Chapter 4
Akira had been sneaking into the “Velvet Room” for a while now. He had fun with the residents: Marie (who refused any honorifics or titles) wrote with him, poetry, usually, but also stories, which they would tell each other. He would tell her about the hidden hour, the green skies, blood water and the coffins that his parents would tell him.
Mr. Painter (he refused to call him a demon, an insult which hit too close to home, but also because he reminded him of his dad) taught him all about art and colors and how to make them, about how to frame a face just right, and how to make a painting seem magical.
Auntie Bella and Uncle Nameless (Lady Bella and Sir Nameless sometimes, to be formal in front of the others [not that it made any difference] or just to joke) taught him music, piano, and singing. He learned a song that his mother and uncle listened to a lot, Kimi no Kioku, but also the Aria of the Soul, which sounded different, yet equally beautiful in his young, boyish voice. They taught him different instruments sometimes, if he was interested.
Auntie Elizabeth played with him a lot, and told him not to be noticed by Uncle Theodore, who would blab to his mother.
Igor (who was like a creepy grandfather) would listen to anything he had to say, when the limo was empty, and gave cryptic advice, not that he understood it, but he used it in his poems sometimes. He would grin even wider, when he read them, telling him to keep the poems, and remember them in his hour of need.
Finally, Lavenza. She was his best friend, cheery but snarky when she had to be. Sometimes she’d call him “Inmate,” when they played their jailbreak games, he’d try to sneak past her, while she would stand guard. She would also help him sneak around the various Velvet Rooms, which he appreciated.
Which led him to some powers he’d found. In the Velvet Room, if he thought really hard, envision it in his mind, and believe something would be there, it would be. He had even made a separate room for himself and the residents. Moreover, if he focused, he could sense things more easily and find things as well. He was told that his eyes glowed red (like his mom and her twin) when he did so, but it seemed like the only people who could sense it were the Velvet attendants and people he felt… strange with.
He couldn’t explain it, but he could sense something, not bad or good, but strange and unfamiliar. Even without his third eye, he could feel it. He felt it around his parents, all of his aunts and uncles, but random people as well. He went to deliver food once, to help his father, to a guest at the inn, and he felt it in the owner’s daughter, who knew his mother. It was strongest in the Velvet Room, but also around his parents, aunties, and uncles.
It was awkward to explain, but he mainly blamed it on lighting, and after one incident where Aunt Mitsuru had thought he was drugged (he was back in Iwatodai for a weekend), he resolved to only use it when those who could see his eyes glow couldn’t see his eyes, or weren’t around completely. Thinking back on it, Auntie had seemed panicked, for an entirely different reason, almost like him being “drugged” was a lesser evil than her natural conclusion. But perhaps he was reading too much Lupin.
He could also see what he determined to be the tarot cards Igor always talked about floating above the aforementioned people’s heads. Some of them were above people he didn’t feel that feeling around, some were, some had no cards, and some people had blank cards. Like they had yet to be activated. He didn’t know how or why they activated but the nice girl from the tofu shop (who looked kinda familiar) had a blank card, and up until recently, the nice punk from the textile shop had too, until revealing itself as XI. He looked it up, and it was The Emperor. Huh. The blank cards couldn’t see his eyes become red.
The cards: The World, The Universe, and Death/Fortune, His mom, her brother, and his boyfriend, respectively, were amused about his sudden interest in the tarot deck, but there was also a hidden worry and nostalgia he felt. Strange. He was also confused about Uncle Ryoji having two arcana, but he didn’t worry about it too much. Although he was a bit annoyed about him constantly saying “The arcana is the means by which all is revealed!” with a flourish, (though he supposed he should learn some of those tricks and fancy moves sometimes).
After saying goodbye to Margaret, who always seemed exasperated when he came back, but was nice enough, Igor, and Marie, he went to Junes and started walking around, bored. He started practicing his backflips and other various tricks, half to surprise Lavenza, half to join his school’s gymnastics team. He was on one particularly tricky bit when he fell on something soft, yet rounded. The mysterious thing stood up, standing up with him.
“Woah, mister, are you okay?”
“Who are- oh you’re the new mascot. Nice to meet you, and please don’t call me mister. I’m too young for that.”
“Then what should I call you?”
