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 Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:55 pm
Today was his first visit to Aimes, though visit is not correct, since he had just purchased a modest house in town, and was whittling away the evening hours exploring the streets and shops before his first night of work. He did well in the other city from whence he came, but it was time for him to move on, despite much protest from his designations and even a couple of attempted kidnappings. He sighed, "Really, did they think I would willingly stay as their plaything forever?" he muttered to himself as he ran his hand through his waist length, fine, jet black hair.
Pausing, he looked up at a sign for an antique shop. The door was nestled between a rowdy bar full of sailors and a vacant, used-to-be bakery, and he had almost missed it. Peering at the sign hanging on the door's window, he gave an interested smirk as he read the word 'open' in an elegant gold script. Straitening up from reading the old sign, Hale smoothed out his beautiful clothes and took a hold of the old-fashioned handle and pushed gently on the door, opening it to reveal a long and dusty hallway; his arrival greeted by the jingling of an ancient doorbell tacked to the frame above his head, though there was no shop keeper in sight.
He wrinkled his nose a little at the amount of dust in the place and sneezed once or twice. This did not stop him from entering further into the shop though. Hale liked old things, and he liked discovering things that he could clean up and salvage and give a new home to, so a little dust would never deter him from such a place. Pressing further into the small hallway, it suddenly opened up into a very cluttered and dim room, with shelves to the ceiling filled with stuff that was covered with such a layer of dust, like the floor, that it gave Hale the impression that no one had entered the place in several decades.
Wandering around the place for several minutes, he did not see anything he fancied, and was about the turn out of the shop when a faint ticking sound caught his ears. He spun around and faced the room again; he was sure that he had not seen any clocks when he had looked around previously. He listened intently, straining for several long minutes, slowly tracking the source of the ticking until he came upon a shelf in the back of the room. Curiously, Hale moved aside the trinkets until he discovered a strange object, an ornate glass bottle that glowed with a faint gold and green light, though it was hard to tell over the layers of grime and dust that coated the object. He plucked it from the shelf and looked behind it, expecting to see a small clock, but found nothing. Much to his surprise, the location of the ticking shifted, and he turned his gaze to the bottle clutched in his hand.
Hale stared at it for a good long minute before he finally decided the bottle itself was actually ticking. Reaching out with his free hand, he attempted to pull out golden topped glass stopper, but found he could not. Hale was not a very strong man to begin with, but a glass stopper should not have been too much of a problem. Deciding that there must have been some sort of old liqueur in it that made it stick so tightly, Hale gave up on his attempt to open it. He turned to place it back on its shelf, but found he just could not figure out where it had come from, as every place seemed to be suddenly full and undisturbed.
"What is this, some kind of joke? Fate?" he muttered almost inaudibly to the dead shop, there really was no one there at all other than himself and the occasional spider he saw creeping across the ceiling. Shivering at the sight of the spiders, Hale turned to head to the counter to pay for the strange glass object. It would certainly look nice if he cleaned it up a bit, he was sure; maybe he could manage to remove the stopper and make use of the bottle or find out why it was ticking.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" he called out, though it came out far quieter then he had imagined, as though even his voice were terrified of disrupting the stifling stillness of the shop. "H-hello?" he called again, even more softly than before, now looking over the counter to see if there was perhaps someone crouched behind it. Nothing; no one was there. Seeing a sign propped up beside the antique cash register, he leaned forward to read it, 'Dear Customer, should I be out of the shop, please leave an item of value equivalent to your treasure,' the sign read, scrawled out in an elegant black calligraphy on a sheaf of handmade paper.
"Something of equivalent value, so no coins?" Hale muttered aloud, and as though responding to his question, he noticed in brackets under the main sign read, 'Money not accepted.' "What a curious place..." he muttered, rummaging through his coat to see if he could find anything; eventually producing a small crystal globe with some sort of water fowl etched into the centre. It was a parting gift from one of his co-workers, more like his rival, and was only given to him as a sign of recognition as a rival Host. Shrugging, Hale placed it down on the counter and tucked the strange bottle into his pocket. They were about the same size, shape, and material, neither overly precious to the man, so he considered it a fair trade.
