Ebon, Chapter Two
#2 of Ebon
"Hey there." He said, smiling at me. A muscular equine with deep chestnut fur, he grinned at me over a beer.
"Hey. Haven't seen you around here before." I said, looking him over subtly. He wore a leather jacket with a shirt for some band under it, and loose jeans over cowboy boots. A black cowboy hat sat on his head, looking...oddly perfect there.
"Nope, I don't come around to clubs like this much. But I figured that I'd stop in here." His accent was distinctly Southern, but held a note of deep eloquence. "You're a pretty little thing, but I bet you hear that from everyone."
"Actually, not really. People tend to listen to my music more than look at me." I must have sounded hurt, because his tone changed ever so slightly to a comforting one.
"Well, I ain't a fan of techno music, but you've got talent. Say, how about I buy you a drink." I nodded, and decided not to speak my age. The bartender conveniently decided not to ask for ID when I ordered a drink, with an unspoken agreement that I wouldn't talk about it. The panther gestured the bartender over, and ordered something I didn't recognize. She glanced at me, grinned, and turned away to prepare it.
"So what's your name? I'm Kyle Flintock, at your service." He touched his hat's brim.
"Ken Brightstar." I smiled at him. "Are you from around here? I don't think I've seen you in town before."
"No, not really. I'm a wanderer, mostly. Travel the US, sleep in motels, stop in clubs to chat up pretty young things..." I eyed him carefully. If he was telling the truth about that, I should probably back off as fast as possible. Apparently he picked up on my look. "Not really." He chuckled, a rich, deep sound.
"Ah, I thought you were kidding." I said, relaxing. "What's it like? I've never really gone more than one or two counties away from here."
"Boy, are you missing a lot!" He smiled and laughed. "I mean, it's nice up here, but it definitely ain't all the world has to offer." The bartender brought the drink, setting it before me with that grin still on her face. I sipped at it, blinked, then sipped again. It was probably the most delicious drink I had tasted.
"This is...really good." I said, surprised. Normally I only drank a little, socially, and I'd never been drunk once. I had no intention of becoming my father.
"So, where'd you learn your music?" Asked Flintock, sipping at his own beer.
"I didn't really learn from anyone. I mean, basically I just started doing it one day when I was bored, found out people liked my work when I posted it online, and I went from there."
"The music playin' now is yours?"
"The original songs, no, the remix work, yes." I explained, gesturing with my drink. "Basically, what I do is I take the music and make it better. I send out emails basically asking 'hey, can I remix this?' and usually people don't mind."
"You've got a talent, boy. Don't let that slip away."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience."
"A bit, yeah." He looked distant as he spoke, as if recalling fond memory. "I used to play guitar for a little country band down south. Had a good run, but eventually we just went our separate ways." I finished off my drink, and ordered another.
"So what do you do? For a living, you know." I asked.
"Welp, now I'm prolly treading into dangerous waters here, but I teach."
"...How is teaching ba-"
"Well, it's more of the subject. I teach about magic and spirits and stuff. Mix of Native American, Wicca, hermetic stuff." He looked at me, carefully judging my reaction.
"That sounds really interesting." I said, wholeheartedly. My ma- my old master introduced me to magic, and I had only recently gotten around to reading some of the books he recommended. But as I thought of him and his multi-paragraph long lectures on it I shuddered in revulsion, gripping my glass tightly. The feeling passed though, leaving me confused.
"You alright?" Flintock asked, looking worried. I began speaking without thinking, my eyes closed.
"I was in...a really bad relationship. He even had me calling him 'master' and shit. He used to go on and on and on about magic, about 'shadow' and somesuch." I said. Flintock frowned deeply. "He was into S&M, I think it was. For...some damn reason, I hung onto his every word for a month now."
"Why'd it change?" He asked, clearly interested.
"I decided it would." I nodded to the platform. "Up there."
"That's bad, bad mojo there, man. I'm glad you got away from him. People like that feed off of other people. There's a term for them, you know. 'Psychic vampires'."
"I never met him in person."
"Only on the phone?"
"Internet." I nodded. "Yeah, it was a good decision to get away from him." There was a long pause, in which I finished my second drink and started on a third. I had no idea why I was drinking so much, perhaps to keep something on my mind. Slightly lightheaded, I closed my eyes to try to regain my balance.
