Episode 2 Tourney | Willowsbi Enterprise

Tourney

By: Mavric Pendragon

The crowd was overly thick today as the game was about to start. People swarmed like ants around the concession stands and scurried about to find their seats. Everything was a blur, but then one particular woman caught his eye. His mind said he knew her from ages ago, but his gut told him he had never seen the brunette before in his life. She seemed to eclipse the flurry of activity around her. There was nothing about her appearance that made her stand out, but she had a presence that demanded his attention as an almost audible voice seemed to whisper in his ear to go talk with her. She approached him and fixed his uniform as she slipped an envelope and ticket into his coat's breast pocket. Unsure if what he was seeing was real he reached up to take her hand, but as he almost touched her, her form became like that of thousands of fireflies that scattered and faded away.

***

Earlier that day.

Phoebe moaned as she lay in her new king sized bed as the faint sound of banging could be heard in the early morning hours. Her soft silky eggshell blue sheets and warm white down comforter were so relaxing and soothing she could have slept most of the morning. Stretching her arms over her head and turning her wrists she tried to get up. She had not slept in a bed this comfortable in years, and now at some undignified hour of the morning someone was working on something and she wanted to put an end to it. It could not be neighbors, because Caspar owned all the land around the house she was in as far as the eye could see, but the fact was trivial in her eyes. Sliding out of bed Phoebe smoothed out her long white silk evening dress and made her way silently to the silver armoire and sat down in the white throne-like padded chair.

Before her the white marble counter with grey streaks in it had a silver brush and other intricate and ornate pieces on it for her to brush her hair and get ready. Behind the armoire was a large oval mirror with an ornate silver and white frame and silver wall sconces that were electric lights, but they looked like silver candles. Brushing her hair relatively quickly she then went to her closet and picked out an outfit that would work better for the street than this princess room. Slipping on a pair of black high waist solid pocket jeans, and wine purple military style button down shirt she reached for her dark brown captain lace-up style boots, and put them on. She was told to dress nice but at the same time she had to be ready to run as well as blend in if needed. Caspar Williowsbi had another assignment for her and her father Rorik.

Making her way to the dining room she heard more of the banging. By now she could hear more clearly where the sound was coming from. She was on the second floor of the house and as she descended the marble staircase to the first floor she could tell that the sound was coming from the basement. Whatever was going on she doubted it couldn’t wait until after breakfast, but she was glad it was not her problem to deal with. Her father and Caspar assured her that she was safe and they would take full responsibility for anything that took place in the house. If the noise was coming from outside they would have been off the hook, but because the sound was coming from within the four walls they claimed as their jurisdiction the nuisance was their problem and if not dealt with soon so would she be.

The dining room was just below the stairs with a view of the large stained glass double french door that was the main entry. The room had a golden empire chandelier in the center of the room above a large windsor court rectangular table set. On the walls were silver flor de lis on a white background in an alternating pattern going from the floor to the ceiling. On the side walls three silver wall sconces in the flor de lis pattern were on each side.

No one else was in the room, but Phoebe pulled up the chair closest to her and had a seat. She sat for a few seconds before she heard the scuffling of feet behind her. Turning she saw the 5’8” honey skinned assistant of Caspar Willowsbi shuffling about. He seemed to be lost in thought as he scuttled about looking for something.

“Natu, what’s taking so long!?” Phoebe heard her father bellow from another part of the house. “Mavric told you where to find the tools.”

Natu shook his head. He was better than this. How could the newest of the three new rookies outdo him this early on. Wringing his hands together he nibbled at his knuckles as he tried to think. Mavric had told him exactly where to find the tools he needed, but despite his best efforts Natu could not seem to find them. Getting frustrated he walked out of Phoebe’s line of sight, before finding what Marvic told him and then descending down into the basement. The wooden basement steps creaked as Natu descended too fixated on his task to notice Phoebe.

