The Family Business

Melal was a bit humble when she heard the boy. True, there was a fascination for her race, not many seen outside their homeland unless it was for darker reasons, or for work. “Well, I think I can answer some questions you had. It’s been a long time since I’ve ever had to even think about my race, so forgive me if my information is a bit…off.”

    “I don’t really have any specific questions. I just want to get what you’re all about. If you talk and keep talking then I’ll get a well-rounded idea in no time,” Kosmo encouraged. He was getting excited to hear about Qunari. They looked like demons but weren’t considered such. They got away with being so human despite having horns like dragons. And don’t even get him started on the kossith. 

The horned woman chuckled softly, feeling a bit silly at her comment but she was curious about him. “And it’s nice to meet you, Kosmo. Is there anything that you were needing?”

    “Well, you’re a Qunari. I’ve always found Qunari fascinating but I don’t know much about them and I can only get so much from books. I want to learn so I can understand Qunari and how their aura changes. But I’m not even supposed to be here; my uncle would get mad if he found out.”

Melel kept the smile on her face. An odd child, but it’s nothing she’s not used to. “Might I ask for your name? I’m Melal. Unless you can sense my name too.” She teasingly chuckled.

    “Seers can’t sense that kind of thing,” he laughed. “It’s nice to meet you, Melal. I’m Kosmo Phoenix.”

❝ Adventure is out there. ❞ 

❝ What’s wrong? Can’t you talk? ❞

❝ Hey, I don’t bite… ❞

❝ You and me, we’re in a club now. ❞  

❝ You have to swear you will not tell ANYONE. ❞

❝ South America. It’s like America…but south. ❞

❝ You know, you don’t talk very much…I like you! ❞

❝ Take a bath, hippie. ❞

❝ You don’t seem like a public menace to me. ❞

❝ What are you doing out here? ❞

❝ Please let me in. ❞

❝ Don’t touch that! ❞

❝ Well that’s not gonna work. ❞

❝ Whew! I thought you were dead. ❞

❝ Hey, let’s play a game. It’s called: see who can be quiet the longest. ❞

❝ I’m tiiiired. My knee hurts. My elbow hurts and I have to go the bathroom. ❞

❝ But I didn’t have to go then! ❞

❝ I don’t wanna walk anymore. Can we stop? ❞

❝ [ name ], if you don’t hurry up the tigers will eat you. ❞

❝ There’s no tigers in South America. Zoology. ❞

❝ What is that thing?! ❞

❝ No! Stop! That tickles! ❞ 

❝ That doesn’t even rhyme. ❞

❝ I see you back there. ❞ 

❝ Go annoy someone else for a while. ❞ 

❝ Uhhh…we’re not allowed to have dogs in my apartment. ❞

❝ Did that dog just say ‘hi there’? ❞

❝ I just met you and I love you. ❞

❝ Can we keep him/her? Please! Please! Please! ❞

❝ Can I tell you a secret? ❞

❝ Hey, why don’t you get some sleep. ❞

❝ What have I gotten myself into? ❞

❝ We better get moving. ❞

❝ You must be tired. Hungry? ❞

❝ I like you temporarily. ❞

❝ I do not like the cone of shame. ❞

❝ Are you sure I’m not a bother? I’d hate to impose. ❞

❝ You really must stay. I insist. ❞

❝ We have so much to talk about. ❞

❝ Give me your hand! ❞

❝ This is great. I finally meet my childhood hero and he tries to kill us. ❞

❝ It might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most. ❞ 

❝ Run, [ name ], run! ❞

❝ This is none of my concern. ❞

❝ I didn’t ask for any of this! ❞

❝ I was hiding under your porch because I love you. ❞

❝ Can I stay? ❞

❝ I am your master. ❞

❝ You are my master. ❞

❝ Let me go! ❞

❝ Scream all you want, [ name ], no one can hear you. ❞

❝ Where are you going?! I’m not finished with you! ❞

❝ I want to help. ❞

❝ I don’t want your help! …I want you safe. ❞

❝ I would like to award you the highest honor I can bestow. ❞

❝ Hey, [ name ]! You’re cheating! ❞

“Never apologise for such feelings,” He began quietly, one arm shifting in its position to cup against the back of the other’s head as he held him, “You have every right in the world to feel that way; to be angry, to be sad, to be lost and hurt, to wish for it to be over– I shall not question a single one of those feelings, and not a single one is to be apologised for.”

This time, as his fingers curled a touch further into Joey’s hair in the position he’d held him in, Velethuil moved to rest their foreheads together lightly, doing so in such a manner that he made certain that he was the only thing within the other’s vision– Even if the other were to look to the side he would be greeted by Velethuil’s hair hanging loose, his voice dipping into a whisper of his own.

