Verboten
Chapter 3
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Disclaimer: I do not own.
It had been decided by everyone, minus Roxy, that Roxy needed to be watched and accompanied everywhere she went for fear that the Black Circle would pull an unforeseen magical hand on her. Sky, being mission commander of this whole situation and captain of the squad, had thought about this arrangement carefully for a full day, occasionally pacing and screaming in frustration as to what to do with Roxy's safety. It was Sunday now and Sky had decided for everyone that they would meet Sunday morning at the wharf much to Roxy's dismay who was supposed to go to Mass with her father.
At this point, she needed religion to keep her grounded. She needed something familiar to connect with. All these discoveries about magic, the Black Circle, the specialist and the Winx Club were driving her insane.
But no, instead she has to sacrifice her Sunday to learn more about her newly discovered magical powers and the marvelous plan to keep her safe. Her father…was he safe?
Roxy walked with her shoulders slump and a frown on her face as she followed Riven down the street towards the quays. Artù was on his leash with her. It was early morning and there was a slight chill in the air. Very few people were awake or even on the streets and the sun had only just risen an hour ago.
She observed the 'specialist,' as they liked to call themselves, before her. Dark red spiked hair, pale skin, ripped with muscle; he looked like more of someone who would enjoy extreme sports and other adrenaline-inducing activities—an adrenaline junkie? She did not see the 'whatever' it is she was supposed to see in him. Was there supposed to be some military quality about him?
The guy pretty much acted as the aggressive opposition to Sky, the charming…well, she was thinking more along the lines of 'prince' but officially, he was a king… ('Let's call him the smooth-talker or the diplomat.') All the time, Sky and Riven would challenge each other to a friendly sparring match just outside on the beach-side of the bar. Sometimes, even Helia, Nabu and Brandon jumped into the fray but never Timmy. During one of these 'sparring matches' that seemed to attract crowds (business!) to the bar, Timmy did try to explain the need to boast each others egos at the other but words failed him every time ("Let's just say it's a archaic male thing and that Brandon and Sky happen to come from a very old-fashioned kingdom."). She suspected that this passive-aggressive relationship had been going on for years before they even came to Earth.
She just did not understand him. One minute he is rude and aggressive and wearing his male ego but next, he was a generally well-liked gentleman. She usually heard him speak when Musa was around, and he was usually brash and sometimes even rude. When the musical fairy was gone though, it seemed that the whirlwind of angry in him was gone and was even an amiable conversationalist while he worked, although he was a little less talkative. The guy barely looked like a year older than her, anyways and judging from his level of dexterity and strength in the 'fight,' he was either very talented or trained from a young age.
Which brought her to new subject: how old was he? Were magical beings capable of slower aging like Polgara or Belgarath from David Leigh's series the Belgariad or the Malloreon or maybe immortality like the elves from the Lord of the Rings? Was he like one of those immortals who looked young but had the knowledge of countless men (or women)? How old was he? A hundred years? A thousand? Older than the planet Earth was young?
They came to a stop at a crosswalk and waited for the signal.
"Riven, how old are you?" she asked bravely. This was the first time that she was actually talking to him one-on-one.
Riven was in his own world, it looked like, thinking of other things. He looked down at her, barely turning his head to her. He rare mauve eyes looked thoughtful, as if calculating something. "Why?" he said bluntly.
"I just want to know how old you are."
He face hardened, more angular and defiant. "Why?"
Frustrated, she tried to explain to him what she had just been thinking, "In the magical universe, does immortality exist? Or living extremely long amounts of time?"
"Ah…it depends. Longevity and immortality are heavily debated subjects in Magix." His expression softened a little to something friendlier. "What is your definition of a regular lifespan?"
Confused, she asked, "Wait, what do you mean?"
He sighed and took a moment to rephrase his question, "On average, how long does a human from Earth live?"
"Uh…fifty to seven-five years if you're really healthy. Max—a hundred and twenty if you're the Queen of England."
"The…Queen of England…?" The traffic had stopped and light signal changed to 'walk' and they proceeded to walk.
"Oh!" Roxy followed him and realized that he knew nothing about Earth politics and clarified with "She's a queen in another country. The kings and queens sometimes live for a really long time because they don't live a very stressful life."
He nodded briefly and continued, "What does my age have to with all of this?"
"Well, in the magical universe, is living up to five hundred years normal? Does immortality exist?"
"That depends on where you come from. Straight up, yes, people can live up to five hundred years maybe even thousands depending on your origins but is it normal? It depends. Every species or races have their own norms about age so you would have to ask an individual person of that race about it."
"And immortality? Does it exist?"
They stopped at another crosswalk. The sound of water crashing up the concrete piers echoed through the streets and the lighthouse was a lot closer. Riven made a weary face as he contemplated the subject, "Immortality, as in just being able to live forever notwithstanding things that could kill you like sickness or fatal wounds—I would like to think that kind of immortality doesn't exist…" Riven watched as a dozen cars zipped by him with a pensive face.
The light changed they continued their way to the quays, occasionally stopping for Artù to sniff around as dogs were wont to do.
"But does it exist?"
"There are some people—just some—who are older than the beginning of society, apparently, if that's the right way of calling it. It's a scary concept to explain but there are some people who…who, um, can evolve on genetic or chemical level to survive and adapt with the current norms. It's like being naturally able to make a fairy evolve into a mermaid but without the thousand years of waiting to fully adapt. Scientifically, we have proven immortality, as in invincibility, where we could pelt you with diseases or shoot you up with bullets and you would survive in perfect lab conditions but immortality, as in longevity—no, there's no proof yet. It would be difficult to prove anyways. Why do you care about immortality anyways?"
Her father. Her father was old and not in top shape to fight anything let alone wizards. What would happen if they came attacked him while she was away?
"I was just thinking…" She was not sure if she should tell him but maybe he could her feelings about it, "My father. What happens if the Black Circle goes for him? He has no magic, I think." Well, for the somewhat-twenty years of her life, she was pretty sure he had no magic.
"Immortality for your father?" Riven pieced together carefully. "He's fine. Don't worry about him. I'm sure Sky's putting the royal spies who are constantly watching him to good use watching your father."
Roxy did not feel any less worried about her father and her home in general. Total magical strangers watching her fathers every move did not bode with her well. Something in her heart ached for the old man. How would she survive if he just…
…died?
Roxy suddenly remembered her question that had started this whole discussion, "So, how old are you?"
She needed to think of something else. Something a little less morbid and frightening. Life without her father was not an option. She was going to get through this mess for her father's sake. Screw the Earth or the magical dimension! That grouchy old man who raised her up while working late shifts at the factories when she was young was more important than the survival of the whole universe. With renewed energy, she squared her shoulders and raised her chin defiantly in the obstacles that awaited her.
"I'm twenty-one. Wanna stop by the café over there to get coffee? You look like you're gonna die," Riven said nonchalantly and pointed at the coffee shop coming up the street.
Latter Note: Riven is a little more talkative then usually seen but those were usually when it touches about personal issues. I would think that he was better off having a conversation about something not as meaningful to him with a fairly complete stranger than talking to Musa about his mother who supposedly abandoned him. Making sense?