Planetary Conjunction (Vincent and Stella)

[Star Strike]

“*Breathe the particles of air deeply*” Stella exhaled slowly, eyes trained on the bright as they descended down. This world was much more polluted than the Psaróni’s of old had transcribed. They said this world, Gaia, was beautiful, green, and primitive. But now the people of Gaia appeared from afar to slowly make their world outshine the sky above. Perhaps they outgrew the tales Psaróni’s shared. Perhaps that is why Psaróni’s hadn’t touched this world in centuries. But the children, the groundlings of Gaia, had touched them. Every Psaróni knew Gaia was the first world they touched, and the roots of their words brought into all the other languages groundlings invented was from Elláda and its tongue elli̱niká.

As their descent slowed, Stella blinked away the bright night. The starling would need somewhere dark to land and far from the city to land before entering the city of light. Noting a quiet bend in a river down below, the star shot down and landed quietly in the grass.

“UFO!” A voice shouted as Stella’s toes touched the dying, damp grass.
“Aliens! They’re real! They’re…” A groundling covered in dirt paused staring up into the golden orbs that were Stella’s eyes. “Are you going to take me back to your ship and probe me?”
The star stared and shook their head no but still the groundling ran screaming his head off.

“*Perhaps I should use that word Vincent is fond of.*”

Reaching to their ponytail, they pulled loose the ribbon that held the star’s hair in place. The ribbon was simple, unimportant by most standards, but the metal plate in the center was what made the ribbon irreplaceable. Cold iron forged in under both the sun and the moon, Alyssa and Cerock had done a marvelous job. She even had gone so far as to engrave the plate with seventeen little eight pointed stars.

Rapping the ribbon around their neck, the plate lined up over the star’s fo̱s. As they tied a neat little bow in the front with the ribbon, the plate sealed itself over the Psaróni’s fo̱s and Stella’s stellar skin dimmed into the pale, flesh color Stella had once been forced with as her celestial energy retreated back into their fo̱s.

“Grounded.” Stella whispered, reaching back touching the plate, “But not.” Much had changed the star in the last six hundred years, but for Stella, right now all that mattered was finding a very old friend at a very early part of his life.

[Cards of Fate]

Deep breaths Vince, deep breaths.

The youth took in a large lungful of air, counted to three, and then roared. “FUCKING GANKERS!” He threw down the controller in his hands and rushed to his feet with a seething huff as he ripped his headset from his head and slammed in on the keyboard in front of him. Nothing but the soft glow of the monitor bearing a “You Died” message illuminated the room, leaving it in an inky blackness as the young man strode away from his desk.

A loud chirping began to occur across the room that drew the color from the young man’s previously flushed cheeks. “Motherfucker…” he hissed as he dove through the darkness for a dimly lit rectangle. On it’s screen in read “Alarm: 6.AM”

He’d spent the whole night playing videogames once more.

Swearing he spiked his phone onto the ground and began to glance around at the several piles of clothing at his feet. Swiftly he kicked a random shirt to his hand and tossed it on, covering his scrawny, pale torso.

Hissing he retrieved his phone and quit his room. It was time for work.

[Star Strike]

"Soooo let me get this straight. You want to exchange a tarot reading for a set of clothes." The Goodwill cashier attempted to glare at the strange woman in front of him however she loomed over him at a near seven feet tall.
"Yes. I'm sorry is my height bothering you?"
"Uh....."
"I'm sorry but it's all I have to offer. I have no money and these clothes," Stella tugged at the glittery stola, "stand out too much. I assume you understand that and won't mind."
"No offense Mam' but you're height stand out as it is."

Stella shook their head. Primitive groundings, why are they always so short? "Perhaps I can persuade you with a one card reading." Reaching into a pocket sewn into the stola, the Star withdrew a stack of deep blue cards. "What is your name?"
The cashier looks down at his name tag and looked back up. This woman was whacked! "John Cena. Like the wrestler."
Nodding, Stella began to shuffle the cards. "Tell me John Cena, is there something on your mind?"

Now that she had brought it up, he was. "Yeah why?" Everyone had something on their mind, this was just probably a trick, trying to make something stick to the wall.
"Focus on that thought." Stella whispered then pausing, they pull the card from the top and places it on the counter. "Tell me what do you see."

