Entry 3 - Dinner with a Spirit

I picked up my memoir and joined Nyx on the other side of the desk, motioning toward the briefcase and telling Dolly that the guy with the glasses used that to pay for his room. When Dolly asked if he should open it, Nyx interjected.

“I would advise against it.”

Both Dolly and I gave her a look, and she shrugged, “A mysterious man handing you a suitcase is very rarely a good thing.”

Dolly wrote, “True.”

“Still, I’m curious,” I admitted, leaning over the desk to look at the briefcase closer. It didn’t look special, just a fairly typical brown case made of leather. Maybe there was money in it.

Billy prodded, “You should open it anyway. Come on, I want to see what’s inside.”

I won’t lie, the suggestion was tempting. My curiosity was threatening to get the better of me with each passing moment I stood there staring at the case. The longer I mused, the more I wanted to see what the case contained. A tantalizing whisper in my ear.

“Leave it to Mando.” Nyx reiterated, beckoning for me to follow her.

“Yeah, probably for the best.” I agreed, trailing behind her.

“You really are leaving me here with the mute doll!?” Billy muttered under his breath as I followed Nyx to the elevator before calling, “Whatever happened to dicks before tits, Jhin!”

“You’re way too dramatic,” I remarked dryly in response, rolling my eyes as Nyx tittered from the elevator.

Once the two of us were out of earshot of the lobby, I tried to brush my clothing off with a hand, still a little embarrassed by my current appearance. Specks of glitter fell like snowflakes as I brushed my shirt. “Sorry I’m not super presentable.”

Nyx shook her head. “That’s not a problem, and you know it. I’m just glad to be back early.”

I pressed the elevator button to the basement. “I am, too.”

“Can we eat on the roof again?” She asked, “I’ve always preferred eating up there.”

“Of course.” I agreed as the elevator doors opened. The two of us stepped in together, and the doors slid quietly to a close.

For a few seconds, neither of us said anything. She ran a hand through her flowing hair, giving me a sidelong glance. The bells on her dress jingled slightly, a familiar sound I’d come to associate with her. I pressed the button leading to the basement, and the elevator jolted before starting its descent.

When I tried to speak, she did too. The two of us stopped, one trying to speak before the other, then vice versa, which led to her laughing and waving a hand. “You go first.”

“Sorry,” I said. Before I could speak, the elevator doors dinged open.

The space beyond was dimly lit by soft, purple lights that ran in lines where the floor met each of the baseboards around the walls. Different runic symbols were painted on the floor and ceiling. Some looked more like graffiti than actual artwork meant to be on the walls, but the building owners never complained about them. Portraits of old hotel employees stared at us from every direction. Similarly to the level above us, we stood at an intersection with the stairs to our left. Unlike the first floor, however, there was a hall leading beyond the stairway. The other two directions led to different facilities for guests, namely our swimming pool and arcade.

We turned to the left, heading down the hall toward Zozo’s. Suits of plate armor stood on either side of us, each carrying either a sword or polearm of some sort. They were all from different regions, although most looked like fairly stereotypical knight’s armor. At the backs of these armors, the walls were glass, looking in on an aquarium full of strange fish and creatures from god knows where. Corals and plants that looked utterly alien lined the sandy bottom, and rocks with hieroglyphs from bygone ages acted as decoration for the different fish to dart between.

I glanced over at my spectral compatriot. She walked beside me, more of a courtesy than a necessity. With each step she seemed to float, bounding forward like an astronaut in low gravity. She slowed after a second, looking over at the aquarium.

“How was your trip?” I asked.

“Well, considering it was for work, it could have been better.” Nyx turned her attention back toward me. “How have things been here?”

I motioned down at myself in response, spreading my arms somewhat helplessly.

She laughed, her ethereal voice rebounding through the hall. “That about sums up my trip, too.”

“Must feel nice to be home.”

“It is.” Nyx said, “Although I won’t be for long.”

I frowned. “Why’s that?”

“One last job before the mists come.” She explained, “I shouldn’t be gone long. Just until the end of the week.”

“The mists are in five days or so, aren’t they? You’re cutting it close if you don’t want to be traveling during them.” I didn’t want her to leave again, but I didn’t want to just outright demand she stay. “Are you sure?”

Nyx shrugged, “It’s an important job, trust me.”

“I just miss having you around.” I admitted, “Things get really crazy around here, and it helps to have extra hands on deck.”

“You know I’ll always be here when I can be.” She promised me, her silver eyes finding mine.

“I know. Sorry, I’m sure you’re tired of thinking about work.” I rubbed the back of my head. “What did you want to say in the elevator?”

Before she could open her mouth, one of the suits of armor in front of us stepped away from the wall. I nearly leaped out of my skin, a sharp yelp tearing from my lips as the metallic boots clanged against the floor.

