A Diner Meeting

They had left home without incident, though John had rubbernecked as he tried to see if anyone was paying attention to them. The street had been thankfully empty, but given that John knew people could go invisible, that meant little.

‘At least we weren’t stopped from leaving,’ he thought as he looked into the rearview mirror to see if anyone was following them.

‘I think you need to relax,’ Senka advised. ‘It’s all well and good to be aware of possible dangers and problems ahead of us, but over focusing on them isn’t going to help when we have no way to affect things.’

‘You’re right,’ John replied. ‘It’s just way too much stuff at once, you know? The stuff with Phantom Reach, the Order, Beth’s sister. A week ago I was just worried about getting through the school day without getting too picked on and deciding what game I was going to play that night.’

‘It has been a bit of a culture shock,’ Senka noted.

‘But it hasn’t been all bad,’ John thought with a grin, enveloping Senka with a psychic hug. ‘Met some girls, had some laughs. Actually did things. Things that matter.’

His eyes drifted back to the rearview, not to scan for anyone tailing them, but to look at the occupants of the back seat. Kiera remained as passive as she had been. Getting her into the car had been a slight worry but she followed his orders without any issue. She still clung to the magic 8-Ball, eyes locked on it. He’d casually asked her if she was going to bring it with her, fully intending to let her, and she had nodded after a long pause.

‘Wish I had thought about trying ‘20 Questions’ before we left,’ he groused. The serious nature of the upcoming meeting made him hold off on trying during the drive.

Thinking of where they were going, John looked over to Beth. She was trying to keep her expression neutral but John caught her chewing her lip and fidgeting in her seat, eyes staring at the passing scenery.

‘Wish I had something I could say to her,’ he lamented, not liking his continued inability to string the right words together. Their situations weren't that different, though his mother had never gone into the overprotective mode Beth's sister had.

Thinking along that line of thought made John consider just what might happen when everybody got to the diner. He had the foresight to call ahead, and after getting the pair of restaurateurs up to speed, slowed somewhat by their unneeded apologies over not being able to come to his aid yesterday, they agreed to letting the meeting happen, adding that they would be ready to jump in should things take a turn south.

He didn't want that to happen, but he wasn't oblivious to the possibility. After all, Lynn had slapped an enchantment on Beth to keep her from opening her own barriers, just to keep her out of the Abyss. There was no way to know just what she could do if she thought her sister was in danger. So, unable to offer meaningful words of comfort, John strategized on what to do if things devolved.

'Hex will be the best first response if she starts anything,' he thought, recalling what Beth had revealed regarding Lynn's abilities. 'Binding her might be too aggressive, but it's better than Aeolia turning her glaive on her.'

There wasn't much more he could do with his current abilities. Most of his Evocations were either attacks or buffs. The only other option he had was Charm but he had a feeling that messing with Lynn’s head wasn't going to leave a good impression.

'Plus only getting an extra ten positive points probably isn’t going to do much,' he thought as he discarded the notion of employing that underused skill. ‘I suppose Vivian’s paralysis array could work too.’

A part of him felt a little uneasy expecting the worst from Lynn, but after Bill's ambush, he wasn’t going to take any chances.

“So,” Brenda suddenly said, breaking the silence in the car, “what sort of food do these friends of yours serve?”

"Pretty much the same stuff diners all over have," John answered.

"Really? Nothing more exotic?" Brenda pressed.

"Just because they have magic doesn't mean they're going to serve some kind of orcish beef analog or something," John said. "It's not like elves or goblins eat stuff that's different than we do. Teri and her people ate the pizza just fine."

"Don't forget how much she loved that burger we got her," Beth interjected.

John smiled as he recalled how excited she got over that. "She really did look like she was having the best meal ever."

"If she had that sort of reaction to some take away burger, I think I can make her something that will really knock her socks off," Brenda said, a hint of pride in her voice. "Make it a whole cookout affair."

"When did we decide on something like that?" John asked, wondering how the idea of his mother cooking for everyone came up.

"Well, pizza is hardly a proper thanks for coming to our rescue," Brenda stated like it was common sense.

"None of us were looking for any sort of reward," Beth remarked. "Hell, saving you guys was the reward. And I think Teri's going to say pretty much the same."

