In the ink

{Comment}
I know, I know, I'm already throwing more dead fish into the pond than I'm fishing out, but the whole thing will get a clear line ... At some point ... When I've found it ... Just stick with it and keep asking. Then I realize what I need to clear up before I can cause further confusion. Oh, if someone has a better title for the Cape, just let it go. I find this one pretty worn out and I don't think the ambiguity is clear either.
{/Comment}

The more I had read about the smear, the more I suspected that Ronga had either gone mad or wanted to wipe me out after his death in order to have fun in the afterlife at my expense. "How long have you been getting a will in the mail?" I asked into the room as I scanned the copy of the handwritten lines one more time with growing discomfort.
"It probably has to do with the page numbers that are on the bottom," replied Nick. "If he had provided a page for everyone, the notary would certainly have been tight."“You seem to get the coffee. Suddenly you're thinking logically.” I looked at 147 at the bottom of the page. Right next to it was a stamp from the notary that looked somehow out of place on the document. Even a layman like me could see that the lines had found their way onto the paper with the help of a high-quality pen. Under the ancient, neatly curved handwriting, the stamp looked like an ugly ink stain. I doubted that someone like Ronga really needed a certification to get his or her will. But there were the other pages of the letter. The computer-written ones who also had such a stamp. As well as a few necessary signatures to make it legally binding and a free space for my own.
"I can't believe he's serious," I muttered into my coffee mug. "What does it say now? Don't suspect me like that."
"But torturing you is the only way for me to console myself for your presence.""Kori ..." he sighed.
“All right, all right.” I explained Ronga's insanity to him.
It started quite harmlessly. The ring was a seal to prevent my powers from breaking out uncontrollably. Ronga wrote that I should not underestimate myself and that I should beware of outbursts of anger that might be too strong for the blockade. Something like the kind Lavande had wanted to evoke.
"Well, better than nothing, right?" Said Nick.
I pushed the thing over my right ring finger without comment, but it was way too big for it. Next, I tried my right thumb, on which the ring was already better, but also slipped around. In return, it fit perfectly on the thumb of my left hand, which was a bit stronger due to the frequent use. No sooner had the dark metal encircled my finger than I hardly felt that it was there. Normally I didn't wear any jewelry - firstly, I was vain, but not so vain and secondly, this mess was just in the way anyway - but I would get used to the ring quickly, I was sure of that."I'll take it off if we argue. There's a better chance I'll accidentally burn you," I announced.
"Accidentally? That I don't laugh," smirked Nick.
"You're going to get a lot to laugh about. He had custody of Rick and guess who he's overwriting that." Nick grinned. "How many years are you older than Rick?"
“Three, according to ID.” If I thought about it, it should be the other way around. Rick would certainly have been more suitable as my guardian than I was as his, he was much more adult than me. "I wonder how much money Ronga needed to bring the youth welfare office to such a decision. The poor guy is now totally screwed up. What was this guy thinking ?!" My counterpart nodded in agreement. "Maybe he was drunk. Anything else?"
Oh yes, there was something else. One last wish that I really resented Ronga, because it meant I had to grapple with Nick for quite a while."We'll be trained together. With your teacher," I growled.
“I know it says that for me too.” After all, he was just as unimpressed with it as I was. Even if for completely different reasons than I did, how I should find out.
"Then why do you ask so stupidly?" I snapped at him.
"I was hoping it was a mistake."There are already two of us, I thought resignedly. "We're supposed to meet at the mansion tonight," Nick explained. "There's a room big enough for practicing."
"I can hardly contain myself with enthusiasm," I said sourly.
"Maybe we can still avert it if you just don't come?" He suggested.
"I hardly think so. At least not if he's only got half as much on the box as Ronga."
Nick got nervous again. Maybe the second cup of coffee wasn't so good for him after all. In the end I decided against the "special ingredient". I was slowly softening. Or grown up. I didn't like either of them that much."What kind of a guy is that, your teacher?" I asked conversationally.
"Uhh ... What? Already so late? But then I have to go very quickly." Why did he only think of that when I wanted something important from him? Anyway, if he ever did me the favor of going voluntarily, I certainly wouldn't stop him. I would find out what was wrong with his teacher.