“Hark!” The visor of the armor moved as a booming, masculine voice emanated from within. Similar to Nyx, the man’s voice echoed – although unlike her softer tone, it was loud and seemed to demand attention. Annoyingly so, in my personal opinion. “Is that the lovely Nyx? Has she finally returned from her escapade?”

Breathing heavily from the sudden fright, I put a hand on the wall, shaking my head and cursing under my breath. It was Sir Theodor of Westerlot, one of our resident spirits. He was bound to the suit of armor he had died in a few hundred years ago or something along those lines. From what I understood, it wasn’t even in combat. He’d tripped down a flight of stairs and broken his neck. That had to be rough, training your whole life to be a knight and being beaten by a small decline. It also certainly made his supposed skill as a knight dubious at best, although I tried not to say that out loud.

“It was only two days.” Nyx folded her arms, regarding the suit of armor with a disinterested stare. When she saw the startled look on my face, her scowl morphed to a smirk of genuine amusement. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I held a hand over my thundering heart, grumbling sarcastically, “Very funny. Hi, Sir Theodor.”

The suit of armor bowed in response. “It’s good to see you, sir Jhin! Are you off to dinner? I wished to inquire on a matter.”

Despite the scare, I managed to steady myself, giving the suit of armor a nod. “Well, go ahead and ask. But keep it short.”

“Of course!” He agreed, standing straight and speaking in a grandiose tone. “Earlier this morning I heard the most beautiful woman singing.”

Immediately, I realized what he was talking about. When I tried to speak, however, the knight simply kept talking, “Her voice was like a summer breeze drifting across the valley, weaving through the grass and trees. An enchantment that has completely captured my body and soul. Pray tell, what brought end to that wondrous music? I would very much like to speak to the songstress behind it.”

I sighed, waving my memoir at him. “I’d stay away from whoever was singing.”

Nyx asked, “Singing?”

“Someone was singing in the women’s bathroom for the last two days. It basically started right after you left and stopped earlier today.” I explained to her. “I’ll explain more over dinner.”

“So you do know!” Sir Theodor exclaimed.

“I do, and I also know it’s not what you think,” I said. “If you hear it again, ignore it.”

If a helmet could frown, he certainly would have. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t convinced, and he definitely wasn’t going to listen to me. “A shame, I would have liked to meet the maiden myself. If I get the chance, I will certainly take it.”

“You don’t even know what she looks like,” I said.

“But my heart reaches for her!” He raised an armored glove skyward, placing the other on his chest. “I dare say I may be in love!”

I groaned. His over-the-top acting, the way he spoke about the woman, his random proclamations of love for someone he’d never met were all extremely embarrassing to witness firsthand. It was cringe-inducing even on the best of days. I motioned for Nyx to walk past him, continuing down the hall toward Zozo’s myself.

She snickered and followed behind me.

“Don’t walk away from me, sir Jhin!” He complained. “You must give me her name!”

“Listen, Theodor.” I turned to look at him but kept walking backward toward the other side of the hall. “Do us both a favor and ignore any future singing. Seriously, I don’t want any trouble and neither do you.”

He said something else, but I ignored him with a shake of my head. Then, I swung away and quickened my pace.

Nyx floated alongside me, her legs trailing in the air behind her. “What was that even all about?”

“Like I said, I’ll explain once we get our food.” I sighed as we reached the other end of the hall. The doors to Zozo’s basement level stood before us. The restaurant had an entrance at street level too, just on the other side of the hotel. From the lobby it was faster to take the route we had used, even if it meant sometimes having to deal with Theodor’s antics. He normally stayed in the basement with the other suits of armor.

The doors that stood before us were checkered black and white with both the Grinning Moon and Zozo’s own restaurant logo painted on them. Zozo’s restaurant used a vibrantly colored cartoon of a curling tentacle reaching out of a half-opened window, a single spoon clasped in the tendril's hand.

I opened the door and held it open for Nyx, more out of habit than anything else. She floated through before settling on the ground, her hands slightly outstretched to either side. As her feet touched the floor the bells on her dress settled, ringing gently in the enclosed room.

We were standing in a small, well-lit room with a stairway leading up to Zozo’s main level. Black-and-white checkered tile floors, cartoon drawings of tentacles on the walls, and bright white lights gave it a friendly, inviting atmosphere. Especially compared to the basement level of the Grinning Moon, which honestly looked downright creepy at times in its lower, purplish light. To the right was a door marked “employees only.” This was Zozo’s kitchen, which in all my years of working at the Grinning Moon I’d never actually been inside. It was always locked, and Benzo, the owner of Zozo’s, said his own staff took care of things there. Technically, the restaurant was part of the Grinning Moon, so I guess as the supposed Senior Groundskeeper it did actually fall under my jurisdiction. But Benzo wanted to take care of things himself, and as long as the health inspector didn’t complain, that was fine by me.

