2020-07-29 The Estate of Emperor Norton I
The Estate of Emperor Norton I
Location: Estate Sale
Date and Time: July 29, 2020 early afternoon
Summary: Interesting finds at an estate sale
Mood Music: People Like Us - "You've Got to Know When"
It's something that's more high-end than Jinny normally does - estate sales - but it's something that she always had an idea of. It did seem a little ghoulish, going into someone's home after they had died and bargaining with an indifferent person behind a folding table for the gems left after the end of a life, but it was something that Luu enjoyed and Jinny, being Jinny, had a line on an estate sale. "It's an actor who was famous in the 50's and 60's, but that's not why I think we should go." Jinny said over the phone, twisting the cord around her finger. "It's that he was /really/ into conspiracy theories. I mean, the guy was a producer of 'In Search Of' for Time-Life books, for gosh's sake. He's probably got some really, really cool stuff...."
There’s always gems to be found at estate sales, especially with old Hollywood-types, but the estate sale for the producer of 'In Search Of' ... well let's just say that Luu found the proposition quite intriguing. "Pick me up," was all Luu had to say in response before hanging up the phone, and then scurrying to rush around the Foreboding Jacobean to get ready. The Vespa momentarily came to Luu's mind before she remembered that they still needed to retrieve it from where they had stashed it, the craziness of the adventures and discoveries since having kept them from it. The Datsun, though? It's not so bad. Luu now believes that stick-shift is a thing that people still do, and she has fond memories of it from their trip to Joshua Tree. It's beginning to begin comfortable to her in a way that she had feared about The Vespa, but that somehow isn't a bad thing.
Waiting by the door, Luu pops up as she sees the vehicle's approach. Rushing over in her Uniqlo and Nike basics, Celine frames, Golden Goose sneakers, and hair dyed summer melon in two top knots, Luu opens the passenger door and hops in. "If I get into it with anyone there, my apologies in advance," Luu begins to explain to Jinny, "the paranormal estate sale scene is a small scene, and there might be some ... history with some of the people there." A beat as she adds, "I can get competitive sometimes."
"I thought you'd say that." Jinny's smile can almost be heard over the phone. "See you in a bit, depending on traffic." And she hung the phone up.
Thirty minutes later, Jinny turned on to Luu's street, and for some reason, she had a knot in her stomach the whole trip up to Luu's place. Passing through the gate got it a little tighter, but at the sight of the melon-colored hairstyle waiting outside the front door, that knot just vanished into nothing and a cheerful grin appeared. Turning around in the circle drive with a foot on the brake and the car in neutral, Jinny scooted over and pulled the handle to unlock the door, pushing it open and getting back into her seat, rubbing her side where the stick shift dug in a little bit. The perils of driving stick.
"I don't think that'll be too much of a problem. This is the preview, and I have it on good authority that, thanks to a donation of a bit of art from a certain artist to add to the sale, we'll be allowed to make some purchases if we see something we positively can't live without. When the sale starts, they'll be sold to us, so." Jinny taps her nose and winks, shifting her shoulders back and forth as she settles into the seat. Ars Cupidiae for the win, you know? She puts the car in gear and heads down the driveway, heading towards an address in old Hollywood where a simple-looking split level bungalow sat on the back of a lot.
At this Luu laughs, before informing Jinny, "Don't you see? This is exactly where some of the animosities got started in the first place. You're just encouraging my bad behavior!" Amused, Luu gives a shoulder nudge towards Jinny. "Seriously," she continues, "I mean I know this stuff is just amazingly fun weirdness, but for some of the people they might as well be auctioning off the Holy Grail at these estate sales. And how do you think they feel when the girl with -- " Luu pauses, grabbing a strand of her hair to check, before continuing, " -- the girl with the melon colored hair wins again?" There's a small grimace as she notes, "I kinda worried one of these times I'll be walking into a trap as they try to put an end to my winning reign." The smile on her face seems to indicate she isn't that worried about this. Not that it doesn't seem like a possibility to her, but that she could figure it out. "Thanks."
Jinny, offering a bit of art to get into the sale a little early, was the very essence of Ars Cupidiae, giving the auctioneers the potential for a big sale in exchange for a trinket or two that might otherwise end up on eBay or, more likely, in the collection of someone who's just as enthusiastic about that sort of thing as Luu is. "Hey, I've got to make sure to keep you happy. The Chantry would be tough to run with just lil' ol' me and besides, I like hanging out with you." Jinny signals, changing lanes and rumbling past a line of parked cars, turning into an alleyway behind the houses in Hollywood that are normally reserved for trash trucks and telephone wires. There are less cars here but it is tighter, and Jinny has to pull in one mirror to get past a trash can at one point but, when she turns off the car, she's parked in a little covered parking space with a van next to them that helpfully declares it to be property of Los Angeles Estates INC. "Showtime." Jinny says with a grin, pulling the parking brake and getting out, pushing down the lock and making sure she has the keys before closing the door. "Only rule? It's got to fit in the car. No strapping on top, and no invading the driver's seat. With the hatchback this little gal can carry a lot of stuff."