"You said you were a teacher, right?" I asked, interrupting the pause.
"Uh-huh." He smiled at me. "I could take you on as a student if you'd like."
"That'd be awesome. I mean, he kept talking about it and I got some books he mentioned but none of it ever made sense."
"Why don't we go on over to my room at the motel? I've got some notes and books that might make a bit more sense." Offered Flintock, standing. I did too, wobbling just a bit. He paid for our drinks, and the bartender grinned at me.
"Don't worry, I'll have Mike take over." She said, and we left.
As I clung onto Flintock as he drove down the road, a hot flush filled my body. I could feel his body heat through his clothing, his muscles guiding the (apparently rented) motorcycle between our legs with distinct grace and fluidity. The sun had set by the time we left, the cold night air descending upon us. After parking in the lot we headed up the stairs to room 12B. As he opened the door my mind crept to images of him taking me, losing my virginity to that massive horseco-
"Huh? Who is this, dad?" Asked another equine, looking up from reading a book. He sat at a small table in the corner of the room, surrounded by books and notes. The rest of the room looked exactly what you'd expect a middle-rate motel to look like.
"Oh, a new student." He explained. My heart fell when I saw the second horse, and plummeted further when I heard the relation. A deep part of me was set on losing my virginity, but...
No, your master has commanded you to keep it for him!
I blinked, standing there in the short little hallway into the room. The two horses spoke, sometimes to me. I answered automatically, but against my will.
They just don't understand, like Tyler and the others. Stupid people don't understand what a master is.
I shook my head, gritting my teeth. What the hell was I thinking? Abandoning my loving master just because some random guy I met at a bar said he was bad? How stupid was I?
"I hate to be rude, but I really gotta go home. It's late, and my dad'll be worrying about me.
"Oh? Wait, yer right. What time is it, Craig?" Said Flintock, looking at his son. He was looking directly at me, his emerald eyes locked with my own. Tense, it obviously took him effort to look away from me and at the pocketwatch attached to a chain on his belt.
"Five after midnight." He said, his voice wavering a bit.
"I'll give you a ride back to the clu-" Flintock began, but I cut him off.
"No, no. I'm alright, I've walked around the town later than this. Thanks for your offer, though." I explained. Flintock handed me a business card, with a phone number on it.
"That's my card. Call me anytime, really. I get the feeling we'll be staying here awhile." I tucked the card into my wallet.
"Thanks, I will." With that I headed out of the motel and into the cold night air, walking back towards Edge with my hands in my pockets. It was cold; I really should have brought a coat when I left the house.
My mind was in a flurry; why had I followed Flintock? What the hell happened when I was playing? I frowned. I was an idiot for believing what he said, and believing what clearly were aural hallucinations brought on by the music. I nodded. It wasn't uncommon for someone who gets really into their music like myself to get carried away with it. But something hung on my heart. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was wrong.
After fetching my things from Edge and returning home, I undressed and crawled into my soft bed. The sheets held me close like a comforting parent, leaving me time for my mind to wander even further. Something was wrong, very wrong. Master needed to hear of what happened today. Nude, I leapt out of bed and to my computer, jerking the mouse to resurrect it from its slumber. My IRC program sat open, and checking the userlist of master's server I found he was online as well.
Orichalum : Master, something happened.
Cruor : Oh?
Orichalum : I met this guy in Edge, at the bar. He said you were a bad person, and that I needed to stop seeing you. Also, when I was playing, it was like there was a voice in my head saying the same thing.
Orichalum : Master, are you still there?
Cruor : Yes, I am. Calm down. You've always been given to acting without thinking, you need to stop doing that.
Orichalum : Yeah, you're right. Sorry.
Cruor : What was this man's name?
Orichalum : Uh, Kyle Flintock, I think.
Cruor : I see. You should get to sleep, it is late and your package should be arriving tomorrow morning.
Orichalum : Oh, I didn't mention, he took me back to his motel room.
Cruor : Did you have sex with him?
Orichalum : No, but I really really really really wanted to.
Cruor : I will punish you for those thoughts.
Orichalum : Yes, master.
Cruor : Sleep now.
Orichalum : Yes, master.
[System Message: You have logged off at 2:21 AM.]