Looking down, John's eyes could only see the confusion of an optical illusion he played with when he was 12 masked as a Hubble telescope photo.

"Nothing but a shitty space picture."
"Blink"
"I'm sorry?"
"Blink"
"Look I watch Doctor Who if this turns out to be like that one,"
"Blinking will clarify the image."

She was right. The illusion was fading into the image of a woman near a lake. There wasn't much else outside of that.

"The Star." Stella breathed "Stars are a constant, rotating across the sky every twenty three hours and fifty four minutes. This card is something one can count on as it means hope, inspiration, generosity, and serenity."
"Meaning?" John swallowed knowing the answer.

Picking up the card, Stella returns it to the deck and thanks the cards for their insight. "I didn't rig the cards and am happy to give you a full reading but I would like to get a change of clothes first."

Sighing, "Yes mam'. If you'll follow me I can help find things that will fit your... frame."
"Perfect. Tell me John Cena do you know of any book stores in this town?"
"Let's get you dressed for 2013 and then we'll talk, cool?"
"Yes."

Vincent, wherever or whenever you are I will find you. Even if I have to search this entire planet I will find you my beloved Emperor.

[Cards of Fate]

Inside Books a Trillion, Dallas Texas.
Vincent Cain was severely regretting about half of the previous night’s choices by the time he had walked in the door. His head throbbed, and each slight sound felt like a spike being driven through his skull. His eyes burnt slightly, begging for him to simply let them rest and succumb slumber.

He would not, however. He’d already started enough fights with his “boss” this week, and even thought it technically was HIS bookstore, Vince was not going to provoke drama. Today was going to be as peaceful as possible. Or at least he had hoped.

The inside of the store was large, with a ratty shag carpet that looked like it had crawled straight out of the eighties and died on the floor. The smell of old books filled the air, and made the youths already burning eyes water slightly. His mother prided herself on not being like mainstream bookstores, so just about anything and everything was carried at Books a Trillion if you knew where to look.

“You’re late.” A stern man growled at him, standing next to the door. “About five minutes late.” He continued. Vincent sighed, so much for no drama.

“Fuck you too Kyle.” He growled through gritted teeth. “You only work here because you’re fucking my mom.” He continued. The man raised a furious eyebrow.

“I am your step father, young man.” He growled.

“For all of ten months, but you act like you fucking raised me.” Vincent continued forward to the center of the room where a large desk with a cash register stood. “Im going to work the register today, tell your daughter she’s on stocking and you can do whatever the fuck you do at the bakery.” He sighed.

“Excuse me? I’m the-“

“Blah blah I’m Kyle and I think I’m hot shit because I’m the MOTHERFUCKING manager.” Vince spat as he sat down. “Newflash, in three days the legal shit goes through and this is my shop. It’s been my shop for six years, it was in dad’s will. So shut the fuck up and leave me the fuck alone.”

[Star Strike]

Leaning halfway in the door, Stella looked down at Vincent, frozen. He looked so young but… tired. Yet this tiredness was different from what Vincent had only revealed to his close friends. Stella had spent much of the last three hundred years studying emotions to better understand the life of non-starlings. Starlings felt emotion sure but…these emotions were more of a reflex, a mask. Something one put on to better communicate their desires and understand those around them.

Perhaps the Vincent I know is also a mask, a mask of bravery and desire while this Vincent wears a mask of innocents. That is a mask I would not mind wearing again if I were not so tall.

“Can I help you?”

Yes, the way we stare at each other unsettles each of us. I, the strange and unknown. You, so familiar, but innocent, distant. What is going through that young groundling mind, I cannot imagine. But I will try.

“Geia! I’m sorry my appearance is unsettling but I did not choose my height. I see you have many books. I am in search of something. Can you help?”

A mask of cheer to hide my hesitation and anxiety. That should calm any hesitation.

Looking the poor grounding over, the star exhaled slowly.

"What I mean is this is a place for books and you have many. Can you help me find the book I seek?"

"Uh..."

The star could feel their cold blood seeping to the front of their face.

"If the store is not opened I can return later. I so happy I found this place."

Fake the smile. Fake the smile. Mask don't fail, don't fall.