Souls vs Blood 12

Souls vs Blood 12

"Klar, you had a car?!?!?!?!"
Alice was stunned and shocked standing outside her front door, gaping at the black and hot pink sports car in front of her porch.
"Had this parked somewhere a long time back. It works just fine though." *As long as I drive it* She thought to herself.
"WOW! This colour is... Striking!" Alice tried to find a word that wasn't negative sounding.
"Get in" Rebecca held the door open just like a gentle...lady.
"Klar, you look younger than me but just how old are you?"
"You wouldn't want to know. Hahh. Old enough to have a driving license that I promise you." *Though I never did take the test...* she thought to herself...
She shot off, warped off a few roads she knew Alice weren't familiar with and parked at the resting spot closest to the soul sucker portal. Rebecca bought Alice a Frappe in the cafe and got her to wait there. She went to the portal, and well, she couldn't go in but she could send her little pet in... The little pet was the same one that guarded Alice while Rebecca went to speak to Harold at this very portal a month back. It had fangs. It had ears like a dragon, wings like a bat, feet like a bird, hmm. She didn't really know what she created so she named him --

"Go in little mashup. Go in and sneak to the dungeon just as I told you to. You have the pass yeah?"
Mashup sticks the tip of his left wing in a pouch that looked like just skin a moment ago, pulls out a little device, and jangled it at Rebecca.
"Good thing (She didn't know if it was a girl or a guy...). Now off you go!"

Little Mashup have scuttled have glided to the dungeon entrance, zoomed past the moving pillars and flying objects, retrieved the little device from before, let it come into contact with a device at the dungeon entrance. The device did his thing and gave little Mashup invisible entry. No barriers were erected for Mashup. He used the device on a hub and retrieved Harold's position from the dungeon database. He then went into a corner to avoid detection and then used his wings to hold the device and look at the screen carefully, memorising the data. The moment he was sure he wouldn't forget, he nodded, chucked it back into his pouch and flew low, to the 6th floor. Harold and Johnathon were asleep by then.

*OUFF* Mashup landed on Harold. He jumped.
*Ouff Ouff OUff* Harold stirred. He jumped some more.
*OUFF OUFF OUFF*
"Ou Ou OUch!" Harold whispered and got up rather quickly.
"What's up man?" Johnathon turned but kept his eyes closed.
Little Mashup smiled at his work. He managed to wake his target. He used his left wing to exaggeratedly cover a cough, removed a tiny scroll from his pouch, and handed it with two wings, ceremoniously to Harold. When the scroll had been passed to Harold, he folded his wings, and puffed up his chest with pride.

Harold unscrolled the tiny scroll.

Come quick! Follow Mashup the little thing that woke you! Alice is waiting! Don't worry you can go straight back in to whatever level using Mashup. I've got access into the dungeon controls. Klar.

Damnit. thought Harold.
"Hey johnathon" Harold crouched and whispered into Johnathons ear.
"What the, don't do that!" Johnathon rubbed his ear irritatedly. It was itchy.
"I'll be back. You can start training without me if you want."
"What?" Before Harold could step away, Johnathon caught his wrist.
"No mate. I'm going with you."
"I'll be back real quick." Harold bargained.
They stare at each other.
"How are you going to --"
"I've got a way to get back to the 6th floor don't worry. I'll be back real soon."
"Don't disappear or die on me Harold. I won't let you. Won't let you off."
"Okay"
His wrist was loosened and he gave little Mashup a push which set it running. Harold ran off after it. They reached the wall of the dungeon, the little device came out again, did it's stuff, and a portal opened. Mashup jumped in, Harold followed.

"Hi~~~" Rebecca smiled and waved sweetly. In her goth pink outfit, it didn't really match...
"Hello."
"Follow me~"
Rebecca was excited about this. She wanted to watch their 'reunion'.

