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The Grey Room by SiriusDF

Thursday Prompt for 12/01/2016

The Grey Room

By SiriusDF

Prompt word: penny

Inspired from an FA picture by Bubblewolf at: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/21862786/

Desire fueled the long swim through the corroding surf of time towards the Item. So close now! From sinuously navigating libraries to climbing the corridors of rank in Academia had resulted in a trip to India for the pre-arranged meeting. It's within his grasp!

Sejanus glanced at the hotel mirror, methodically checking his reflection. The draconian being performing a final preening. Dark pleated pants, crease free and brushed. Form fitting tunic with a collar pocket padded with the converted bank notes. For his home currency was worth the equivalent of pennies. The three rings worn on his left hand spoke of prestige and means. Decorative string chains of Righteousness bestowed by colleagues from the University draped around his horns. Pince nez glasses on a dark snout set off his green eyes most smartly.

Remember, he told himself, follow the seller's lead. For what may seem to be a petty Penny Ante game of gestures is a most serious business transaction to obtain the Item.

Delhi was as he expected, a crowded city of emigres bumping shoulders with native tribes from anonymous pariah dogs, stately Brahman cattle, felid refugees and discordant primates; large and small. A cataract roaring with peoples, places, cultures and religions colliding in a tectonic melange like the Himalayas to the north.

Cloudy skies spoke of the hopeful arrival of Monsoon rains. Sejanus swam more than strode through the humid air, past the very well dressed entering and leaving the hotel from their chauffeured SUV's. A few dozen meters down the street was the colored LED lit splendor of a retrofitted building containing the Tamra. He entered a climate controlled space laid out in 21st century fine eating. Plush blue drapes on one wall aglow from bright, spot lit, wooden paneled ceiling, elegant gray upholstered chairs and white clothed tables.

After being greeted most politely, he informed the lemur faced hostess he had a reservation in the Grey Room. She tilted her large eyed head, puzzled. And asked if he was mistaken. For the Tamra had no such room. He requested the Grey Room again. Again, the same answer. As was to be expected.

On the third try, the lemur was interrupted by the another being entering from a side alcove. A tall, erect eared canine. Reddish furred with dhole features and wearing gray pants draped with a dull colored shawl out of place with the lemur hostess's trim blue and white uniform. He spoke a few quiet words to the Hostess. The lemur bowed politely to the canine.

The dhole turned to Sejanus, motioning in a silent gesture to follow. They went down a corridor, past the kitchen, busy with steam and noisy activity. An unexpected turn led to another corridor, then another. Like being caught in an eddy. A furred hand swept aside a curtain, guarding a side-room.

The noise and smells of the restaurant vanished, leaving behind a muffled silence. The space held a small circular table with two low stools. Surrounded by musty tapestries casting a smoky gloom, armored statues from various Era's lit by flickering lighting from modern LED's simulating old style filament lamps. A ceiling of wrinkled, paneled tin with floor tiling polished like oil.

"You can address me as Walter Wolf," announced the short furred, fox colored dhole as he sat down in one stool, adjusting the hood of his shawl, until it draped behind his furred neck. His pelt and shawl soaked in the spice of clove cigarettes.

And if you claim to be a wolf with a name like that, Sejanus thought to himself as he followed the canid's lead and sat down, I'm a Monitor Lizard.

"Nice to be acquainted with you...Walter Wolf."

"And what may your name be?" 'Walter' asked as leathery fingers with trimmed claws brought forth a clove cigarette. He poised it between closed lips and lit it with a white zippo lighter.

"Dennis Dragon will do."

The canine who was most definitely of Dhole extraction, gripped the glowing twig in a paw, pant laughing. "A start to a most Alliterative afternoon. This calls for tea."

A broad plain of ghostly white and stripes slid around from behind a tapestry, looming forth. Sejanus looked up at a massive white tiger who had to be at least two meters tall.

Wearing a waist draping dhoti, the white tiger stood before them like a statue, gazing ahead as he lowered bowling ball sized hands holding two demitasses of steaming chai tea. He set them onto the little table.

