Man, I love this device. I decided to start with an item this time, instead of an event for once, to see what I could come up with, and I think I like it!
“This is the latest and greatest acquisition to my collection,” Gerard said proudly as he came around to a plinth set into an alcove. I followed along obediently, part of the gaggle of guests at his dinner party, all of us balancing a small plate of canapés and a glass of champagne. I hadn’t wanted to come to this party, but since I was dating Gerard’s assistant, I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Still, I could do without the condescending colonizer attitude from Ricky’s boss.
The plinth contained spaces for four items in miniature, arrayed in a diamond. Two of the four spaces were empty, but two contained beautifully bejeweled items. I felt a gasp catch in my throat in spite of myself, and I heard the other guests around me murmuring their appreciation as well.
The jar was covered in brown and white diamonds, laid out in a whirlwind pattern across the broad surface of the belly, growing smaller as they climbed the long neck and along the two curved handles. Below it, a globe with a design picked out in emeralds and sapphires hung on a gold stand. Gerard reached out one long, aristocratic finger and gently brushed the globe’s surface, setting it gently spinning and sending sparks of light out into the room. It surprised a few giggles out of the more tipsy guests, and I felt my own face split into a wide grin.
“Magnificent, aren’t they?” he drawled, touching the rim of the jar with that same finger. A small gust of air seemed to rocket from within, and he hurriedly pulled his hand away, shaking it as though trying to get something off of the surface. He smiled, but I had seen the flash of fear cross his face, and I realized then that these had to be the real things. How on Earth had he managed to get his hands on them?
“Moving right along,” he said, trying to shift everyone’s attention to another part of his gallery. Everyone else followed him easily, but I lingered behind to look at the miniatures with Ricky.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered, “and I have no idea how he got his mitts on them.” I turned sharply to meet his green eyes, which were sparkling with amusement. “Amazing, aren’t they?”
“Amazing is right,” I replied in a low voice, “and incredibly dangerous. You saw what happened with the jar of wind already, and that’s the one that’s got the history of causing…trouble.”
“Trouble?” Ricky put his hand on the small of my back and gently steered me to the other side of the room where the rest of the guests were milling around a display of kimono. “I don’t remember any kind of trouble.”
“They were seen as some kind of folk mysteries for a long time, but when I was in Crete doing research for my master’s, I found that there was some proof to the tales.” I put my empty plate down on one of the tables along the wall and leaned against it, wishing I could take my heels off. “The jar of wind was the one item of the four elemental talismans that was made slightly…wrong.”
“Ah! So you’re the famous Crystal that Rick here has been telling me so much about!” Gerard came over and put one arm around each of our shoulders. I tried not to cringe away from him, but I felt myself sliding out from under his arm. “Now, what’s that you’re saying about my miniatures?” The emphasis on the word “my” was unmistakable, and it made my blood boil.
“Well, you see,” I started, and I could see Ricky trying to signal that I should stop. Screw it - his boss wanted to know, didn’t he? “The elemental talismans were made by some of the demigods to allow mortals to hold the power of the elements in their hands. They were created when the demigods realized that mortals didn’t have access to the same kind of power they did, and they wanted to kind of even the playing field.” I gave Gerard a brittle smile. “They were trying to distribute power a little more equitably.”
The rest of the room was silent as I continued. “The original plan was to make several sets of the talismans, and send them to the four corners of the Earth, so all men would, in theory, have access to the powers of the elements. Unfortunately, something happened when they made the jar of wind.” Gerard looked a little ill when I started talking about the jar, and I realized he probably already knew some of the history. And the fool had still decided not only to take it into his home, but put it on display and show it off to people who came to fawn at his feet?
They deserved to know what kind of danger they were in. “The jar of wind was supposed to contain a bit of each of the four winds,” I continued, gesturing with my now-empty champagne glass and raising my voice so everyone could hear me clearly. “However, when the North wind was added as the last wind, the other three began to spin the jar around, fighting to keep from allowing the North wind from mixing with them. They fought, and each wind would come up briefly before diving back into the fray. Because the jar was made of such strong stuff and covered in diamonds, it held, no matter how hard they fought, so the only escape was through the opening in the jar.”
“Why didn’t someone put a lid on it?” I heard someone ask, and I turned to see one of the men dressed in an emerald green tux watching me closely as I told the tale. “Wouldn’t a lid made of the same stuff as the jar be strong enough to keep the winds in?” He was considering me closely, and I realized he was asking an historical question, not a mythological one - he believed me.
