[identity profile] louiselux.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] curious_spells
Previous chapters here

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Chapter twelve


He'd run away from home once, when he was ten, when he found out why his brother had left home. Mom'd said Neil's soul was lost for good, and Angel got worried that if he stayed, his might get lost too. He wasn't totally clear on how souls got lost or where they went when they did, but it sounded bad.

He'd got as far as the bus station way out of town before someone asked him where he was going, and then they'd rung his dad, and his dad had picked him up, and had taken him back home. He'd been made to lead prayers for his own forgiveness all week, and Neil was still gone.

He jogged down the long quayside, past the perfect white yachts bobbing in the early light. No one asked him where he was going. He didn't dare look back, and no one called after him. A few fishing boats were in the harbor, and some men were hauling crates of glossy fish onto the stained concrete. Cars were shunting into the parking lot and a ferry was waiting, its huge engines growling.

The woman in the ticket office spoke English to him and sold him a ticket to Barcelona. It as good as any place, Angel thought. He'd never been there, didn't speak a word of Spanish, knew no one.

The ferry heaved out of the harbor forty-five minutes later. Angel stood on the deck. From here he could see Robin's yacht, or what he thought was Robin's yacht. It was the biggest one, anyway. It sat calm and silent on the water. He wondered if Robin would miss him, or if he'd just replace him with a new model.

He wondered what would happen to all thse guys if they called Robin. Maybe Robin would just pick one of them. Or ship them off to other rich weirdos who wanted their own personal boytoys. Would they all get five grand to run away with? Maybe Robin's clients weren't as reasonable as he was. Maybe they wouldn't get to run away at all.

Angel shivered and shifted over to sit in the sun. It glinted off something and stabbed him in the eye. It took him a second to realize that what it had bounced off of was the tag around his neck. Robin's tag. He was still wearing it. And the diamond earrings and the hoops and all the chains. They suddenly felt very heavy.

He touched the diamonds, rough under his fingers at the edges where the setting poked up into sharp bits of metal, and icy smooth across the surface. He took them off, and the hoops, and threw them away hard over the edge. The sun caught them once more before they vanished beneath the surface.

Stupid, he thought. Really stupid. He could've pawned those. But he couldn't manage to feel bad about it. He just felt lighter. And the chains... He touched the clasp at his right wrist and could almost literally hear Robin's voice, saying he wasn't to take them off, not ever. Had that even happened? The memory, if it was a memory, was hazy, but Robin's voice in his head was sharp as anything.

He took off the ones on his ankles and held them against the edge, watched them slither over and drop into the blue water. Left wrist, gone as well. He held the one from his right wrist suspended and felt almost hypnotized by it. It caught the sun and sent little skittering reflections down his shirt and over his leg.

A hand touched his. "If you're just going to toss that away, you might as well hand it over. I'll tell your fortune for you."

He looked up and saw a woman sitting next to him. Dark brown hair curled gently around her shoulders. She wore a plaid shirt with tiny white buttons, a long brown skirt, and shoes that must be extremely sensible to make up for their appearance. A walking stick leaned against her backpack, and her backpack leaned against her knees.

"You're a fortune teller?" Angel said, not at all manging to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

"I'm a witch, actually, but that's not a well paying job these days." She took the chain from him, and he let her. "What'll it be? Palm reading, cards, runes? If you want tea leaves, you'll have to wait till we land. I've got some tea in my thermos, but it's only Lipton's. Want some?"

"Uh. Yeah, actually. Thanks." The last thing he'd had to drink had been pink and alcoholic. He could use some breakfast, too, he thought.

She cleared a space between them and set out two tin mugs, the thermos, and a couple slices of thick brown bread with brown stuff spread on it.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Marmite. It's good for you, eat it."

It was salty and weird-tasting but he crammed his mouth with it, realizing he was starving. It felt like it was doing him good. The tea was hot, and that was enough for it to taste like ambrosia at that point. Whatever ambrosia was supposed to taste like. It was what angels ate in Heaven, his mom had said.

She watched him till he'd finished and then she stuck out her hand. "I'm Jenny," she said.

