A visit to Phix

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Sgt. Howard
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A visit to Phix

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Phix was aware of the new arrival almost the moment he stepped into the Library- such is the relationship she has with the place. There was some confusion as to the identity of the new visitor- something about 'old references'- so she treated this one as another 'potential intruder'... which would scare away trouble or amuse an old hand.
Either way, it promised to be entertaining.
Silently winging her way, she spotted him- middle age or thereabouts, leather driving cap and bomber style jacket, lined Winter slacks and snow boots... all earth tones. She plopped down just behind him and snarled,
"I smell HUMAN!"
The fellow turned slowly, peering over oval bifocals with penetrating, dark brown eyes and responded,
"Indeed you do,"
THAT was unexpected- TOTALLY unexpected. Phix only lost a heartbeat of momentum as she assessed this old man. THIS one needs a bit more effort. She put her face up to his and asked,
"Do you seek knowledge, or adventure?"
Cupping her left cheek with his right hand, he responded,
"I seek you," and kissed her.



He dodged her slash with a speed that belied his age. Three times she tried to strike, only to miss while he dodged with ease. "YOUR DEATH SHALL BE SLOW AND PAINFULL!!!" she roared in indignation as she slashed empty air a fourth time.
"You would kill he who called you 'beloved'?" he asked- IN PERFECT LATIN.
She stopped in mid strike- who was this man? How dare he take such liberties?!? Retaining her claws and facial marks, she sniffed this offender. Soft lye soap and olive oil... no after-shave or deodorant. She curled back her upper lip and took a deep snurfle of this fellow, tasting as well as smelling his musk. A dim memory slowly unfolded in her mind... she knew him... she knew him long ago... not terribly long by her standards, but by human standards...

"Cornelius? Gaius Cornelius Antonia?"
He smiled- "I have not used that name since... well, since shortly after our last visit,"
"But... you're MORTAL!!! And yet you must be..."
"Just over two thousand years old... holding up pretty well, don't you think?"


... to be continued...
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Fri Oct 23, 2020 12:48 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

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"I must say that I am quite flattered that you remember after all these centuries..."
"How on earth does a mortal live so long? You had just retired from service with the Roman forces in Jerusalem when you first entered the Library. What was it you were looking up...?" she bit her lip as she tried to remember...
"The 'Elixir of Life'," he calmly replied.
"The elixir of LIFE!!! YES!!! And here you found the Codex of Herodotus- But... nobody ever deciphered his codex- and yet," she looked him over, brought her face to his as she asked, "... how did you solve it?"
"Oh I couldn't figure it out either- I just found him and asked..."
"!!!... HE WOULD HAVE BEEN... what? four hundred and... and... "
"Four hundred and seventy two," he answered, "I knew I wasn't clever enough to find the answers, but I DID understand that if his formula WORKED at all, I would likely find HIM- from there, it was a matter of how well I could get it out of the fellow... it wasn't easy..."
"DID YOU TOURTURE HIM?!?"
For the first time, the fellow looked shocked-"I would do no such thing!-he was already being tortured by his own elixir- his last rejuvenation occurred when he was near mad with fever- the fever imbibed of the rejuvination and refused to pass, while he himself was impervious to it's deathly end, he could NOT escape the symptoms for more than a few hours of the day. It was at those times when he was lucid that he gave me the recipe in exchange for helping him with a cure. We worked for four weeks on the cure... ultimately it gave him release through death... he actually was quite thankful when he realized he was dying..."



more to follow
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Fri Oct 23, 2020 12:53 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

Post by lake_wrangler »

Very interesting start. Not very often will one actually startle Phix...

BTW, you mention in your second post a correction to the first... but do you realize you can actually edit any of your posts, any time after it is posted? When you look at any of your own posts, you will not only see a "Quote" button, but also an "Edit" button. So it's OK to go back and make the correction in the first post directly. The only difference between editing a post when no one has replied, and editing a post after there are others posts following it, is that in the latter case, you will see a small type message at the bottom, telling people at what time you edited your post.
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Re: A visit to Phix

Post by Mark N »

Beautiful work Sgt. I cannot wait to read the rest. Do you plan to make a single omnibus edition when it is complete?
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Re: A visit to Phix