“I kind of like that you still hold the door open for me like that,” Nyx said, waiting for me at the base of the stairs.

“Honestly, it’s more instinctual than anything.” I admitted, “Kind of like how you’ll start walking beside me even though you can just float around.”

We took the stairs together. She stepped up beside me, her foot coming to physically touch each individual stair. “It’s nice just being a person sometimes.”

“You are just a person, to be fair. Just, you know.” I motioned up and down her spectral form.

She chuckled, “You get what I mean.”

“I get it.” When we reached the top, I opened the door leading to Zozo’s entrance.

Similarly to the basement level, Zozo’s entire aesthetic was almost cartoony. It was a well-lit space, with the same white lights and checkered tile flooring. Off to our right sat the main entrance, a brightly painted red door with a huge “Dine In!” light beside it. Another sign read, “Vampires Welcome!” which had always earned a small laugh out of me. The walls around the main entrance of the building were floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto the parking lot and the Grinning Moon, but the back wall and the wall we’d just come from were brick and covered in more paintings of the restaurant’s branding. Tables lined these walls and sat in small clusters throughout the room. On the wall opposite the main entrance was the order window and menu. Light music from some popular artist played. I didn’t know the name, but I recognized the song.

The order window was the main thing that threw most people off when they entered Zozo’s. It was visible from everywhere in the dining area. If you’ve ever driven through a fast-food joint, it looked exactly like one of those sliding windows the employees used to pass food through to you in your car. But the most striking feature was the black, shadowy void that hung behind the glass. No light permeated into this dark abyss, nor did anything seem to stir within. There was simply nothing but darkness.

While Nyx and I were used to this, if you’d never been to Zozo’s I couldn’t exactly blame you for being skeptical. The building itself looked so childish and friendly, and then you just had this evil ass window on the back wall with shadowy mist leaking from the crack under the windowsill. Yeah, the right reaction is probably to just turn around and walk out.

My entire opinion on the place changed after Nyx convinced me to order one of Benzo’s famous dipped sandwiches. It was the best damn thing I’d had in years.

The two of us stepped up to the window, and it slid open.

Nyx gave me a knowing glance. “The usual?”

“The usual.” I agreed.

“Benzo!” Nyx knocked on the wall with a closed fist.

At first there was no response. The cheery music playing through the restaurant continued without pause. We stood there, watching the black void beyond the window closely. Something stirred within. A figure, although little could be gleaned of the being’s true form.

With a slick, wet announcement, a single pale tentacle slid out from the dark mist. It was almost like a squid’s, ending in a flat leaf-shaped tip that was covered in wiggling suckers. A pair of glowing, red eyes flickered through the shadow, nearing the edge of the window but never coming close enough to allow a good look at whatever they were attached to.

In a gravelly, deep voice, a voice erupted from within. He was friendly, boisterous even. Have you ever met someone, usually an older man, who has the obvious rasp of age on every syllable he speaks, yet beams with so much friendliness it’s infectious? Someone who laughs at every little joke or comment like it’s the funniest thing ever? That’s the sort of aura the voice beyond the window gave off.

“Well, well, well! What do we have here? The Grinning Moon’s tramp and the soul lost in the wind.” Benzo said from within, his tentacle waving, “You two finally decided to pay ol’ Benzo a visit again?”

I raised a brow, “We were literally here three days ago.”

“Three days of horrible, horrible waiting!” His tentacle flailed dramatically, raising like one would throw their hands above their head. “You are my favorite customers, after all. My supple little sandwich vacuums.”

Nyx put a hand to her forehead, saying, “I don’t think you should be referring to your regulars as “supple” for any reason.”

“It makes it sound like you intend to eat them,” I muttered. “And us.”

“Please, why eat you when I make the best food in all of Nultock?” Benzo’s tentacle waved dismissively. “Not a chance. So, are you two doing your usual?”

“Two of the Zozo’s Dippers.” Nyx agreed.

I fished through my pockets for my cash, but Nyx shook her head. “Let me, Jhin. I just got paid.”

“Are you sure? I really don’t mind.”

She didn’t directly respond, instead extending a hand and hovering it flat–palm facing the ground and Benzo’s eagerly pulsing tentacle. Coins rained from her outstretched palm into Benzo’s tendril, sticking to the oily substance that coated every inch of his pale flesh. Upon receiving his payment, Benzo retracted his tentacle and chuckled. “I’ll make them extra large just for the two of you.”

Then, the window slid shut.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I told Nyx as she adjusted her arm warmer, her form shifting between corporeal and ethereal as she pushed away from the wall.

Nyx ran a hand through her hair. “Consider it thanks for tolerating my haunting you.”

“Calling it haunting feels wrong.”