Left alone again Phoebe waited a few seconds to see if anyone would come into the dining room before heading in the direction Natu disappeared in. Finding the ominous and foreboding hole in the wall that looked more like a yawning mouth with the wooden steps looking more like the bones of a throat than stairs. She wanted breakfast first, but whatever was going on in this pit called to the men she wanted to dine with. Descending into the depths of the pit others would call a basement she went down what should have been two stories into the earth. There was very little light along the way and she had to run her hand against the wall to keep herself oriented, but soon she came to the end of the stairs and could see the faint glow of several lamps illuminating the begging phases of a collection of bookshelves that would become Mavric’s work space. Natu and Rorik where constructing the thick oak bookshelves on one end of the room while Mavric was dragging bins around. Caspar was seated at an elaborate wooden desk setting up a banker’s desk lamp with a dark green glass top.

“Phoebe, glad to see you are awake.” Caspar greeted catching a glimpse of her in his peripheral vision. “Pardon the wake up call of our bumblings. We thought we could get everything down here much quieter.”

Phoebe shook her head. The two in charge of these four walls were hunched over in a pit in what was supposed to be a Place for No One. Upstairs there was no one on duty and security was pushed to the side because Mavric needed help settling in.

“Who is guarding this place if I was asleep and the rest of you are down in this pit?” She poked.

Rorik banged his hand against the edge of the bookshelf he was building as his screwdriver slipped. Yelping from the pain he flicked his wrist to shake it off.

“Then we’ll head out to Boston right after breakfast.” He huffed, “I’m done building bookcases for a while.”

Standing erect he put both hands on his lower back and leaned backwards before reaching for his grey ball cap. Dusting it off he affixed it to his head and made his way towards his daughter.

“Sorry for waking you.” He whispered as he kissed her atop the head.

Almost on cue the others put down their projects and everyone filed upstairs to the dining room. Everyone that is except Caspar. For being the one who was in charge he preferred to treat the others as his guests and not his minions. Yes he needed them to do things that he couldn’t, but there was always a legitimate reason for not doing something. For instance, if he tried to move Mavric’s boxes or coiled up assembling furniture he would be in the hospital at the moment. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but rather because his body refused to work in that manner any longer. He was getting up there in age and with a group like this, his financial support was more important than his physical support.

Entering the large spacious kitchen Caspar made his way around the ornately carved dark wood island as he brushed his hand across the black marble top. He reminisced about the kitchen. Everything was dark. The appliances were all black and the walls were covered in dark wooden paneling. Where recess lighting was now dark panels covered them. Only a lone light illuminated the room, and that was an all black fixture that looked like it belonged in a cave rather than a kitchen.

It wasn’t always like this. Once there were gold flor de lies on the walls with silver lines going floor to ceiling on a white background. Everything was either white or glass. There were recess lights all over that would change color depending on Kathleen’s mood. She loved how light the kitchen felt and how inviting it seemed. When darkness took his wife’s life so it also took her favorite place in the house. There were always flowers on the island and music filled the air.

Now the light of the fridge was the brightest light and the hum of the refrigerator the only music. Taking out eggs, and milk, and other ingredients from the fridge Caspar closed the door. Expecting everything to go dim again he was surprised when a steady glow remained. His heart leapt as he felt the warmth of the glow, but then it faded as someone moved by the kitchen door.

“Caspar, do you need a hand?” Natu hollered, frightening the figure in the doorway away.

“No, I’m good!” He called back, saddened that the presence he felt left the doorway.

Whipping up a couple of omelets he plated them and brought them out for the others. Everyone ate rather quickly and then Rorik and Phoebe headed out. They needed to be in Boston relatively quickly so they could be in Gillette Stadium for the afternoon soccermatch. Getting into the latest version of cherry red spider Ferrari with the top down the two of them set off on their adventure. As they went the passed several covered flatbed trucks with Caspar Willowsbi's logo faintly visible on the sides.

It took several hours to reach Boston, but once they arrived and parked it was time to come up with a plan. Rorik wanted to discuss it on the way in, but Phoebe wanted to enjoy the time with her dad and see how he was doing.

“The man we need to speak with is named Beniah Laserwolf.” Rorik began as they were walking through the parking lot. “We need to engage him without causing a scene.”