“The demigods tried,” I replied, “but trying to get the lid in place while the winds were fighting was next to impossible. Whichever wind had sprung out of the opening would just blow the lid away, and they couldn’t get a good fix on it. It took one last sacrifice, from Philomen the Believer, to get the lid in place.” I bowed my head, offering my respect to the Believer as I touched the token on my necklace. “With his death, he calmed the winds enough for the demigods to get the lid in place. They decided then that, for the good of the rest of mankind, the other sets of talismans should never be made, and the one set that was completed should be separated and each one sent to one of the four corners of the Earth.”
Gerard put his hands up in mock surrender and laughed. “Don’t look at me! I don’t know where these things are unearthed, I just acquire them after they go on the market.” My face must have been saying something out loud, because he continued, “Oh, please. It’s not like they belong to anyone anymore. They’re ancient, like you said. And that’s a lovely story, but we all know that these are just pretty pieces of jewelery now.” He clapped his hands together, getting everyone’s attention again. “Now, I’ve got quite the band in the next room, so why don’t we get our groove on?” He started “dancing” away, and some of the others laughed as they followed him. I just felt myself cringe with embarrassment on his behalf and I stayed behind to look at the talismans once again.
“You told the story very well, Believer,” the man in the emerald tux said. His voice now sounded much lower, and I heard the edge of an accent that was uncommon in the modern age in his tone. Turning sharply, I caught sight of his cufflink, and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for allowing me to tell the important part, Believer,” I replied, pulling my necklace out of my neck line so he could see the token that matched his cufflink. Both of us were wearing the traditional symbol of our order, a small lid with a drop of blood as the handle. “Now, how do we go about reacquiring the relic for the Order?”
Ricky sighed, and I jumped a mile. “Sorry!” he said, trying to calm both of us down. “I’m not trying to get in your way - obviously, you have a higher calling, and all that, and I wouldn’t dream of stopping you. But…” He trailed off, looking around for anyone else in the area, then pulled out a pocket watch I’d always seen him carry. He opened it to the watch face, then opened it again to show another image behind the watch, this one of a rose with flames licking the edges of the petals. My eyes widened as I realized he must be one of the order meant to care for the flower of fire. “Maybe we can work together to get all of them items at once, and then see them all to their proper homes?”
It was one hell of a party, I’d have to give Gerard that.
Center object - Jar
Background - created as a complement to another object (globe)
Trait - elemental properties
Background - linked to a mysterious death (believer)
Trait - always malfunctioning or falling apart
Background - created as a complement to another object (globe)
Trait - elemental properties
Background - linked to a mysterious death (believer)
Trait - always malfunctioning or falling apart
“This is the latest and greatest acquisition to my collection,” Gerard said proudly as he came around to a plinth set into an alcove. I followed along obediently, part of the gaggle of guests at his dinner party, all of us balancing a small plate of canapés and a glass of champagne. I hadn’t wanted to come to this party, but since I was dating Gerard’s assistant, I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Still, I could do without the condescending colonizer attitude from Ricky’s boss.
The plinth contained spaces for four items in miniature, arrayed in a diamond. Two of the four spaces were empty, but two contained beautifully bejeweled items. I felt a gasp catch in my throat in spite of myself, and I heard the other guests around me murmuring their appreciation as well.
The jar was covered in brown and white diamonds, laid out in a whirlwind pattern across the broad surface of the belly, growing smaller as they climbed the long neck and along the two curved handles. Below it, a globe with a design picked out in emeralds and sapphires hung on a gold stand. Gerard reached out one long, aristocratic finger and gently brushed the globe’s surface, setting it gently spinning and sending sparks of light out into the room. It surprised a few giggles out of the more tipsy guests, and I felt my own face split into a wide grin.
“Magnificent, aren’t they?” he drawled, touching the rim of the jar with that same finger. A small gust of air seemed to rocket from within, and he hurriedly pulled his hand away, shaking it as though trying to get something off of the surface. He smiled, but I had seen the flash of fear cross his face, and I realized then that these had to be the real things. How on Earth had he managed to get his hands on them?
“Moving right along,” he said, trying to shift everyone’s attention to another part of his gallery. Everyone else followed him easily, but I lingered behind to look at the miniatures with Ricky.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered, “and I have no idea how he got his mitts on them.” I turned sharply to meet his green eyes, which were sparkling with amusement. “Amazing, aren’t they?”
“Amazing is right,” I replied in a low voice, “and incredibly dangerous. You saw what happened with the jar of wind already, and that’s the one that’s got the history of causing…trouble.”
“Trouble?” Ricky put his hand on the small of my back and gently steered me to the other side of the room where the rest of the guests were milling around a display of kimono. “I don’t remember any kind of trouble.”
