Chapter Text
The sound of a clicking pen could be heard from the Soul Catcher Magic Inventory,Norton really had to change the name sooner or later.The owner of the store busy in thought as he mentally listed what needed to be done and what was already taken care of.
Clean DeRoss own pandora’s box,a cryptext containing the writer’s darkest secrets,a trapped abyssal creature,piece of cake,he had no idea what the greek characters of the cylindrical puzzle meant so the risk of him getting the combination right on accident was low.
Dust off Antoinette aqua mirror,done,he almost got trapped in its dimension while trying to wash off a red stain it got from who knows where,so long the item keeper was still in this plane of existence intact and the mirror was clean he didn’t feel the need to investigate the red stain further.
Feed Diruse ‘incremĕntum dì statūra’ lizard,almost missed it,luckily he heard the tank glass broke due to its increasing size once hungry,he will have to pay back the professor the damage,what a waste.
Open Morton suitcase…He can just bring it to Patricia Dorval any other time of the day,the woman was specialized in anything related to magic,lifting curses and bypassing locks like nothing,her only failure being freeing him. If he asked she would do it in a heartbeat,despite her strong,intimidating appearance she wasn’t hard to get along with once the ice was broken.
He was delaying the inevitable,unable to look at the case,an uncanny feeling of what opening it might bring,maybe it really was cursed
Nevertheless things were going pretty well,Mike hadn't shown himself for 2 and a half days which was…worrying,it left a pit in his stomach,even if he spent little time with the restaurant owner he was so used to his presence it almost felt like they’ve known each other for years. The way his eyes lit up when a new idea crossed his mind,terrible one or not;the way his mere presence brightened Norton's gloomy mood,his actions spoke louder than the man himself. He brought with him a sense of familiarity Norton unknowingly relished into. Without him there was a void he could not fill.
Tintinnabulations caused by a wind chime signaled the entrance of a client,metal tubes bouncing on one another clinking against the clapper of the object,the wind chime was gifted right the other day by Qi Shiyi,friend of his and antiquarian dealing with old enchanted objects like him,what differentiated them was that Norton searched for a place to stop permanently,or just long enough before people suspected of his never aging appearance,running away jumping from job to job was tiring. Qi on the other hand was an hermit,traveling continents learning many cultures while searching for her friend.
Their first encounter was quite an event,she left an impression on him for sure. A man was screaming at the asian woman over her obvious asian features as she was playing her trusty flute at a plaza for some innocent kids,it was a mesmerizing melody he had enjoyed before the man came to interrupt,he was double her size,but before he could try to intervene the woman with black hair already downed the other,leaving him stunned on the floor,fleeing as people applauded Qi of her swift movements and looked down upon him. Norton was ready to leave after that,yet Qi had her eyes settled on him for longer than he noticed during her performance,grabbing him out of the way and taking him to an isolated place,she could sense the curse bestowed upon him. Needless to say it left him quite shaken having his secret found by someone who he never spoke to in the first place.
Two women entered the shop,a light brown haired woman standing tall looking around while helping move the other girl who was bound to a wheelchair. “Miss Claude” he greeted, slightly bowing his head,the blonde came from a rich family,behind her innocent smile a crazed woman who would not hesitate to frame him and get sought after by authorities,she had just that power.
“Mister Campbell I believe you know what I seek after” she stated coming near the counter “Of course” he got up approaching the back door,giving one last glance at the two he found the unnamed woman glancing disoriented at the merchandise on sale almost as if searching for something without getting too close to the shelves, “I will be right back feel free to look around” he announced to the woman wearing a white dress with a belt holding what he assumed to be medial tool,as she nodded at him,looking away as she fiddled with some strands of her messy hair,he noticed her face to soften in embarrassment before returning to her cold expression.
Hurriedly picking up a headless doll Galatea called her ‘flawed masterpiece’ presenting it to her she carefully examined it,the piece was a rather powerful item,able to create a servant,a doll akin to a human,with the purpose of serving their master,carrying out all sorts of orders no matter the cost,able to be broken but never destroyed. That what it was,a broken artifact missing its head to properly function,the wheelchaired girl often took it to the inventory where she knew no one could damage it to retrieve it three days after. Norton could only imagine what the girl owning the sharpest chisel known to man would do to him if she found any imperfection.
“Great” she hummed satisfied,not one for small talk. Turning around noticing the chocolate haired woman walking up she was about to order her to move her around before she heaved a sigh and started speaking, “Good afternoon mister,my name is Ada Mesmer,as I was looking around what the inventory had to offer this one caught my attention” she held up a star shaped whistle “May I know what it does?” she politely asked slowly tilting her head “Only if you say what are you going to do with it” he stated,his buyers business was no way something he cared to know,giving his items away to the first person with money however might get his inventory closed. Buying or keeping artifacts for owners who had to leave them momentarily was one thing,but selling to the wrong person could cause a disaster.
