Archive of Our Own

There are rumors of a small curiosity shop, hidden deep within the city. It is said that there is a man who can complete impossible tasks if you are willing to pay the price, and sometimes the price can be as simple as a memory you wouldn’t miss, or as steep as your own entire being gone with a snap of the finger. Whatever the price you are guaranteed he will make good on his side of the bargain. 

However, not just anyone is able to find his shop, there is no stumbling upon it. Only the truly desperate, the ones that have nowhere else to turn to, will find it when they need to. 

And Shuri Udaku, a non believer in anything fantastical, is that kind of desperate. 

First Visit

The door looked out of place, hidden in the back alley where graffiti decorated every bit of gray wall it could cover. Neon lights casting it in hues of pink and purple. It was made of polished dark wood with a stained glass window panel at eye level. 

It depicted a scene of a winged foot man entangled with a black panther, which Shuri found curious.  Did this person follow the ways of Bast? But she had never seen or heard of a winged foot man in any of the stories she had been told as a child. 

Shuri placed a hand on the iron door handle, a shock traveling up her arm as soon as she touched it. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it did give her pause. Her mind warred with what was in front of her. She personally didn’t put stock into these types of rumors. Chalking them up to the whimsical fantasies made to soothe the mind of a person who landed themselves in hard times, which then caught on and spread to others who found themselves in similar situations.  

They were just stories. 

However in this particular case Shuri hoped these rumors, these stories, to be true. She was willing to bend her strict mind to lean a touch into the fantastical. 

“This is ridiculous.” She muttered to herself, but her hand was still on the handle. With one last sigh she turned the handle and pushed herself inside, a bell above signaling her arrival. 

The inside was a small square shaped room, bookshelves lining to both her left and right. Lined with a combination of trinkets, bottles that glowed a faint blue, scrolls, books, and corn husk dolls. Shuri thought it more of an office than a shop, considering there was a desk directly across from her. There were two windows along the back wall as well, but Shuri was unprepared for the view. 

Outside of the windows showed a cave, dozens of stalactites and several small pools could be seen from where she was standing. The cave was lit with a combination of firelight and a faint blue glow that was similar in color to some of the bottles in the office. Inside the office was lit with a few lamps that although made the office visible enough to walk through, the room still felt dark. 

Shuri swallowed and walked fully in, the door closing with another jingle of the bell. 

“Hello?” The room was empty and there weren’t any other doors for anyone to get through. Her curiosity had her walking around the room, looking at the shelves but instinctively knowing not to touch anything. 

“How can I help you this evening, Ms. Udaku?” A warm deep voice called out to her, sounding as if it came from the walls itself. 

Shuri whipped her head to the desk to see a man sitting there that hadn’t been there before. She hadn’t heard even the creak of his chair moving. 

The man wore a dark blue and green cloak wrapped around his shoulders and parted at the shoulder to reveal the dark suit he wore underneath. His dark curls were slicked back with a neatly trimmed beard. Overall he looked like a normal handsome man, but it was his eyes that gave him away, glinting softly with the warm light of the room. 

A chill went through Shuri, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. It was like the feeling of a warm shower hitting you after a long day. A sigh of relief. She cleared her throat nervously, pushing back the feeling to examine later. “How do you know my name?” 

“It is my business to know. And I am sure you are aware of mine. Rumors and all.” He gestured to the chair across the desk from him and she took it. The wood gave a slight creak as she sat down. 

The rumors were oddly specific and he was right; she did know his name, “Namor.” He gave her a slight nod of confirmation, a small smile playing about his lips. “You can call me Shuri.” 

Namor sat up a little straighter, placing his elbows on the desk to place his chin on the back of his raised hands. The depth of his eyes pulling Shuri in. “How can I help you today, Shuri.” 

“I want the man who murdered my father to die before the week is done.” 

There was no point in sugar coating it and Shuri wanted to get straight to the point. Despite her intense curiosity of both the shop and the man called Namor . He nodded, looking unsurprised by her request and stood, selecting a small plain corn husk doll on a lower shelf. 