"Still, I want to do something," Brenda retorted. "And like I said, pizza is hardly the right sort of meal for showing gratitude. Besides, Teri and her people are in a bit of a bind, right? Now, I'm not saying my cooking will turn things around, but a good meal made with care would be good for morale."

"I think you're going to get on great with Mason and Cammie," John said with a smile. "I'm honestly a little surprised that they haven't tried something like that yet."

"Teri probably told them it wouldn't be a good idea cus those elders would rain on everybody's fun," Beth remarked.

"Yeah, that sounds like them," John muttered. "They're not the type to accept help unless **** to."

“Or until you fight some monster hound after saving some of them,” Brenda added coldly, her opinion of the elders not a favorable one. “If they spoke English, I would give them a piece of my mind over that.”

“As much as I would like to do that too, probably best to not kick the beehive,” John said. “They could make things difficult for Teri.”

“Good thing they don’t speak English then,” Brenda muttered, drawing out a laugh from Beth.

Any further conversation on the topic of goblin elders was silenced as they pulled onto the street with the diner and Brenda asked, “Just park in front of that old building, right?”

“Yeah, their place is in a barrier around it,” John answered. “You sure you want to come in?”

Brenda parked and reached to squeeze John’s hand. “I think I can handle something of this speed. Besides, I want to meet these cook friends of yours. Maybe pry some tips from them.”

A part of John rankled under the notion of his mother wanting to meet his acquaintances like he was still a kid and his friends needed parental vetting. Another, more mature, part saw it as her trying to remain a part in his life now that he was forging his own, admittingly very weird, path and doing what she thought she could handle as a mundane human. That part won out and John returned her squeeze and smiled at her.

“Well, let’s get going then,” he said. “Doesn’t look like Vivian and Aeolia are here yet, and hopefully your sister hasn’t beaten us.”

“Let’s hope she shows up last,” Beth muttered as she hauled herself out of the car. “Would feel a lot better with everyone here before shit blows up.”

John got out and quickly pulled her into a hug. She stiffened for a second before relaxing into his embrace.

“It’s going to be ok, princess,” John murmured, his voice just able to reach her. “Do you want to wait out here for them?”

“Nah,” Beth answered after a moment. “Waiting is waiting and I’d rather be able to sit down. Plus, Lynn probably won’t try to attack you if we’re in someone else's place.”

‘Can’t imagine Mason and Cammie allowing that to happen in any event,’ Senka chimed in. When John repeated her words to Beth, the short girl let out a laugh.

“Isn’t that why we’re going here?” Beth asked as she reluctantly pulled away from John. “So we can have backup?”

“Yep,” John said. His eyes drifted to where Brenda and Kiera had migrated while he soothed Beth. His mother looked at him beaming with pride while the blue haired girl maintained her passive stare, though her grip on the 8-ball was tight.

He frowned as a thought crossed his mind and he asked Beth, “Think Kiera’s going to be able to get in on her own?”

Beth shrugged. “She got into the car alright. Figure she’s got all the knowhow in her head, just can’t say anything. I’ll go in first and you tell her to follow me.”

Beth turned and vanished into the barrier and John asked Kiera, “Can you follow her in?”

For a second, Kiera only stared at him. Then she turned and John activated Arcane Sense in time to feel her transient mana flare as she too went inside.

“Looks like she can,” he muttered before looking at Brenda. “Ready?”

“Is it going to be like when we left the one yesterday?” she asked a bit nervously.

“It might be,” John sadly admitted. “If it’s anything like my experience, it gets easier the more you do it.”

Brenda nodded, her lips drawn as she stepped next to John as he offered his left arm. Once she took it, sliding her arm around his, John pulled them into the diner’s barrier. For him, it was a seamless transition, but he quickly looked to Brenda once inside.

“That wasn't as bad as yesterday,” she said before he could ask. “Far smoother.”

She looked around, taking in the mostly identical area. “I was expecting something a bit different.”

Beth, who along with Kiera were waiting by the door, said, “Not everyone's going to go through the trouble to make their barrier look unique. That plant guy was just over the top.”

John was going to retort that his barriers were ‘over the top’ by Beth’s standard when he noticed Kiera had stepped away from Beth.