“Leave that to me.” Phoebe smirked. “Just stay close in case things go south.”

Rorik rolled his eyes as he reached into his silver windbreaker’s breast pocket. Pulling out three tickets and a letter in a dark brown envelope with a golden W in the center of the front.

“Fine, leave me in the dark,” He jabbed, tapping her on the right arm with all but one of the tickets. “These might help you not make a scene as you put your plan in action.”

Phoebe snatched the tickets and envelope from her father’s teasing grasp.

“Spot him before half time.” She ordered, “I’ll make my move then.”

With that the father, daughter duo assimilated into the throng of fanatics that gathered around them. The crowd was thick which meant that most of the employees would be either on high alert or overwhelmed with the activity. Phoebe was betting on the second one and was prepared to make sure she was right. Making her way through the crowd she began to fill her father in on her plan. Establishing a stronger telepathic link then they usually had the duo began to chat without words.

“Using only mental abilities we can make it in and out undetected.” Rorik informed.

“Noted, when the target is spotted I will leave a pheromone trail that will draw him to us.” Phoebe explained. “Then using illusions I will give him the ticket and letter before breaking the illusion. You be his conscience and tell him everything is ok and to follow where I lead.”

“How do we get him out unnoticed?” Rorik asked.

“I will mask him to look like you and you change your appearance to look like him.” Phoebe explained, “I will bring him back to the car, you meet us there.”

“Seems tight,” Rorik praised, “Good job my light.”

Phoebe nodded her head and flashed a quick smile, she liked it when her father let her come up with the plans, and liked it even more when he praised her for it. Reading her ticket and the other one she was carrying she made her way to her seat. As she wandered about she noticed that her father had vanished into the crowd. The hunted became the hunter. Amidst the growing throngs of people there was one other like them. All they needed to do was find them. Looking about for anyone that matched Caspar’s description of the man Phoebe found many security guards, but not the one Caspar referred to. Frustrated that she couldn’t find him on her own, Phoebe found her seat and then went up to the concession stands where her father was buying popcorn.

Coming up very frustrated she didn’t see the man she was truely seeking. On duty in the concession area behind where they were seated Beniah Laserwolf loomed. He was a towering mountain of a man, clean shaven with a black flat top haircut. His broad shoulders and toned arms and legs made him huge, but it was because the man was all lean muscle. Silently he walked about patrolling his area. He had gone down this corridor many times in the past and had been security for many tournaments, but he wanted to see his team win and not just hear about it. Watching hyper fans walk by painted their team colors or wearing team jerseys he wanted to be one of them, but he was on work and work required a different uniform.

Coming up almost behind her father, Phoebe brooded behind him. Rorik paid for his popcorn and turned to leave bumping into her. Catching her and his popcorn he leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

“He’s about 100 yards from us.” He hissed, helping her to her feet. “I’ll bring my popcorn to my seat, you do a walk by and start getting him to notice you.”

Phoebe looked into her father’s eyes as he moved them quickly to his left before apologizing once more as he vanished again. Left alone once more Phoebe did as she was told. Leaving a pheromone trail that would cause her to consume his thoughts she made her way past him and disappeared into the ladies’ room. Her target was sighted and charmed, now she needed to stay focused. She had not been in a crowd this large before and it was beginning to get to her. Knowing she only had to stay long enough to pull off getting Beniah introduced to Willowsbi’s Enterprise she reviewed her plan before leaving the bathroom and heading to her seat. She planned on engaging him on her way.

Making herself invisible while also making an illusion of herself she followed in her own image with the letter and ticket in hand. She had his attention, and that terrified her more than anything. Beniah was pretty close to where she left him because he was now bound to her trail. She did not know if he was a Potenthros or a member of “None Among Us” and that terrified her.

Beniah’s mind tried to stay on his job. He wanted to be alert and ready for anything but his mind couldn’t shake the image of the woman he saw. He typically didn’t get this caught up about a lady, but this girl changed his world in an instance. She had only walked by, she didn’t talk to him, didn’t smile, didn’t do anything that he could perceive to draw his attention, but he couldn’t get her out of his head. Any burnet now caught his eye and he felt like he would go crazy.

