“So, Mrs. Grace, what was asked between you and dad?” Taite inquired, the wooden handle of a broomstick held firmly within her hands. Her vibrant, green eyes stared intensely towards Pitaya, who was sitting at a table with various teacups and pots. She was busily polishing them, craning her head backwards while she pondered on the question that was shot her way.
“Well, we were discussing about the Newspaper Inquisitor,” she began, placing a freshly polished teacup down on the table. “Said that my husband was a person of interest, which is unfair if they suspect every person in the newspaper distribution business.” Pitaya stated, setting down the cloth she used to polish the antiques upon the surface of the table. “Seems like they are really hurting for new information too, seeing how Baron had to use his Miracle like that.”
“Tch, I’d say. Made me question whether he trusted me or not, does he really think that I was involved in something illegal?” Taite remarked, her grip tightening on the broomstick’s handle as the thought lingered on her mind. These festering frustrations and feelings of misplaced trust became drowned out by the clamorous thuds of boxes banging against the floorboards.
Taite and Pitaya both faced each other, “Harlow.” They spoke in unison, as Taite propped the broom upon the edge of a table. Making her way towards the back of the antique store with haste and precaution as in to not damage any of the merchandise. Her hand clasped onto the brass doorknob of the storage room, pushing it wide open, only to view Harlow being buried under a pile of boxes.
“Oh my gosh, are you okay?!” Taite called out, panicked as she saw her friend be overpowered by vicious cardboard boxes. “Just about, lend me a hand will ya?” Harlow’s muffled voice groaned out from underneath. “R-right! Hang in there, Harlow!” Taite exclaimed, hurrying to assist in retrieving the white-haired woman from underneath the rubble of cardboard.
One by one, the boxes containing various goods were stacked outside of the storage room, and Harlow was rescued. The woman sat up from her spot on the floor, slouching forward while massaging the back of her head with her hand. “I was not expecting for the entire pile to just collapse like that. Thanks though, but damn am I hurting all over…” Harlow spoke, lifting herself off the floor, and dusting herself off.
Taite wiped her brow with her forearm, an exasperated sigh slipped past her lips. “Just be more careful! Shoulda called me over, I could’ve helped y’know.” She remarked, glancing about inside of the room before settling her gaze back onto Harlow. “So...what was it that you were doing in here? Sure as hell weren’t planning on cleaning this place. We never do.”
“Oh, yeah. Pitaya asked me to fetch some box for her. Then all this happened...speaking of which.” Harlow spoke, pointing towards one of the boxes that was left on the floor. “Think that may be the one.”
Taite hoisted the box off the floor, a gleeful smile spanning across her face as she did so. “Ah! Don’t sweat it then, I’ll just take this over to her. You should go sit down, don’t want your pain getting worse!” She insisted jubilantly, swiveling her body on her heels as she began to make her way towards Pitaya. Harlow cracked a smile of her own at this gesture, stepping out from the storage room to follow behind the smaller woman. “Right...thanks, Taite.”
“I do hope Harlow is all right, yes?” Pitaya asked, as Taite placed the box down in front of the store-owner. Harlow chuckled lightly at this, “Yeah, perfectly fine Mrs. Grace. Though I’ll be expecting some bruises tomorrow.” She commented, scratching at her cheek while Taite stood confidently beside her. “And I helped!” Taite quickly announced as Harlow nudged her on the side with her elbow. “A-anyway, we found that box that you asked for. What’s in it anyway?” Taite inquired before squatting downwards to begin opening the cardboard box.
Pitaya offered a warm smile at the antics between the two women, “Haha! Well I am certainly glad you were there to help Harlow. But yes, there’s some stored photos and the like I wanted to collect from the storage room. I have been planning to create an album with those pictures.” Pitaya explained as Taite pulled open the flaps that kept the box closed, and surely enough there were stacks of pictures kept within.
Harlow and Taite both began to look through them. There were photographs that dated back quite a few decades by the quality of the image, as well as the written dates that were written on the back. The subjects in the photographs were of people similar to Pitaya’s race, and the resemblances between them were quite apparent.
