"The house! They need me at the house! Where is the house?" he asks in between sharp intakes of breath.
Asinbet, as always, favours conversation. Unfortunately, it is hard to converse when impaled. Moreover, even though he might still have tried it, his only link to the "normal" world is turning to run. Until he can gather more data, he had better run, too. So, he does.
KK seems to be addressing these people. So, asking him if he knows of them would be superfluous. Asinbet simply starts to do what he does best, as he runs. He listens.
KK and Asinbet take to their heels as the scissor wielding madmen approach. KK pulls ahead, and Asinbet barely manages to keep ahead of the assailants, one of whom gets close enough to actually clip a lock of hair from the back of Asinbet's neck.
"Pots!" cries one.
"A neck I lop! Woo stylus!" cries the other.
"No! We don't want to die!" KK cries out in desperation. While running, he remembers the old joke about the two men running from a bear, where they both agree that they could never outrun a bear, and the first guy then asks the second why they were running, and he then replies that he just has to run faster than the other guy. Yeah, if only they were chased by one bear instead of two maniacs with oversized scissors. KK could survive that. Trying to keep the conversation alive for a while longer, he pants out another question for the hairdresser duo: "Why do you want to kill us?"
"No! We don't want to die!" KK cries out in desperation. "Why do you want to kill us?"
Asinbet turns suddenly aside and comes to a halt, still ready to dodge to one side if one of his pursuers lunges. His eyes narrow and he calls out to the men. "Wait. Do not let the wool be pulled over your eyes. We are not the plotters. I am the Author; my neck is sacred. Let Excalibur be pulled free, and the leader revealed."
"That crap may work where you come from!" says one. "But not here!" cries the other.
Both attempt to cleave Asinbet in twain with their shears but miss.
The down side was that two insane men were trying to kill him, the meaninglessness of their act notwithstanding. The up side was, KK by now could have a decent lead. Asinbet dashes away from the would-be murderers, calling out, "Guards! Constables! Peacekeepers! Opponents of Gory Messes on Otherwise Clean Streets! HELP!" Now, if there are only some O.G.M.O.C.S. within earshot...
Feeling pretty darn safe with Asinbet as his buffer, KK takes the time to watch the buildings he pass for any kind of openings that looks promising, such as live end alleys with enough junk to block it after they've passed through. An opening with a door that could be closed and barred would work too, but KK doesn't have any high hopes in that department. Who would leave a door open for them? Anyone?
In a blur of motion a figure rockets out of a nearby alleyway and hits the two scissormen like an oncoming freight train. There is the sound of tearing fabric and two shrieks, both cut off midway through, and the Scissormen are gone as if they had never been there.
Two large pairs of shears hit the pavement with audible "clang" noises.
The woman standing where the two Scissormen was is anglo, around 22,
with short blonde hair. She is dressed comfortably, and would
be quite pretty if it were not for the fact that her face is absolutely
cold and emotionless. She does not appear to be breathing hard, and
looks at Asinbet (who is closest) without much interest.
"Yes, they are gone," says the woman.
"Extremely so," agrees Asinbet, taken aback. "I am..."
"It was no trouble." says the voice from the alley. The woman rolls her eyes. Asinbet attempts to continue. "It appeared ..."
"Yes, they were. They are rather unpleasant creatures, the Scissormen."
Asinbet tries again. "May I..."
"I am Shal," replies the voice from the alley as a man of European origin, around 35, so average in all respects that it is striking, steps out. "My companion is Connie Adam." The woman nods slightly, regarding Asinbet as one might regard a piece of choice steak on a plate when one is not hungry.
Throwing a glance over his shoulder, KK notices that there's no immediate need to keep running any longer. So instead he turns around and begins to walk back, catching his breath while doing so, in case they'll still be talking when he finally gets there.
