11-28-2017, 07:32 AM
The Rolsin Trading Company’s main office stood immaculate and professional on the sidewalk. Sunlight blared from the burnished glass windows, making it difficult to make out the interior.
Koola stuffed the last croissant from his indulgent breakfast into his mouth, his tongue lapping up the stray trickle of jam that ran down his chin. He hoped he hadn’t eaten too much; the last thing he wanted was a stomach cramp while he dealt with this Godfrey Rolsin, the man responsible for sending an assassin to take his life. The night of sleep in his penthouse suite had done him a world of good, though. His muscles, rested and firm, were prepared for whatever Rolsin had in store for the changeling prince.
His thoughts drifted to the expenses-paid existence he lived in the Omniverse since his meal at the Silver Pearl had been covered through mysterious means. He had shrugged it off, thinking a lackey of his was watching out for him, but curiosity scratched at him. Once he punished Rolsin for his intransigence he would dedicate his time to discovering the identity of his benefactor. Until then, he had work to do.
The automatic doors slid open as Koola approached, blowing a refreshing buffet of air-conditioned wind over his body. His knife wound especially appreciated the cooling sensation. He entered a large square foyer, its walls constructed of glass, brightening the room to the extent that it felt like it was outside. A wide flight of stairs rose to a platform at the back of the room, from where two other staircases rose to the second floor, one to the left and to the right of the platform.
A white desk sat in the centre of the foyer with a woman typing at the keyboard, her fingers a flurry of activity. Her eyes glanced up at Koola for a split moment and flicked back to her monitor.
“Humans. Humans everywhere,” Koola muttered to himself.
He strode to the desk and looked down on the human woman in her office chair. She lifted a finger, her eyes glued to her screen, her free hand pecking at the keyboard. She made an emphatic few strokes and turned to Koola, congenial smile on her face. “Good day, sir. How may I help you today?”
Odd. She didn’t seem fazed by Koola’s appearance. He didn’t know a lot about humans but he didn’t think someone of the changeling royal’s attributes would go unnoticed, even if the cues were silent. He’d seen many gaping mouths and wide eyes in his time as an imperial invader. Maybe this Omniverse was filled with bizarre and unique creatures, at least to a human’s perception, and yet such things became mundane when presented with them every day.
“I’m here to see Godfrey Rolsin,” Koola stated, looking down his nose.
The receptionist’s fingers danced over the keyboard. “Your name?”
“I don’t have an appointment,” Koola said, narrowing his eyes. “He’s not expecting me.”
“I’m sorry sir, but you’ll have to make an appointment to see Mr. Rolsin. He’s a very busy –“ She frowned. “Wait a moment.” Clicking of keys filled the silence. “It seems you do have an appointment. For ... right now. That’s strange. That wasn’t there a minute ago.”
Koola eyed the woman. Incompetence or a computer error? Or something else? “So do I have permission to see Godfrey Rolsin now?”
The woman gazed up at Koola, her face screwed up in confusion. She adjusted the glasses that slipped down the long bridge of her nose. “Yes. Follow the stairs to the right, then turn left and follow the hallway to the far room. That’s Mr. Rolsin’s office.”
“Wonderful,” Koola remarked dully.
He climbed the stairs, taking each step slowly and purposefully. Unlike some people he was related to, Koola often enjoyed the anticipation of revenge more thoroughly than the act itself. He pictured the ugly, blubbering human falling backwards off his chair and wetting himself as Koola burst into his room. He saw in his mind the sweat drowning his face, the rapid chattering of his teeth as a red glimmer of energy blinked to life on the tip of Koola’s finger. He reached the second floor as his fantasy reached its climax; a hole in Godfrey Rolsin’s forehead and a new shade of crimson decorating his wall.
Koola strolled down the corridor, his tail swishing from side to side. He ignored the procession of doors lining the walls, his red eyes locked onto the final door at the hallway’s terminus. He reached the end, turned the knob and walked casually into the office.
Glass walls flooded the office with light. A gorgeous vista of the ocean greeted Koola’s eyes as he stepped in, the glittering turquoise waters flat and catching the sun’s light like a field of diamonds. In the corner of the office was a L shaped desk and its occupant immediately stood to his feet. He ran a pudgy hand over his closely cropped black hair and beard. His eyes vanished in his wide face as he grinned, showing immaculate white teeth. He edged around his desk and waddled over to Koola, his grin never leaving his face.
Koola furrowed his brow. This wasn’t how he pictured their first meeting to begin.
“Godfrey Rolsin?” Koola asked, uncertain.
“Yes!” he exclaimed in a bellow. “Well, not exactly. Please! Take a seat.”
Koola eyeballed the fat human. Something was amiss, but he was willing to let it play out.