"Uh. Angel. Pleased to meet you."

"My pet cat's called Angel."

"Oh. That's nice for it."

"He's a ginger tom," she said, looking at his hair. "Like you."

"So, do I get my fortune read after the random insults?"

She frowned. "It's not an insult. Cats have nine lives. Do you have as many?"

"Well. I guess not. I've never lost one so I wouldn't know."

He kind of felt he shouldn't be arguing with a woman who gave him tea and bread and said she was a witch. To his relief she squinted at him and then laughed.

"That's funny."

"Heh. Well, I'm a funny guy."

She didn't ask about what kind fortune he wanted again, and they both fell silent as she packed her things away.

The sun was getting higher, warming him up. He slumped back against the hard bench and thought about Robin in his nice soft bed. Maybe he hadn't even woken up yet. He drifted, telling himself to think about something else, feeling his eyelids get heavy.

It didn't take long for him to find the woods. They were close by, they always were. He knew that with certainty, somehow.

Eos was kneeling on a bed of green moss, her skin flushed pink like the dawn. Her hands were red, like she'd dipped them in blood. She knelt in front of a blackened fire pit that was ringed with ancient stones. A fire crackled and spat, and suspended above it was a cooking pot. By her side lay a man. He could be dead, or he could be just sleeping, but he had blood smears on his chest.

"It's not as bad as it looks," she said. "Angel."

"What are you doing?" he asked, not wanting to know. The words just came out.

"Alchemical practices," she said, taking up a silver bottle. She tipped a thin stream of yellow powder in the pot. She looked up at him, head tilted. "I have to reward him with gold. It's only fair." She smiled. "You find me easily, Angel. How do you know where to look?"

"I don't. I don't know."

"My Robin has been showing things he shouldn't." She plucked up another jar and cast a heavy lump of dull metal into the pot. It thunked on the bottom. "He always was troublesome."

"No! He hasn't."

She looked up at him again, studying his face.

"You left him," she said, wiping her hands onto the moss. "That wasn't wise. My Robin won't be pleased with you."

"I don't care."

"You're lying. He's twisted himself around your heart. I can see it. He's a thorny vine. I hope he shreds your hide." She stood up. "Come here."

The shadows behind her moved, and a man stepped out of them. He wore a suit that was as sharp as Rose's, but that looked somehow about five centuries out of date.

"I think you should leave him alone," he said, and his voice was soft, like the wind in the leaves. "You already have him," he said, and pointed at the man lying on the moss. The man moaned faintly.

"Alberich," she said, sounding surprised. "I thought you were dead."

"No, just reading. Don't be greedy, wife," he said, and he smiled at her, all teeth.

Angel woke himself up with a cry. The sun was on his chest and he was sweating. For several blank moments he had no idea where he was, and was relieved Robin was nearby.

The ship's horn blasted out across the decks, and he remembered. He sat up. Jenny the witch was sitting next to him, holding a battered paperback. She wore a pair of aviator shades, mirrored, and not in the cool way.

"All right?" she said, studying him.

"Um. Yeah. Why?"

"Who's Robin Goodfellow?" she said, slowly. "I heard his name."

Angel stared, then shut his mouth when he realized it was open.

"He's-- Just this guy. Doesn't matter. He's not important."

"We'll be docking in half an hour," she said, after the sort of pause that said she didn't believe him. "Have you got somewhere to stay?"

"No." He hadn't even thought about it. He'd imagined just booking into some hotel, but five grand didn't actually seem that much anymore. Barcelona was bound to have plenty of park benches.

"I know a hostel," she said. "It's cheap and its clean."

"Is that where you're staying?" When she nodded, he realized how much he didn't actually want to be on his own. "Okay, thanks."

She frowned at him. "I owe you your fortune, still."

"Nah. It's all right, really."

"I insist."

The ferry terminal was coming into view. A huge white ship was sliding past, looking exactly like a floating building. She took his hand in hers. Her skin was soft and warm and as she traced her fingertip across his palm, he wanted to cry, which was totally stupid. He bit the inside of his cheek and closed his eyes until he was sure he wouldn't.