“Allow me to go over the rules of this engagement. I understand that you more than likely know some of it, but the nuances of what I do tend to get lost.” He came back to sit down across from Shuri, pulling out a long strand of kelp from his desk drawer. “Once you make payment and your request has been taken care of, there are certain side effects. Your requests can open another path for other problems.” 

“Like a domino or butterfly effect?” Shuri asked, not swayed in the slightest, but it did peak her interest. Visiaby perking her up in her chair.

The man across from her noticed and he looked amused as he worked, wrapping the seaweed around the center of the doll. “Yes, that exactly. The problem will be somewhat less equal to the previous one.” 

“So you solve a problem, which can then turn into another problem…and I’m guessing your clients come back to solve that problem.” He gave her a small nod. “Business must be booming then?”

“Not quite. Which brings me to my final condition for my help. If my clients come back to me a third time. Then their entire life, their soul. Is forfeit.” 

Shuri chuckled in disbelief, but the grim look on his face gave her pause. He flicked his eyes to the highest shelves and she looked to see what he was getting at. Dozens upon dozens of corn husk dolls sat atop the top shelf. 

A chill of realization went through Shuri at the sight. 

The unpleasant kind. 

The gravity of what she was asking and what he was capable of weighed heavily on her shoulders. 

But she would not buckle. This was worth it in her opinion. 

With a steady voice she asked, “What’s the price then?

Namor did not answer right away, looping the seaweed strand one last time before tying it off and placing it on the desk. “Three years of your life.”  

“Three?” Shuri breathed out, shocked by what was considered payment. It sounded absurd to be able to trade years of her own life, but with the look Namor was giving her she knew it to be true. Her throat suddenly felt parched. “And what if I only have three years to live?” 

“Then you die.” He responded simply. At her shocked silence, he offered her a wry smile. “If it helps, I wouldn’t be able to hold up my end of the bargain with you dead. I need you alive to complete a step.” 

“...alright. How does this work then?”  

Without a word, or shifting his eyes away from her, he held out his hand. Beckoning her with just a look. She slid her hand into his and was surprised by his warmth. For some reason she had thought he would be cold or clammy. 

Shuri didn’t expect him to feel human. 

Namor turned her hand to lie palm up on his palm, pressing his thumb firmly in the middle of her wrist. There was a slight tingle that coiled up her arm to the rest of her body, making her squirm in her seat. It was a strange sensation but it didn’t feel-

White hot pain boiled sharply throughout her entire body, ripping a gasp out of her as she quite literally felt years of her life striping away from her skin. She would have broken out of his hold if she could but her body had locked in place. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks but she couldn’t even blink. 

And as soon as it came it disappeared. Shuri slumped back into the chair when Namor let go of her arm. Her mind was reeling from the amount of pain she had just gone through, leaving her completely worn out. 

It took her several minutes to compose herself, and she was grateful that Namor had quietly waited for her. 

“Take this doll and place it under your pillow before you go to sleep.” Namor began when she straightened herself in her chair. “Sleep for a full eight hours. Do not move your head or leave the bed within that time.” 

With her life having just been literally drained from her, she did not think that would be a hard rule to follow. She was already ready to sleep. 

He reached over and passed the corn husk doll to her. Shuri gingerly took it from him. With the importance of what the doll meant and the reality of the price he had taken from her, Shuri didn’t want to waste it in any way. 

Shuri turned the doll carefully in her hands. “Aren't these meant for protection or something?”

“Not this one.” 

With their business concluded, Namor led her to the only door in the shop. He gently grabbed her elbow before she could leave, and turned her to face him. “I must say, it is very clever that you did not give me exact details of your request but still kept it to the point. You could have simply given me a name.” 

Shuri warmed from the unexpected yet strange compliment. “It’s possible that I’m wrong.” 

“And that's why I think it was very clever of you.” Namor took a step away from her, studying her face with interest. 

“What about you?” Shuri asked suddenly, again struck with how human he seemed. His eyes gave away the fact that he was older than he looked, but they also looked worn and tired.  

