Investigation IV
You mull the decision over for a moment, leery about the prospect. Sure, there’s no harm in learning more - or, at least, you tell yourself that much - but you don’t know what to expect if you continue seeking out more information.
But as you stand there on all fours, thinking, you honestly feel like you’ve come this far enough. Might as well pursue it further, since you don’t have anything else to do (and really, could you just up and leave this subject behind without finding out the rest of what there was?).
You know your answer, either way. ‘I don’t mind. I’ve learned this much, I may as well find out more.’
‘I agree,’ Ali says. ‘You can’t just start to drop all this juicy information on us, then cut us off before you get to the good part!’
The two djinn chuckle at this.
“Fair enough,” Akam says. “Then, let it be so.”
“The djinn who lives within this vase is named Alajeem,” Shira replies. She crosses her arms and snorts. “Back in the day, he was a nasty pain in the ass to deal with. Not the worst djinn, I suppose, but I never really cared for his damnable ego. Always trotting about like he thought he was ‘hot shit’ as you humans would say.”
‘Do you both know him?’ you ask, your eyes flicking to Akam.
Akam gives a slight shrug. “Not as much as I know Shira, personally, but yes, I’m acquainted with our fellow djinn here.” His lips twitch, a smile tugging at one corner. “You’ll find most of us know one another in some way. There are rare instances when two djinn haven’t met, but usually even in those cases, those two would know one another’s name. We’re that sort of species.”
‘Jeez,’ Ali says. ‘How old ARE you guys, anyways?’
Shira laughs. “My sweet, we are so very, VERY old. I dare say that mere words alone wouldn’t do justice to how long we’ve existed in your realm.” She winks. “Either way, pay that no mind. I know enough about this asshole here,” she spits down at the ground near the vase, “to comfortably state what he’s like. I don’t know that age has done anything to deter his personality, however. Haven’t spoken with Alajeem in over seven hundred years, maybe longer.”
‘Wow,’ you think. ‘That’s just… wow. That’s a lot to think about.’
“I’d heard quite a bit about him from a few other djinn,” Akam says. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find out the rumors and whispers were true.”
“Ridiculously true,” Shira says. She glances down at the vase, her features molding into a rather amused expression. “It’s been quite a long while since I’ve last seen or spoken to him, hasn’t it, Alajeem? How have the past few centuries treated you, hmm? Have you learned your lesson, or do you still consider yourself to be the best thing around, I wonder?”
There’s a pause. You frown at the tone she’s using.
‘Wait,’ Ali says. She steps up and glances down at the vase. ‘He can hear us?’
“Oh, most certainly,” Shira says, and she rolls her eyes. “It may not seem like it, but we can hear, see, and sense all that’s within our surroundings at any given time whenever we’re in our abodes. This fool,” she gestures to the vase, “has heard everything we’ve said, and seen everything, too. No doubt he’s had a lovely view of the ground for who knows how long. Why, his vase looks like it hasn’t been touched by a new master in a millenia!”
Akam nods along to this. “It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s been that long. Perhaps even longer.” He shrugs. “Time is a strange creature to us, as I feel I’ve said before.”
You look to Ali. ‘What do you want to do next?’
Ali’s eyes flash with a perplexed look. ‘I mean, I’m loving all this new, exciting genie lore. But, I admit, I don’t know.’ She turns to Shira. ‘Shira, is there any rules against speaking to a genie if we aren’t their chosen Master?’
“No, my dear,” Shira replies. “No rules exist that prevent us from communicating with one another - it just isn’t something that happens often since we djinn don’t cross paths normally.”
‘Could he do… um, anything?’ you ask. ‘Like put a curse one of us?’
“No, not at all,” Shira says, firmer now. “That much we guarantee.”
“Though it should be noted,” Akam says, “that if we do decide to speak to him, he cannot manifest very far beyond the vase. Because the two of you are already working with myself and Shira, he has no Master to claim him, thus, he has no means of staying ‘out’ of his vase for long. Ah, but, yes, Master.” He smiles at you. “No need to worry. He’s unable to do anything to any of us.”
You feel a little relieved by this knowledge.
‘Could be fun,’ AIi remarks to you. ‘I’m game for whatever, though, so I’ll let you be the one to decide. Doesn’t bother me if you want to keep this guy in his vase, or if you think it’d be cool to chat with him. If he’d even want to chat.’
Shira scoffs. “With how long he’s been cooped up in the vase, I imagine the fool would be a little thankful for some actual company. Wouldn’t you. Alajeem?”
“Don’t mock the fool more then he’s already been so degraded,” Akam says, his tone one of obvious playfulness.
There’s a moment of silence as you begin to ponder whether or not you want to SPEAK to the djinn in the vase. You suppose you may as well proceed since you’ve already started, right? But before you get any further, you pause - in fact, both you and Ali seem to notice something at the same time, because your nostrils flare as an unfamiliar scent reaches you.
You sniff the air. ‘What’s that?’
Ali grunts. ‘I don’t know, but it stinks.’
You turn your heads toward the source of the smell, and after a moment longer, you begin to feel like you ‘know’ what the source is. Then, as your mind races, Alice lets out a quiet noise and shifts to eye you.
‘It’s a person,’ she says. ‘Someone’s coming this direction.’
Your eyes flick to Akam. ‘Did the magic mask you put on me so I looked like a normal dog wear off?’
“Yes, Master,” Akam replies. “You and Ali both appear as wolves.”
‘What do you want to do, Ali?’ you ask her. ‘I don’t know what sort of person is coming this way, but…’ You look down at the vase, and at the obvious hole you and Ali dug up. ‘We might want to, I dunno, take the vase, too, right?’
‘We could hide, yeah,’ Ali replies. ‘Or we could stand our ground and just see what it is we’re dealing with. As far as the vase goes, would it be bad to leave it? I mean, if the person ends up with Alajeem as a Master…’
The two djinn appear conflicted.
“It’s up to you two what you think is best,” Shira replies. Her frown makes it clear she isn’t keen on the idea of leaving the vase, however. “What do you want?”
You start to think - what do you want to do?
Written by Hollowpages on 11 December 2020
