Chapter 3: I Think So…
He watched, the sights of his rifle already leveled at the man's head. He was going to need to be quick on this. Otherwise, the others would likely panic and kill their hostages. His other eye, reinforced, took in the targets coldly, listing the order to take them out. He sucked in a breath, letting his finger move toward the trigger. Slowly releasing it, he fired.
CRACK
EMIYA's eyes flew open, his breathing a calm, practiced rhythm as he took in his surroundings. He was in a bedroom, bigger than most of the places he'd slept in his days as a mercenary. He was on his back, staring up at a slowly rotating fan on the ceiling. His mind, analyzing his surroundings, suddenly reminded him of what happened the previous night, filling in the gaps of where he was.
He looked to his right to find Logan on his side, sound asleep and facing him. The early morning sun struggled in through the blinds of the nearby window, lingering in long lines on Logan's back and shoulder.
EMIYA brushed the covers aside, surprised at the size of the bed in Logan's apartment. Archie hadn't been here in a while, and certainly never in the bedroom. Putting that thought aside, he moved his legs off the bed and went into the hallway.
He moved out into the main body of the apartment, the curtains that usually covered the large window open to show the city below them. EMIYA took a seat in a blue chair, noting the pillow and blanket spread on the nearby couch.
He heard the sound of a door opening and glanced down the hall to see the bathroom agape, the light flicking off before someone exited and moved down the hall. Scarlet, still drying her hair and wearing a white shirt a size too big and a pair of black shorts, moved into the room and past EMIYA with barely a glance.
"Logan still out of it?" she asked as she moved into the small kitchen.
"He drank more than either of us last night," Archie replied, absently moving his attention toward the view out the window.
"Gonna have a hell of a hangover when he wakes up," she predicted, opening up the fridge. "He needs to learn some restraint."
"If only someone had taken the time to teach him some."
"Yeah."
She glanced back at him.
"You really should've gotten on that."
She pulled out a jug of orange juice, poured it in a cup from the cupboard, and gulped it down.
"When my clothes are done drying, I'll be heading out. You gonna stick around to deal with him?"
"Wouldn't that be your job," Archie asked, glancing around before realizing his jacket was probably in Logan's room.
"Stopped being my job a while ago," she answered as Archie stood up and returned to the bedroom, grabbing his jacket where it was tossed on the floor.
He put it on, giving it a quick smell to see if he might have spilled some alcohol on it, but found that he hadn't. He came back out to see Scarlet sitting on the coach, remote in hand and turning on the tv. He headed for the door, opening it before Scarlet called after him.
"I'll see you later, Archer."
Archie moved to reply, but EMIYA stopped him.
"I'm sorry?"
Scarlet glanced over her shoulder, and eyebrow raised.
"Something wrong, Archie?"
EMIYA stared at her for a moment before shaking his head.
"It's nothing," Archie replied as he moved out the door. "I'll see you later."
Scarlet returned her attention back to the television, trying to decide what to watch.
"Weird as always."
CLICK
OP
"So, what are you two planning to do anyway?"
Shaun waited until he swallowed his food to answer.
"I was just going to show her around. I wanted to stop by the school first, though. Tanya still forgets to bring her own lunch."
"Or she's still taking advantage of your kindness."
"Really, it could be either way with her. What about you? You're sure you'll be fine by yourself?"
"Shaun, I've got over a week off. We have time to spend with each other, so you should go have fun."
"Okay. If you're sure."
Shaun finished off his food and put it in the sink before grabbing the sandwich he made earlier for Tanya. He and Isabel would probably eat out at one of Folktown's restaurants. Maybe he'd take her to Copenhagen. Otta would be fine with it, but she also might tease him for bringing a girl there when he hadn't even shown Samantha where he worked.
His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the housephone. Chris began to rise from his seat, but Shaun was closer and already bringing it to his ear.
"Hello, this the Emerson House."
"Shaun? It's Sabrina. From last night. Is Chris there?"
Unexpected. Isabel had said he should call her. Must be about something else.
"Yeah, he's here. By the way, can you tell Isabel I'm ready to go?"
"One sec. She's been waiting by the phone all morning."
Shaun heard something distinctly like an indignant girl in the background.
"She's wondering where you want to meet her."
"Does she know where the high school is?"
"No, but I can give her directions."
"Great," he said, mentally checking that off his list. "I'm heading out, so just tell her I'll see her there. I'll hand you off to dad now."
"Thank you, Shaun."
Shaun moved over and handed the phone to Chris.
"I'll see you later, Dad."
"Bye, Shaun."
