The Illusory Gentleman: Reunion

A single figure strolled down an empty cobbled street as the fiery orb of light sank into an orange horizon. The sun cast its dying glow upon him, highlighting the tuxedo and top hat with its glow despite their colors of an empty void. A raven alighted on his shoulder as he stood for a moment, the calls from its throat seeming to interest the very raven-like man. A quick stroke of the raven's headfeathers from a silk gloved hand and it was off again, the man's cloak of feathers trailing behind him as he sped up his walk. The chattering of ravens became noticible in greater volume as he made his way down the shady streets unhindered; the passerby paying no attention to a man seemingly part raven, part man, part something else. Such things were normal in Tairngir.

A man of such obvious wealth did however, look odd as he approached the door of the patched house. It wasn't much to look at to be sure, though if you asked him he would tell you the occupant was. A raven headed cane tapped against the wood with its beak as he knocked, waiting patiently and listening to the conversations of the gathered ravens. He always kept a watch on her, though he had learned to give her distance and privacy quickly. To him, such a dangerous life as hers required constant watching. His thoughts were interruped as he noticed there was no answer at the door. The knob was of course refusing to budge as he tried it.

Absinthe frowned as she took notice of an inky darkness pouring out of her front door. "Great..." she thought to herself as a voice from across the room called out.
"You really need to start answering your door, love." Oidhche-Yorath said cheerfully, his smile faltering a little as he eyed the empty Cognac bottle among the scattered papers in her study.
"What the hell do you want now?" she asked irritably. When he didn't reply, her white corset hindered her little as she moved across the room to stand threateningly close to him.
"Then leave me alone, and take your annoying birds with you." she spat at the well groomed gentleman. Absinthe realized belatedly she was making eye to eye contact with Oidhche, his visage seeming to fill her vision as consciousness escaped her."Damn you..." she said shakily.
"I'm sorry love, but it's for your own good..." he said as her eyes fluttered, deftly catching her as she fell.

Oidhche looked around her study, picking his way among the papers and bottles of various drinks at varying levels of emptiness. "Once again I have left her alone for too long..." he mused aloud to himself, turning his head to look back at the dark-hearted unicorn he named his lover. Oidhche had been around the underground long enough to know Absinthe was in trouble, if what his ravens claimed was true. She wasn't coming out of the house much, and she seemed to be drunk quite a lot. "A lot of these papers are bills..." he muttered, sifting through them. He wondered just what she had been through in his absence as he moved to sit by the couch.

Absinthe awoke to the same thing she saw when she fell to sleep. A white gloved hand stroked through her violet mane, a touch she was well familiar with. Her expression softened for a minute before she hid it behind her usual expression. " I see you are back. Why the hell did you hypnotize me. I should punch that smug face of yours." Oidhche frowned a little, his expression returning to one of concern as he continued to run his fingers through her mane. "It was for your own good. You know I can't reason with you when you aren't sober."
The unicorn huffed as she sat up and turned to face the wild haired gentleman, his top hat hung on a rack. "So what do you want, then?" she said.
"My ravens have told me quite a lot, and I took the liberty of having a look around while you were resting. I stay gone far too long, love." he replied, a rare sad look seeming to cross his obsidian orbs.
The unicorn nodded as she straightened herself up. "You still haven't told me what you want." she called after him as he went into her kitchen.
"I want to visit you more." he said simply as he returned with a pot of tea and two ornate cups, taking a seat next to her.
Absinthe wasn't sure how to reply. It was true she desired him to visit her more. She had been feeling lonely, though she wouldn't admit it to the likes of him. It'd just encourage him. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted him around a lot though. While she loves him, she also finds her gentleman irritating at times. And dear gods his ravens.
"How much more." she asked cautiously, raising the cup to her lips.
"I was wanting once every two days." he replied. Absinthe raised a surprised eyebrow to him at his proposal. "Why do you want to visit me so much all of the sudden? You've never been so inclined in the past." the unicorn nearly accused. The feathered man gave her a pained look at the question, striking home in more ways than one. "I don't want to see you getting in trouble when I'm away anymore; and I don't want a repeat of...that one time..." he trailed off.

