Masa con Papas: Proxy's Memory

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

A Funny Thing Happened at the Pizzeria... 
[First Reading]
CW: Mild Blood and Violence, Cosmic Horror

Charon: Appreciate being invited over for a couple weeks but.. is this really necessary? It doesn’t look like a cheap place...

Geezer: Course it is, you got your license and all that right?

Charon: Mm.. technically a few months ago... lot of time for a dog like me you know?

Geezer: Yeah but like, we still gotta celebrate you know? Plus you finally got a certified badge across the bigger guild system, that's a big deal. Usually you gotta do a lot more to reach outside of local regions like that.

Charon: I mean it's not that big a deal..

Geezer's single mechanical eye immediate locks onto you with a bit of a hard look.

Geezer: Don't even bullshit me with that, I saw how hard you crammed for that. 

Charon: I won't deny it was a bit of a struggle.... I'm glad I made it through in the end. Would've liked to get it earlier but...

Geezer: Ay, but nothing. You put in the work and now you got your foot in the door. 

Charon: Lot more work than it would've been in the old days, you remember right?

Geezer: What do you mean I remember? How old do you think you are? Knight work's needed official licensing for decades.

Charon: Right....

Geezer: It's true though, lots of local governments got scared knights were gonna become militias for hire and overthrow folks. Kinda put us in a spot where we gotta regulate ourselves or have them step in you know?

Charon: Mmm.... don't really care for it considering it's the reason folks like Spit's kind exist...

Geezer: Speaking of, how's cracking down on the cult gone so far?

Charon: Baby steps, it's really difficult with how widespread they are frankly. Hard to maintain funds off just that alone though, not a lot of people are dropping contracts for it so I'm having to take a lot of mundane side work or pray that all these little towns will restock my supplies for doing a good job.

Geezer: Yeah... that's kinda how it is...

Charon: I don't mind too much personally but... I dunno. I guess I'm derailing things a bit.

Geezer: Nah, you can talk all you want. Came here to get fancy pizza and chill you know?

Charon: What's the deal with this place again? Looks trendy and… a little cursed.

Geezer: I mean... I'm not gonna lie, it's a bit heavy on the wallet but it's kind of a thing that's blown up locally. Plaza's filled with all sorts of witchy folks you know.

Charon: I understand that, I don't understand why they gave me a tarot spread when I asked for a menu...

Geezer: Alright so check this out.

Charon: Checking. 

Geezer: So gist is the pizzas here are personalized using that read to get all sorts of wild flavors out of it. Result is pizza unlike anything you've ever seen.

Charon: Guessing you've been here then?

Geezer: I mean some friends in the area vouch on this place really hard and I've seen photos but...

Charon: But you wanted to save it for a good occasion?

Geezer: I mean.. yeah. No better time to celebrate than now . Got family here, got a good excuse for it...

Charon: Got your nice jacket to spill sauce on..

Geezer: I'm not gonna spill sauce on myself....

Charon: We'll see soon.

???: You'll see now!

There's an interjection from a waitress holding a plate so piping hot the room was obscured in steam.

It's placed down on the table in front of you, an ungodly typhoon of hot smoke curling in on itself before the grand reveal. 

The room is so dark, so heavy, you can feel your sins crawling in and out of every pore on your body.

It's... certainly something to behold.

Charon: Ah.... um...

You can't get yourself to finish your sentence. 

It's ambrosia for the sleep paralysis demon and all the nightmares you've ever had. The aura it gives off is certainly something. You look over at Geezer. He makes a face and gives you a shrug before turning toward the waitress who's still partially obscured.

Geezer: Hey uh... no offense but what the heck is this exactly?

???: House special, a commemoration of sorts. I... wasn't sure what to make of it when they handed it to me either but it's supposed to be entirely edible! 

Her voice rings a bell that chills your spine. You can make out her silhouette. 

You keep your eyes on her as best you can.

Charon: Commemoration?

Geezer: The hell are ya'll commemorating right now?

???: Well, Darkest Night is very much upcoming and I assume you'll both be here for it? This island takes it pretty seriously and it'd be nice if you stuck around..

???: You uh... doing okay?

You feel a little relief, the concern in her voice practically confirms her identity.

???: I had some help from outside, someone who really wants to see you.... they wanted to come personally but they're busy handling things so.. 

Charon: So you showed up instead. 

???: I mean.. better when it's an old friend right?

The smoke clears up, the tension from the baked monstrosity lowers.
 

Geezer: Opera?

Opera : Mmhmm! Been a good bit but it's really nice to see you both again. It's been a long time, hasn’t it?

Geezer: Fuck, I don't even know but-

You interrupt. 

Charon: You're our Opera, yes? No shenanigans?

Opera: None. Not like you know too many Operas, right?

You can't help but give her a little bit of a glare, getting a frown.

Opera: Sorry, couldn't help. Bit poor taste in hindsight.

Charon: No big deal, just...

Opera: Too soon?

