'… Before me stands the "Holy Grail". I slowly extend my hand and place it on the core of the "Moon Cell".'
'… The instant I make contact with it, I am drawn inside the Holy Grail… To be more accurate, I am absorbed into it like water being absorbed into a sponge.'
'… In the short time before I'm erased from existence, my consciousness is immersed into the Moon Cell… I can see everything that exists within it: every day piece of information, every observation, every conclusion.'
'… The sheer volume of information and ideas stored in the Moon Cell forms an intricate collage that no human could decipher, though I sense a pattern… And throughout humanity's peaceful stagnation and wars that bring forth its eventual destruction, the Moon Cell will continuously and silently record what it sees; all without ever taking action.'
'… But now is not the time to get emotional; I must tell the Holy Grail what my wish is.'
Awakening from a surreal dream involving seeing a brilliant light in the center of a floating geometric structure— followed shortly by his consciousness getting sucked into its center to re-emerge into an ethereal dimension surrounding by rippling oceanic ripples and light— Ren's eyelids fluttered open while his mind ran hazy, as he stared blankly above at the ceiling while still half asleep.
Still processing what he had experienced throughout the night within the confines of his mind, Ren continued to stare blankly at the white popcorn ceiling as the sound of his oscillating fan blowing cool air from corner-to-corner played like white noise to his ears. '… What the hell was that even about? Was that some sort of fever dream? Did I eat bad shrimp last night?' Ren wondered to himself, as his eyebrows furrowed as he recalled more and more snippets from his surreal dream.
"Moon Cell…? Holy grail…? Was I… Was I dreaming about a Monty Python film…?" Ren murmured half-sarcastically to himself, as he started to lose interest in the prospect of dedicating all that brain power on something as trivial as a trippy dream. 'Whatever… It's too early for this, and I've got real shit to deal with today,' Ren reminded himself, before groaning as he sat up from underneath his warm blankets— stretching his arms above his shoulders and letting out a silent yawn, before standing up in just his underwear. Careful not to knock over the photonic crystal that he had set on top of his nightstand, Ren shuffled outside of Vivine's guest room, and into the upstairs hallway to begin his newly created morning routine.
Low on money and long overdue to get back to Guido's Tavern to put some coin into his newly opened bank account, Ren began to think of ways of how he could make a good first impression on the goblin matriarch who would be the one fixing up whatever was wrong with Vivine's car that she left for him in the garage. 'Ms. Yoshimura said I should bring a gift for Ms. Sparkmax… Wonder what I can scrounge together in the kitchen,' Ren contemplated silently, as he turned the faucet of the shower on before taking a seat on the toilet.
Always one to make the most out of his time, Ren continued to plan out his next move while doing his morning routine on the toilet— relieving himself, while simultaneously reaching over toward his left to fetch his toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste from beside his bathroom sink. 'I never was one for baking, and even if I did have a passion for making cakes and pastries, I'm lacking the ingredients to make anything remotely decent… And even so, I can't waste too much time on getting her a gift…. What do goblins even like? Gold? Gems? Shit that I don't have?'
Flushing the toilet and putting his toothbrush on the side, Ren opened the glass door to his shower before spitting a wad of fluoride paste mixed in with saliva into its bottom drain. Finishing his business before closing the toilet lid and washing his hands, Ren cleaned the bristles of his toothbrush before putting it back beside where he had set his tube of toothpaste— wiping his lips with his forearm, before stepping through the opened glass door of his shower.
By the time Ren had finished freshening up and getting dressed in a white collared shirt and black jacket that had both been a part of Gudio's wardrobe at one point in the past, the mechanical clock hung up on the wall of the upstairs hallway had its hour hand marked on the large number seven, in the bottom right corner of its circumference. On track with his planned schedule, Ren adjusted his leather buckle that held his dark-blue denim jeans as he made his way down the flight of stairs, and through Vivine's living room area.