Chris watched him leave before bringing his attention to the phone.
"Sabrina, I assume."
"Not a difficult assumption to make," she replied dryly.
"For all I know, it could have been Bostwick. Then I would've been in trouble."
A familiar sigh slipped through the receiver.
"I will never understand your issue. Everyone else can speak with him as easily as anyone."
"But he never speaks!" Chris exclaimed, the old annoyance welling inside him. "He doesn't even do sign language, and none of you find that weird?"
"Have you considered the problem is not Bostwick, but you?"
"Why is everyone so blasé about it? It honestly sounds like you're just pretending to respond to something, but it also seems as though your right!"
"Chris. Are we really going to argue about this again?"
Chris genuinely considered pushing forward, but he let it go. He was just baffled how anyone communicated with that butler. The man so much as twitches, and everyone around him acts like he just recited the Gettysburg Address.
"So why are you calling anyway? I half-assumed you would go with them and get reacquainted with the city."
"I think this is time better left between them for now. It will be easier without me there for Isabel to fall back on if she messes up."
"So, you're just calling to… what? Give Shaun a little advice?"
"I had a feeling you would be spending you time cooped up inside with Shaun was gone."
Chris raised an eyebrow at that.
"Are you trying to invite yourself over."
Pause.
"The castle doesn't have any workout equipment, does it?"
"I am having it flown down, but it is not as though you have any."
Chris chuckled at that. The Lion of Honest Abe hadn't changed much even after all these years.
"I assumed you might enjoy some company. Likewise, it will give me an excuse to leave the castle. The two who were taking care of it were treating their job like a vacation and are still cleaning up. Apparently, they missed the message we were coming."
"So, I'm an excuse."
"In a certain sense."
Chris thought about that for a second. What was he planning to do with his day? His plans for his vacations were usually just talking with Shaun and enjoying homecooked food. He could go out to find something, but it might be awkward if he ran into his children while he did. "I know you two wanted to get to know each, so just ignore me." Even if it was only a slight possibility, Chris wasn't one to make that sort of bet.
Well, there was one thing he'd been needing to do, plus he still needed to talk to her about his mother. And, while he'd never admit it, spending the day with a friend was leagues above being alone all day.
"I suppose I can tolerate your company for a bit," he said, certain to keep his tone light as he spoke. "But I'll have to put you to work to feel comfortable about it."
"You can never just admit you'd be lonely."
"Says the woman who called me. Keep talking like that, and I'm not letting you in."
"Somehow, I doubt that. I will see you in an hour or so."
"See you then."
He pulled the phone away and ended the call. He leaned back in the chair, looking down at his still unfinished breakfast when a thought struck him.
"How am I going to feed her?"
He quickly stood up and headed for the fridge. Opening it, he found plenty of ingredients to make a meal. The only problem being that he wasn't a good cook. Not without a recipe, something his son didn't have issue with, meaning a lack of cookbooks to pull from.
Two options were laid out before him. Completely disregard his previous thoughts on going out, taking his chances and buying some ready-made meals to combat her eventual hunger, or he throws caution to the wind, wait until she's hungry, then attempt to throw together what he could while desperately hoping it's enough to satisfy her.
It only took him two seconds before he was gobbling down the last of his breakfast and rushing to his room for a change of clothes. Another minute, and he was out the door, car keys in hand.
"It's a good thing I'm well paid."
Shaun slid open the Archery Club door, the soft, muffled thrumming of bowstrings meeting his ears. He walked through the short hallway leading into the building, club members greeting him as he passed by. They all knew what he was here for, since it was an often enough occurance.
As Shaun passed into the archery range, he saw Samantha loose an arrow into the distant target, hitting just off-center. He was about to walk over to her when Tanya, noticing him entering, barreled toward him.
"Shaun! Perfect timing!" She exclaimed, barely stopping from bowling him over. "I was starting to get hungry!"
"Tanya, it's barely ten," Shaun said, handing over the grocery bag he'd brought the sandwich in.
"Yeah, but I skipped breakfast," she said, jerking the sandwich from the bag and unwrapping the plastic. "I need food ASAP."
"I'm not bringing you more, Tanya," Shaun told her, crossing his arms. "So you should probably only eat half."
Tanya stopped, the sandwich hovering in her open mouth. She slowly closed her mouth around the sandwich, chewing it thoughtfully.
"Now, Shaun," she said after swallowing the bite. "Wouldn't you say I've…"
A hand falls on her shoulder. It wasn't particularly forceful or sudden. Still, Tanya jerked at the contact, slowly turning her head to face the hand's owner.
