Fantasy Eldritch Tea Time

[Parrot Parfait]

Spoiler: locale and appearance

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Now that my previous guest has left off for her job, I clap my hands, causing the room to rearrange to its previous configuration. Once finished, I sit down on the sofa, waiting for my next guest. Eldritch_Cat_Creature

 

[Eldritch_Cat_Creature]

Spoiler: Appearance

Salem Van-Helsing appears to be a woman in her late 20s, and would be easy to miss if you passed her by on the street. She is a little taller than average, but not notably so, and wears clothes that are dark and tattered, but not so damaged they stand out. She has glossy black hair that reaches her mid-back, and a pale complexion with a splash of freckles across her nose and cheeks. The only jarring thing about her appearance is her eyes: they are a very bright, very pale silver, and their color shifts as though the irises are made of a perpetually-moving liquid.

Faceclaim:

The abandoned mansion is silent, save for Salem Van Helsing's measured breathing and the howling of wind through shattered windows. It disturbs the thick coating of dust along the faded floorboards, and it rattles the doors on their hinges, and, besides a faint smell if iron in the air, it all feels innocuous: forgotten and lost to time, not a trace of the carnage that these walls have so recently witnessed.

"I bind you," Salem whispers, a faint silver aura shimmering around her fingers. "Be free from your mortal chains and haunt this place no longer."

Her spell has no tangible effect, besides the wind growing a bit less frigid, and the smell of iron dissipating slightly, but Salem looks satisfied. The soft glow around her fingers fades, and she shoves her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket, its shoulders padded to protect from the recoil of a rifle.

She almost misses it on the way out: a new door, innocuous and a little too modern for a Victorian mansion, the welcome mat that sits before it a bit too free of dust and debris. Salem does a double-take, narrowing her eyes and taking a half-step back, as though afraid the door will grow teeth and lunge at her like a rabid animal.

It would not be the first time.

"This place is so goddamn haunted," she mutters under her breath, letting out a long, irritated sigh.

Then, resigned, Salem knocks.

 

[Parrot Parfait]

When the guest knocks at the door, I perk up my head at the knocking.

"It's open!" I call out from the sofa. From where I sit, I could feel the lady's hesitation towards the door, and that's to be expected. Who wouldn't be suspicious of a mysterious, white door in an old abandoned building? I'd certainly be if that happened to me.

"Ah," I exclaim after remembering another thing, "Be sure to wipe your feet on the mat before entering. I wouldn't want to get dirt on the floor!"

 

[Eldritch_Cat_Creature]

When a voice sounds from the other end of the door, Salem's hand instinctively drifts to the ancient leather grimoire strapped to her belt, though she hesitates at just how friendly and welcoming this presence seems to be. It is rare for benevolent ghosts to become trapped in the same location as their sinister counterparts, but it's not entirely unheard of, and the last thing Salem wants is to exorcise some poor soul just trying to make it to the afterlife.

She complies with the voice's request, wipes her feet, and steps inside, closing the door politely behind her.

The room is surprisingly cozy and surprisingly modern, resembling any apartment in a large metropolitan city. It is so out of place that Salem cannot help but gawk, trying to peer through the windows and see if the exterior matches the world she just left: a windswept, late-autumn countryside on the East Coast, the sky adrift with storm-clouds and the horizon peppered with trees that twist towards the sky like skeletal fingers.

Then, she looks at the man sitting on the sofa, and frowns.

"You are not a ghost," Salem announces, accusing.

 

[Parrot Parfait]

When I see the lady's apprehension, I respond appropriately with similarly serious attitude.

"Indeed, I'm not," I respond without a smile, "I'm not too sure what kind of terminology you use, but I'd probably be considered a magician, and a talkative one at that." As I lighten the mood a bit, I give a slight smile and gesture a hand at the grey, thatched seat beside the bed. "I'm looking to have some small talk. Have a seat. We have plenty of time since its flow is altered in my room."

When I say that, a plane whirs distantly from above, and beyond the window is not a forest swirling with warm red and yellows, but the sprawling cityscape of Seoul, Korea. From high up in a skyscraper, dots scuttle across the grid of streets and sidewalks. If one were not careful, the sun may glint in one's eye from the neighboring glass towers.

 

[Eldritch_Cat_Creature]

"Ah," Salem replies, smiling and kicking off her shoes. "A chronomancer of some sort, then? Fascinating, those are rare in this day and age."

She sets her tattered black combat boots neatly by the door, then shrugs off her backpack and leather jacket, as well as a belt of ammunition and a compound rifle. Underneath her tactical getup, she is dressed quite plainly, though with a bit of an alternative flair: black t-shirt, black jeans, a black zip-front hoodie with the name of a metal band printed across the back.

"I am a sorcerer as well, though the talents of my particular bloodline gear me towards hunting and exorcising the supernatural."

With a slightly nervous smile, she sits in the space offered, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin atop them. "I am Salem Van Helsing," she greets. "Perhaps you've heard of my family, yes? And what may I call you?"

 

[Parrot Parfait]

"The name is Jin-Ho," I smile, "and it's a pleasure to meet you Salem. Though, I don't believe I know your family in particular. Observing multiple timelines screws with your head. Let me see if google has anything to say about your family." I stand up straight before my eyes begin glowing a gentle, light blue. However, only a few seconds pass before the light fizzles out with a soft but sharp pop.