“But it is.” She replied. I could tell she wanted to say something more; I could see it on her face. Though her pupils weren’t visible through the silvery shine in her eyes, I saw her bite a lip, and her cheeks shifted. But then she returned to her usual expression, her ethereal gaze finding mine as a smile tugged at her lips. “Even if you don’t mind.”

I’d never really considered Nyx a “haunt” despite her words. Like I wrote in her previous entry, outside of obligations she’d prescribed herself, she was a completely free spirit. She could wander pretty much wherever she wanted. The reason she chose to live here and to come back to the Grinning Moon was honestly a mystery to me, especially since she had to travel all over Nultock and sometimes even to other cities or countries for her work and...personal affairs. I’d jokingly referred to her as my “favorite specter” on multiple occasions, or endearingly as “my personal haunt” to others. Calling us close was an understatement. We were almost inseparable beyond her traveling, and the only reason I didn’t come along with her to her work was because I had to stay at the Grinning Moon myself for my medication.

All of that said, I could tell something was wrong. Something was on her mind. But I didn’t want to pry. One, because when Nyx was angry, it was terrifying. And two, because I respected her and trusted she would tell me when she felt she could.

Nyx could see it on my face. She saw the burning question rising in my chest and my inner battle to refrain from asking.

“I’ll tell you once we’re in a more private setting.” She said. “Benzo is notorious for gossip.”

From somewhere beyond the closed window, Benzo’s voice boomed from the darkness, “Hey, I can hear you!”

The two of us shared a laugh and Nyx said, “That’s exactly my point, Benzo.”

“Listen!” The window shot open, the red eyes returning to their previous location. “Here at Zozo’s we value your privacy. Please, feel free to bare your soul out, no pun intended. I’m awfully curious. And bored.”

Behind us, the restaurant door slid open, and a small chime filled the air. All three of us turned our attention to the newcomer.

Mivara was hurrying in, holding a book with a glowing green cover. She was in the middle of speaking before she saw Nyx and I, “Benzo! I found this tome containing an incantation for a seance spell and-”

She stopped, staring in our direction. Slowly, a playful grin split her lips.

“A seance?” I asked her.

“Well, that’s none of your business, is it?” Mivara stuck out her tongue, walking up to the window and peeking inside. “Can I get a burger, Benzo?”

Benzo’s tentacle shot out, waving in her direction. “Of course, of course. But tell me more about that tome once I send these two on their way.”

“Mivara…” I complained, a warning tone in my voice.

“Relax, this book shouldn’t do anything weird.” She reassured me, “At least, not until I tell it to. Anyways, Nyx is back! Good for you.”

Nyx gave her a small nod. “Only for today. I leave again tomorrow.”

“Working during the mists?” Mivara raised a brow. “I’d say that was a dangerous idea if you weren’t already, well, dead.”

“I’ll be back before then.” Nyx explained, “So do your best not to burn down the Grinning Moon. If you cause trouble for Jhin, I’ll be mad at you.”

Mivara spun playfully, arms outstretched. “I would never do such a thing! Jhin knows, eh?”

“It might not be intentional, but you are arguably one of the most destructive coworkers I have.” I rubbed the corner of my eyes with a hand. “And considering among that group is a living doll, a memory-eating monster and a literal zombie, I feel like that’s an accomplishment.”

“What’s with the pink slime and glitter all over your clothes?” Mivara tapped my shoulder with a finger. “You look like a unicorn shat on you.”

My response was curt. “The vending machine.”

Benzo interrupted our conversation. “Your food!”

A pair of tentacles stretched towards us, each carrying a white paper bag with Zozo’s logo drawn on it. He explained, “I figure you two are going up to the roof of the Grinning Moon, right? So I bagged them all up. Each has a cup of dipping sauce, and I made them to your usual specifications.”

“You know us well,” Nyx said gratefully, taking both of the bags. “Thank you, Benzo.”

“Zozo’s always delivers.” A toothy grin shone through the blackness, far too wide to be human. “Now get out of here. I’ve got to talk shop with Mivara.”

I interjected, “Please don’t summon something I’m going to have to deal with later.”

Both Mivara and Benzo started cackling, which didn’t do much to inspire confidence. But Nyx held up our bags, jerking her head toward the door, hair clouding around her as she turned away. I sighed, pointing at Mivara and then my own eyes with a pair of fingers before hurrying to follow Nyx.

“I swear to god, I really do not want to walk in on Mivara floating in the middle of the lobby again,” I muttered.

“Be glad she can’t actually use magic and is stuck to using random books and tomes.” Nyx laughed.

“Yeah, see the thing is, I’m pretty sure she’d have absolutely no issue making a deal with a literal demon to be able to levitate a few feet.” We stepped out into the parking lot.