"Miss Fogerty."
Samantha stood there with a placid smile on her face, carefully drawing her hand away from the woman's shoulder.
"Shaun didn't need to bring you food. You wouldn't ask more of someone who didn't need to do it to begin with, would you?"
Tanya's face reddened at her words.
"No, of course not," she said, waving her hands and the sandwich through the air. "I was just… you know… hoping that maybe…"
"Maybe you should go put it away for the moment," Samantha suggested. "You wouldn't want to eat it so quickly."
"Uh… yeah! You know what, I'm gonna go do that right now!"
Tanya dashed away, rounded a corner, and vanished from sight to a chorus of giggling from the others present.
"I wouldn't have done it even if she asked," Shaun said, smiling at his girlfriend.
"It can be hard to tell with you," she said, plucking the string of the bow in her hand. "You tend to let her take advantage of you."
"Not that often," he said, brushing her worry aside. "Besides, she's family."
"She's also a grown woman who can take care of herself."
"Do I need to bring up Rita?"
Samantha reddened a bit at that.
"Rita's… different."
Shaun searched for something to move from this topic. Rita, for all her writing success, had absolutely no survival skills, so maybe comparing her to Tanya wasn't entirely fair. His mind grasped quickly grasped a nearby thought.
"Is Sheldon still upset about yesterday?"
"He stayed home today," she answered, slightly relieved to move away from the topic of her friend. "He's over it mostly, but a bit miffed that some are still teasing him about it."
"It's probably gonna happen again."
"That's why I got two bottles, one for each of them," Samantha replied, looking proud of herself. "Sheldon wrote his name on one, so they won't get them mixed up."
"With permanent marker?"
Her pride wavered.
"You should fix that when you get home. Otherwise, it'll wash off after the first use."
Samantha laughed lightly, widening Shaun's smile a bit.
"So, how's your dad? He bring you any souvenirs this time?"
"Oh. I didn't ask."
Shaun rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Things were a bit hectic last night."
"Really?" Samantha asked, her head tilting. "What happened?"
Shaun opened his mouth, but remembered where he was, taking note of the small audience watching their exchange.
"I'd rather not say right now."
Samantha glanced around as well, a frown coming to her face. Many of the other club members suddenly found interesting things to look at around the building.
"We can talk about it later then," she said, returning her attention to him.
"Tomorrow, probably. I've got plans today."
"Spending time with Christopher?"
"Something like that."
Samantha moved forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, bringing a slight flush to Shaun's cheeks. He still wasn't used to public displays of affection, something Samantha found adorable.
"I'll see you later," he said before heading back to the entrance.
"Have fun," she called after him.
Shaun left the building, heading for the entrance of the school before stopping, noticing something out of the corner of his eye. He thought he saw someone going into the school building. Weird. That looked like…
He contemplated it for a few seconds before following after them, heading into the main hallway of the school. He glanced down both sides of the hall, catching her turning the corner at the hall's end. Was she heading for the stairway?
As he reached the corner, he heard footsteps echoing from the stairway, answering his question. He followed after her, curiosity preventing him from calling out. Why was she here on the weekend?
Her footsteps vanished once more as he made his way up the steps, stopping at the second floor while trying to discern which direction she went.
"Shaun?"
Shaun practically leapt out of his skin at the voice, whirling around to find Isaac walking toward him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, adjusting his glasses. "Did Tanya forget her lunch again?"
"Uh… yeah," Shaun stuttered, trying to calm his heartbeat. "I just got done handing it off."
"So why are you in the school?" Isaac asked, looking past Shaun as though searching for something. "Something bothering you?"
"Well, I just thought I saw Robin, so I was curious what she was doing."
Isaac was taken aback for a second before tucking a hand in his pocket, an eyebrow raising in unison.
"Why would Robin be here? She doesn't have any club activities as far as I know."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Shaun acquiesced, glancing behind him down the hall again. "By the way, was that you walking on the stairs?"
"No," Isaac said, looking at the steps. "Are you saying you heard someone?"
"I thought I did."
Shaun followed his gaze, both of them freezing as footfalls echoed from below. That didn't last long as a man in a forest green suit made his way up.
"Ah, Shaun," Mr. Kurtz said, stopping on the level below them. "I was coming to find Isaac, but it seems I won't need him."
"A bit rude when he's right here."
Shaun gestured to his friend, but Kurtz was already shaking his head.
"No, that's not what I meant. I was going to ask him to help find you, as I was told you were still on the premises. Since I already found you, there's no need."
"Then I'll leave him to you," Isaac said, patting Shaun on the shoulder. "I have some more work to do."