Geezer: Never gonna stop being too soon.

Opera: Feel that a little myself. That said, you two changed a ton.

Charon: I'm about the same me as I can be after everything. Try to be.

Opera: Mm... older, a little rough but cleaner at the same time, and I can't tell if you're a prince or a scientist with that cadence you have but... you still have the same feeling in your eyes.

She looks over at Geezer.

Opera: What happened to you? I mean it’s not bad but… is that really ol’ Geez?

Geezer: ‘Bout as me as always... where it matters anyway. Things got a bit off the rails for a good bit but it worked out in the end.

Opera: It's good, keep doing that. You’re way more tall than I’d imagine..

Geezer: Can’t stay short forever, right? You got taller too.

Opera: Not as much as I’d like...

Geezer: So uh... you've been okay?

Charon: Mm, last time we saw each other things sure were... complicated. 

Opera: I mean... As good as I could. Had a lot of suffering to undo you know? Been doing everything I could to help people out and... well I guess not become like-

You stop and cut her off.
 
Charon: You never will be. 

Geezer: Yeah, that's not on you. What happened there was ten tiers of freak accidents and hella beyond your control you know? You didn’t do any of that.

Opera: Either way it's been a lot of work... but I'm happier overall these days. Anyway uh... before I forget...

She pulls out an envelope from her pocket and places it firmly in your hand as you reach out.

Charon: What's this?

Opera: A job, one I don't think you're going to want to miss. You know the big Gala at sea? Has all sorts of trade secrets being whispered around, a lot of big corporate witches and knights attending, and the big auction of eldritch items?

Geezer: I’m familiar. Bit of a rich tourist thing, not something I’d want to associate with if I don’t gotta.

Charon: Same, no offense. I’m on vacation and doing security work for a bunch of CEOs doesn’t appeal.
 
Opera:  It’s… it’s a little more dire than that. Just…

She shoves a letter in your hands.
 
You open up the envelope and pour the contents out. There’s a set of photos and a document describing a auction for "Series 80 Darkest Night Lost Tech Auction Item # 78: The Immortal Husk"

Opera: here's a list of details.
 

 

"Item 78 was found through standard lost tech mining via a private company owned by [Redacted]. The item is the body of an unknown humanoid feline of otherworldly origin.

Body is alive and functional. Capable of sustaining itself off energy in the area alone, as well as storing an incalculable amount of shreds. Body does not age.

Cells have tested to be heavily regenerative and could possibly be capable of regenerating completely from any injury within the hour. May contain the secret to immortality.

Body is fully void of anything resembling consciousness allowing easy experimentation. Despite this, it was found seemingly restrained.

 

Body seems to have gone through several nearly seamless and intensive organic body modifications. Parts of various origins yet to be fully pinned down.

Found covered in fiend’s blood but does not appear to be from the body itself.

 

Has been pierced by an unknown weapon. Weapon appears to contain traces of otherworld steel and imbued with untested scrap based properties.

Contains traces of heavy amounts of angel radiation but seemingly no negative effects from the intensive exposure.

Item #78 will be auctioned for a price to be revealed at the event." 

You feel your whole gut coil and turn on sight of the photo set.
 
You're left speechless.

Geezer: Hey so… what the actual fuck? Thought she was done in and sealed off for good measure?

Opera:  She was. Someone managed to pull her out of her tomb.

Geezer: Just the body though right? Like,  not the rest of her?

Opera: Just the body in the wrong hands is about five different apocalypses waiting to happen and killing it doesn’t work. On top of that well.. You know what this means right?

Charon: Someone managed to get a haul from the pocket.

Opera: Mmhmm. You know about lost tech mining?

Opera: Little bit, folks using witches to dig into other worlds and hopefully snipe their tech to re-create and sell it off yeah?

Charon:  Mm, more or less. It’s not uncommon for lost tech to find its way here on its own but the market and demand for it has spiked meaning there’s pushes to punch into all sorts of pocket worlds and see what you can get from them.

Geezer: Cult was doing that, yeah?

Charon: Mm… they came up with some absolutely inhumane things in there.

Opera: That’s also a worry… when they go digging for these sort of auctions, they try to haul as much as possible. Anyway thankfully I was able to get tipped off on the details by a friend who’s in some circles and well… from there I managed to get in contact with a lot of others. Honestly I didn’t want a reunion to happen this way but…

Geezer: We swore if the whole ordeal came back to haunt us we’d have each other’s backs. I remember. I’m in.

Charon: Same. What do we have to do?

Opera: A lot. Having a couple of knights means we can get our foot in the door easier though and having more than one means you have each other to fall back on. I can’t fill you in on the details here though… I think people are catching on to the fact that I don’t actually work here…

You and Geezer both nod and shuffle around for your wallets to pay off the food neither of you bothered to touch. Opera stops you and shells out the cash herself .

Opera: Don’t sweat that, we got way bigger things to worry about. Let’s get moving.