Nathaniel

It was just a simple kiss. Nathaniel parted his lips slightly, applying slight pressure against the djinn's false lips. False or not, they were nice lips. Soft and plump. He felt himself relax into the false boy's arms; he almost sighed into the gentle kiss. His mind raced as it often did whenever they kissed. He thought of their first kiss and the strange predicament of the situation; he wondered if the djinn was enjoying the kiss, and if his own lips felt nice. He thought on what the people would think about him and –

"Shit. Jane." Wild-eyed with panic, Nathaniel abruptly pulled away from the kiss.

"That's not my name, genius," the false boy grumbled as he rolled his eyes at Nathaniel.

Ignoring his remark, Nathaniel peeled away from Bartimaeus's embrace. Jane Farrar flooded his mind, replacing any thoughts of the kiss as well the djinn's soft lips. It was just a simple kiss. Nothing more.

"I was supposed to meet Jane," Nathaniel said as he recollected himself. Smoothing down the wrinkles on his white buttoned shirt, he nervously glanced up at the djinn. Bartimaeus sat on Nathaniel's untidy desk, his legs dangling from its side. He was in his preferred form but Bartimaeus had aged him up to match Nathaniel's age. His dark, straight hair framed his face, his golden eyes shone and eyed Nathaniel impassively. The djinn yawned.

"Right. So, are you gonna dismiss me while you're on your date?" Bartimaeus tilted his head to the side, his eyes looking into Nathaniel's, challenging him to answer correctly.

Nathaniel grimaced. It's been about six months since he last released Bartimaeus back to the Other Place to replenish and mend his aching essence. He was growing weaker every day; his movements and antics were sluggish when it was once quick and spontaneous. A part of him knew he was being selfish keeping the djinn around; Bartimaeus was helpful in reminding him every other day with petty remarks of abuse. And yet, Nathaniel had trouble letting him go for more than a day. He knew he struggled on letting the djinn go, but he did not know the reason why. Picking up Nathaniel's hesitancy, there were days in which Bartimaeus would try to reach out to him as to why he was being kept around for long periods of time without rest. Unfortunately for the djinn, Nathaniel didn't bear to unearth the reason and often ignored Bartimaeus's concern and verbal abuse. To Nathaniel, nothing ever needed a reason. It just was. At least that's what he told himself.

"Well?" Bartimaeus asked in response to Nathaniel's silence. His voice sounded impatient.

"No."

It was a short answer, but a dreaded one for the djinn. If the djinn had been keeping count, this was his 50th denial in the past month. The false boy let out a frustrated sigh and hopped off the desk, waving a dismissive hand.

"Whatever. Have fun."

Shrugging on his suit jacket, Nathaniel watched Bartimaeus quietly walk towards the window to peer out at the plaza. The shimmering waxing moon hung high in the sky; the stars faintly shone in the dark competing for the spotlight in the dark, empty sky. A pale band of silver of the moonlight spilled into the room through the window and shone against the Egyptian boy's dark skin. Nathaniel noted how ethereal the djinn looked bathed in the silver light of the moon. Committing this moment to memory, he felt a slight ache in his chest, perhaps his heart skipping a beat; thoughts of Jane creeped into his mind. This isn't fair to her… He tore his eyes off the djinn and wiped his clammy hands off on his suit. Before he could change his mind, Nathaniel mumbled a quiet apology. If the djinn heard, he made no notice of it.

"I'll be back around midnight," Nathaniel said, fixing his eyes to the floor. It was easy to regain his authority when he wasn't looking at Bartimaeus. He was, after all, supposed to be the master. "I want you to keep an eye on this building. If I'm not back around midnight, I want you to find me. I will be having dinner at Garden Fair."

Bartimaeus hummed in agreement and fell silent once again. It was like that these days now. Silence. The djinn's snide remarks and crude retort have lessened and lacked meaning. Although it meant no longer having petty arguments, it was still off putting for Nathaniel. Perhaps keeping him on Earth has affected his spirits. Before trotting off to his date, Nathaniel made a mental promise to dismiss Bartimaeus before the week was over. And maybe one kiss. Just a simple kiss; nothing more.

-0o0o0-

The restaurant lived up to its name. It was a small, cordial place but it was ornately decorated with flowers from all over the world. The garden wrapped around the building, ivy clung to the red brick walls, colorful flowers speckled throughout the greenery. Within the restaurant, more flowers could be found in beautiful crystal vases set on each table. In the far corner of the restaurant, away from the bustling conversations of the people, Nathaniel and Jane sat alone in their booth.

Jane laughed, her white teeth flashing beneath her red full lips. In her hand, she held a glass of the finest wine. Nathaniel adored hearing Jane laugh. It acted as a guideline for him, letting him know if he was doing and saying the right things to impress her. For years, there was always tension; no love lost between the two of them. He figured it was the stress of the job and they often found themselves competing against each other. However, even as rivals, Nathaniel always took note on how beautiful Jane was. She was also vicious and ambitious; he admired that. Despite the tension and rivalry, Jane and Nathaniel found themselves together often.