Godfrey returned to his chair and Koola sat in another seat on the opposite side of the desk.
“Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Water? Wine?” Godfrey said.
Koola was in no mood to be mollified. “What do you mean, not exactly? Who are you?”
“Straight to business,” Godfrey said, his stupid grin still etched onto his rotund cheeks. “I am a Godfrey Rolsin, but not the Godfrey Rolsin.”
“To the point, human. I dislike statements that raise more questions than they answer.”
“As you wish. I am a robotic copy of Godfrey Rolsin. I was instated to protect you and your interests. The real Godfrey Rolsin wishes you dead.”
“I knew that,” Koola said. “Where is the real Godfrey, then?”
The fat human waited a moment, as if he was thinking, though his toothy smile failed to waver an inch. “I can provide the location, if that’s what you desire.”
“I do desire,” Koola said. “But how do I know this isn’t a wild goose chase, or worse, a trap?”
“Easy,” Godfrey said. He pressed his palms into his round cheeks and snapped it to the side.
Koola twitched. “Did you just snap your neck?”
“No, I unlocked it.” Godfrey spun his head around the stump of his neck like it was a screw lid of a bottle, smiling all the while. Another jerk and the head separated cleanly from his shoulders. The body placed the head down on the table. No blood or spine poked from the neck.
“This is ... quite unusual.”
“Please believe me,” the disembodied head said. He closed his eyes for a moment before snapping them up again. “You should have a sense of where the true Godfrey Rolsin is now. The rest can be explained to you there.”
“You expect me to believe you magically, telepathically imparted the knowledge of this Godfrey Rolsin’s location into my brain, as if –“ Koola’s lips stopped in mid-sentence as a realisation came upon him. A feeling sprung within his mind that pointed him in a certain direction, towards what he was almost certain was his target. “How did you do that?”
“I can answer that later,” the robot said, reattaching his head. “If you wish to see Godfrey Rolsin alive, you better leave now. Feel free to use the window! Glass isn’t very expensive to replace.”
“I...” Koola stood and blasted a pane of glass into fragments with a ki blast. Something rung hollow about destruction when it was permitted. “I’ll be back to sort all of this out. If this turns out to be a trap, I’ll reduce this building to rubble and flames.”
“You won’t need to. It’s not a trap. Enjoy your trip!” Godfrey Rolsin, the robotic doppelganger at least, gave the changeling prince a wave as Koola floated through the shattered window and towards his goal.
Koola stuffed the last croissant from his indulgent breakfast into his mouth, his tongue lapping up the stray trickle of jam that ran down his chin. He hoped he hadn’t eaten too much; the last thing he wanted was a stomach cramp while he dealt with this Godfrey Rolsin, the man responsible for sending an assassin to take his life. The night of sleep in his penthouse suite had done him a world of good, though. His muscles, rested and firm, were prepared for whatever Rolsin had in store for the changeling prince.
His thoughts drifted to the expenses-paid existence he lived in the Omniverse since his meal at the Silver Pearl had been covered through mysterious means. He had shrugged it off, thinking a lackey of his was watching out for him, but curiosity scratched at him. Once he punished Rolsin for his intransigence he would dedicate his time to discovering the identity of his benefactor. Until then, he had work to do.
The automatic doors slid open as Koola approached, blowing a refreshing buffet of air-conditioned wind over his body. His knife wound especially appreciated the cooling sensation. He entered a large square foyer, its walls constructed of glass, brightening the room to the extent that it felt like it was outside. A wide flight of stairs rose to a platform at the back of the room, from where two other staircases rose to the second floor, one to the left and to the right of the platform.
A white desk sat in the centre of the foyer with a woman typing at the keyboard, her fingers a flurry of activity. Her eyes glanced up at Koola for a split moment and flicked back to her monitor.
“Humans. Humans everywhere,” Koola muttered to himself.
He strode to the desk and looked down on the human woman in her office chair. She lifted a finger, her eyes glued to her screen, her free hand pecking at the keyboard. She made an emphatic few strokes and turned to Koola, congenial smile on her face. “Good day, sir. How may I help you today?”
Odd. She didn’t seem fazed by Koola’s appearance. He didn’t know a lot about humans but he didn’t think someone of the changeling royal’s attributes would go unnoticed, even if the cues were silent. He’d seen many gaping mouths and wide eyes in his time as an imperial invader. Maybe this Omniverse was filled with bizarre and unique creatures, at least to a human’s perception, and yet such things became mundane when presented with them every day.
“I’m here to see Godfrey Rolsin,” Koola stated, looking down his nose.
The receptionist’s fingers danced over the keyboard. “Your name?”
