Entry 7 - Chantelle and Nova

It was turning evening as Martin walked down the street. He had parked his car about two blocks down in a "public lot" (though not really public), and could see his destination in sight.

He turned the corner into the alleyway of the closed curio shop. This was the shop Chantelle worked during the day, but it wasn't his destination. Further in was a staircase leading down. At the end was a nondescript, door, dark mahogany, with a little black plaque that said 'open'. To the right of the door was a green neon sign that read 'Nova', simple with a star replacing the 'o'. He walked in, a quiet bell sounding his arrival and the sound of a simple melody entered his ears, though he wasn't knowledgeable enough to know by whom.

"Welcome back, Martin," was said, and he looked at Chantelle who sat lounged against the bar. Her long tobacco pipe sat delicately in her hand as smoke curled from it. Her talisman glowed in the dim lighting.

"You say that like I'm not here to work," he said, as he walked towards the back of the bar. Chantelle gave a serene smile.

"It feels wrong not to greet you, though."

"Is that you trying to be polite, or being human?"

"Can't it be both?"

Normally, Martin wouldn't be so casual in his address of a fellow Eldritch, but there was no one else here yet. Besides, none of the members were human to begin with. Very few humans were allowed in the bar. Only those who were trusted and were deemed Guests for that night.

The bar itself was similar to most other bars he'd seen humans frequent, but because it was a basement there were no windows. Any non-members and non-guests, human or not, were turned away. The only way to become a member was to get Chantelle's approval, and it was hard to get. This was a safe place for all that came, and she made sure of that. It was one of the reasons Martin decided to work here, seeing as it was hard to hold a human job (not counting the bookstore), and the pay was decent. He took off his jacket and put it into the nearby closet.

"I don't know why you don't just shift here. It would be so much easier. It's too close to be a risk to your guise."

"I'd rather not chance a human seeing me."

"We're in an alley, Martin."

"Can still happen."

That, and he enjoyed doing mundane human things. He wasn't ashamed of being an Eldritch, but he felt just a little closer to the dad his sons saw him as.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I have some unfortunate news," Martin said later as they finished setting up the bar. In about another ten minutes Parker would arrive for his shift.

"Yes, Martin?"

"You remember Cross? The ACE agent?"

"Oh," her voice had a teasing lilt, "You mean the human you fancy?"

Despite his openness about his attraction, he still found himself blushing.

"Yes. Him. Um, well," He hesitated, unsure how Chantelle would take the news. She noticed and stopped to look at him.

"What is it?"

"Cross has found out about you and the others that know about me." Thankfully, all she did was sigh.

"I told you to be careful."

"I know. He had said the same."

"Good to know we're on the same wavelength." The joke was light, but that could mean anything with Chantelle.

"I'm sorry. I really am."

"At least you let me know."

Neutral. Good territory to be in. Then her countenance turned serious.

"Can he be trusted, Grimoire?"

Martin stiffened. He didn't answer.

"Grimoire?"

"That's not my name." They stared at each other. Chantelle, fairly relaxed, while Martin's stance was rigid. A stalemate for all of ten seconds, before Chantelle backed down.

"Can he be trusted, Martin?" There was exasperation, but also a slight twitch in the corner of her lips.

He relaxed.

"Yes. I don't think he'll involve ACE."

"He's an ACE agent, Martin."

"He's also Cross."

This startled a laugh from her.

"Coming from you, that's good enough."

There was the jingle of the bell and they turned to see a head of curly brown hair poke in.

"I'm not late, am I?" Parker asked. Chantelle didn't bother to look at the clock, still in a decent mood.