Asinbet seems, as always, to listen just a bit longer than the actual
conversation required. Perhaps he is considering whther or not words
are even required with these two. Nonetheless, when his mental
processes come to a conclusion, it can be seen that he is very deferential:
if possible, even moreso than the recent, impressive display of power warrants.
Asinbet bows formally. "May your lives add..."
"Thank you," says Shal, interrupting again. "I believe it may be possible to return you to the Al Amarja from which you came, and you are welcome to travel with me, though Connie may feel differently. And you are not being unacceptably forward, so no offense is taken.
At this moment KK joins the party, a happy grin plastered across his face. And happy he is, since it's the second time in as many days that he's been saved by a good looking woman. And no, KK does not consider a cold and emotionless face to be unattractive, at least not when it comes with some real power. Time to worship the goddess...
"That was great! You kicked their asses before I could even see it happen!" he says to the woman, trying to be somewhat discreet as he's checking her out.
"If you hadn't been looking in the direction you were running, you might have been able to see better," replies the woman blandly. Oddly, KK does not find this statement offensive in the least.
"Are you..." KK begins.
"No, she is a Lion - a hunter." answers Shal. KK doesn't feel particularly annoyed by this either. In fact, he notes that he isn't really feeling particularly worked up about anything, even Connie's beauty. Even noticing this fact, and finding it odd, doesn't bother him though.
"...some kind of super hero?" KK ends, a half-beat late.
"No," replies Connie, "I'm a predator."
KK can believe that she is indeed a predator, although he doesn't quite understand why she looks so human if she's supposed to be a Lion. Maybe the man meant that she's a Lion in some aspect that KK knows nothing about? In any case, it does explain why the madmen are completely gone, while their scissors aren't.
"You eat pretty fast," KK says with mischievous glint in his eye. "I've only seen one guy who could eat faster than this, and I left him when he looked like he might eat me next. You --"
"Of course not." says Shal.
"-- wouldn't do that to me, would you?" KK ends up asking. KK looks seriously concerned at the prospect of having to ditch yet another eater of human flesh for fear of ending up on its menu.
"I already am," says Connie.
KK ponders these conflicting replies for a moment, and then he decides to throw some ideas around. "So, am I.."
"No, of course not," says Shal. "You are certainly not dead, although the question of whether this is some sort of afterlife is not straightforward. I am not in your future, I am - well, simply put I am smarter than you are by a rather large margin. Therefore it is child's play for me to figure out what you are going to say next. Not meaning any insult to you or your species of course - I am certain that by your standards you are - oh, excuse me Ms. Adam!"
"Stop it Shal," says Ms. Adam belatedly.
"Huh," says KK, thinking about Shal's explanation for a moment. "Well, you make for one hell of a team then, super brain and super muscle. The only thing you don't have is..." And there KK stops with a meaningful look at the man with the brain. "I dare you!"
Without another word, KK reaches into his backpack and produces his mysterious puzzle box with unknown contents. This he shows to Shal, hoping that the man's astounding intellect will be able to solve the puzzle and open the box. Unless of course it contains something which should never see the dark of the night, but since Shal probably already knows what's in the box, he'd never allow such a thing to happen. And boy, would KK look the fool if the two actually have such a box of their own, complete with unknown contents.
There is a brief pause as Shal regards Connie sullenly, somewhat like a small child reprimanded for stealing a cookie. Then he looks back at KK and the object he holds. "May I ask where you procured that item?" he says politely.
"It fell off a truck," KK smirks. "In Amsterdam." Returning to a more serious demeanour, KK tries to bring the conversation back on topic. "So you --" Shal opens his mouth to speak, then shuts it. "-- don't know what's in there, do you?"
Asinbet listens quietly, content that matters are now proceeding in a direction other than his and KK's annihilation. 'That is, of course, an assumption,' he concludes mentally. It would be good to get back to Al Amarja before the day of his lecture. However, as there is no actual way to determine relative timeflow, in the case that it is different, the matter does not bear worrying about. If Shal is, indeed, a superior intellect, Asinbet feels that he can learn much from the interaction to come.