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Phix was puzzled- "How did this... 'cure'... kill him?"
"We brewed several pots of white willow tea- then condensed them to a porridge-like sludge that he ate. It smelled disgusting- but he managed to choke it down. The fever broke, but then he started bleeding all over the place... do you have to remain in feral form? I seem to recall a white toga with gold rope bullion trim that really looked nice on you..."
She regarded him warily- "I am not about to lengthen my hair to appease your whims... and short hair with a toga looks ludicrous. So he died, essentially, from an aspirin overdose?"
"Yes, sadly- there was nothing I could do. As I understand it, even today there would be nothing anyone could do... I have missed you, you know. I thought you had died when they burned the library at Alexandria,"
"And I thought YOU had died when you stopped coming to the Library at Caesarea- why didn't you tell me what you were about? Two millennia pass and you step out of the shadows like a ghost that never died,"
Phix subconsciously noted he had been staring at her mouth- without thinking about it, she started staring at his mouth. Their faces had been closing in on each other for the past few comments. Whether she kissed him or he kissed her was immaterial- both sets of lips were busily engaged in an instant. Even with the mis-match of sized between the two, he expertly made love to her mouth with his own. She was purring, a deep, throaty purr that one would expect from a lion... or a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Her desires were fully in control... for about twenty seconds.
"NO!!!" she bellowed as she pushed him away... "YOU... you can't DO that!!!"
"I just did," he retorted, "What of it?"
"Cornelius... I ... I can't... I'm... I'm SEEING somebody... " she sounded like a frightened schoolgirl.
He was so totally taken aback- eyebrows up, mouth open, brain flatline.
"You're... SEEING... someone...?... THIS from the one who would have me as CHIEF CONCUBINE to her personal HARUM?!?!?" he mused for a bit,"... perhaps he might go for a ménage-et-"
WHAP!!! THAT time was too swift for him to dodge...
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Thu Dec 18, 2014 6:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

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"Damn, girl!" he said as he rubbed his cheek, "... that really wasn't necessary..."
Phix suddenly put her arms across her chest and clamped her hind limbs legs together. She was shaking, wide-eyed and blushing.
"How DARE you...how DID you...what did you... was that MAGIC? HOW DID YOU MAKE ME DO THAT?!?"
"Phix my dear, I cast no spell, worked no charm or any such thing... as the creator is my witness... but I KNOW you. I know what you like and what you want. I know who you are. There was no supernatural power there- YOUR OWN BODY SCREAMS FOR ME... always did... just as mine screams for you. You cannot change that- have you forgotten what it was like when we were together? You once shattered a window with your howling... out of pure ecstasy. And mentally... backgammon, chess, research, prose... we are well matched, you and I,"
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She had indeed forgotten. She had regulated those memories to another existence, perhaps a dream.

She had fallen in love with a mortal... and mourned for two centuries when she thought he had died. In time she convinced herself it was unreal, irrelevant. Now he stood before her, AWOL for two thousand years, as if he had been gone to the corner store for a soda and came back an hour late.
"DAMN YOU!!! TWO MILLENIA YOU DISSAPEAR FROM ME!!! AND NOW... NOW YOU WALTZ RIGHT BACK HERE LIKE NOTHING HAS CHANGED... WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?! AND NOW....AND NOW... " she broke down into sobs. Her body slid down the side of the bookcase as she tried to put sense to it all, wracked by uncontrollable emotions, muttering "Damn you, damn you..."
She only marginally protested when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheeks. After a bit, her own arms reached around him and she nuzzled into the hollow of his neck.
"I never meant to harm you," he whispered.
"You nearly destroyed me," she said between sobs, "and you BETTER have a damn good excuse, you wretched, evil man!!! Don't you EVER do that to me again! If I have to, I will hire a necromancer to RESSURECT you so I might TORTURE you, you ever do that to me again!"
Here she took a moment to pull a kerchief from her sleeve to wipe her eyes as she tried to compose herself, " OK, there are things I need to clarify, with myself and with others," she said after a long sniff, "You and I might have to wait a bit longer to put things right... yes, I still see mortals as temporary things- that's what the word means, right?"( He snorted a laugh at this)"But I can't just turn on a dime with my love life,"
"I can wait- I have waited this long, after all- your paramour, he is mortal, right?"
"Well, a change of my attitude might lose his interest in me anyway... but it is for ME to handle it, alright?... You know, I AM on duty right now..."
"Let me help groom you- you don't want to look too ... 'ruffled' .. to the patrons here ,"