“What about me?” He asked cautiously. 

“Why are you here?”

Namor stilled, surprise coloring his features. He tilted his head, looking away from her before answering tentatively. “I am fulfilling a request that I made with the previous owner.”

“And that is?”

He chuckled at her constant questions and shook his head. “A story for your next visit.”  

“Well then I guess I won't hear it.” Shuri did not plan on coming back. This was a one and done experience that she did not wish to ever experience again. The pain, an echo in her mind at this point, but still memorable enough that she would never forget it. 

The mysterious man in the mysterious shop bowed his head to her in farewell. “I suppose not, it was a pleasure, Shuri.”

Second Visit 

This time when Shuri walked through the door. There was only a second's worth of hesitation. She figured that since this was her second visit out of three, that there shouldn't be much to worry about. 

Of course there was always the payment to worry about, but Shuri reminded herself that coming here would be worth it. He hadn’t lied about what would happen with their first arrangement. So she could endure a little pain if that was what was asked of her again. 

Namor was already sitting at the desk when she came in, looking pleased to see her but not surprised. As soon as the door shut, with a soft jingle of the bell, he asked, “I take it the results of your request were satisfactory?” 

Shuri gave him a small smile, reaching into her bag to pull out a worn copy of a newspaper. The paper wasn’t particularly old but it was clear that it was opened and refolded several times over, making it soft and more pliable. She already had it folded to clearly show the heading-

  -Baron Helmut J. Zemo, strangled in his sleep only days before his intended release.-  

“I mean it’s hard to say if it just happened to be a coincidence or not.” She shrugged nonchalantly, handing him the paper to look at. 

He took it from her to scan the article, peering up at her with an amused glint in his eye. “What do you believe happened then?” 

If she had been on the outside of this, if someone else had been to make the arrangement, she would have scoffed and said it was pure coincidence. However, standing in this shop, with Namor’s eyes on her, and the memory of her prior payment, Shuri couldn’t help but admit, “I believe you kept your word. And mainly because that would mean I was right and that man really did kill my father.” 

Namor chuckled at her bluntness and handed her back her paper, gesturing for her to take a seat. “So you are coming to me about the problem that occurred afterwards then?” 

“No, actually. My cousin Erik was the problem that came afterwards. Exposing my father for having done something… horrific,” Shuri shook her head at Namor’s curious look and continued, “and he nearly dismantled everything that my family had built for generations. To which I can’t really blame him for some of it.” 

“And you didn’t need my help.” 

“Your help would have been great, but my family and I are capable.” Shuri sat a little straighter in her chair, the pride and love for her family shining brightly in her eyes. 

Namor looked at her in admiration, giving her a small nod of acknowledgement. “I can see that. However, why are you here then?” 

This brought Shuri’s face back to neutral, remembering the entire reason she risked a second visit. “My nephew, my brother’s child.” 

“How old is he?”

“Unborn actually. My sister in law has had several miscarriages before him and this is the first baby she’s carried to eight months…but there are complications that could lead to a dangerous, possibly fatal, birth. I’d like to ensure a safe birth for both of them.” 

After Shuri was finished talking, Namor stood from his desk, and walked to the shelf closer to the back windows of the shop. He selected a dried gnarled root from the shelf right in front of him along with a stone mortar and pestle. The last item he picked up was an empty looking bottle, but Shuri noticed that there was a slight refraction of light, revealing the purest looking liquid that Shuri had ever seen. 

Namor brought everything back to the desk and began working, grinding the ancient looking root into a fine powder. 

As he worked Shuri’s curiosity  got the better of her, and she got up and began examining the different objects along the shelves. She asked questions on items she couldn’t identify and to her shock he easily answered her.  

Plants from the deepest parts of the ocean that granted strength and longevity, a red stone that could change the fabric of reality, tree bark from the mythical Yggdrasil that could unlock the mind to its full potential. Shuri was surprised to find a glowing flower that she had only heard stories about growing up, Bast’s gift, the heart shaped herb. She touched the flower with just the tips of her fingers and felt a tingle shoot up her arm. 