‘Was that because she mentioned Bill?’ he wondered. ‘If that’s the case, she was able to equate ‘plant guy’ to Bill. That’s a good sign, right?’

Putting that thought aside for the moment, John summoned Senka, the spirit manifesting to his right, then said, “Right, shall we head in?”

The assembled, minus Kiera, nodded and John made for the door, opening it for the others to enter before he slipped in behind them. The pleasant and growing familiar scents wafted into John’s nose and he felt a small bit of tension fade away.

“That’ll be all for ya today, Primrose?” Mason’s deep voice boomed from the counter as he served a young woman in some japanese style dress with round bear-like ears atop her head and a bushy tail slightly swaying behind her.

“Yes. Always worth the trip, I do wish I could stay longer and enjoy the company, but I should be getting back to the shop"” she replied.

“Know that all too well.” Mason laughed. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“Wouldn't dream of it. Bye," Primrose sang, hopping to her feet and skipping away.

“Well, there you lot are,” Mason cheerfully bellowed, his attention shifting from his customer to them as he walked out from behind the counter.

“Hey, Mason,” John said. “Guess we’re the first here.”

“Indeed you are,” the large man replied. His eyes swept over everyone and settled on Brenda. “You must be Brenda then. Sorry to hear your introduction to the Abyss was a rough one. And that Cammie and I weren’t able to come and help.”

“Everything worked out in the end,” Brenda dismissed with a graceful smile. “There’s no need to beat yourself over it.”

Mason smiled and clapped his hands together, gaze shifting over to Kiera, “Very good, very good. Now, I take it that this young lady is the one you, em, rescued, yesterday?”

“Yeah,” John answered. “Kiera. She’s operating on auto-pilot.”

“An auto-pilot that includes cooking us breakfast,” Beth intejected.

“A culinary sort, huh?” Mason chuckled. “Lady after my own heart.”

“More like after your stomach,” Cammie snarkily said as she sauntered out from the backroom, heading straight for Brenda, quickly introducing herself.

“Well, you know what they say about the relationship between a man’s heart and stomach,” Mason joked as he bent down to capture Cammie’s lips. “And you’re the most enticing treat here.”

"Sweet talker." Cammie chuckled. "Why don't you get to seating them and give the girl a once over."

"What's this 'once over' about?" Brenda asked, stepping closer to Kiera.

If Mason took offense to Brenda's question, he didn't show it and explained, "I'm not sure how much John and the others have explained about my abilities, but I think I can get a good feel for the state her spirit's in. Being honest, it's probably a bit out of my area of expertise, but John asked."

"You picked up Senka while she was still, um, incubating," John pointed out his reasoning for asking Mason to try detecting anything about Kiera's condition.

Mason nodded. "True, which is why I have some hope I'll be able to tell you something about the state she's in. But I'm not some Apothecary, so don't expect me to be able to give a treatment method."

"It's not like we're overloaded with options," Beth cut in. "Hell, we're meeting my sister and hoping she just knows someone who could help. Not like she could whip up a potion of soul regeneration or something."

Mason nodded and ushered them to a table at the back of the diner. As everyone began to slide into the booth, Mason placed a hand on John's shoulder.

"I think I'm going to have you give me a hand at this," he said seriously, surprising John.

"Is that a good idea?" he asked.

"I'll be doing the bulk of the work, but it'll be good experience for you," Mason answered. "Plus, I think having you there will help to keep her calm in case her powers interact with mine oddly."

John looked to Kiera, trying to gauge any emotion under her neutral facade. When he saw none from just hearing their conversation, he went with option two, asking her.

"Kiera," he said clearly. She blinked and, hoping that was a sign she acknowledged him, John continued, "Mason and I are going to do some magic to try and find out what happened to you. Is that ok?"

Everyone seemed to wait with baited breath as the blue haired girl processed John's question. After what felt like an eternity, she gave the barest of nods. John let out a chuckle, relieved that they could actually communicate.

"Well, that's a pretty good sign," Mason said. "Now, I'm going to send my mana into you, Kiera. John, I want you to get a good feel for that then do the same. Don't hesitate to voice any concerns."

