O0o 23 The Necklace

"Jules, take it off," Felix sighed. "I can't fit you today. You're practically vibrating in place. We have two weeks before you walk down the aisle, so to speak, so it's not a rush Job anyway."

Jules took off the incomplete wedding kimono, and carefully spread it onto the bed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm all stirred up." He got into his s.h.i.+rt. "Maybe I'm just excited that everyone's coming back this week. Maybe it's Yule. I don't know."

"Would you like a calming, herbal infusion?' Felix asked, going for his kettle.

"Yeah, I would," Jules said. "Alternately, a big gla.s.s of wine."

"You can have both," Felix said. "The estate wine... I brought a bottle of that up this morning, intending a gla.s.s or two between lunch and supper. Help yourself."

Jules went to the tea cabinet and got a wine gla.s.s. He found the wine in there, too, and uncorked it. He bolted the first gla.s.s and poured another. "I feel like something's getting closer and closer to me," he said. "It started last night, about one in the morning."

"Hm." Felix made the infusion, and set it down close to Jules. "Do you have any extrsensory abilities?"

"I don't know what those would be."

"Premonitions, seeing into the future, reading minds..." Felix lifted his eyebrows. "Anything strange?"

"No," Jules said. He drank the second gla.s.s, and sat down to start on the strange smelling 'not-tea'. "Well..."

"Yes?" Felix goaded gently.

"Sometimes I have weird dreams," Jules admitted. "Not too often. Apparently, I like to build houses in my head. I have a whole town of them at this point."

Felix got Jules some paper and a pencil. "Draw one or two," he said. "The outside as well as the inside."

Jules drew, and sipped. The warm fire and Felix's silence served to make him feel slightly calmer. Too, the work. He drew the first house, which was large, with a clock at the top floor. He drew the broken hands and shattered gla.s.s, wondering why he'd imagine such a thing. Brains really were odd.

When finished, he gave the drawing to Felix. Felix looked at it a long time, eyes taking in all the details. "Jules, this is elaborate," he said at last. "You're good enough of an artist that I know what everything is, even some things that I shouldn't, like bullet holes in drywall, and pressure fractures in sheet rock with paint over top."

"Yeah, strange," Jules said. "Whatever you gave me to drink helped, Felix. What was it?"

"You really don't want to know. All I can say is I'd be burned alive. Though, it's not a bit harmful, not in any way. Shall I measure some out into an envelope, and let you take it back to the bedroom you share with Halian?"

"Please," Jules said. "I think I'll go read one of my letters. I only opened Isla's. I was drawing them out to make the feel-good last.

Felix's lips pursed as he tapped green powder into an envelope. "Jules, darling, you break my old, rotten heart."

"Why?" Jules asked, startled.

"It doesn't matter. I'm only glad that I know quality when I see it." Felix folded the envelope without licking the glue. "Do ??? spill this on wet skin. Two pinches to a regular sized tea cup. No more than once again today, or two daily doses. I can't turn you into an addict."

Jules decided then and there he'd ????? take the stuff unless in Felix's presence, or Halian's. He put the folded envelope under his arm. "Thanks, Felix."

"No issue, b.u.t.tercup," Felix said. "You know where I am if you need me."
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Jules went back to Halian's room and got the box, sitting on the bed. He carefully tucked the medicine to one side, using the empty jewelry box as a clamp to keep it shut.

Adrian or Keita? Jules debated it a moment. He thought he'd save Keita's letter for last, as a way to cheer himself up when he really needed it. He'd be seeing Keita before too long, happily. He opened the paper and spread it out in his hands, admiring Adrian's sharp, bold hand.

???? ?????,

?? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ? ??, ??? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ???? ????????. ?, ???, ???? ???? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????. ?'? ???? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ????, ?? ??'? ????????? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ????????, ??? ???'?? ???? ???? ??? ????? ????????.

?? ???? ?????, ?? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ????. ?'? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?? ??????????? ???? ?? ???????. ? ???? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ???, ?????, ??? ??? ???? ?? ???????? ??? ???'? ? ???????, ???????? ??? ?? ???? ????????. ?????'? ?? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?? ? ????????? ????????. ?? ???? ??? ????? ?? ?? ???????? ?? ????. ???? ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ????????? ????? ????? ????? ???'? ?????? ?? ????????????.

?? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ???, ?? ??? ?????'? ??? ??????. ?? ??? ??????? ???? ?'? ???????. ???? ??'? ??????, ???? ???????.

Jules fished out the little bag, and opened it. A necklace spilled out into his hands, curiously made. It had a tail. It was perfectly symmetrical otherwise. When he held it up, he saw the dark, slick beads shone red. At the end of ten beads there was a pearl, all the way around. So, fifty red beads and four pearls there, but the tail had three very large pearls before terminating into a heavy, silver symbol of a man stretched out on planks of wood.

Just above the tail, linking all the pieces together, was a flat disk with the same depiction that was on Jules's gift box. Michael punis.h.i.+ng Lucifer. Tiny words around that read: St. Michael Defend Us From Evil.

Jules picked up the letter again.

?????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ? ??? ????? ?? ????, ? ????. ???????, ? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??????, ??????, ??? ?????????? ?????. ??? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ? ??????? ????? ???? ? ??????-????? ????????? ???? ????'? ??????? ??? ????????.

?????, ? ??????? ???? ??? ????'? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??????, ??? ???? ????????? ????? ???'? ????? ?? ????????? ???. ??'? ?? ????????, ?????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ??????????? ?????????? ???? ??????? ???? ????? ?? ??? ?????. ???????? ?? ?????, ?? ??? ???? ????, ????, ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ?????. ??? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ?????. ???, ?????? ???'? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ?????????? ???? ?? ?????.

???? ????? ???? ? ???? ????.

???? ???????, ?'?? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ? ?????? ???-???????? ?? ????, ????, ??? ???? ???????? ??? ????? ????. ??? ?????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??????, ??? ? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ?????????? ?? ??????? ????? ??? ???????.

??????.

Jules chuckled. It looked like the paper had been wrinkled at the bottom by a game of 'keep-away'. He left it out so Hal could read it if he wanted. He put the necklace back into the little drawstring bag, and tucked it into his obi. He'd go find Hal now, and talk to him.