Ikshan's Library

13. Rom-Com Material

Ikshan

"Hi Ikshan, Hi Zoé, how are you?" Elise says when she appears on the screen of my phone. It looks like she is in her office at her club. "What's up with your monster?"

"Well, it's not a monster anymore," Zoé says.

"Great news. Congratulations."

"Turns out it was a man all along."

"Oh. So you freed him from the curse?"

"Yes and no," I explain, "because now he has found his true form back but he is still stuck in the enchanted piece of metal. So, you know, when we touch it, he appears, and then, a few minutes later, he always vanishes. It's been going on for days now, but we have learned some things."

"You talked with him?"

"Yes. Not easy at first because he was in shock, and let's face it, I was in shock too. But then, the second time onward, I managed to concentrate and he managed to talk."

"And of course, he talks in Latin," Zoé adds, "because he is from your time. And you know it's one thing to read Latin, but it's a completely other thing to understand someone speaking it like that. I mean, even for Ikshan, who is old, but not that old. No offense."

"None taken," Elise says with a smile.

"It turns out, his name is Leno, and he is an immortal," I say. "Apparently he has been cursed by a group of powerful sorcerers, but he doesn't want to tell us why for now."

"Incredible story. You said he was from my time? Poor man. He must be so confused and terrified."

"He is, indeed, that is why it's hard to get much more information, even if we make him appear only in the library. Of course, he hasn't seen the world outside yet."

"Well, it's also complicated to have any pieces of information because Ikshan here is completely hypnotized by the man," Zoé says with the usual annoyed expression on her face.

I try to object, but sound poorly convincing. "I'm not."

Elise laughs. "Okay so we definitely want to save this Leno then, right?"

"Umm, I keep on telling Ikshan that this guy was probably a monster for a reason. Maybe we don't want to save him," Zoé says.

I frown. "But look at his eyes. He can't be evil."

"You see?" Zoé waves at me. "That's what I'm talking about. I mean..." She rolls her eyes.

"I think we can trust Ikshan's instinct," Elise says, amused.

"Thank you."

Zoé rolls her eyes again. "What is this? The conspiracy of the romantic Elders?"

Elise laughs frankly while Zoé suddenly realizes who she is talking to. "I mean, sorry. I didn't want to disrespect you. I just..."

"Do not worry. It was not disrespectful at all. Plus, it is nice to be seen as a romantic." She lifts her eyes to watch something behind her phone. "What do you think, James? Am I a romantic?"

Then we hear the vampire's voice. "Let me see: cries while watching romantic comedies; is involved in a once-in-a-millennium-love story; sings constantly about it;  spends most of her time giving not completely crappy pieces of advice to other people about their love lives. No, not romantic at all."

"Well, what can I say." She smiles and looks back at us. "So it is decided then. You have to save this mysterious immortal from the past. And then we will make a movie about it." She winks at us. "Or a song."