Behind the bookcase Nudge gave Tsilla a sidelong glance as Phix regained her composure while the stranger brushed her fur and set her to rights-
"Now ... what do you make of THAT?" she asked.
Bia answered for her-"I think we found Prestor John, Nicholas Flamel AND the fellow Ponce de Leon was searching for... all in one lump sum.
"Isn't there some man-made stone involved in this operation?" ventured Tsilla,"at least that's what I remember,"
"we shall find out, I suspect,"
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Fri Oct 23, 2020 1:02 am, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

Post by MerchManDan »

Well, I'm hooked. :mrgreen:
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Re: A visit to Phix

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"Library- search non-fiction, civilian and military records of one Gaius Cornelius Antonia, retired to Caesarea around 1 to 70 AD," Nudge commanded. A short stack of books immediately dropped to her right.
"Girls, let's see what we can find,"


"So... what do you call yourself these days?" Phix asked. A sharp eye could tell that she had been crying, but a clever mind would not pursue the matter.
"Really doesn't matter- THIS incarnation is past 'warranty', as it were- I will be seeking a new identity to rejuvenate to very shortly,"
"Alright then- how... 'old'... are you on this go-round?"
"Officially, I am sixty years of age as of the twenty fourth of last August,"
"... not all that old,"
"No, but I managed to have a heart attack December the twenty-third of two thousand and seven- I have scar tissue on my left ventricle, and it plagues me yet. I don't really want to risk it any further if I can avoid it," his face darkened- " the BIG issue is that nowdays, snagging up an ID is a LOT more difficult than has ever been the case... I might have to go out-of-country to do it, America has gotten so damn paranoid and dictatorial... wouldn't be the first time I came there as an immigrant... becoming a citizen is an easy trick once you have been through it a few times,"
"Why would you even worry about living in that country? You can access the library from anywhere in the world,"
He smiled at her, "Messed up as things are even now, America has more opportunities and freedoms than anywhere else on earth. I consider it worth my while,"

"DAMN!!! Who would have thought that 'Gaius Cornelius Antonia' was so common a name back then!?!?! I have at least TWENTY possibilities for this joker,"
"Stop whining, Bia- eventually we will find him... he can't hide forever," Nudge returned.
"He has managed for two thousand years... this is NOT your average Mortal," Tsillah added, "I have one here... no, he was executed for philandering with some official's wife... UGH! Look what they DID to him,"
"Disgusting... even by Roman standards," commented Nudge.
Bia continued with her search- "I have a retired Centurion, wealthy, widower, six adult children and twenty three grandchildren, died around 38 AD- GET THIS! Mentioned in ACTS, Chapter ten- 'At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a Centurion of what was known as the 'Italian Cohort', a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people... ' How much you want to bet this is our man?"
"Pull up his Two-oh-one,"
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Fri Oct 23, 2020 1:05 am, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

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"His two-oh-WHAT?"
"His military records, silly," responded Tsillah, "here, let me- Library- access military records for Gaius Cornelius Antonia, Centurion, Italian Cohort, retired to Caesarea, died 38 AD,"
"ACCESS DENIED- RECORDS ARE SEALED'"
The three looked at each other, stunned. THIS had never happened before, at least not to their knowledge.
"WADAYA MEAN, 'SEALED'?!? " bellowed Nudge, "BY WHO'S AUTHORITY?!?"
"DISCLOSURE OF AUTHORITY NOT REQUIRED," came the reply.
"... the Hell?!? What does THAT mean?" Nudge grumbled.
"Probably that y'all be stickin' yer noses whar they doan' b'long," came a stern southern drawl...
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Fri May 01, 2015 4:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