Now is probably a good time to actually explain what the area in front of the hotel looks like. Like I mentioned in my previous entry, the hotel is in a generally quiet part of Nultock. We don’t really have any neighboring businesses except for Zozo’s. A single, winding road leads through the woods in front of the hotel to the parking lot. The parking lot is large enough for easily a hundred cars, and it’s separated into a lower and upper level–the former of which is underground, accessible via a small ramp near the edge of the forest.

If you were looking at the Grinning Moon head-on, Zozo’s restaurant was attached to the right with its bright logo and flashing neon lights. Zozo’s shared a wall with the secondary storage room Arnold and his brood had invaded. Compared to the hotel, Zozo’s looked almost out of place. The glass windows and bright red paint accompanied by the cartoonish logo were complete whiplash compared to my place of work. Even despite the two businesses being joined, they couldn’t be further apart architecturally.

The Grinning Moon itself was a massive, looming building. From the ground level, it was intimidating. A dominating, stone structure with flying buttresses, multiple spires, and ornate stonework. Crouching gargoyles, werewolves, human-sized bats, and other similarly horrifying creatures topped multiple pillars, perched overlooking the ground. Near the center of the building was a flat section where an enormous, glowing, silvery moon logo stared down at the parking lot with its soulless eyes and toothy grin. A trio of enormous towers overshadowed the rest of the building, one near the center and two on the opposite side at either end of the hotel. Guest room windows sat closed on almost every wall at regular intervals, curtains drawn.

A carriage porch covered the entrance. I didn’t mention it previously since it wasn’t super important to my disposal of the hairless possum. Generally, people would park their cars there when they first walked in to make their reservation. Each of the pillars of the carriage porch has dozens of moons and stars engraved into them alongside more unknown runic symbols. I was fairly certain some of them were just graffiti we had yet to clean off, but management never said anything about them. Hundreds of wind chimes, charms, and dream catchers lined all sides of the carriage porch. Most of them had been there for as long as I could remember, although sometimes on special occasions we would hang more. All of this sat just before the sliding glass door leading into the Grinning Moon, and it certainly had a particular, somewhat odd vibe.

As we walked back toward the lobby, I glanced toward where I’d left the hairless possum. I was very happy to see the thing was gone, mostly because that meant I wouldn’t have to worry about a guest complaining about a wild animal in the parking lot. And that’s happened on more than one occasion.

It was then I realized Nyx was staring at me, still holding our bags in each hand. The bells on her dress occasionally sang as she floated beside me. Her gaze was a stark reminder that I was still a complete disheveled mess, and a small pang of embarrassment hit me square in the chest. With little thought, I adjusted my grip on my new memoir, squeezing the spine tightly in my hand.

When the sliding door opened and we entered the lobby, Billy shouted, “You two bring me anything?”

“Every time you eat, you leave crumbs all over the ground,” I replied, following Nyx toward the elevator.

“Damn, so nothing?”

Dolly was currently standing on the counter, having a new guest fill out the guest ledger. He waved at Nyx and I as the man he was helping started asking questions about our breakfast service. Before we left the lobby, I gave Billy a sigh and nodded my head in his direction, “I’ll grab you something during lunch tomorrow.”

“I’ll hold you to it.” The deer let out a bay, causing the guest at the counter to look at him with a raised brow. “Otherwise I’ll bite the next guest who leans on the wall under me.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Does he have to always be so obnoxious?” Nyx, despite her complaint, sounded less annoyed and more amused by the exchange.

I raised my hands in surrender. “I’m telling you there is no off switch. He is one hundred percent bastard one hundred percent of the time. He doesn’t even stop in front of guests.”

We entered the elevator, and I pressed the very top floor, the entrance to the rooftop marked with a big letter R and another worn rune on either side of it. I suppose now is a good time to mention just how many stories the Grinning Moon is. There are fifteen floors, not counting the rooftop and basement. Each guest floor contains around fifteen to twenty rooms of various sizes and we tried to separate them based on their biomes. Yes, you heard me right, biomes. Each room in the Grinning Moon is specially curated for different species or sizes of whatever individual comes marching through that door. Some of them are swamps with mud pits and thick vegetation. Others are painted to look like you’re in a subway system with cardboard beds and boxes strewn about. I’ve even seen a blizzard blowing from an open door at one point, although I didn’t have time to look at the room myself.

The reason I say we try to separate them by biome is because I have literally seen rooms change location and layout when I look away from the security cameras at the desk. And this makes organizing any documentation regarding the rooms nearly impossible, which is another reason we only use our computer system as a sort of supplementary record. One moment a room on the second floor may have a large ivory door and be located near the back of the hotel, and the next that very same room’s door has changed to a painted glass with an ornate metal handle. This usually happens after someone signs their name on the ledger and picks a room number to stay in.

