The old man gazed up at Lin, a smile breaking out onto his face as he gave her a wink and a thumbs up. It seemed that he approved of her work. That was something at least. His eyebrow was a tad crooked, and his eyes lacked the exact depth possessed in his photos, but there was an irresistible charm to the illustrations motions that fit with everything Lin had heard of the man. This was her third draft, none of the others capturing his essence.
A wave of guilt washed over her at the thought of those discarded attempts. If what she drew came to life, then what right did she have to deem it unworthy? Just because it wasn’t what she had intended to create, that didn’t make them any less alive. The boy’s grandpa danced across his white canvas, slamming into the edge of the paper with a cartoonish amount of force. He xylophoned back and forth before slowly returning to his original shape.
An excited giggle exploded from behind her. “Is that him?! Is that my grandpa? He’s so silly!” The boy who had originally requested this piece a few days ago, Travis, leapt onto the back of Lin’s chair, gripping her shoulder zealously. Despite having her bubble so aggressively popped, Lin found she didn’t mind too much. The boy’s excitement was infectious, and it was nice to know that her… abilities could spread so much joy.
“I’m glad you like it.” She said with a pat on Travis hand. Dashing around the chair, he pushed his face up close to hers.
“Like it? I love it! My grandma is gonna be soooo happy! Thank you!” As Lin pushed the portrait into his hands, Travis backed up, staring at it with tears in his eyes. “I only ever heard stories about Grandpa. It’s nice to see him, even if it’s only a magical picture. How can I ever repay you?”
Lin cocked her head, surprised at herself. The thought of payment had never crossed her mind. She was just doing what felt right.
“I suppose your gratitude is enough.” A scoff rang out from her right thigh as, awakening from his nap, Grizz leapt from his 2-dimensional existence as a tattoo into his 3d existence as a weird, incomprehensible ink demon.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Lin’s nice and all, but ‘gratitude’ doesn’t cover the cost of ink, let alone bills. What have you got to offer?”
“Now wait one-” Lin began to protest before a red claw clamped down on her mouth. Grizz shot her a wink before turning back to Travis, his voice softening.
“It doesn’t have to be much; it just has to matter.”
Travis nodded sagely at this, as if it made perfect sense. “Granny told me a service like this should cost more than our entire house, so it seems fair to give you something.” He said whilst riffling through his pockets.
“Grizz! This isn’t right, I’m just trying to help.” Lin hissed angrily. She had a whole rant prepared but was stopped dead in her tracks by the sorrowful yet knowing stare the demon fixed upon her.
“It feels wrong, doesn’t it? To take payment for doing the right thing. But if you never accept recompense for your labor, you run yourself ragged. Your wings will burn up and you’ll plummet to the earth. Once that happens, you’re not helping anybody.” He laid a tiny claw on Lin’s shoulder. “It’s not wrong to expect rewards for your labor. As long as you’re not exploiting people.”
“Are you sure you’re a devil?”
A sad smile. “Being your worst self is sometimes necessary to uncover your best. Besides, I’ve done a lot of good as a servant of hell, I just needed to be honest about what I could provide.”
Lin looked at the ground, her face dropping. “Honest…?”
“Here it is!” Travis yelled out, triumphantly holding up a petrified cicada clutching an amethyst. “Granny told me to give you this as thanks!”
At first glance, the bauble was unimpressive, simply a dusty old bug gripping a dull stone. Still, it caught Lin’s attention right away.
“A cicada? There haven’t been any of those since the convergence. I’m surprised any remnants exist.” She was so focused on the fossil that she didn’t notice Grizz’s surprised look.
“Kid, nobody’s remembered those for hundreds of years how-” For an instant, Grizz thought Lin’s eyes widened and slid towards him, but before he could be sure, she had stepped forward and raised her voice.
“It’s beautiful, thank you so much!”
Travis beamed. “It’s the least I could do, I’m so glad you like it!” He said while gently pressing the payment into Lin’s outstretched hand. Then, taking another satisfied look at his grandfather made ink, scurried out of the coffee shop.
“Kid, I thought you had decided to stop running.” Grizz needed answers, but even as he spoke, he knew it was futile. The village of Lin’s mind was in full defense mode. The doors locked and the lights out.
“Of course, I’m done running. What else would you call what I just did?” She said with a smile, before skipping away, leaving Grizz alone and unsatisfied.