Having accepted that his gift would have to come at a later date, Ren felt disappointed in himself as he made his way through the laundry room, and through the door that led into the garage. With so many thoughts having ran rampant in his head since the start of his morning, it didn't dawn on Ren until he finally found the light switch and turned on the garage's ceiling lamp did he realize something shocking: despite having lived in Vivine's house for an entire week, he hadn't ever been to the garage, up until that point.
Standing beneath the frame of the door frame separating the laundry room from the rest of the garage, Ren felt completely stunned on multiple levels as his widened eyes took in the entirety of the concrete area before him. Parked in the center of the large room, Ren didn't know what to think after realizing that the car Vivine had driven when she was still alive had been an exotic sports car that had a pearlescent white coating to its sleek exterior; having up until that point assumed that his gentle sister would have owned a van, or something else that was "mom-core".
Shockingly, the revelation of his sister being a different person than who he had thought her to be didn't end with the car. With how large the garage actually was, there was enough space inside of its dark-gray walls to house several work benches and gym equipment that Vivine had, at one point in her life, had set neatly along one side of the wall. Parallel to what looked like a smithing area that had ventricles that led up through the roof like small chimneys, there were several large metal containers that drew Ren toward them.
'I never would have imagined that Vivi had so many different interests… Guess we were a lot more estranged than I thought,' Ren thought to himself with guilt churning inside of him, as he let out a regretful sigh before making his way toward the metal lockers. Within each locker, Ren didn't make much of an attempt to take inventory of all the raw and refined crafting materials that Vivine had neatly organized in each container, and instead was too distracted with the bitter realization that reminded him of his messy and unforgiving past.
"Vivi… Was the intent behind why you even gave me all of this in the first place out of love, like how you wrote in your letter…? Or… Or was it out of guilt?" Ren whispered under his breath, while knowing fully well that he wouldn't get a response from his deceased sibling as he leaned his weight against the last metal locker that his arms were outstretched towards— his face staring at the concrete flooring, as he lamented more-and-more about the type of relationship he and his sister had.
Collecting his thoughts while avoiding spiraling in too deep into the plentra of unresolved trauma he had been harboring for so long, Ren took a deep breath in and out before finally standing up straight— half-heartedly tapping the metal locker in front of him with his hands, before turning around to write down the information he could from Vivine's car, using the back of Naomi's checklist that he had been keeping in his wallet for safekeeping.
With a lot more on his mind than he cared for,
Ren was busy with trying to push aside the intrusive thoughts he was having of his sister; reassuring himself that "what's done, is done," as he sat down on his living room couch, next to where his landline was waiting for him by the sofa's end table. Having written down the business number of Rikka Maxspark's place of business on the front of Naomi's checklist before hand, Ren unfolded the aforementioned piece of paper before setting it down on the coffee table— squinting his eyelids to get a better reading on each digit of the phone number listed on its white surface.
Due to the device being a rotary phone, it took Ren a bit getting used to before being able to dial each number on the piece of paper with the precision of an office secretary. Soon enough, Ren was holding the black handset of the phone up to his ear and near his mouth— the outgoing call humming in his ear canal for a brief moment, before someone quickly picked up on the other end.
"Good mornin' to ya! You've reached "Maxspark Mechanics"— Honey Maxspark speakin', and at ya bloody service! Now then, what can I do for ya, friend?" The high-pitch and high-energetic voice on the other line asked, with a distrive accent that Ren recognized as the one commonly associated with none other than goblins.
"Good morning, I'm calling in regards to scheduling a vehicle diagnosis on a twelfth edition, ummm… "Kurage-Phonic: MX-7"? I think that's how you say it?" Ren mused with an unsure tone in his voice, as he furrowed his brow— narrowing his eyelids, as he silently repeated back the make, model, and edition of the Vivine's sports sedan.
"Ooooo! That's a fancy-smancy car you've got there, mister! Luckily for you, we here at Maxspark Mechanics all have first hand experience with that very vehicle!" The phone receptionist reassured with an eager tone in her cute, somewhat raspy voice— taking a momentary pause speaking, as Ren heard the faint clitter-clatter of fingers typing away at a mechanical keyboard. "We've got a three o'clock opening today, does that work for you, mister?"
