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The Gift

Stephanie's Storyline, Chapter 3.2

copyright comidacomida 2018

Usually when I did any writing it was from home but, after having spent three days confined to my room it felt like it was time to get out a little. I left my apartment that day intent on a change of scenery, but I also wanted to go somewhere that I could sit and write. My netbook was stuffed into my purse and I also had my tablet with me so I had a choice of mediums. Following me, my four Spirits maintained my pace; Medved and Tom were talking to one another, attempting to guess where we were headed.

Tom was all business. "She has not been shopping in days and she could use a good meal. We are likely going to the market."

Medved was closer when he said "My little Lapushka always liked going places it's no wonder she wanted to leave home for a time. She will find somewhere nice and pleasant to sit and write... a restaurant or a library perhaps."

Although I didn't see it because they were behind me, Medved later told me that Kyle motioned to the coffee shop just as we approached it. It made sense that he knew me so well considering he'd been one of my brother's best friends for years-- well, more accurately, he was skin riding one of my brother's best friends, but the opportunity was basically identical. Regardless, all four spirits followed me in and to the corner booth where I set my purse. Before heading up to the counter I noted quietly "Make sure no one takes anything?"

Tom, Medved, and Kyle all confirmed that they would protect my belongings. Anapa, on the other hand, simply moved to stand next to the table, taking up what looked like a doorman's position against the wall with his strange large staff held perpendicular to the ground; he said nothing and made no move, looking for all intents and purposes to be a fleshy version of one of the jackal statues from the Valley of Kings in Egypt.

Oregon has a huge selection of coffee shops; we pride ourselves on having almost as many craft coffee companies as microbrews. At that point, since arriving in Cherry City I'd probably tried at least a half dozen and yes, that includes Star Bucks but, then again, I had them back in Eastern Oregon-- I never really cared for them that much because their beans taste burned. Allan Bros, Human Bean, Boyd's, Bentley's, and Dutch Bros were always good as a go-to but nothing beat the small place on Court St. Not only did they serve coffee, but they were like a mini service restaurant with a variety of quick dishes.

I wasn't there for the food though, and I made due with an iced coffee. I went back to my table and chewed on the chocolate covered espresso bean they'd put on the top and began setting up my netbook. It was between the breakfast and lunch rushes so it was still pretty quiet, which was a good thing because I wanted to relax and write and lots of people usually equaled lots of distractions.

Kyle busied himself with looking around at all the pictures on the walls and pursuing the branded merchandise while Tom and Medved occupied a small table adjacent to mine and wiled away the time talking like two old men at a chess table. Anapa, having trouble communicating, simply continued to stand watch in his odd way, remaining at my side, and completely immobile. That lasted probably about an hour, but then everything changed.

I was working on one of my own private projects, a fantasy story with swords and sorcery and a valiant princess who is on a quest to save a handsome knight in distress. It'd been weeks since I'd last been able to open the file and I found the flow of creativy to be a wide open faucet. I'd managed to get through three or four pages by the time Anapa shifted and, when he did, it was no subtle movement.

The Jackal shifted his weight from both feet to his left and immediately turned his staff parallel to the ground before stowing it in whatever extra dimensional space spirit stuff went to when not in use. It was more than change enough in his posture to catch my attention and I saw that his eyes were focused on the door. I followed his gaze with my own, looking over my shoulder to something that made me just as surprised: entering into the café was a man who, by himself, was pretty unspectacular, but following him were three spirits: two Cats, and what looked like a Gryphon.

We locked eyes and, in that instant, I knew that he knew about me and he could see that I knew about him. Apparently the spirits did too. He stood at the doorway long enough that one of the ladies at the counter called to him "Good morning! Take your time and let me know when you're ready to order."

He fumbled through a pleasant hello to her but his eyes barely left me for a second. His spirits were much more verbose, especially the cats. The male spoke first. "Look at that, Sabrina-- another Seer!"

The female was just as excited, but she managed to be a little more reserved. "Two in one city... you'd think this was back east in Salem."

I knew issues were in the works when the Gryphon pointed in our direction. It took a moment before I realized that the spirit was pointing specifically at Anapa "There he is, my boy... with the lady."

He approached awkwardly and as he drew nearer I realized that he wasn't as old as I first thought he was. Originally I would have said mid twenties but, as he stepped up to my table, dressed in what looked like hospital scrubs, I could tell that we were probably about the same age. He was handsome, in a fashion, and apparently much more comfortable in talking to strangers than I was. "Hi... is this seat taken?"

One part of me was terrified that there was another Seer in the same city, let alone the same shop. He'd materialized out of the blue and he had three spirits with him. On the other hand, he was another Seer, and the first Human I met who could help me compare notes. It was intimidating, but he also had the capacity to provide me some insight, and I sorely lacked insight. "Um... no. It isn't."

Rather than take a seat, he pulled a small note pad out of his pocket, then pulled out a second chair. He sat down in the first one and, without missing a beat, the Gryphon sat next to him. At that point Medved and Tom both scooted closer to my table, obviously on guard against any potential threats the newcomers could provide. He began writing something on his paper but, rather than letting me see it, he angled it toward the Gryphon before speaking. "You look like you must be a writer or something... going to classes for journalism?"

It was small talk, and hardly what I expected considering our situation. My reservations were blown out of the water a moment later when the Gryphon spoke up. "My Seer greets thee on equal ground, and wishes to know how thou hast come by Anapa."

It all made perfect sense; we couldn't talk publicly, but nothing kept our spirits from communicating for us! Before figuring out what I wanted to type, I answered his vocal question. "Just writing. Maybe one day I'll get a novel published."

He smiled pleasantly enough. "That's cool. What kind of stories do you write?"

I quickly slid closer to Medved and cleared my word processor, starting to type a response before grinding to a halt. Had he said he knew Anapa? Apparently so-- he was certainly able to call the Jackal by name so that definitely meant something.

I suddenly came to the conclusion that we were hardly on equal ground, and the feeling of intimidating started growing stronger. I'm sure my response to his vocal question sounded hollow and empty. "Fantasy, mostly. Do you like fantasy?"

Rather than wait for me to type anything, Medved placed both paws on the table, standing up and looming over the man. "The real question is, now do YOU know him... boy?"

The Gryphon matched suit, likewise standing up, but the man across from me raised a hand casually and wrote something on his paper; the Gryphon, beak scowling, took a seat again. He nodded to the man, who continued writing, and then looked back to me. "The both of us first met Anapa... ah... due to a life interrupted."

There was a strange hesitance in the Grypon's words, as though he weren't telling the full story but, at the same time, it didn't feel like he was being misleading. Medved slowly sat back down and turned to me. "The Gryphon is a Guardian Spirit, Lapushka... I do not believe he is a threat unless the man is."

Tom didn't miss a beat, addressing our guest directly. "Are you a threat?"

I was surprised how well he was able to work his answer into our verbal discussion. "No... not really. I'm more into non-fiction."

I didn't miss the way his gaze turned toward Anapa, who remained behind me and silent.