Jinny scampers around to the other side of the car, dressed in low-waisted pinstriped pants with a chunky, industrial-style belt, a cut off rock T-shirt of a tour that Queen went on in the 80's called, fittingly, the Magic Tour that shows off her tummy, and a pair of matching Vans and opens the door. "M'lady." She bows lowly, gesturing to the back door of the house, giggling, peering at Luu from behind a curtain of hair before she straightens. "Let's see what we can find that's interesting."
Driving in the car, Luu watches as Jinny signals, but she's still uncertain about all the directions this is going. At least she's enjoying the ride, and it brings a smile to her face. "It wouldn't be a Chantry without us both putting in the effort," Luu notes as they roll through Los Angeles, "seriously. Thanks for everything, not just today, but everything. You make this all worthwhile, this whole crazy world seem at least a little sane." Folding her arms across her chest, Luu gives a little pout and notes, "It's a small car. I usually need a U-Haul for this kinda thing."
As Jinny opens the door, Luu brings her fingers to her cheek, like 'moi?' Stepping from the car, Luu does a small stretch and notes, "Oh, I'm sure we'll find something interesting, but from the rules you've set down it seems like I'll have to make some tough decisions. Can't get everything, can I?" Luu looks to Jinny, just to double check that she can't in fact get everything the estate sale might offer.
Twists and turns aside, they're basically heading east towards the Hollywood Hills, away from Laurel Canyon. Jinny seems to have a knack for directions - being a shaman of the City means that getting lost in your home city is something that will pretty much never, ever happen. "It takes two to make the world go 'round and ascend." she says with a smirk, quieting as Luu actually gets as serious as she might get, a little blush appearing after a second or two. "Oh gosh." She stammers with a little smile, hand going over to squeeze Luu's knee lightly, then back to the shifter. "You're the same for me in a slightly different way. A little island of manic fun that makes my quiet world exciting. We're definitely a good match." She says softly.
"You can get as much as will fit. Delivery charges are on you." Jinny closes the door behind Luu as she gets out, locking it. "Hey." An arm goes around Luu's shoulders, giving her a squeeze. "I know you have a mansion, but doing it this way will make it so much more fulfilling, and who knows? Maybe if there's something super rare and super special that'll be the perfect addition to your collection we can figure out a way to get it there if you're extra, extra convincing." Jinny turns and walks backwards, taking hold of Luu's hand. "Come on, then. Three bedrooms - one a library, one a study, one an actual bedroom - a garage, a living room, a kitchen....we should be able to find something awesome in here. Fiji Mermaid. Bigfoot Track. Crystal Skull...
Luu could be extra, extra convincing, and she knows she has something super rare and super special, and yet she thinks better than to say anything about it. A nod is given, a moment of spaciness, before with a smile she takes Jinny's hand -- something simple, something complex -- and walks with her into the estate sale to see what treasures might be available. What more treasures might be available. "Keep an eye out for small items," Luu notes to Jinny, "sometimes those are the best, and they don't really know what they are. I mean, that's not to discount the big stuff, but sometimes a grab bag of tiny baubles is much more interesting than one giant thing. Of course, don't discount the giant things, because sometimes that's where the really good stuff is, and -- " Luu pauses, and admits, "I always get a bit anxious and flummoxed right beforehand. All the possibilities? They just pull my mind in all different directions." Luu glances back to the Datsun as if mentally calculating just how much stuff can fit into it, before looking back to Jinny, and saying softly, "I'll behave."
On impulse, Jinny leans in and gives Luu a brief kiss on the cheek and a squeeze of her hand, leaning close to the other woman before they step through the back door. "Don't. Be the best Luu you can be. Be yourself. You might find one thing or you might find a thousand things. We won't know until we get in there, will we?" Jinny leans back and smiles, turning the knob to the back door, opening the mystic cave of wonders, and steps aside. "Misbehave."
The unexpected kiss causes Luu’s cheeks to blush slightly, as she stammers, “oh, well, yeah, um well, yeah, like I guess not?” It’s not really clear to Luu what exactly she was answering, or if she managed to even convey her thoughts, which admittedly seemed to be quite scattered at that moment. The inside of the home seemed to mirror her internal state, a lifetime of accumulations in some form of order, but not in any way their owner would expect. “Umm, oh, wow,” is all Luu can really manage as her eyes widen, trying to take in what has been set out before her.
