Intro to Love.
Intro to Love.
A human man stood upon a stage.
At first glance, he looked neither old or young. When someone tried to categorize his age, they would eventually give up because they kept changing their minds.
His stance was relaxed, and he slouched, slightly, making himself seem shorter than his natural 6' 2". His skin, a pale pink, looked as if he rarely ever was outside. When one didn't concentrate, he had a tendancy to melt into the background, as if he was not truly there at all.
He wore slightly rectangular glasses, lens casing slightly bent outwards, making it look as if each frame, a dark metallic blue, had six edges, instead of four. The glasses were old, and beat up, many a scratch could be seen, even from a slight distance, upon its surface. The glasses would ocasionally slide down his nose to rest near the tip, untill he would push them back up. He did not need the glasses, but kept them for sentimentle reasons. A reminder of an age long past.
His hair was short, but not so short that it couldn't be moulded slightly, and was a soft brown, that was easilly mistaken for dark when not in the light. For the most part, he never fussed with it, but occasionally he would wet it slightly to try and fix a spot that had suddenly gone rogue and flattened against his skull.
His face had a dead expression on it, not because he didn't had anything to smile about, but because he always forgot to smile. He was actually a cheerful man, you just had to coax it out first. A simple joke would awaken his smile, though, and if it was a particularly dirty one, he would even part his lips a little, to show his shiny, ivory teeth.
His eyes, a dark green, were those of a being millenia old, and if hit by the light just right, it seemed they were lit from behind by a sun. The skin at each edge was wrinkled slightly, as if he squinted a lot, and his forehead looked the same, as if confirming this. His brows were thick, but not to the point of untamely. They were slightly curved, but only enough to make it look aesthetically pleasing.
His beard was scraggly and thin, and never changed in length. His mustache was light, and was just long enough to barely curl over his upper lip. In times of thought, he would run his left hand over his mouth, sliding his palm down from the bottom of his nose. At other moments, when staring off into space, as he was wont to do, he would reach up with either hand, and rake his fingers through the hair on his chin, making slight furrows that would close up when he moved his mouth.
When he laughed, he smiled, and his skin would stretch back a little, towards his cheeks, and the sound was a rich, full bodied thing. It would startle those who were not accustomed to it, for it was at odds with his quiet nature. When he spoke, it definitely wasn't loud, but it projected, somehow, so that hundreds could hear what he had to say, if he wanted. When he was on the stage, every one of the ten thousand seated persons could listen, as if they were right next to him.
His body was thin, and wiry, as if he ate little and was always working with his arms. His arms were hairy, but the hair was thin, and also light brown, so that at a great distance, it seemed his skin was just darker there. His legs, however, had thick chocolate hairs that were spaced enough to tell. His knees and elbows had many scars on them, from when he was young.
He wore a black sheet of cloth over himself, sashed slightly below his waist. The material was alien to the society he was living in, and would probably never be replicated again, and many rumors were spread about it almost daily. The hood rested on his back, extending down between his shoulder blades, softly shifting in the slight breeze that penetrated the walls. The cloth hugged his stomach, but billowed out like liquid once past the vice of the sash, and the sleeves were so large he could almost fit his body through each one.
He carried a staff, three feet taller than himself, ancient and gnarled, that seemed to twist in the light, as if trying to collect as much energy as it could. The color was brown, so dark it was nearly black, and had a light sheen about it, like it was glazed in lacquer. It was rumored every few months or so, a leaf would sprout on the top, as if it would grow again. Once in a while, when he put emphasis into a word, he would clunk the bottom on the ground, making a solid thunk.
The plush seats in the giant theater was finally near filled. Furres, scales, humans, and shape changers, all were naked, and all had come from miles and miles away to listen to him talk. There was a steady murmer as thousands of beings whispers, talked, yelled, laughed, touched, kissed, and in general, just socialized with others they had never met before. In twelve isolated cases, couples had been willing enough to do it, and had started doing so.
That had been the price the man had set. One had to socialize with ones neighbor. No money was involved. Literally every person in the open building was seated in a ring at least twenty persons wide, in which they knew not one of the others. Each person had been given a letter and number, etched onto a tag on a bracelet of silver, custom made for that persons wrist. These letter/number combos were the seating arangements. Families were given another tag, this one made of a strong plastic, for regrouping purposes after the event.
Children and elderlies were seated on the bottom front rows. Some were laughing, or pointing at things, but most were staring intently at the man on the stage while talking quietly amongst themselves. None of the children were crying, even though being seperated from their relatives.
The man's keen eyes saw the last seet fill up, and decided another half hour would be appropriate before commencing the evening.