“What are these?” She asked, pointing to the various glowing bottles. Upon closer inspection she noticed that the blue color varied in shade. Some were a little lighter, like the highest point in the sky, and some were darker, like the murky depths of the ocean during a storm. 

Namor was in the middle of pouring a little of the pure liquid into the powder, mixing it into a thin paste. He glanced up to where she was pointing and looked back down to his work.  “Memories, dreams, and sometimes nightmares.” 

Looking closer at one of the bottles, Shuri could make out swirls of imagery. She couldn’t quite tell what was happening but she could tell it was a happy memory. Shuri chose not to look closer into the darker bottles.  “Are they just gone when you take them?” 

“Yes.” He responded simply, not elaborating, and began pouring the dark paste into a small clay pot. The pot was then covered with a square of cloth and tied shut with twine. “Mix a quarter teaspoon in your sister in law’s drink until her water breaks.” Namor stood, holding the small pot of medicine in his hand. 

Shuri flicked her eyes from the clay pot to Namor, her body frozen in anticipation. “What do I owe?”

Namor studied her for a moment, his face unreadable, passing the pot between his hands as if weighing it. “A kiss.” 

Stunned at the simple price, Shuri looked to his lips before forcing herself to look back up to his eyes. “Is that something that’s really worth the medicine?”

“I believe so.” He murmured, the quiet of the room making his voice sound louder.

A kiss to secure the health of my brother’s child and wife. That sounds like I’m getting the better deal. It was indeed the better deal but Shuri still felt embarrassed. She nodded suddenly mute and he walked towards her, placing the pot of medicine on the shelf behind her, his warm scent enveloping her. Namor placed his hands carefully on her shoulders and lowered his head slowly, giving Shuri plenty of time to change her mind, but her eyes slipped closed. Giving him the final confirmation he needed. 

His lips were soft against hers and Shuri thought that would be it, but then his hands slipped from her shoulders to cup her neck and head. The sudden rough slide of his mouth against hers caused her knees to buckle, clutching onto him as he kissed her with a hunger that she was unprepared for. 

When he began to pull back, she realized that she hadn’t even kissed him back and her lips chased his before he could get far, pulling him closer. Her tongue found his and with a groan Namor pressed her into shelves, the glass bottles of memories and nightmares rattling behind her. 

The sharp sound of clinking glass snapped them both out of it and they slowly pulled apart to stare in wonder at the other.  

“I think I prefer that type of payment infinitely more.” Shuri finally spoke, breathless. The look on his face made her think that he might try to kiss her again but he pulled further back slowly, letting her go. 

She immediately felt the loss of him and she wasn’t quite sure how to process her sudden disappointment.

Namor handed her the medicine, repeating his instructions again in a strained voice. She only half listened, remembering his words the first time, as she twisted the medicine in her hands. The pot felt deceptively heavy and strongly smelled of the sea. 

As he led her out, opening the door for her to leave, Shuri abruptly stopped to turn towards him, just as the bell rang softly above. “What was it that you requested? You said you would tell me the next time I would visit.”

He looked ready to protest, but he sighed and answered. “I wished to meet my equal. No matter how long it took. Owning this shop grants me that time.”

“And have you found them, your equal?” Shuri wasn’t sure why she asked the question. It felt dumb to ask considering that he was still in this shop, but it felt important to know how he would answer her . 

“A story for next time.” He responded evasively, looking away from her. 

A bitter taste filled her mouth at the answer. “Well I guess I'll never know then.”

Third Visit 

It was several years before she saw him next, rushing through the door without a sliver of hesitation. Namor was waiting, standing in front of his desk looking sad to see her. She was dimly aware that he hadn’t aged or looked any different, before grabbing onto him. He instantly wrapped his arms around her to pull her into a hug. 

She couldn’t hold back the sob that came out. “Cure my brother. He’s sick and there’s no cure and I…I-” 

Namor hushed her gently, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her. He continued to do this until she finally stopped crying, but he didn’t let go as he spoke into her hair. “And this is worth your life?”