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Three startled faces turned to an angry looking Euryale. There was a moment of awkward silence before Tsillah ventured, "We were... we were just doing some research,"
"Yea," Bia affirmed, "Looking something up,"
"We weren't doing anything wrong," Nudge blurted.
"Uh HUH- an' THASS why y'all be twitchy as three long-tailed cats inna room fulla rockin' chairs? Y'all be starin' at me like deer in the headlights- THAYT ought be yer FARST clue y'all is up t' no good! Y' smell o' guilt, thick 'n' heavy- JUST WHUT IS Y'ALL UP TO?!?"
Another awkward silence as the three looked at each other and sized up their options- Bia led off the confessions-
"There's a mortal in the library who's two thousand years old,"
"SO?!?" demanded Euryale.
"He's discovered the 'elixir of life and is actually mentioned in the book of ACTs by name," added Tsillah.
"AN' WHUT IS THAYT T' YOU?!?"
"He's Phix's old lover-" Nudge slyly mentioned, " ... and she STILL carries a flame for him,"
Euryale's jaw dropped... there was about ten heartbeats of silence before she asked, "An' his military records is sealed?"
Three heads nodded.
"WHAL then... we juss gotta find us another source o' information then," she said with a slight giggle...
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

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"... you thought I had died in Alexandria? But that fire occurred in 273, over two centuries after our last visit... why didn't you contact me in the interim?" Phix asked Cornelius.
"I... had fallen in with... a crowd who had me convinced that even... ACKNOWLEDGING you... was just... wrong. They had some AMAZING truths to their credit, I had a hard time arguing with them," he responded.
"You... you were so easily convinced?" she sounded hurt.
"I need to show you, I cannot explain... and then I thought you had been killed in the fire, that's what Aurelian's soldiers told me,"
She chuckled- "First of all, THAT fire didn't do NEAR as much damage as what Julius Caesar's idiots did during the Roman Civil War... secondly, I can 'poit' out of ANY danger without even thinking about it... AND I am reasonably fire-resistant by nature,"
"You never told me that about yourself,"
Again she chuckled," It's rather... challenging... to speak properly with someone else's tongue in your mouth... as well you know, oh roguish one..."
He also laughed at this... then without warning slapped her right haunch. She responded with a lightning slap that knocked him sprawling across the floor.
"Pay for that, you will," she snarled.
Before he could recover, she had him by the mid-section in her mouth and proceeded to prance with her trophy to a quiet corner of the library where she could further... 'play'... with her prey while he pretended to protest and struggle.
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Fri Oct 23, 2020 1:10 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

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"Well, THIS is frustrating... except for the New Testament mention and that small blurb by Theodotus, he basically does not exist," complained Tsilla.
Bia and Nudge were faring no better, while Euryale's face showed her concentration on the issue. Several books and scrolls lay scattered around their efforts, each having been pawed and discarded as soon as it proved devoid of information.
"Ah do believe thayt th' LACK o' information proves we're on th' rat track... mebbe we ought consult with Nicodemus on this matter- wuthcha all think?" Euryale offered at length.
"THAT OLD GOAT?!?" Nudge blurted out.
All three looked at her in surprise.
"... an' jus' what th' hell are YOU t' make such a statement?" Euryale asked, somewhat flabbergasted.
Nudge blushed... 'pot calling the kettle black' flashed through her head... finally she muttered, "... well, he doesn't care for company,"
The other three looked even more incredulous... she saw this, then finally snarled, "ALRIGHT- he doesn't care for MY company! SATISFIED?!?"
Bia alone did not know the history there, so her blank look was expected while the other two smirked.
"Allright, then- let's go fand us a Scholar, shall we..." the tall snake-haired southerner said as the others shed their reading materials in preparation to find the supposedly reclusive Nicodemus.
Suddenly, a screaming howl pierced the serenity of the place. It repeated over and over, getting louder each time until ceramic and glass objects started to vibrate with each repetition. A high note was struck, held and amplified- vases, statuettes and widows shattered around them. Dodging flying fragments, several visitors to the library emerged in the more open hallways, frightened, confused and greatly alarmed by this development... and then it stopped. Slowly, the broken pieces re-formed to their former situation while the patrons looked around in stunned perplexity for the source of the disturbance... to no avail, it might be added.
"You would THINK a LIBRARIAN would know better..." Bia observed...
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Re: A visit to Phix

