Prompt 15 (Woven in Mystery): Everyone has their own seasonal decorations that come out this time of year. Maybe you found it in some sort of thrift sale, maybe you just spotted it hanging up while you were out and about, maybe it’s at a friend’s house–wherever you are, a holiday tapestry catches your attention. It’s beautiful and someone clearly put a lot of effort into making it. You won’t find this mass produced–it looks like it’s vintage and handmade, with careful embroidery and beads. There’s something incredibly alluring about it–and something sinister. Out of the corner of your eye it might seem as though something is moving. Maybe it happens while you aren’t looking at all. When it doesn't have your full attention, the image on the tapestry changes. It isn’t just that small details change, large parts of the tapestry change, forming whole new images. Sometimes the threads even change to leave vague or threatening messages. It always seems to change too quickly for you to get a picture of, or to even point out to anyone else. Even when the tapestry isn’t moving, it feels like there are eyes on you.
Things had gone smoothly since he’d gotten the paperwork from Alexandre, though with the winter weather, he was still waiting for the freighter to get his car over. They had been right about the winter weather and needing sweaters or coats. Walking to his shop had become more of a pain even with his long coat and a new sweater. The wind just seemed to rip right through it all. There was a lot to do though and he had to keep working to make sure everything turned out right. Today he would be sorting through a shipment of things that had come from home as well as a few things he’d gotten through an auctioneer. Tapestries and other fabric goods that he would hang up on the walls to help keep a bit more warmth in his shop.
Opening the boxes, he pulled on a face mask and went to work unpacking things. The store was open but he hadn’t scheduled any appointments because of this. Everything had a fine layer of dust and by the time he had it all out and on the floor, he had an army of dust bunnies clinging to his hair and clothing. Hanging up a few things, he got to the last tapestry from the box of auction items. It looked older but he couldn’t place what place it had come from. Walking with it to the counter, he hung it up near the door to the backroom. He’d have to find out more if he could before listing it as inventory so that the paperwork could be done properly.
Finishing up with the batch, he went to the back room and started dusting himself off in the bathroom that was back there. Once dusted off, he finally took the mask off and washed his face. He wished there was a full shower in here but beggars couldn’t be choosers when looking for a commercial business space. He’d been lucky that it even had a backroom and bathroom considering the whole shop was below street level.
Stepping back out he sat at the counter and sipped his wine for a bit from his thermos, noticing something moving vaguely in the corner of his eye but figuring it was just dust settling he ignored it.
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:27 pm
Winter was no joke in this city, never had been, and Alexandre knew that all too well. He’d grown up in this city and winter was not a time to skimp on the clothing, and he never did, he had a collection of sweaters and coats because winter was just that way here. Dressed in a nice, heavy, sweater with knit fingerless gloves on, the blond was headed for the antique shop. He figured he’d check in with the Frenchman and see how business was fairing for him now that some paperwork had been handled and red tape removed.
Nudging the door open he slipped in, ignoring the jingling bell above his head, he sipped at his drink and savored the warmth as it spread through him. His hair was a bit damp thanks to the snow which was starting to fall, it hadn’t mentioned it on the news this morning, but he wasn’t surprised by the snows appearance nor would he be surprised if it started to come down hard by lunch.
“Do tell, how has business been?” Tilting his head, wrinkling his nose as he picked up on the smell of dust…and maybe a dust bunny wound up too close to his nose. He found himself sneezing, something that threw his head forward and had him yelping at the suddenness of the action. His hand came up to rub at the tip of his nose and he glanced about. “I’m going to assume you just got something very old, and dusty, in.”
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:28 pm
René perked up as he saw Alexandre walk in, he’d been wondering if they were going to come back or not after the last time. No coat though? Weren’t they freezing? “It’s been going well, I freed up enough space to bring newer things in. I got a box of fabrics and tapestries in from an auction today as well, pardon the dust. I think I had to wipe an entire battalion of dust bunnies off everything.” Pulling a loose one from his collar, he flicked it into the trash can beneath the counter. “Espresso?” Resting his chin on his palm, he looked at them hopefully. They’d mentioned bringing him some from time to time and it had been a few days since they’d been here last.
“Or are you also here for another round?” Switching into French as he teased them, waving them over to the counter and away from the lingering dust near the door.
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:29 pm
“Of course.” And he did have a cup for the other, held in one of those things which held multiple cups so nothing spilled, he set the drink and the cupholder it was in down on a countertop near to him. “Those dust bunnies have taken up residence it would seem. I can smell the dust.” And nearly taste it as well, that was not something he enjoyed. Sneezing again he stared up at the other. At least here he wasn’t so close to all the dust, closer to the backroom door, he could already feel his ears warming at the others words.
