Book Fair pt1
Language was odd to Jon now. He’d Known how the Beholding would filter for him so he could understand, but now that included filtering his own words. He hadn’t planned on being able to hold a conversation in French, but well, this was just his life now. He assumed that after all the fear he took in, multiple languages probably came with the package enough that he got fluent enough. Learning through exposure if the Beholding didn't just give it to him.
Plus side, it wasn’t like when he was first becoming when it was an accident. Jon was very aware when he was speaking French or slipping back into English. He wondered if Martin would be impressed if he found out.
Jon’s mind started to wander while making his way to the book shop.
Martin and Jon had once stumbled into Desolation Avatar who was relaxing in a well-kept bookstore. The place smelt of fire, but not of the painful and foul pain that Jude’s domain contained. The Avatar wasn’t all that bad, all things considered. She’d mentioned while they were talking that she was surprised some English men were so good at speaking Polish. She pointed out that their accents were barely even noticeable to her.
It had delighted Martin as he told her she was speaking English for them. Jon remembers watching the two excitedly talking about what that could meanwhile he took a look around. He Knew what it meant after all, but it was fun to listen to them want to know. The bookstore had been hers, still was, and she would burn it because it was hers. It would be restored after a little while for her to burn again. She would only do this when wanderers longing for the past would stumble into awareness.
The books she mostly sold before were all antiques or precious books historians would frequent often. She got into the habit of burning it as many of the scholars feared the loss of the past, and how precious knowledge the lost knowledge was. Jon figured she would’ve made a great companion should they have met under different circumstances.
He and Martin would visit her from time to time, occasionally bringing her new books they found. She would be delighted as she lit the books up. Jon realized that he never ended up telling Martin that the books they brought her would also lure new victims for her sometimes. The people who longed for their books would sometimes break away from whatever fear they had been trapped in, to make their way to her store.
Had Jon not told Martin cause he didn’t want Martin to be upset, or simply cause he hadn’t seen it as important information? Maybe it had just slipped his mind since she made a point to never burn anything while Martin was near, from the fear of what Jon would do if she scared him.
An older man bumped into Jon, knocking him out of his thoughts.
“Pardon me, I’m in a hurry.” the man appeared to be out of breath, but Jon Knew that the man didn’t have a place to be, but to just be away. Curious. “Young man, actually, could you assist me for a moment?”
“No harm done. Depends what you need assistance with.” Jon responded in fluent French, matching what dialect the man would be most accustomed to hearing by instinct.
“My, now there is an accent I heard in a long while.” The man had a smile that reeked of a statement. Too bad the man probably wouldn’t journey to the institute to share it.
“I’ve been told that often that I speak like my gran.” Jon replied as there was a trickling of Knowing that the village where this accent originated has been gone.
“That is comforting.” The old man went back to focusing. “If I could have your assistance. I’m being followed. But only when I’m alone does it follow. I understand if this sounds like the ramblings of an old man, but if you could walk with me till we reach a crowd, it would be appreciated.”
“I don’t see why not. No harm in you following along with me. This someone that is following you-” Jon made sure it wasn’t a question, though he could taste it. He directed an unseen eye in the direction the man had come from out of curiosity.
“It’s not someone, son. It’s a ‘something’. Ever since I’ve found this damned book, I can’t shake the something in the shadows.”
Jon’s eyebrow raised. “A cursed book. Does it happen to have a plate that says ‘from the library of Jurgan Leitner’ in the front?”
“How did you know that.”
“I’m actually looking for something like it. It’s last known location was in this area. Mind if I take a look?” Jon offered out his hand.
The old man pulled out a small book. It was small enough to fit in a pocket and was bound in sleek black leather. “Giving this away, burning it, shredding it. The book continues to make it back to me ever, damn, time.”
Jon opened it to find all the pages were completely blacked out. “The Stalking Dark. Quite the nasty book you’ve stumbled on.”
“Parden?” The old man’s eyes started to grow wide as he saw Jon’s eyes shimmer with an otherworldly green. “Who are you…”
“I’m the Archivist. I’d be happy to help you if you would be willing to give me this book in payment.” Jon’s eyes meet the old man. Oops, Jon realized he would be seeing this fellow in his dreams. While the entity that followed was of the Dark, the feeling of being watched was too strong to not tangle Jon in. Heck, the man was probably drawn to Jon because of it.
