Eldritch Guidance

John was sitting at his usual table while reading a book. It was another boring afternoon day at the Mystic Emporium.

Most days were like this for him.

Outside his regulars, he rarely would get new visitors. He was lucky if he got one new customer every ten months. Even his regulars didn’t show up that much. Scarlett probably only visited him maybe once a month, and Fenny hadn't shown up for some time.

If he hadn't become such good friends with his neighbors he would've been a lot more lonely, but like most people, they had day jobs. So, John didn’t feel like disturbing them just to relieve his boredom.

This place had become both a blessing and a curse for John. It provided him with everything he needed: clothing, food, money, tools, even the book he was reading, but in doing so he was left with nothing to do most days.

He didn’t need to work to live like others.

It made him realize how much of his own life he used to dedicate to his old job before coming here. Yes, he didn’t particularly like his old job, but it added structure to his life and it certainly was never truly boring when he was working. However, given the opportunity, he’d probably stick with what he was currently doing. Whatever that was.

He’d done this for almost fifteen years, in that time it didn’t feel any clearer as to what this job was or even why he was doing this. He was offered a choice and chose to help people, but he didn’t know why that entity wanted him to choose. What was the purpose? What did the entity get out of this? Was he doing a good job? How long was he supposed to do this?

The question of how long made John particularly nervous. Over the years of living here, there had not been much physical change in John's appearance in that time. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by John. He suspected that the entity had done something to his body, evident by the fact he woke up in this world with red eyes that were not his original color.

There was a point where he was worried that he would have to live forever at the whims of that entity. He eventually pushed such thoughts out of his mind a long time ago. Dwelling on it would only give him more anxiety.

Whatever the case was, he was sure that he’d been a positive influence in the people he met over the years.

John signed.

John: “I guess it's going to be another boring week.” He said as he bent down to pet Lunar that was napping by his feet.

Upon realizing he was being petted, Lunar pushed his head into John's hand while wagging his tail in excitement.

“I suppose I shouldn't say that. I did meet a new customer a little while ago. A student too. So they’ll probably come around again. I wonder if I could rope him into game night with Fenny.” As John was contemplating this his stomach growled.

John: “Oh, that’s right. I skipped breakfast today.” He said as he patted his stomach.

He started to think about what he should “make” for lunch, and by that, he was thinking about what kind of food to manifest.

Ever since all those years ago, he’d mastered the weird quirk of this store. It was almost second nature for him to do it now. He didn’t need to bother cooking anymore, he only needed to think about what food he wanted to eat and it would appear freshly cooked just out of his eyesight.

The clean up was easy too.

Not only could he make things appear in this store, but he could make things disappear too. Dirty dishes, a quick thought and a look away and poof, they were gone. It was incredibly convenient. As long as he was in this store he could get almost anything, and yet, he was starting to change his mind about manifesting food.

John: “You know what, let's go out for lunch today.” He said to himself.

He could manifest some of the most decadent meals in the world, but something about eating at a restaurant made food taste better to him. He also believed that it was good to support local business.

John put his book down and stood up. Lunar took notice and got up too, ready to follow. He walked to the front and flipped the sign hanging on the door to closed. Then he opened up the door and let Lunar out first before following behind. Once outside, he began to slowly walk down the street while examining the various restaurants and stores.

John thought casually to himself about how much this place had changed over the years. When he first came here it was a complete dump, but ever since the establishment of the red-light district things had changed. Back then, new businesses started to open up in and around the red-light district. It brought more money to the area. People rallied together with blood, sweat, and tears to fix up the place. In a couple years, the east of Graheel had been rebuilt into a vibrant community.

It was strange for John, that the heart of this community would be built around prostitution was something he would never have expected. Like many from the world that he originally grew up in, he heard the unsavory stories about prostitutes. He was apprehensive about them at first, but he got used to them after a while. Talking to the people that worked in the red-light district revealed to him that they were normal people trying to get by, just like anyone else. Those he talked to all seemed to be indifferent or enjoy working as sex workers, and who was he to question how someone decided to live.

As he was walking, he was approached by a young man in his twenties. The man in question had ginger hair and wore blue overalls with a white t-shirt. He was carrying a large brown paper bag. John noticed the young man and greeted him.

John: “Hello, if it isn’t Timmy.”

John knew this person. He was the son of a family of bakers that lived next door to him.

Tim: “Hello Mr Li. How are you doing?”

John: “I'm doing fine. It’s been awhile since we've seen each other, how's your parents doing?”

Tim: “Oh, y’know. Mom’s been really busy. Business has been so crazy lately. We actually ran out of yeast cause it’s been so busy, so I was just picking some up.” He said as he gestured to the bag he was holding.

John: “Oh, well that's good to hear. How's your father? Feels like it’s been forever since I talked to him.”

Tim: “Oh, um… he’s fine… I guess.” He said with a degree of uncertainty and slight nervousness.” Um, he’s been helping mom with the baking a lot, so that's probably why you haven't seen him for awhile.”