Absinthe remembered what he spoke of, as much as she didn't want to. He had been away for a long time, and had answered none of her love letters. Life had quickly went from bad to worse as she fell into drinking in order to get to sleep. After nearly two years with no word from him, she had assumed he had left her. When he found her again, she had lost her memory and wasted away to the brink of death in the Material Plane. It was only through his efforts that she had been brought back from that miserable state.

Absinthe controlled her emotions better than her night spirit companion, who had for the first time in her experiences, allowed himself to show deep sorrow. She had a suspicion he spent many nights like that while nursing her back to health. She reached over and wiped at his eyes with a finger, the tiny feathers surrounding his eyes mussing from it. "I don't think you could keep up to that Oidhche." she said. "The planar shifting is too unstable, even for a hopper such as yourself. It would be too dangerous or outright impossible at times." The unicorn tilted her head slightly as her lover brightened to a smile. "You're up to something..." she said as he poured himself more tea.

"Indeed I am! You see my love," he began, giving her a grin. "I will not be traveling the planes constantly. That would be far too taxing on me. Instead, I'm going to build another mansion!" he proclaimed.
Absinthe cocked an eyebrow at him over the rim of her cup. "Another one?" It was no secret Oidhche lived in a massive mansion existing on a plane of pure, swirling chaos. "Couldn't you just live in a house? Do you really need such a big place for just you?" she questioned. He pondered her logic for a moment, which was indeed sound. Tairngir wasn't as safe as his own plane, at least to him anyway, and the less attention he drew to himself the better. At the very least he'd have less robbery attempts. "I suppose you are right. Ever you are the one to keep my ego in check by the resounding tunes of logic, my love." he said with a smile. "But yes, I think I am going to begin extended stays to Tairngir."

Absinthe wasn't so sure. "Are you sure that will be safe for you, though? I know you stay where you live for your own safety afterall." The night spirit nodded enthusiastically. "I'll be bringing a number of my guards with me, to make sure the house is well patrolled." A long moment of silence passed between them as the cups gradually emptied. "I don't want you tangling in my affairs." the lady of the house abruptly spoke. Her companion turned to eye her, his mind swirling with replies. "At least let me help with your debts." he said. She gave him a stern look that told him all arguments on the matter were off. "Fine..." he resigned, never understanding why she didn't want help. "Well if you need a place to stay besides here, soon you will have one..." he said as she nodded, the teapot now empty.

The night found the pair together on the couch, enjoying each other's company as they recounted the events passed in each other's absence. "So what did you do next?" Oidhche asked, looked up from Absinthe's lap where his head lay comfortably. "I stomped them flat. You know I hate Pixies to begin with so did you really need to ask?" she grinned as her companion laughed. "Pixies zero, Absnthe four hundred and nintey-three" he proclaimed, eliciting a laugh from her. "So where are you building this new place of yours anyway?" the unicorn asked. "And please do not say across the street from me." The gentleman grinned at the thought but decidedly did not push his luck. "I was thinking across town, near that one pub. You probably know it, The Thirsty Lion?" Absinthe gave him an incredulous look. "Near that low class place? I'm rather surprised you'd be within a mile of it. I suppose it is at least rather low profile at least." as Oidhche nodded in agreement. "I'll send a raven with detailed instructions on how to get there as soon as it's ready too." he said.

The clock began to reach for the very early morning hours as the two began to run out of things to catch up upon and discuss. "It's getting late... I suppose I'll need to be going" the gentleman said with a dissonant tone in his voice. He stood up as Absinthe unlocked the door for him. "I will visit you as I said I would." he promised. "Come visit me sometime when my house is built?" he asked. "Sure" she said, standing in the doorway. A long moment passed between the two, seeming to them almost as long as the time spent apart. Suddenly smiling, the night spirit asked, "May I have a kiss before I go?" and found himself obliged. "You don't have to leave, if you do not want to..." Absinthe trailed off a moment later. "Does that mean I can stay the night?" he grinned, as his lover returned a smile of her own and pulled him back into the house, locking the door behind them.

