The Antiquity Shop down the Street

Skapii entered the shop, really quietly. She sat at the counter and looked at Agamemnon, speaking very low… Barely a whisper. “Hi Agamemnon.” 

He didn’t even look at her as he answered. “Greetings, Skapii.” Only after he started staring at her deeply. She stared back at him, straight in the yes, intimidated but not moving from an inch. A long silence followed the staring contest. She added shyly, still in a low whisper, barely audible. “How are you ?”

He didn’t answer, went back to work and focused on his writing. She started melting on the spot, jellifying. Opened her mouth to speak, closed it immediately. What if he was mad ? Oh god. Maybe he hated her. Maybe she shouldn’t have shown up today. Maybe he was upset ??

He stopped her flow of bad thought. “You forgot this last time.” The sphinx delicately put a customized pen in front of her. She grabbed it feebly, and inspected it. Nodded softly and put it away.

A customer arrived, and Agamemnon left the counter to help them, letting Skapii sitting alone. She kept on overthinking for a while, until she decided she wouldn’t let this consume her from within. She tried to distract herself, and her wandering eyes settled down on the thing Agamemnon was writing.

She grabbed the sheet of paper and started reading it slowly. It was a poem. She didn’t have that much of an affinity with poesy… Nor did she understand everything. But it did sound pretty nice and pleasant to read.

She got interrupted mid reading by Agamemnon’s hands grabbing her shoulders. She jumped in surprise, squeaked in fear and let go of the paper sheet. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t add anything, simply picked up the sheet and sat back at the counter, vaguely looking at her.

She looked about to cry.

“Skapii, are you okay ?” She shrugged and looked down at her feet. He made a pout. “Tell me if you need anything, I guess. If it’s not too annoying, I might even provide, who knows.”

She nodded and stayed there for a moment, silently and without a movement. She then grabbed some paper and started writing and doing some origami, paper folding.

She handed a little letter shaped thing to the sphinx and waited. He absolutely didn’t open it. She tapped her fingers on the table, nervously, hoping to catch his attention. Eventually, after a moment, he looked at her aggressively pointing at the little folding work.

He grabbed it carefully and opened it to reveal the message she wrote inside. “Are you mad at me?” He looked down at her again, raising an eyebrow. She looked scared. 

“No, I’m not.”, he whispered. He then made a little break. Focused on the customer who went to pay for their new purchase.

Once they left, he looked at Skapii, with his usually stern expression but a slightly softer tone than usual. “Do you need anything ?” She shook her head, and kept shaking it a few seconds after. “Hey.” She stopped, looked up at him all scared and nervous. “Tell me what’s up. Enjoy these 2 minutes of me being in the mood to listen.”

She didn’t answer right away, but did start to whisper softly at some point. “I’m tired…” He nodded. “Keep going.” She obliged, docilely. “It’s not going too well at the orphanage…”

“What’s going on at the orphanage ?” She shrugged and made a face. “They’re mean with me.” He didn’t add anything and let her continue. “I feel bad and I feel like... I’ll never be happy again ?...”

“You’re still young. It’s gonna be okay.” She looked at him and rubbed her cheek. “I’m too young. I have to wait 2 more years before I can leave the orphanage by my own…” He tilted his head, just a bit. “Someone will adopt you. Don’t worry.” She stuck her tongue out, made a face and held back some tears. “No one wants a teenager, being a monster doesn’t help either…” He cracked a slightly sadder expression.

“They keep… they bully me y’know. So I just stay alone.” He kept listening. “All the time.” He nodded a bit. “And I don’t like talking too much but it’s nice to be around people still sometimes when they’re not dangerous.” She rubbed her face and sniffled. “It’s nice to be here.”

He stood up and passed by the counter to sit by her. She looked up at him and kept rubbing her face. He patted the top of her head and she immediately melted into his arms.

He jumped in surprise, tensing up with this little child burying her face into his chest, but sorta accepted his fate. He patted her back awkwardly. She seemed to calm down slowly.

After a short while, she pulled away from his embrace and avoided his eyes. “I hope you feel better.” She opened her mouth, but he cut her short. “I’m gonna get upset if I had to hug someone for nothing.” 

She pouted aggressively and gave him an bitter glare. “You’re an asshole !!” He shrugged just a tiny bit, and blew some air from his nose in a pouty manner. “Language.” She answered by cringing. “You’re mean and you don’t deserve to have any friend.” He smiled with the most bitter, sarcastic expression. “You’ll be glad to know I actually do not have any friends.”

