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Post by Louis de Saint-Just on Oct 28, 2008 22:23:11 GMT -5
"Jeun! Jeun! Jeun!"
Three was the magic number, so Zahra figured that if ever calling Jeun's name was going to bring him back to corporeal form, it would be if she called it three times. It wouldn't, of course. She knew that. But, still, the superstitious side of her (a very small side) figured it wouldn't hurt.
"I can't get your statue!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air, as if excited. She was, really. She wouldn't have to risk her life, and she would also get pie out of this deal that she was about to propose to Jeun.
"Hey, Jeun, come out of hiding or into the light or whatever it is you do so that I can see you in your sad little half form."
Zahra looked in the shadows to her left, and then the shadows to her right, and then plopped down on the chair beside the door. "I give up, Jeun! I can't look for you in this dumb place. It's too hard.
Also, I have a solution to propose to you, Jeun."
Zahra knew that as soon as she closed her eyes, or let down her guard, he would pop out and scare the living daylights out of her.
So the only thing to do, then, was to...close her eyes.
"Jeun, I have let my guard down."
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Post by Camille Desmoulins on Oct 28, 2008 22:38:38 GMT -5
Jeun could vaguely hear someone calling his name from the store. He sighed and leaned as far as he could against the cozy little void that he sat in, opening his eyes and looking out at the bit of consciousness he still had left.
He was then suddenly and violently back in his chair, snarling at Zahra, "What do you want," he snapped, nearly lunging over the counter- his fingers bent away from his palm to get as good a swipe with his claws as he could.
He then leaned back and squeezed his eyes shut, "Yes? What do you need?" he asked, opening his eyes again and running his fingers through his hair, which hung in a loose black mane around his shoulders. He couldn't remember taking it out, but then again he couldn't remember where he'd been for the past hour or so.
He didn't say anything for a moment, then sunk out of view, "Oh great," his said from where he was sitting behind the counter, "You can't get it? Fantastic. Alright. Great... I'm tired anyways..." He sighed and put his forehead against his knees, which were pulled up to his chest.
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Post by Louis de Saint-Just on Oct 29, 2008 19:31:24 GMT -5
While Jeun switched personalities (multiple times), Zahra took the time to not watch him, and to instead inspect her nails. During the long walk, she had discovered that they weren't as perfect as she had always been led to believe! This was, clearly, an outrage, and she would have to do something about it nearly immediately. Since she had to be here for Jeun right now, she could not go and get a manicure, but surely she would be able to go soon.
"Anyways, as I was saying, I can't get your statue. It is a risk to me, personally, and I have not lived this long just so I can do something dumb like go and get your statue. They had a smelly little telepath, and that giant man at the door thrice denied me entrance. It was horrible, and I won't go back there, because they'll recognize my mind, and I don't feel like having that happen."
She smiled, because on the way home from the party, she had walked past the Detective agency, and had felt a sudden void where a mind had been only seconds before. It reappeared after a moment or two, and she got the emotional imprint of the mind as soon as it came back.
"When I was walking home, I discovered something very, very interesting. And you had better give me cake and tea when you're corporeal again, because this is information, and you pay people for information. Also shoes. Buy me shoes.
Okay.
So, you know Basil Dixon, the Head of Investigations, right?"
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Post by Camille Desmoulins on Oct 29, 2008 19:51:26 GMT -5
Juen climbed back up onto his chair and listened to her. As she talked, his expression changed erratically several times. For one moment he looked ready to rip out her throat, then severely depressed, then a very deer-in-headlights look, before finally having settled on his regular neutral facial expression by the end of it.
"Yes yes, if this turns out to be useful you will get a new pair of shoes and I will bake you a cake and break out some of my very best tea," he said, running his fingers through his hair again and adjusting his glasses. He shoved up the sleeves of his shirt- he was still dressed in most of his suit though his jacket had gotten lost somewhere.
Suddenly, though his expression didn't change much (besides maybe becoming a bit friendlier) he began speaking Ancient Egyptian, "Now what is it you wish to tell me about Mr. Dixon?" he asked.
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Post by Louis de Saint-Just on Oct 29, 2008 21:07:00 GMT -5
"Delightful!" Zahra exclaimed, excited at the prospect of getting a new pair of shoes. "I saw some in a window the other day, and no it wasn't the window of a house but of a store, and they are just marvelous. Maybe while you buy me shoes, I'll buy me a purse, or...a hat..."
After being lost in contemplation for a moment, she looked back at Jeun. "Dixon? Oh right! He's some kind of thing that can teleport. I don't know if it's exactly teleportation: his mind was a bit murky, like it wasn't all human? Anyhow, I do know that he can appear and disappear, and this means that he can get in and out of the place where your statue is, and this means that while I am not able to get your statue back, this Basil fellow certainly is. Of course, you might have to convince him with something, because he seems like a prickly sort of fellow, but he should be able to get the job done.
Shall I dial his number?
And you'll make the cake delicious, right?"