"It is impossible to know what is in there," replies Shal instantly (managing to walk over the end of KK's statement just a bit.) "By its very nature you cannot know what is in such an item until you open it."
"Perhaps Youlandrlja would know," comments Connie, without much interest. Shal bites his lip and waits impatiently as she speaks.
"Of COURSE Yuolanrlja would know," replies Shal. "As long as it is opened HERE Youloanrlja would most likely be the one to DECIDE what was in there."
"Don't...." begins Connie. Shal looks contrite.
"Sorry." he says.
"...shout a... and..." continues Connie. Shal waves his arms placatingly.
"Sorry, sorry! It's just so hard to wait!"
"...interrupt... stop it Shal," finishes Connie.
"Right. But you're smart, so you can still open it and have a look," KK decides. And he's not even going to ask who this 'Jolanja' is. Apparently some deity in charge of chance, fate, and the contents of mysterious puzzle boxes.
Asinbet considers the interesting events to this point. "Needless to say," he says, and stops.
"Of course," replies Shal. "It's only a hyper dimensional locking mechanism - a rather primitive one too from what I can tell from here." He pauses. "You would really allow me to open it? I am flattered. But what do you want in return?"
"Whatever is..."
Shal looks shocked, and opens his mouth to say something, but closes it after a glance at Connie.
"...in there of course," KK says, not quite sure whether he's annoyed or relieved that Shal couldn't figure that one out for himself. "Unless it's something unhealthy. That I could do without," he continues. "And I suppose that if it's something that you could put to better use than me, you could just keep it. Or give it to her," KK smiles towards Connie. "Just because it happens everyday doesn't mean I'm not grateful when someone saves my life."
"But... but... then there is no point in my opening it at all!" cries Shal. "Open it yourself then! I'm not going to take that sort of risk for you!"
"I was hungry," says Connie to KK. Without warning one hand streaks out, palm open, directly at KK's battered nose. It stops a bare quarter inch from excruciating contact. The act does not cause KK to flinch or even jump backwards.
Connie licks her lips.
KK looks more than a little perplexed by this strange behaviour. He blinks, and then gets right back to business. "I didn't know there was any risk involved," he says to Shal. "Would you be willing to tell me how to open it then? Same deal - if I can't use it, you can have the contents."
Shal just snorts.
Asinbet turns to Shal. "This Youlandrlja. She is concerned with opposites, with emotions and hidden meaning." It sounds like a statement. For once Shal doesn't interrupt. In fact, he seems somewhat surprised, though he is so generally bland and undemonstrative that it is difficult to tell. "She is a bringer of changes, a discloser and a hider of meanings. I am a seeker and an interpreter. Do you intend to take us to her?"
"In one sense that has already occurred," replies Shal. "In the sense in which you mean, however, yes."
Asinbet nods agreement. "I am ready to travel with you, to interact with Yuolandrlja in whatever sense we mean. I would also consider it instructive just to continue in your company for a while." He glances at KK and the box, and subsides.
"Very well, if you would follow me, please," Shal says.
KK shrugs and puts the puzzle box into his backpack, which he then straps onto his back in preparation for the hiking they'll be doing. He refrains from singing "Hi ho, hi ho", because that wouldn't be cool at all. But this kind of marching always reminded him of that song.
Asinbet is intensely interested in his surroundings and spends much more time listening and looking than talking. He does attempt to ascertain the nature of this experience, as best he can.
The surroundings look like pretty much like a typical Mediterranean town - narrow streets, whitewashed buildings, etc. The blatantly obvious differences that spring to mind are the fact that they see nobody on the streets, there are no cars, and that there is more than one moon in the sky.
"What is the nature of this place, with respect to the Al Amarja from whence I came?" asks Asinbet.
"Never having been to Al Amarja," begins Shal, "I would only be able to conjecture as to the specific differences. From what I understand the basic pattern is the same, to a 90% or greater degree. However...."