Phoebe reappeared behind a column and made her way back to her seat. She did not know how her father had helped yet but she knew he at least was the one that made the spectacular exit. She was too nervous in the instant to do anything like that, but he had been very calm and collected in this place. Getting back to their seats she saw her father appeared to have nodded off as he was slouched down in his seat with his grey ball cap covering his face. She knew he was up to something, but the way he went about things like this he only appeared to be asleep. As she sat next to him she reached for his hand. It was icy cold to the touch, grey and felt lifeless, but as she held it, it began to grow warm and regained its color. Almost as if he awoke, Rorik moved his other hand and grabbed the bill of his ball cap.

“How do you think it went?” He asked sleepily.

“I doubt he will come before he is relieved, but I could be wrong.” She replied looking forward as if she was actually interested in the game that was starting.

Rorik sat up and cracked his neck. He hated going limp in conditions like this, but anywhere else and for much longer and he would have seriously gathered attention.

“What about the show, my light?” He asked.

“The game is ok.” Phoebe replied, “Your display was a nice touch, and seeing you here before you returned explains a lot.”

With that there was no more conversation about Beniah as they watched the game. Rorik downed a large soda and the entire thing of popcorn before half time and Phoebe tried to enjoy the game. She was not very comfortable with so many people around, but she was with her father and should Beniah prove to be a Potenthros and on their side she began to see better what Caspar Willowsbi was building, but she needed more proof before she would be at peace.

At the start of half time when everyone else was swarming about Beniah saw Rorik and Phoebe sitting and talking to one another. They were next to the seat he held the ticket for and she was still both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Making his way to them the crowd around him seemed to go silent. It was as if it were just the three of them, though it felt like he was talking to a dream more than a person. Making his way down to them he opened the envelope he was given and read the invitation one more time. He liked his job here at the stadium, but this opportunity he read about seemed too good to pass up and he wanted to go for it. He had been here for years, but he was never allowed to be himself at work and his family didn’t appreciate his powers either. This seemed to be his chance to get out of here. It was a good job, but hiding your powers from the “None among us” group as they grew bolder in the stadiums made working here a fine line to walk and he would enjoy the opportunity to not have to hide so much.

As Beniah made his way over to them Rorik stopped all conversation and gave a slight nod. It was subtle, but enough for Phoebe to notice that Beniah was coming in behind her. Sitting in his ticket’s assigned seat Beniah introduced himself. The noise of the crowd seemed to vanish as Beniah spoke.

“What is this business proposition?” He asked.

“We need a security guard for an estate.” Rorik informed. “And he needs higher qualifications than most. Our employer wants a team of individuals that are particularly gifted and believes you have some manifestation of this that makes you qualified.”

“Your salary will be double what you make here and there will be less people present at least in the beginning.” Phoebe continued. “The facility is still in the works, but we have an office for you to work out of along with living quarters.”

Beniah liked the idea of working in more of an office environment instead of always being outmanned and out maneuvered, and it sounded more like working from home which was an interesting detail.

“Where is this place?” He asked.

“Several hours out.” Rorik explained, “We are not at liberty to tell you exactly where until we are on our way; however.”

“And how will I leave here and get there?” Beniah asked.

“We will leave after the game.” Rorik explained. “Our employer will take care of any details to make sure things are wrapped up here and your possessions would be moved within a day or two. He does not like loose ends.”

"Will I be able to keep in touch with my family?" Beniah asked.

"Absolutely, though your exact location may need to be kept a secret." Rorik said, "Our employer hasn't told us everything yet."

Satisfied enough with the questions that immediately came to mind Beniah went back to his post and waited for the game to end. Once the game was over the three of them met up in the parking lot. Caspar's informants took care of an alibi for Beniah and the three of them headed off back to Caspar Willowsbi's enterprise Phoebe and Rorik in their car with Beniah following behind in his. It was the start of a new adventure for Beniah and now Willowsbi Enterprise was a safer place to call home.