The double clack of cloven hooves on the floor woke Oidhche. He opened his eyes to see Absinthe dressing. "Well good morning to you, dearest love." he said. The unicorn turned to him and smiled. "I'd say you have bedhead, but considering how those headfeathers you call your hair are I think that's impossible. You should get dressed, it's already in the afternoon." The night spirit rose and began the arduous process of preening himself, setting each individual feather in a specific place. Absinthe snorted as she caught a look at him in the mirror. "It's going to take you forever to get ready. Must you fix all of them? Even the ones under your clothes?" she asked in a tone of mock exasperation. "Now now don't make fun of me." he smiled. "You already know the answer to that." he continued as she chuckled at his expense.

The pair sat down to eat when a raven took upon itself to begin pecking at the window. Absinthe glared at it irritably and opened the window, the bird strutting in with an air of self-importance only rivaled by its master. "I believe it has a letter for me." Oidhche spoke up, untying the small scroll from around its leg. He quickly unfurled it and read as his partner eyed him curiously, the raven taking this moment to snatch up some of Oidhche's food. "It appears I have the go ahead to begin building, this is a permit." he announced, when a sudden chorus of squawking interrupted him. "What is that infernal cacophony" Absinthe snarled. "Your damn ravens are so irritating I swear I'm going to start killing them." she threatened, before giving an inquisitive look at his concerned expression. "We have company." he announced as a slam came on the door.

"Distract them" was all he said as the night spirit vanished in what sounded like cackling. Absinthe rolled her eyes and began to move things out of the way. The last thing she wanted was any of her furniture broken, the door would be bad enough. Another slam followed by a much harder crash came as the legbreakers burst through the door, splintering it and knocking it off its hinges with their two-person battering ram. "You owe our employer a debt." the leader of the two spoke. "We're here to make sure he gets his money, you understand. So I think it would be in your best interest, toots, to begin talking real fast, or." the Orc never finished as the unicorn traversed the room in an explosive rage, the long horn with its bloodstained black tip burying itself in the chest of the offensive smelling creature.

The orc's companion was not so slow to react, a drawn switchblade appearing in its hand from a concealed location. "You's gonna pay" it threatened as Absinthe pulled herself free of the now dead creature. A flash of black crossed the Orc's vision as a raven made off with its knife, carrying it to some unknown cache. The legbreaker stared at its now empty hand dumbly as more ravens began pouring into the doorway, a clamor of squawks and beating wings as they landed on the unfortunate Orc and began pecking and scratching at it. "Get 'im off me!" the Orc screamed to no one in particular. Absinthe smiled sourly at the filthy creature, now blind in one eye as a raven made off with its eye; the would-be assailant was quick to cover his remaining eye against the insistent pecking. The lady of the house put the thing out of its misery with a thunderous kick to its chest, the iron-shod hoof caving in its breast and filling in its lungs with its own blood; the ravens making their way off as it fell to the ground. Absinthe laughed at a remaining raven perched on its head, a peculiar one wearing a tiny top hat which proceeded to peck the dying creature in the forehead before mimicing a laugh.

