Parthia (Epilogue) - Daily Life

Wednesday was errand day again. Parthia went about his usual shopping route, taking a long meandering path through the waterfront streets in case she could glean any more writing ideas from possible impending deaths of innocent passersby via his magical scroll. She had to meticulously walk down every alley, past every shop, in order to encounter the highest number of people possible. After finally making his way to the supermarket and purchasing the goods she originally set out for, he headed home with arms full of bagged produce. While she walked on her way to the market, he always flew home since she couldn’t hold his scroll open and carry grocery bags at the same time, anyway.

As the resident Wicked Paralogos of the sleepy beachside town, Parthia was somewhat of a local legend. Others who lived and regularly commuted in the area were used to his presence, but visitors and tourists presented a variety of reactions to her sightings. Although shorter than most human toddlers, the two-headed Paralogos drew stares and shrieks from unsuspecting humans. Some fled in fear of another Outbreak while others snapped videos on their smartphones. Worst were the online fanatics who travelled hours out to the area to try and get their hands on Parthia and pluck a wing feather as a souvenir.

Today, thankfully, no one tried to accost her. As a bonus, he even found a visitor who activated her scroll with a particularly rare and enticing death prediction. And there was a killer deal on River’s favorite breakfast cereal. Pun intended, Parthia thought.

The main shops only stretched a few blocks and River’s house sat just a mile from the main harbor, so the flight home was a short one. Parthia landed a few steps from the door, tucking her wings against his body and nudging the home’s entrance open with her shoulder.

The house was a quaint, unassuming rambler-type property, with the front door opening into a mid-sized living room. There was a two-person couch against the window and a television against the wall. On the other side of the living room carpet was an open kitchen floor plan, with bar stools tucked against the island countertop replacing any formal dining area. A hallway perpendicular from the kitchen/living space led to two small bedrooms, a full bathroom, and a door to the garage. A windowed door also led from the kitchen to a short back deck with steps giving way to the sand. Sitting on the deck gave an unobstructed view of the ocean waves a few hundred feet down the sand bank. It was an idyllic spot for Parthia’s surf-going caretaker.

The two-headed Paralogos wiped her feet on the welcome mat, brushing away any bits of sand that stuck between his claws. As she trudged past the living area, Sköll immediately perked up from the couch, his favorite lounging spot. He was a large, brown-furred Paralogos who towered over almost all of their kind. His wagging tail, a trait he picked up from being raised with a pack of hunting dogs, whacked a pillow off the seat cushion. Parthia merely acknowledged Sköll’s greeting trills with a flick of her tail.

Parthia set the bag of groceries down next to the refrigerator. While there were items purchased that needed to be kept cold, she never bothered to put them away, no matter the amount of nagging he received from River. The human caretaker was the only one who even needed this stuff in the first place. They can take care of it, in Parthia’s opinion. The human in question was out back enjoying the surf. No matter, it’s their fault if the milk goes bad.

Upon hearing noise from inside the kitchen, a lithe white and golden Paralogos slunk into the house from the back deck. This was Elwyn, a winged Paralogos with a curved horn sprouting from faer forehead. Fae tutted at Parthia’s form retreating to one of the bedrooms and took it upon faerself to neatly put away the bagged groceries. Again.

Parthia walked a short distance down the hall to the main bedroom. This was the room she, River, and Sköll slept. Sköll’s presence was bothersome, but River insisted he stay and Parthia couldn’t change their mind. He’d never admit it, but the Wicked did like to curl up against the furred Paralogos in the wintertime. A full size bed was pushed against one side with various surfing paraphernalia adorned on the wall. On the opposite wall was a small, two-shelf bookcase that held part of River’s modest book collection for Parthia and Sköll. The other bedroom, where their other two bonded Paralogos slept, held a similar-sized bookcase with the rest of their collection.

Most importantly, however, was the writing desk sat right in front of the window looking out to the ocean. This is where Parthia loved to spend much of her time. The desk housed a laptop that he and River shared. Two tablets lay stacked neatly on one side, and the chair had a thick cushion that served as a sort of booster seat for her smaller form. With a flap of his wings, she perched on the seat and powered up the laptop. He unfurled her magical scroll and lay it flat on the table, eager to start typing out story ideas. As soon as his claws touched the laptop keys, however, she was interrupted by the fifth member of the household.

A puff of air was the only warning before a tiny, purple Paralogos fluttered into view. She had beautiful green butterfly wings and wore a crown of leaves and moss. She flitted around Parthia’s heads before landing on the edge of the desk. Síthmaith was a mischievous little Paralogos who appreciated it’s dark humor and Wickedness. She giggled as Parthia batted her away from the keyboard, zooming off to the other side of the house to pester one of the other Paralogos.

While the others came and went in the house as they pleased, Parthia mostly ignored the beach setting and stayed inside to scheme and write. Only River could persuade her to leave home. If he had it her way, he’d read and sleep sitting in that desk chair until the end of her days.