Biting the insides of her cheek starring unsurely at the item “My husband has been having night tremors,I use a whistle to help him fall back asleep but recently its effect has been wearing off,so I was wondering if this one had any properties to help due to its shape” she answered looking in his eyes,clouds of worry darkening her blue pupils. Humming he slowly backed away “It’s the perfect item then,feel free to test it,but I must warn you it’s better if you close your eyes” closing his eyes the sound of a whistle started,it was calm,almost like a lullaby sang to children,as soon it started it was over,opening his eyes he saw Ada doing the same once she finished,hers slowly widening witnessing a purple star pop and disappear a loud yawn could be heard a bit below the two.
“Miss. Mesmer bring me home” another yawn coming from Galatea as he girl rested her head on the back of her wheelchair “I’m s-suddenly tired” she demanded rubbing her eyes trying to keep them from closing,her flawed masterpiece laying on her lap,it appears the sculptor wasn’t paying attention. “Nightstar whistle,the stars the object summons have a sleep-inducing effect on those who stare at them” he explained more thoroughly, “twenty dollars”. Money exchanged owners and the Nightstar entered the woman’s bag,yet she didn’t look fully satisfied, “Anything else?” he asked feigning confusion,more money for him.
“Oh I have no intention of buying anything else” she said sensing his true intentions “I don’t mean to sound rude but you look quite a mess,if anything is troubling you it would be better for you to take a break” she casually said while bringing the two of them to the door,the hint of care in her voice ignored by the seller. The duo left before Norton could come up with any comeback,he was stunned in place,he wasn’t troubled, the woman worries had no fundamentals,sure he might have pulled two all-nighters because he couldn’t sleep,tossing and turning in bed restlessly until he had enough. But that was no way anything to get riled up over,the dark circles under his eyes,the messy scarf he ended hanging around his neck instead of tying it after failing for the fourth time and the shirt he definitely did not wear for two days in a row without a care in the world were nothing if not his business none had to scold him about.
The sound of metal tubes snapped him out of his trance,a young boy with blonde hair and golden eyes had entered,a small package in his hands and a puppy by his side. The local postman Victor Grantz,one he was familiar with as the man was one of his past customers,one of his first ones as he had just opened back then. His eyes widened his orbits might as well burst from his skull to see him,blinking he washed the expression off his face,placing the small box in his hands he gave a slight bow before running out with his trusty companion ready to deliver any content of his leather bag.
Fidgeting with the white box Norton was quite hesitant to open it,the name of the sender wasn’t written,almost like it belonged to nobody,yet the writing saying ‘For:Norton Campbell’ was clear as day,someone sent him a gift as unbelievable as it sounds. Carefully undoing the blue ribbon someone put time and care into making he found the content of the box was a pendant..
A silver chain and spiral holding three small aquamarine stones,judging by the quality of the silver and the hues of the gemstones it was a bit pricey,clean cerulean with not many inclusions,the gems shined brightly when reflected to light,what reduced the value of the piece of jewelry must be their size,the spiral the 3 small stones were attached to didn’t even reach 1 inch,not something worth spending over him for sure,nothing was.
Aquamarines,coincidentally the birthstone of the month he was born,march,legends surrounding it believing it was the treasure of mermaids,but he was no sailor for it to bring luck to,it was a bringer of peace,a cleansing stone,yet those charcoal eyes of his could see nothing if not its monetary value. Maybe before the curse,when his eyes resembled the stone color as his loved racer Pumping Tires once said he could have appreciated the deeper meanings behind it,but that’s not true anymore.
Norton had an inkling about the mysterious sender,but before meeting said person he needed to take a shower and compose himself if he scared the postman without moving a finger. It was a good thing he first went to his apartment before going to the restaurant named ‘Bite’,when he stared at himself in the mirror he looked as pale as a ghost,frankly he could fully comprehend the postman running away from him the moment his delivery was over,he looked like shit.
It dark in the evening,Norton took his sweet time to dress himself,he disregarded his usual work attire for something more casual,a plain white shirt with dark blue jeans and black shoes,he was not one for fashion and with how hot it was outside he had to unbutton the first buttons of his shirt,the most noticeable difference was that his trusty black helmet he wore for safety reasons inside his inventory,who knows what could happen if something fell on his head,was replaced with a white hat.
Stepping in he noticed how cozy the atmosphere was,there were fewer clients chatting away their lives as they emptied their plates,he figured it was a lazy day with not many people,just what he needed if he wanted to speak to the owner alone,the pendant sitting in its box untouched. He walked the farthest away from the counter,a lone place next to the window in the restaurant corner,fitting for one like him. Opening the menu he was meet with many different dishes,ranging from oyster platter and simple sliced ham to curry pilaf and honey cake,a black haired petite waitress came at his table to take his order,he settled on having roast beef pudding,a favorite meal of his,so he was left to wait,and wait,and wait,growing quite irritated once he realized he was being served last,ignored on purpose,he was gonna give a 1 star review.