“Perhaps, though I think you might wish to have your espresso first. I’m rather certain it went cold the last time.” As he was certain the other had forgotten it in favor of other pursuits.
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Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:30 pm
“Thanks.” Picking up the cup, he slid his thermos back behind the register and took a nice long sip. It was warm and pretty good. "Once it settles to the floor I’ll vacuum it all up, so in a few minutes or so maybe. Dust doesn’t bother me as much though I wear a face mask when working with new things just in case.” Pulling a box of tissues from under the counter, he set it in front of the sneezing blond. “Bless you.”
That was when he’d noticed something though, a bit of red in the corner of his eye. Looking over, he saw there was something different about the tapestry. Had he missed something when hanging it up? It looked the same other than a few flecks of red that were on the bottom corner, it looked like an old stain almost. He shook the thought away as Alexandre spoke. “That’s true but I was having too much fun, you didn’t seem to complain? Also aren’t you cold? You aren’t wearing a coat like last time.”
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:31 pm
“Of course I didn’t complain, I had no reason to as I’d finished most of my drink beforehand.” Which had been good for him, because wasted espresso was just a shame. “But I figured you might wish to not waste your drink again, unless you like ice cold espresso.” In which case he could fix that the next time and get the drink iced for him.
Looking down at himself, in a very heavy sweater, and tilted his head as he glanced back up at the other. “I can assure you this sweater is more than sufficient in keeping me warm.” Not to mention he even had knit gloves on, never mind that they were fingerless, he was bundled up fairly well even without a coat in sight. He wasn’t even sure he could fit his coat on over the sweater due to how chunky it was, it just didn’t fit him right because the sweater was a small in size…but it looked more like a medium or a large. He’d ordered it as a small, figuring it would work for him, but after it had arrived he’d ordered extra smalls from the company for all other future sweater purchases. It really wasn’t his fault.
“Are you worried about me?”
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:32 pm
“Making iced espresso is sacrilegious, I only like it hot or at least warm. It was a bit of a waste last time but I think the events of the day made up for it tenfold, at least.” Already half done with his drink, he leaned over the counter to look a bit closer at what they were wearing. “I guess it is just the wind that goes right through me here, especially when walking between the buildings. It’s like a vortex of cold it feels like.” Seeing a bit more motion out of the corner of his eye, he finally turned to look at the tapestry.
Small little diamond shapes were scattered in the pattern of the thing now, they looked like gems almost but he didn’t recognize them. The tapestry hadn’t looked like that when he’d hung it up either, it had just a simple repeating pattern with fine beadwork. Now alongside the gems there were splotches of a coppery red hue, scattered over the bottom corner of the thing. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he scooted back and pressed against the counter. “That’s… not right… are you seeing this Alexandre?” Ignoring the question they had asked as he stared at the thing, watching to see if his eyes were just playing tricks on him. “Oh no… I think my shop is haunted again.”
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:32 pm
“At least we can agree about iced espresso.” He would never see the point in it, he didn’t understand what the appeal of watered down espresso was, at least this man agreed with him about this. Looking at the other, watching as they leaned across the counter top, he leaned in closer as well as he set his drink down. “The winters here, as I said last time, can get brutal and rough.” And the wind tore right through things at times. It meant you had a lot of warm clothing, or you be really good at handling the cold weather. He was no good at handling the cold weather so he had a sweater, and coat, collection at home.
Turning his attention to whatever was apparently bothering the other, as Rene had backed up till he was pressed to the wall. “What’s going on?” Making his way towards the offensive object hanging from the wall. “How interesting….” Staring up at it he stood on tip toes to reach out and touch it. It wasn’t changing for him but the imagery was rather interesting to him. “This doesn’t look like a normal tapestry I’m certain…it also looks like blood stains…” He knew what those crystals it was showing were but why would it be showing such a thing?
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:33 pm
As Alexandre touched the thing, the image changed again. One by one the crystals shattered as the red color spread across the tapestry. One of them morphed and turned into a five pointed star before fading away. After a few moments the only thing left in the center was one blue crystal wrapped in thorns, alone and surrounded by the dark red color.
René watched on in horror as the thing changed so quickly before reaching out and pulling Alexandre away from it. “Christ, don't touch it!” He really didn’t like the idea of having something haunted in his shop after just having whatever was haunting his door finally go away. This luck of his had been s**t since opening up shop, at least when it came to weird things happening. He couldn’t let it curse Alexandre though.
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:33 pm
Watching the image change, he didn’t pull away as some might, but he kept himself there watching to see what it would do. Watching as starseeds burst and more blood seemed to take over the image, because he was certain it was starseeds and blood which was being depicted, he was surprised by a five pointed star turning up. He wasn’t sure who used that symbol, someone he was certain, it was like some coded message which Rene wouldn’t understand. But he got some of it.