Her thumb skimmed over the deep creases in his skin, and she frowned.

"What?" he asked.

She shook her head and went on staring and frowning and touching his hand. It was a little hypnotic, the slow slide of her thumb over the same lines, again and again. He tried to keep alert, but he was sagging forward by the time she was done.

She dropped his hand and smacked his thigh. "Well!" she said.

He jumped. "Uh. What?"

"You'll be all right."

He squinted at her. "That's my fortune?"

"Yes. Pretty good one too, considering."

"Considering what?"

"Just considering."

"No, really, all I get for a solid gold bracelet is 'You'll be all right'?"

"Hey, there's plenty of people who would pay their own perfectly good money for that level of reassurance. And from a professional witch, too." She sighed, apparently judging (correctly) from his expression that he wasn't buying it. "Look. Some heavy shit is going to go down in your life for a while. It won't do you any good to know what, and it might actually make things worse. So just know that it'll be all right. You'll be okay. That's a promise. Now, come on. I'm hungry, and I'm sure you are too."

Date: 2007-11-20 09:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therhoda.livejournal.com
OH MAN! I love it, the best fortune ever! you'll be all right, god to have that to cling to when it really hits the fan.

Have i worshiped you guys lately? If not, here have some adoration!

Date: 2007-11-20 09:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] avierra.livejournal.com
I love how you guys characterize the fairies. They're so... otherworldly... maybe malevolent, maybe no, totally ambiguous. The interaction with Eos here is a perfect example, and then with Alberich. Is Alberich stepping into save Angel from Eos? Or maybe not, depending on how you read the interaction there. But if he is stepping in, one has to wonder at his motivations as well, and what he wants. It's like an onion!

The fairies seem to operate on a strictly contractual, quid pro quo basis (hence Eos making gold for her boytoy). Angel disposed of his contractual assets by throwing them overboard, but perhaps that doesn't relieve him of his obligations to Robin (I wouldn't think it would). On the other hand, Robin told him he could leave whenever he wanted. On the third hand, it's clearly about more than just the sex for both of them at this point (for whatever reason), so that obviously muddies the waters of the relationship.

I hope you will reveal what happened to Angel's brother to cause him to run away from home.

And I loved the fortune; I kept thinking he should have asked her if she was a good witch or a bad witch ;) But ultimately I think it will be a great comfort to him.

Date: 2007-11-21 05:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] baka-gaijin.livejournal.com
I don't know much (anything, really) about mythology and such. I'm getting a bit confused about who Eos is and who is Alberich. Where do they fit in to all of this and what part of it Robin might play. Could you give me a bit of information about who they are and what they are about?

Eos making gold for her boytoy (was that what she was doing in the forest?), contractual assets... I'm just kind of lost about all of this.

Date: 2007-11-21 06:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] avierra.livejournal.com
Eos is another name for the goddess of the dawn. In The Odyssey she is called by the epithet "rosy-fingered dawn." This may be why she has red hands in the latest dream. But it may also be because traditionally fairies generally are not really nice little sparkly Tinkerbells, but were oftentimes vicious.

Enter pure speculation mode:
What her relationship to Alberich is, I don't know, other than wife. He may be a stand-in for Oberon (King of the Fairies, and Robin Goodfellow/Puck's king, actually, in A Midsummer Night's Dream), but it may be also that he is a sacred king (ala The Golden Bough), who is periodically sacrificed to ensure fertility. Perhaps this is why Eos thinks he's dead. The sacred king was sometimes "resurrected" (e.g. a new king was found) in the spring with the return of new life and growing things, so this be why he's actually alive. This is all pure speculation, I have no idea if this is what's going on, but it does dovetail nicely with a number of theories about fairy origins and such.

If this sort of stuff floats your boat -- and it totally does mine -- you may wish to read The Golden Bough, which goes into the sacred king concept, and also some theories (now outdated) about fairies and gods. It's good/interesting stuff, but these days most anthropologists and religious scholars don't think it happened that way.