An animated mop scrubbed at the floors as Absinthe and her partner resumed their meal. "So, the cat is out of the bag my love. Mind telling me what you've gotten yourself into?" he asked, setting aside his bowl. "Nothing major" she shrugged at him. "Please. Legbreakers don't break down your door over nothing major, love. Tell me what's going on." he insisted. "I took out some loans that I can't pay right now, that's all. McGruenor just needs to have some patience for once in his miserable life." she grumbled. "Who is McGruenor?" the night spirit asked, wanting to know what to keep his eyes out for. "Just a local gang's kingpin. They're not all that big-time, although they're trying to get into the big boy's playground. They'll probably wiped out sooner or later when the top dogs get tired of little ones nipping at their heels." Oidhche nodded then spoke. "I'm keeping my ravens posted around your house. I know you find them annoying but please listen to them. I don't expect you to hear them like I do, but if you pay attention to them they will tell you all you need to know." Absinthe gave him an irritated sigh. "I don't need your help, I've been taking care of myself long before you were in the picture you know." she retorted. "Yes well someone genuinely cares for you now, so you'll have to get used to it." was all her partner could think to say. He considered the eyeroll a fairly good reaction. He also neglected to mention he would keep one out of sight, to alert him if she got in over her head. Although he doubted it. Oidhche trusted and was confident in Absinthe, but he couldn't bring himself to be blind to the only one he'd ever felt anything for.

"I'm going to get started immediately on the building. I've got the contractors already gathering the necessary materials. You were right, a nice house was a better idea than a mansion. Vastly cheaper too." The night spirit said as he and Absinthe stood outside her house. The pair walked down the streets, a constant clicking sound of cane and hooves, secretly enjoying each other's company. "Well, this is where we part ways love." Oidhche declared at an intersection. "I will come visit in two days, alright? I'm going to be around the city, so if you need me just send a bird." The unicorn nodded and pulled her dark coat around her as a slight chill in the wind crept in. The dark spirit stuck out his hand in a parting handshake before cursing his habit and laughing, pulling an unwilling Absinthe into an embrace. "Please be careful..." he whispered in her ear, his tone vastly different from his smiling expression. "Get out of here you fusty old bird." she said to him in a firm tone, and a moment later a peculiar raven made its way over the rooftops. "Now I can get down to business." she muttered and continued walking. It was going to be a long night.

Making her way from club to club, Absinthe began both settling and arranging deals, collecting debts and owed favors while pointedly avoiding her own. To her fortune, while the night was long it went off without a hitch. Though she nearly bumped into Oidhche at one club, but caught him scouring over the deals of a contract at a booth before leaving. He just tended to make things harder, no matter what his intentions were. The moody unicorn reflected on her way home on the night. "In retrospect, I probably should have caved in that goblin's skull. Maybe his fellows would have been more complient and I'd have not wasted so much time..." she growled at no one. Absinthe hated dealing with most creatures of the underground, particularly the more smelly or stupid ones. She paused and suddenly wondered, for a reason she couldn't explain, if Oidhche was watching her. A long scan of the sky and nearby trees put her paranoia to rest. She shook her head and brushed her violet mane back with a hand, making her way home eagerly so she could get a shower. Goblin clubs always made her feel dirty.

Oidhche commended himself on his brilliance. Hiring both day and night contractors meant his new home would be constructed in half the time. He didn't particularly care about the noise or complaints; he had already made a deal with the local authorities to ignore noise complaints. A raven pecked a dozing worker sharply on the head before alighting to a nearby branch. "There'll be no sleeping while you work for me!" he called out as he laughed, his many raven butlers imitating him and causing his laughter to surround the workers. He loved doing that, it always had such a fun effect on others.

Absinthe poured over the papers in her study. The last several days had gone exceedingly well. Oidhche has indeed been visitng as promised, his carefree and light hearted speech a decent break from the serious overshadowing of these days. Admittedly his company was good in other ways, and she quickly dismissed the distracting topic from her mind. The stack of bills on her desk had been vastly reduced by her efforts. She smiled as she prided herself on her ability to negotiate with a tough crowd in her favor. The danger of legbreakers showing up was thankfully quite reduced, though one recent occasion had cost her one of her ornate cups. Some not so small creature, it probably was seven feet tall, had knocked on her door. Absinthe smirked at the notion of a legbreaker knocking. It looked like a strange cross between a troll and a human. Regardless, the already shaking hybrid fled in terror as an enraged unicorn hurled her cup after it, striking it even at a distance. Apparently her reputation still preceeded her. Sifting through the papers, the elegantly dressed lady reviewed one that still puzzled her. This had been one of her larger debts to a more dangerous boss, yet somehow it had been quite a bit less when she had went to pay it off. Absinthe had a sneaking suspicion Oidhche had something to do with it, but the stubborn old spirit denied it, claiming he had been too busy with his house. Admittedly, she was rather interested at the news of it almost being finished.