"I'll see ya later, Isaac."
Isaac nodded before heading down the hall, turning into the student council room.
"I need you to come with me, Shaun," Kurtz said, already retracing his steps down the stairs. "There's someone waiting for you in the visitor room."
Someone waiting for…
"Oh!"
Shaun rushed down the stairs. He'd almost forgotten because of whole Robin thing. Isabel was meeting him here.
"Mr. Kurtz, you haven't been looking for me long, have you?"
"Not very long. Only around five minutes."
"Good."
If Isabel had been waiting long, Shaun would've had to figure out how to make it up to her. This way, they can roll right into exploring Folktown.
"I feel the need to ask your relationship with this woman, so long as it is something you are comfortable discussing."
Kurtz looked over his shoulder at Shaun, perpetually calm eyes taking in the boy.
"She's… someone my father knows. I promised I would show her around town."
Shaun didn't like giving Kurtz a half-lie, but he definitely wasn't ready to start introducing her as his… estranged sister? He supposed that was a good description.
"I see."
Kurtz turned his gaze back to the front of him and remained quiet the rest of the walk there.
When they arrived in the visitor room, Shaun found Isabel sitting on a couch across from another familiar woman, seemingly engrossed in conversation as they entered.
"Miss Temple," Kurtz said as he shut the door behind Shaun. "I was not expecting you until later."
"W-well," Cassandra stammered as she set down the cup in her hand. "I… realized I had more work than anticipated and thought I needed to get an early start on it."
Kurtz let out a "hm" of affirmation as Isabel turned to face them, a smile brightening her face.
"There you are, Shaun," she said, rising from her seat walking over to him. "Is this the first stop? You wanted to show me your school?"
"Not… originally," he answered with an awkward smile. "Do you… want to see the school?"
"Do you want to show me it?" she asked, crossing her hands behind her back and leaning closer to him.
Shaun laughed nervously, looking over at the two teachers now falling into their own conversation, one where Ms. Temple looked more uncomfortable than Kurtz, but seemingly not unpleasantly so.
"You'll probably be disappointed," he told her, moving to and opening the door for her. "It's basically like every other school."
"That's what makes it special," she said, twirling through the door to face him as she exited. "It means you'll be showing me what's important to you."
He hadn't actually thought about it that way. In a sense, this was his opportunity to help her get to know him better aside from just talking. He hadn't considered that.
"I'll try not to disappoint you."
He entered the hallway and closed the door behind him, wondering where to take her first, but he was certain he wasn't bringing her to the archery dojo.
EMIYA continued down the road, keeping track of the familiar landmarks Archie always saw on his way to work. The weekends tended to be busier, so he goes in early to help with the usual crowds.
As he walked forward, his mind kept wandering back to last night and that morning. Last night, it was as though he was completely locked away. Archie was the one fully in control, but he, like EMIYA, had all the memories of the other. The difference was that Archie just thought it was all a delusion. Then there was Scarlet's… he didn't know what to call it. A slip-up? She didn't seem to notice it. Did he just mishear her?
He'd barely been here a day, and it was already beginning to crack. He wouldn't have been summoned here if there wasn't some danger, as he knew, but then why hadn't Alaya given him any information? More than that, why was he completely cut off from not only Alaya but mana? Why were Rin and Lancer and Assassin all acting this way? And who was Scarlet in all this?
Something here required his attention. His time would be better spent investigating 'Folktown' and discovering what was causing this. However… he couldn't help but play along. Archie had responsibilities and friends and memories that EMIYA found hard to believe were fabricated, which made him even question if this was all a danger Alaya would send him to correct. It very well could just be what it appears: an alternative reality. If so…
Why was he here at all?
He almost passed by Copenhagen while lost in his thoughts, correcting his course to enter the pub. A few customers were already sitting at a few of the tables, and Archie recognized a few of them as regulars.
Otta smiled as he entered, putting down a glass she had just been cleaning.
"After how hard I heard you partied last night, I wasn't sure you'd make it to work today."
"I'm not that fortunate," he replied, moving behind the counter.
Archie flinched back as Otta leaned forward, sniffing him a couple times before straightening her back, crossing her arms.
"Well, I expected you to smell like booze at least."
"This could be considered harassment, you know," he said dryly, grabbing an apron from under the bar.
"You can take it up with my father if it bothers you so much," she said, tossing him the towel she'd been using. "Until then, I'm going on break."