As far as the rest of it, the fairies seem to be operating on a strict contractual basis. The contract between Robin and Angel was that Robin would provide material goods (Prada, diamonds, trips to Tahiti and so on) and Angel would provide his body and soul, which included sex whenever and however Robin wanted. Angel was providing the sexxorz, but he wasn't taking advantage of his half of the contract -- that is, Robin was not providing him with the material goods. I suspect this is why (among other reasons), Robin insisted that he buy Angel some stuff. Once Angel accepted it, Robin fulfilled his part of their contract. Another example is Robin telling Angel not to agree to anything Rose said, because that would be entering into a contract with her, and Angel would be obligated to provide something in return as his part of their contract.

Angel disposed of all his stuff that Robin had paid him, but that doesn't relieve him of his obligations to Robin (and he may not have disposed of everything anyway, upon a more careful reading).

In regards to Eos, a number of alchemists spent their lives trying to transmute lead into gold. She's making gold. I suspect that the man she had in her woods entered into a contract with her, whether or not he knew it, and so she was giving him gold to fulfill her part of it -- this is why she says it was only fair.

Or maybe I think about this stuff way too much, but that's cool, I adore this story and this has given me a lot to think about and try to figure out ;)

Date: 2007-11-21 09:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] baka-gaijin.livejournal.com
Thank you so much! I thought there was something going on that I wasn't quite grasping. Your info has clarified quite a bit for me. XD

Date: 2007-11-21 11:43 pm (UTC)
ext_12512: Hinoe from Natsume Yuujinchou, elegant and smirky (Saiyuki Gaiden: history repeating)
From: [identity profile] smillaraaq.livejournal.com
Oberon is the French version of Alberich, who is variously identified as the king of the elves or dwarves. "Titania" as the name for the fairy queen comes from Shakespeare, but it's also used back in Ovid as an appellation for daughters of the Titans...such as Eos.

Eos is also at times conflated in myth with Artemis the huntress. And she was noted for a habit of falling in love with handsome young mortal men...to the point of abducting the less-than-willing. Read up on some of her ill-starred lovers, and there are some details in the dream sequences that become particularly interesting...

Date: 2007-11-22 12:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] avierra.livejournal.com
Yeah, I was trying to think of the name of the one lover who got ripped apart, Actaeon, I think.

Good stuff about Eos/Titania, I hadn't thought about that. I knew what Alberich meant, but didn't realize Oberon was the French version of the name.

This is so cool.

Date: 2007-11-22 01:05 am (UTC)
ext_12512: Hinoe from Natsume Yuujinchou, elegant and smirky (585 embrace your demons)
From: [identity profile] smillaraaq.livejournal.com
And on the more direct Eos side, there's the time when Zeus stole one of her boytoys so in exchange she asked for another one to be granted immortality. But she forgot to add eternal youth to the request, and...

(This is sooooooo much fun. Angst and porny goodness AND folklore geeking, be still my heart!)

Date: 2007-11-20 10:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aqua-eyes.livejournal.com
♥ Awesome fortune.

Date: 2007-11-20 10:29 pm (UTC)
chomiji: Cartoon of chomiji in the style of the Powerpuff Girls (gojyo - hot kappa)
From: [personal profile] chomiji

Wow, you sneaks! Always with the surprises! This was nothing I expected, at all.

I wonder about Angel's brother, and what happened to him, and if (when?) he's going to see him again.

(deleted comment)

Date: 2007-11-20 11:34 pm (UTC)
indelicateink: Hakkai giggle (saiyuki hakkai giggle)
From: [personal profile] indelicateink
LOL--I glance at the scrollbar nervously, too! XD♥
(deleted comment)

Date: 2007-11-21 06:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gen50.livejournal.com
yes, i do the same. watch the scrollbar too.

i guess the angsts starts here.
but that fortune isnt bad at all.
"you'll be alright."

sounds idyllic even.

Date: 2007-11-21 02:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lauand.livejournal.com
In fact, I do, too.

We're a bunch of freaks.