Relieved to hear the news, Ren perked up in his seat as he replied back, "Yeah, that'll do just fine," before pausing as the smile he had across his lips began to waver. "There's… Just one thing though," Ren said in a low voice, before saying to the receptionist, "I'm certain that the car hasn't been used since a decade ago, so… I-I don't think it'll even start, if I'm being transparent here, Honey."
"Oh don't ya worry now about nuffin; that won't be an issue at all, mister! So long as ya parked within the vicinity of Crescent Bay, I can schedule ya in for a four o'clock appointment today, if that still works for ya!" The receptionist replied reassuringly with vigor and excitement in her voice, with each high spring word that left her mouth.
'Thank God,' Ren thought to himself with another wave of warm relief washing over his worried mind. "Yeah, that'll be fine; thank you… Thank you so much for doing this for me; I really appreciate it," Ren said with gratitude in his stoic voice.
The receptionist seemed amused as she let out a cute and good hearted snicker, before quickly recomposing herself over the phone. "Ah, bloody hell, it ain't nuffin, muffin! Now then, where exactly is the address of the vehicle?" The goblin receptionist asked with a happy tone in her voice.
Without thinking too much of it, Ren proceeded to tell Honey his home address— hearing a noticeable slow down in the goblin's typing speed, until finally there came a complete and uncomfortable pause on the other line from her side. "Is there…? Is there something wrong with that address, Honey?" Ren asked with a perplexed tone, which gave way to a brief moment of silence.
"Uh… N-No mister, there ain't nuffin' wrong with the address; it's just…" The goblin receptionist said with an unconvincing voice, before trailing off into a quiet mumble. "… S-Say, uh… W-What's ya name, mister? I didn't quite get that from ya…"
It was after hearing the receptionist's two follow up questions did it finally click inside of Ren's head as to what was the matter at hand. "Ren… Ren Ashta: I'm Vivi's younger brother… She left her possessions to me within her will," the young man said rather bluntly— having since then grown more accustomed to introducing himself and his circumstances to the folk of Crescent Bay by that point.
"Oh… Welp, that explains why her profile popped up when I entered ya address," the goblin receptionist murmured in response to his explanation— more so to herself than to him, as it sounded to Ren as though she was unsure as to how to go on. "… Oi, mind if I put ya on hold for a hot second? I've gotta get my moth— I mean, "manager"— to take a look at this."
Having already predicted the goblin's next step, Ren couldn't help but to silently smirk to himself while feeling some amusement from the direction the phone call had taken. "That's fine; take your time," Ren replied nonchalantly, before being greeted by some rock music from the past decade that played through the speaker of his handset.
Finding himself being left on hold longer than he had anticipated, Ren began to drone back to sleep the longer he listened to the compressed music playing from the other line. The young man was moments from snoring when all of a sudden he was jolted awake by a dominatineering, and direct woman's voice taking him off hold before asking him, "Oi, 'ello? Is this Ren?"
Blinking away the sleep that had subtly made its way to his heavy eyelids throughout the period of being put on hold, Ren took a moment to stir awake before quickly replying to the no-nonsense woman's voice, "Y-Yeah, yeah… Yeah, I'm Ren."
"Right then, Ren. So four o'clock in the afternoon will work for ya, yeah?" The caller on the other side of the line asked; unphased by who Ren was related to, as he heard her typing away at the keyboard with no hesitation in her pace.
"Yeah… Yeah, that works fine," Ren replied back, while feeling somewhat off put by how direct the woman on the other line was being with him.
"Superb… And since you're technically a resident now of Crescent Bay, ya vehicle diagnosis will be at no expense to ya, Ren. But be aware, any repairs made today will cost ya," the goblin woman informed, as though she were reading from a memorized script in her head. "How will ya be payin' for this, Ren? Check, coin, or do ya need to go through our financing department?"