Archie hummed as he tied the apron around his waist, watching her disappear into the back. He then took stock of the customers already at their tables. Ricky Fogerty was in the corner booth, gazing out into the building and noticing Archie. He gave him a small smile before turning his attention to the rest of the tables. EMIYA did so as well, noticing a few faces he had a passing recognition with, and a few who certainly never been here before. One in particular caught his eye, but he wasn't sure of the reason.
A girl with platinum-blonde hair in a ponytail sat at one the tables near the entrance. She leaned on her elbow as she sipped a glass of water, her shoulderless black crop-top rising slightly as she drank, bringing to mind that, despite the sun outside, it was a rather cold day for such dress.
Her eyes roved over to him, golden irises settling on his steel-grey ones. Neither EMIYA nor Archie had any memory of the girl, but something about her stirred something in both. They may not 'know' her, but she was familiar, nonetheless. Something in those eyes…
The bell over the entrance jingled as a patron entered, EMIYA breaking the gaze, and Archie smiling at the new customer.
"Hello. Welcome to Copenhagen. Please, have a seat anywhere."
"You can just set it down anywhere."
Sabrina placed the box she'd brought from the shed on the floor of the bedroom as Chris pulled another out of his closet.
"When you said work, I thought you meant something like yardwork," she said, straightening back up and placing her hands on her hips. "Why are you only doing this now? I remember some of this stuff from back when we were Shaun's age."
"Whenever I'm here, almost all my time is spent with Shaun," he replied, dragging a third out beside the other two. "So I've never really had a chance to sort through it all. Just threw them somewhere I wouldn't have to look at them until I had time."
Sabrina raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm not even going to say how much that explains."
Chris frowned as he opened one of the boxes.
"Is this gonna be a part of every conversation we have from now on? I've already admitted I was wrong."
"It was my job to keep you from making stupid mistakes. Instead, I went along with possibly your biggest one. Consider it a punishment for both of us."
"No one asked you to. Not even Iris."
Sabrina quieted before kneeling next to the box she brought in, beginning to open it as Chris pulled out a metal handle with short, jagged blue shards coming out one end. He let out a small laugh.
"Remember when she broke this trying to swat that fly out of the air? She didn't even get it. You had to give her yours, she was so upset."
"You kept that?"
"Iris did. Said it was a good reminder to be careful. Don't know why the fact we had to get new plates and faucet wasn't reminder enough."
"With how rich her family is, things like those probably don't even register with her," she said, pulling out a picture of the three of them with Iris holding Isabel. "But the lightsaber was something you gave her."
"She really loved those movies," he said, smiling as he placed the broken 'weapon' to the side. "She was so happy when she saw the third one. Don't know how she'd feel about the new ones."
"She'd still like them," she affirmed, handing the picture to Chris. "Though I think even she'd be put off by that bug-eyed alien."
"Jar-Jar has that effect on people."
As they continued reminiscing with every removal from the boxes, three piles began forming on the floor. Things to keep, things to get rid of, and things to put back in storage. The keep pile was the biggest.
"…and then she tried to give the scarf back, but he wouldn't accept it."
"Why did you keep it?" Sabrina asked as she held the dark red scarf in her hands. "Even if Iris did, we both know she never wore it."
"I thought I'd gotten rid of it," he answered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I really don't know how it got in there."
"Well, at least we know where this one's going," She said, laying the fabric in the junk pile.
"I wonder how…"
Ding Dong
They both looked toward the front of the house at noise.
"I couldn't find a doorbell anywhere yesterday," Sabrina commented, turning her eyes back to Chris.
"That's because I still haven't had one installed," Chris replied, reaching into a nearby box while moving his eyes to the door.
"…I don't suppose Shaun…"
"Not overnight."
Chris stood up, removing the transmitter from the box and tucking it into his coat. He then moved to a section of wall and pushed on it. The place he touched went in before opening to reveal a pistol and two clips of ammo.
"What was it you grabbed?" Sabrina asked as she too rose to her feet, her face set in a serious expression.
"Emergency transmitter," he answered, slipping the cartridges into his pockets while pulling back the gun's slide. "If activated, it sends out a distress signal. My company can take it from there."
Sabrina accepted that as he moved to the door. He was a government contractor, after all. If he had it, it probably made some sort of sense. She grabbed one of the supposedly decorative swords from the wall and drew it, staying behind him as he exited the room.
They moved slowly down the hallway, the sun shining through the windows to their right as they approached the corner leading to the entryway. Drawing closer, voices began drifting towards them from the front of the house.
"…but he won't appreciate it."
"He will because it's something that needed to be done."
"He'll complain because you didn't ask."
"And you'll complain despite already helping me. If you had issue with it, you should have brought it up before."
