Chapter 31: The Legend of Celtic Mythology
The trio sat at the counter in shock, Shen Yi and Hunter staring at Theriault while he looked confusedly at the girl.
'I have no idea who this is...' He thought to himself, trying to remember who this woman could be.
His mind was drawing up blank.
"Uh... Unless I'm somehow mistaken, I've never seen you a day in my life..." Theriault decided to say.
She simply smiled at Theriault and said "I suppose we haven't met in person yet, but better late than never right?"
Theriault gave her an odd look as the woman walked around the booth toward them. She seemed like she didn't care if they knew each other or not. She was acting like they were old friends, but he'd never even heard of her.
"What's your name-" Theriault started to say before the woman embraced him in a warm hug, surprising the trio once again.
"You can call me... Uathach," Her voice was sweet and caring, but also somewhat sad.
It felt like he had made her cry, though he couldn't think of any way that was possible.
Uathach released her grip on Theriault and stood back from him. She wore a black leather dress with matching boots and gloves. Her short red hair rested atop her head. It was long enough for it to cover her ears, but still maintain a neat shape.
"Why does that sound familiar?" Hunter thought aloud about his father's stories. "Wait a second... You couldn't be?"
Uathach smiled, bowing her head slightly. "Ther very same from the Celtic legends I'm sure you grew up hearing, I am Uathach, daughter of the shadow, or the warrior maid, whichever you prefer..."
"Holy... Shit," Hunter let out, dropping his mug and spilling hot chocolate all over the wooden floors.
Shen Yi was the first to react, jumping out of her seat and apologizing as she attempted to clean up the mess with a few paper napkins on the counter.
"The hell is wrong with you!" She yelled at Hunter, who was still staring at Uathach in shock.
"Who is she, Hunter?" Theriault asked, still confused despite the information.
"In Celtic myths, there is a woman who is said to be one of the strongest warriors known to mankind... This is her..."
Theriault widened his eyes. A mythological hero? Here? In a small town like this?
"... Daughter. The Warrior Scathach's daughter," Hunter finished.
"Well then... It seems we're about to find out what happens next." Theriault stated. "Never a dull moment as they say."
"It has been quite some time, I was beginning to think you had died, I am pleased to see that is not the case," Uathach said, smiling warmly at Theriault.
"Even if you are some mythological creature or person or thing, why do you continue to act like we know each other?"
"Seriously?" She asked, looking at Theriault as if she was disappointed in him.
"Uh, yeah seriously, it's getting weird..." Theriault said.
"Haha... I've watched you since birth, and yet you seem to have lost any critical thinking skills," Uathach pulled out a necklace from under her dress, at the end of it there was a little silver key, tied to the beaded necklace.
"This... Is the key of foresight," She said, smiling as Theriault began to piece some things together.
"We haven't met... But you've been-"
"That's right, since the moment you were born I used my key to watch you, I can peek into the future sure, but that's lame, knowing everything? So unexciting, and the past was just useless to look considering it's already happened... So I looked into the present... And found you."
"Huh..." Theriault said, still having trouble processing this new information.
"Uh, isn't that a little stalkerish? And why watch Theriault anyway?" Shen Yi asked, an uncomfortable feeling settling in her being now that the full story had been revealed.
Hunter nodded his head, he couldn't believe such a key existed, especially that it was being used to stalk someone...
"If you must know, the reason I've continued watching you is because of the events unfolding right now."
"Events?" Theriault asked, curious.
"Yes, as I said I have watched you since the day you were born, so when I saw the aura of destiny around you, I knew you'd be quite important to the world..."
Theriault nodded slowly. "Yeah, no matter how I try and think it, you just seem weird and creepy..." he admitted.
"Oh no! Did I hurt your feelings?" She asked, placing her hands against her face. "I'm sorry, but I can't help myself. When I looked I just felt so drawn to you, please don't take it the wrong way-"
Uathach stopped, a smile coming to her face as she looked at the glass door. "He's here, I'd love for you to meet him..." She said dreamily as a man walked through the door, wearing hunter attire and looking quite snug in his clothes.
Uathach ran to him, all smiles as she jumped and was caught by the man, deeply embracing her as the trio looked on awkwardly.
"You think she's trouble?" Hunter asked Theriault and Shen Yi quietly. Theriault looked at the couple for a second before shaking his head.
"Nah, she has no ill intent, she is just weird as hell. Seriously, who just spies on someone all their life?"
"Who are these... Keymasters?" The man asked, lowering his voice as he looked at Theriault with hostility, reaching into his pocket.
"Gods, do all you Irish people solve things with a fight? Go ahead and ask your wife who I am, since she's been watching me for forever right?"
The man's face changed, "Ah... I see, you're Theriault then? My wife is a fan," The man said, his hostile tone gone and replaced with a cheery smile.
"Yeah I think these people are just weird," Theriault muttered to himself as the man walked up to him, wrapping him in a huge bear hug and squeezing tight.
"Haha, I always wondered if you'd ever visit this part of Ireland, it took a lot of convincing for Uathach to stay back during that Voxlend invasion..."
The man talked as if he had known Theriault for years.
"And who exactly are you?" Theriault asked, brushing off his jacket as the man let out a hearty laugh. "Don't you know any of the legends kid? Geez, they don't teach anything in school these days huh..."
"I've never been to school."
The man made a show of stepping back, bowing deeply, "I am Cu Chulainn, owner of this fine establishment..."
"What are you doing in Dublin?" Theriault asked. Now this was a name he knew. Cu Chulainn was famous in normal society through legends, but in the Keymaster society, he was a legend because of his amazing skill using his key, and also being one of the last to have met Saberhagen before the mans demise.
"Haha... Well, long passed have my warrior days, I came back to ireland a few hundred years ago and met Uathach once again, I expected her to be dead, like everyone else, but no she's as healthy as ever... Now I just live a quiet life, no more wars, no more useless bloodshed..."
"So what's the deal with this place? Mr. Chulainn?" Hunter asked, sitting down at the counter, deciding if they had wanted to cause trouble they already would have.
"Wait Hunter shut the fuck up for a second," Theriault said, stopping Cu Chulainn's response as well. "You mean to tell me two mythological legends are running a cafe in one of the most unknown cities in the world?"
The couple looked at him blankly. "Well... Yes, why else would we be here-"
"You're lying," Theriault accused. "Someone like you would never be able to beat his warrior instinct, especially with your key..."
Cu Chulainn's face tightened as Theriault continued talking. "You... Don't know what you're talking about..." He said slowly as Theriault smirked to himself.
"You sure?" Theriault said as his eyes shined, he could detect a lie no matter what, and Cu Chulainn was lying to him. The only question Theriault had was what was this ancient mythological legend lying for?
Then it dawned on him, a warrior wearing hunting clothes that didn't even fit him? Nope, Cu Chulainn was definitely hiding something, and not from Theriault, from his own wife...
"Maybe... Who would have thought? The great Cu Chulainn, Setanta himself... A cafe owner..." Theriault gave a knowing look as he sat at the booth. "I'll go ahead and believe that little story, wanna make me a coffee Uathach?"
Uathach smiled and went to the back as Cu Chulainn went behind the counter, letting out a chuckle as he looked at Theriault. "You're even better than what Uathach said..."
Theriault shrugged, "I've been lied too since the day I was born, I got pretty good at detecting them... What's the real deal with this place? I've never seen such a peaceful town like this..."
Cu Chulainn looked at Theriault with a serious expression. "Dublin has become the capital for... The devil..."