    Over and over again he whispered that he was sorry even though Velethuil insisted that he shouldn’t. But he gasped and stopped when he was pulled even closer to the other. The close touch was comforting before. Now it was getting invasive and uncomfortable. Joey tried to make that clear by trying to pull away.

    What Velethuil told him felt like a threat. If he hurt or killed himself, Sage would be mad at him. If he stayed alive then she wouldn’t be mad at him. His suffering from being alive didn’t seem to matter.

“It still does not put you at fault. I would have thought worse of you if you had left him in such a system, if you wish for my honesty.” A pause to move one hand up to gently wipe away the other’s tears, “You did all that was within your power to find him a good home, and from what you have told me I believe that anyone would have found that home suitable.”  A sigh then, while his arm returned to join its twin around Joey,

“From what you have told me of your wife, I am more than certain that she would tell you the same; that you have done all you could, Joey. That you have done what was right by your son, and that you were not to know of the consequences.” A soft smile then, only momentary as he drew the other closer still in the hold to rest his own jaw lightly atop the other’s head, “Cry all you need; I shan’t move an inch– Let your heart speak for you.”

    “All I can do is try and I tried the best that I could. But I still feel like I could have done something more... If I had a redo then I know I wouldn’t have done anything different because that’s fate. I just feel so bad and he took all that anger out on me. I know I deserved some of it then but not all of it. But that’s teenagers, right? That’s how they are.” He sighed and tried to take in a breath but it was cut short. A few more breaths and he was on his way to getting a more normal breathing pattern.

    Joey was sure that Velethuil was right about that being Sage’s way of thinking. “I wish there was some way I could know for sure. Any supernatural means seem like cheating and I hate to be a cheater.”

    He took another pause to calm down and take another sip of his coffee. It was better this time and he didn’t shiver. After placing the cup back down, he leaned against Velethuil again. Now he was quiet and his breath sounded fine. Tears still streaked his face, however.

    Joey spoke in a low whisper as if someone were watching in on them. “I’d still rather be dead and with her. I can never love like I loved her.”

When Joey fell into silence, Velethuil had given a small shake of his head, “Your wife sounds as though she was a truly wonderful person. I can truly understand why you must miss her so awfully.” He confessed, before turning to the topic of the man’s son,

“Your boy, though– That has no effect on what kind of father you make– You were not the one to treat the boy in such a way.” He began, free hand taking his own coffee to sip from it slowly before he continued, “You did what was right; you did not believe that you could care for him, and so gave him to the proper authority to find someone that could care for him.”

    Now it seemed nearly impossible for Joey to ever smile. “You just proved that it’s my fault,” he choked through tears that began to form in his eyes. “I took it into my own hands to find a suitable family. I thought everything was okay with them. I asked around in other neighborhoods to make sure they were okay but they all said they were nice people. I was the one who put Raphael with them...

    “It’s my fault.”

    Velethuil couldn’t deny it. Joey could barely cope with the fact that he caused people so much pain that he could help or prevent. That’s why he took the extra medication. He wanted to feel numb to everything that people made him feel. He needed to be numb to emotions in order to do his job. It could be possible that Velethuil was the same way and took the pain medication for that reason.

    “They-- Th-They moved away. I didn’t know until Raphael came back.” Joey sniffed and tried to keep some sort of self control. ”I’d r-rather have him here with me and poor rather than with an abusive rich family... But it felt wrong so I gave him away.

Tray in hand he moved to sit beside the curled up figure before placing it down atop the lone table of the main room, patting his lap in invitation for the other to lay with his head against it.

“No matter how much time passes we will always miss the ones that we love– It is natural.” He reassured, turning a soft, and understanding smile to the other, though despite it being clear from his expression that he understood perfectly well he had not brought his own story into this,

    Joey reluctantly took advantage to place his head on Vele’s lap. It wasn’t comfortable but it wasn’t uncomfortable either. However, it was the closest touch he had to someone else in a long time.

    “Sage had brown hair and green eyes, freckles that dotted her cheeks... She was the most independent woman I had ever met. But she was so kind and comforting too. If I had a problem then she knew how to make it better. We would take strolls outside like old people do. She always loved other animals so much that they were practically her children.” Just as a smile started forming on Joey’s face at these thoughts, the mere word ‘children’ made him mad. His sadness prevailed over anger. 

    “We talked about having a family but we decided it was still too early. We thought we still had time to figure some things out before all that but it just happened so quickly. I found out she was pregnant and I got upset but happy all at the same time. It took me a while but I was ready to be a father.

    “Then the baby was ready to be born early. I couldn’t administer the right medication in time... and she died. The baby made it but I couldn’t take care of it on my own without Sage. I knew that I would lash out and do something horrible...

