Rising Shadows

There was something a little off about Emily when she arrived at the lab the next day, though she appeared to be well rested and in a good mood. Percy wasn't sure how to put it. It reminded him vaguely of his mother, and how she used to constantly cleanse the house to get rid of evil spirits. Emily wasn't anything remotely close to an evil spirit, but for some reason, that was the memory that came to him. She worked excitedly on her projects, but he was really only half listening, smiling and nodding though his brain wasn’t fully processing it. Percy had bigger things on his mind. Anyways, he wouldn’t understand the drama of the women in high English society, anyways. It seemed so unnecessarily complicated.

“...and then she was dragging me around the room like a doll,” Emily complained while tightening a bolt on her machine with a small wrench. “I’m finding that more people seem to know my name every day, but I never know their names. And I learn later that it’s because they’re gossiping about me, and how I’m not ‘traditional’ enough.”

“Does it bother you?” Percy asked.

“Not at all,” she said, smiling up at him. “It did before, but now I have you.”

“You’ll always have me,” Percy promised her.

A slight blush spread across her cheeks before she looked down at her work again, setting down the wrench and plucking the old cloth off the ground to cover up the half-finished machine.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” she said slowly, “Do you remember much about the seances your mother did?”

“Unfortunately, I remember every moment,” Percy grimaced, since he’d always had a crippling fear of the spirits his mother would call forth.

“Well, I had a question,” she said. “Say that during a seance, you begin to see apparitions. Is that bad news?”

“Well, they don’t typically appear, but I remember shadows appearing,” Percy shrugged. “Mum always said they were normal, and that it meant the connection was strong. I suppose I can understand that. Imagine if someone invited you into a room, but as soon as you do, everyone is blankly looking around at the walls and screaming. And not one person can see you. Wouldn’t you want to make yourself known?”

“That makes sense,” Emily said, thinking for a moment. “But what if after seeing this apparition, you faint?”

Percy frowned, brow furrowing as he eyed her. He couldn’t read her expression.

“Your question is unusually specific,” he said. “You haven’t been messing with the spirit world, have you?”

“No, of course not,” Emily laughed. “I’ve just been reading Malina’s books. That’s all. Nevermind, it was a pointless question.”

She quickly picked up the tools to put them away for the night, and Percy just shrugged it off. He did leave all of his mother’s books with her, after all. He couldn’t expect her not to take an interest in them. After walking Emily home, Percy ended up at the tavern, where he'd been spending a lot of time as of late. He didn't particularly like alcohol, yet had grown used to constant drinking after spending so much time with pirates. At first, it was because Colt was a heavy drinker, and he did everything to be with his brother. Later, it was to numb the pain. Since he met Emily, however, it was mostly because his best friend was the new owner of the tavern, either, after the original owner had passed away. Luke slid some gin to him, smiling to the pretty young barmaid who was cleaning up a table nearby. She blushed and scurried away, almost forgetting to pick up all the empty mugs.

"New interest?" Percy asked.

"She's pretty, but far too quiet," Luke shrugged. "Can't hold a conversation. It feels like talking to a wall that blushes at everything I say."

"Can you afford to be picky?" Percy smirked.

Luke narrowed his eyes at him and snatched the gin out of his hand before he got a chance to drink it. Percy laughed, holding out his hand to grab for it.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, grinning. "I'm sure you'll find someone who talks as much as you do."

Luke rolled his eyes and gave the gin back, which Percy didn't hesitate to drink from. It took a lot of liquor to get to Percy, but he liked the warm feeling, even if it tasted bad.

"So what's on your mind?" Luke asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't always look this thoughtful. There's usually a stupid, blank look on your face. Come on then, spit it out."

Percy knocked back what was left of his gin before answering, holding up two fingers for another one.

"Well, I'm going to the Weldon residence tomorrow evening," he said.

"What for?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"To ask permission to marry their daughter."

Luke stopped mid-pour, setting the drink behind him and out of Percy's reach before leaning forward on the bar in front of Percy.

"What?" he frowned.

"It's about damn time," Luke said.

"Huh?"