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"Oy, Oy, Oy.... what was THAT?" Nicodemus muttered as he surveyed the damage around him (which was already repairing itself). The disturbance had left him flat on his back. Several small ceramic figurines re-formed over one shelf, the terra-cotta menorah reclaimed it's still burning candles and the coffee cup he had been drinking from re-formed... minus it's previous contents which had covered a portion of his prayer shawl, robe and slippers. He rolled over onto his belly, got his hind legs up, then his front legs, then pushed himself upright to his full five foot two and a half inches (not counting the horns). He looked over his raiment, now stained with coffee.
"Oy... THIS will not do... this will not do at all. I come here for peace and quite while I study- what do I get? Pearl Harbor, THAT's what I get! Thank God it was only Starbucks coffee I wasted, but how will I remove these stains? AH... at least, the robes are dark enough to hide them... and this was not a particularly nice shawl... things could have been worse, I suppose..."
"Uh... Nicodemus...? Have we got you at a bad time?" Bia asked. His mutterings caught their attention- as luck would have it, he was only two aisles away when the... incident... occurred.
"Nah! Shalom un Velcommen, Kendriten... and how may I... oh, it's you... I was right, it COULD be worse"
His tone dropped dramatically when he saw Nudge in their midst. Nudge simply dropped her face while Bia stepped to the fore.
"Rabbi, please we have a riddle we cannot solve and would appreciate your help in this..." she explained.
"If THIS troublemaker is helping you," he indicated Nudge," I shouldn't doubt you are having difficulties. THIS little Shicksa SPECIALIZES in making things impossible..."
"Now Rabbi," Euryale crooned with her most musical tones," Ah know there's ... issues ... between you n' Nudge, ("Feh!" snarled he) but we REALLY have us a quandary here- we done run up against some sealed records about some feller who's here in the library rat now, an' he's taken up with a friend of ours who we're worried about,"
He studied them for a bit with those inscrutable goat eyes-
"So... you are altruistically looking out for your friends' well-being, and NOT searching for gossip that four little Yintas can spread like schmaltz? And how do I know this?"
The four eyed each other apprehensively- "Can't we just ask you to trust us?" Tsilla offered.
He was clearly skeptical- "So then- WHO is this schlemiel that we should be concerned of?"
"Gaius Cornelius Antonia- late of the Italian Cohort, ALLEDGEDLY died 38 AD- mentioned in the Book of Acts, chapter ten, he has discovered the elixir of life and has been changing his name with every revitalization... his military records are sealed,"
The goat took all this in without a change of expression. He considered for only a few heartbeats before replied," And this is an issue to you... HOW?"
The four were somewhat thunderstruck at this response. Tsillah finally spoke up- "He is courting Phix!!!"
"The elixir of life rejuvenates the flesh- it does NOT impart wisdom," he said with the wave of a hoof.
"But what if he hurts Phix?" Bia demanded.
"Then you would be wise not to stand in her way. I believe that settles the issue. Now I must retire to change my robes, as that earthquake caused me to spill my coffee all over them. Regarding the Centurion's military record you would do well to let sleeping dogs lie. I bid you good day," and with that, he snagged up his ancient walking stick and hobbled off to the exit.
"Those two are bad enough, then Bia shows up and clings to them for lack of friendship. Add that NUDGE to the mix... Oy! It is no wonder I talk to myself.... at least, I am not a noodnick... I should bore myself to death, were that the case..."
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Fri May 01, 2015 4:18 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

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"He KNOWS more than he says," commented Tsillah.
"He most certainly Does," stated Bia, "you noticed how he referred to Cornelius as 'the Centurion'? WE never mentioned that... "
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Nudge blurted, "HE KNOWS ABOUT THIS FELLOW! Mangy old... "
"What is it with you and Nicodemus?" Bia asked, "He seemed friendly enough until he saw you, then he was all..." but she withered under Nudges' angry stare.
The four sat silent while around them the hubbub of 'What was THAT?' continued until Euryale gathered up her own resolve in the matter.
"Ah'm not just gonna let this go! Lets go an FAND them two an' get us sum answers! Phix might not know whut this feller really is, an' we owe her thayt much!"


By the entry of the alcove sat an ancient Victrola, one that had some upgrades allowing it to play forty-fives and thirty-three-and-a-thirds. Cornelius had been looking at it for a while as Phix napped, she holding him as a child might hold a stuffed toy... then he acted. Gently slipping out from under Phix's arms, he first scouted up his shirt and pants... his underwear was nowhere to be seen, so he went commando imagining the surprise of the custodial type who found them... found his shoes (he still had his socks on) and assembled himself. Looking back, he surveyed the large, dangerous creature who lay sleeping with a contented look on her face... what's not to love? She had captured his heart centuries ago, he had no desire to escape....
He walked over to the ancient machine and made a quiet request of the library's audio selection. He wound the thing, placed the spacer on the center before he put the small record in place and set the speed at forty-five. Behind him, Phix stirred.
"Where are you...? Oh, THERE you are... for a moment, I thought you were but a dream... what are you fooling with over there?"
"Do you samba?"
She stood up, reduced to human and produced a flouncy cocktail dress from the 1950s- the fit, of course, was perfect.
"It has been a while, but I am game," she said as she strutted over to him in tall heels. He tripped the play lever and walked over as the records' lead scratched out.