Now, outside of guest floors, three floors have guest facilities. These facilities come with the pleasure of staying at the Grinning Moon, and as the groundskeeper and key person on site, I’m expected to run all of them upon a guest’s request. We even have a little movie theater on the fourteenth floor with an old projector from who knows where that runs on a strange concoction of runic symbols and a tiny generator that glows green when I spin it up. Is that normal? Probably not, but when I asked the boss about it, all he said was, “That’s pretty damn weird.” Since he didn’t really panic or anything, I hadn’t really investigated further.

Anyways, as we ascended, Nyx handed me my bag. I took it with the hand not wrapped around my memoir. Her eyes fell on the purple book, and she traded me, looking at it curiously. She flipped it around in her hand, reading the cover for a moment before giving me a questioning glance. “Alright, what’s with the book?”

I motioned toward it with the bag she’d just handed me. “My memoir.”

“You started keeping a diary? That’s actually adorable.” She didn’t open it but held it curiously. “And when did you start this little escapade?”

“Oh god, please don’t call it a diary.” I groaned.

The elevator doors dinged open, revealing the rooftop. We stepped out into the evening air, the sun only barely hanging on to the horizon. The top of the Grinning Moon was relatively flat, with a few spires poking out where towers were located on the property for storage and other necessities. The edges of the roof were shaped similarly to castle ramparts, accompanied by stone gargoyles at each corner. Walkable space continued around the Grinning Moon, allowing one to overlook our courtyard while also giving a stunning view of Nultock beyond the river running behind the hotel.

Our usual spot was a small, wooden table near the edge of the roof on the riverside. A cooler sat next to it, plugged into a generator tucked against the wall. Nyx was already floating over, feet skimming the ground. She sat down in one of the chairs, crossing one leg over the other and placing her bag on the table. “A memoir is just a diary, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know.” I sat opposite her, looking beyond the river and toward the city.

Nultock was a beautifully chaotic place, and even from here the bustle of life in the city of mists was visible. The architecture was varied and full of symbology most from Nultock wouldn’t recognize nor care for. Inverted triangles sat atop steeples, surrounded by metal rings. Many structures were damaged or in the process of reconstruction. Runes were painted on various billboards and the sides of every building in sight, of which the architecture ranged from ornate stone structures to giant, shoddy wooden shacks held together by magic and metal. Neon signs advertised unique charms and talismans. Paper streamers with prayers and scriptures hung from every light post, with several flowing from the tallest skyscrapers that were easily ten to twenty floors in length. And then there was the centerpiece of Nultock, the Centrifuge Tower. A nexus of arcane power with a dozen massive, spinning spell circles set around it, like a finger against the horizon wreathed in arcane sigils. It was a building so covered in charms, runes, dream catchers, and totems that it stood out from every other structure around it. The steeple atop glowed green, a beacon shining a dull glow over the entire city, and a faint smoky aroma hung in the air from towers full of burning incense all up and down the streets.

Home, for better and for worse.

“So, what gives?” Nyx asked again, raising my purple book before setting it on the table.

I shrugged, emptying the contents of my bag onto the table. The Zozo’s Dippers were sandwiches on soft bread meant to be dipped in a savory, seasoned broth local to Nultock. Each was piled with meat and cheese, with added onions and spicy peppers for extra taste. They were perfectly sized to cut in half in the very center and hold each section by the hand to dip in the provided broth. While I opened the small carton of sauce, I explained, “Mando pulled me aside for a talk the other day.”

Nyx raised a brow, leaning back in her chair. It threatened to tilt but floated in place, only resting on the back two legs as she rummaged through her own bag. “What kind of talk?”

“Well, I got a raise.” I set part of my sandwich in the dip, watching the liquid soak into the bread. “And a couple new responsibilities. A book I’m supposed to keep safe and a binder I’m supposed to put daily reports in. Somehow, that turned into me keeping a di – a memoir. A memoir.”

She chuckled, pointing a finger at me. “You almost called it a diary.”

“Oh my god, leave me alone.” I rolled my eyes with a grin, taking a bite of the sandwich. As usual, Benzo was spot on. The combination of spices and cheese was perfect, a deluge of gentle heat and salt that warmed me to my core.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you about the book.” She slid it across the table to me. “But one day, I want to read it. When it’s more filled out. So what was said, exactly?”

“He said that he was glad I worked here and that he’s going on vacation here shortly. After the next mist.” I replied, “Because of that, he wants me to sort of run things while he’s gone. And I got a new promotion. Senior Groundskeeper, whatever that means.”

“Aren’t you the only-”

“Yes.” I cut her off, giving her an exasperated stare.

She leaned in, her chair returning to its original position. “But he trusted you with the book?”

