That’s my name, you can’t have it!

Styx led Kato down the winding hallway, rich tapestries coated the walls, depicting battles fought hundreds of years ago with weapons he’d never seen. The floor shifted; the thick red rug giving way to the homely comfort of bristled, brown fur.

Warmth radiated through the floor, Kato felt his muscles loosen, tension he didn’t even know he had trickling away. He sighed in contentment, Styx was mumbling about something or other ahead of him, but he was too busy taking it all in.

Fancy portraits of people long dead, began to adorn the wall, curved dark mahogany, frames, fastening them in place, with a swirling, gold filament that was inlaid on the wood.

Kato’s eyes slightly widened as he stared at Styx’s back, this place wasn’t just rich it was wealthy. ‘Who is this girl?’ He thought to himself slowly, she certainly didn’t seem like the type of person to go around nicking hats, but maybe she was just bored?

Kato had seen the wealthy do many strange things to cure their boredom, duels, horse races, cheating on their partners. They craved the thrill, a frown deepened on Kato’s face. ‘Is this all she is, an adrenaline junky?’

He continued to stare at her back, as she made exaggerated motion, after exaggerated motion. Pointing to portraits and tapestries alike, he was sure it was all very interesting, but he just couldn’t focus. His heart was beating uncontrollably, and it was taking a great deal of effort to keep walking along normally.

She rotated, sharply, darting down an adjoining hall. Her black hair was flung behind her by the motion, billowing in the artificial wind, her dimpled cheeks crinkled slightly, and she stopped, looking at Kato.

“We are here.”

Kato continued staring ahead, trying to control his beating heart, as he kept walking mechanically forward, ‘did she say something?’

“Kato!” She exclaimed louder than before, “are you listening?”

He turned to face her, his feet reluctantly halting their journey.

“I said we are here,” she looked at him more closely, “you walked right past me.”

“Oh,” Kato said absently, “sorry, I didn’t realise.”

She looked at him strangely, “you think too much.” She threw something at him, he caught it from the air, “put it on.”

Kato looked down, it was the hat, “why?”

“Stop thinking,” she smiled at him briefly, before opening a panelled oak door, with a flourish, “come on.”

Kato stepped forward.

She pointed at the hat that was still in his hands and then raised and eyebrow up at him.

Kato sighed. He put on the hat, “there, happy now?”

“Ecstatic, “Styx replied with a double thumbs up. “Come on, they’re expecting us,” she stepped through the door.

Kato followed and was immediately greeted by the musky scent of old books. They were in a library; bookcases rose from the floor to the ceiling. Each shelf was filled pale, dyed leather-bound books ran from end to end, there must have been thousands maybe even more.

Kato reached forward, subconsciously, his hands trailing along a pale, red books spine. Tentatively, he shimmied out of the case.

“You’re not going to steal that are you?” Styx’s face appeared by his shoulder, looking up to him.

“No,” Kato spluttered, “I resent the assumption, I would never.”

“Mmmhmmm,” Styx replied, teasingly.

“Whatever,” Kato sighed, “I just wanted to have a look,” he turned the book over examining the cover. Faint trails of silver wisped over the cover, diluted by age, the title was in white blocky letters, but it was illegible at least to him.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“Satisfied?” Styx asked, tugging impatiently at his sleeve, “we’re already late.”

Kato looked down to her, he had agreed to hear her out at the very least. With no small degree of reluctance, the book returned to the shelf, there was not even a breaking of dust from where he had pulled it, this place was in immaculate condition and clearly, very well loved. It was a stunning contrast to the world outside.

He let Styx drag him on, as they wound through a labyrinth of books before coming to a small round table, with a flickering gold, red candle illuminating the surroundings. A few books were overturned, pages sprawling out on the surface, Kato smiled briefly. The librarian back home would have hated this, paper this close to flames, by instinct he went to pick them up, ‘I don’t want the whole place to go up in flames.’

He navigated around rickety wooden chairs that circled the round table and approached the flame.

Styx looked back to the empty seats, then back to him, “maybe we are early.”

