When Reader Meets Writer [Closed]

Liseran scanned the streets. The store had looked like nothing more than a candy shop and the old woman would be wearing a badly green sweater. She moved around until she came to a light blue building the sign Craving's Confections.

Her hands hovered over her two bells, Weeping Cerinthe, but didn't pull them out just yet. She went inside the shop where little people were at the counter, asking for certain boxes of chocolates and candies. She then saw the old lady she had foreseen in the vision walking towards the door and she went to it to open it for her.

"Thank you, young one," the old lady said.

Liseran nodded. She was about to speak to warn the lady, but as her eyes lifted, the old woman was bumped by a man from behind.

"Hey, lady, can you move it!?" the man snapped.

The old lady looked at him, a bit surprised.

"Pardon me?"

"I said move it!"

The old lady still looked confused. And then she looked mad. "Why do you have to be so rude?"

The man, who wore a black suit, clenched his teeth and drew out a gun.

"Move it!"

Before he could think twice, a bright glyph glowed underneath him and dragged him to the floor. People turning to Liseran with her bells in hand, one of them pointing at the glyph.

"You shouldn't draw your gun on an old woman," Liseran said sharply. It was only then that she saw three more men in black rushing towards her with their guns drawn.

"Let him go or we shoot!" the men said.

Aphelion ran around the streets in search for Liseran, but had a tough luck finding her. That is until he resigned to asking around, and from people's testimonies gathering the general direction in which she went.

He rushed that way promptly, looking around to see if he could spot her, until he heard a commotion, and saw where it seemed to have gathered up. This might well be just a coincidence but...

Aphelion powered up his legs and on his next step launched himself into the air, at an angle which let him have a good look at the situation for his brief airtime, spotting a girl who looked just enough like Liseran. It didn't really matter as the other men had guns in their hands.

Hrmm... not good. Not at all. Aphelion thought at his jump landed him on the other side. Loading another, he jumped over the slight crowd that has gathered and aimed to land beside the leftmost guy.

Liseran was quick to react and rang her right bell in a diamond form, sending out a shot of ice that froze the men's hands in place.

"What the?" the men said, who were not aware of Aphelion landing behind them.

"Stay inside!" Liseran directed to the old woman and the others there.

Aphelion sighed and walked up behind one of the men, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"Umm, excuse me, what are you doing? Are you causing trouble for my lady friend?" he asked, his body being ready for what was likely to come.

"Who the f*** are you!?" the man cussed upon seeing Aphelion. He pointed the gun at Aphelion while he moved away, trying to stay focused on Liseran as she took out his comrades. "Stay out of this!"

Aphelion frowned, immediately shifting his weight and firing both of his arms to grab the man by the wrist and the bicep, "Not cool man, I'm just asking nicely. Or rather, was." The martial artist twisted the man's wrist slightly to loosen the gun before stepping heavily and heaving him over his shoulder, launching him at another goon.

The man Aphelion threw fell onto the other, both of them hitting the ground hard. Before anyone could do anymore damage, police sirens were heard and the suited men on Aphelion's side and Liseran's side scrambled to their feet and began running.

"Come back here!" Liseran shouted from her end. She was about to motion her bells for a Walker spell to zip her to them, but she was held back by the touch of a hand. It was the old lady.

"There's no need for that," the frail woman said softly.

"But--"

"Come with me inside," she said. She then turned to Aphelion. "You helped, too, didn't you, young man?"

Liseran looked surprised to see him.

"Aphelion? You're here, too? I thought I left you at the cafe..."

"Hey, I can't let my first fan deal with stuff alone, now can I?" he said with a grin, stretching a little, "Shame these guys left, I haven't had a little fight in a while..." he sighed before skipping up to the pair, "Coming Ma'am, Lise~"

Liseran gave Aphelion a sheepish grin.

"I'm flattered," Liseran said scratching her head. "Though I can't help thinking I caused a bother..."

"Come on, you two," the old lady once again said. Liseran nodded and turned to Aphelion before she followed.

"Thank you once again," she said. "You've given me a whole new reason to be your fan."

The people had been busy leaving the store to look at the commotion as police cars passed by, but the old woman sat down at a small table with Liseran and Aphelion and ordered tea and biscuits.