The way she said it wasn’t lost on me. She already knew about the book. I found this strange, as I’d only found out about it the day my boss had pulled me into the room. So I nodded, asking, “I assumed it was a big deal, but I’ll be honest, I’m more interested in the pay raise.”

“He’s grooming you to take over the hotel.” Nyx said with finality, an almost proud smile on her face, “That’s the only reason he’d ever offer to give you access to the book.”

“Me? Take over the Grinning Moon?” The idea was preposterous to me. I was only in my twenties. Mando was almost sixty, though he didn’t look it. He had far more experience and far more management skills than I did.

Nyx nodded, “You literally live here already. The owner provides the medication for your condition. You work hard and you do your job well. Come on, Jhin, it’s super obvious. You’re their best candidate. I can’t think of many guys who would keep working the desk despite looking like a unicorn vomited on them.”

I laughed, “Listen, it’s been a day.”

“Well, tell me all about it.”

So I did. I told her everything that had happened over the last couple of days. I filled her in on the rest of my conversation with Mando. The Rayland woman who had booked a room. Cersie the Lephashipan and the hairless possums that kept sneaking into the second storage room on the first floor.

Nyx watched and listened to it all with interest, her silvery eyes glowing and head cocked to one side. Maybe some people would’ve found her gaze uncomfortable, being as she’s a dead woman and all. I’m sure the average person wouldn’t enjoy being stared at by a spirit. But to me, it felt like home.

At one point, she floated over to the cooler, asking, “You’re off tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“No, I work the night shift.”

“But that’s practically a day from now.”

“True.”

“Nultock rums?” She glanced over her shoulder at me.

I shrugged, “Wouldn’t hurt.”

She reached into the cooler and pulled out a couple of bottles and a pair of glasses. Her fingers danced frost across the glass as she returned to the table, gently setting the bottle in front of me. I watched her uncap the two bottles – one full of cola, the other full of Nultock’s signature rum brand, Abyss Watcher. A lovely little concoction known to do horrible, horrible things to your head if you drank too much of it. Not that I’d know; I’m definitely not speaking from experience.

I watched her mix the drinks together: a small amount of Abyss Watcher rum mixed with fresh cola. Then, she put a finger into each of the drinks. Almost instantly, the top layer of both froze to slush. Nyx twirled the iced liquid around, earning soft clinks as the small cubes and slush worked against the glass. Once they were properly mixed, she slid a glass to me before taking her own in one hand, offering her glass to the side of mine.

With a smile, I picked up the mix and tapped the edge of my glass against hers. The two of us drank together, looking out over the city.

“I still have to wonder what it’s like for you.” I said as she ate, “I mean, eating and drinking like this.”

Nyx set her glass back on the table. “Keeping a physical form like this takes a lot of energy. I don’t really eat or get drunk like you do, but the actual act of eating...the ritual behind it? The repetition? That gives me an almost...jump start. It’s hard to explain. It’s not like when I died I got a booklet explaining what being a spirit would be like.”

“Kind of like when you draw energy from electronics or a living person?”

“Kind of.” Nyx agreed, “But it’s also different. Again, it’s like explaining how you know how to breathe to someone for you. It just happens naturally. It’s similar. I need energy to persist in a more corporeal form; otherwise I start getting even more transparent, and I can’t touch things. You know the deal at this point.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be, Jhin. That aside, I’m happy Mando finally told you about the book. It’s good to know he sees you as such an important part of this place.”

“What even is the book?”

Nyx hesitated for a moment. That wasn’t like her, and that told me something was definitely wrong.

“I need to tell you a story.” She finally said, lacing her fingers together and looking at me seriously.

Nyx always did this when she was about to talk about something serious. “I need to tell you a story.” It felt like it was her way of nudging people to really pay attention. To heed her warnings. You’d be surprised how many people don’t want to listen to a dead girl’s advice.

“I’m listening,” I promised.

She nodded, her silvery eyes glowing in the waning light as dusk slowly turned to night around us. “I’ve told you about this before, but part of the reason I’m trying to travel so much is I want to find wherever my body ended up.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I finally narrowed it down a bit,” Nyx motioned toward the city, “During my last job, we ended up inside a couple of old archive centers. I was buried. I have a grave, supposedly.”

I wasn’t sure how I was meant to take that information. She could tell by my puzzled expression.

“It’s a good thing.” She assured me, “It means I was given proper burial rights. Probably by my parents.”

A pang of sorrow tore through my heart. I felt terrible hearing that, even knowing at this point Nyx’s family was long gone. No parent should have to bury their child. That was a horror I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

“Did you...see it? Your grave, I mean.”

Nyx shook her head, her hair flowing gently with each movement. “I haven’t found it yet. There are a lot of graves in Nultock. But I found my name on one of the ledgers of the deceased. They call them Buried Decrees. There are entire libraries of them.”

“Nultock keeps records of everyone who’s died? Even as far back as a few hundred years ago?”

