Portrait of the Skeleton as a Young Man
"Okay, this is so not what I signed up for." *clatter* "You know I can't even sigh properly? This just isn't right, man." Jason swung his bones about. "These things are useless."
"Quit complaining. At least you're clean." Dusky Tom, a young gravedigger and Jason's only friend.
"Quit complaining...you have skin, flesh, and bones. All I have is the bones."
"You could have chosen a different Essence."
"Well, it seemed a lot cooler at the time, you know? Jebediah was all 'live your dreams!' and I just got excited."
"Then don't blame anyone else."
Jason shrugged and walked away, an exercise in gymnastics in itself, and wandered back to the bar to get a drink. At least I can still eat and drink, he thought. Though I really don't know how that works...
His though was cut short by the sudden appearance in the tavern of a young scientist. While scientists were not discriminated against, as a rule, no one could ever tell where one of them stood. They regularly helped the other Essences and many were members of the Terata, but still...you never knew.
Then suddenly, he knew. "Eddie? Eddie Rowse? Is that you?" Eddie had been one of those horrible nerds who sat in the back of class and talked endlessly about science-fiction and computer games to anyone who would listen.
"Umm...do I know you? I'm sorry, but except for height you guys-"
"All look the same, yeah, I know. It's me, Jason, Jason Portis."
"Oh hey," Eddie looked wary. Jason hadn't exactly been best buddies with him back in school. "So what are you doing here?"
"Same as you, I went into Jebediah's shop and went through the Season Gate."
Eddie looked at him strangely. "That can't be. I moved away, remember? The costume shop is in my home town. How did you find it?"
Jason laughed. "Ah, you haven't gotten into the swing of things yet. The shop is in everyone's home town. Anyone who they think is a good candidate gets summoned to it somehow, and then they make the deal."
"Really? All to fight the Technocrat, right?"
"Well, I don't really get into that too much. There's fun to be had and money to be made, and my jaw only falls off every now and then. Mostly me and my buddy over there, the one with all the leather and dust? Looks like a preacherman gone bad? Yeah, mostly we just hang out and have a good time. He goes in for that whole 'war' thing, but not me. I'm a lover, not a fighter."
Eddie looked annoyed. "But that's not why you're here. You're here to help balance the scales against the Plan."
"Hey, man, Jeb said to 'live your dreams', and that's what I'm trying to do. Don't be so serious!"
"But this is serious! Don't you understand what's at stake? Don't you see what will happen if you fail?"
"Fail at what? Fail to beat the Technocrat and the Plan? Man, what Plan? What Technocrat? You ever seen 'em? Not me. All I see is monsters. This whole "war" thing is a joke."
"I'm sorry you feel that way. You were brought here to do something important, and every one of you who just plays at it drains my power."
"What? What are you talking about, Eddie?" Jason fell back as a sudden swirling of magic revealed Mad Maeve as she spread her hands and whispered, dropping her illusion. She advanced on Jason as he clattered to the ground.
"Don't even think about it," she said as Jason began to ready a bone arrow. "Your projectiles will do nothing but annoy me and anger our lord Grim." She grinned, "Besides, you'll be needing all your bones now."
"What-what do you mean?" Jason attempted to scramble away from the looming witch, all of the normal humor gone from her manner and her fury unleashed.
"Do you have any idea what Jack and I had to go through to bring each and every one of you here? What we had to sacrifice?" She grimaced. "No, of course you don't. You...tourist! You are called to a supernatural realm to save it from a great menace, and all you can be bothered to do is 'hang out'!" Jason stared.
"Do you even have the grace to be ashamed of yourself?"
"For what?" was all Jason could manage before Maeve's spell caught him full force.
"For wasting the opportunity you were given. For allowing us to fail and fall while you amuse yourself. And most importantly..." Maeve loomed over the boy..."for pissing me off!"
"Well," she turned her head and smiled. "No matter now. You are going home. You should be happy. Didn't I hear you complaining earlier about your Essence?"
"Yes! He was!" Dusky Tom called out from the back.
"Shut up, man!" Jason yelled. "Look, Maeve, I can explain, I-"
"Ah, no explanations, young Jason. Just go. We don't want your kind here."
"What do you mean 'my kind'?" he asked angrily as he felt the gate opening behind him and his mask slipping from his face.
"Human." She looked over at Dusky Tom, who looked up from his carving. "Far too human. Isn't that right, Tom?"
Dusky Tom looked up and put the bone flute he had been carving to his dusty lips. "That's right, Maeve."
"Autumn's for the monsters."