Silver and Gold Ch. 13

The moment had spanned only half a heartbeat, but he felt shaky as he assessed the creature he'd mistaken for human. That was a vampire. He leaned closer to Silver and grabbed his hand. He knew his own was clammy but Silver was just going to have to bear it. If he was going to continue introducing Feldspar to new friends without a quick "by the way, this one's a vampire/werewolf/literal demon," he was going to have to accept a certain level of silent panicking. Silver glanced at him and his brow knit together in concern. He smiled and squeezed Feldspar's hand reassuringly, then shot a stern frown at Liam. Liam shrugged a shoulder in a gesture that was more bored than apologetic.

Feldspar took in a steadying breath. He refused to be afraid. Despite what Liam was, he was still one of Silver's friends. "So Liam, how did you know Brody?" Feldspar said, relieved that his voice came out steady and strong.

"My butcher shop is the best in all of Paris, if not Europe," he said, matter of fact. "It was where he shopped for himself, especially when he was looking to impress someone."

Silver smiled. "Did you know he bought steaks from you the first night I started sharing his flat? He made a whole thing of it, with candles and wine. I was freaking out, thinking that this dude who I'd always seen as a friend -- a super straight friend -- had other ideas of what living together was going to be like. He kept dropping all these hints all night about 'new chapters' and stuff like that. Finally when it was time for bed he brought me back to the bedroom and all I saw was this tiny room with pretty much nothing but a bed. I must have looked completely freaked out because he finally broke and started laughing about how he'd got me." Silver let out a shaky breath. "I miss that idiot."

Liam lifted an eyebrow and his lips twitched, which seemed to be as close as he ever got to actually smiling. "He was as bothersome as a fly at high tea, yet I cannot help but agree. Now that he is gone I find I miss him buzzing about my shop." His voice, naturally quiet and low, became almost a whisper. "He seldom came to my shop knowing what he required. He was forever coming in with a long and convoluting tale, which he would lay before me and ask me to provide the best cut to suit the occasion. It was absurd. He insisted that I pair meat selections with the mood of the story, not simply the etiquette demanded by the occasion." He turned his large, hypnotic eyes on Silver. "I do believe he came to my shop that day, now that you mention it. He was prattling on about a particular talented, sheltered faery who had a natural talent for cooking," he tipped his head to Silver and his eyes softened. "He was quite pleased to have you moving in part-time. He babbled at length of this faery from the new world, never mind that I told him there were no living faeries in America. Nothing I said could dim his enthusiasm. He sounded half in love with you. Accordingly I sent him off with a pair of perfectly marbled steaks and a wine recommendation. I had hoped the meal might lead him to a romantic liaison, thereby leaving him less time to loiter about my shop telling extravagant tales and haranguing me to gallivant about town with him."

"Haranguing you? How many times am I carrying you out of the clubs each week?" Arnau cried, poking Liam in the side.

"I did not say his haranguing was unsuccessful. He could be quite insistent and I must admit I do see the merits of socializing on occasion."

"He was that," Silver said. "He brought us all together, didn't he, no matter how much we resisted in the beginning." He pulled the whisk from his pocket and smiled fondly at it. "We love you, buddy, and we're all going to miss you."

A gust of warm air blew through the shop, despite the fact that all the windows and doors were shut. Goosebumps rose on Feldspar's arms. Silver gasped and leapt sideways into Feldspar. Feldspar wrapped an arm around him instinctively as the warm wind enveloped them. "Wow," Silver breathed. Yago caught Silver's eye from across the shop and grinned, his eyes shining with tears. "He's here," he mouthed. He gestured at Silver as if to urge him on.

"Hey Brody," Silver whispered. He drew in a shaky breath and wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands. "Thanks for coming." The wind swirled through the shop in response and the space fell reverently silent as all the mourners turned to Silver. Tears ran down his face and he drew in several shaky breaths before he could continue. He held up the whisk. "I, um, brought you something. I hope you remember it. You've gotta. You used this thing way beyond its breaking point and you still loved it more than any of the other whisks at our flat." He placed it gently on an empty floating shelf near the entrance of the shop. "I don't know what to say. Thank you, I guess. Thanks for teaching me... everything? You taught me so much about how to live in this world, how to make the most of every single day. I hope you keep doing that, wherever you go next." Feldspar heard a few murmurs of agreement and well wishes directed toward Brody's spirit. Silver drew himself up straighter. "And one more thing. I'm also so fucking mad at you. I know you didn't mean to, but shit man. It was so stupid to die that way. I'll get over it, but you should still be here, and I wish you were. I'm going to miss you, bud. We all will. So come back sometimes and visit us, if you want." He paused and laughed a little to himself though his tears. "Just go easy on us. I'm not sure we can handle ghost pranks," Silver said, earning a chuckle from the assembled mourners.

He fell silent and the wind caressed them one last time, eddying around each of Brody's friends gently. Feldspar could almost hear words carried on the breeze. He strained to listen, and though no distinct words materialized when he glanced at Silver he could see that he was listening intently too. Silver wiped his eyes, laughed, and shook his head in wonder. And just like that, the warm wind disappeared. taking a piece of Silver's grief with it.