"I did. Multiple times."
"Not very convincingly."
Chris sighed at the exchange, tucking his gun into his waistband to Sabrina's curiosity.
"I thought they were coming tomorrow," he mumbled, motioning Sabrina to put the sword down.
Still unsure, she sheathed the sword and leaned it against the wall as Chris strode around the corner to meet his new 'guests'.
"Mom. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow. Why'd you break into my house?"
He crossed his arms and glared at the two short-haired women that stood in his entryway. The slightly taller of the two wore a long coat over a white blouse and black pants, her silver hair seeming to be the only indication of her age, while the shorter woman wore a simple grey sweater and brown khakis, her dark hair cut in a tight bob compared to the tousled look of the other's.
"We wouldn't have to break in if you'd come when we knocked," Natalie Kamski said with a slight smile on her face.
"She didn't knock," Maya said, dangling a key from her hand. "She just used her copy of the key."
"I didn't give you a copy," Chris said annoyedly as Sabrina rounded the corner behind him, eyes widening slightly upon seeing them.
"You didn't have to. A mother knows these things," Natalie said, plucking the key from Maya's hand and tucking it away in a pocket.
"That doesn't explain…"
"And Sabrina's here!" she cut him off, looking past him to the blonde woman. "How long has it been, dear?"
"Only a few years," Sabrina replied with a smile. "You gave Isabel an antique rifle for Christmas."
"I remember that. She needs more guns in her life."
Maya rolled her eyes as Natalie returned her attention to her son.
"Speaking of my granddaughter, what was the emergency you called about?"
"I didn't say there was an emergency," he said, his frustration mounting. Once his mother decides something, she was almost impossible to convince otherwise.
"If you need more days, then something happened," she began listing things off her fingers. "If something happened, it's related to Shaun. If it was only Shaun, you would have said what it was. Finally, Sabrina's here, a place she hasn't been in a decade, meaning Isabel's here too."
She raised an eyebrow at him as she finished.
"So, are you going to tell me what happened, or should I have Sabrina explain it to me?"
Chris looked at Sabrina who gave him a helpless expression. He wasn't expecting her aid at this point, but he still took the moment to collect his thoughts.
Only for them to be interrupted by the loud growling that came from his old friend's stomach.
"…Sabrina, have you not had lunch yet?" Natalie asked, giving Chris an accusing look.
"Mom, it's not even One."
"I…"
Whatever Maya was about to say was cut off by her own stomach doing its best mimic of Sabrina's.
"…Maya, have you not had lunch yet?" Chris asked, smirking at his mother.
"No one likes a smart aleck, Chris"
"I wonder where I got it from."
The two stared the other down as their companions gave each other longsuffering looks.
"Shall we go see what's in the fridge," Sabrina asked the younger woman.
"May as well. It's not as though these two can cook anything."
Smirking at her own comment, which was the equivalent of laughter for Maya, the two girls passed through the nearby door to the dining room and left the remaining pair to continue their staring contest.
Chris broke contact first like he always did, and Natalie wondered, not for the first time, if he could tell that she was going to right before he does himself. It happened every time to the point it was far beyond coincidence. She'd chock it up to their similar wills, but she'd already discovered his willpower far exceeded her own, at least when it came to topics important to him.
"Should we go see what they're planning to feed us?" he asked, tiredly gesturing to the nearby door.
She placed her hands on her hips, giving him an appraising look before sighing.
"I guess it can wait," she relented, following his outstretched hand. "By the way: remind me to give Sabrina a few lessons on soundless movement while we're here."
"You're never gonna recruit her."
"Not with that attitude!"
"Isabel, I…"
"Just be quiet and let me have this."
Showing he wasn't an idiot, he kept his mouth shut as Isabel pushed on his back, sending the swing into movement. Shaun could hardly remember the last time he was on a swing, but he had the vague recollection that Tanya was involved, so it probably ended with him eating dirt.
Isabel kept pushing, short bursts of effort and soft laughter escaping with every swing. Shaun even found himself falling back into the familiar rhythm of pumping his legs to draw himself higher. This did start to cause frustration for Isabel though, as she was having trouble reaching high enough to give him a push, which certainly didn't stop her from trying.
"Want me to stop?" Shaun asked, a childish smile on his own mouth.
"You weren't supposed to start," she told him indignantly, raising herself on her toes to push once more. "What's the point of pushing you if you're going to do it on your own?"
Which is why he thought it was silly in the first place. When he told her about the park, he didn't expect she'd make a beeline for the playground. A sunny day on a weekend was the perfect time for parents to take their children out to play, proven by those who were already playing in the sandbox and on the balance boards.