Date: 2007-11-21 12:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] happydahee.livejournal.com
"I always wish the chapters were longer. I glance at the scrollbar nervously as I read, going "No! Don't let it be over already!" "
I agree with you every word! ^^;;;
What more can I say?
Just, lots and lots of thanks and love to you writers!!

Date: 2007-11-20 11:35 pm (UTC)
indelicateink: Gojyo and Hakkai, good times (saiyuki - gojyo&hakkai)
From: [personal profile] indelicateink
I'm just loving this story so much. Thank you, thank you, for such wonderful and frequent updates! ^_________________^

Date: 2007-11-20 11:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] puddingcat.livejournal.com
♥ ♥ ♥

I have a list of names for future cats of mine (Frankenstein, Easter and Jeremy so far). I've just added Angel to it :)

(Also, I love that Angel's brother is called Neil. So normal!)
Edited Date: 2007-11-20 11:52 pm (UTC)

Date: 2007-11-21 01:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] saiyuki-win.livejournal.com
Leaving is not as easy as it seems afterall with all the dreaming.

Maybe Neil is with Eos at a certain point in time =x

Can't wait for the next chapter! (It's the start of the week! =D Much to look forward to...) By the way, I love Lipton!!XD



Date: 2007-11-21 01:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] i-am-zan.livejournal.com
I read 11 and 12 together... a little short on time will coherently comment when the in-laws go back...but just know...

So so many things that speak directly to my heart here. I am so so happy really I haven't the words!

love much as always!

Date: 2007-11-21 02:13 am (UTC)
ext_12512: Hinoe from Natsume Yuujinchou, elegant and smirky (585 embrace your demons)
From: [identity profile] smillaraaq.livejournal.com
Eeeek. I have a feeling we readers are going to be clinging to that fortune just as hard as Angel will as this story plays out...

Add my voice to the chorus wondering about Neil. And oh, the thorny vine imagery, sparkly hearts for that! But this...

For several blank moments he had no idea where he was, and was relieved Robin was nearby.

...nearly made me cry.

Is it tomorrow yet? *bites fingernails*

Date: 2007-11-21 03:17 am (UTC)
ext_67435: (unruly kappa)
From: [identity profile] despina-moon.livejournal.com
Gah.

Just. Gah.

Date: 2007-11-21 03:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] freeradical9.livejournal.com
It makes me ridiculously happy that this chapter opens with a memory--since what's happening at present is similar to what happened in the past, and the parallels indicate that Angel feels like he's leaving "home" (regardless of how screwed up Angel's definition of the word might be in either case).

This was a truly spectacular chapter. I love how the other world is never far away. Also, one can't help but notice that Angel seems to have failed to remove the tag. A good thing, one hopes? ^^

Look. Some heavy shit is going to go down in your life for a while.

It's entirely selfish, but my gut reaction upon reading this was 'Yay! There's going to be lots more to this story!'. One can't help but look at the impressively building word count and secretly feel a little dismayed that 50,000 words is not so very far away at this point. Congratulations on the amazing NaNo productivity! (And I hope we get to see many more updates before the tale reaches its conclusion.) ^_^

Date: 2007-11-21 12:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] avierra.livejournal.com
Heh, I hadn't even noticed he hadn't removed it. Careful reading, for the win! ;)

Date: 2007-11-21 09:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lady-ganesh.livejournal.com
Ooooh, curiouser and curiouser. Knowing might indeed make things worse, Angel!

Date: 2008-05-10 12:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ekaterin24.livejournal.com
This story is continually more complex, with more emotions and connections beautifully hinted at and indicated, and such very cool original touches and details (the witch's shoes, and her Thermos of tea, and omigosh that *fortune!*)

This is all so excellently crafted, I just dive right in. It's like entering a forest and meeting amazing people and creatures and stumbling upon a carnival and feast and abandoned homes and ruins and a zillion other things that are somehow connected and the forest gets darker and deeper and one simply *can't* stop walking..

Date: 2008-12-09 10:55 am (UTC)
ext_243305: (Default)
From: [identity profile] geri.livejournal.com
Did i mention intriquing? holy smoke the shit is about to hit the proverbial pan.(from the frying pan and straight into the fire) my poor goyjo
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