Missing mornings [Gus x Nagami]

Posts : 2877 Join date : 2014-12-26 Age : 26

One heavy step after another, Gustav entered the Commercial Ward. Pipe in hand, the other already carrying bags full of whatever he could find in the shops. There was always something new to discover, a new taste, new combination, always something. He quite enjoyed that. Perhaps that was also why he chose to visit the Mall on that day.

The Market Lane was as bustling as ever, perchance even moreso at the eve of the festival. It masked his presence almost entirely, merged into the flow of Junction's populace. That was one of the things he truly adored about this place. The variation was a miraculous masterpiece on its own, the way it functioned even further. Onr would think the place would fall apart, but no, it persisted, so many captured dreams, lost realities, but lores uncovered and visions put to use.

However he was there for a reason that day. He knew exactly where he was going, and while the abundant fillings of the linen bag in his left hand could've insinuated a random shopping spree to fill out one's freezer for at least a month, the reason he came here was fully unrelated to food.
Letting out a cloud of smoke he looked to the side, where the shop would have to be.

"My my." He whispered to himself with a courteous smile as he approached the shop, a young man inside. He could smell him, and it was nothing special. Human flesh was a well-loved delicacy, but no reason to dwell on that now. Looking at the boy with his pupilless eyes, Gus cleared his throat to capture his attention. "Good day, young clocksmith." He added with as polite a smile one could hope for.

Posts : 210 Join date : 2016-08-16 Age : 25

Missing mornings [Gus x Nagami] Tumblr_n069e0SNwy1sq42kwo1_500

It was a slow day at 'Mementos.' I was lounging back in my chair, a cloth was draped over my face as I dozed off a little bit. There wasn't a lot of people in Junction who needed my services to be frank. Clocks, especially antique clocks were a bit of a niche. Usually, people from places that still used the technology didn't have enough money to really have anything, and anybody who was anybody usually came from somewhere that was too high tech to bother with clockwork anymore. However, there were loyal customers that frequented back to repair their trusty timepieces and that satisfaction was enough to keep me going.

Suddenly I was disturbed by the announcement of a customer. I removed the drape over my eyes and stood up. "Welcome to Mementos, what can I help you with today?" I say, as my head moved from looking forward to tracing upwards until I found the man's face. He seemed to know who I was since he referred to me as clocksmith but I don't remember seeing him before. I don't get many referrals but it would please me to know that word of my work could've spread. He was wearing strange garments, nothing like what people around here usually were seen sporting. Maybe it was a cultural thing? Either way business was always welcome and I looked expectantly at him for his request.

Posts : 2877 Join date : 2014-12-26 Age : 26

Gustav gladly repositioned the pipe into his left hand, shifting the bag a bit higher on his forearm, offering the now freed right hand into a polite greeting. He directed his eyes towards the boy before speaking. "It is barely a matter of what you can help me with today. It is more of an predicament I've come to face, one I sadly cannot overcome by myself, so I'm hoping you can lend your hand." His words were more of a riddle to the boy, most likely. Little could he know what exactly he meant at the time. Gus enjoyed it, on the other hand. It was quite fun to speak in that manner. It always had him thinming his words through as carefully as possible, yet swiftly as well.
Gus looked around at the place before continuing.

"I have been losing mornings, so you see." The man eventually added, placing a hand to his chin. His face turned somewhat sour, as if he came to contemplate something at the moment.
"You do indeed repair clocks, correct?"

Posts : 210 Join date : 2016-08-16 Age : 25

"Yeah..." I say slowly in response to his last question. Why was he talking in riddles? Previous experience shows that I'm not very good at them. Either way for one reason or another he didn't seem to want to divulge the exact reason for his visit.

"Do you have a repair? Like a clock? Watch? Other mechanical apparatus?" I ask, listing off the possibilities. All I know is that this was a strange customer, but you had to be accustomed to strange things to set up shop in Junction. I once had to fulfill a request from someone without the ability to speak, I think I had to go back and forth with him for half an hour just to figure out what the problem was. However, this was the first time that someone approached me in this manner and it was slightly off putting. But what I've come to learn is that the ones who seem the most strange have the most interesting items that need my expertise.

Posts : 2877 Join date : 2014-12-26 Age : 26

"Ah, excellent." Gus smiled as he straightened up and joined his hands softly into a satisfied clasp. The ambience of the shop was quite impressive. He enjoyed both the music and the looks of it. The boy as well looked polite enough, albeit slightly overcome by his approach, possibly. He could always tone it down if necessary.