"Percy, it's no secret that you two have eyes for each other, even if 'high society' says it's wrong," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "Men your age? Already got kids. Do you remember Roland, that skinny boy who always had a finger in his nose? He married Giselle Paddley and now they've got a fifth kid on the way. And he's two years younger than you."

"Snotty Roland married gap-tooth Giselle?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, can you believe that?" Luke smirked, though he quickly shook his head. "That's besides the point. My point is that you're late. Emily isn't a lover to keep on the side. She's a wife. Now you best go hurry and make her your."

"I'll go," Percy mumbled. "Tomorrow."

"Now, Percy," Luke pushed. "Before her family has time to think about pathetic you are."

While Luke's words were harsh, the smile on his face suggested otherwise. Percy slid off the bar stool, but Luke grabbed the collar of his shirt and glared at him, holding his hand out.

"Oh, come on, I'm your best friend," Percy complained.

Luke didn't budge. Percy sighed and reached into his pocket to count out the money for the drink, slapping it into Luke's open hand. He cracked a smile and gestured to the door, giving Percy permission to go. No matter how hard he tried, Percy could never convince Luke to give him special treatment.

He made a point of making sure he didn't smell like liquor before heading to the Weldon estate, taking a deep breath and knocking on the door. The butler answered, but Bartimus Weldon came before he could say anything. He dismissed the butler and raised an eyebrow at Percy.

"Well, hello Percy," he said. "I'm afraid Emily isn't here. Didn't she tell you she was going to a party tonight?"

"She did," Percy nodded, suddenly feeling small, which was really saying something. "Actually, um, I was hoping I could, uh, speak to you?"

Bartimus was expressionless for a moment, then opened the door to let Percy in. He led him to the library, sitting him down on a couch and sitting in an armchair across from him.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, once they were comfortable and a maid had set a tray of tea in front of them.

Percy didn't particularly like tea, because they reminded him of his mother, who'd always read the leaves for him. When he was a boy, she used to give him fake readings, telling him ridiculous things like how he'd become a prince, or how he'd learn to fly. Neither one of those were in the cards now, but when he was young, they always made his day better. It was a sad thought to think that he was drinking tea without his mother there. However, he stayed quiet and drank to be polite.

"Well, as you know, Emily and I are very good friends," he started.

"Very good friends," Bart said, nodding knowingly. Luke was right. Even if she and Percy didn't talk openly about it, everyone knew.

"Well, I'd best just get to the point," Percy sighed. "I've fallen in love with your daughter. I've never known I could feel this way about anyone. I was hoping, with your blessing, to ask her to marry me."

A strange look flashed across Bartimus's face that Percy couldn't read. His expression was completely expressionless and serious, but his eyes seemed almost giddy.

"I see," he said, slowly stirring sugar into his tea. "If you don't mind my asking, what do you know of married life? Your parents, perhaps."

"It wasn't... good," Percy admitted. "My father wasn't built for any kind of commitment, unless it was a commitment to alcohol."

"Ah, I see," he nodded. "If I remember correctly, he's passed, hasn't he?"

"Yes, sir."

"And your mother?"

"She was wonderful," Percy said quickly. "She, however, has also passed."

"Brothers or sisters?"

"One older brother. He's... also passed."

It was the first time Percy had ever said out loud that his entire family was dead, none of which were peaceful deaths from old age. He wasn't sure how it made him feel. He'd come to peace with his mother and Colt long ago, but his father's death changed things. He had no reason to be sad about it, and yet, he wasn't entirely happy or neutral either.

"I see," Bart nodded. "Well, in that case, I look forward to taking you in as my son."

Percy paused for a moment, then perked up when he realized what that meant. A wide grin spread across Bartimus's face as he laughed and stood to pay Percy's shoulder.

"Oh, you should have seen yourself," he laughed. "You looked about ready to melt into a puddle. Of course you have my blessing. And I'm sure Emily will be excited as well. And if she electrocutes you when you propose like she did with Gregory... well... I apologize in advance. But I doubt she will. But she might. Stay on your toes."

Percy frowned and tensed slightly, making Bartimus laugh again, patting him on the back. He wondered if he was just trying to mess with him, but at the same time, you could never be completely sure around Emily. After all, when he'd first met her, he'd been sure that she'd be the last kind of girl he'd ever interact with. And now he was going to ask her to marry him.