“Now don’t say such things, of course it means something to me.” He chided in a soft tone, while taking a right into one of those alleyways, stopping them at a heavily decorated door, “I would be incredibly upset to lose a chance to see more of that wonderful mind of yours.” He stated while free hand drew a thick key from his pocket, unlocking the door to lead the other inside, pushing it closed behind them.

    His gaze finally went from his feet to in front of and around him. This was about what Joey expected this place to look like. The candles were soothing for his troubled mind. All the colors around him oozed together in a comforting way. Nothing was too vibrant to hurt his eyes. Joey followed Velethuil’s lead and took his work boots off. He’d like to have his body be comfortable if his mind couldn’t be. It was a hard sacrifice, but he had to make it work if he wanted to be at least somewhat stable. 

    After looking around the place more, Joey found himself curled up on one of couches. It was practically being begged to be sat on.

    “I think I did it because of how much I miss my late wife. She died fifteen years ago but that doesn’t change the fact that I still miss her.” And that’s why seeing Raphael upset him sometimes. It wasn’t necessarily his fault... Although she did die as a result of him being born. If Joey had to choose he’d rather have Sage. It was a terrible thing for someone to think or wish: a lover over a child. But this was something that he had no control over.

“Something you aught know however, is that I am not the kind to try to make you speak– I am here to do what you feel is best, be it distraction, comfort without my knowledge, or to talk about what it is that’s tangled up that mind of yours.” He explained with a light squeeze to Joey’s arm, “You needn’t decide now- I am certain that even if you do wish to speak about it that you’d not wish to do so in the open like this.”

    Joey paid no attention to where they were going, he was focused on his messed up mind. To him the therapy already started despite not being at the shop yet.

    “I don’t want to but I know I should. It’s just a general thing with people, they feel like their privacy is being breached by talking about it but it’s truly not since a therapist is technically sworn to privacy and secrecy. And because I feel safe more or less, I’m going to tell you.

When handed the tunic however, he’d held it close to his chest, “Thank you– I am certain that this will be just perfect.” He responded, before one arm had gently linked with Joey’s, “Come, the coffee is brewing as we speak; I would hate to serve you cold coffee.” He encouraged with a slightly brighter smile, graceful steps guiding the other toward the door.

    All he could muster up was a simple nod in response. He didn’t bother taking off his lab coat. He wore it everywhere despite the fact that it was odd and raised suspicion. Joey could deal with that much. Too much people staring, however, and that could result in nothing less than a mental breakdown.

When that Saturday evening had rolled around, just as promised Velethuil had appeared once again at the store, entering with a smile already in place, while russet eyes moved directly to Joey rather than the items lining the shelves, “Good evening- I hope it isn’t a bother for you but I thought I might come by a little early to make our timing after I took the walk into consideration.”

    When he heard the familiar voice, Joey looked over but could only manage to crease his cheeks a little rather than smile. “Oh- Hey. It’s really no problem at all. The sooner I get out of this place the better. Truly, I’ve been looking forward to this.”

    Joey placed the checklist on the counter in front of July for him to take over. July gave a quirky smile and waved. “You two have fun. I’ll be here then I’m heading out to the bar with Raph after close. Can I expect to see you there?” He motioned to Joey.

    “That sounds like a plan. The tunic should be done well before that time.” Joey bowed his head back just for common courtesy. He took the liberty of opening the case in back, taking out the antidepressants and the light blue healing serum. He placed them gently on the counter in front of Velethuil.

“Goodness, what a compliment. Thank you, flatterer.” He responded while he had taken to moving toward the edge of the counter, leaning lightly against the corner of it. He hadn’t shown any surprise when it had been confirmed that the other was not human– Joey had him believing otherwise, though Velethuil was a hard one to shock.

    “That wouldn’t be necessary unless you really want to do that. Weekend afternoons are the best for me. July takes care of the shop those days and he can handle the customers better than Raph so I don’t have to worry.” Raphael lacked in physical strength and the shop definitely had its share of violent customers. 

“That’s very reassuring. You should still tell your customers that though.” Joey went to the other side of the counter but let Raphael take care of the register.

Joey thought about the man’s job for a long while before responding. He couldn’t think of a single word to describe it or even give it a name. Though it certainly sounded like he was a professional sex doll of some kind. “Sounds like I could come to you for some… Less physical comfort.”

Velethuil had been about to speak again before he was given the other’s name; he was actually a little taken aback, and it had showed somewhat in his expression even if the change were only momentary, “As you wish, Joey– My name is Velethuil.” His reply was accompanied by the returning smile before his mind wandered back to the previous comment of comfort.

"Velethuil," he repeated to himself to try the sound of the name with his own tongue. A strange and foreign accent car out when he said it. "What a beautiful name~ A perfect name for a perfect doll I suppose."

Raphael made a face, pausing for a moment. He returned to his duty quickly while shaking his head. Surprises like these weren't very surprising anymore.