|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 4:46 pm
Rie shrugged. "Okay." She thought for a moment to take a piece of paper and make the woman sign it as a proof that the charm was indeed free of charge, but decided against that. Actually, she didn't have the time do do much thinking before someone outside shout out her name.
Hey Rie! We are ready to go!
Looks like her buddies had found her bike outside of the shop. Rie wondered if they knew about the shop at all. Perhaps she should ask when they went out for their ride. The dark skinned girl coughed and stood up. making herself out of the shop's door. "I'm gonna take your words for it. Gotta go now, friends are waiting." She gave the woman a small smile before taking her leave.
"See you in two weeks."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 5:25 pm
Two Weeks Later....
Rie was actually surprised that she remembered coming back to the shop with her free black charm.
Well, not exactly.
The day after Rie had gotten her little bike decoration the girl visited her close friend, Kirin, feeling that something was up with the shop-that-suddenly-appeared-out-of-nowhere and the charm itself. Kirin didn't provide much insight on things (as predicted), but she did caution Rie and recommended her to go to her cousin's antique shop. Appearantly her cousin had been selling haunted Chinese artifacts to people for free too! (uh...that's not exactly selling is it now?) What a coincidence!
Rie followed her best friend's recommendation and paid the said shop a visit. The cousin of Kirin creeped her out though, despite how much she was unwilling to admit it. As a result, she didn't stay for long, but she did get the impression that this shop was somewhat the same. The shop owner she had met two weeks earlier seemed nice and normal enough. It made Rie relax a little. Perhaps she was thinking too much?
Unfortunately that thought didn't stay for too long. About three days after she got the charm Rie started having weird dreams. She couldn't tell what it was, but the dream repeated and repeated for an entire two weeks. It was almost as if the dream was trying to remind her to come back and visit this shop which may be haunted as well. Rie could feel her spine run cold the closer she approached the shop. She believed it must have took a strong human being to be able to reach the shop at this rate, which was comforting, since she eventually did accomplish this task.
Securing her bike right outside of the shop, Rie stepped into the place that she had accidentally stumbled upon two weeks ago. The familiar comfy feeling returned immediately, and Rie almost considered running back out again.
Except this time she was there for a reason.
"Hello? Anyone here? I'm back like you promised, you know, two weeks ago." Rie called out as loud as she could, partly to calm herself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:20 pm
"Just a minute!" Rose called from upstairs. A few moments later the woman turned the corner, and made her way to the bottom of the stairs. Once she had the familiar face in her sights she stopped. "I've been expecting you! I'm so glad you've decided to come back." Rose welcomed the girl, and invited her in more. "Please. Come sit." She ushered the girl to the couches.
"So. Down to business I suppose! Tell me, how have the past two weeks gone?" She sat down on the couch and waited for the girl to join her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:31 pm
"Um." Rie started as she followed the woman's invitation and sat down. Taking out the charm from her jacket and holding it to the shop owner, Rie shook her head. "I didn't break it, if that's what you mean? Unless you mean myself. I'm a student, so you know, studying and partying and stuff..."
That part, of course, was a lie, but Rie didn't think it would matter much to the other woman. She shrugged at the end of her sentence, expecting the shop owner to tell her what was the purpose of coming back to the shop.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:47 pm
"Oh? Is that really all?" Rose questioned with a grin. She took the charm in her hand and examined it closely, her mind toiling and working, churning out thoughts that she kept to herself. "Well the charm is looking in perfect condition. Excellent!" She ran her hand over it one more time, before handing it back to the girl. "These things can break so easily when not taken care of. Boy that would have caused some us some problems today."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 7:10 pm
"well." Rie started, buffing herself up as if she was proud. "I may not look like it, but I do take good care of my stuff." She then laughed, letting her boy-ish voice echoing in midair.
Then almost as quick as it came, the laughter stopped, and Rie turned back to the woman with a rather serious expression. "Or...are you expecting something else? I told you I wouldn't bring you any money, so don't think about it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:28 am
Rose laughed heartily at the woman. "Boy, you sure don't trust me do you? I'm not going to ask you for any money." She reassured her. "I promised you, that if you came back, it was yours, and you did." She smiled. "But to answer your question. Yes. I was."
Rose lifted from the couch and made her way to the kitchen area, putting an assortment of plates, full of different items for snacking, onto the tray she used last time the woman was here. She brought it back to the coffee table, and sat back onto the couch, placing it neatly in the center. She grabbed a small cookie from somewhere amidst the plates and ate it quietly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 8:19 am
The dark skinned girl breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't distrust the woman that much, but considering the strange circumstances that led her to the shop and this charm, Rie had to be cautious.
