The Tribunal

The First to go

    “I win!” Allen stood, chest heaving, over Dennis who was doubled over wheezing after Allen sunk his last ball into the left hundred point hole.

     “Please step onto the scale,” Memori motioned to the scale beside Sors that hadn’t been there a moment before.

     Allen’s jaw twitched, “I won the game, what do I get?”

     “For winning this game you get to step on the scale first,” condescension dripped from Sors’ voice.

     He opened his mouth, anger flashing through his eyes.

     “Uh, uh, I would be careful what I say if I were you,” Sors warned him. Allen’s mouth snapped shut, “That’s better, now step up on the scale.”

     Reluctantly Allen shuffled forward and stepped up onto the scale.

     Memori took his leave then, quietly slipping out of the room.

     His mind turned to Asphodel and the possible activities she would soon have to participate in. He didn’t know if he could handle seeing her in as much pain as Allen and Dennis had been in, his heart was pounding at the thought. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he’d done it before and would probably have to do it again.

     As if summoned by his thoughts the girl he was ruminating on stepped out of the spa. Her hair was short and dark where it had been long and blonde in her last life. She was shorter in stature this time as well, and her bone structure more petite. But her eyes were the same. They had been the same for as long as he could remember, their warm chocolatey hue – now set in a pale face – had haunted him through his time as a Vitari, and she was just as stuck as he was, though she didn’t know it.

     Stuck being reincarnated, stuck living short difficult lives, stuck being off balance. She couldn’t move forward in her Soul cycles because he couldn’t move forward, their Souls were tied together whether they wanted to be or not.

     He ducked his head and averted his eyes, lengthening his even stride in an attempt to pass by her unnoticed.

     “Do I know you from somewhere?”

      He paused, foot in the air, eyes locked on the end of the hall. Slowly he lowered his foot and turned to face her.

     Here in the Tribunals Souls were closer to all the lives they had led before and with their tie it didn’t surprise him that she would feel a vague recognition already; she always did.

     “I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone like you in the last twenty years,” he answered honestly, peering impassively into her face.

     “Huh, you seem really familiar.” She tapped her forefinger against her lower lip, “Do you have a brother maybe?”

     “I have no family,” he said, even as always.

     “Oh,” she flushed and averted her eyes, “I’m sorry, I just feel like I know you.”

     Memori turned back to look at the end of the hall, “I believe you have an appointment with Sors in an hour, make sure to be prompt.”

     “Uh, okay,” she nodded though her brow was furrowed, the rapid subject change had thrown her off. As she watched the blue haired man walk away from her she couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. He was strange, cold, obviously hiding something, and by all rights she should find him as intimidating as the others did; but she didn’t. In his presence she felt oddly assured, like something deep inside her had finally settled into place; and that didn’t make any sense at all.
 
                                 …
 

     With the Patrons settling down for the evening Sors dumped a small stack of papers on Memori’s desk. “Here you go, these are the measurements I got today,” she told him, leaning on the desk as he shuffled through them.

     “Thank you.”

     She studied his face carefully, “So what’s different about these ones?”

     “There are more of them than usual,” he answered without looking up.

     She made a frustrated sound, “No, what is different? Why are they affecting you?”

     “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

     She smacked the papers out of his hand forcing his attention onto her, “Yes you do, ever since they showed up you’ve been acting different and I don’t understand why. In all the years we’ve been a team you’ve always been exactly the same, but something’s changed.”

     “I am fine.” He scooped up one of the fallen papers, “Now we have our first Patron leaving us, I have to go so I can send her on her way.”

     Sors frowned but let him change the subject, “Who is it?” 

     As a Magistrate the scale and readings are directly related to her and her abilities, but she had no knowledge as to what it meant, only a Vitari could interpret the readings.

     “Hilda. She’s being Reduced.”

     Sors quirked a brow, “Wow, we haven’t had one go Beyond in a while.”

     Memori nodded and began filling out the transfer form.

     “Well I’m going to see if Neo’s free for a bit if you’ve got this under control.” She didn’t wait for his response, she pressed the elevator call button and stepped inside.