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Post by Camille Desmoulins on Nov 1, 2008 14:04:00 GMT -5
"Of course I'll make the cake delicious," he snapped in English, snarling and resting his arms on the counter, then falling through. He was gone for a moment before he pulled himself out of the floor behind the counter, "This is getting annoying. What were we talking about?" he asked, looking at Zahra.
"Right," he responded before she could tell him, "The phone... Dixon..." He looked at the phone and frowned, "As much as I hate owing people... I don't see that I have a choice. Dial him up for me, please. Oh, and, before I switch to someone else. There is a card in the top drawer here. I'd like you too-"
He heaved a sigh and sunk into his chair, "Oh never mind. It wouldn't matter much anyways, I suppose. Dixon won't agree to help me- it's too much of a risk to him. He's much too clever to agree to something that would put him in danger." He rested his chin on his knees again and sighed once more. "I just want to go to sleep," he muttered, closing his eyes.
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Post by Louis de Saint-Just on Nov 1, 2008 18:33:53 GMT -5
"Keep a stiff upper chin or whatever it is those English people say," Zahra said, as she slunk over to the desk, and pulled out the top drawer. After staring at it for a second, she picked a card, and held it up. "I hope it's this one."
Now, all she had to do to get Jeun back to normal was to call Basil Dixon. There was no way that she was going to put her head on the line, and while this job didn't pay terribly much, she was comfortable here in Shawl, and if there was a way for her to stay here with very little trouble, then by the Scots, she was going to take it.
She had met the Scots, and they were hard workers, which while she was not, she respected them, and had often asked them to rebuild the shabby bit of wall that kept falling down. It was all because of the stupid weather up in Scotland, and also the oppressive British regime.
"I'm sure he won't ask for too much," Zahra lied, smiling. "After all, he's just got to pop in and pop out, and no telepath can read his mind while he's not there." She picked up the phone book and rifled through it, before coming across the number she needed.
"No sleeping for you, you've got work to do, I'm sure. Something with books and cake, or what else is it we do here? Oh look, it's ringing. You have to talk, quick!"
She had pressed the speakerphone button, and the ringing stopped abruptly as Basil presumably answered.
"Basil Dixon.
What."
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Post by Camille Desmoulins on Nov 1, 2008 19:04:40 GMT -5
The card the Zahra had picked out a pale a pale blue business card, printed in Chinese. On the back, however, Juen's had neatly translated what it said.
Asano Shin
Tai Tam Rd Stanley, Hong Kong
2881 8343
Underneath the translation, he had added:
Call if anything happens
Jeun looked at the phone as it rang, closing his eyes and doing his best to shove all the other bits and pieces of himself back into another part of his mind where they would not escape quite so often. He heaved a sigh as Basil answered the phone and threaded his fingers through his hair again, pulling at it to try and keep himself there. He was distressed when he found that he was no longer feeling any pain, and gave up the endeavor.
"Ah," he realized that he was supposed to say something, "Mr. Dixon this is Jeun Kazin I..." he hesitated and glanced at Zahra, wondering why he had agreed to have her call him by phone. He hated doing anything over the phone, "I need to ask you a favor.... Well. I suppose it isn't a favor, since I intend on--" he stopped mid sentence and opened his mouth to yell at Zahra, then stopped before that and slammed his hand through the desk, "I intend on paying you," he finished.
He stared at the bead work on Zahra's shirt while he waited for Mr. Dixon to talk, counting how many beads there were in order to keep his mind occupied. If he could keep his mind from going idle, he hoped he could keep himself in one mind for longer. At least long enough to finish this phone call.
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Post by Louis de Saint-Just on Nov 1, 2008 20:15:17 GMT -5
Zahra tried to ignore Jeun, who was so obviously staring at her shirt. It was most likely so that he could tone down the crazy, and she would let him stare at her shirt for however long it took him to calm down. Having to adjust to many different Jeun moods was just not her cup of tea.
"What kind of a favour, and what kind of pay? Because if it's anything dangerous, then my answer is just going to be no. I've got enough dangerous things going on in my life."
"Just tell him the truth," Zahra mouthed, because Jeun might not be able to make executive decisions in his fragile state, and she figured that she should just make them for him. But Basil didn't know she was on the line just yet, and she would rather keep it that way, at least for a little while longer.
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Post by Camille Desmoulins on Nov 1, 2008 20:28:35 GMT -5
Jeun looked at Zahra. She wanted him to just kill him a moose? What was she babbling about? He suspected that she was not saying for him to kill Mr. Dixon a moose (although he did feel like hunting might be of help to him right now) but something else entirely. In all his years of being, he had never really learned to read lips well. Or perhaps he had? He couldn't remember.
In any case. He figured he should just get this over with.
