In Everything We Do - Chapter Sixteen
The tavern is nearly empty, just a few rowdy travelers drinking themselves half to death in the corner. The other patrons have retired for the night, and the barmaid looks one more rude gesture away from throwing the travelers out. Which is all well and good, that would just mean more privacy for the two of them.
Momoi laughs a little and drums her fingers against the tabletop.
“I’m still puzzling out the specifics, but I’ve always been able to do it. I just focus my attention on someone and I will it to happen I suppose. Then I can see different things. It’s like a little thread, and the way that it moves means different things. I can see how it interacts with other people, I can see how far it stretches, if there are any complications, things like that. It’s fascinating, I wish I could show you because it’s like the world just fades away and it’s just me and this thread. I don’t know many people who can do it so I’m sort of running in blind. It’s my specialty, right? Magic users all have some field of magic they’re more inclined to, mine’s fate, or a subset of it anyway. But there are plenty of uses for it, I’m actually thinking of setting up a shop and offering it as a service, because I’ve found recently that I can use it to see how compatible people are.”
“Mmhmm. If I have two threads, I can tell how well those people work together, if they’re in love, how long that love will last.” She folds her arms and leans in, her face dangerously close. “Just call me the Matchmaker.”
Her ribbons glow giddy and wrap around him as she laughs again. He hasn’t known Momoi for very long, but he likes her ribbons.
“Now, how about you? What’s your magic?”
Kuroko rubs at the back of his neck as he tries to piece together his thoughts.
“Emotional magic. I’m not a magic user like you are, I’m an Empath, actually.”
He watches her ribbons for any kind of change, any strain of apprehension or revulsion but none comes. Momoi is wholly interested, fascinated even.
“Oh, wow. What can you do? Can you make people feel things? Make me feel sad, right now, do it.”
He’s hesitant to do so, influencing people to feel a bit more calm or happy is one thing, but negative emotions he doesn’t do often. But Momoi is determined, and she holds her hand out as though Kuroko needs it. To humor her, he takes her hand in his and adds a few strains of blue to her ribbons.
Immediately, her shoulders slump, her features fall and tears fill her eyes.
Before he can chase out the blue, Momoi does it on her own, her ribbons flooding to their usual pink.
“That’s so amazing, Tetsu, oh, wow.” She runs her hands through her hair and has what Kuroko can only call a giggle fit, before calming down and leaning in again. “What else can you do?”
“Uh, not a lot, actually. I’ve never met another Empath, so I’m figuring it out as I go.”
They talk together for hours more, well into the godless hours of the night. Momoi shows him her plans for magical items she’s been working on, baubles and potions, handy charms and even spelled weapons. Kuroko tells her what he can, what he knows is minimal, and he’s still testing the waters but Momoi listens with rapt attention.
They’re both near delirious with exhaustion, and they move to Kuroko’s room upstairs so as to not disturb the barmaid.
Momoi sprawls across the bed and Kuroko sits beside her, propping his head up on his hands.
“Hey, I know you used your powers on me but I uh, I don’t really use mine unless people ask me to. It’s pretty invasive so- I don’t want you to think I’m- This is going to be the start of a wonderful friendship, I think, and I don’t want to muck it up, making you think I’m being stingy or something.”
Kuroko hadn’t been thinking anything like that. Truth be told, he’s fairly certain that he doesn’t want Momoi looking at his fate at all.
If only because he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if she told him what she saw.
Before he can respond, however, Momoi is asleep, the buzz of her ribbons dying down until they’re a quiet hum.
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