Taite held up a picture that was dated as July 8th, 2019, a year from the current date. “Awww, look at this Harlow! It’s Mrs. Grace and her kids!” She exclaimed, showing the photograph to her friend. There were three children, two of which were girls while the other was a boy. The daughters resembled Pitaya the most, while the son had frizzy red-hair, a much stubbier tail, and shorter ears.
The son was exuding sparks of energy from his fingertips. The radiance of the energy was dyed shades of pink and red. Paper airplanes were also seen in the frame of the image as they were giving the same colored energy that the son was creating. “Didn’t know lil’ Angus had a Miracle.” Harlow remarked, analyzing the picture that Taite showed off to her.
Pitaya nodded, folding her hands upon her lap, “Inherited it from his father he did. I am quite pleased with how he is able to control it at the young age he is in.” She explained, and before Taite or Harlow could speak, the ringing jingles of a bell was sounded. They all turned their heads to face the front door of the store, gazing upon a man that stood within the doorframe.
He had shaggy hair that was colored a deep-red, a white collared shirt that he loosely wore, and a pair of black slacks with matching dress shoes. The most striking detail of him, was the fact that his eyes remained perpetually closed. And when he took a step forth, an audible beep was heard from him.
His eyelids that kept his eyes hidden tensed upon hearing the mechanical beep. His breathing becoming stilted, his brows furrowing, and his teeth gritted upon each other. Melancholic frustrations were painted on his face, as the wetness of tears began to form from his closed eyes.
Harlow was affected upon hearing the sharp and automated tone. Her muscles tensed instinctively, her hands clenched into fists, and her pupils dilating while her gaze was trained on the man. Her mouth contorting into a ferocious snarl and assuming an aggressive stance that demanded attention.
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Taite confusedly gazed between the two, she outreached towards Harlow, attempting to place a reassuring hand on her friend. However, the way she was acting left Taite with a sense of fear of what may happen if she was to accidentally startle Harlow. She pondered deeply on what to do or say, and when she formulated a reasonable statement in her head, she’d begin to open her mouth to speak them.
Though before she could speak, Pitaya rose from her seat. “Well if it isn’t my dearest love!” She exclaimed making her way towards the man, using her slithering tail to sense the environment around her. As she grew closer, she threw all of her weight upon him, her arms wrapping snugly around his torso. This caused him to stumble a step backwards, but he was quick to take her in for a tight embrace as he secured his footing. “Did you lose track of time or something? I also come by when it's time for you to close up shop.”
“Oh! Silly me, today was just rather eventful. I will need to tell you all about it.” Pitaya spoke with a soft chuckle at the end of her words. She turned to face Taite and Harlow, placing a hand upon the man’s chest, “Ladies, this is my husband, Yves. You usually don’t get a chance to see him since you two leave before he gets here, but it seems we lost track of time.”
“Don’t really need a fuss about it, I’m sure it’s alright. Pleased to make your acquaintance, and thanks for helping my wife.” Yves remarked, as he tilted his head downwards and facing the box that was on the ground. “I’m assuming those are the photos you want to make albums out of?” He inquired as Pitaya’s embrace of him grew tighter.
“Yes! So if you would please help me carry them back home and sort them out, it will be quite a walk down memory lane!” She squealed excitedly, while beginning to let Yves free from her embrace. “But yes, you two are free to go for the day, and remember, tomorrow we will not be opening for business.”
Harlow grasped Taite’s arm, “Yes ma’am, we’ll see you in two days then.” She spoke quickly and forcefully, dragging the smaller female along while she made her way out of the store. Taite winced at this, her right eye reactively closing while she tried to resist the pain Harlow was causing. Her grip on her arm was that of iron, it was hard, powerful, and it didn’t show any signs of letting loose.
The two women left the store, Harlow shutting the door behind her, and finally let Taite free from her grasp. Taite stumbled forth, rubbing her arm with her hand in hopes of soothing the stinging sensation on her limb. “What did I tell you about doing that?!” She cried out, her green eyes glaring towards Harlow.
She leaned against the brick wall of the shop, crossing her arms under her chest while she turned to face away from Taite. “I...don’t really know. Fight or flight, and my gut told me to get outta there.” She responded, her previous fit of seeming rage now fading as she gestured towards a cart of newspaper. It was parked right out front of the store, and a placard that read “Property of Yves Grace” was found bolted on it.