"Because I like watching you try!" he declared as he launched himself near the height of the next arc, easily crossing over ten feet before roughly landing, barely staying on his feet. A couple of the kids gawked at his accomplishment, and he gave the appraising gazes of a few of their guardians a sheepish grin.
"Well," she said after catching the empty swing. "Then you do the pushing. See how you like it."
He turned to look at her, tilting his head in response to the smug look on her face.
"Isabel," he said hesitantly. "I'm taller than you."
The smugness faded into something defeated, as if he just told her Santa isn't real after years of dedicated belief. Then, a small fire lit in her eyes as she released the swing and stomped over to him, leveling her gaze with his. Well, in as much leveling is possible while looking up at someone.
"My mother was at least five feet," she followed this statement by gesturing a few inches above her own head. "It's only a matter of time before I am as well."
She didn't mention that she'd been saying that for the last three years in the same way Shaun didn't mention that she'd still be shorter than him even then. It just wasn't important in that moment.
"Alright," Shaun raised his hands defensively to emphasize his words like he did so often with Tanya. "How about we just walk around the park for a bit? It's almost lunchtime, so we can go get something after."
"Oh? And I had hoped I could talk to you for a moment while I waited."
A chill ran down Shaun's spine at the familiar low voice. He turned around and, sure enough, Zeke Mayberry stood hunched over his jade cane. The strong, intimidating voice was always a disturbing contrast to the husk of a man that produced it. Having seen pictures of him in his youth though, Shaun could at least understand why he had it, if not how he still did.
"Grandpa Zeke. I'm surprised to see you here."
Shaun slowly worked the tension out of his body. Despite Zeke's terrifying aura, which was already causing children to rush to their guardians just from his presence, the man himself was relatively normal. A bit of senility here and there, but Zeke was about as harmful as a fly in Shaun's experience.
"Well, it was such a nice day outside," Zeke drawled, gesturing with one hand, the direction in which several people scattered from for fear of whatever the movement meant. "I simply couldn't resist. There is another reason, but that's beside the point. Who's this young lady you have with you?"
Sunken piercing eyes locked in behind Shaun, and he could feel Isabel pressing into his back as if to hide herself. He understood the feeling. It took him weeks to get used to Zeke's gaze, and he still thought he'd shrink away if there was ever anger in those eyes.
"This is Isabel Einstein. She's…"
"Einstein?" Zeke interrupted, an intensity entering his pupils Shaun had only seen that time Samantha took them and Sheldon to the Civil War Museum.
His eyes narrowed in thought but never wavered from the woman trying to hide behind Shaun. Suddenly, his eyes widened in understanding.
"Oh. Iris Einstein. Beautiful, just like Justine. You must be her daughter."
"Wait," Shaun said, his mind slowly processing Zeke's words. "You knew her mother?"
"Of course I did," Zeke said as Isabel began edging out from behind Shaun. "It was all Justine talked about after she was born. Knowing her son Alric, I wasn't surprised. The boy took too much from his father. Overly serious, the both of them."
For the first time since he met him, Shaun could almost feel the aura perpetually surrounding Zeke fade away. His voice, while still powerful, exuded a sense of deep nostalgia as he spoke of Isabel's family.
"Justine?" Isabel spoke up for the first time since Zeke approached them. "But that was…"
"She would be your great-grandmother," his weathered lips cracked open in a smile as he continued. "An angel of a woman. You and your mother are her spitting image."
Shaun was just agape while Isabel was becoming increasingly less shy as he went on. Zeke knew about his father's other family as well and never gave a hint of it. How many people in Folktown knew and didn't tell him?
"What was she like?" Isabel fully moved from behind Shaun, asking him excitedly. "Mom never talked about her. Neither did Grandpa Alric."
"I would love to, but…" he drawled once more as he pulled out a pocket watch. "It is time for the other reason I mentioned. Another day perhaps."
He turned his eyes on Shaun.
"It was good to talk to you, Shaun. We should do it more often."
With that, he began slowly walking away, the park seeming to hold its breath as child and parent alike tracked his movement until he was out of sight. An inaudible exhale filled the air as the children deemed the playground once more safe to play on.
"That man is terrifying," Isabel said simply.
Shaun wanted to respond, but he was still coming to terms with the fact that Zeke Mayberry of all people somehow never mentioned he knew his dad's wife. The man loves to talk about his past, especially his military career. How did this detail not come up?
"Shaun?"