“I don’t have an appointment,” Koola said, narrowing his eyes. “He’s not expecting me.”
“I’m sorry sir, but you’ll have to make an appointment to see Mr. Rolsin. He’s a very busy –“ She frowned. “Wait a moment.” Clicking of keys filled the silence. “It seems you do have an appointment. For ... right now. That’s strange. That wasn’t there a minute ago.”
Koola eyed the woman. Incompetence or a computer error? Or something else? “So do I have permission to see Godfrey Rolsin now?”
The woman gazed up at Koola, her face screwed up in confusion. She adjusted the glasses that slipped down the long bridge of her nose. “Yes. Follow the stairs to the right, then turn left and follow the hallway to the far room. That’s Mr. Rolsin’s office.”
“Wonderful,” Koola remarked dully.
He climbed the stairs, taking each step slowly and purposefully. Unlike some people he was related to, Koola often enjoyed the anticipation of revenge more thoroughly than the act itself. He pictured the ugly, blubbering human falling backwards off his chair and wetting himself as Koola burst into his room. He saw in his mind the sweat drowning his face, the rapid chattering of his teeth as a red glimmer of energy blinked to life on the tip of Koola’s finger. He reached the second floor as his fantasy reached its climax; a hole in Godfrey Rolsin’s forehead and a new shade of crimson decorating his wall.
Koola strolled down the corridor, his tail swishing from side to side. He ignored the procession of doors lining the walls, his red eyes locked onto the final door at the hallway’s terminus. He reached the end, turned the knob and walked casually into the office.
Glass walls flooded the office with light. A gorgeous vista of the ocean greeted Koola’s eyes as he stepped in, the glittering turquoise waters flat and catching the sun’s light like a field of diamonds. In the corner of the office was a L shaped desk and its occupant immediately stood to his feet. He ran a pudgy hand over his closely cropped black hair and beard. His eyes vanished in his wide face as he grinned, showing immaculate white teeth. He edged around his desk and waddled over to Koola, his grin never leaving his face.
Koola furrowed his brow. This wasn’t how he pictured their first meeting to begin.
“Godfrey Rolsin?” Koola asked, uncertain.
“Yes!” he exclaimed in a bellow. “Well, not exactly. Please! Take a seat.”
Koola eyeballed the fat human. Something was amiss, but he was willing to let it play out.
Godfrey returned to his chair and Koola sat in another seat on the opposite side of the desk.
“Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Water? Wine?” Godfrey said.
Koola was in no mood to be mollified. “What do you mean, not exactly? Who are you?”
“Straight to business,” Godfrey said, his stupid grin still etched onto his rotund cheeks. “I am a Godfrey Rolsin, but not the Godfrey Rolsin.”
“To the point, human. I dislike statements that raise more questions than they answer.”
“As you wish. I am a robotic copy of Godfrey Rolsin. I was instated to protect you and your interests. The real Godfrey Rolsin wishes you dead.”
“I knew that,” Koola said. “Where is the real Godfrey, then?”
The fat human waited a moment, as if he was thinking, though his toothy smile failed to waver an inch. “I can provide the location, if that’s what you desire.”
“I do desire,” Koola said. “But how do I know this isn’t a wild goose chase, or worse, a trap?”
“Easy,” Godfrey said. He pressed his palms into his round cheeks and snapped it to the side.
Koola twitched. “Did you just snap your neck?”
“No, I unlocked it.” Godfrey spun his head around the stump of his neck like it was a screw lid of a bottle, smiling all the while. Another jerk and the head separated cleanly from his shoulders. The body placed the head down on the table. No blood or spine poked from the neck.
“This is ... quite unusual.”
“Please believe me,” the disembodied head said. He closed his eyes for a moment before snapping them up again. “You should have a sense of where the true Godfrey Rolsin is now. The rest can be explained to you there.”
“You expect me to believe you magically, telepathically imparted the knowledge of this Godfrey Rolsin’s location into my brain, as if –“ Koola’s lips stopped in mid-sentence as a realisation came upon him. A feeling sprung within his mind that pointed him in a certain direction, towards what he was almost certain was his target. “How did you do that?”
“I can answer that later,” the robot said, reattaching his head. “If you wish to see Godfrey Rolsin alive, you better leave now. Feel free to use the window! Glass isn’t very expensive to replace.”
“I...” Koola stood and blasted a pane of glass into fragments with a ki blast. Something rung hollow about destruction when it was permitted. “I’ll be back to sort all of this out. If this turns out to be a trap, I’ll reduce this building to rubble and flames.”
“You won’t need to. It’s not a trap. Enjoy your trip!” Godfrey Rolsin, the robotic doppelganger at least, gave the changeling prince a wave as Koola floated through the shattered window and towards his goal.