A crash of glass and stone snapped me out of having fallen asleep at the counter of my shop, I rubbed my temples as I looked up as I was able to process that the sound was in my head and not outside. My senses were nearly muddled as I kept my eyes closed and rubbed my temples still, my vision showed flashes of a dark murky turquoise tone and I could have sworn I smelt something akin to…stale water? Just that gross slimy scent of stagnant water with gods know what in it.
I looked up as I opened my eyes, surveying the shop before me which I have spent my life creating and bolstering: the shop’s main floor was enchanted to be far larger than it would appear from the outside, but I could still see through the mess of shelves and things to the huge glass front window looking out onto a quite narrow footpath, lined in far taller, colorful, flower and light covered Hispanic inspired buildings, strings of lanterns crossing the narrow pathway, but the bulk of my vision was occupied by the massive assortment of things that littered the room: everywhere you looked were shelves, tables, cases, cabinets and other structures stacked beyond the brim with things, all with hanging price tags. The dark wooden floor was basically carpeted in dozens of layered, stacked rugs of clashing eras, patterns and sizes, some had tags on them, others didn’t, you could barely even see the floor there’s so many rugs. From the open beam and rafter ceiling things like herbs, bottles, various hanging trinkets, thingamabobs, gadgets, bric-a-brac, knickknacks and whatsits just hanging on twine cords, macrame nets and rope loops. If there was nothing inside, it would be quite spacious, but my sheer mass of product made the shop extremely close, stuffy and warm which I enjoy. The lighting was low because there were only four sconces in the room which would be enough had there not been massive shelves down the center blocking most of it, but various glassware, mirrors and pieces bounced the light around changing the color as it passed through colorful glass pieces or was absorbed and snuffed by other fixtures absorbing it. It smells like home in here: of intense incense, of spices, herbs and age, you could smell the history, smell the power…and smell the magic of everything that littered these spaces.
I stretched my arms out as I righted my back, a small archway was to my left leading to the back office and the spiral staircase leading to the upper two floors where I keep my most…dangerous things or things that are extremely expensive. I cannot stand when things are too clean or too tidy, I feel like I can’t touch anything…makes my skin crawl, being in those super spacious, blank, sleek modern or contemporary buildings also make me feel like that.
“Mister March?” a voice asked making me jump a little from how just swallowed by the view of my shop I was. “Are you alright, you’ve fallen asleep at work that past few days” one of my workers asked, Eliza, god…I could trust that girl with anything, she’s so trustworthy and I’ve known her so long.
“Just some…weird nightmares.” I said as I brushed off her concern.
“Are you sure?” Eliza asked as she tilted her head over, she’s a rather petite girl, maybe just barely five feet all and extremely girly, collar length ginger hair in a mess of springy ringlet curls, quite tanned skin and a flop of heavy fringe currently pinned back on both sides of her face with crossed hot pink hairpins showing her large singular central yellow eye. As she spoke, you could see rather sharp teeth which most people find surprising for her, but she is a cyclopes, it’s kind of a given for her people. Her hands were wrapped around the handle of a large feather duster, her hot pink jeans splattered with various toned paint and a bloused white off the shoulder blouse patterned with flowers and bees.
“I’m fine, Eliza…just a little trouble sleeping.”
“Have you been drinking too much tea?”
“You know there is no such thing.” I said as I yawned and stretched my arms out.
“Well, it also doesn’t help that you’re here before the two of us and you’re the last the leave” my other worker said, Danny, he appeared stepping around the end of one of the selves, a cinnamon bird: he’s fairly tall and built, very deeply tanned skin with a slight reddish undertone, matching dark coppery brown toned hair down his back, piercing golden eyes and freckles covering his skin, pointed ears and sharp golden claws adorning his hand, dressed in a fairly open and flouncy red dress shirt covered in jewel toned embroidery tucked into white slacks and brown moccasins.
“You both know that it has taken me…a lot of time to build this place up…people like me don’t get to do things like actually make lives for ourselves because of you know…the immortality” I added before the ringing sound of the bells softly echoed. “Hello, welcome to Reliquary Antiques and Curios, I’m March, I’m the owner in case you need anything” I said as a woman looking around walked into view, she seemed to be looking for something, I nodded towards Danny who nodded in return.
“Can I assist in helping you find whatever you are looking for?” he asked
“I…I need a nautilus shell” she said, she had a rather meek voice that sounded like she was hesitant in asking for that. I nodded softly.
“We’ve been having an influx of people asking for things like that: I’m guessing this is an offering?” I asked as I stood from the small stood I was sitting on, she nodded at that as she looked towards her feet.
“It is…to the King of Sleet and Snow” she said
“Odd, that you’re giving an offering to a god of winter…when you’re here in the heat of the Arizona desert” I said as I walked around the counter, “They’re over here” I added as I walked off and she followed me. “Nautilus shells too…that is such an odd choice for offerings. I’ve also had an influx of people needing things like fish skeletons, pearls, rare or weird shells, sea glass or something that’s called a tidal pearl for someone they’re calling Emperor of Typhoons.”
“They’re…incredibly powerful beings…we are seeking their attention for help.” She said, twisting the chest strap of her bad as I rifled through a shelf before finding what she was looking for.
“Will this do?” I asked, she nodded as she took it, “Take it to the desk and Eliza will ring you up. May I ask a question though? It’s only been a few years…that this influx started…it started with maybe one person every month or so, but in the last year…it’s been a multiple time a day occurrence of people wishing to speak to this…Emperor of Typhoons or the King of Sleet and Snow…what’s so special about them?”
“They walk the Earth in flesh and blood…we seek their assistance as a more…direct line than others.” She muttered before walking off, clutching that dried nautilus shell to her chest like it was the only thing keeping her alive. I pushed my tongue into my cheek as I thought, watching her walk off as I crossed my arms, leaning on the shelf before I winced in pain and brought my hand back up to my head as a flash of white hot pain bore through my eyes and I saw a flash of…I’m not really sure what…it was like someone tried to take a photo, but the lens was covered in slime: I just saw a white vaguely humanoid shape float through a crowd of also vaguely person shaped blobs that soon collapsed and turned red as the white shape floated by.
“What is making me see those?” I asked myself quietly as I rested the heels of my hands on my temples, digging my fingers into my hair as I raked it back out of my face.
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