THE MOMENT
"Welcome to the Gargoyle's Rest," Duncan smiled at the teenage girl with short rainbow hair as soon as she entered. She was dressed unusually, compared to most guests that visited his inn; but, he'd seen a lot of strange things in his lifetime. She wore a crisp white suit that seemed to glow in the murky atmosphere he kept and a red tie; but, Duncan was too distracted by her reaction to consider her ensemble.
"Ugh, seriously?" She sighed; but, smiled at the same time. Duncan didn't have any children of his own; however, plenty of them visited his inn. Her expression matched every other amused teenager who didn't heed the tale of Vesper's Shadow. The fact that she arrived long after sunset meant she either didn't know of the creature or didn't take it seriously. That was okay. She would soon learn the reality of the night stalker. Duncan ignored her comment and continued.
"I am Duncan Wainright, the owner here. It's dangerous to be out past dusk in this town; but, I'm glad you found your way to safety. At this hour, I can offer you a room for the rest of the night; at a discounted rate."
"I'm Monday," she giggled more enthusiastically. It felt like she found every word out of his mouth hilarious. "I'm not staying," she shook her head as she moved to one of the tables on the pub side of the inn. "I just have to decide what I'm doing next, do you have any food this late? Please don't disturb the cook or anything," she said. Duncan put on his best sorrow and shook his head. She didn't ask why it was dangerous to be out, and he needed to find another way to bring it up. It was important that she knew of the dangers. He made a point of looking around the empty lobby, then moved closer to her table.
"Since it's just us, I can share a small secret; I know a little bit of conjuring magic. I can produce anything you're in the mood for if it'll keep you here longer. It's dangerous outside at night and, there is no cook to disturb...," he dropped his gaze. "...not anymore...," he added.
"Anything?" Monday tilted her head at him; but, she was curious about the wrong thing. "Can I get a hamburger? That's simple, right?" she asked. It was one of the dishes he prided himself on; he popularized the meal in the area and it was always nice to have strangers from elsewhere ask about it.
"Of course," He nodded and made his way to the kitchen area as he pondered how to approach her apparent obliviousness. He returned to her table in less than five minutes with a steaming hot hamburger and a basket of potato wedges.
"This is free if you stay until morning...," he said as he set it down for her. "... my wife used to be the cook... she would have insisted I do everything to keep a youngster like yourself safe from the night. She was a kind, generous woman....,"
"Uhuh...," Monday stared at the food for an extra second before she pulled the plate closer. She picked up a potato, took a bite, then shrugged and reached for the burger. "...I'll just pay for the meal, I'm not staying," she added. "But, thank you for the offer."
"You must not know of Vesper's Shadow...," it was time to skip ahead because she didn't seem to pick up any hints. A horrendous man-creature that hunts in the night. I used to think he was just a local legend.. until he took my wife from me....," he said.
"That's so sad," Monday couldn't hide her disrespectful smirk. "What was her name?" His anger at her attitude flared for a moment. It wasn't long, but enough to derail his train of thought.
"You.. what? It was Ves.. Veronica. My lovely wife's name was Veronica." He was usually better at thinking on his feet; but, it was the first time he'd needed to invent a whole person. Everyone else that visited had already heard about Vesper's Shadow, or they were eager to know more about why they shouldn't stay out after dark. The myth had taken on a life of its own and he only needed to venture out as the creature once every month or two. By now, she should have rented a room for the night just to hide under the covers. He would have to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep her there; his reputation depended on it.
"For free, just for tonight...," he said. "Veronica would have insisted it's too dangerous for you to be out alone. I have a room you can stay in, no charge," he specified the room. She still had to pay for the meal. Again, she laughed at him; there was no mistaking it.
"You're doing great," she grinned. "I've decided I'm going to offer you a contract with Sharp Development." Duncan paled upon hearing the name as if he'd seen Vesper's Shadow himself. He felt stupid for not recognizing her uniform earlier. She was just a teenager to him when she walked in. But now, it was obvious she knew what he was up to.
"You're from Sharp Development???" he asked. He had to be sure. In his defense, he wasn't too familiar with the company. But, he'd heard the name enough times, and he knew what they were capable of. Monday nodded.
"We got reports of a Cryptid, so I came to see what the real story was. I was expecting maybe a Fae creature or a slumbering Unique Soul," she answered. "I didn't expect a whole scheme; I respect it."
"You're not... upset?" he asked.
"Nah," Monday grinned. "You're clearly putting in effort, except, I can't believe you didn't come up with a wife sooner," she added. "And, your 'conjuring magic' is a nice touch..," she nodded at the half-eaten hamburger.
"You're not from this Earth, and that's made of nanos, which means you have a node. Sharp Development will let you access more resources so you can fill out your legend if you enter an arrangement with us."
"How...?" Duncan ended his question at the first word. He was about to ask how she knew; but, she was likely a Unique Soul. It would feel rude to ask her her favorite number; but, he assumed she spotted his aura as soon as she walked in.
"We'll start advertising your Inn across the AlterNet," Monday answered. "We'll even create a proper 'Vesper's Shadow' NPC for you, if you like."
"I would!" He nodded and eagerly sat down in front of her.
"Inventing a creature to draw business is a brilliant move," Monday nodded. "Since I like your approach, I can offer you access to our advanced plan at a discounted rate."