Yanked away by the other, with a startled yelp, he tripped as he’d been on tip toes and nearly toppled backwards into the other. Twisting and turning towards the other he reached out to grasp the others clothing to keep himself from landing. s**t, he might still just wind up on the ground as he tangled his legs with the others in the process. Cursing as this all happened so quickly.
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:35 pm
Well, that wasn’t what he’d intended as he lost his footing and hit the ground, seeing stars as his head hit the floor. A curse in French as he looked up at the tapestry and saw it changing again, fading back towards its original design with words weaved through it. Chains formed across a crystal faintly before that too faded and the repeating pattern of geometry and pale regal colors returned. He blinked up at it before looking down at Alexandre. “Oh s**t! I’m sorry.”
Trying to sit back up, he held a hand to his head as the room spun a bit. “These spectres are going to be the death of me.” This was the second weird thing he’d had happen since coming here and he was starting to wonder if maybe it would be better to move to a different location. “Are you alright?” He nudged the other carefully as he tried to get his legs untangled.
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:36 pm
Thankfully the other had cushioned his fall, as he’d landed on top of the other, his hands gripping the others front. “They aren’t going to kill you, it’s winter time. This city gets hit with things like this. It’s rather normal. No one knows what ways these sorts of things will turn out each yeah - but they happen.” Shrugging a bit. Perhaps to some, outsiders, it might seem like someone dealing with who has seen far too much and perhaps he had. It was just so easy for him to explain and talk about the normal winter time shenanigans of this city.
“Fall isn’t any better, perhaps a bit more dangerous even, winter seems to be more playful. Nothing in the spring really but summer time has some mischief as well.” Sitting up in the others lap he turned to eye the fabric hanging from the wall, narrowing his eyes as if daring it to do something else. “We’ve had fae, bear like monsters, plants that try and kill, spiders the size of cars, and far more.” He spoke calmly, before turning back to face the other. “This city is rather intense, it’s not for the weak.” Whispering as he leaned in to brush his lips against theirs.
“The question is - can you handle this city? Or are you going to flee?” Never mind how he’d handled the spider invasions every year. He could handle everything but them.
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Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:36 pm
“Oh…” Rubbing the back of his head for a moment, he watched the tapestry for a bit longer making sure nothing else happened. “I guess if it’s not going to kill me, then that’s okay but I should get it out of my shop just in case.” Listening to the other explain all the things that happened here he turned just a little bit paler. It sounded like stuff out of a fairy tale or a horror story but they spoke of it like it was the average day to day thing that people dealt with here.
“I think I’m going to have you come around more often, just in case, since you seem to know about all this. Fae are real? Like fairies with wings that steal people away?” Focusing on something he at least knew a bit about from the stories, he blinked as they kissed him. Oh… he could stick around for them maybe if he could get a few more strings attached. They’d been good luck for him so far and he wanted to get a feel for how things would maybe go.
“I’ll stick around though if I see a bear or spider I’m going to close the shop for the day and block the door.” He would have to see about getting a bat or something for defense just in case but as soon as his car got here it would probably be better not to walk around with stuff like that going on. “I also would like to keep our arrangement, you make a good argument you know?”
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:37 pm
“Perhaps, in this city it seems to be, but she only turned up one winter and no one could get too close to her either.” At least not that he’d heard of. Also, no one had managed a picture of her either. He could remember that, and seeing her himself. So many things happened in this city, things which he was certain happened no where else, he’d never heard of these things happening elsewhere.
“Oh? Do I now?” He questioned smirking at the other, his hands coming to rest on the others chest. “Which argument is that? Because I’m fairly certain most people would run from this city considering what I just told you.” And that there was even more, things he hadn’t mentioned, most would flee and not return to this city. The fact it wasn’t empty and devoid of people was still astonishing if you asked him. Something kept people from leaving in droves but he wasn’t sure what, perhaps magic but somehow he didn’t think it was.
“You’ll have to explain to me which argument I’ve put up that is so convincing that you’re willing to stay in this city.” Standing up, slowly, he was grinning at the other. “Think you can do that?”
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2023 9:37 pm
“I guess that’s good, hopefully I don’t run into too much here.” He started trying to plan out a few back up plans but they fizzled out as Alexandre got in closer. If such a small little angel could survive here he could probably as well. He followed them up as he grinned back. “I’ll put the closed sign up and then yes I think I can explain, with examples.” He’d leave out the part that he was pretty stuck here until he got to the last step of his papers, which would be a few years from now.
