Changing his vision, the darkness peeling away, the edges making up the room popping out at him. Looking up, seeing the stairwell that the child had scrambled up from, Norbert looked around the small room. A table in the centre, two chairs sitting on each side, waiting to be used. Eyes glancing over the small kitchen, just a sink and a cupboard underneath it, on the counter to the side, Norbert saw a set of plates and cutlery, crusted food on the utensils, waiting to be washed up.
In the confined space, the smell clinging to his clothes and body started to sting his nose. Running his hand near the faucet, not feeling any taps, just the smooth stone slab, Norbert nodded in defeat; the smell would cling onto him a bit longer.
Hearing chatter and a joyous cry upstairs, Norbert stalled for a moment, his foot on the first step as he contemplated how vital the blood orb would be—a nudging in the back of his mind warning him of the witch's capabilities. A shiver went up Norbert’s spine, and he resolved into action as he started climbing the stairs.
“How come you went outside?” an overjoyed voice said. Norbert looked up, the ceiling staring back at him. This room had more light, a skylight in one of the corners, and a ladder leading up to the rooftop.
“A man took me.” The girl spoke back.
Norbert sneaked around, trying not to disturb their moment, as the little girl pointed straight at Norbert. Frozen as the accusing finger, the parental figure turned at the outstretched hand, eyes falling onto Norbert’s dishevelled and vile form.
Giving a smile and a half wave, Norbert quickly explained, “Sorry about that. I ran through the city and accidentally clipped your girl and took her into the other building, but there was only a small scrape on her foot from the small adventure.” He stared at the parental figure, both hands open and outstretched, showing he had nothing on hand.
The father turned back to his daughter, clutching her once more. The man who put her at risk was now gone from his mind. Norbert stood there for a moment, fiddling with his thumbs as he waited for the father to engage with him once more.
The father having completely dismissed Norbert from his mind, as Norbert to dismissed the family, looking up at the ceiling, where the sack still sat on the roof, Norbert scampered up the ladder and onto the roof. Finding the sack still leaning against the rim of the roof, Norbert strode over to it, opening it up as he looked down, the blood orb still there with all his other tools.
He breathed out a sigh, his body properly relaxing as he gazed over the street below him. No guards were moving about, and no people were searching in hives for him.
“That’s the person!” Someone shouted from below, pointing straight up at Norbert.
Frozen, ready to pounce away at the first sign of a spell or object being flung his way, turning his head to the person pointing and shouting at him, Norbert shouted back, “What are you accusing me of?”
The crowd of people was just pointing to the house on the other side, Norbert curling his face as he winced. Half of the mansion was on the other side, and Norbert saw the clear divide with the stall. The other houses on the other side of the street were getting bigger and showing signs of more affluence.
Gardens and courtyards grew deeper and deeper outside the property, and every street went further back. The houses grew larger; Norbert saw their roofs peek over their neighbour, who was closer to Norbert. Statues were popping up on the stone fence posts, and depictions of people in more intense forms of pain withering on their faces.
“Oh, that”
“Yes, that. Now come down here and pay for the damages!” the person shouted accusingly at Norbert again.
Staring down at the man, the cut of his clothes looking slightly better, the colours more vibrant in their difference bouncing off from one to the other. Clear lines showing where one ended and the next began.
“Come in, meet me inside where we won't be disturbed!” Norbert shouted back. The man shouted up to Norbert in reply, freezing for a moment before nodding slowly and heading to the front of the house. Everyone else made way for the man, who trudged towards the door.
Stolen novel; please report.
Norbert slung his sack over his shoulder and made his way downstairs, walking to the hole in the roof.
“And that’s when he jumped down!” The girl told her doting parent.
Norbert looked between the two of them. “Is it all good if I have a discussion with someone about the damages I did downstairs?”
“If you can get them to come in.” The father told Norbert.
Norbert pauses at the top of the stairs. “What do you mean by that?”
“If you don’t know, it doesn’t matter now; don’t like talking about it with her around.” The father motioned to the child who had walked away, climbing up the ladder to get onto the roof. There will be plenty of people who will tell you.”