Jane took a sip from her wine. "Tell me, Mandrake. What's a man like you doing these days? How's the search for the mercenary and this Mr. Hopkins?"

Nathaniel sighed. "Truthfully, not good. The only trace we have of Mr. Hopkins is his signature on a book we presumed he checked out at an old library. Nothing of the mercenary."

"That's a shame," she hummed into her wine glass. "Perhaps my men can find him. If you allow me to do your job." Her eyes gleamed with dangerous determination, a slight smirk graced her lips.

Nathaniel forced a smile back. "That won't be necessary. I have some of my most trusted djinns searching for the man." A lie, but it would do. As much as he liked Jane, he dared not let her take over his mission. She was determined and ambitious to climb. If it meant to stomp Nathaniel to climb up, she wouldn't hesitate. It was sometimes difficult dating your rival.

"Speaking of djinns," she purred. The wine was making her loose. "How is that famous djinn of yours: Bartimaeus, was it?"

"What of him?"

"Does he do your missions well? Do you send him to Prague to search for the mercenary?"

Even while slightly intoxicated, Jane always found a way to weasel herself into Nathaniel's affairs. Beautiful as she was, Nathaniel did not want her in his business. Not wanting to give her any more details, he wordlessly nodded. It was another lie, of course. They had given up on finding the mercenary long ago when all traces of him disappeared shortly after Prague. They figured that he would make another appearance in the future and it was best to wait for him rather to expend their energies. Nathaniel imagined this decision would be controversial among those in the government so he kept it to himself. Besides, he did not like to have Bartimaeus gone for too long in far away places. He needed him close by at all times.

"Excuse me."

Nathaniel blinked, pulled away from his thoughts. An aged, frail waiter stood by the table, holding a plate of oysters.

"Fresh oysters for Mr. Mandrake and Ms. Farrar. They were plucked and cleaned early this morning by the harbor. Only the freshest."

Jane let out a squeak of delight; she clapped her hands childishly, practically bouncing in her seat. Nathaniel shrugged. It couldn't hurt to try new things; especially food in a nice restaurant. He reached for an oyster –

Lights flashed before Nathaniel's eyes; the sound of explosion rang about him. Instinctively, he ducked under the table, only to find Jane hiding underneath as well. His ears rang from the near deafening blow but he could hear the sounds of scrambling panic and destruction. Screams and yelps filled the restaurant; women and children scurried out of the restaurant, the men trailing behind their heels. Dust and debris blocked his view, but Nathaniel noticed what was once an old man holding a plate of oysters was now an ugly beast. The beast was wounded, laying on its side. Its essence was slowly oozing out of one of its muscular limbs. A low level djinn.

"What the hell is happening?" Nathaniel frantically searched for a way out. He grasped Jane's hand, ready to pull her out from danger.

"Wait," Jane said. She tugged his arm back down, keeping him in place. "My demon might kill that beast."

"What?" Dumbfounded, Nathaniel peered through the dust. In the center of the restaurant stood another djinn in the shape of a winged man with the head of an antelope. Nathaniel shook his head disapprovingly, listening to the moans of the wounded djinn. "No, don't kill it. Why attack it? What's going on?"

Jane eyed Nathaniel but nodded.

"Okay, enough Sul." From underneath the table, Jane spoke with authority towards her djinn. If there was any symptom that she had been drinking, she did not show it. "Who is this demon? What was the purpose of this?"

The man-antelope djinn shrugged. "I don't know who he is. All I know was that he was planning on killing you two lovebirds."

Nathaniel scoffed. "Kill us? Why?"

"Yup, with poisoned oysters. Beats me. But that's hardly my concern, is it?"

Jane and Nathaniel looked at one another. Attempted murder? Could it be the mercenary or Mr. Hopkins coming back? Or was it another new threat? It seemed that people were finally getting creative with the assassination attempts. No one had attempted to poison him in public. Nathaniel fixed his attention on the wounded djinn. He wondered if he should let Jane's djinn kill it off or if she could ask her to spare it. Sparing the djinn would give him some unwanted attention though…

Jane crawled out from underneath the table, and stood herself up. She brushed off the dust off her skirt and held a hand out for Nathaniel. He took it graciously.

Without hesitation, Jane made a demand. "Sul, ask this demon who is his master. After that, kill him. Make it quick."

The djinn huffed, puffs of steam erupting from his nose. A cackling of fire appeared in the djinn's hands, ready to set the wounded beast aflame. Before anyone could react, the wounded djinn changed form; a shimmering gray mist. With the speed of light, it dissipated within the ground; Sul roared in anger, the fire within its hands flaring up.

Jane shouted an order, "Find that demon, immediately!"

Nathaniel stood silently, watching the roaring djinn change forms to chase after the wounded demon. A raven stood in Sul's place; its beady black eyes frantically searched the building. Jane continued to vehemently shout orders; people were still scurrying out of the restaurants, trampling over the beautiful flowers. In the distant, the sirens and the howls of the Night Police could be heard.

It was once a beautiful night and it was once a beautiful restaurant. All that was left were broken vases and petals; the quiet night interrupted by the shouts and screams of the people.