"Thank you for defending me back there," the old lady said. "Though as you've probably guessed, that man wasn't just pointing that gun at me because I had been in his way."

"Well, I deemed that unnatural," Liseran remarked. "Were they following you?"

The old woman nodded.

"Yes, but with the police taking care of them, they'll be steering clear for a while," she explained. "I'm not allowed to say much, but I'm guessing both of you are students of Beacon?"

Liseran turned to Aphelion for a bit and then back to nod. "Yes, Ma'am."

The old woman smiled and sipped her tea.

"Well, then," she smiled. "That makes this all the better. Anyhow, as gratitude, I'd like you to keep these."

The woman presented them two silver pins, each one holding a fox and bird on them.

"It may come in handy some day," she said. "By the way, you me call me Mrs. Pea. And you are?"

"Uh...Liseran," Liseran said. "Liseran Dormirse."

The old woman then turned to Aphelion.

Aphelion smiled at Lise, "No bother at all~ I like helping people."

He then listened to the woman's explanation, his face obviously worried as she talked about how they were after her. He scratched his chin a little when she presented the pins to them and looked over his, before the question drew his eyes back to the woman.

"Aphelion Messier Ma'am." he nodded before adding, "If you need any more help right now I'd be glad to be of assistance."

"What nice names," Mrs. Pea said smiling. "Well, it's kind of you to offer, young man, but I should be fine for now. I happen to have body guards, but I decided to take a day without them and look where it got me."

She let out a dusty laugh and then sipped her tea. "Anyways, I am going to put in a few good words for you two. You won't know when and you won't know how and you probably won't realize it when my good words will come in handy."

She looked at the pins "But it will be of use someday just like these pins."

Liseran was listening carefully.

"It really wasn't any trouble," she reassured. "You don't need to make your way out like that and repay us."

"But I want to," Mrs. Pea said with bright silver eyes. "Just trust me on this."

A white old-fashioned buggy car suddenly appeared outside the shop and Mrs. Pea put down her now empty cup. "It looks like it's time for me to go. Thank you Liseran and Aphelion. Keep those pins, now!"

Mrs. Pea left and the two were now back at sitting at a table.

"That was...strange," Liseran remarked as she took one of the pins. "Those these are really nice of her to give off just like that. Do you know the story about the Fox and the Crow?"

Aphelion listened to her with evident concern, but when Mrs. Pea got into the buggy he sighed softly. Okay, so she's fine I guess... he took one of the pins and unbuttoned his shirt, showing off some of his chest as he pinned it to the inside of the shirt.

"Sorry Lise, I can't say that I have." he admitted, rebuttoning his shirt.

Liseran turned to Aphelion and lifted up her pin.

"It's a fable by Aesop," Liseran said. "And it's about the fox and the crow right here. It's really short.


A crow was sitting on a branch of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak when a fox observed her and set his wits to work to discover some way of getting the cheese. Coming and standing under the tree he looked up and said, "What a noble bird I see above me! Her beauty is without equal, the hue of her plumage exquisite. If only her voice is as sweet as her looks are fair, she ought without doubt to be queen of the birds." The crow was hugely flattered by this, and just to show the fox that she could sing she gave a loud caw. Down came the cheese, of course, and the fox, snatching it up, said, "You have a voice, madam, I see. What you want is wits."

Liseran sipped her own cup of tea as she stared at the pin thoughtfully.

"The moral of the story is: Don't trust flatterers," she said. "Aesop was known for a lot of animal fables. One being a good deed would always be returned. I think that's the message the woman was trying to convey to us earlier."

Aphelion drank his own cup as he listened to the story.

"That's... intriguing." he said, taking out a notebook and jotting a few things down before putting it away, "So I suppose these pins will have some significance in the future..." he started inspecting his own, having to unbutton his shirt once again.

Liseran thought for a bit.

"Hmm, I guess," Liseran said. "We should just keep it just in case."

Liseran stood up as she finished her tea because she saw the time.

"I have to get going," Liseran told Aphelion. "And not to defend an old lady this time. I just wanted to say thanks for showing a reader a great day! This beat reading a book by an inch!"

Aphelion grinned and finished his own tea, stretching a bit.

"No problem. Consider me a friend... or an acquaintance at least. Not just author." he said, looking slightly off to the side before starting to make his way out with a warm smile on his face.