“Yes.” 

He stroked the back of her neck then pulled away from her, guiding her to sit down in a chair. Namor pulled out a pair of keys from his pocket, unlocking a drawer from his desk to pull out a small ornate box, a feathered serpent carved directly on top of the lid. From inside he pulled out a single onyx bead the size of a pea and came back to her side, kneeling in front of her. 

They stare at one another for a long time, Namor looking reluctant to give into her final request, but Shuri wanted this. Needed it. She held out her hand, keeping her eyes on his, and waited. Feeling calmer then she probably should. 

With a shuddery breath he finally relented and pressed the bead into her hand, closing her fingers tightly over it. “Have your brother swallow this. He should be better in a few days…” Namor reached up, cupping her jaw to stroke a thumb across her cheek. “...come back to me in a week and I will take payment then…and after you must stay with me.” 

His words bring Shuri out of the haze of her initial panic, surprised that he would not be taking payment first. It didn’t seem right to leave him with nothing when he just gave her the means to save her brother’s life. “Then can I give you a gift?” 

Namor looked startled at her offer, shaking his head in disbelief. “You are already giving away everything for this.” 

“Just a small thing. A memory.”  She looked at him in earnest and again he relented with a small nod. “How does this work then?” 

“Simply think of the memory.” Namor reached up and brought her closer to lay her forehead on top of his. 

Shuri had one already in mind. It was a simple one, but one of her fonder memories, when her father was still alive. Her parents, feeling spontaneous, took their children out of school for the day to spend at the beach. Nothing significant had happened that day, but it stuck with Shuri always. Simple and happy and whole. There was a slight tug as Namor pulled away, and the memory dimmed and left her. 

“I have never received something of value so freely.”  Bringing up the hand that still held the bead, Namor pressed his lips against the back of her hand. 

A week later, Shuri returned to the shop.

Namor looked shocked to see her, dropping the books that were in his hands onto the floor. “I did not expect you to come back. Most of the time I have to look for my clients.”

“But we made a deal.” Shuri hadn’t even thought about staying home. With the proof of her brother’s miraculous recovery, the doctor’s baffled at the sudden disappearance of his cancer, she had been content to come back. 

Namor had never gone back on his word once, why should she?

She moved to help him pick up the books, spurring him to move and crouch down with her. “So what do I owe?” 

Instead of answering right away, he took the books from her and reorganized them on the shelf, lingering his fingers along the spines. Namor then gave her a long contemplative look, clearing his throat to speak, “A gift that you can refuse to give.”

“Another memory?”

He shook his head, taking a step closer to her and reaching out. His hand touched her neck, slipping it down between her breasts to hook his fingers into the waistband of her skirt. Pulling her into him, lowering his voice. “A taste.”  

Her entire body flushed at the implication. I should be mad at this right? He said I could refuse… Namor stayed still as she thought it over, her skin burning where his fingers were against her stomach, still hooked in her skirt. The logical part of her told her to say no, but the buzzing rush of blood under her skin had her nodding her answer. 

The second she agreed, Namor yanked her forward to kiss her, desperate to touch her. He lifted her up, never breaking the kiss and carried her to his desk, placing her on top of it. His fingers moved up her legs to pull her skirt up and over her hips. Namor peppered kisses down her neck, his beard brushing delightfully against the skin of her collarbone as he knelt down in front of her, bringing her legs to rest over his shoulders. 

He placed an affectionate kiss on her cotton underwear and pulled them to the side to expose herself to him. His fingers gently rubbing the sides of  hips. 

Shuri bit her lip as she watched him, a liquid want pooling within her by just watching him hungrily study the details of her sex. 

Namor breathed her in, and dragged his tongue up the length of her cunt to her clit. She yelled out in surprise at the sudden heat of pleasure rolling through her. It was enough to have her fall back onto the desk. Shuri dug her heels into his back and dragged herself closer to his mouth as he sucked with just enough pressure to make her arch her back.  

