Chapter 3
As it turned out, everyone was somewhere between eager and very eager to head into the city for that honk roar week thing.
Well, everyone but Vergis, maybe. The hotel functioned as a bank as well, and since I was more interested in tasting my way through the strange food still sitting on the table, everyone left me there with Vergis to get some money from this world’s equivalent of an ATM.
“What’s this called?” I asked Vergis, who’d gone back to lounging on his side and looking both bored and annoyed at the same time.
“Disset.”
I spooned some up. “It’s sweet. Like candy.”
Vergis rolled his eyes. “That’s because you’re supposed to put it on the vinné. It’s like jelly.”
“Well, how am I supposed to know that? It’s my first time eating all this stuff.”
Vergis looked mostly annoyed now. “You said you just knew that the magic hurt you, and you’re not supposed to know that either. Sounds to me like you’re some cross between a Magic 8 Ball and a faulty fortune cookie.”
“Well, you’re…mean.” I reached for one of the vinné crackers and put a heaping sporkful of the dissent jelly onto it. When I tasted it, the flavors exploded on my tongue. I groaned around a mouthful of food. “Mmm, so good.”
Vergis giggled, because of course he giggled. “You sound like you’ve never had good food.”
“Not in the last two years I haven’t! Not like this, anyway. But there used to be this bakery we’d sometimes go to.”
“Nearly starved twink en route to returning to being spoiled and privileged, are you?”
I pointed my two-pronged spork at Vergis. “I am not a twink, I’m just in touch with my emotional side. And I’m not spoiled.” I looked away. “I might be privileged, but you can’t blame me for that.”
“Can’t I? Look at you. Creamy skin, green eyes, and redheaded like an Irish Setter.”
“My hair is auburn, and also, excuse me for moisturizing and keeping out of the sun, Mr. Go Wash In the River and Meet the Local Bloodworm Population,” I said, but Vergis was sitting back up and looking at me, and not like he wanted to poke me with his knife for once.
“Wait, hold on. You said you were in Ireland on vacation, but do you have any Irish roots?”
I slathered the last vinné cracker with the rest of the dissent jelly. “Yeah? Like, Grandma came over from Ireland. I think she was pregnant with my mom and her sister then already, which is why she left.”
“You mean because you weren’t allowed to have a kid out of wedlock? Or had to go to one of those institutionalized torture homes to have them?”
I cleared my throat. “Well, Gran didn’t phrase it like that, but pretty much.”
“Hmm.” He crossed his arms. “She had twins?”
I nodded. “Sure did, but not identical ones. I mean, Mom and my aunt couldn’t be more different.”
“But you don’t have a twin?”
I cocked my head. “No. Only child and my parents’ only disappointment. Why does that matter?”
“Did you not listen? Someone back on Earth thought you were the person to get the Stone to work as a conduit. Do you have any cousins on your aunt’s side of the family?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Her only big love in life is her liquor collection. But before you ask, I have no idea who my grandfather was. Or is. I mean, I don’t know for sure that he’s dead. Maybe Gran liked younger men.”
Vergis shook his head. “Assuming magic runs in humans the same way it does in bagua, you’ll get it from your mother’s side, not your father’s.
In very, very rare cases, it’s been said to go from a hangu-na to his kids, but that might just be apocryphal or be something to do with the hangu father.
But in your case… Did you know that the Stone was meant to sing for the Irish kings of old? ”
“What, you think I’m a king now?” I stuffed more of that wobbly stuff served in half a fruit into my mouth.
Vergis smirked. “No. I still think you’re a magical twink.”
I glowered at him before I remembered that only made me look constipated, but luckily, Lissir and Nokim sauntered back in before Vergis could comment on it.
“You know, you could change, Vergis. We’re not in a rush,” Lissir said, then turned his gaze on me. “Rory, don’t you think Vergis would look nice wearing shibiya too?”
“Oh, the hotel clothes?” I pulled at the sleeves of the ones Inkiri had helped me into. “Sure. They’re comfy.”
Lissir nodded. “Yes, comfy. Just seeing Vergis frowning always makes me want to make him more comfy. Comfier? More comfy and comfier both.”
Vergis groaned. “Fine. Fine. We’ll do the stupid fucking sightseeing like you want.” He got to his feet. “But if you think I’m leaving my knives here—”
“Never would I part you from your knives, Vergis.” Lissir was clearly pleased with himself.
I stopped with my spork halfway to my mouth. “Wait, we’re talking knives, plural?”
Nokim clicked. “It really is remarkable that Rory made it through the apocalypse all by himself, isn’t it? No weapons, just being smart and having good instincts.”
“Fool’s luck, more like,” Vergis grumbled, then vanished soundlessly into the hallway.
Lissir beckoned me to stand, and I did after stuffing one last bite of food into my mouth. “He means no harm. It can be difficult to be of two worlds.” Lissir pulled my chibi clothes this way and that. “I think these suit you.”
Nokim looked over Lissir’s shoulder “He looks cute!”
Lissir nodded. “Very.”
I could feel a millet bean red heat rise to my cheeks, and then Inkiri came back and our eyes met, and I blushed some more.
Lissir put a hand on my shoulder. “Inkiri, I’m borrowing your mate.”
I looked up. “Huh?”
Inkiri was grinning at Lissir though. I was missing something here yet again, and I couldn’t even guess what it was.
“Whatever for?” my bagu asked. He was totally overacting.
“My gift to the both of you for accepting each other as mates. I’ll see him dressed fittingly.”
Nokim nodded eagerly. “Can I come, please?”
Lissir huffed. “That’s a bit unusual, but you may carry our bags.”
I wasn’t sure whether I should be scared or excited. “Wait, what? Bags? As in, more than one?”
But Inkiri, instead of saving me from going clothes shopping with the bagu who could make Vergis change out of his broody hoodie and baggy pants, leaned down and ran his rough tongue over my neck.
“Have fun, Sadir,” he whispered into my ear, and since his voice had the power to melt me like dissent jelly on the tongue, I nodded.
After all, I’d been in the drama club forever, and I’d been fitted for a tree costume, so how bad could this be?