nori cut in "Do not talk that way, you'll live to see to see the completion of your dream..." yet he was silenced when the elder raised his hand to stopped him. Mocking laughter once again twinkled in the god's eyes.
"I AM dying Nori." The old one chuckled "When mortals stop believing in a god's actions and allow them to become legend then myth and forgotten in time, he fades and dies. I am becoming just a fairy tale to these new generations of this planet. If Maya is reaching out and communicating with other humans then our situation has become worse than I feared."
"How so milord? What harm can her talking to others possibly cause?" Nori questioned. "Their essences are so shallow..."
The elder leaned close to the handsome Dracon, whispering feverishly "Do you not understand what I am saying to you. One whisper in the air is nothing but a multitude of them can create an enormous wind. She is beginning to gather a following. The more who believe in her, the greater her strength becomes. I alone cannot stop her, my powers are a shadow of that I once held. This is why the awakening must happen at all cost. You must stop the boy from reaching the emblems until I can merge with him."
"Go Nori," the god gently patted the youth on the shoulder "you must find the child before he finds the first gene."
The youth once again bowed deeply to his master, slowing turning away to carry out his mission. As Nori faded into the air, he heard the shattering of glass somewhere and a sadden groan of his master reverberate within his ears.