Sighing at last once his damned plate was served in front of him he quickly shut his mouth to not let a string of profanities come out once he saw who personally served him, “So what do I owe the visit?” Mike laughed as he took a seat in front of him,the orange dye having completely washed off his hair,the golden locks of his were breathtaking,framing his face almost like a painting where the blue irises of his were the main piece,trying to divert his attention from his mesmerizing features he put forward the gift the man supposedly bought him, “Oh a gift for me?” Mike coaxed tilting his head almost innocently it was almost believable,yet it didn’t go past Norton the flash of recognition his eyes held for a moment,”Cut the crap Morton I know it’s from you” picking up a piece of beef with his fork he mindlessly put a piece of beef in his mouth tasting it,it was delicious,deserving of every penny he spent,humming as he ate the dish and savored every bit of it,the best thing he had in a while.
“Aren’t I just the best cook?” the blonde asked rhetorically,priding himself as the raven kept on stuffing his mouth “Don’t change the topic” he scolded talking while chewing earning an amused chuckle from the other “Say what if you finish your meal and then we talk” Mike said while taking a napkin and cleaning the corner of Norton mouth,the act making his cheeks heat up as Mike giggled at his reaction enjoying how flustered it left him,his laugh akin to an angel,yet that wasn’t what pulled the strings of his cold heart,the act itself was…new,something he wasn’t used to even in his past relationship,which shouldn’t matter since they were just friends.
“Don’t you have a kitchen to go back to?” he snorted cutting the strings,gaining a full on wheeze by the chef “Silly you we’re closed!” he exclaimed motioning with his hands closing an invisible door,”You can’t be serious” the raven dropped his fork and turned to his wristwatch “It’s barely- shit.” it was almost 10pm,how did he not notice time flying by “Natalie and Joker are cleaning the kitchen,I’ll deal with everything else later” the boy shrugged fidgeting with the fork of his seat. Norton knew how much it sucked to have to close in later “Listen I’ll make this quick” he said forgetting all about the beef pudding that he almost cleaned the plate “Why.” he demanded pushing the white box at the other,”I don’t know what you’re talking about” Mike put his hands forward,some tapping could be heard from below the table.
“You’re hitting the ground with your left foot,you always do that when you lie Mike” the raven stated matter of fact,quite proud of making the chef speechless “How would you even know that?” he pouted,well…”Just answer me” he reprimanded avoiding the question,how did he know Mike stomped the ground with his left foot when lying,he shouldn’t Mike did that never did that.
Huffing the blonde gave up fighting “I felt guilty” he admitted looking away “Why Mike,why would you feel guilty” he asked a bit desperate, “Was that the reason you didn’t come visit once?” “Oh was I missed?” “Mike” he groaned at the attempt of the blonde to not have this talk,sighing Mike opened his mouth,then whispering he babbled something he couldn’t understand “Take your time” he whispered taking his hands in his,the cheeks of the blonde becoming slightly rosier taking a deep breath he started to explain himself “After what happened with Fiona,the fortune teller,I felt guilty about the accident,hell I already felt bad the moment we got in my car and you started stressing” he wavered,voice cracking towards the end, “I know it’s dumb but when I talked with Natalie she suggested buying a gift to ease it,she then helped me pick out the pendant and here we are” he hid his face behind his hands.
Pondering on what to say next Norton tried to comfort him,although there still was something unclear,why aquamarine stones,“I don’t think it’s dumb,I do not comprehend why spend something over me but I can…understand” letting actions and gifts speak over words,he could relate to that,there being a man he would have bought the whole world for. “But what significance do aquamarines hold?” The item keeper used to work as a prospector once,admiring and analizying over all types of gemstones he could get ahold of,the meanings were never something he kept track of. “Well…I just thought they fit you” he truthfully said,face softening as sapphires met obsidian “Just accept it and let's move on” “Fine” he accepted it.
“But I’m taking you out” “On a date?” “No!” he yelled stuttering,this guy was gonna drive him insane,”You mentioned your family being all entertainers once,surely a circus or amusement park could help crack a word or two” he came up with an excuse,not knowing well why he was coming up with one,or why he even proposed the idea in the first place,thoughts storming his brain over how wrong it felt.
Giving one last laugh Mike closed the distance between the two,feeling his breath on his neck sent shivers down Norton’s spine,the proximity intoxicating him the more they stayed like that,”And done!” Mike muttered in his ear slowly backing away,something cold hitting his chest surrounding his neck “I expect you to wear it tomorrow Norty,it suits you really well” he complimented him,Norton staying still in shock having just noticed the necklace missing from its box,”Now sho it’s getting late and I have this mess to clean” “W-wait!” He rushed him to the doors closing them right behind him.
Bringing a hand to his chest he saw the silver spiral leaning on it,tomorrow would be a meeting strict to the unopened suitcase he kept repeating himself,the beating of his heart deafening his ears as he walked back home into the night