Akira took a moment to sense any bad intentions, but relaxed when he found none. He had that feeling, (he was calling it tarot senses now) and mentally cursed over his inability to use what he started calling his “third eye.”
“Akira Kurusu, what about you?”
“I’m Teddie!”
“No last name?”
“Just Teddie! Though, you smell bear-y familiar!”
Okay that’s really weird. Is this dude mentally okay?
“Uhhhhh, my mom runs a bookstore, and my dad has a restaurant? Maybe that’s why?”
“Maybe! Why were you doing cool tricks here?”
“I’m practicing for my gymnastics tryouts.”
“What’s that?”
“Seriously???” This man had GOT to be messing with him. Suddenly a voice called out.
“Teddie?”
“Guyyyssss!!!” He ran towards a group of 4 highschoolers. Two were familiar. Ignoring that, he took the opportunity to use his third eye.
The manager’s kid, Hanamura. I. Magician.
Teddie was XVII. Star.
There was Kanji-san, XI, Emperor.
A girl with short brown hair that he saw around the inn sometimes. XII. Chariot.
Finally, Yukiko-san, II. Priestess.
They all activated his tarot senses, which he meant he had to be careful. Goddammit. Yukiko-san started addressing him.
“Is that you, Akira-kun? How lovely!”
“Hello, Yukiko-san, Kanji-san. I was just kinda wandering around, here, and ran into Teddie.”
“Oh please, no honorifics from my favorite jokester. I hope he didn’t weird you out too much.”
“A little, but it’s no problem, uhhhh. Can I call you Kiki-chan?”
“Of course!” She giggled.
“Thank goodness we came when we did, who knows what that damn bear could say if we didn’t get here soon. No nicknames, please, but you don’t have to use honorifics either.” Kanji-san rumbled. “How’s that apron lasting? And that bear?”
“Dad’s been using it a lot, and it hasn’t worn down a bit. He really likes it. As for the bear, it’s halfway done, Kanji-kun!”
Hanamura-san looked confused, as the punk smiled proudly.
“Wait, bear? And why’s your dad wearing an apron?” The brown haired girl elbowed Hanamura-san in the ribs.
“He runs a restaurant, Duo.”
“Wow, their food is so good!”
“Wait, your mother is Aragaki-san, right?” The highschoolers stiffened.
“Yeah.”
“Oh. We’ve all rarely spoken to them. What is your mother and your uncle like?”
“As well as their friend? Mochizuki-san?”
“Oh, well they’re all really kind, I guess? Mama used to do volleyball, so she helps me stretch a lot, and lets me borrow her books. Uncle Minato and Uncle Ryoji always take time to help me out, though it’s kinda weird that despite being my mom’s brother, I hadn’t met both of them until a while after my other aunts and uncles. Uncle Ryoji was traveling, they told me, and Uncle Minato was just plain gone. They just kind of appeared one day, but whatever. Uncle Ryoji’s cheerier and likes to joke around with me and my other uncle, while Uncle Minato challenges me to a lot of different stuff.”
“Like… what?” someone asked, slightly worried.
That was weird. Why would they think his family could do anything bad? He channeled what Auntie Yukari and Uncle Minato had taught him about expressions and body language, and shifted uncomfortably, breathing slightly harder, not enough to have a panic attack, but enough for them to get the hint.
“Food competitions and stealth, mostly.”
“Stealth?”
“Yeah, I tend to sneak around a lot, and we compete over that.”
“Oh. Did he teach you that?”
“No, learned it on my own, with… with a friend.”
The Investigation Team decided not to pry. So far it had seemed like they were nice people.
“Okay, well, tell your parents we said hi!”
“Bye!”
Thank god that was over.
________________________________
“Oh hey, Mom, Dad, Uncles, I ran into Kanji-san, Amagi-san and their friends at Junes today. Kanji-san said he’s glad about that apron, and they all told me to say hi to you guys.”
“Oh? Did they say anything else?”
“They asked what you were like, for some reason, and sorry, Uncles, but I did kinda tell them you showed up out of nowhere.”
“It’s okay, why would we be mad?”
But Akira noticed the way the adults’ eyes flashed dangerously, his dad (who had been informed of the situation) mumbling something about underhanded tactics, and was confused. Maybe he should ask Igor and Lavenza tomorrow. (Not like he expected an answer, but whatever)