"You can dance... every dance with the guy, who gives you the eye, let him hold you tight,
you can smile... every smile for the man, who held your hand, 'neath the pale moonlight,
but don't forget who's taking you home and in who's arms you're gonna be,
so darling, save the last dance for me,"


They spun and swayed across the floor in a fluid manner that 'DWTS' would display, he in a flannel plaid shirt, tan winter slacks and suspenders, her looking like a runway model of another era. With the heels on, she actually stood a noticeable bit taller than he... not that either one cared. They had never danced this step with each other before, yet their instincts together were 'spot on'- his lead was strong and her follow showed confidence... and frank sensuality. It is the nature of the samba that a woman's' hips follow a 'hypnotic' motion, pleasing to the eye and nourishing to the libido of a man... or woman who has a taste for such things. A few of the patrons who happened by watched with fascination (and more than a little bit of envy) at the odd pairing and the graceful movements but the two paid them no mind- their world went no further than the spell of the music and each other's gaze. They continued to the crooning of 'the Drifters', oblivious to anything else, right up to the last repetition of the chorus... which was interrupted by a nasty "Vrrrilipth!" as Nudge removed the needle from the vinyl.
"We need to talk," she stated flatly, with Bia, Euryale and Tsillah standing beside her.
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Thu May 07, 2015 12:16 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

Post by jwhouk »

And that would even be a great stopping place, IMHO.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Re: A visit to Phix

Post by Sgt. Howard »

(not quite finished yet- close)

Phix went immediately to full feral- there was a perceptible flinch of three of the party, but Nudge stood firm. Nudge and Phix stared at each other, neither one giving ground. Those who stopped to witness the fine display of dancing found other activities and/or priorities to attend to, leaving Nudge, Euryale, Bia and Tsillah at one end of the alcove with Phix and Cornelius in the center. Cornelius found himself in the rare and uncomfortable position where he had no control or say in what was about to transpire- he held his place and his silence, waiting for one or the other to make the first move.
"This is a private party," growled Phix, "and I don't remember inviting you..."
" Hear what I have to say, first- THAT man (pointing at Cornelius) is hiding secrets, his military record is sealed from viewing under unknown authority,"
"WHICH military records?!?" blurted out Cornelius, "... I have serve in many different Armies, you see..."
"YOUR SERVICE IN THE ITALIAN COHORT!!! PHIX, HE HAS MANAGED TO CENSURE THE LIBRARY!!!"
"No, he hasn't..." Phix calmly replied, "... so you were looking out for me? How sweet... I authorized the closure of his records,"
He looked at Phix, was about to question... then he thought better of it and looked straight ahead at the four.
Euryale, Bia, Tsillah and Nudge...especially Nudge... stood stunned at this reply. A heavy, awkward silence hung in the air. Nudge was at a loss how to regain her footing while the other three could not think of what to say or do. Phix watched their squirming long enough to be assured that there was no further momentum.
"Any further questions?"
"I ... see... (Tsilla turned and left without a word) well, then... (Bia did the same) I guess ... well... um... 'later," and with that, Nudge turned and went away leaving Euryale.
It took a moment for Euryale to speak- "We really was mighty worried about what this fellow might do t' ya, Phix,"
"Too late, sweetie... he has already ruined me," she returned to human form, including the dress, "... and I might never forgive him for it. In fact, I MIGHT condemn him for all eternity for it," she purred as she turned her face to his.
"THAT... is a mighty harsh sentence," he said while looking in her eyes.
"You're made of stern stuff, you'll weather it well enough," she replied.
Euryale moseyed on out, figuring herself to be a fifth wheel at the moment.
"You think that might be the end of it?" he asked after Euryale left.
"Nudge caught you looking at me when I told her I closed your records- she knows you were surprised by that... or she will figure that much out. It will eat at her- it's not over just yet, but at least now things will settle down for a bit,"
"Why? My records, why? I'll grant, there is that last assignment... but all history counts me as dead- why should that matter now?"
She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh... "I would not hear your name treated as poorly as I have heard others in connection with that whole scenario- that is why I obliterated most of the Gospel of Peter- he wrote down your whole version of the event,"
"PHIX! I SPOKE THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH TO HIM! YOU OBLITERATED A GOSPEL... because of me?!? His was a beautiful Gospel..."
"Obliterated... I guess that is a little strong... Nicodemus... you remember him, right? He has it in safe keeping... he knows all about your dealings in Jerusalem, it will be revealed when the time is right... I arrainged for the scribe Markus to... 'edit'... Peter's Gospel- that later version, I have little information as to the author but it was most likely a second century 'Gnostic'... trust me?"
He looked into her eyes at this question... "Of course I do... just... please Phix, all I have to do is hide and I'll be safe,"
Another sigh," You can no longer hide, my Love- the fact that you have come to the library will attract attention. That there has been questions asked about you will further attract attention. You will need help, and there are those here that can help,"
"In exchange for the formula...." he stated rather flatly.
"I am sorry, but you knew this would eventually happen. These people have been working with paranormals for some time- they are good at it. You will get the identity you need, and likely employment as well. I deal with them all the time,"
"The 'men in black'?"
"Yes... now, you stand here, it's my turn to change the music," and she sauntered over to the Victrola. After a few moments, she came back while the lead scratched it's way up to the song. She stood before him just as the opening strains of 'Unchained Melody' started to fill the room...


