10 Minute Tales

Jun 2

Felicia made the rest of the journey home in relative silence, glancing only at the blossom in her hands. She cupped the bloom in one hand, handling it as delicately as a child. Even as she danced her way through the crowd, her mind was embracing the flower's delicate curves, silently admiring its delicate nature. She wasn't usually one for such vanities, but the colour of the flower, the softness of the petals... it almost called to her. She smiled slightly as she stroked a single finger along the petal, before bringing it up and sniffing the blossom.

"Mm..." she sighed quietly as she looked up. The crowds had all but dissipated, leaving only the quiet streets of the city. Her apartment block was already in view, so she fumbled through her bag with one hand. The other held the flower safe. She slid past the first gate, the one that surrounded the building, and walked into the building itself. "Good evening, Liam." she greeted the receptionist. He looked up.

"Evening, Felicia." he nodded briefly, returning his attention to the paper. His tired, brown eyes stared through thick glasses lenses, struggling to read the paper in the dim, flickering light. "The boss keep you busy again?"

"I didn't even get to set up to leave this time." Felicia sighs. "I guess it means he admires my reliability..."

"Either that or how easy you are to boss around. You should talk to your HR department about this, it's the third time this month."

"It'll be fine." Felicia smiled awkwardly. "He said it was necessary, after all..."

"Really?" Liam looked over, those same eyes staring through her now. "What did you do?"

"Spreadsheets on the financial status... of..." she sighed. "Okay, I'm not sure it was important, the documents were about three years old..."

"You deserve better than that." Liam frowned, concerned. "Talk to someone. Seriously."

"I-I will, Liam..."

"I'm just looking out for you." he leaned down and pressed a button under the counter.

"I-I know you are, thank you." she smiled, somewhere between grateful and awkward as she opened a gate. She was in the building proper now, and she started the long climb up to her room.

-----

She didn't even make it all the way up before she heard the thumping rhythm of that apartment. Partying again. She sighed, closing her eyes as she rounded the corner to continue up the stairs - when a piercing whistle cut through the air. The sudden noise made her jump.

"Hey, bitch!" a voice called out, making her hesitate. She didn't want to deal with these loud-mouthed ruffians, not tonight. "Where's a hot thing like you goin' at this time of night?"

"Um... home, I'm just, I'm just going home..." she muttered, looking at the staircase again. Just a couple of steps, that's all she needed...

"What, not even as much as a drink? C'mon." another ruffian guffawed, joining the first. Both wore long, black coats and had wild hair; the man was mostly bald, save for a couple of blue spiked patches, while the woman had a large, spiked mohawk that was black at the base and pink at the tips.

"I'm sorry, I... I should get going..." she mumbled again, getting her foot on to the step.

"Boring!" the woman yelled, marching closer in her heavy buckled boots. Felicia eeped and dashed up the stairs, clutching the flower in one hand and the bag with the other. The latter didn't have a sturdy grip, though, and slipped out of her hand, its contents clattering down the stairs. The sound and feeling made her stop and turn around again, gasping as she saw the contents. The woman laughed as she bent down, picking up a small case in one swift motion. "The hell is this?"

"Um, uh... I..." Felicia stammered. "May I have that back, please?" she started picking the other bits up; pens, a small pack of tissues, her phone... the ruffian opened the case, revealing a small pair of glasses within.

"Ha! You need these to see?" she grabbed them roughly and dropped the case, looking at the glasses. The frames were black with a silver line along the length of the arms, the lenses polished to a mirror shine.

"N-no, they're just my reading glasses..." she picked the case up. It was chipped, but it could be polished back to normal.

"Jeez, how boring can you get?" the ruffian tutted, dropping the glasses. Felicia eeped but caught them, quickly moving them away. "Boring. Go on, get outta here." the ruffian stamped a foot as she feigned a kick at Felicia. The latter fell for it, flinching away and scrambling to her feet. The ruffian laughed and turned to walk away, boots clomping once more against the floor. The door slammed behind her. Felicia couldn't sum up the courage to move, still slightly panicked. Why wouldn't Liam believe her about these tenants? She had tried to tell him... she sighed as she managed to calm herself, checking on the flower. It, at least, was unhurt. She continued the climb to her room. Sanctuary couldn't come sooner.

-----

An hour later, she had eaten and changed into some more relaxing clothes. Gone was the business skirt, gone was the shirt and tie. She now wore a simple blue tank top and matching shorts. She sighed as she flopped onto the couch, taking a moment to let the stress of the day bleed away to nothing. She looked at the flower again. The Cinniúi flower was on the desk, resting in a tall cup. The broken stem was filled with water; she had found a little bit of plant food to make sure it didn't die immediately. She looked at it again. It reminded her of a pink tulip, but the leaves were more like those of a rose and it sported many thorns. How had she not noticed the thorns earlier? She had carried it all the way home and hadn't been stung by them. She shook her head, standing up again. She walked over to the flower and smelled it gently, closing her eyes. It was incredible! The smell seemed to give her energy and help her relax at the same time, a wonderful blend of sweet fragrances she just couldn't place. She smiled as she walked back to the chair and switched the television on. One more night of skipping that crummy exercise regimen wouldn't hurt. She let herself relax, the sound of the television dulling her senses.

I watched her. She seemed to be relaxed, the scent of the Cinniúi already starting to affect her. She didn't know its power, then. I had to report, but... something stopped me. She was no Sorceress, she was far too meek, far too normal. She definitely wasn't among the Mages, but she wasn't a Keeper either. She was definitely human, though. I didn't know who she was. But I was going to find out. I moved the scope a little, staring at the flower. Definitely one of that breed, but without any further information, I didn't have much of a choice but to wait. It would be foolish to act. I held up the crystal.

"This is White Mask." I reported into it, too quiet for humans to hear. "Target has been acquired. Cinniúi presence has been confirmed, but the flower is not yet active. Proceeding to observe." There was no reply. I'd hoped there wouldn't be. I pocketed the crystal again and watched silently.