Arcana Imagines

Muriel - I've Missed You

I roll over in bed stretching my arms and legs, as I take in what's around me, smelling the new aromas Asra has put around the shop. The golden glow of the early sun shines through the curtains and I see a shadow slither into my view, Faust. She curls around my arm motioning me out of bed, "Yes, yes ok I'm getting up." I make my way down stairs to see Asra in front of the stove deep in thought.

"Morning Asra." I say coming around to see his face.

He jumps a little looking at me, "Oh good morning y/n."

"Is everything ok? You looked a bit lost in thought there for a second."

"What? Of course everything's fine. I-I was just thinking about someone." He says looking back to the pot sizzling away.

"Who, may I ask?..." I say carefully, he better not have gotten himself hung up over someone again. The amount of emotions I had to deal with last time was too much. The crying, the squealing, the times he forgot he reached out to them in the water in the sink then just left it there and I've walked in having to awkwardly see them in the bathroom.

Asra looks at me smiling, "Its a friend y/n. Have I told you about Muriel before?" He pauses for a moment to see if I knew who he was talking about. He looks back to the pot and continues talking, "He lives just a bit out of town. We've been friends for the longest time, and I've been meaning to drop something off to him but the stores been so busy I haven't gotten the time-I just don't want him thinking I've forgotten about him."

"If you want I could deliver it for you?" I say looking at him.

"I suppose that would be helpful... you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course n-"

"Great! I'll grab the satchel now." Asra says quickly, dropping everything he was doing to run behind the counter and rummage through the items. "Here it is!" He says holding it up. He makes his way over to me putting it in my hand and telling me the directions as he does so. He slowly places a hand on my back nudging me towards the door sliding a cloak onto me.

"Wait so right now?!" I say standing on the first step of the shop looking up at Asra's smiling face.

"The sooner the better." He smiles to himself even more, almost looking proud, "By the way, though Muriel may seem a bit stand-offish just give him time, he'll open up." With that he slowly closes the door, hearing his footsteps walk away as he whistles to himself.

~•~•~•~

I step over a tree root that's grown over the path and as I make my way over it, I look up to see the hut that Asra described to me. It looks
so green and earthy. I guess that's what you'd expect in the forest. I walk up to the door noticing its abnormal size, it's almost double my height. I gently knock on the door waiting for a response... Nothing. I knock again, I hear a low whimper, kinda like a dogs, and a gentle *shush* sound after.

"Um, Hello? Asra sent me?" I say questionably hoping to get some sort of response.

The door swings opened slightly for a moment before it's opened all the way. I look straight in and see just a mans chest, I tilt my head up a bit to see the face the chest belongs to. "Muriel?" No response he just looks at me. Not blinking, not even moving a muscle. I take a step back to see him more clearly, he looks startled, wide eyed. I clear my throat a bit in the awkward silence looking at the ground.

"Asra-sent you?" Muriel croaks out.

I open up my bag to pull out the satchel and slowly hold my hand out to him for him to take it. He reaches out to pick it up ever so slightly touching my skin in the process. I feel a sting and tightening in my skin where he touched and pull back quickly gaining a odd, sad look from Muriel. He opens up the little satchel to release the smell of myrrh. He looks confused for a moment.

"Why'd Asra really send you?" He says looking at me up and down.

"I-I don't know, to deliver this?" I say feeling a bit intimidated.

"No I have plenty of myrrh already." He says slightly looking behind him. He looks annoyed for a moment before he looks at me and meets my eyes. He sighs looking defeated. "Fine, he wants to play like that," he mumbles under his breath.

Before I got to question him he places a hand onto my shoulder. I feel the weird sensation again pulsing though my shoulder until my vision turns black.

~•~•~•~

I feel myself wake up laying in a unfamiliar bed then all of a sudden I feel the rush of everything coming back to me. I was with Asra then I was delivering something to his friend Muriel. Muriel, it sounds different now that I say it to myself. Like it has more meaning now then it did before. I look around and see a wolf laying at the foot of the bed I'm in. I slowly get up making my way over to the fire, feeling it's warmth clinging onto my skin. Suddenly the door swings open and I see Muriel step in carrying short logs for the fire. I stare at him, because what I'm seeing doesn't make sense. He looks the same as before but there's something in my brain that's screaming to look closer, something that wants to be found, something that's have been tucked away for far too long.

Then it hits me. A piece of my memory clicks into place and it makes sense. Like opening up a old book and knowing the story.

"Muriel?" I remember. I remember him, I remember us. I walk up to him still holding the logs, "I remember you."

He stands still for a moment looking at me like he's waiting for me to say I'm joking but then he places the wood aside like they weigh nothing and looks me in the eyes once more. Without a warning I'm engulfed in his arms pulling me into a tight hug.

"I've missed you." He says into my shoulder.

"I don't how to explain it but I feel like I've found a missing part of myself." I mumble against him.

"I won't ever let you go again." He says wrapping his arms around me tighter.

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