John could feel the anxiety coming from Tim when he talked about his Dad. For a while now, he knew that there was some sort of tension going on between them.

“Maybe if I could get those two alone together with me, I could help talk them through their issues.“ John thought while feeling confident about his counseling abilities.

John: “Well, when it slows down, you and your dad should come visit me. I’ll treat you guys to some of my special snacks if you do.”

Tim: “O-oh…yeah…U-um, d-definitely.” He stuttered with an even greater degree of nervousness. “Ah, a-anyway I gotta get going. I need to get this yeast to my mom.” He said as quickly walked by John towards his family's bakery.

John let out a long sigh. He sensed that Tim had purposely ended the conversation.

“He always does that. Always avoiding any opportunity that I try to create to get him and his Dad alone with me. Oh well, I can’t force it.” John thought to himself.

John felt a closeness towards Tim and his family and wanted to help them out. They were the first people he met in this world and had always been kind to him.

John continued his walk for another fifteen minutes. He walked by all kinds of unique and interesting restaurants and bars, but he already had a destination for his lunch in mind. As he approached it, he was met with the familiar logo of a cat in the front window.

It was the Cait Teahouse. The closest thing to a cafe around his area, and a place that reminded him of the greatest sin of this world. The fact that coffee, the life blood of coffeeholics, didn’t exist here. Many concepts and aspects of this world overlapped with the previous world he was from, but the delicious beverage wasn't one of them.

While he could drink the elusive liquid at the Mystic Emporium, he wanted the atmosphere of a proper cafe along with his coffee. So, he could only do the next best thing and come here, and while coffee wasn't tea, it was close enough for John.

As he entered the tea house, he was greeted by the only customer that was currently in the store. A familiar mutant goat man sitting at a table near the entrance.

Goatman: “Ah, if it isn't Mr Li. It’s been awhile since I've seen ya.”

This was Thom. He was a mutant that had the head of a goat and body that was mostly human in appearance. He was someone John would see all the time at the teahouse and would sometimes make idle conversation with.

Mutants were a weird concept for John to deal with. When he first met another mutant, he thought that they were a fantastical race that lived in this world, but in actuality they were just humans. Through some process that John wasn't familiar with, people could mutate into all kinds of weird looking creatures. That process wasn't exactly smiled upon by most people, as a result, there were many that treated mutants with a level of disdain, but not John. He had learned in his time talking to other mutants that one rarely chose to willingly become one, and it didn’t make sense in John's mind to direct any prejudice toward such people even if it was a choice, and especially when it wasn't. So, through his best effort, he treated mutants with respect and decency like he would with anyone else.

John: “Hi Thom. Nice to see you too. Also, it hasn't been that long. I literally saw you two days ago here.”

Thom: “Was it now? Feels like it’s been a lot longer than that.” He said as he chuckled.

John's stomach started to growl again.

John: “Anyways, I hate to end this chat, but I haven’t eaten anything yet today.”

Thom: “Ok, don’t let me keep ya.”

John continued past Thom towards the front counter. The two familiar waitresses that he’s met countless times were working away. The waitress Lise stopped and moved behind the cash register to take his order.

Lise: “Hello Mr Li. What can I get you today?”

John: “Black tea with double cream and sugar with a club sandwich that’s toasted.”

Lise: “Ok, you can take a seat and it’ll be done in…” She was interrupted by the sound of the door at the back of the store creaking open.

Everyone in the store, including John, stopped what they were doing and turned their heads to stare at the green robed student that had emerged.

John was the first to immediately recognize him.

John: “Oh, if it isn't Cid. I didn't know you came here.” He said as he began to approach Cid.

Cid: “Mr Li. I didn’t expect to see you here.” He said, shocked to see John.

John: "Yeah, a funny coincidence. I didn’t think I'd meet you here either."

Cid: “Coincidence…right. So, why are you here?”

John: “I mean…it’s a tea house. So, I'm obviously here for tea.” He said as he gave Cid a look of confusion.

Cid looked flustered and unsure of what to say. John saw this as him being embarrassed about the silly question.

John: “The way you said that, suggests to me you yourself didn’t come here for tea.”

Cid: “Um, that’s right. I came here to talk to that person you got me in contact with.”

John: “Person I got you in contact with?” He said as he rested his thumb on his chin and pondered what Cid meant for a few seconds.” Oh wait, you mean Scarlett.”

Upon saying her name aloud, John failed to notice that Thom and the two waitresses, who were currently behind him, became extremely nervous and started looking around erratically. They were making sure no one else was around to hear this conversation.

Cid: “Yeah…” He said nervously as the three people behind John were giving him death glares.

John: “So, did it go well? Did you get the job?”

Cid: “I did…”

John: “Oh, that's good to hear. I knew that she would be able to help.”

Cid: “Yeah… She was not exactly someone I expected to work with.”

John: “Fair enough. Her circumstances are unique, but don’t worry. I'm sure she’ll treat you well. Also, if you want, we can sit down and chat about it or something else.”