"Ouch!" I hiss before rubbing my eyes profusely. "Sorry," I apologize as I tend to my eyes, "Still figuring out the kinks of connecting scrying circles to the internet." I blink for a bit to readjust my eyes before I can see well enough again. "I believe popular theory says you're family is at odds with vampires if correct?"

 

[Eldritch_Cat_Creature]

Salem watches you work with polite interest, leaning forward a bit in her seat to read the screen. "Yes," she replies, offering a soft smile. "My great-great-grandfather's work hunting vampires became something of a legend, especially after a prominent author wrote a novelization of his experiences. Of course, we largely prefer to keep those events hidden from the general public-- I'm not sure what your timeline is like, but in mine, it is quite frowned upon to involve mortals in matters of magic and the supernatural, as it often puts them in dangerous situations they are not equipped to handle."

 

[Parrot Parfait]

"I can understand that sentiment," I nod as I swipe away the screen, "summoning random things is foolish, even if 99% of the stuff you find online is fake. Though, for my timeline, I'd say the supernatural is a lot more subdued. From what I know, vampires and werewolves only exist as legends... and as material for love fanfic writers to use." My face contorts slightly into a grimace as I say that. "Though, aside from that, I do believe there is a supernatural in my timeline. Though, science has many qualms about it, and for its own good reasons. Oh, sorry to move away from the conversation so suddenly, but would you like some tea or coffee?"

 

[Eldritch_Cat_Creature]

"I would love some tea," Salem agrees enthusiastically-- "and, would it be too much to trouble you for some food as well? I've been staking out this mansion since dusk, and the sun was almost comin' up when I left."

Not wanting to be rude, she immediately reaches into the pockets of her hoodie, withdrawing an odd assortment of items. Among it, you spot an anomalously smooth stone with a hole in the center, a few solid silver bullets, and a knife that seems to be made of some sort of vivid blue crystal. "I will make it worth your while, of course," she continues, "I've got plenty to trade. And, I must admit I'm quite curious to hear about this supernatural in your timeline-- it's not very often I get to hear about parallel realities. In fact, you're the only chronomancer I've had the pleasure of meeting."

 

[Parrot Parfait]

"Oh," I pipe when I see Salem laying out her collection of curious yet deadly baubles. All of them are fascinating, but the one that catches my eye is the smooth stone. "You know," I remark as I point to the stone, "I've seen these online and in popular fiction. I believe they're called adder stones if I remember correctly. Ah, before I go full on curious mode, I'll start the water." After getting up, I walk over to the kitchenette. "Ah, and I should probably answer your question first as well."

As I begin taking out a light green kettle from a cabinet, I begin describing my world, "In my timeline, God, angels, and demons all exist. However, even though they're always working, they're always in the background, with humans typically being unable to see behind the veil." I turn away from Salem to faucet water into the kettle.

"You see, they all need a sort of subtlety, each side having their own reasons. For God, it's to prevent us from being burned by his holiness and also to give us autonomy, but for the demons, it's probably because they don't want to make enemies with the secular world." After the kettle is filled, I place it on the electric stone and turn it on. I turn around and lean against the stove, scooching over onto the counter.

"At least, that's what I've learned. There are other perspectives on how the supernatural works in my timeline, but this is the one I believe in," I look back at the array of equipment splayed out on the table, "though, if there's one thing for certain, magical items like yours certainly don't exist in my timeline. With that in mind, how does the supernatural work on your side of the timeline?"

 

[Eldritch_Cat_Creature]

"Ah! You've heard of these?" Salem is delighted that you are taking interest in her collection, and eagerly pushes the stone across the coffee table, towards the spot you were sitting in before you got up. "Yes, it's an adder stone, or a scrying stone. It allows you to see through the veil unobstructed: particularly useful to have in haunted locations, or while performing a séance."

She listens to your explanation with interest, even taking notes in a small, leatherbound notebook on occasion. If you peer at the notebook, you notice that she is writing in elaborate runic inscriptions, and that her handwriting is neat but jagged.

"I see," Salem nods, slipping the notebook back into the pocket of her jeans. "That's quite fascinating. Many people in my timeline believe in the existence of God, angels, and demons as well, though I have never seen these beings with my own eyes. The creatures I deal with come from tears in the divide between our realm and the outer planes: a high-energy dimension filled with raw mana and beings that can consume it in vast quantities. Most cannot survive long in the mortal world, but some do, and it is my job to grant them passage home-- or, if they arrive with violent intent, to finish them off."

 

[Parrot Parfait]

"Mhm," I nod as she describes the origins of her timeline's otherworldly beings. "Now that you mention it, that reminds me of another timeline which has its own mana filled dimension. Though, this one contains limitless mana within it, and there is only one being that lives in it, and that's the personification of mana. The personification has had some interesting altercations with that timeline, but everything's been resolved for now. It was certainly quite fun watching the events unfold. Sadly, the window's starting to get unstable. I'm afraid the window will collapse soon and prevent me from seeing further into the timeline." I cross my arms and let out a disgruntled sigh. "Though, I do have the story so-to-speak recorded, so I won't be left alone with nothing."

"Oh," I interject when I see her writing stuff down, "I'm not sure if you should write stuff down here. Due to the rules of interacting with other worlds, any causality created during this tea time is erased afterwards, meaning that you might forget everything that's happened as well as lose information gained here. Though, sometimes people don't forget, but that's often the case."