Mason placed his hand on Kiera’s shoulder and motioned for John to do the same. Mason closed his eyes, his face furrowed in concentration, and John did the same, activating Arcane Sense. For a moment, John was blinded by the warmth of the diner, one that made him want to just sit down and bask in it.

Then he picked up Mason’s similarly flavored presence and Kiera’s wispy ephemeral one. Mason seemed to pick up on John’s detection of their mana as he began to send his into Kiera. John traced Mason’s path as he worked his way through Kiera’s aura, spreading out like blood through her circulatory system.

Something else flowed with Mason’s mana, his desire to help and understand what was wrong with Kiera. John felt similarly which let him easily feel as Mason examined Kiera’s spirit. Feeling confident he understood what he needed to do to help, John began to let his own mana seep into Kiera.

The shift to his perception was intense, as if he’d stepped into a vast and empty space and was drifting along aimlessly.

“I see you’ve managed it,” Mason said, his voice sounding further away than it should have. Closer was the friendly warmth of his swirling presence, something Mason noted. “Just follow my lead.”

“What exactly are we looking for?” John asked.

“Anything, really,” Mason answered. “Everyone’s spirit is unique. When I did this to you, I could detect Senka’s presence mingling with yours. And without knowing just how Kiera was before, finding what’s wrong isn’t the easiest task.”

John was hesitant to reveal what he learned about Kiera from Observing her, feeling it was a further invasion of her privacy and just shouting it out for anyone to hear, even if he had the confidence of all of them.

‘No, it’s to help her recover,’ he thought. ‘No point in holding back something that could help.’

Before he could divulge anything, Mason said, “I’ve found something.”

John followed Mason’s essence and, in the void of Kiera’s spirit, there were what John could only describe as two lumps of energy, slightly different in color from Kiera’s foggy presence that seemed to wrap around them like a net. The smaller of the two gave John the impression of pure dullness, one that nearly made John glaze over in boredom. Working through the crushing weight of blandness, John reached out and touched the bundle, getting a flash of an image, one of a plain looking girl John recognized.

“Who was that?” Mason asked as he brushed up against it.

“That’s the form she had when at school,” John explained. “I told you about what we thought her powers were like, right?”

“Transformation or illusion of some flavor,” Mason repeated, and John could feel the confusion coloring his mana. “It’s strange. This feels like another person entirely and not some kind of mental construct she puts on. And the other one feels even more substantial.”

John shifted his attention to the other bundle. Unlike the one he was sure someone contributed to her ‘Azalea’ disguise, this one changed color as he drew close to it, a deep red color dyeing the formerly gray. For a moment, John expected to feel something akin to the dark power that had empowered Bill, but this presence was far calmer, almost like slipping into a warm bath.

“It does feel stronger,” John said, reaching out to examine it. He expected to get a flash of the visage it contained, but instead the power within flashed outward, flooding the misty expanse with red.

Skill Level Up: Spirit Link Lv. 2. Spirit Reading Unlocked

John flinched back, eyes burning from the lights of the diner, reflexively clearing away the notification. Mason had mirrored his actions as everyone else let out various exclamations of surprise and confusion as Kiera’s body was enveloped in a gray smoke, her hands clutching her head, her 8-ball falling to the floor.

“What, where,” a worn male voice emanated from the smoke as it faded, revealing a tired looking man with black hair and dark clothing, his black eyes looking around confused. John felt he had seen this figure before. Everyone was stunned silent, allowing the ringing of the bell connected to the door to echo through the diner.

“You better be here, Beth,” a tired sounding blonde woman said as she stepped inside, her purposeful stride stopping dead when she saw the transformed Kiera.

“H-harker,” she choked out, sounding utterly shocked.

“Lynn?” Kiera, or rather the man she turned into, said, his voice taking on a hopeful tone as he took a step before pitching forward, their form exploding into smoke. John stepped close in time to catch a dazed Kiera before she fell to the floor. He then turned to face Beth’s stunned sister, confused how she was tied into this whole mess.

Thanks again for reading this little story. If you liked the chapter, please hit that thumbs up, and if you want to support my writing, check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ScrapCrow. Get access to my chapters before they’re published here and join my private Discord.