He was slow and methodical with her, dancing her right along the edge, before moving his mouth away to tease elsewhere. Delaying her orgasm time and time again. Shuri felt herself growing desperate, grinding her hips against his mouth, only to have him pull away. 

In an attempt to stop him she grabbed onto his hair to keep him from moving but his tongue simply slipped from inside of her to swirl his tongue around the pucker of flesh just below.  The sudden introduction of a new sensation shocked her into dropping her hold on his hair to hold on to the edge of the desk, jolting her hips against his face. 

Namor had her pleading and sobbing and begging for release and he brought his mouth back to the bundle of nerves, giving her the exact pressure she needed to finally reach the peak she so desperately wanted and she screamed out his name and praises. Not caring if someone happened to walk in at that moment. 

When she finally came down from the high of her orgasm, she became aware that Namor still had his mouth latched onto her. Shuri mewled pathetically as he continued to drink her in until her body was trembling from the overstimulation. 

Namor pulled his slick mouth away from her sex to show her mercy, although reluctantly. Carefully he slid her down from the desk to sit in his lap, holding her close to him until her heart no longer felt like it was vibrating through her skin. He helped her back into standing, taking off his cloak to wrap around her shoulders.  

The pleasure she had felt before slowly began to drain from her with the realization of what was to come next. Looking up at the row of corn husk dolls along the top shelf above her. There was a slight prick of fear, but she didn’t regret any of the reasons as to why she had come to the shop in the first place. “What happens next, Namor?” 

He doesn’t answer right away, fussing with the cloak he had wrapped around her shoulders. His eyes looked far away as he looked at her neck, keeping his eyes away from hers. “It is my turn to give you a gift.” Namor finally looked up at her, determined. “You can leave.” 

Shuri shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand.” 

And suddenly it felt like time had fast forwarded, a wind forcing her movement, placing her just outside of the door as Namor still stood at his desk. “Never come back, Shuri.” The door shut in her face and then it was gone, all in the blink of an eye. She just stood there in shock from the whiplash of emotions she just went through, staring at the wall, clutching his cloak to her shoulders. 

Final Visit 

When Shuri finally found the door again, she chose to knock instead of barging in. It had been close to a year, but current circumstances had given her the opportunity to find the shop once more. She felt almost shy. 

The door opened to reveal an angry looking Namor. He looked slightly older and more tired from when she last saw him. It made Shuri wonder if he had to pay a price for breaking the store's rules. “What part of ‘never come back’ was unclear?” 

Shuri waved her hand dismissively, forcing her way back into the shop. “With my brother’s full recovery, my mother has been paranoid about what her children’s futures will look like. So she has arranged a marriage for me.”

Namor slowly closed the door to the shop with a soft click, the bell oddly silent, and made no move to follow her further into the shop. “What are you requesting of me then?”

This was the part where Shuri should have felt some level of embarrassment at her own audacity, but she had gone over every moment spent with Namor in her head for months and she had never felt so sure about this. 

“Be with me.”

The room itself seemed to hold its breath at the request. A tension steadily bridging the distance between the two of them. With Shuri at his desk and Namor at the door, it almost looked as if their roles were reversed.

“I want to be with you.” She clarified, taking the steps to be near him since he was not moving. It did not deter her.  “I would rather have the chance of being with you than marrying someone I don't love.”  

Namor pressed his back against the door when she got closer, his hands opening and closing uselessly at his sides. “It means you would leave everything behind.” 

With him still looking unsure on what to do, she tried a different tactic. Asking the question that had been plaguing her since he let her go. “How many clients have you let go after their third visit?” 

“…None.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but his eyes were clear and unwavering on hers. 

“Then…” Shuri stepped in his space, sliding her arms around his waist to pull him against her. He didn’t resist her and tentatively brought his hands up to hold her closer. “Be with me.”

There were rumors of a small curiosity shop, hidden deep within the city. That only the desperate could find it to have an impossible wish granted. 

However the rumors began to dwindle with time, and then finally just disappeared altogether. 

Along with the shop and its owner. 

The final request having been fulfilled.