“The book is yours, Make this stop.” The man’s words were far more stumbling than proper a sentence would’ve been. The man was afraid of the thing in the dark, and this fellow who speaks in a way that last the man knew, no one could. The man hurried off before Jon could agree.
But Jon did just that. He looked directly to the entity in the dark with all his unseen eyes. Knowing the entity that was bound to the book. It slinked away from Jon’s eyes and unlatched from the man.
This book wouldn’t do. There was a mixture of Hunt and Dark in this book. Maybe a taste of the Beholding. The Hunt was the problem. Would be too risky for Daisy to use. Might end up siding with the Hunt rather than the Dark since she was already aligned to favor one of them.
--
The next stop was far closer to London in a town a little ways off the main road back to London. It was a nice little tourist spot known for having some stellar sunsets, while there was never any understandable reason why. It wasn’t like there was any views or spectacular colors to it that other places wouldn’t have,, but the sky seemed to have an odd sort of draw to it.
Jon could see why once he got there. It wasn’t like the Vast was a terrifying fear on it’s own. More often when it’s viewed in mass, it will only ever dig it’s teeth into one or two people who understand the oddity to it. They were easy to pick out in a crowd for Jon.
Two Avatars also seemed to have taken up residence here. One smelling of the bluest of skies, the other of the milky way. Each of them watching over, and cultivating the fear of tourists who come by to view the wondrous sky here. One was near, on their way to intercept someone.
Jon interrupted before they could claim their fear. “Archivist...That was rude.”
“My apologies. But I have business with you. The sooner you assist me, the sooner I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Offly confident for a bookworm...:” She looked frustrated, as the Milky Way started up at Jon from her eyes.
“I’ve been told. I’m actually here for a book in fact. It wasn’t in the local shop like I had hoped. It is of the Vast so I was hoping you would be able to assist me.”
She whined before anxiously peeking past Jon, the person afraid was starting to calm down. “Fine. Some dumb bloke had it on him. You can retrieve it.” Her hand touched Jon’s shoulder and she pushed.
Jon was surrounded by the night sky for as far as the eye could see. Twisting nebulas, galaxies glowing with pride, stars of all colors and intensities. There was no end to the Vastness around. His feet had an unviewable surface to rest on. There was no evidence there was anywhere else to stand other than were he stood. It was almost that he simply wasn't falling, but the sensation he might fall if he took a step was there. Jon took a step anyway, and did not fall.
Jon would’ve let out a sigh had there been air. This probably counted as a Mark. Jonah would be ecstatic when Jon was back and it made him sick.
It was much more pleasant than Mike’s or Simon’s free fall domains, but it still sang with the rushing vertigo of having nowhere to land. Jon Knew that there was only a way for him to stand because the Avatar had allowed him to.
The man she had sent here with the book he was after wasn’t so lucky as to have a surface to stand.
Jon found him of course. The Beholding had no problems Seeing here. Drifting, lost in the endless space, dripping with fear, the man clung to the book, staring at the page in the book, then back to the space around. Jon couldn’t help but watch, a few extra eyes on his face and arm opening, taking in the man’s fear. The space around him was endless, but also the page he stared at had a conflicting endlessness. He was trying to view both at the same time and had gotten his head stuck in a loop.
Jon reached for the book, and there was no hesitation from the man to let go. The man looked to Jon, a moment of hope betrayed after Jon Looked back. Jon exited the Vast Domain in that instant. The man would drift, fearing the Vastness, and the creature that watches, but never to be seen again. Just left with the knowledge he was being watched.
The Vast Avatar looked at Jon. “You find it...?” She didn’t look pleased that Jon did more than just retrieve the book.
“Yes. Thank you. Your Domain is breathtaking.”
“I should hope so.” She grinned with pride while the edge of annoyance was still there.
“You let them go, don’t you? After they drink in the sky?” There was compulsion in his question. There hadn’t been enough people in the Domain to account for keeping them. Or they could’ve just been so far about that they were unnoticeable. Jon needed to know which it was.
“Normally. They tell tales of the sky in this town. Brings in more people so I don’t have to go anywhere. I can just stay in the perfect spot with the perfect sunset. That one though. I can’t let him go now you understand.”
Jon nodded solemnly. He then held out his business card. “As an apology, Seek me out should you need anything.”
She took it and looked back at him. Nodded then walked off without another word, meeting with the other Vast avatar in the crossroad.