"It's just like Al Amarja, but weirder," says Connie, interrupting
"How was my transport here effected, if you can tell me? I was in Customs and Immigration." He describes the interviewer. "It would be most useful to be able to travel to and from places such as this, if this place has, indeed, any independent existence."
"I am sure it is because Youladrlja wished to converse with you," Shal answers. "As to travelling back and forth at will - that seems highly unlikely. We have been seeking a way of doing just that for... but perhaps it would be best if Youlandrlja explained."
"I would be interested to know more about the two of you, my travelling companions. Are you normally residents of this place? What occupies your main interests in life?"
"My home is the planet Chid'8ntljkwq. I doubt you have ever heard of it, as it exists several thousand light years from your world and several dimensions over. Regrettably while traveling in the region of Youlandrlja my craft was disabled. I have been trapped here for around 5,000 of your years, give or take a few. As for my interests - I wish to die," says Shal.
Connie just shrugs.
Asinbet turns to her: "I, too, am a hunter, of sorts. I hunt for Meaning."
Connie shrugs once again.
Since they failed to reach an agreement concerning the opening of the puzzle box, KK feels that he better quit before he totally alienates both Shal and Connie. Instead he pays close attention to any answers that the two might bestow upon Asinbet.
The walk across "Al Amarja" Seems to take days, in some ways, hours in others, and in some ways takes only moments. Although the distance covered appears to be great (several kilometers at least) and both Asinbet and KK arrive physically tired, neither feels sleepy. Nor hungry. Nor in need of a rest room. The moons do not change position in the sky, though by the time they arrive one has vanished without anyone seeming to quite know where or when it went. The streets remain deserted, though there are occasional, furtive movements half seen in dark alleys, or in darkened windows.
The walk carries the pair from the slums of Great Men to the posh, expensive shops of the Plaza of Gold. Eventually they stand before the gleaming metal and glass building that, in that other Al Amarja, would be Swaps.
"Youlandrulja," says Shal, pointing at the doorway, "is waiting for you. Go in. We shall await you here."
"Right," nods KK in response. Before setting off towards the appointed doorway however, he eyes the windows of the shops in the area. Wouldn't be bad to score some formal attire while he's in the neighbourhood, and who knows where he'll end up after seeing this Youlandrulja?
Asinbet gives Shal and Connie a polite bow and turns to enter the building. Part of his mind is still wondering, that he can be so complacently accepting the utter strangeness of having apparently been translated across "dimensions". On the other hand, considering his own research, beliefs and insights, the Eastern concepts that reality is but an illusion are a mere starting point, for Asinbet. He muses about the name of Shal's place of origin, as he heads into the building.
There is, in fact, a rather exclusive looking men's wear shop nearby. The sign above the door is in an unrecognizable script. As KK ponders the clothing store, Asinbet walks through the double doors of the building.
Fighting his impulse to go stock up on fine clothing while he's got
the chance, KK decides to go with Shal's assumption that they'll see each
other again soon enough, and so he quickly follows Asinbet through the
double doors. "Better not make the powerful mystic wait longer than
necessary," he thinks to himself. KK has got a strong feeling that
he can't afford to botch this meeting.
Over by the gleaming doors to the elevators is a listing of the various offices to be found within the building. The listing covers a good chunk of the wall, and next to every office is the word "Yuolandrlja".
Deciding that, if the biological allusion is significant, he does not wish to be accused of constipated conversation, Asinbet decides to head to the top of the building. He presses the button to summon an elevator car.
KK enters the building just as Asinbet presses the elevator button (said button, despite vague biological overtones, feels just like an elevator button). The pair watches in silence as the numbers count down above the elevator door. At last the doors open.
GREETING
What echos around in the head of both KK and Asinbet is not the word
'greeting', but the concept, stripped of any linguistic overtone (save
any that they may choose to impart upon it).
To Be Continued...