Animi Motus

4: Ira

I have to admit, this whole setting the school on fire thing really got my adrenaline going. Not to mention the whole super strength and fireball throwing thing. Yesterday, I was some football jock, and now, I'm superhuman. Talk about things escalating quickly. There's also the fact that Smiles over here has freaky healing abilities, and how about Nessa, who apparently is the freaking spawn of Zeus or something. Which brings me to Tatts, who went from creepy old guy to the rescue to just creepy old guy real quick. Tatts real name as it turns out is Luctus Magister, which is "grief teacher" in latin. He's taking us to his house where if we're lucky, he'll give us the answers to all of our questions. But for now, we're sitting in complete silence, squished in the back seat of Tatts's pickup. Asher already made an attempt at conversation and was shot down hard, so I figure it's my turn to try my luck.

"Say, uh, Luctus?" I ask. Tatts grunts. "You think we could get some music up in here?"

"Fine. What do you want to hear, Ira?" he asks. I raise an eyebrow, because last time I checked, my name wasn't Ira.

"Ira? Is that what you called me? What does that mean?" I push.

"Nevermind." Tatts sighs audibly.

"So if I'm Ira in your book, and he's Felix or whatever," I point at Asher, who smiles uneasily, "Then what do you call her?" I see Nessa shift uncomfortably, not wanting all the attention on her.

"Mirandum," Tatts mumbles.

"So what does all that mean?" I say, impatience creeping into my voice.

"Look kid, just wait until we get there, then I'll answer all your little questions," He says. Well at least we know he's gonna talk to us eventually, whenever we get to 'there.' And about an hour later, Tatts announces that we have arrived. We all perk up, eager to see this long awaited sanctuary. Well I'll tell you one thing, sanctuary is the wrong word. Tatts lives in a one story house that was a shack by my standards. The paint was peeling off the exterior, one of the front steps was broken, and a patch of the roof was missing it's shingles. What a let down.

"Don't be shy, come on in." Tatts holds the door open for us. I step inside cautiously. "Have a seat, please." He gestures to a musty couch in what I would assume is the living room. I sit down and a cloud of dust floats up, making me wheeze. Whatever Tatts has waited this long to tell us, it'd better be good. Asher plops down next to me on the couch. His face shows none of the concern that I knew was clearly visible on my own. He looks genuinely happy to be here in this dump. Nessa sits down next to Asher, looking around in wonder. Not really a whole lot to be impressed by if you ask me. Tatts strolls into the room behind us and sits in the recliner across from the couch.

"My name is Luctus Magister. I am Legatus Luctus." he informs us.

"Ambassador of grief." Nessa says in an undertone. I had just been thinking the same thing.

"Very good." Tatts said. "You should all have a natural affinity for latin."

"So you're an ambassador of grief? What does that even mean?" Asher wants to know.

"Yes, I am the Ambassador of Grief. As one of the Legatus, I balance the world's emotion of grief. Everyone feels the emotion, but I am the sort of keeper of it all. It affects my persona, and it also gives me gifts, as you all are discovering for yourselves."

"So you're trying to tell us..." Nessa wavers.

"You haven't pieced it together yet? C'mon, you kids are supposed to be the smart ones! You three are also legatus, but of a much greater degree." He sees the confusion and disbelief on our faces. "You represent three of the six primus motus or, primary emotions."