Shaun shook his head. It didn't matter. All that mattered was what he did now, not what they did before, because he knew for certain it wasn't intentional.
He turned to Isabel, meeting her inquisitive expression with one of his own.
"Wanna go get that lunch?"
"All she's ordered is lemonade!"
"As long as she pays, why does it matter?"
Otta looked at him like he had said something truly ridiculous. Archie was quite familiar with the look, so EMIYA simply stared back with an effortlessly neutral expression.
"She's been here for two hours, gazing out the window looking for God knows what. She could at least buy something to eat."
EMIYA was surprised by this as Archie's memories told him she never cared about something like this before.
His surprise must have registered on his face because her expression turned exasperated.
"Look at her! She's practically just bones, and that outfit! Those clothes aren't old, but she's as frail as a flower. She's either not being looked after properly or is rebelling against something. Whichever it is, it makes me want to feed her."
EMIYA didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't even fall back on Archie for this. Only one of those things had anything to do with food. She wasn't even that thin and gave no outwardly unhealthy sign, but who can discern the mind of Otta Hoffman?
He started formulating a reply when the bell jingled, turning their attention to their new customer.
If the girl was unusual for their usual patrons, this new arrival walked the line. It wasn't just the multiple piercings in his ears and lower lip or the carmine jacket sparsely covered in gashes that exposed his caramel skin or even the strange black tattoos peeking out from under his collar.
He simply felt… off. Like he didn't belong. The other customers barely looked at him before glancing away. Even Otta seemed uncomfortable with his presence, and Archie had seen her fight off the pack of rabid cats that lived behind Ahnenerbe. EMIYA, however, wasn't even tense. A few relative centuries killing people tends to desensitize one to things like an off-putting teenager. However, there was something…
"Karen!"
The girl who'd been leaning on her arm and staring out the window jolted at the boisterous declaration. Apparently, she was completely oblivious to the atmosphere before that moment. She turned around toward the entrance and the source of the voice, her face strangely placid.
"I've been looking everywhere for you," he continued, strolling towards her without a care in the world. "Who knew I'd find you in a place like this?"
EMIYA and Otta watched as the girl rose to meet him and proceeded to grab him not by the ear, but one of its piercings, and dragged the slightly taller boy's face to her level. If the sudden and violent motion was distressing, both the continued neutrality on the girl's face and the broad grin on the boy's only enhanced it.
"Must you follow me everywhere like some kind of mutt?" she asked, the gentle lilt of her voice somehow coming off as harsh despite a complete lack of malice.
"If I'm a dog, you're a pretty crappy master," he replied, reaching up and grasping her wrist. "You're supposed to reward loyalty."
"And punish stupidity," she rebutted calmly, giving the earring a tug that caused him to wince. "Do you see how you've disrupted the atmosphere?"
Oh. So she was aware of how this looked. Archie felt the urge to shake his head, but EMIYA kept his eyes locked on the pair. That strange feeling they gave off was growing with every passing second.
"I think it needed to be livened up. Were you planning to keep staring out that window until the sun went down?"
The unashamed pair stared each other down in the completely silent establishment. Silence reigned as dull golden clashed with wild rust in mounting intesity. Eventually, she released his earring, the boy giving a relaxed shrug as if what just happened was completely natural.
"Please forgive his rudeness," the girl told the two behind the counter, placing down a roll of bills that immediately drew Otta's eye. "Do with the change what you will. We'll be going now."
"And after I just got here too," the boy complained, but didn't even falter in following the girl out, causing the atmosphere to begin recovering from the encounter.
"You know?" Otta asked as she took the roll of what appeared to be hundreds off the bar. "I've changed my mind. That girl can take care of herself."
She walked away at that, leaving EMIYA to stew on the pair. Archie would've simply shrugged at the strangeness and moved on, feeling it was none of his business. EMIYA would have likely agreed were it not for an incessant nagging in the back of his mind.
Those two… it wasn't just that they were odd in the traditional sense. He couldn't describe it, which alone was enough to set off his sense of danger. It was something close to familiarity, but it was completely alien. The more he thought on it, it was the same feeling he had whenever he saw something ever-so slightly different from the world he remembered.
Were they what he was searching for? The reason he was here? Alaya's influence was completely absent from this world, but this was perhaps a subtle nudging as to his purpose, completely foreign from the usual compulsion. Still, it would be foolish to jump to conclusions like that. It's not as though he could do much about it at the moment even if he were right. If he could use magecraft, that would have been a different story.
Archie sighed and began absentmindedly wiping down the counter.
"If only."
ED
Even if you can't say it, let alone believe it, I know it.