"Uh… Finnaning, please," Ren replied, while still feeling as though he was getting the cold shoulder from who he could only presume to be the goblin receptionist's "manager".
"Perfect. I'll go ahead and put my daughter back on the phone with ya; she'll run the numbers with ya, and assist with any questions ya will inevitably have," the woman said flatly— sounding devoid of any kindness in her voice, before finishing up what she was typing and saying, "We'll come by Vivi's house at four o'clock, Ren; I'll see ya then."
And with that short and curt goodbye, Ren sat somewhat dumbfounded at what he had experienced. It wasn't until he heard an apologetic and somewhat awkward, "Sorry bout' that, mister; my manager, she uh… She was quite fond of Ms. Ashta; I suppose she might feel a lil' crossed with ya, for whatever reason— I dunno, heh…!"
After half an hour of going back and forth with Honey over the amount of loaned coin he was approved for, Ren thanked the goblin receptionist for her time— once again reassuring her that he didn't take any offense to her mother's cold demeanor— before hanging up the phone. Sitting there on the couch with the motivation to do something productive in one way or the other, Ren thought about calling May to see if she or someone else who she was networked with would be willing to give a me a ride to the tavern; wanting to secure himself means of transportation, before calling Guido to ask if there was any work for him.
However, it didn't take long for Ren to realize how risky that was of a plan. 'What if they need me longer than I could stay? And besides, I'd have to inconvenience somebody else for a ride back before my appointment today…' Ren reasoned to himself— frowning with disappointment, until his wandering eyes made their way over to the plastic Rolodex that sat beside his landline phone. 'I'll just… See who's available to come over; take a look at my options,' Ren mused to himself, and felt his frown fading away slightly as he reached over to take his Rolodex from the end table to set it down on his lap.
Pressing the plastic button on the side of the device, Ren silently read each white-paper placard that had the contact information of everyone who had written down their names and numbers on his skin— back when he attended the local church's evening potluck. Taking into account just how many people had jobs and active lives that made them unavailable on a short notice, Ren couldn't help but to reflect on his own life, and how he was still finding his way into his newly inherited life.
'Maybe Ceceli and Roux aren't busy right now… I know their dad runs the church with his own staff, and it is technically a Saturday, so… Maybe they're free?' Ren thought to himself while shrugging his shoulders, before deciding to call up the older sibling's number first, as he was certain that Roux was the one out of the two of them who had a car. 'He should have a car… He's old enough to drive, and it's not like his family's struggling financially,' Ren reassured himself, as he leaned over the armrest of the sofa to dial the number into his receiver.
Putting the handset up to his face, Ren listened to the phone ringing for about ten seconds, before someone picked it up and answered with a soft spoken and almost monotone voice, "Good morning, you've reached the "First Assembly of Earth Mother"— community outreach center, in specific. How may I help you?"
Smiling softly at hearing the feminine young man's voice, Ren slouched his shoulder against the backrest of his sofa cushion as he replied into the handset, "Good morning, Roux; it's me, Ren. I called to see if you and Ceceli would be interested in coming over to my house as soon as possible. I've got Maxspark Mechanics coming over at four to fix up Vivi's car so I can drive it, instead of having to rely on others for carpooling, and didn't really want to be alone for that long, so… Y-Yeah… Do you two mind coming over to hang out?"
Seemingly not having expected to receive such a call, Roux paused for a moment to process Ren's invitation, before finally answering by telling him over the phone, "I see… While I'm flattered that you'd want to spend time with my sister and I, I regret to inform you that she's currently out with her friends right now, and won't be back home until sundown."
'I can't say that I'm surprised to hear that: Ceceli's a bit of a soft spoken social butterfly; it makes that teenager her age is spending time hanging out with her own friends,' Ren thought to himself— completely understanding of the news. "Oh, that's fine then… What about you? Do you have any plans today?" Ren asked.
Again, there was a moment of silence after the young man had asked the even younger man about his own personal life. "Oh…? You'd… You'd still want me to come over to your home? Even without the company of my sister being there?" Roux asked in a confused voice; one that sounded as though he was concealing his excitement with self doubt.