He sneezed another three times and found he was having trouble breathing in the thick cloud of dust that had been stirred up by his intrusion. He shuffled quickly down the cramped hall and pawed around for the door, his eyes having started to water a lot from his allergy to dust; why had it not affected him before now? Finally finding the knob, 'Funny,' he thought, 'it was an old fashioned handle when I had entered.' Suddenly not caring about the handle, he pushed on the door and jumped out into the dark alleyway, coughing and gasping for breath and wiping his eyes with his handkerchief.
"W-what?" he muttered, and blinked rapidly, looking around at the pure blue afternoon sky from between two buildings in a back alley of Aimes. He had pushed the door to enter, but also pushed to exit, not only that, the handle and even the location of the door had changed on top of the time of day. Blinking some more in confusion, he looked behind him to see nothing but a blank brick wall. Hale shoved his hand into his pocket and extracted the round glass object he believed to be his parting gift, only to find that it was the curious ticking bottle from the antique shop. Giving one last sneeze and wiping dust from his clothes, Hale turned and exited the alleys and back into the noontime sun of the Aimes Market, the mysterious bottle clutched in his hand as he headed straight for home.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:46 am
Today, I cannot express my confusion in words. This evening, I wandered into, or is it will wander? Well, I wandered into this strange antique shop in the market. Quite a curious place, though I cannot imagine that they would have many regulars if the same thing happened to them as happened to me.
I sit here now in my vacant, recently purchased home, awaiting the arrival of my belongings; again. Though the first time they arrived, I was out exploring the town because I was told a gentleman like me would just be in the way during the moving process.
What a day, I'll tell you. I ended up spending about twenty minutes in this strange shop, and when I come out, I find it is only noon, and I am no where near the area from which I entered the building. Is it too hard to expect to leave a shop in the same manner and place from which I entered? Apparently not.
I have aquired a nice object though; a glass bottle of some sort, which I managed to get cleaned off after much soaking and scrubbing. It is quite beautiful in my eyes. A perfect treasure that almost makes me regret not leaving more behind for it in exchange. Not only is it beautiful, but it's quite curious as well, eminating a strange glow and a faint ticking sound, I can just barely make out the image of a clock etched into the glass, though it is always facing me as I turn it. When I look at it even now, I can make out the hands slowly moving along, what's more is it seems to be on time, or as on time as you can be when you suddenly gained a half a day.
I have called into work and will be taking the next week off to get settled into the town, maybe go see a doctor or find that shop. I inquired with one of my neighbours on my way in about the shop, and they said that they have never heard of or seen such a place in Aimes.
Hale sat back against the wall and stared at the white ceiling blankly. He had had quite a day; leaving the shop and heading home straight away, only to find that he had apparently gone back in time to noon the same day. Feeling as though he were going crazy, he spoke with one of his new neighbours before entering the house and decided it would be prudent to write a journal on the off chance that something happened to him. At least he would have a record for the investigators should the worst occur.
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:38 am
The meeting between Sojo and Hale and the strange events that lead up to their new and budding relationship. Are relationships allowed between Gods and Humans? What will become of these two as their relationship progresses? Will anyone attempt to come between them?
Hale seemes to be a little reluctant in the relationship, but anyone would if they knew harm might come to their love just for being with them. Despite that, Hale has never been happier now that he can have real love instead of the façade he has to put up with at work.
Hale's secret past, or lack there of, is revealed to Sojo in this event. Hale does not remember anything before waking up in his previous city; rescued by the townsmen from a viscious attack by a beast, Hale eventually becomes a Host to fill the gap in his past by learning about others.
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:04 pm
Just after breakfast with Sojo, Hale is heading home from the Aimes Circle when he encounters a girl with a strange bottle; hers appears to be different than his own though, and they soon figure out that it is tied to a pheonix somehow.
Hale got the impression that she didn't believe the information he had relayed to her, so he collected her information with the intent to send Sojo her way.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:51 am
Well, I guess you could say that it's evening for me given my sleeping schedule, but we won't get into that detail right now.
What a day, I thought yesterday was bad, but today is beyond comprehension. First I find this bottle, then I meet this guy named Sojo. As it turns out, Sojo is a God, yes a god. Not only that, but he is a god that is in charge of destroying the human race; which to the best of my understanding is something that he's helped to create. Boy, am I ever glad he is the rebellious type that does not listen to rediculous orders from superiors; I think the whole world should be glad, but then again, if the whole world knew about this, there would be mass hysteria.