"Worry not, Parker. You're just in time."

~~~~~~~~~~

The night was in full swing in a matter of an hour. Chantelle was casually chatting with the patrons, while Martin and Parker were busy with the bar and drinks. Parker handled the food. Chantelle wouldn't let him touch the kitchenette.

"Martin, can you give these to Mr. Norman?"

"Sure." Martin took the fries and chips and made his way quickly to the rather large Mr. Norman. His cheeks were already pink from his drink and was cheerful as Martin set down his food.

"Wonderful! You're a good man, Jones."

"Thank you."

"You should have a drink with me."

"I'm on the clock, sir."

"You work too hard, Jones. You need a drink." Norman's companion, Niel, gave him an apologetic smile. Martin made an 'it's fine' gesture before he scurried away. While the bar was loud with laughter and light arguments, it was comfortable to Martin. The atmosphere was jovial and it reminded Martin of nights when Seth had both Richter and Jole over, maybe even Carlos would bring Spencer. They'd spend the entire night playing games, talking, or playing with the pets and it brought life into the house.

There was life here. It felt wonderful after so long of the opposite.

McKenzie was complaining about a stray cat on his porch, but everyone knew he'd be buying cat food tomorrow as he'd done for the last three strays that happened upon his home. Shelly's husband had brought home more diorama kits and their display cabinet was full. Esther's sister wanted to visit, but she was worried her new flytrap would scare her (never mind that she got it from her home dimension). Holmes chatted with Kirk, drunkenly explaining to Kirk how they couldn't solve their newest jigsaw puzzle while Kirk was trying to get advice about joining a gym without revealing he's not human. Kirk liked socializing.

If it wasn't for the odd wording and sentence here and there, every Eldritch would appear human from conversation alone. Some of them have had their human guises longer than Martin, some less.

He returned to the bar just as Parker went to put down a drink.

"I think Mr. Norman might need less strong drinks."

"Already?" Parker looked both amused and miffed. Martin laughed.

"Apparently." Parker sighed, but still made a note on his hand for later. He was a good kid. He had only had his human guise for about six months. He still had trouble keeping the guise up, so worked both the bar and in Chantelle's curio shop until he could hold it better, much like Martin did.

Which is why when Martin went to grab a drink from the top shelf and dropped it, he wasn't surprised by the way Parker lashed out and he went sliding across the floor.

Silence permeated. Parker looked shocked by his own reaction then made a sound like a deflating balloon.

"Oh, dear Voids! I'm so sorry Martin!" Martin just laid there as Parker fussed over him, letting the other get it out of his system.

Then the room burst into laughter.

"Holy shit!" Kirk wheezed, "You actually knocked down Martin!"

"Damn kid! You're lucky he's nice!" Was Shelly's howling laughter.

Everyone else made variations of the same comments while Mr. Norman laughed so hard his head was on the table and he visibly vibrated. Parker was still panicking and Chantelle walked over. She bent over with a gleam to her eye and a smirk on painted lips.

"You still alive?" She asked and Martin gave a thumbs up.

~~~~~~~~~~

Martin sighed as he stepped out, his shift over.

His cheek was still sore from Parker's hit, and the poor boy had kept apologizing every time he handed Martin someone's order. It didn't help when Martin knocked over a glass and Parker had knocked the wind out of him. This was why he was the one who worked with him the most. He was durable enough and reasonable enough that he wouldn't tear a limb off of him.

He had decided that he wasn't going to mention Cross to Parker, as his panic would probably put Jole's to shame (he loved the boy like another son, but he had his moments).

It was nearly two when he checked his phone, and sighed as he realized he'd have to walk all the way to his car.

He then remembered Chantelle's mention of shifting and decided, screw it. He was tired after one of Parker's jumpier nights and, as Chantelle had mentioned earlier, it wasn't far enough to be a problem.

He closed his eyes and visualized the parking lot. His car, the driver's side door, the flickering of one of the lights, the bent gate, and even the overflowing garbage cans. He felt a ripple, like droplets of ice across his skin and his stomach dropping like in an elevator. He could feel reality split, all sound stopped, and the chill had become biting. Had he been in there longer, he would have heard the yawning of the void, felt it prickling and wriggling under skin. It could be a problem being in there too long, a risk to his human form. However, because his shift was so close, all he had was silence for but a second, just a second to feel the undulation under his skin, then the sounds of the night entered his ears again. His body barely tingled.

He sighed in relief when he saw his car right in front of him. He could have shifted to inside the car, but that would have taken more concentration. He grabbed the handle, ready to head home, when he heard the sound of a can hitting the ground.

He whirled around, still in 'Parker Defense Mode', and came face to face with a human man. He looked like he'd been drinking, judging by the can he had dropped. Martin gave him a nervous smile.

"Hello, there."

"Where the fuck did you come from?"

Well, shit.