Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Ashe ran down the hall as fast as she could, not risking the use of the navigation plaques on the wall to teleport - it was too dangerous with three souls held in stasis.

Thankfully, the knowledge she had been looking for had just been there when she needed it, as if Nathaniel’s soul were providing the answer to the question she hadn’t voiced: Where were the Knot Things?

So it was that she sped past door after door, running for two-seventy-four. She slapped her hand against the door, and without even bothering to use the unlocking rune, it sprung open. She’d only ever seen that happen for Nathaniel when he was in a hurry.

Now standing in a room full of vacant Knot Things, she set to the task of finding three that would suffice for vessels. The first was simple felt - plain and featureless - though it wouldn’t remain as such when a soul was placed into it. It would take on the traits of their previous body, rendered in doll-like fashion.

The second was made of fine silk, but similarly featureless. She wondered if the features of this would be rendered in a finer, softer quality fabric.

The third wasn’t what she would have initially picked, but something about it seemed right. A small plush bird that looked like something one might get at the local Bank of Fluff, a do-it-yourself stuffed animal assembly shop It looked rather unique though, a mostly red body with red, orange and yellow plumage for its wings and tail. 

‘Almost reminds me of a phoenix,’ Ashe thought as she set the knots aside on a nearby table, spacing them out evenly.

She guided the drifting globes, the wayward souls of her closest friends - her found family - over to the Knot Things.

With a gentle push, Aiden’s soul pressed into the soft felt body, illuminating the doll in a pale white glow. The doll’s featureless frame shifted, pushing out soft felt hair that resembled Aiden’s, simple renditions of his eyes splotched into existence on his face as if crudely dabbed in with a marker, and then they changed into curved black ‘u’s, like stitched in strings. That was fucking adorable. His mouth appeared in similar fashion, then proceeded to hang slightly agape. The tiniest little snores escaped his tiny stuffed frame.

Ashe fought very hard to resist the urge to pick him up and hug him. She resisted.

Barely.

The next soul to place into its vessel was Cailyn. The orb drifted down to the silken vessel, but for some reason it refused to merge with it. Ashe tried to push harder, thinking more force was necessary. 

There was a shattering sound, and the orb split in half - forming two distinct but smaller halves. One easily sank into the silk Knot Thing, while the other slipped free of Ashe’s grasp and sought out its own vessel.

She hurried after it to find it sinking into a crudely woven burlap Knot Thing - not unlike the one Ashe herself had emerged from. This one lacked the horrific metal shrapnel, however. She was surprised to find it sprouting features not entirely unlike Cailyn’s, though not a perfect replica, either.

Carrying it back to the others carefully, she noticed the silken one had taken on a perfect replica of Cailyn’s features. Placing them side by side, they could easily be siblings.

Finally, Nathaniel’s soul was the easiest to guide into its new home. The bird plush easily accepted it.

It then immediately burst into flames.

“Holy shit!” Ashe exclaimed, preparing to summon a ball of water from the ambient air - but the small pyroclasm began to take on a more defined shape.

A small bird made entirely of fire.

The bird took flight, beating tiny fiery wings as it took to the air. It circled happily twice about Ashe, causing her to turn wildly and follow its movements. 

The bird stopped several feet away, flapping to sustain its height for a moment, before its body rapidly expanded, taking on a humanoid form.

A young boy, no older than perhaps twelve now stood before Ashe. He was well dressed, wearing a perfectly fitted suit, despite his age, with an unmistakable air about him.

“Nate?” Ashe asked incredulously. 

The boy smiled. “The one and only, Ms. Gray. Thank you for assisting me.”

“What the… what the flaming fuck just happened?!”

He smirked at her colorful language. “As you may have surmised, I am not human. I am, in fact, what is commonly referred to as–”

“A phoenix, yeah no fucking duh!” Ashe snapped. “I mean why didn’t you ever tell any of us?”

“It was… unimportant. I did not believe the end of this life cycle would be reached before you all left my employ. Instead, the one you know as Boucher forced my hand.”

“So wait, you just… burn up every once in a while and are reborn? Like the typical phoenix lore?” Ashe asked.

“Yes, in so few words,” Nathaniel nodded. 

“Goddess, we’re definitely talking about this later, Nathaniel!”

“Agreed,” he nodded, “but at this moment there are, as they say, bigger fires to put out.” He chuckled at his own ironic humor.

Ashe didn’t find it particularly funny, but rather than let him have an earful, she gathered up the Knot Things containing her friends - and the burlap Cailyn bonus buddy.

As Nathaniel stepped into the hallways, the signs of battle and Boucher’s corruption burned away, leaving only immaculately restored marble floors and white walls. Pieces of art that had been destroyed repaired themselves. Chairs along the wall sprung back into place, and more than one dislodged navigation plaque popped back up onto the wall. 

It was incredible to watch, and it served as one of the many times she had been reminded in her life just how truly amazing magic could be.

“Wow… you fixed everything so quickly,” she said as they walked back towards his office.

“Not everything,” he sighed sadly.

It took her a moment to realize that he spoke of the Underground’s public facing storefront.