... and there it is for now. I could do more, but I think this will do for now. Thank you for your readership...
Gregory F. (The Old Sgt. and LAST alias of Gaius Cornelius Antonia!) Howard
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Fri Oct 23, 2020 1:17 am, edited 4 times in total.
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jwhouk
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Re: A visit to Phix

Post by jwhouk »

Minor nitpick: the Gospel of John Mark is commonly believed to be the "ghost written" Gospel according to Peter.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Re: A visit to Phix

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Agreed- also, the 'Gospel of Peter' (what little there is found of it) is largely believed to be written 100 years after the fact and containing false information- yes, I have used a little 'poetic license' here, but then so does our favorite author.
Bonus question- what secret does Cornelius hide? (HINT: he is quoted in two books, paraphrased in one and his testimony is mentioned in a fourth).
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Epilogue

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Cornelius (Or, Neil, as he became known) was busy in the medieval France section when he felt the old sensation- he was being observed. A quick sniff identified the culprit, a check of air direction located her... all without a turn of the head or stray of the eyes. He listened closely... her measured breathing gave him an approximate distance. He moseyed over to the end of the aisle, eyes scanning the book spines as if there was a specific title he desired... and heard her 'clackclackclack' follow his motions as quietly as her hoofs would allow.
Without warning, he spun around to the aisle behind himself and confronted Nudge-
"Something I can do for you?" he asked with a smile.
"GAHH!!!" Nudge blurted out, "JEEZ, you scared me!!! ... no, I was just looking up... er... (when she gave a quick glace at the books in front of her, his suspicions were confirmed,) ... early Italian Renaissance. Fascinating stuff, really,"
"The art, the politics or the fashions?" he asked with that annoying smile.
Nudge stood there a moment, trying to figure an answer that didn't sound stupid... then gave it up.
"Alright- I was spying on you," she said with a sour face, "... and I am STILL not convinced we should trust you,"
"Are you afraid I might steal the library? Or are you worried I might mutate into something beyond your understanding of evil?"
"I don't like secrets kept from me when they involve friends... especially when friends go 'head-over-heels' with someone who's past can't be known,"
"You want to know my secret? I can tell you," he whispered in an almost stage-like manner. Intrigued, Nudge brought her head closer to Neil's face to hear what he had to say. He brought his hand up to cup his words carefully to her ear. Wide eyed, nervous yet eager, she turned one ear to his hand.
Softly, he whispered,

"I know at least twenty-six recipes for goat," before he turned and resumed his search.

"I hate that man..." she thought to herself as she stormed back to her personal lair.
Last edited by Sgt. Howard on Mon Aug 26, 2019 9:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: A visit to Phix

Post by MerchManDan »

:lol: A fine epilogue indeed. Well done.
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