She just started drumming on the counter with her tiny fist. He just stared at her, outrageously relaxed, and added. “Beside, I don’t really see the point of you, the lonely kid, to insult me in any way linked to my lack of friends.” Her jaw dropped, but she didn’t lose all of her composure either.

“I told you I – What’s wrong with you ??” She curled up on her chair and hid her face. “Why are we arguing ?? I even told you I like being here and it feels nice and now you’re just being mean, and I’m being mean in return.”

He looked away and pouted, actually not feeling as good as a few seconds before. Actually, was he even feeling good to start with ? What exactly was the reward he was getting from being mean to a kid who seemed to like him to some extent ?

A customer entered the shop – busy day it seems – and Agamemnon left the counter to go and help them find what they needed. After a few minutes, they managed to find what they wanted, went to the counter to pay. They gave a warm smile and a little “hello” to Skapii, but she just stared at them with a neutral expression and didn’t answer.

They left quickly, letting the sphinx and the griffin alone together again.

“Sorry.” Skapii looked up at the antique dealer, surprised by this – for the less – unexpected apologize. “I don’t wanna accept your apologizes. I don’t have to.” She seemed to try to convince herself. He answered calmly. “You don’t have to accept these, but that won’t prevent me from letting you know I’m sorry.”

Long pause. She whispered, really low. “Why are you sorry ? I thought you just enjoyed being mean.”

He shrugged. “Let’s say I’m reconsidering some things, and I’m not sure I understand what’s rewarding about being mean to you. At least after you told me you enjoy being here.” She nodded softly. Added in a whisper: “Okay”. She made another break before she kept going. “Thanks.”

He sat at the counter, in front of her, and started writing again. As another apologize, he tried to keep the conversation going in what he hoped to be a bit more casual. “Why did you get scared when I interrupted you during your reading of this ?” He pointed at his poems.

“You just looked upset ever since I arrived. But I think that’s just you. You got the worst temper.” He nodded, with a little pout. “That’s extremely right.” 

She leaned against the counter, her cheek resting on the surface of the piece of furniture. “I don’t know anything about poems but yours sound pretty good. I think so at least.” His expression didn’t change. “Thank you.” She kept looking at him. “Why did you start writing these ?”

He shrugged a bit, dusted off his paper. No sounds were to be heard, nor from the friction of his hand against the white surface or from his pen on the sheet. “It passes time. Creative activities are also really rewarding.” She perked up with a big smile, talking a bit louder. “Yes !! I love creative things !! I do art and craft it’s really cool !!” 

He glared at her. “SCHH.” She apologized silently and grabbed a piece of paper, folding it neatly. She whispered. “You really don’t like noises.”

He waited for a minute. “No I don’t.” She looked up at him with a rather neutral expression. “It’s okay. I understand.” Long pause, she kept on folding her piece of paper. “I don’t like loud noises either. It’s nice here because it’s really really quiet.”

“I make sure it is.” She nodded a bit. Before she looked up at him with an interrogative expression. “There aren’t even little noises.” He shrugged. “There aren’t.” She frowned and pouted. “How do you do it ? I wanna do that too.”

“I have quiekinesis.” She stopped for a minute. “Oooh. Okay.” Went back to her folding. Waited some more. “And what’s that ?” 

He looked at her calmly. “Not really a skill, but more likely a gift I got from my birth. The power to control silence.” 

“Holy shit.” He frowned. “Language.” She cringed. “Dearest turd.” He looked at her, completely done. “I appreciate the effort of rewording it when I ask you to, but do you have to make it sounds like that ?”

“Yes.”

He shrugged, accepted this and kept on writing until she carefully put a piece of origami on this sheet of paper. He looked up at her, perplexed. She made a face. “It’s for you !! Take it.” He grabbed the thing carefully. It looked like… “A paper flamingo ?” She nodded. “I think you’re a flamingo. You’re very pink. Your wings, they look like flamingo wings.”

“… Thank you. You’re pretty decent at origami work.” She smiled very bright. “Thank you !!” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll keep it if you want.” She nodded with energy. “I’m glad you like it enough.”

Cute.

“Shouldn’t you be doing homework ?” She nodded again, quietly, and grabbed her stuff. “Thank you for giving me back my special pen.” She looked up at him, with a neutral but pretty soft expression. “You’re welcome.”

She started working calmly. He kept on writing, and helping the customers that entered the shop. When 5pm rang, Skapii started putting away her supplies.

She left quietly, without a word, but did wave goodbye at the sphinx. 

He was honestly starting to feel bad being rude with her all the time.