Errands again. Go here, get this, go there, do that. Done. Stopped by the cafe afterwards for another cup of chili mocha. (I can make this, I’m sure now. The balance of tastes has been the same every time and I know how to duplicate it.)
I wondered to Jill how many people know of her, and if Roger told about her enchanted bracelet when he was blabbing his fool head off. She said she hadn’t had anyone confront her except at the side job. No one has tried to take the bracelet off, either.
I’m still bothered. I ask her if there is a place we could go where she would be safe to remove the bracelet. She asked me for what reason.
“After recent events, I feel I haven’t properly fixed your bracelet. I was naive that day and didn’t know the intrigue that would follow. I’d like to make sure nothing worse happens.”
She told me to finish my coffee and when I was ready we would duck into her “safe room” in the cafe. I downed the coffee at once, nearly choking on the chili powder and told her I was ready.
She led me into the back, passing the owner. “Hey, Boss! I gotta ‘chill’ for a few. Okay to take a break?” He stuck his head out the office and spied me.
“Can I watch?” She rolled her eyes and playfully slapped him. “Ha ha! Okay. Seriously, everything okay? Hey, isn’t she the one that fixed your gear?”
“He knows?”
“Yea, he knows all about me.”
“You two go chill. I’ll take care of the floor. And thank you for helping her. She’s a good kid.” He patted me as he went to the front. Jill giggled a bit as she led me downstairs.
“What’s funny?”
“He always calls me a kid, even though I’m twice his age.” She opened the door to the walk-in freezer. “So, you know what I am, right? Would you expect me to be able to function in here?”
All my biology classes said “Reptiles + Cold = Nope”. I shook my head but shared her smirk. I entered the freezer as she turned on the internal lights and closed the door behind us. Between my cloak and my unquenchable heart, I was very comfortable. Jill, still appearing human, was not bothered.
She took off the bracelet, revealing her true form at once. Without concern she handed it to me. “What are you worried about?” I handed it back and told her to put it back on and lock the clasp. I couldn’t read her reptilian face, but the human illusion displayed puzzled curiosity well enough.
I looked over her shoulder at a box of frozen goods. “Oh, are those…” Jill turned to reach for it, as her Helpful Server training kicked in. In a smooth action, I reached over and unbuckled her bracelet. It fell into my waiting hand as she gasped and lost the illusion.
“Everyone can see the bracelet. It stands out as the only piece of jewelry worn by any of the servers here. Anyone can remove the bracelet. And it is trivial to distract you during your duties for the hot second needed to do so. I need to fix that.”
She nodded and pushed the box back on the shelf. I looked over the metals and wondered how I was going to hide this from human sight without turning it into a beacon for those with augmented vision.
“Jill, can you see infrared? Heat vision?”
“Yea, of course I can.”
“Even in illusion?”
“That’s how I knew the old woman was you. You have a very unique infrared appearance.” Well, shit. I have to keep that in mind.
Hanging around the Svartalf, I had picked up a few tricks for metalworking in the Dreaming. Such as shifting the spectrum of reflected or emitted light up or down to reveal imperfections in the material. Slowly, I did just that to the bracelet. The copper disappeared first. Soon the silver did as well. When the silver disappeared from sight, I stopped.
“I can still see it, but only in infrared.” Jill turned her head so both eyes could see the bracelet at once. “Visually, you are holding nothing. The metal looks like it should be near melting but it is cold.”
“Ah, fuck!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t see it and I’m not done!” We laugh at my self-sabotage.
We hear a muffled boom from above us. Some yelling. Jill takes the bracelet as the freezer door opens suddenly. The owner sticks his head in. “Weaver! Can you tolerate the freezer okay?” I let him no it wouldn’t be a problem and inquire about his concern. “All hell just broke loose. Roger. I’m going to lock you both in here. Jill needs to stay out of sight!” I just nod as he doesn’t wait for an answer but closes and bolts the door.
Jill and I look at each other. “As much as I would love to know, I think being here is better.” I agree. She starts to take off the bracelet again but I stop her.
“Lemme see if I can take it off without seeing it.” She holds out her arm as I try to feel for the bracelet. Now hidden from human sight, it has also been enveloped by the illusion it created. Instead of feeling metal around her wrist, I feel a thin loop of hair. I overlooked it twice before I realized that was it. For once, the Law of Unintended Consequences worked in my favor!
But now having found it, I worked on removing it. It took a minute of her holding still to identify and unlock the clasp. I was confident no one was going to “accidentally” remove the bracelet now.
“Now, I need you to invade my personal space.”
“Huh?”
“I need you to sit as close to me as you can so I’m wrapped in your aura. I need to borrow it to tune the bracelet.”
We cleared boxes off a chest and sat there. She wrapped her tail around my leg, her arms around my torso, and leaned over my shoulder so her left eye stared into my face. “I don’t bother you?” I shook my head. “Why?”
“Am I in danger? Are you going to hurt me? Then what’s the problem? Visually, I find you beautiful. It’s giant insects that trigger instinctive fears, and I think that’s a leftover of mammalian evolution on my world.”
Allowing her presence to envelop me, I find my eyes shift slightly. I am able to see the bracelet again, but from her perspective. I wrap her presence around and through the metals. Making it a part of her. Quietly, I weave ownership into the bracelet, marking it so only her hands can open, or close, the clasp. It feels light in my hands suddenly. I know once her aura lifts off me, not only will it disappear from my sight, but it will also cease to be felt.
“Done. If you would stand up please…” She did. To my eyes, I held my hand out in mid air, holding nothing. “What do you see?”
“The bracelet, glowing warm but really cold.” I tell her to put it on. She does and I watch her rub her wrist and suddenly appear human. I try to find the bracelet. It takes a few minutes to find the errant hair it has become. But the clasp eludes me. I can feel it turning around to deny me access to the clasp. Finally, I hold it. But the clasp will not be opened. My fingernail bends in defeat.
“Now, take it off and put it back on. Just this one last time. I want to be sure.” She removes it, becoming reptilian. She dons it, becoming human. Success.
The lock rattles. The owner opens the door. “Jill, going to need you up front soon. Weaver? Eh… Can you sneak out the back or something? There are folks looking for you but we all told them you left hours ago. If you’re seen…”
“Yea. No problem. I completely understand.”
He closes the door but leaves it unlocked. I reach for the door but look back to Jill. “By the way, I don’t know how good you are at playing chess, but remember, the Envoy serves the City. And only the City. He does not have your interest at heart. He knows now you can translate cheesy love poems. If I were you, as far as he’s concerned, that’s the only language you can translate for him. You are not human, and thus, nothing more than a mere tool to be used for the betterment of humans. To him, anyway.” I smile sadly. “To me, you’re a friend, and I hope I am treating you as such.”
She returns the expression. “I know. And I’ll keep things hidden. Thank you… friend.”
I stepped out the freezer, with Jill right behind me. She locked the freezer and made for the stairs. I turned and made for the dark shadow in the far corner. Stepping into it, I stepped between worlds, emerging at my lair.
I didn’t realize how much I had pushed myself until I tried to speak. The sudden release of unnoticed tension shuddered through me and escalated into a standing fit. Snake caught me as I fell seizing. Laying me on the pallet of furs, he kept watch and teased me. “You smell like coffee and her. Tell me again who is supposed to behave in the City?” In between fits, I managed to flip him off a few times, smiling as I did so. The fits finally ceased, and I surrendered to deeper sleep.