So the woman WAS expecting something else. Not money, but...Rie vaguely remembered that the shop owner said the items were special in a way. Rie took it that she meant these items are so exotic that they cannot be found anywhere else. Now that she thought back to it, was there something else the woman had meant? Rie put herself deep in thought as the other got up and brought back some snacks. The dark skinned girl made no attempts to eat the cookies. Then eventually she said hesitantly.
"I don't know if this is anything related, but do strange dreams count? I've been having them since I got the charm."
Well, that was a silly question. Rie realized she was perhaps getting too open to the other (this was not a psychiatric clinic, mind you). As soon as the words were out Rie slapped herself mentally, and expected the woman to laugh and tell her that it had nothing to do with the charm itself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 9:16 am
[I have read over the dream post in your Journal so you can just kinda do a little time-skip of Rie telling Rose about it if you really want lol]
Rose sat, listening patiently as she spoke about some strange dream. She figured a little pushing was all she needed, and that's all it took to get her to say it. "That's exactly the kind of thing I was waiting to hear. Please. Tell me about the dream." She smiled, clearly interested in what she had to say. "And don't leave out any details!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 10:53 am
Rie blinked. That wasn't exactly the answer she had expected from the woman, and what she said was quite a surprise despite how the girl thought she was prepared.
"Well okay. I can't promise that the entire thing's accurate though, since you know, people don't usually remember their dreams too clearly." She cleared her throat, "Hm. Basically I dreamed I was alone in this really really dark place, it's quite boring actually, everything's quiet, nothing's around, nobody's around...it's just a completely void world, almost." Rie paused, trying to remember what else there was. She shuddered at the chilly feeling of being alone in an empty space, and hissed. "Tsk. It's not really the content of the dream that's really bothering me. I mean it didn't really bother me at all...but you know, the kind of feeling when you are lost in a strange place all by yourself? I felt so...dead in my dream, urgh."
Leaning back a little, Rie took a deep breath as to calm herself. She stopped for a moment and thought about it a little more. Eventually she continued. "Oh yeah, and I was holding the charm all the time in that place, in my dream world, that is."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:20 pm
Nodding slightly, Rose absorbed all the info Rie was feeding to her. Her mind was once again toiling, and working, and had finished when Rie had stopped. "Well, under circumstances, that sounds pretty healthy." Rose said, but didn't really direct the words at Rie, more than she was speaking aloud to herself. She had come to the conclusion that, considering who she know what hidden in that talismen, that the dream was rather accurate for an essence of that type. That was as good an OK as she needed.
"Rie, if you wouldn't mind, please follow me up the stairs." Rose shooed the woman off the couch and directed her towards the set of stairs. As they walked up, Rie almost having no choice but to allow herself to be lead upstairs, Rose churned out a few questions. "How steady are you, financially? With such a fancy bike I'm sure you're not that bad off. How about living situations? In a nice home I would hope? And how are you with other people?" Rose paused as they reached the top of the stairs. "All very important questions." She lead the girl around the corner to the right of the stairs, and into a rather large, empty, room.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:46 pm
No sooner did the two disappear up the stairs than another young woman gently pressed against the front door, mossy grey eyes sweeping over the house-like front room with mild curiosity. Slipping inside, Ki pressed her slender hands against the door to shut it silently, hoping not to disturb whoever was in the vicinity.
Which was exactly what she felt like she was doing: treading into someone's home uninvited. The woman bit her bottom lip, absently drawing her long fingers through her immaculately straight ebon hair, twisting it in an age old habit. "Hello?" Ki called out almost timidly, torn between simply leaving and making sure this was actually a store. She had been doing her bi-monthly sweep through Durem for any new objects to add to her collections, preparing to return home when she had caught sight of the store...or home, whatever it was. The young lady had passed this way many times before, but she did not recall seeing the establishment before; it was as though it had caught her eye purposefully, drawn her in to whisper of untold treasures.
Yes, Ki's imagination was running off with her again, but it was hard not to with such an esoteric front. She meandered around the room in silence, finally releasing her hair and tossing it back over her shoulder as she reassured herself it was okay to be here. It would be okay until someone told her otherwise anyway, right? Quietly observing the shoe rack, she refrained from calling out again, deciding she'd leave in a few minutes if no one was around.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:49 pm
Rie didn't have the chance to respond or object to the woman before she was being almost ordered to go to upstairs. The dark skinned girl frowned. This was getting more and more like a therapy session! Either that, or something else that would surely make Rie uncomfortable. Rie thought about objecting to the woman and telling her some lame excuse so she could get out of this place but...there seemed to be something holding her back, telling her that following the woman was the right way to do. The girl scratched her head and mumbled something to herself, dragging her legs so she could move as the shop owner directed.