“Sheesh, just warn me next time. And don’t grab so hard! Think you may have broken something in me.” Taite remarked, still recoiling from the accidental mistreatment that Harlow had caused. Her attention soon trailed towards the cart that Harlow was pointing towards, moving closer towards it as she did.
“Guess he’s a newspaper salesman of sorts?” Taite inquired, skimming through the various stacks of printed news. They were all from separate journalism companies based in the city. Despite this, they were all referring to a specific piece of news, the Newspaper Inquisitor. “Eugh, more about this murderer, thing. This is why I don’t like the news.”
Harlow chuckled faintly at Taite’s reaction, “Gotta be informed of the world in some way.” She retorted, kicking herself off the side of the wall as she slipped her hands into her pockets. “Let’s go to your place, I could kill for some pizza right about now. And you did say you’d buy lunch.”
Taite, taken aback from Harlow’s assertive, stamped her foot against the sidewalk. “Now hold on just a second!” She exclaimed, pointing up towards Harlow’s face. “What gives you the right to invite yourself over to my place? At least apologize first for your weird episode in the store.” She protested, her eyes sharpening in their gaze as her lips formed into a small, annoyed scowl.
Harlow simply canted her head away from the smaller and frailer woman, a sly smirk spanning across her face. “Fine, if it’d make you happy.” She tilted her head back to face Taite, leaning forward so that she was on eye-level with her. Taite physically becoming uncomfortable the closer Harlow got to her.
“I apologise for almost not breaking your arm, Ms. Edith.” She spoke, the intent of taunting her further clear in her apologetic statement. Taite planted her right hand against Harlow’s face, pushing her away as she began to walk past her. “At least you apologised...alright. I’m picking what we watch.” Taite remarked as Harlow began to follow her. “Sure sure, as long as it’s not any of that Geminese cartoon crap.”
“What?! It is NOT crap! It is fine art made by the people of Gemini.” Taite contended against Harlow’s remark, as the bigger woman simply laughed at her defensive nature. “Alright, alright. Just don’t talk my ear off when you start getting fascinated by it all.”
The two friends continued their path down the sidewalk, their bickering never-ending as they made their way towards Taite’s apartment. However, Yves stepped out from the antique store, watching the two women as they grew smaller by the increasing distance between them and himself. A melancholic expression hanging heavy upon his face as a tear streaked down his cheek.
He turned to face the newspaper cart that was branded as his property. Looking onward to a warped amalgamated mesh of newspapers. A myriad of appendages that took the form of thorny vines scraped along the body of his cart.
- - -
The stillness of night blanketed the city of Bellrung in its oppressive darkness. Taite had offered Harlow to sleep in her room for the night while she slept on the couch. She believed that it was the right thing to do as a host of a forceful guest, even if they were friends.
Taite laid asleep on her cushioned couch with a large blanket that kept her covered and protected against the blackness of her apartment. A mound of three pizza boxes were placed on the coffee table in front of the couch, alongside a rather dense and metallic object that had a thick string poking out from it.
The soft crinkling of paper began to break the deafening silence of the night. This was shortly followed by an audible click, then the groaning creaks of a door’s hinges. A being stood within the doorframe of Taite’s apartment, a pair glowing red dots placed where its eyes should be pierced through the darkness.
The glow illuminated Taite’s face, as well a portion of the being’s own face. Their cheeks were wet and tainted with streaks of tears that dribbled down from their chin. The small woman stirred in her sleep, distrubed from the sudden appearance of a light, as well as the noises that filled the living room.
Her eyes fluttered open, and when they did, they quaked with dread. She stared towards the figure at her doorstep, a mesh of paper trailed from their torso as it quietly slithered back inside of their clothing. Fear and anxiety was planted deep within her mind, shaky breathes slipping past her lips as her hands gripped onto her stomach.
Her throat felt tight, as if it was physically hindering her from screaming out of sheer panic from the top of her lungs. Her heart sunk down into her twisted gut, her body growing weaker and colder by the second.