Norbert nodded his head, walking down the steps as he heard a slight patter on the door outside. “And thank you for not shying away from my daughter,” the man whispered out, Norbert just barely able to hear it over the rapping on the front door.
“Coming!” Norbert shouted, making it down the several steps to the bottom. Swinging the door forward a bit, the wooden door got stuck on something, stopping it from opening fully.
Pulling it slightly back in, Norbert tried again, the door swinging properly out this time. He looked at what could have caused the door to malfunction momentarily. The man who had shouted at Norbert was now standing before him, taking a half step back.
Norbert looked towards the person, watching as their face twisted into a look of disgust. He stepped to the side, holding his arm out, waiting, and invited the disgruntled man inside.
The man nodded to himself before walking in and heading to one of the chairs at the table. Norbert closed the door, surrounded by darkness, as he changed his vision, the world becoming greys and edges once more.
Making his way to the other chair, he could see the stairway and the door leading outside from his position. Dropping the sack on the ground with a clang, the accuser of the damages jumped at the sound, his head focusing on the ground where the tools rattled against each other.
Turning to the man, Norbert did not see anything identifying him as a Grimm on his face or hands, the only parts of the body that Norbert could see.
“You asked about payment for damages?” Norbert asked the man, placing his hands entwined on the table.
“Oh yes … the damages.”
“The damages for your roof?” Norbert asked again, the eyes of the man opposite him jerking around, looking out for something.
“Oh yes, the damages. If you could pay for them, then I can be on my way.”
Norbert nodded his head, reaching for his coin pouch. The man in front of him tensed momentarily, only to relax when the pouch appeared.
Norbert pulled out a silver coin, sliding it across the table. “Will this be enough?”
The man did not even look at the coin, just swiping it and nodding his head before walking out of the room, heading straight towards the door and opening it up. Light floods the place, and the man looks noticeably paler than Norbert’s first interaction with him.
The man, taking a breath in the outside air, turned around before shouting out, “This won’t be the last you hear from me!” The door slammed shut afterwards.
Norbert is just staring at the door, wondering what the man could be talking about. He does not want this to turn into an issue later; it is better to nip things in the bud at the start.
Taking the sack, slung over his shoulder again, Norbert shouted up the stairs, “I’ll be on my way now; best of luck!”
Opening the door once again, he hopped outside. He changed his vision, closed his eyes, and waited for them to adjust so he didn’t blind himself. Closing the door behind him, he saw the people look out, shocked at his arrival. Norbert scanned over the crowd, looking at the man he had just had an agreement with.
Spotting him walking away, back to their place, “Is this what you meant!” Norbert bellowed out, not caring for being subtle at all, his voice echoing around the streets, everyone freezing as the offended man stopped and slowly turned around.
Norbert trudged down towards him, looking the man straight in the eye. “We agreed previously that it was done; no issues here.
“You're out of your depth, Moren. Don't go back before you get in any more trouble,” the man whispered to Norbert, his eyes once more skittering around to those around him.
“I’m not moving until we agree it's over. You accepted the coin, and now there is nothing more for me to repay.”
“You think a silver is worth that?” The man shouted, pointing at the roof that Norbert had damaged.
“Oh god no, but you taking the coin, that you currently hold, is you accepting the deal made inside. The time for bargaining is over. Now, I don’t want any more issues with you or for you to exact some kind of petty revenge on the house we just left.” Norbert growled out, taking a step forward onto the man's boot, pushing down as he started to feel the foot flatten out.
“You’re a crook.”
“And you’re a bully. Can we stop the name-calling and be on our way.” Norbert tried to convince the man, lightening up off the foot he had just treaded on. Sighing to himself, he continued, “I still need to drop an item off at Vivienne’s.”
The name causes the man to stop for a moment “The witch Vivienne?”
“Precisely that one. Say, do you know where her mansion is? It would save me some time and be a real favour.”
“Of course, it's over there three streets down, then head left.” The man quickly sounded off.
Norbert nodded as he went in the direction he had been indicated.
Norbert stopped, realising he never received his name. “By the way, what’s your name?”