He raised his right hand, and nearly spontaneous silence followed. He put his hand back down to his side, and spoke for the first time in an hour.
'Brothers, Sisters, I will be back in one half hour. If anyone needs to use the lavatory, the red lines will guide you.'
And with that, he turned to his left and walked off stage. Almost as soon as he was gone, a thundering of chatting began, mostly oriente along what he might be doing. Many of the elderly and children got up to go, but for the most part, the humongous room stayed seated. In the excitement, the twelve original cases became 37, and one even turning into a threesome.
The audience's collective mood was nearly palpable in the air, the masses were ready for it to start.
One half hour later, just as he had said, the man stepped into view on stage. The volume rose exponentially then, rushed into silence moments later. He scanned the seats with one sweeping gaze, and seeing no one was missing, stepped up to his podeum.
As you know, I am called The Beauty Man. This, obviously, isn't my real name, but it has been so long since my real one was said, I can't even remember it anymore.'
As he let this sink in, he rested his arms upon the podium, leaning against its surface, fingers clasped.
'Beauty.' He said simply, and sat there. Many people turned to their neighbors with questioning glances. 'Beauty is in everything.'
Again, he swept the auditorium with his peircing gaze. 'With a raise of hands,' he demanded. 'How many have felt the presence of beauty? And I don't mean seen it, I mean really felt it? That tingling sensation right before you look upon it, as if your body is warning you to prepare?'
Less than a hundred put their hands up.
'Not even a hundred... Well, that doesn't seem right... Who has fealt love? Real love. The one that makes that glorious wash of excitement run down your spine when you look at a certain person, or thing, every single time? The burning desire in the heart? The flushing of ones face, or other extremeties? Anyone?'
More hands this time.
'Ah, this is still a woefully small group... Well, today, that will end. When every one of you walks from this, you will all have felt these feelings.'
With a sigh, he set the staff down, lying it against the podium. He stepped out to the right, and swept his arm out, taking in the lower seats.
'Children! Do you know what it is to love a person?'
He seemed surprized, if his expression was read right, to the mixed reply of yesses and nos.
'Of course you do! Everyone knows what love is! I can prove it!'
With his left index finger, he pointed at a little she-wolf.
'Lexxie Lorte Et'Ellie! If you would be so kind as to come to the stage...?'
The little girl was slightly spooked at first, but was comforted by the man's small smile and beckoning hand.
'Come child, up the left side... there you go.'
His smile broadened as she bounced lightly over to him. Then he laughed with delight when she grabbed his robe and hid behind it, away from the audience. There was a general chuckle from the viewers.
He bent to his side, never exposing her, and whispered in her ear for a moment. After a few seconds she nodded jerkily nodded her head. With another smile, he took her little hand in his long fingers, and guided her back around.
The older audience oohed and awed in simpathy as she came back out.
'Lexxie here, says she think that I have a nice robe. And since it is so nice, she says she will only stay visible if I let her stay in it.'
With a startled whoop, the little girl was swept up onto his chest, and into the inside of the robe. The croud laughed and cheered as she snuggled against him, yawning cutely.
'Now Lexxie,' the man said. 'Do you love your parents?'
'Yes,' she said, her voice mysteriously aplified like the man's.
'Do you know why you love them?'
'Cause they are my parents?' she asked, looking slightly confused.
'Other than that?'
'I... I dunno...' she said, now looking a little worried.
'It's because they love you, sweetie,' he said, patting her head. 'And because if they ever, ever dissapeared, you wouldn't know what to do. Isn't it?'
With a now very worried expression, the little girl nodded. The audience was silent, completely stunned.
'Well, there's no reason to worry, because they would never do that to you. You know why? Because it would break their hearts into little, itty-bitty pieces.'
He looked up, and swept his arms wide. 'This is one part of what love is.' He stated.
Then he pulled his arms back and tickled Lexxie, making her giggle and laugh, wriggling to get free. He laughed too, warming the mood in the room quickly back to normal.
'This is another form of love.' He said, his hands coming still. With a contented sigh, Lexxie flopped to her side, nearly dissapearing into the mans robe.
He lifted his left arm to support her back up, and with his other, stroked his thumb along the top of her snout to the start of her hair. Her tail-tip, which was barely sticking out, wiggled happily. Her eyes drooped after a moment, and soon her mouth slipped open, her body limp, completely asleep.
'Ah, to sleep like that again!' He said, and a slight rumble of agreement swept through the parents and elderly.
He touched the end of his pinky onto her tongue, and she nipped lightly at it, then suckled on it.
'This, too, is another form of love.' he said, looking back up to the audience. 'And although I wish I could sit here for untill she woke by herself, I have a lesson to make!'