"Yeah, of course I want you here. We're friends, aren't we?" Ren asked rhetorically.
"I… I suppose we are, yes," Roux said with uncertainty in his voice, before letting out a sigh as he further elaborated with, "I'm sorry if I sound off-putting in any sense of the term. It's just, uh… If I'm being perfectly honest with you Ren, I… I never had any friends growing up; it was always just Vivi, my sisters, and whoever else came to youth group with us. Other than that, well… I've always been a bit of a loner, as unfortunate as that is for me to admit."
Unable to explain why, Ren immediately became protective towards Roux after hearing what the feminine young man had just told him, and said in a serious, and empathic tone, "No, you're okay, Roux; trust me, I've known what's like to see others around you growing up and developing strong bonds with others, while you just seem to stand by in the background— being nothing more than an afterthought to most of them, while knowing fully well that the only person you have to blame for your loneliness is yourself."
There was another long pause after Ren had said his peace to Roux in which the feminine young man lamented on what he had just heard. Taking a deep, yet soft breath over the phone, Roux collected his thoughts before replying back with a quiet, "So… You do know what it's like then… Sorry if I'm coming off as though I'm throwing myself a pity party, Ren, it's just, uh… I don't know… I believe the root of my problem is that I'm nervous that you won't find me to be good company. I'm just a bit… Insecure of what you'll think of me when it's just you and me, I think."
"Don't be worried, Roux; so far, all of our interactions have been one-on-one, and I haven't had any complaints about you," Ren said reassuringly, while suddenly remembering some of the things Ceceli had told him about the sort of pastimes Vivine used to have with her older brother. "Say… How about I get a head start of making us some snacks, and get some of Vivi's movies lined up for an early "stay at home" movie day? Just you and me, and you can bring over some of your "outfits" to wear while we hang out; that way you feel more comfortable, and put those negative thoughts to rest?"
Another long pause followed suit, but instead of Roux sounding uncertain or monotone, the feminine young man sounded slightly tearful, but in a bittersweet way, as he let out a shaky breath before sighing softly. "… O-Okay… Uh… I'll… I'll tell my father that uh… I'm… I'm going to spend the day at Vivi's house with you; let him know that I won't probably be back until, umm… W-When would you want me to leave, Ren?"
Feeling happy for Roux that he was willing to step out of his comfort zone to socialize with him, Ren didn't think twice and he replied back generously with, "How's about the whole weekend? I've got plenty of rooms here, and I could use the company," Ren suggested, before adding onto his offer with, "And as far as Sunday morning goes… Hopefully Rikka and her family are as good mechanics as I've heard them to be, and they have Vivi's car fixed by tonight… If that's the case, then I can drive us both to church Sunday morning, and spend as much time as you need to be there, before we head back to Vivi's house for the rest of the day."
It was only moments after he finished opening his home to the lonely blond boy did Ren realize how big of a commitment all of that would be for him. Not willing to go back on his word, even if it was all said in the heat of the moment, Ren waited patiently for Roux to consider his offer, before hearing the feminine you man reply with a spark of excitement and worry in his voice, "I see…! In that case, I'll…! I-I'll bring a toothbrush, and enough clothes to wear for the weekend; both for when we go out to town, and when we're home together…! Oh…! And housewarming gifts too…!"
"I'll be looking forward to it, Roux; I'll see you when you get here," Ren said with an endearing tone to his deep voice, before exchanging goodbyes with Roux over the phone. After the conversation had finally come to a close, Ren hung the handset back onto the top of the receiver. Satisfied with what his schedule was looking like for the day thus far, Ren took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling a sigh of contentment.
'Now then… I guess it's time to see if I've really learned a thing or two from the Zeppoli family,' Ren mused to himself with a soft smile across his laps, as he got up off of the couch before making his way through the living room, to where the kitchen and dining area were— his mind already planning on what ingredients from his refrigerator and cabinets he needed, in order to make the food tray he was envisioning within his imagination.