"Well, Mr. ahh... Mr. Dixon. I need you to get my body. Erm. Statue. Well. The truth is my body is a statue. So... it's both. However, ah..." he tapped on his knee and furiously counted the beads on Zahra's shirt, "I... ah... yes. I need you to..." Suddenly he snapped, "I just need you to go get my --"
He cringed at his out burst, "I-I'm sorry. I'm really... I'm not myself right now," he said quickly, "Yes. I will admit. It would be rather dangerous. But.. Ah. Not for you. I mean. If you were very quick and... ah..." he trailed off as he found he'd counted all the beads. He then started over, counting them backwards, "Ah... Payment. Yes. Anything you want. Money, information, council. Anything. I... I'm afraid I am rather--" He sighed and slumped in his chair, "I am pathetically desperate right now.... you'd be--" He sat up abruptly, "Never mind. But please, Mr. Dixon. I am begging, and I rarely beg.
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Post by Louis de Saint-Just on Nov 1, 2008 22:28:42 GMT -5
Zahra realized that perhaps she had been too hasty in assuming this man would comply with them, and help to get Jeun's statue back without worrying about cost or danger. Clearly, she had underestimated this mortal's caution, but luckily, she had thousands of years of experience in the matter. She was so deep in thought about this that when the man responded, she wondered if she had made the right choice. Sure, this Dixon fellow could appear and reappear in the mind of a telepath, but what if he didn't like going out in public?
"Well, that's just too bad, Jeun. There is nothing I can do to help you."
"Tell him," she whispered instead of mouthed this time, "that we know that he most definitely can do something to help us.
And sound frantic. That usually works with mortals."
Clearly, mouthing things made Jeun confused. It was probably the whole statue-missing thing.
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Post by Camille Desmoulins on Nov 1, 2008 22:46:02 GMT -5
Jeun gave Zahra a dark look, "Was I not already sounding frantic?" he asked quietly, "Because I must say I am feeling damn frantic already." He then turned back to the phone.
"Look," he said, continuing to sound quite as frantic as before he has been prompted, "I know you can do something to help us. Me. Er... I guess it would be us..." he trailed off, muttering, "It depends on how you count this..." He looked at Zahra curiously, "Oh. Us, I suppose it would be." He continued then, furiously counting the beads backwards on Zahra's shirt, "Please, Mr. Dixon. It would just be in and out. You would hardly been in danger for more than a minute. Please I am going to vanish otherwise!"
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Post by Louis de Saint-Just on Nov 1, 2008 23:19:03 GMT -5
When the reply was not "I'm going to stop you right there, Jeun. Yes, I will help you.", and was instead "I'm going to stop you right there, Jeun. Yes, there is something I could do, but I really have no reason to do it, it's too dangerous, and besides, I don't want to.", Zahra lost it a bit.
"Look here, Basil, you ignorant slut," Zahra said, leaning forward and trying to avoid Jeun's semi-transparent head on the way.
"Who's this?"
"It's Zahra, see above," she said, and then cleared her throat as he tried to get a "Who the hell- in. "Anyways, what was I saying? Oh right, look here. Get Jeun's statue already. You've got that teleportation-type thing going on, and besides, the mayor and his people have it in for you, too, so you guys can all work together and be friends or whatever. You like friends, right, Jeun?"
And you...
Are you sure?"
"What?! Of course I'm sure. I'm all immortal and whatever. Just get it, alright?"
Zahra sat back. "Hey! He hung up!
Oh, I am going to call him back so fast..."
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Post by Camille Desmoulins on Nov 1, 2008 23:59:07 GMT -5
"Just... just give it up Zahra," Jeun said, sighing. He hopped off his chair and, midway to the ground, changed his shape into a giant lion. He gave a growling exhale as he lay down in the corner between the counter and the wall and closed his eyes, "If I'm going to vanish so be it. The man on the card will help if they decide to smash my statue. Granted, I won't look much the same but I won't be dead at least..."
He gave a large yawn and rested his head on his front paws, "Do me a favor and burn all my files, won't you? I'd rather prefer it if they didn't get to them, or anyone else for that matter. My keys are... they're somewhere."
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Post by Louis de Saint-Just on Nov 2, 2008 0:20:33 GMT -5
Zahra let Jeun lie down before she stomped over to him, and pointed down an accusatory finger. "No!" she exclaimed.
"I will not give up, and do you know why? It isn't just because I'm going to get cake if I don't, and shoes, and possibly fish, but also because this job is really cushy. I don't have to do any hard work, I can laze about as much as I want, because nobody comes in here for book-buying really, and Shawl doesn't do that whole discriminating against immortals thing. While I am not willing to fight for this town, I will definitely sit at a phone and talk to some cranky old man for this town! Now get up off of your lazy backside and help me dial some numbers!
Who do you know who we could hire to beat up Basil?"
She smiled on the inside: it was definitely her most inspirational speech of all time. She was proud of herself, and rightly so.
After noticing that Jeun wasn't moving for a little while during which she yawned five times, and counted at least ten minutes worth of seconds, she pouted.
"Come on, Jeun, you're making me sleepy. Get up or I'm just going to lie down in your wimpy little shadow and take a nap. And that won't help anyone get cake!
And by the way, I will never destroy your files. If you don't help me get your dumb statue back, then I'll just sell them out on the what's it called. Intra web or whatever, I hear they have auction things on there, and by the Scots, I will use it. And then you'll be sorry you didn't help me."
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