“Oh, right… it burned to the ground by now, I bet,” Ashe mumbled. The store had meant so much to her, to all of them. “What does that mean for us? For you?” she asked timidly.

Nathaniel paused and looked back at her, his youthful face reflecting wisdom and kindness far, far beyond its apparent years. “Do not worry, Ashelynn. As ashes rose from the Underground, so shall the Underground rise from the ashes.” 

 

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Life after that fell into a very strange rhythm. Nathaniel stayed at the Underground to supervise reconstruction. The community rallied around the little pawn shop it had barely even noticed before. People tended to be like that. They’d ignore a little mom-and-pop place until it went out of business, then bemoan its fate as a casualty of big business or fire or vandalism or whatever. 

He kept the mysterious burlap Cailyn with him for safekeeping and observation, while Ashe was granted guardianship of Aiden and Cailyn’s Knot Things.

Returning to her apartment had been an almost melancholic experience. Compared to Aiden and Cailyn’s apartment, which felt lived-in, Ashe’s was absolutely spartan. A couch and a television were all the living room boasted for furnishings, with a microwave being the only appliance she’d bothered purchasing for the small galley kitchen. Her bedroom and bathroom were just as bad - just enough supplies to get by on, no excesses, no decorations.

Thankfully, the lack of existing furnishings meant it was easy to set the place up for two Knot Things to flourish. She picked up a couple sleeping bags and camping cots at the store, and stocked up the fridge with a healthy variety of foods. Everything seemed like it was going well, until the text came through on her phone early Thursday morning.

[Hey little bro! I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! My plane comes in at 9:30 a.m.! Can you pick me up? If not I’ll Uber!]

She stared at the message. Somehow in the chaos that had been the week thus far - battling a demon, saving the Underground, and having her soul reformed into one complete whole - she had forgotten about the visit from her sister.

‘When it rains,’ she thought. 

“Something wrong?” Aiden asked, standing on the back of the sofa to look at her. He was so fucking cute, and his little voice… goddess dammit! She wanted to hug him so badly!

“My sister’s flight arrives tomorrow, and I completely forgot. She wants me to go pick her up.”

“Are you gonna?” Cailyn chimed in, hopping up beside her brother.

“I don’t know,” Ashe fretted, “I haven’t told her about the new me yet.”

“Well it sounds like she’s going to find out tomorrow regardless, Ashe.” Cailyn put her hands on her plush hips, staring up at Ashe.

She had a point. Kelsey was going to find out one way or another… then Mom and Dad would find out.

“But what if she freaks out? What if she tells my parents and they, like, completely disown me from the family or something? I know we don’t exactly talk a lot anymore, but still!”

“Hey, hey, it’s going to be okay!” Aiden soothed her as best he could.

Ashe walked over and picked him up into a hug.

“Oof!” Aiden was stuffed between her breasts. “Um, babe, not that I’m complaining but…”

“Get my brother out of your tit valley and figure out your sister problems, Ashe!” Cailyn squeaked. 

Ashe pulled him quickly from her chest, blushing intensely. “S-Sorry, Aiden.”

“No problem,” he smiled, patting her hand with one of his own felt appendages as she sat him back down on the back of the sofa.

“If you need to borrow my car, you can. Just don’t mess it up,” Cailyn offered.

“Thanks, Cay. I’ll do that. I owe you one.”

“You owe me a lot! Both of you! I am owed some serious friend and family time after all that neglect! I mean how did you idiots not notice I was possessed by a demon?!”

Both Ashe and Aiden hung their heads and mumbled apologies in unison.

“Maybe if you weren’t so caught up in each other you’d have noticed! I’m happy for you and all, but seriously, I was POSSESSED!” she shouted in her angry mousey voice.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry, sis!” Aiden said, walking across the back of the couch towards her. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

Cailyn waited until he was closer, and shoved him off the back of the couch to the floor below, watching him impact with a soft felt thud.

“That did a little to help,” she giggled. “Anyway… giving me a place to stay is a good start, Ashe. Thanks. I’m not ungrateful for it. But you owe me some serious girl-bestie time after I’m back in the flesh. Got that?”

“Yes ma’am!” Ashe affirmed enthusiastically.

“Good. Now, let’s go make sure you have a great outfit for tomorrow.” She raised her arms for uppies.

Ashe got the hint and picked her up gently, placing her on her shoulder.

Cailyn took her post, holding on to Ashe’s ear for stability. “Onward!” she commanded, posing like Washington crossing the Delaware.

“God you’re such a nerd!” Aiden shouted as he scrambled back up onto the couch.

“Takes one to know one, baby brother… or should I say sister? Maybe you’ll take after your girlfriend as a KT!” she teased.

Ashe blushed at the thought of a female Aiden.

“Oh no I won’t, I’m perfectly fine as a guy, thank you!” Aiden countered.

“Aw, but I bet you’d be a cute girl,” Ashe teased as she walked towards her room.

Aiden slipped back off his latest handhold on the couch and fell back to the floor.

Ashe rolled her eyes, smiling as she walked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, cutting off the sound of Cailyn’s delighted giggles at her brother’s expense. 

Tomorrow promised to be a long, challenging day… but she found herself looking forward to it with her friends by her side.

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