“They were seen as some kind of folk mysteries for a long time, but when I was in Crete doing research for my master’s, I found that there was some proof to the tales.” I put my empty plate down on one of the tables along the wall and leaned against it, wishing I could take my heels off. “The jar of wind was the one item of the four elemental talismans that was made slightly…wrong.”
“Ah! So you’re the famous Crystal that Rick here has been telling me so much about!” Gerard came over and put one arm around each of our shoulders. I tried not to cringe away from him, but I felt myself sliding out from under his arm. “Now, what’s that you’re saying about my miniatures?” The emphasis on the word “my” was unmistakable, and it made my blood boil.
“Well, you see,” I started, and I could see Ricky trying to signal that I should stop. Screw it - his boss wanted to know, didn’t he? “The elemental talismans were made by some of the demigods to allow mortals to hold the power of the elements in their hands. They were created when the demigods realized that mortals didn’t have access to the same kind of power they did, and they wanted to kind of even the playing field.” I gave Gerard a brittle smile. “They were trying to distribute power a little more equitably.”
The rest of the room was silent as I continued. “The original plan was to make several sets of the talismans, and send them to the four corners of the Earth, so all men would, in theory, have access to the powers of the elements. Unfortunately, something happened when they made the jar of wind.” Gerard looked a little ill when I started talking about the jar, and I realized he probably already knew some of the history. And the fool had still decided not only to take it into his home, but put it on display and show it off to people who came to fawn at his feet?
They deserved to know what kind of danger they were in. “The jar of wind was supposed to contain a bit of each of the four winds,” I continued, gesturing with my now-empty champagne glass and raising my voice so everyone could hear me clearly. “However, when the North wind was added as the last wind, the other three began to spin the jar around, fighting to keep from allowing the North wind from mixing with them. They fought, and each wind would come up briefly before diving back into the fray. Because the jar was made of such strong stuff and covered in diamonds, it held, no matter how hard they fought, so the only escape was through the opening in the jar.”
“Why didn’t someone put a lid on it?” I heard someone ask, and I turned to see one of the men dressed in an emerald green tux watching me closely as I told the tale. “Wouldn’t a lid made of the same stuff as the jar be strong enough to keep the winds in?” He was considering me closely, and I realized he was asking an historical question, not a mythological one - he believed me.
“The demigods tried,” I replied, “but trying to get the lid in place while the winds were fighting was next to impossible. Whichever wind had sprung out of the opening would just blow the lid away, and they couldn’t get a good fix on it. It took one last sacrifice, from Philomen the Believer, to get the lid in place.” I bowed my head, offering my respect to the Believer as I touched the token on my necklace. “With his death, he calmed the winds enough for the demigods to get the lid in place. They decided then that, for the good of the rest of mankind, the other sets of talismans should never be made, and the one set that was completed should be separated and each one sent to one of the four corners of the Earth.”
I turned to Gerard then. “Where did you find these two, anyway? The globe of water has been reported lost since Victorian times, and the jar of wind hasn’t been seen in recorded history since before Rome fell. Do you know where the other two talismans are?”
Gerard put his hands up in mock surrender and laughed. “Don’t look at me! I don’t know where these things are unearthed, I just acquire them after they go on the market.” My face must have been saying something out loud, because he continued, “Oh, please. It’s not like they belong to anyone anymore. They’re ancient, like you said. And that’s a lovely story, but we all know that these are just pretty pieces of jewelery now.” He clapped his hands together, getting everyone’s attention again. “Now, I’ve got quite the band in the next room, so why don’t we get our groove on?” He started “dancing” away, and some of the others laughed as they followed him. I just felt myself cringe with embarrassment on his behalf and I stayed behind to look at the talismans once again.
“You told the story very well, Believer,” the man in the emerald tux said. His voice now sounded much lower, and I heard the edge of an accent that was uncommon in the modern age in his tone. Turning sharply, I caught sight of his cufflink, and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for allowing me to tell the important part, Believer,” I replied, pulling my necklace out of my neck line so he could see the token that matched his cufflink. Both of us were wearing the traditional symbol of our order, a small lid with a drop of blood as the handle. “Now, how do we go about reacquiring the relic for the Order?”
Ricky sighed, and I jumped a mile. “Sorry!” he said, trying to calm both of us down. “I’m not trying to get in your way - obviously, you have a higher calling, and all that, and I wouldn’t dream of stopping you. But…” He trailed off, looking around for anyone else in the area, then pulled out a pocket watch I’d always seen him carry. He opened it to the watch face, then opened it again to show another image behind the watch, this one of a rose with flames licking the edges of the petals. My eyes widened as I realized he must be one of the order meant to care for the flower of fire. “Maybe we can work together to get all of them items at once, and then see them all to their proper homes?”
It was one hell of a party, I’d have to give Gerard that.
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