Quill

Chapter 8: Is Reintroduced

The shoppe had its share of events the past few days, finally hitting a recess from the chaos.

Holding the door open for his exiting employees and Tiara, Norman locked up, pulling his keys out. Tugging the door a few times to make sure it was shut, he sighed, a long day's rest awaiting him.

The brass swan fountain's water cascaded more audibly, Norman turning to see Tiara with her outstretched hand caressing its downpour. He stared at the tired girl, reaching into his pocket as he walked towards her.

Norman's footsteps caught Tiara's attention, turning her head. He withdrew some euros and extra change, handing it to Tiara. "You were born a Rlyll citizen before you became a Candidate. Go try out your birthright tomorrow."

Tiara stared down at the money in her hand, looking up at Norman. "I don't...get it..."

   "Go enjoy your life. Observe, and do things that citizens here do," Norman walked away, turning back around.

   "Legal things," he clarified. Tiara watched the shoppe owner walk off, confused by his generosity. Tiara had never experienced such kindness before. Glancing up at the top of the brass swan fountain, Tiara scanned the area around the fountain. She sensed nothing, and no one. But now, her sleeping area was known by not only Norman, but the Hypnotist as well.

Norman's steps slowed after ten minutes of walking, nearing the sight of his house. Staring up at his home, Norman's fatigue dissipated over the walk, overwhelmed by a new desire. Stress dominated his nerves, and he needed a cold drink to soothe them into dormancy.

Releasing an exhale, walking away from his house's entrance, the long road to Rlyll's local bar, 'The Top Drop', began.

Lampposts lit Norman's steps for every two feet he walked, staring ahead at the bar coming into view. The blurry tavern became picture perfect, where Norman saw several women swarming its entrance. Some night he picked to get a drink, not having visited the bar in more than a week.

Approaching The Top Drop's entrance, Norman looked through one of the bar's windows to see what all of the commotion was about.

A gorgeous young man, known as the best of the bar, Nathaniel, was surrounded by women that almost climbed the counters. Roses, candy and love letters drenched those very counters, Nathaniel smiling gently with both hands in front of him as he backed away. Jet black hair and amber-colored eyes. He was the dream of the bar for every shift he worked, which is what the women told him.

Desperate for a drink, Norman entered the unending, never ebbing sea of women. Squeezing in and past the crowd, the constant jumping nearly suffocated Norman, the squealing of women almost deafening his ears shut.

Bobbing flaxen, raven and auburn hair colors blinded his path, Norman somehow finding the doorknob to the entrance. Twisting it, the women poured into an already crowded bar, Norman pushing past the crowd and to the right.

The decibels were at maximum, and yet, still climbing. This is the consequence of Nathaniel's shifts every night at 9 pm.

Getting to the bar's counter would be impossible.

This crowd was not dying down any second. Nathaniel's attention shifted from the hormonal crowd to Norman, the only man visible in the bar.

"Norman!" Nathaniel waved him over. "You here for your usual beer?"

"Yeah, and I could get to it if this crowd would disperse!"

Nathaniel laughed, the two having to yell to each other just to hear a hint of their dialogue. The young bartender looked at the women in front of him.

"Ladies, ladies!"

The ladies were still uproarious, drowning out the very man they admired.

"Ladies! Whoever is out the door, with the other women, will have a very high chance to babysit my dog! I trust him with my life, and if you care for him, you can trust me with yours," Nathaniel winked.

The women went silent for a moment, screaming in happiness while they stormed towards the exit.

In seconds, the bar was nearly cleared out, the rest of the women trying to exit and join the rest of the outside crowd, still swarming the entrance.

Norman laughed, finally getting access to the barstools, sitting down on one. "Since when did you get a dog?"

   "You'll have to let me know when I do," Nathaniel laughed back.

   "Ah, I don't know how to feel about lying deliberately like that."

   "Well it got you closer to the bar, didn't it? But I'll abstain from such methods in the future though, pops."

   "Hey, I'm not that old," Norman chuckled, Nathaniel putting a fresh beer in front of Norman. "And if I were your pops....I'd be pretty darn proud of your fanclub."

The two men laughed, Norman lifting his beer up in a cheering gesture, downing a third of it.

"So, the town gossip is that the Hypnotist took four hostages this time," Nathaniel began.

"News sure does circulate quickly in this town," Norman replied, taking another swig. "I guess the story that I encountered Miasma hasn't made the rounds yet, seeing as how it just happened tonight."

Nathaniel was pouring another beer, turning to Norman in shock. "You encountered Miasma?!"

The mug overflowed, beer cascading over it and onto the wood floor.

"Nathaniel!"

Nathaniel stared down at the mug, pulling it away from the tap. Nathaniel placed the filled beer on the counter, taking a cloth and wiping down the floor.

"Continue! What happened with Miasma?!" Nathaniel yelled from the floor.

"It's not much of a story to tell. I walked towards him, he backed away through a fog, and that's all she wrote," Norman took another swig, placing the mug down. "Just this beer is good enough. Take the other, because I need to get some shut eye soon."

Nathaniel placed the soaked cloth on the edge of a mop bucket, walking to the other side of the counter and sitting beside Norman. He grabbed the mug he just poured.

   "So, what did he look like?"

   "The idiot wore a mask. The only other identifiable thing he wore was a top hat, black clothes and..."

   "And...?"

Norman finished the beer, placing the mug down. "An item like I've never seen. It looks like a thurrible, but it looked like it made the fog thicker. Enough for his getaway."

"That would explain how he gets away so quickly with his crimes," Nathaniel took a sip of his beer, staring up at the ceiling.

"I wonder what his motives are. Kidnapping children, but for what purpose?"

Norman looked over at him, his draining fatigue coming back and making him too exhausted to refresh him on the Avian Candidacies as well.

Nathaniel looked at Norman.

   "I suspect either that lantern salesman, Leland, or Mr. Canewhistle. You know the one who carts snacks and candy around to the kids?"

"It's a mystery. But rest assured, there are theories. I'd get into it, but..."

Norman stood to his feet, fixing his jacket. "It's almost midnight. The shoppe's discount day has run me ragged."

"I see. Well, it was nice catching up with you!"

"You as well. Let me know how your dog's doing," Norman joked, heading towards the exit.

Nathaniel laughed as well. "Will do," he said, downing his beer. "I'll keep you updated on anything I hear!"

Norman nodded, opening the door and exiting onto the now empty porch. No sign of any straggling women, and a clear path to his home awaited.