Gus raised a finger to let the boy know he was to wait momentarily, before he pushed the same hand into his robes, pulling out what appeared to be a regular old alarm clock. He presented it to Nagami on a palm. "I do have a repair, of course. In fact, this small piece of machinery was what always reminded me morning had come. It broke a couple of days ago and I've gone missing entire days because of it. I can presume you can make the service quick, hmm? I do have events to attend to in the following days. I cannot keep missing my mornings."

Posts : 210 Join date : 2016-08-16 Age : 25

I take the alarm clock from the man and set it down in front of me. For all the beating around the bush, it seemed like a simple enough job. "Sure thing I can do that for you," I say as I grab my goggles from the side of my work table and put it on. I immediately begin to take apart the old alarm clock, being careful not to handle anything too rough. After some initial work, I put down my screwdriver and tweezers. Grabbing one of the books from under the desk I begin to rifle through it, trying to find the model and schematics of the clock. "Do you know what's wrong with it? Are the hands not moving? Maybe the alarm isn't sounding at the set time?" I asked, still flipping through the pages. At this point as long as I found the model number I could almost recall the layout of the internals from memory. Out of all the items that come into the shop, old alarm clocks are the most common as they were widely used and were not a luxury item.

Posts : 2877 Join date : 2014-12-26 Age : 26

Gus smiled politely and pulled his hand back as the boy took the alarm clock. He ran a finger through his beard, giving him an indescernable look that could've meant anything from subtle thanks to a mockery.

"The arms have stopped moving at 3:33 in the morning a couple of nights ago." He spoke slowly. "I've been alarmless ever since. See, I am already quite old and I value my nighttime. The problem is it often results in me skipping the next day entirely after I miss the morning. I am quite in need of my reminder back."

Now, one could assume Gus was still speaking in riddles. How else would he miss the entire day then? Was he such an avid sleeper? Maybe just old and tired as he said? He did enjoy playing this game with the young clocksmith. It nearly was akin to a couple of gears mashing into each other.

Posts : 210 Join date : 2016-08-16 Age : 25

The issue seemed simple enough. Sounded like a regular jam... However, the customer was anything but. Why did he keep speaking in riddles and in that strange tone? I for one wasn't a fan, but I didn't want to be disrespectful. Maybe that's just the way his people talked? Either way, a customer was a customer. I stop on a page, the illustration looked like the piece in front of me. Double checking the schematics with what I saw I confirmed my hypothesis. Grabbing a small flashlight I put on my goggles and began inspecting the inner workings.

"Jesus man, these parts look old as hell. No wonder it stopped working, you should probably do some maintenance or bring it to a professional once in a while." I explain, getting to work removing the parts of the alarm clock. I glanced at him while I did my repairs,"So where you from mister?"

Posts : 2877 Join date : 2014-12-26 Age : 26

"Well I brought it to you now." Gus smiled, taking the news about his alarm clock being old as...not news, because he knew the thing was ancient, yet he kept it all the same. He could always buy a new one, but...well he didn't want to. And that's whs he brought it to a professional repair shop now that it stopped working. He had confidence the boy could handle it.

Who, me?"" Gus had begun slowly walking in a circle around the place, looking it over, when the boy asked the question. He stopped and looked at him for a moment before continuing to trail off. "The Top Ward, if that is what you ask. Otherwise I'm from a dream, you could say, but that dream has long been over with. Perchance that is why I myself must sleep so much now." He ran a finger down a chair he found. "Mind if I make myself comfortable as you continue?" If he wasn't going to get offered a seat, then he was going to offer himself one.

Posts : 210 Join date : 2016-08-16 Age : 25

"Oh you want to stay? Usually, people just drop their items off here and browse the rest of the Mega Mall." I say, still concentrated on the alarm clock. What was he talking about? He came from a dream but the dream is over. Is that another riddle? There's no way it could mean anything else... right? Either way, there was no point thinking about it right now. As I finished disassembling the clock I began sifting through the gears and cogs, seeing which ones could be maintained and which ones could be replaced. For someone who lived in the Top Ward he seemed to have a strange attachment for this clock. I would've expected an antique watch or pendant but it was nice seeing that even wealthier people still had an appreciation for the small things.

Well since all I could get out of him were allusions I might as well play along. "So what kind of dream was it? Was it a good dream?" I ask, sorting through the pieces.