"Oh, before I forget ..." Nick began, already half in his shoes. He rummaged in the pocket of his trousers, which were two sizes too big, and tossed something to me. I caught it and instantly a familiar tingling sensation ran through me. "Is it actually ...", Nick watched the green stone in my hand, "... yours", he ended the sentence belatedly.
Theeye ​​of Orionhad begun to glow slightly inside. I wanted to answer something, but it was as if I suddenly had glue between my teeth. It was only with great effort that I got them apart."Take ... you better ..." I croaked hoarsely.
"O-okaay ...?" Nick stammered and took the stone from my hand again. Something in me would have liked to have prevented that, in fact I would have liked to stretch out my hand and take back its possessions instantly. "It's okay. I stole it anyway, if you take a closer look. I'll see you tonight," I said goodbye as matter-of-factly as I could and pushed Nick out the door with the stone. "Uh ... Yes," he replied absently. He put Orion's Eye back in his pocket and disappeared down the stairs. I stared after him until I finally realized I was standing there staring into the stairwell like the last idiot.
Only hesitantly did my thoughts flow again.Yes, a little training can't hurt if I don't want to go nuts, it went through my head. I also remembered the corpse, the ashes of which I still had to dispose of. I put a new bag on the hand vacuum cleaner, loaded every little ash particle into it with unprecedented thoroughness, and then deposited the small paper bag in a drawer."I know that's not very respectful," I said to the rather unconventional urn, "But look at it this way ... You wanted to kill me. You can't expect too much."
Again I caught my hand looking unsuccessfully for bite marks on my neck. I'd better have that explained to me later. As was the fact that I hadn't found a single tooth or bone in the ashes. Should I really have a fire that could burn so purposefully and so hot that it really burned up everything in it? I wasn't sure I wanted to like that yet.
But that wasn't important for the time being. Rather, it was about time I got back into my daily routine as quickly as possible before I got into trouble. I didn't have to upset my employer right away by taking my time off to thank him for having my apartment refurbished. If I showed up in the office now, I might get away with a little lecture and I wouldn't be threatened with cutting my livelihood, apartment and schooling.An hour later, I found myself in my part of the open plan office and dutifully booted up the computer while I looked through the paperwork. At the top was the note that I had almost expected.Provided that you appear here today, report to HR Manager Tanaka immediately. I also registered the small, empty box labeled "Office Supplies" on my desk. Even a tramp like me understands an indirect hint if someone almost kills me with the fence post. If I hadn't already been kicked out, I needed a few good excuses for the antics of the last few weeks. I hurried to the elevator and pressed the button on the proverbial executive suite.
The doors slid shut and I was alone with myself and my unfortunately rather modest imagination, which I searched for plausible explanations for absolutely implausible events. For example, how I burned my living room down except for a small, intact circle - the place where I stood - or why I just disappeared for two days and spent one of them in prison on suspicion of murder when I was not doing anything - well, almost nothing - had done.A jolt tore me from my thoughts. Already arrived? That went faster than I would like. But then why didn't the doors open? The red LEDs on the floor indicator told me: I was hanging somewhere between floors 20 and 21. A malfunction! "There is a God," I sighed happily. And this gave me a little respite. That was by far the best thing that happened to me today. Without a hurry, I picked up the receiver and dialed the number of the fault service on the intercom installed here. I was just about to enter the last digit when a scraping and groaning on the roof of the elevator car made me stop in the middle of the movement. The sound reminded me of fingernails
[i]
(Claws?)

on a blackboard.
A flap in the ceiling opened slowly. A deathly pale face looked down at me from above. If you wanted to call that grinning grimace a face. As if in a trance, I guided my finger to the button on the system.There was rustling in the loudspeaker. "Tz, tz, tz," it snapped from the ceiling. My guest jumped down to me while the intercom crackled. “Malfunction?” I formed the word “help” in my mouth. At the same moment, however, a pain so excruciating exploded in my head that I would have yelped if I had still been able to. I screamed inwardly when I heard myself say words that were put in my mouth from the outside.
"Hello, shaft