So, after a nice conversations with this God, I discover that my bottle will be turning into a child eventually; when, I do not know, but eventually I'm sure. I just hope he wasn't lying about everything, but his display of supernatural powers on the go has me pretty much convinced. Though, even if he wasn't a god, I think I would be more inclined to believe him anyways. He seems to have a deep attraction to me, though I am a little wary of relationships becuase of my job and complications that could arise if my designations discovered I was dating someone outside of my work, even worse if they found out I was sleeping with them; though this is all a first to me that I know of.
After a long and blurry night, I wake up to find that I have slept with a complete stranger. This is not a good survival technique, but Sojo seems to have a very caring heart and a gentle hand, despite the fact that he is supposed to be annhilating my race. Having just moved in, I really had no food, so we headed out to town for breakfast, which despite me saying it was my bill, Sojo paid anyways. What is it with guys and doting on their partners even when they refuse to allow it? Goodness, I'll never understand.
After breakfast, I headed home, leaving Sojo in the town center, Aimes Circle it is called apparently, and lo' and behold I meet another person carrying another bottle like mine. This pretty young lady is named Rynn, and her bottle is somehow related to a Pheonix. I could see that she had the same trouble believing her situation as I did when Sojo explained it to me, so I retrieved her information in hopes of directing Sojo to her. I'm not sure what to think of this young lady, but she seems rather down to earth; maybe I should get to know her a little better sicne her Dust will most likely end up being friends with mine. I hope.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:07 am
Hale soon finds himself lost in the forest, hiding under the roots of a large tree, crying. He is upset at being yelled at for making a suggestion, or rather being yelled at for the first time since he can remember. He thinks of himself as a failure as a Host and a man for being so weak all of the time. Hale is suddenly attacked by Imps that were hiding underneath the tree, and he cries out in terror, unable to fight against the vicious claws and teeth of the monsters. Much to his surprise, it is not Sojo who saves him from his deadly fate, but Hymn.
After returning to Sojo's house and sleeping through a nice long timepause, Hale awakens to find breakfast has been made by Hymn as an apology, but Hale just can't bring himself to be comfortable around the Dust, and after much deliberation, and escaping Sojo's advances, he tries to leave but is pulled back by the Dust. Getting locked into the house, Hale finds himself wandering into Sojo's giant library. Hale loves this rooms as he loves to read in peace and quiet, but his admiring doesn't last very long as a strom is approaching.
Hale reveals to Sojo that he is terrified of thunderstorms, and Sojo teleports them back to Hale's home on the shores of Aimes at his request, only to arrive in time for Hale to rush into the abode and hide himself in a kitchen cupboard.
After a long night, even without a timepause, Hale awakens to find it is dawn and discovered Sojo has even cooked breakfast, again. Two breakfasts can't be that bad, can it? Unfortunately Hale has work again that night and decides that he has to send Sojo home so that he can be coherent for his job.
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Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:21 pm
Good Evening,
Or is it morning this time? Physically it's morning, but with my nightshift job, it's night time for me, but I just don't know anymore. These shifts and holds in time are becoming almost too much for me to handle mentally. Do I age at all during a Time Freeze? If so, I'm going to be eighty by the time next year rolls around at this rate.
I just sent Sojo home after spending... two nights? Yea I think it equates to two nights by now, with him. Once again, I find myself lost in the flow of time. How fragile Humans can be to the inner workings of the universe.
Oh crap, I just remembered that I forgot to tell Sojo about that other person I met, oh what was her name? Rynn I think it was, yea. We think the might have a Pheonix Dust. I'll have to keep a little notebook with me for when I go out, in case I meet anymore guardians.
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Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:40 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:18 pm
Today I met with another Dust owner on my way home from work, Inge and the Rust Essence. I can't really say how I feel about the boy, but he does seem a little young to be caring for a Dust that will soon be a child. But who am I to have a say in who's responsible, I didn't get to know him very well since he was drunk and lost when I found him.
Apparently he's a fisherman living at the piers with his father on a boat, though I would have loved to talk with him more about his Dust and how he encountered it, I had to take my leave as another storm had come up. God I hate this town just for the sole reason there's so many storms. Why does there have to be so many? Though, with the prevelence of Dusts, I can see a storm of unfathomable porportions looming on the horizons of the future. What can this mean for the Human race?
I best not dwell on these things, they make me nervous beyond what any real storm can make me feel. I shall report this new guardian to Sojo as well; gosh, I should start keeping a list of people I've met, there's just so many already.
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:22 pm
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