“Well, considering how often things cross over here, it makes sense.” Nyx said, “I’d like to find my grave. That’s why I’m taking this next job. The client is someone the owners of the Grinning Moon know, and apparently they have access to more archives that might have the exact location of where I was buried.”

It made sense to me, but it also made me ask, “Do you think finding it will help you in some way? Like...move on? If that’s what you want?”

“I don’t know, Jhin.” She admitted, voice echoing gently across the rooftop. “But I know I just...I need to see it. I’ve been looking for a hundred years. It’s time.”

“Well, if I can help…” I motioned down to myself, “It is in my job description. I am the help. Although I don’t really want you to go, as selfish as that sounds.”

Nyx gave me a serious stare. “I’m not going anywhere, Jhin. That much I can say for certain. My grave isn’t going to suddenly make the gates of heaven open for me. And I don’t want that, anyway. Not yet.”

“Not yet?”

She agreed, “Not for a long, long time. I have too much unfinished business. Which leads to why I brought this up in the first place. You.”

I pointed at myself questioningly, raising an eyebrow.

“Jhin, those men and women who killed me. They didn’t kill me because I did something wrong. They killed me because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn’t do anything to deserve what happened to me.” Nyx reached across the table, taking one of my hands in hers. An icy cold touch that drew the warmth from my body, sending speckles of frost traveling up my skin. I didn’t pull away. I’d never disliked the cold. She kept my gaze locked with hers, explaining earnestly, “I was a victim of circumstance. I wasn’t a witch. I didn’t hurt anyone. But they killed me, Jhin. They killed me because they could and because they wanted to.”

“Nyx, I’m sorry-”

“No, listen. Listen.” Her grip on my hand tightened, sending flashes of cold traveling up my arm. The silver glow in her eyes erupted for a heartbeat as she demanded my attention. “I’m not just dumping this onto you for your pity. You’ve heard this story a million times before. It’s overplayed at this point.”

“Still…”

“It has me thinking. I’ve been chasing my goals for a long time. And we’ve been fortunate that my work hasn’t affected things here at the Grinning Moon. But that can change. And this place, even beyond what I do, is dangerous sometimes. The scars on your face are plenty of proof of that.” Nyx motioned toward me with her other hand. “There are monsters everywhere, living and otherwise. And you’re only human. You don’t have the power I do. And now you know about the book.”

I didn’t pull away from her, but concern furrowed my brow. “You’re scaring me, Nyx.”

“I hope I’m just overreacting.” She sighed, releasing my hand and picking up her glass of rum. “But even our normal is chaotic here in Nultock. Just keep things as locked down as you can while I’m not here, okay? And please, be safe. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Nyx, what is that book that it has you freaking out like this? This isn’t like you.”

“I have my suspicions, but I’m not sure yet.” Nyx murmured, “All I know is there are places here in the Grinning Moon I can’t access and considering the fact I can normally float through most walls, that’s a little strange. All of that being said, you still have the salt shotgun behind the desk, don’t you?”

“Yeah, we still have to keep it around to deal with the occasional unruly spirit. One time I shot a really, really drugged-out homeless guy with it when he tried to jump the counter. But Mando said doing that was bad for business, so I try to avoid using it now.”

Nyx laughed, the atmosphere around us lightening a little. “Well, I’m sure it bruised him. Although if someone seriously wants to cause trouble, I don’t think blasting their chest with salt pellets will do much.”

“I know.” I rubbed my eyes. “Trust me, I’ve thought about it before.”

“You need a magistle like the one I have.” She said, “You won’t be able to charge it as I can, but it’d be something that works on both ethereal and corporeal beings.”

“Yeah, no, Mando definitely wouldn’t like that.” I replied, “He hates your work tools and doesn’t even want them on the property. He says when they get used, they rile up the spirits in the hotel.”

Nyx sounded amused. “Yes, I’ve heard all the whining in the world from him about it. It’s why I don’t always carry them around outside my room if I can avoid it.”

“I think he just doesn’t want more trouble.”

“Well, he’s in the wrong business.” She winked, “With all the wrong patrons, myself included.”

A faint grin twisted the corner of my lips. Trouble did seem to find us pretty often.

I raised my glass. “Here’s to plenty more trouble in the future, then.”

“Cheers to that, Jhin.” She tapped her glass against mine, and we finished our drinks, watching the sky as the remnants of dusk faded to true night. We stayed there for a while, exchanging idle talk and drinking probably a few too many cups of rum. But it wasn’t often we had a peaceful night like this, and I wanted to savor it while I could.

After all, it’s the little things that matter here at the Grinning Moon.

Explore

Follow our socials and discord for more information!

ConTACT

Updates and more

worldwalkeruniverse@gmail.com

© 2018-2025. All rights reserved.