Posts : 2877 Join date : 2014-12-26 Age : 26

"Well, I am merely concerned for the wellbeing of my time, and I am quite fasvinated by the process of reparation anyways." Gus said as he sat down on the chair and pulled it up closer to the boy's work station. With how large his torso was even when sitting he could quite easily see over the boy's shoulders and glance at the work he was doing every now and then as he pleased. Quite fascinating.

He ruffled his beard as the question came, closing his eyes as the smile grew larger. "It was a very bad dream. A nightmare, if I may say." He said as if telling a tale. He wasn't going to elaborate on it much but it always felt unhinging when one could just talk. Gustav would bet it also helped the boy concentrate on the work, just like his hair stylist liked to discuss things with him while cutting his hair. "Most of my dreams are bad dreams, but I enjoy them all the same. A loving father would never just throw away a naughty child, no matter how rotten, if he truly loved them." Gus nodded, resting his groceries on the side of the chair, holding his pipe down for now. He glanced at the alarm clock. "So have you diagnosed the ail, Mr. Clock Doctor?" He teased jokingly, seemingly only to pass both their times.

Posts : 210 Join date : 2016-08-16 Age : 25

"Yep, it seems that due to general disrepair the clock has stopped working. I'm gonna have to take the whole thing apart, replace a few pieces, give the rest of them a good bit of maintenance and your clock should be good as new." I say, a bit pleased that someone was interested in my work. Taking note which gears were in need of replacement I refer back to the schematic, "An A-10, C-5, and B-4..." I mumble as I go around the shop collecting the parts I needed.

After coming back to the counter with a handful of pieces I get to work on the old ones. At this point, I had conceded to the wordplay that the strange customer was speaking in. "Well then Mister, which do you think is worse, having only bad dreams or not being able to dream at all?" He would probably just think it's my bid at clever wordplay but there was some genuine meaning behind the question.

Posts : 2877 Join date : 2014-12-26 Age : 26

"Oh my, the poor old thing had finally given up then? Well I must be the one to blame as you said, but I am relieved you'll be able to get it back in shape. Thank you most kindly." Gus raised his arms up as if shrugging, with a smile on his face as he nodded at Nagami in thanks. He crossed his hands observing the intricate work he was doing, pleased that the hook had been bitten. He chuckled a bit longer than usual at this question. Quite intriguing indeed.

"It is always better to dream, no matter how difficult the experience. But one must always remember and make sure not to let those same dreams rule over their life, like I did and still do." He could sense some meaning behind the question the young man had asked. Perhaps it held some importance to him as well? Oh what a topic to bond over! "Hope you haven't been letting that happen yourself." He glanced over through shut eyelids at the boy so he wouldn't catch the glimpse. Otherwise he still sat cross-handed and enjoyed the situation playing out before him.

Posts : 210 Join date : 2016-08-16 Age : 25

"Well, you don't really let it happen, it just does. There is a loneliness to it, like some sort of void whenever you close your eyes..." I say, trailing off as I continued to work. With the parts that could be salvaged I took out a liquid solution, it was a light acid that would clean away all the brine and crust on the surface. Dabbing a little on a piece of cloth I began to carefully rub down each piece. As they were polished one by one and placed on the counter they appeared almost brand new. I also wiped down the clock's frame while I was at it, giving it a nice sheen as if it was its first day out of the factory.

"Either way, no matter if you dream or not what I feel is most important is the present. Being able to observe and understand each waking moment is a blessing in itself" I tell him, laying out all the new and refurbished pieces in front of me. It was always a sight to behold, every component laid out in front of you before reassembly.

Posts : 2877 Join date : 2014-12-26 Age : 26

Gus was enjoying both what he was seeing and what he was hearing. The boy spoke with some somber in his voice yet worked ever so dilligently regardless. The demon expectantly observed the polishing process. With what state all the parts were in, it was difficult to believe these beautiful pieces that looked as new were the same thing but after some wiping.

"It just happens, yes, but the choice is in the mind of the beholder. If you wish to let something go, then that something will release itself. Same is with dreams and memories. Regardless, you are correct once again-what is important is the present." Gus shuckled, resting his hands softly upon his lap. "How much work do you still have with my clock? Was there anything else wrong with it?" He didn't sound like he was hurrying the boy. His voice only belied a sense of interest.

» I Hate Mornings [Shouhei/Xander]
» Every Day is Night(Nagami)
» Nagami Kay's Compendium
» Nagami's Gears of Fate
» Shes not missing at all!!!