____________________________________________________________

The Frappe was melting. Alice was grabbing on to it with both hands. How would Klar know that Harold was coming here? Did they know each other before hand? Why didn't she mention it before? She did feel a bit disturbed but she did want to meet Harold again. He gave her fuzzy feelings. She didn't dislike it.
____________________________________________________________

"See that cafe over there?~"
"Yeah."
"Alice is inside.~"
Unlike James, Harold trusted Rebecca Klar so he went off without question.
Rebecca hid herself and stalked the couple.
____________________________________________________________

The bells on the top of the glass door jangled. Alice jumped and turned like a frightened bunny.
Harold noticed her fear. It was more of nervousness but he read it as fear.
Harold approached her slowly. Alice wished he walked faster.
"May I?"
Alice opened her mouth to say "sure", decided against it, closed her mouth and nodded.
Harold sat down opposite her.
Alice sucked her Frappe.
Rebecca couldn't stand the awkwardness. But she was enjoying herself.
Harold looked at her collar bone. Yeah. His mark was there. He replaced it.
Rebecca was hovering outside rolling in mid air laughing kicking her legs up and down and hugging her stomach.
The table put just about a meter between them. He was leaning back with his legs inwards to make sure he didn't absorb her soul again.
The Frappe was half gone.
"Is that nice?"
"Huh?" Alice didn't know what he was talking about.
"That drink."
"Oh!" Alice looked at her Frappe and noticed it was half gone. "It's..." She didn't know how it tasted like... She wasn't concentrating on it... "It's good." She didn't know what she was doing then she pushed the drink out to Harold while Harold pushed his chair back in response then she said, "try it!"
Harold waited until she retrieved her hand before reaching for the drink and sucking on the straw. He didn't taste it either. "Yeah. It's good."
Alice was relieved. Harold pulled his chair back in just in case Alice felt offended by his movement of avoidance. Alice was starting to warm up to Harold.
"So, where've you been?"
"Stuck somewhere. Gotta go back soon actually."
Alice was a bit disappointed.
"Who... "
Harold looked at her quizzically.
"Who are you?"
Harold's expression changed to one of resignation.
"Do you know me?" Alice continues to ask. Those were the same questions she asked the last time she thinks they met.
Harold thought, "She really doesn't remember what happened that night..."
Rebecca was bored. She decided this wouldn't do. She wasn't expecting skin ship, she didn't want Alice to die. But she did wanted them to talk a little more. Sigh. She summons Mashup again, gives it a little note, and  poured some blending in potion on the fella. People saw through him that way. He'd blend with whatever was behind or below him. It only worked on small things, and apparently Mashup was tiny enough.
The little note was slipped into Harold's hand that was hanging near the floor. He sneaked read it.

Talk to her about the glitter. She knows. Great Great Grandmother.

Harold scrunched up the little note and threw it at the invisible Mushup. Mushup wasn't very happy.

The Frappe is finished.

"You done?"
"hmm?"
"With the drink?"
Alice looks at her Frappe and notices it is gone.
"Yeah."
"Come with me."
Harold got up with a spin, and went towards the door. Alice jumped off her chair sending it loudly backwards before running towards Harold. Harold stopped, turned, and gave her a stop signal. Alice stopped.

"Keep yourself at least a meter away from me you got it?"
Alice nodded.
Harold continued on to the door, and because they were kinda apart, he didn't open the door for her, and Alice was a bit sad about it. Rebecca couldn't hover to follow them without being seen, so she unwillingly touched down and followed on foot.

This was soul sucker territory. It was right outside the portal, so all soul suckers that travelled to earth often usually knew this place best. Maybe even better than humans. When Harold and his gang were younger, they often came to the forest area behind the resting spot to play. There, on two of the taller but similar height trees, they had built a platform. It was actually only a small board that were supported by the branches of two trees, but they amplified the strength of the branches in their teens, as well as the size of the board. As a result, Harold could lay down with his full height on the platform with his hair touching one end and his heel touching the other. Rebecca was happy. Hidden by trees, she could hover again. She loved to hover.

After leading Alice to the right tree, Harold got her to climb it.

"Climb up."
"What?"
"Up the tree."
"But I've never climbed a tree in my life!"
"Don't worry. This tree is different."

Yeah well, Eunice was really bad with trees too. They could just hover up, but Eunice couldn't go so high with hovering. So she had to climb. They had to get the help of a senior to manipulate the tree so that it had branches that worked like sideway steps.

While Alice was hesitating, Harold decided to show her.
"Watch this."
He stepped on the lowest branch, which was the lowest branch that was ever on any of those trees. Then stepped on a slightly higher branch with his other leg, then he subsequently moved to the right, and almost halfway round the tree, he came back to the left. By then he was a quarter way up the tree. He didn't even need to use his hands.
Harold jumped off.

"Try it."

Alice rubbed her palms together and started with determination. When she reached where Harold had reached before, she turned to look at Harold to share her joy of reaching where he reached. Her eyes were shining and she was enjoying herself. Harold smiled back and started climbing.