And with that, he wiggled the limp form in his robes untill it woke up. One eye was still drooping as he set her upright on the floor of the stage.
'You can go back now.' He said, still leaning over to pat her on the head.
'Kay,' she said, and yawned again. 'Love you.'
'I love you too, Lexxie.' He unfolded himself, and looked around the audience again. 'And now you see how easy it is to love someone?' Heads nodded, and another murmer swept the people.
Again, his finger pointed out a person, this time in the back of the room. 'Mrs. Pontini! I beliove it is your turn this time!' He whirled back to the podium, robes flowing and rippling outward.
He bent over and flicked the bottom cubbord open in the podium, and rummaged through the items. After a few momnets, he gave up, and closed it back up.
'Bah,' he mumbled. 'No matter.'
As the clouded leopard stepped onto stage, the man picked up his staff, and slammed the end down, rusulting in an immense KRACK! Underneath where the wood had hit, the rock floor had cracked down, spiderwebbing outwards a few feet.
The staff itself was split through, and after a moment of struggling with it, the man seperated the pieces. Inside the was a metal rod that was nearly the full length of the staff, about as thick as a quarter. He handed this to the woman, and picked up what remained of his staff.
With an ease that told of his experience in such matters, he lined the pieces back together, then lightly slapped the podium with it. With a flash of light, it was instantly sealed back together.
The audience applauded, loundly yelling for more, bewildered as to how he had managed the miracle. He took Mrs. Pontini's hand and bowed, and the chearing escalated even more.
While the noise died down, he set the remade staff against the podium again, and took the metal bar from the woman.
'Thank you, thank you,' He said, calming the croud down. 'It was really something, hunh?' He asked.
The audience clapped a moment more, then settled down.
'Guess what,' he said, looking pointedly at the clouded leapord.
'Uhm... That was another form of love...?' She asked, not quite sure she was right. Her voice was, like Lexxie's had been, amplified.
'That is exactly right! The love of a trick that defies explanation. One more facet of the gem known as love. Now, here's th real question. Why do we love it?'
'Ah... because it was beautiful?'
'And that is why I chose you. Because only a very few would have guessed that, Mrs. Pontini, is why you are standing on this stage. Very good, very good... Now stand back a little.'
He pulled the metal rod up, then let it hit the ground. Unlike the staff, it melted on contact, forming into a small pool of glossy surface.
'Now, Mrs. Pontini, do you miss you right arm?'
'I get by...' she replied, slightly miffed by the invasive question.
'That isn't really the answer I'm looking for, Mrs. Pontini...'
'Yes! Okay! Jeeze...'
'Excellent!' The man blurted out, starling her. 'Just touch the pool with your shoulder...'
'What...?' she looked at him suspiciously.
'The pool, dear. Just one little touch.' His eyes sparkled with some hidden knowledge.
'Why?'
'You'll like it.' He grinned, and again his eyes made that odd flash.
'Alright...'
Taking her hand, he helped her lean down and touch the liquid metal pool with her stump. With a yelp, she drew back, leaning on the man for support. A thin string of the liquid was still stuck to her shoulder, and more of it was rapidly sliding up the attached piece. When all of the metal was upon her, it moulded itself to resemble a perfect opposite of her left arm.
The man let go, and as Mrs. Pontini watched the metal solidify in fascination, he pulled his staff back again. Drawing it back, he struck out at her, and instinctually she blocked with the new right arm with a shriek. Wood hit metal in a flash of sparks and light. When everyones' dazzled eyes settled, they saw that her new arm was even colored corectly.
The man stooped down and helped her back up. Once she was standing alone again, she gasped, 'I can feel my arm again!'
'Try it out.' The man said. 'Flex it, touch it.'
'It feals so real,' she said as she did so, and after a few moments of massaging it, she looked up and pounced him, crying out, 'Thank you so much! I love you!'
Not in the least bit startled, the man hugged her back, saying like it had been obvious the whole time, 'Of course you do. Everyone loves everyone else.'
With a final squeeze, he let her go. Taking her new hand, he bowed to the audience, pulling her with him.
The Croud went wild, never having witnessed sorcery on such a magnitude.
'Will it stay forever?' She asked, before going back to her seat.
'A long as you love someone it will.' He said back, smiling happily.
To the crowd he said, 'This love is between healer and patient. It is quite a spacific type, and not many ever realise it. Another love, like I said, is universal. It is the love between all beings. And with that, We will take a break. Another half hour should be good.'
The Auditorium burst out into noise as everyone tried to talk to one another.
And with that, carrying his staff, he stepped offstage.
**************
More to come(?)
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