Cid: “Oh, um, nah. I gotta get back to my campus to study.” He said slightly nervously while looking at the angry people behind John.

John: “Ok. Don’t let me keep you from your studies, and be sure to come by and visit me when you're not busy.”

Cid nodded and quickly walked by John and through the front door, departing the shop, all while being stared down by Thom and waitresses as he did so.

“Wait a minute. If Cid came here to talk to Scarlett, does that mean she is here too?” John thought to himself.

John: “Hey Lise, did Miss Scarlett leave yet?” He said as he turned to the waitress.

Lise: “Um, no, I think she is still here.” She said as a nervous sweat was forming on the back of her neck.

John: “Oh, good. If she is still here maybe she’ll be open to chatting. She is in one of the private rooms, right? Can you tell me which one?”

Lise: “NO! I mean…” She briefly paused to consider her next words.

John gave her a confused look.

Lise: “The room she’s in is booked for another that’s coming soon, but I can set you two up in another room.” She said with an awkward smile.

John: “Oh, that’s ok. No need to go out of your way to give us a private room, besides there are plenty of empty tables out here.” He said as he looked around at the empty store, with the exception of Thom.

Lise: “N-no, I insist. You're a beloved regular and this is the least we can do.”

John: “Well… if you insist.” he said as Lise gestured for him to follow her.

John was then guided through the door at the back of the business and through a hallway to a room with a long table with chairs around it. The room was enclosed without windows and looked like a room for a business meeting. There were countless posters on the wall of popular actors and movies. John was quickly seated.

Lise: “Just give me a few minutes. I’ll get your order and let Miss Scarlett know you're here.” She said as she quickly departed the room.

John was then left alone in this room.

This wasn't the first time he’s been offered a private room, and didn’t particularly like it. He wanted the atmosphere of a coffee house, not feeling like he was about to attend a board meeting. So, he rarely took up the offer for the private rooms. He would have rejected the offer, but Lise seemed very insistent today to John.

“It’s like they didn’t want me sitting on the main store floor with Scarlett. I wonder why?” He pondered to himself, while being completely clueless to Scarlett infamy.

Lunar: “Waah” He squeaked out, trying to get John’s attention.

John: “Aww, do you want attention?” He said as he bent down to pet Lunar’s head.

The malamute would wag its tail with excitement.

Lunar would quietly follow John just about everywhere, even into other stores. It was never a problem to do so, as he was so well behaved and many of the store owners didn’t mind the dog's presence. John even had conversations with other store owners that told him that they had found his dog endearing and loved his presence.

After a few minutes of petting Lunar, the door to the room swung open and Scarlett entered with heavy breath.

Scarlett: “Sorry. I heard you wanted to talk to me and I rushed over.” She said while breathing heavily.

John: “Um, you didn’t need to rush. It’s not like I was going anywhere.”

Scarlett: “No, um. I mean…” She said before her thoughts were interrupted by Lise.

Lise had pushed past Scarlett while holding a tray of food. The sudden appearance of the waitress in Scarlett’s vision surprised and flustered the former archmage. The waitress approached John and set the food she carried right in front of John.

Lise: “Here’s your order Mr. Li.” She said with a quick bow and turned to leave.

As Lise turned her back to John, she stuck her tongue out at Scarlett to mock her. Scarlett in turn stared down the waitress intensely as she left. John was too focused on his food to notice the exchange and tensions between the two women.

John took a quick sip of his tea before setting it back down.

John: “Why don’t you sit down.” He said as he gestured for her to sit.

She nodded and quickly took a seat across from John. Once seated she quickly examined John before shifting her attention to Lunar.

Scarlett: “I see you brought Lunar with you.”

John: “Yup. He pretty much follows me everywhere. He doesn't like being alone.”

Lunar just stared quietly at her with his blue piercing eye for a few seconds. Eventually, the dog lost interest in Scarlett and walked towards a corner of the room before curling up into a ball for a nap.

Scarlett never expressed it or told John, but his dog unnerved her. Something about its cold stare didn’t sit well with Scarlett.

Scarlett: “Right… So, did you want to talk about some sort of problem?”

John: “No? Why would there be a problem?”

Scarlett let out a sigh of relief.

In her mind she thought that John was here because of a mistake she had unknowingly made. This would be the first time since they met outside of his store, and Scarlett had misread that as a sign that she must have messed up really badly somehow.

Scarlett: “Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood.”

John: “No worries. I just thought that we could finish the conversation we were having last week. I had to close up then, so we couldn’t finish.”

Her overactive mind raced with the possibilities at the purpose of John's presence that ranged from simple amusement to a grand conspiracy that she couldn’t see, until it deviated way beyond anything that was said. 

The corners of Scarlett's mouth curled up into a warm smile. Convinced that John was pleased with her and was rewarding her with his presence.

Scarlett: “I see. Well then, I need some input about…” Scarlett began to trail off about her research.

John just sat listening while he began to reminisce about the first time he met her.