New Players In The Pattern

[Aiden Finnegan]

Aiden snugged into Sage’s t-shirt, which was extra comfortable because it smelled like the man, and was lead out of the bedroom by the hand. Lasher was following obediently at their heels, tongue hanging out of the right side of his mouth and prancing like the prince that he was. The man known as Nox was back in the Dojo, doing some yoga pose or another; Aiden had practiced with his trainer every so often, but he never paid attention to the names (that was Rowan’s specialty.)

                Three small orbs of fairy fire sprang into life above Aiden’s head with a distinct ‘popping’ noise. He smiled at Nox’s recognition. It wasn’t that Aiden needed that acknowledgment, but it still pleased him from time to time. Part of him had been worried over making a good impression with Nox, despite the flippant way he had been acting earlier. This was the one person that he had a connection to that could possibly help him with his little… problem. Despite the fact that he was not wearing any pants to speak of, Aiden felt empowered over the recognition. The three balls of fire spun swiftly overhead at his pleasure.

                “Better call up my twin sister then, wherever she is lurking… Rowan always insisted she had a connection to the Otherworld. Me? I’ve always been partial to reincarnation. You must be Nox,” Aiden said with a broad smile on his face. That had not been his smoothest introduction, indeed, he started kicking himself immediately over the lightness with which he spoke of the dead; but there it was. Aiden was 100% Irish (well, a little French too) and raised in New Orleans, the spiritual epicenter of the United States. Taking all of that and Rowan’s past Voodoo ravings into account, well it shouldn’t have been a surprise that he spoke lightly on the subject.

                Aiden honored the dead with all his soul, but he knew there had to be something more out there. Death was just another aspect of life, a transition into the new. He wasn’t the religious type, no, more spiritual than anything. Reincarnation had been the only thing that had made sense to him. With all the déjà vu, the dreams, and all the other odd things that had happened in his life… It was safe to say that this was not the first time he had walked this reality.

                Aiden pointed up to the blazing orbs, “Word on the street is that you can help me with this Fairy Fire… Oh, and there are invisible hands that manifest too… I don’t know how to control any of it. The only thing I know is that both of those things respond to my emotions,” Aiden scratched at the back of his head and blushed a little, “It’s made life complicated. If you don’t want to help, no worries, man. Sage suggested I ask you and I haven’t met anyone else that can do these things… I hear there are people killing ‘us,’ and uh, I rather like being alive and all… So… Nice to meet you, by the way!” Aiden plastered that same goofy grin over his face as he looked at Nox.