Sajanus was about to take the porcelain cup when 'Walter' leaned forward.

"A tip for his trouble," murmured the canine.

Sajanus reached into his tunic pocket, extracting two high value notes, placing them on the table. Strangely, the tiger did not seem to acknowledge the gesture as he backed away and slipped behind the tapestry.

Dragon and dhole took their cups, sipping. Gazing into each others eyes.

Sajanus spoke, "I wish to..."

The dhole calling himself Walter interrupted. "You wish to fulfill a desire and are you prepared?"

Sajanus felt a tinge of discomfort from 'Walter's' eyes fixating upon his for several moments. Dog snout pivoting towards the center of the table and the currency.

The signal, Sejanous thought, as he reached into his tunic pocket and extracted two more notes that joined the pair upon the table.

"I am prepared." Sejanus replied. His gaze expressionless

The sound of a tail swishing against the stool as the dhole spoke, "The desire for many things. The novel. Sensations. New Temptations. The Unknown. What's beyond the horizon of our knowing. Exploring. Questioning. Drawing us onward, like migrating birds. As you, Mr. Dennis Dragon, seek that which has been etched in the blood of your ancestors."

That peculiar gaze into his draconian eyes. Another signal. Again, Sedjanus's ringed fingers reached into the sewn pocket containing currency. More notes laid down on the table. The reddish canine took a draw from his clove cigarette, twin plumes of smoke exhausting from his nostrils.

At that moment, the white tiger waiter reappeared from around the tapestry. Silent as fog, he eased towards the table. A mammoth right clawed hand resting on his solar plexus. While the left hand was held upwards, holding a dark round object between a huge thumb and finger.

A pearl the size of a large ball bearing. It apparently had suffered much and looked as if it had been abusively baked in an oven. For it was sooty black and cracked.

"It's rather...," Sejanus was about to comment further when he caught a flash of anticipation in the eyes of the dhole. His draconian jaws parted slightly, exposing grimacing teeth. Four more bills, his last, slipped out from Sejanus's ringed fingers and onto the table.

"Dull in appearance." 'Walter' finished for Sejanus, eyes closing while he once again pulled his closed lips in a pensive smile.

Clove cigarette held like an incense stick, 'Walter' said, "It's former color reflected a time when the lure of Wisdom burned bright in the hearts of the curious. We now live in dark times where the Learned fear to speak the obvious and the Rabid are promoted by Oligarchs to rule instead of begging for Alms on the street."

The dhole glanced up at the white, striped felid standing forth like an extra wall. "And like a ghostly, white dwarf star," he added, "our little Shwet holds the core."

The tiger lowered his massive left hand, placing the pearl like object onto the table, flattening the bills and causing the table to creak.

A draw from a dying clove cigarette, smoke billowing out from smiling, toothy jaws.

Time passed.

Impatience drove Sejanus to reach out and snatch the darkened pearl. He grunted with exertion as his fingers grasped the Item, which gave off warmth and felt heavier than lead. For it seemed to possess the weight of a dozen!

Force of will kept his fingers from dropping the small sphere of unexpectedly high mass. Sejanus stood up, leaning as if carrying a Gym barbell. Tight clenched fist holding the Item.

"Take the Pearl. For you now bear the burden of Wisdom." Thus spake the canine to Sejanus turning around and heading towards the curtained doorway.

The dhole ceased smiling and gazed upon the departing dragon with a look of pity.

The Grey Room

SiriusDF

Thursday Prompt for December 1, 2016

A writing prompt hosted by Vixyyfox at Furaffinity.net

This week's prompt came from both a prompt word and an outstanding painting by bubblewolf bubblewolf

https://www.weasyl.com/~bubblewolf/submissions/1484997/grey-room

http://www.furaffinity.net/full/21862786/

Edit 12/02/2016, changed a few key sentences due to a lack of proofreading proficiency.

Submission Information

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