Hello Mr. Robinson Pt. 09

"What are you doing here?" Jon addressed his visitor.

"Is that anyway of greeting an old friend?" The stranger said his voice smooth as honey and dripping with venom.

"Fine, what can I do for you?" Jon replied his shoulders dropping in defeat.

"I... it is rude not to introduce us Jon."

"Greg, what are you..." Jon said before letting out a sigh of resignation. "Greg I'd like you to meet an acquaintance of mine, this is Mr. Nyarlathotep. He just arrived from the Middle East."

"Greg Robinson," I said not offering my hand to him. There was something fundamentally fucked with this guy but I couldn't figure it out.

"Not 'The' Greg Robinson," Nyarlathotep purred. "The darling of Washington D.C. and Nick Shaw's right hand man."

"The same," I said almost shivering from the mind numbing cold radiating from this guy. "Are you a salesman Mr. Nyarlathotep?"

"I have been known to dabble a bit in foreign markets. I am a man of diverse interests."

As he spoke I felt the subtle tendril of a psychic probe. I raised my defenses instantly and drew on the mind stone to strengthen them. Nyarlathotep's eyes narrowed and then he smiled. Jon asked where he was staying and agreed to meet him at his hotel later. I wasn't surprised to learn he had a room at the Prometheus Club in London. It was the most elite men only club this side of the Atlantic. You must have money, prestige and some serious connections to be a member. The only reason I even knew about the club was because Nick was a member. He had offered to sponsor me before this little trip. I hadn't decided but knowing that this Nyarlathotep guy was staying there I might have to take Nick up on his offer. Jon closed the door and leaned heavily against it. It must have been some herculean effort to withstand the mental intrusion by Nyarlathotep.

"Who is he? Hell, what is he?" I asked and Jon's already pale skin went ashen.

"It is a long story, a very long story. I need a drink." I handed him the artifact and he took it back without hesitation. "You solved it. I can feel it."

"I'm not going to ask where you got them but I think you need this more than I do."

"I am afraid you are right." He said sliding the device into his back pocket.

"I understand there is a costume party tomorrow night." I said trying to take this mind off his visitor.

"Yeah, I have your costume upstairs. There will be music, food and tons of alcohol. Speaking of alcohol I feel the need to visit the wine cellar."

Jon stalked off and I headed for the dining room. All of the girls were there, Cindy, Rhea as well as the twins. They were chatting between bites of food or sips of coffee or juice. It was nice to see them getting along so well. The only person missing was Jon's mom. Perhaps she was sleeping off last night. Normally I would have brought back some of the memories of the early morning but the visitor still quelled such pleasant thoughts. Who the hell was Nyarlathotep? What the hell was he? He sure as hell wasn't human at least not a normal one. I sat between Cindy and Rhea. I picked a little at their plates but that wasn't taken too well. Isix reappeared and set down a plate with a second breakfast for me.

"Looks like that was a hint," Rhea chuckled.

"Yeah daddy, I think she wants to make sure you have all your strength."

I began by nibbling a bit at the freshly fried bacon and ham but eventually gave in and attacked my meal with a renewed gusto. The conversation was mainly about the masquerade tomorrow night. The twins were going as the black and white queens from chess. Cindy was hoping to go as a female version of a popular comic book hero. Rhea was dressing as a sensual French maid. That caused all eyes to fall on me and I assured them I had a costume that Jon was providing. I asked about Tess and if she would be there. The twins assured us she wouldn't miss a party in her own home. The conversation switched to how well the twins were adjusting to the British educational system. They were both attending university. That sparked Cindy to start boasting about Miskatonic. After that it was a controlled shouting match. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing. I was so proud that Cindy never threw one insult during their discussion.

Once breakfast was over Cindy begged me to go with her to town. I had emails I had to go through but I could squeeze them in during the ride and while she tried on clothes. She demanded a shower before we left. Rhea and I had time to take a walk while Cindy got ready. It was time for us to be alone and talk. She was intimately aware of every way in and out of Windsword. In this case we took a side door that led to one of the several garden on the grounds. I could see the memories awaken inside of her and I just held her hand and remained silent. The nearest garden was in full bloom and it was a pleasant distraction.

"The keep wasn't even here the last time I was here." She said wistfully. "I was pretending to be a secretary at the time. I met Isaac at the college. He was the one that introduced Jon and me. Jon was a glass merchant. He sold high end optics for telescopes. He had connections with the royal family and he was sexy as hell. After Isaac got inspired about gravity he lost interest in me and that made it easy to spend time with Jon. It wasn't until twenty or so years had passed that realized he was an immortal. That was the same year he decided to build Windsword. That was the same year one of his children appeared and I left." I felt her pain and I squeezed her hand. "Thanks, I don't blame you for leaving the other day. I loved him deeply. A part of me still cares but a larger part of me remembers why I left. I am so lucky to have you in my life."

"You took the words out of my mouth." I told her. "I don't understand why you put up with..."

"There is a part of J'Nai culture that you haven't had the opportunity to experience. We have become a decentralized culture. Emotional bonds are a thing that are precious to us. While physical ones are passing. Because of the doom that hangs over our heads we are a bit looser in what humans may call morals. We enjoy sex a lot. It adds to our pleasure but those we commit to there are lines we simply do not cross. So for me I don't care who you sleep with as long as you remain emotionally true to me. Please let go of your guilt. As long as you love me I don't care."

"I do love you." I said feeling my emotions spill over.

She kissed me and my arms slipped around her waist. That bond we shared flared to life and there was that blending of mind and spirit. I knew how bad she felt when I reacted to Jon's appearance. What she picked up from me I didn't know at first. Rhea broke the kiss and I saw that she had been crying. I wiped them away as she spoke.

"I don't deserve you. We need to leave after the masquerade party." She said her voice shaking with fear. "Nyarlathotep is far more dangerous than anything you've faced. You don't want to draw his attention."

"I agree. We leave the next morning. I will contact Lydia... I mean..."

Rhea started laughing. I got caught up and was giggling before too long. How many people on the planet can say they know the POTUS by their first name and she prefers it that way. Cindy appeared with soaked hair wearing a bright blue t-shirt and jeans. It was time to leave. Cindy was brushing her hair as she approached us. I commented that someone was in a huge hurry. Jon was kind enough to provide not just a car but a driver as well. This was my first trip to London and had never driven its streets. I sat next to the driver while Rhea braided Cindy's hair. As we drove from Windsword I delved into emails and began scheduling events for my return to Washington. I was cutting my vacation short but after three months in a fucking water tank I was eager to get back into things. By the time I had informed a host of people that I had recovered there were tons of congratulations from well-wishers.

"Daddy, we are here." Cindy said as the car pulled into a parking spot.

"I'm all done sweetie," I told her. "All the emails are sent."

"I love shopping!" She replied as she hit the sidewalk at a controlled dash.