He's different (Rewrite)

Skeleton Key

It's strange how fast things fall into a routine. The simian often finds himself fascinated by just how quickly the group adapted to Mk's fights and (oftentimes goofy) adventures.

The simian is currently wandering around Megapolis with nothing to do. He's gone to both the dojo and the theatre, but it seems that Macaque has disappeared from his life. He's texted and called the shadow monkey, but received no reply.

M/n sighs, hoping that his friend isn't hurt somewhere. A shop grabs his attention. It's a little building tucked away on a side street, a sign telling potential customers about their wares. The monkey shrugs and wanders in.

He's immediately greeted with some baubles and charms, crystal necklaces, small pouches of herbs, and even a couple of clear glass balls, the small sign next to them claiming that they're for seers and oracles. The shop smells of a mix of cedar and lemon.

It seems as though there's no store attendants as he walks through the small shop. He comes across a pair of golden mirrors, small jewels embedded in the top. There are onyx black straps on the back of them. He frowns, being reminded of Dianmu.

"I see that these lovely things have caught your eye, dear." Someone says, making the simian jump. He turns to see an older woman, her long, grey hair up in a bun. "Ah, sorry, I was just browsing." The silver monkey says, rubbing the back of his neck. The woman laughs lightly, "Oh no, dear, I should be the one apologizing, I hadn't meant to startle you."

She moves past the monkey to the mirrors. "These are the mirrors that the goddess Dianmu used." She says, picking one up. "What do you mean used? Isn't she still alive? You know, because she's a goddess and immortal?"

The woman laughs again, her wrinkled hand gently grabbing the young simian's. She doesn't answer as she puts the mirror she holds onto his left hand, the strap adjusting to fit by itself. He stares, mouth open slightly. "They've chosen you, young one. I can tell that you have an important role to play in the near future. Keep the ones you hold dear close." She says ominously, putting the other mirror on his other hand before gently pushing him out of the shop.

He stands outside, trying to figure out what just happened. He turns to ask the woman what she means, but the shop is gone. Where the shop was is a foreclosed building, the doors and windows boarded up. His fur stands on end as he hurries home, the feeling of eyes following him the entire way.

Once he gets home, he tries to take the mirrors off. They don't budge, but instead tighten around the simian's hands. He can't walk around with the mirrors stuck to his hands all the time. He huffs, trying to think of a way to take them off.

The mirrors seem to respond to his thoughts, shrinking and moving to settle on his wrists like bracelets. He stares at them, a little weired out. He notices Mk in the corner of his eye. He looks at his brother, who's staring that the bracelets with a wide eyed look.

"What happened, where'd you get those?" He asks excitedly. The simian explains what happened in the shop with the old woman. "And when I turned around, the shop was gone! Just an abandoned building in it's place. Even the sign I saw was gone, like it never existed in the first place." The simian rants, waving his arms around.

"Oh and what she said gave me chills, 'keep the ones you hold dear close' what does she mean by that?!" Mk listens as his brother rants, thinking. "Maybe she knows something about the future, or maybe she just was trying to give you some advice, like when you were worried that we were drifting apart." He says. The simian stops, tail swinging back and forth slowly.

"Maybe it's a warning. I haven't heard from Macaque in a while." The simian's tail thumps against the floor softly. Mk opens his arms, offering what little comfort he can. The younger wraps his older brother in a tight hug, worried.