When the woman began to ask questions Rie frowned again. This time she didn't hold back on her questions. "Why do you need to know?" Rie was pretty sure the woman didn't need money, as she gave Rie the charm for free, but now she was asking all the financial related questions? Well, Rie wasn't so secretive when it comes to money, but the questions did make her wonder if there's going to be more personal questions to come.
"I'm good in terms of money uh...I live by myself, and I have some friends." Typical college student answer, other than the first part. "But what do these have to do with anything?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 8:05 pm
[So the next one will be Rie putting the charm in, and the "ceremony" beginning. It's all up to you how it exactly happens. In he past it's just been a flash of light, or the guardian passing out. You can really do as you please with it. But basically it'll be the essence merging with the emotion, but not appearing yet as the child. That part will be for me to do -nods-]
Rose chuckled "I suppose you're about to find out." She slid silently across the hardwood floor, pulling out her trusty piece of 'chalk'. She kneeled down to the floor and drew out a small circle, flawlessly, like she had done it hundreds of times before. Somehow, the white substance seemed to deny the laws of physics and stuck to the flat, shiny, surface of the hardwood without problem. "I suppose as long as you aren't living in a box, I'd consider you financially sound enough. I hope you don't scare easily." Rose shook out her head slightly "Anyways, if you wouldn't mind..." She motioned to the circle as she stepped away from it. "Could I get you to place the charm in there? Just for a moment." She smiled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:25 am
Rie wasn't sure she liked the whole set up. It felt like she was being put into a movie, the kind where mummies get summoned or demons started to jump out of nowhere. The girl wasn't a fan of horror or fantasy movies. Sure, the thriller there was sometimes nice, but most times it just bored her considering they would never happen in real life. But now, what was about to happen? Rie hoped she would not have to start running for her life in case something bad DID happen.
Sighing, the girl took a step forward and did what she was told, placing the charm at the center of the circle.
"So...what's up?" Rie asked while placing the charm. "Tell me what's going to happen so at least I'm prepared for it?"
Before the other woman could (possibly) respond, Rie found herself suddenly being thrown into another dimension. At least, it felt like it. The room was no longer there, the woman was no longer there...all that was left was herself, and the charm that was still being held in her hand, barely touching the white circle on the ground. In shock, the girl dropped the talisman, letting it fall onto the pitch blackness that appeared to be the ground. As soon as it landed, the charm became enclosed in red light, the character that meant "underworld" flashed brightly in front of Rie's eyes, as if it was on fire. Not knowing what to do, the girl retreated and looked around for the woman, who was no where to be found. She opened her mouth to call for help, but no voice came out. Immediately Rie realized where she was...this was the place she had been in her dreams!
The dark skinned girl felt, for the first time in ages, fear. It was not a fear of being placed in a strange area, but rather the fear of being alone, like she felt in her recent nightmares. The sound of heartbeat returned, but this time she was sure that it was her own heart that had made the silence noise, panicking...wanting to escape from her throat. Her legs, unable to support this strong surge of emotion, crashed beneath and caused Rie to fall onto the floor. The girl winced, and realized she really had nothing else to seek other than the flaming charm on the floor.
You...you are the one responsible for this...!
The flame danced a little, as if it was responding to Rie's accusation.
Why? Why are you doing this to me?
The flame didn't respond, it merely waited, waited for Rie to do something...
In a mix of fear, anger, and confusion, Rie reached out and snatched the talisman without caring about the possibility that the flame could burn her hand. Strangely the flame felt cool, and before she could do anything else the dark red flame jumped out from the talisman and engulfed Rie, forcing her backwards. Rie screamed as loud as she could, and shut her eyes instinctively. She felt her head bang into something soft, then all was quiet again.
Rie didn't dare to open her eyes until about several minutes later. When she did, she found herself kneeling on the second floor of the antique shop, with her head laid on the shop owner's shoulder. The charm that was originally in her hand was gone. Rie looked at the area where she had placed the charm, and saw the familiar red flame that burned quietly.
That thing had heard my wish...and sent me back.
That was the only possible explanation for her. Rie sighed of relief. For now, after the nightmare had passed, all she wanted to do was to sleep. The girl murmured sheepishly to the other woman.
"Explain all this later...can I lay down somewhere?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
