floor, I could see a portion of greenish-gray hide and a few tentacles. Moving my head closer to the watch somehow moved the point of view upwards towards me; with my eyes almost touching the surface, I could see Cthulhu's full upper body in repose. I lifted my head back and swigged again, thinking hard.
Another figure slid into the seat next to me. I ignored it until a hand reached across and slid the pocket watch across the bar's surface to the next seat. I turned, pissed, and saw a familiar face looking at the watch, eyes close to the surface.
"Well, well, well. Graduated to the big leagues, haven't we, monkey."
"Malsumis, what the fuck are you doing here?"
The other slid the watch back to me and waved at Rose, who produced a glass of something clear without further elaboration. Malsumis raised the glass to me in salute before downing its contents entire and placing the glass back on the stone surface with a sharp click. "Drinking."
I did just that, in smaller amounts. "Last time I saw you, I think I threw you off a building."
"You did. I'm not very happy about that."
"Still, you look well."
"Why thank you, Michel. It's my new tailor." Malsumis straightened what I could now see was a steel-grey full Windsor-ed tie over a dark slate-colored shirt with a deep sheen. Waving at Rose again, he turned in his seat to face me. I tensed, but he just cocked his head and looked me up and down. "I have to say, we're all a bit confused."
"Who the hell is 'we'?"
"Oh, the boys in the poker game. It's not often a human takes such a jump."
"Mal, please start making sense, or pick up my bar tab." I waved at Rose too, and she nodded.
Malsumis indicated the pocket watch without touching it. "Knowing you as I do, Michel, I'm going to take a small bet with myself. I'm going to bet you really have no idea what's just been done to you."
It hurt, but it was safest. "Okay. I'll have to admit that."
Malsumis' face brightened. "See? You can converse. I knew you had it in you."
"Get to the point, Mal."
"Michel, you've been marked. Your Contract is in that watch. You're under agreement with the talisman's backer - in this case, Old Yellow Orbs - to perform a service. In return, the backer has lent you power, here embodied in that watch, to assist you in your task. So I have to ask: What did you tell the old squid you were willing to do?"
I thought about that while Rose arrived with more drinks. Malsumis, to my surprise, handed her a credit card of his own and murmured instructions to her which caused her to tear up the tab slip in the cordial glass before me on the bar. "Mal, are we cool at the moment?"
The other looked surprised. "Of course. We're sitting here drinking. You're being remarkably sociable, compared to your usual. Maybe I should arrange to have you permanently confused?"
I grimaced sourly at Malsumis, who smirked. "Thanks. I meant, how do we stand over the Empire State?"
The Abenaki waved a hand. "Done is done. You have the spearhead, and you've charged it, I can tell. It's useless to me now. I could be irritated about that, but life's too damn long to bother. I'm not happy about the shooting me part, but again, I have to admit that it was certainly a novel experience, and you were right - I managed to fully regen before I hit the ground, so no permanent harm done." Teeth glinted momentarily. "Before you consider trying that again, I should give you fair warning that it won't work, now."
"Noted." I sipped my second whisky. "I have no plans to try unless you make it necessary." Malsumis raised his glass again, silently, and we both drank for a time.
"So, Mal. May I ask you about this here jump you said I've made? Will you tell me anything?"
"Sure, kid." Malsumis' speech patterns tended to jump around. He'd seen all of American culture go by around him and had latched onto several archetypes which fought for space in his manifestation. I could never be sure if he was consciously imitating or just not paying attention.
Another figure slid into the seat next to me. I ignored it until a hand reached across and slid the pocket watch across the bar's surface to the next seat. I turned, pissed, and saw a familiar face looking at the watch, eyes close to the surface.
"Well, well, well. Graduated to the big leagues, haven't we, monkey."
"Malsumis, what the fuck are you doing here?"
The other slid the watch back to me and waved at Rose, who produced a glass of something clear without further elaboration. Malsumis raised the glass to me in salute before downing its contents entire and placing the glass back on the stone surface with a sharp click. "Drinking."
I did just that, in smaller amounts. "Last time I saw you, I think I threw you off a building."
"You did. I'm not very happy about that."
"Still, you look well."
"Why thank you, Michel. It's my new tailor." Malsumis straightened what I could now see was a steel-grey full Windsor-ed tie over a dark slate-colored shirt with a deep sheen. Waving at Rose again, he turned in his seat to face me. I tensed, but he just cocked his head and looked me up and down. "I have to say, we're all a bit confused."
"Who the hell is 'we'?"
"Oh, the boys in the poker game. It's not often a human takes such a jump."
"Mal, please start making sense, or pick up my bar tab." I waved at Rose too, and she nodded.
Malsumis indicated the pocket watch without touching it. "Knowing you as I do, Michel, I'm going to take a small bet with myself. I'm going to bet you really have no idea what's just been done to you."
It hurt, but it was safest. "Okay. I'll have to admit that."
Malsumis' face brightened. "See? You can converse. I knew you had it in you."
"Get to the point, Mal."
"Michel, you've been marked. Your Contract is in that watch. You're under agreement with the talisman's backer - in this case, Old Yellow Orbs - to perform a service. In return, the backer has lent you power, here embodied in that watch, to assist you in your task. So I have to ask: What did you tell the old squid you were willing to do?"
I thought about that while Rose arrived with more drinks. Malsumis, to my surprise, handed her a credit card of his own and murmured instructions to her which caused her to tear up the tab slip in the cordial glass before me on the bar. "Mal, are we cool at the moment?"
The other looked surprised. "Of course. We're sitting here drinking. You're being remarkably sociable, compared to your usual. Maybe I should arrange to have you permanently confused?"
I grimaced sourly at Malsumis, who smirked. "Thanks. I meant, how do we stand over the Empire State?"
The Abenaki waved a hand. "Done is done. You have the spearhead, and you've charged it, I can tell. It's useless to me now. I could be irritated about that, but life's too damn long to bother. I'm not happy about the shooting me part, but again, I have to admit that it was certainly a novel experience, and you were right - I managed to fully regen before I hit the ground, so no permanent harm done." Teeth glinted momentarily. "Before you consider trying that again, I should give you fair warning that it won't work, now."
"Noted." I sipped my second whisky. "I have no plans to try unless you make it necessary." Malsumis raised his glass again, silently, and we both drank for a time.
"So, Mal. May I ask you about this here jump you said I've made? Will you tell me anything?"
"Sure, kid." Malsumis' speech patterns tended to jump around. He'd seen all of American culture go by around him and had latched onto several archetypes which fought for space in his manifestation. I could never be sure if he was consciously imitating or just not paying attention.
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