Oidhche grinned up at his new house. It had a distinctive Victorian flare to it, much like Absinthe's house, but custom tailored to his own desires and creativity. A dark tower jutting up from the roof hosted the aerie for his ravens. He was due to visit Absinthe today, but he had a change of plans. Entering through the mahogony front door, he began brewing his customary strong brew of tea before attaching an invitation to one of his raven butlers and sending it off. The night spirit smiled to himself, more excited than he had been in quite a while. Truly, every moment involing Absinthe was worth it to him. He loved romantic things such as this.

Absinthe sighed as she began to hear the insistent tapping at her window. "Couldn't he at least wait until later in the morning to send one of his annoying birds?" she bitched, moving to the window and letting it in. "Interesting..." she mused as she read the invitation. She had things to do today, but resigned herself to come see his new house. It'd be better to give up some time than to never hear the end of it and deal with his pouting.

The door opened as she knocked, two animated suits of armor guarding the portal. She recognized them as the sentinels that endlessly patrolled and managed Oidhche's mansion on his home plane. The door was closed by one with a clang as she stepped through, a cheery call from the dining room catching her. "Ah! Just in time! In here my love, let us have tea and lunch together before I show you around my new home." Absinthe moved to the polished oak table and took a seat opposite him. "At least he is happy. Though I'm not sure having him around so much will always be a good thing..."she mused before resigning herself to enjoy the moment. A rare thing indeed.

Oidhche smiled as he showed Absinthe around his house. It wasn't as impressive as his mansion by far, but he supposed it didn't need to be. She raised an eyebrow at his peculiar looking windows. "They're one way mirrors." he explained. The lady smirked at him. "A little paranoid are we?" she said, prompting the tailored shoulders to rise in a helpless shrug. "Come, let me show you around the masterbedroom." he spoke, beckoning up the stairs. "I bet you would like to show me the bedroom." she remarked. Oidhche rolled his eyes and laughed. "Sometime or another, my love. But in all seriousness, come see. I won't be satisfied until you see all of my house." he said in a serious tone. "If you come up here, I won't make you go into the raven's aerie." he added as an offer. "Alright fine.." the unicorn said with exaggerated disdain. In truth, the room was quite impressive. A lavish bed with covers that seemed to be made of fine, iridescent black feathers akin to his cloak rested behind a very ornate rug outside the masterbathroom, a mahogany dresser to the right boasting a well polished mirror. "Perfect for looking at yourself with" she snickered as he pointed out the mirror. The gentleman again rolled his eyes and smiled.

The pair sat on a dark velvet couch as they discussed the latest happenings and underground gossip. Oidhche politely appluaded as Absinthe detailed her recent dealings. "Just as we both thought, you never needed my help." he said. Absinthe shot him a look that told him she still doubted his inactivity. "Believe what you will my Lady, but I truly have been too busy to be dealing with such matters. So it actually concerns me a little. You should be on your guard, as it looks like someone is trying to get close enough to you to stick a knife in you." She dismissed it with a slight wave of her well manicured hand, having already thought of this possibility. "Do not worry over my troubles. They're mine to deal with." came the stern words. Oidhche nodded and resigned to leave them, preferring to lean on his lover and smile happily at her. The house had definitely been a venture worth it.

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I'm resubmitting this as "Artwork" with the thumbnail file as the picture and the story in the comments.

Why?
Because comments allows things normally only available in .rtf files, since FA forgets that it has writers you have to download anything not a .txt file.

Just another chapter in the ongoing story of Oidhche-Yorath, Night Spirit of Morrigan. With a lot more Absinthe. And I don't mean the drink.


Tell me what you think, those of you that actually make it through this 4k+ words short story.