Near the top, Alice reached the platform. She was amazed. Even Rebecca was a bit surprised. It was a rather nice spot. Just before he went on the platform, Harold signalled for a little help.

Mushup was sent, rather unwillingly, with an empty scroll and a minute pen.
Harold took it apologetically, and wrote, "pillow? cushion? Do you have any?"
Mushup returned to Rebecca in a jiffy. She rolled her eyes as a response to the note. "Who do you think I am?" She mouthed. But she produced two fluffy pillows and Mushup brought them to Harold. Threw it at him a bit at the end. He almost dropped one but managed to catch it. He threw them on the platform. He stuck his head up and gestured by nodding upwards for Alice to move to the end with a pillow. She obliged.
He sat on the other end and hugged the pillow.

"It's almost time" Harold said after a little moment of silence.
Rebecca took her eyes off the couple and looked up to the sky in anticipation.
Alice looked at Harold with a puzzled expression at first, then the sky began to come a light. Her eyes were locked to the sky.
The clouds had moved to expose a bright, almost half moon. Then, colourful lights started to dance about in the sky.
"What... What is this?" Alice was smiling in pure amazement.
"It's a little show I and my friends made quite a few years ago. It's actually lights in a tiny box that are projected and mirrored. Just like a kaleidoscope."
*That's probably the longest thing I've heard Harold say* thought Alice.
Well, Harold left out the part that it worked using the light reflected off the sun on the moon... and that the lights were not LED or florescent or anything like that but colourful light bugs. Like fireflies, just rainbow coloured... And that the box wasn't exactly a box but more like the light bug enclosure in the soul sucker realm... hmm... Oh well. It was a little complex but when they were kids they were arguing about something and trying out their own thing on the platform and it ended up mixing up to become this projection of the light bugs in the night sky. It could be seen as long as a soul sucker was on the platform. That was Harold. And as long as it wasn't a full moon. It wasn't. They watched they show for about 5 minutes. When I say they, I mean Alice and Rebecca. Harold's eyes were elsewhere... Somewhere one point two meters away from him... On a smile, an open mouth, wide barely blinking eyes, and hair flowing in the light breeze. The projection ended as the clouds came back to cover the moon.

Alice turned to comment about it to Harold and found him staring at her. The words she wanted to say were lost. She regained her composure in a few prolonged seconds.

"That was really really pretty."
"Yeah" [I think he means Alice]
"I've never seen anything like it. Is it natural?"
"Not really."
"It's amazing."
"Glad you like it."
Alice ran out of words.
Then she changed the topic.
"Will... Will I see you again?"
"Maybe."
"Why?"
Harold was stumped. Why should she meet him?
Rebecca was bored. She was itching to involve herself and make something happen.
Then she had an idea... it was almost turning morning... She took out a bottle of dry glitter...

Just before 12, Rebecca blew the top of the dry glitter bottle, sending glitter over the platform. Alice was really excited. She looked about jumpily but she knew it wasn't the same glitter because it didn't disappear.
Then Harold decided to use Rebecca's advise after all.

"Your glitter is prettier."
Alice pauses. "Sorry?"
"When you glitter. It's prettier than this."
"I... glitter?"
"You do."
"You've seen it?!?!" Alice was intrigued. Someone else knew about the glitter!
"Yes I have. Just once."
"Do you know what it is?" Alice gets her hopes up about finding out what the glitter really is in place of her grand ma"
"Barely. Not much." Harold tells a kinda white lie to avoid answering.
Alice loses her hope. "Oh well, at least I got to know that I have it too."
"Let's go." Harold starts on his descent. Rebecca collected her pillows once Alice let it go and skipped after Harold.
As she dusted the pillow Harold used a bit annoyingly, They reach the bottom of the tree.

"See you Alice.
"See you Harold."
Harold disappears.
*I finally managed to say my farewells successfully before he leaves...* thought Alice.
Before heading to the portal though, Harold approached Rebecca who handed him another chop to place his mark on. Mark placed. Rebecca also coaxes Mashup to follow Harold back into the dungeon. Mashup grudgingly does so, growling.
Rebecca waited for Alice at the ends of the forest area.

"Done?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go then!" Rebecca smiled and hummed as she led the way back to the car. *Harold wasn't so bad as a romanticist?* She thought.