Kato’s eye twitched.

“Well, you know what they say?” she went on, “better late than never.”

“But we are early?” He asked, confused.

Styx smiled up at him, “Even better. Now we won’t even have the chance to be never.”

Kato looked at her for a moment, then shook his head slowly, ‘did that make sense?’ Not wanting to get in an argument with Styx, he let it slide.

Slowly, Kato lifted the candle away from the now wax, dripped pages.

“Seriously?” Styx looked back up at him, she was now seated, her arms huddled around her, as she rubbed at her shoulders.

“Cold?” Kato asked her.

“Don’t change the subject,” her arms dropped to her side and then folded against her chest, “you’re trying to take another candle?”

Kato looked down at his hands, a drop of wax hit the floor, “I was just moving it,” it sounded weak even to him, but it was the truth.

“Sure, you were,” her eyes drifted across his face, “just like you were moving the one from earlier?” she paused “it’s very kind of you, really.”

Kato’s face reddened, “I just didn’t want the books to burn,” he stated, quickly, ‘another great impression made, good job.’

Styx looked at him, then at the paper strewn across the table, “put it back down Gerr knows what he’s doing.”

With a slight mutter, he returned it to its place.

Styx’s ears twitched, then she turned to Kato, “they’re here, sit,” she patted the chair next to her invitingly.

Kato sat down beside her, just before a lone figure entered the room. He softly padded across the floor towards the two, not a sound other than his own breathing and the soft crackle of flame in the background, occasionally broken by the dripping of wax could be heard. ‘How did Styx hear him?’ he questioned, but sat up straight, ‘first impressions are important, do not and I repeat do not steal anything.’

The man strode over towards the two. He was of medium build but stood much taller. Light brown hair drifted across his head, it was shaggy and unkempt, sharply contrasting with the pair of calculating, beady eyes that had fixed on Kato the moment he was within sight.

He wore a mart clean white shirt, with a dark blue vest overlapping, it was a style that had been fashionable when Kato was younger, but he hadn’t seen it in years.

The man strode forward, every step, measured and precise, his pace never faltering, until he came to an abrupt halt.

“Gerald,” he said smoothly, as he extended a hand towards Kato.

Kato blinked, looking at the offered hand, then back at the man, “you seem to have me mistaken, I am no Gerald”

The man’s fixed expression cracked, for a moment, as he blinked in surprise, he cleared his throat, thinking of what to say, “I am Gerald?” he stated, questioningly.

“Don’t ask me, I only just met you.” Kato replied.

Styx punched his shoulder, lightly “be polite,” she hissed through her teeth.

“I am Kato, Kato grasped the hand nice to meet you…” he paused waiting for the man to reply.

The man’s eye twitched, “Gerald.”

“No, it is Kato,” Kato looked at him oddly, ‘this can’t be that hard to understand, surely?’

“My name,” the man stated slowly, “is Gerald.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kato paused, savouring the word, “Gerald.”

Gerald looked over to Styx, “is he usually like this?”

Styx looked at Kato for a moment, then replied, “he’s a little weird Gerr you’ll have to forgive him.”

‘Gerr?’ Kato questioned, he had just caught Styx slipping, as the man who claimed to be Gerald’s true identity was revealed. ‘Don’t let them know, you know his real name, Kato thought resolute, people who went to great efforts to hide their identities, didn’t usually want others to find out, ‘best not let them know I heard,’ he nodded internally and rejoined the conversation.

“So, Gerr…ald, why am I here?” Kato flinched internally, ‘that was close, keep it together.’

“Styx didn’t tell you?” He looked over to her and she shook her head slightly, “Styx why is he here?”

“Perry, night vision,” she replied, simply.

“Ahh, I see,” Gerald turned back to Kato, as if that had made complete sense, “and you’re already here so I take it that you are interested.” He nodded to himself, as if it was already decided, then looked him up and down, “you’ll do nicely,” he paused, “nice hat by the way.” He sat down facing them, then leant forward, “so, here’s the plan…”