The estate sale company really, really had their work cut out for them. The place is in a state of freshly-scrubbed cleanness, with the smell of bleach and lysol permeating the rooms. At first glance, it’s definitely clean and seems well kept, but as one looks around, other signs of decline can be found in the peeling wallpaper, the water stains on the ceiling, the stained carpet, and the fading paint on the chair rails and the like. Every flat surface has been covered with the contents of the shelves, cabinets, closets, and chests, each item priced with a little yellow sticker, and a few tables have been brought in to add to the real estate display. Some things are priced rather high - anything antique-looking or useful, really, and the few things that the estate sale company knew were collectable, like commemorative plates and toys. Other things, though? The things Luu might be interested in? The more esoteric things were relegated to the study where they were almost heaped as an afterthought, the mustard-yellow pile carpet spongy beneath their feet, the dark wood wainscoting making the halls and rooms seem claustrophobic, like one was wading through a waist deep pond with the ceiling stretching out above.
It’s only a few moments spent frozen, before Luu rushes in and begins to immerse herself into what’s being offered. Almost diving for a table, she begins to peruse. The first thing she picks up is a jar full of teeth, but quickly she puts it down noting cryptically, “The eyeball already freaks out enough people, plus it kinda tops a bunch of teeth.”
Shifting over slightly, she begins to look through some various vintage medical equipment. A well-worn nineteenth century leather case of painful looking mental implements seems to catch her attention. About to examine it more carefully, she pauses, picking up a device to the side. Lifting it up, she turns to Jinny and said, “Just what kind of place have you taken me too?” Narrowing her eyes, Luu takes a moment to judge both Jinny and the antique speculum she has found. “Well, that’s one way to keep a relationship fresh,” she responds, putting the speculum back down, a slight shiver running through her body.
Jinny takes a little more time than Luu in exploring the space, making a counterclockwise circle around the room, taking it all in, before pausing at one of the bookshelves, leaning in with her head tilted to the side to read titles out loud. She does glance over at the rattling of the jar of teeth, wrinkles her nose at the sight and nods. “It is freaky, that eyeball, but that jar of teeth? Bet you could have the tooth fairy at your beck and call with that. This stuff, though?” Ginny gestures to the shelf. “The guy read lots of interesting books. Voodoo History. Bigfoot: Myth or Legend? The Sentinel and Planet X. Illuminati, the illustrated guide. The Codex Conspiracy. The Philadelphia Experiment. Love Rituals of the Tribes of the Serengeti.” She giggles, looking over at Luu. “That last one sounds like just the thing for curling up in front of the fire with a cup of cocoa, doesn’t it?” She uses a fingertip to tilt it out. “Only a buck, too.”
Jinny straightens and leans against the shelf, tilting her head as the fragile black case is opened, watching as well-made but primitive medical implements are drawn out into the light for the first time in at least thirty years. “What kind of place did I bring you to? I brought you to an estate sale, of which the gentleman seemed to have some interesting tastes in collectibles.” Even in that bag the estate sale people dug, but not too deeply, since the only tag in there is simply written ‘best offer,’ like they didn’t want to even deal with what was in the bag but were obligated by the estate to get rid of it. And the speculum….well, even today they’re not very comfortable, but having that ancient chunk of polished steel on a girl’s nethers to get a better look at what lies within is not something on Jinny’s ‘to do’ list. “Ugh, /no thank you/. Use it as a mechanical duck puppet or something, but that’s not getting anywhere near me. I’m more of the cuddly type than the whips and chains girl.”
Glancing at the books that Jinny goes through, Luu notes, “Those all sound pretty interesting. I generally try to get the bulk rate on the books, so you should probably just start imagining how you’re going to fit all of those in the Datsun.” A beat before she adds, “You know the whole modern Illuminati thing was an invention of The Discordians as part of Operation Mind Fuck? Two of the original founders worked for Playboy in the Letters department, and as you might imagine, they got all sorts of strange correspondence. One day they wondered ‘what if all of this was true?’ Though while thinking the whole thing was ridiculous. They wrote books on the subject, sent weird crank letters to various publications, and things like that. I mean, Thornley, one of the founders had written a book about Lee Harvey Oswald /before/ The Kennedy Assassination. They were in the Marines together at a base in Japan that was known to have a CIA presence. Thornley actually testified at The Warren Commission, and is probably the main reason people think of Oswald as a lone nut. There’s actually an original copy of Principia Discordia in The Warren Commission archives. Well, it like totally, eventually got to the point where The Discordians were asking ‘what if all of this was true?’ but no longer as a joke.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t really suggesting the speculum for either of us,” Luu clarifies, before adding, “but I suppose it could be turned into a duck? But I’m not quackers for the idea.” Lifting a stuffed duck, and pushing it towards Jinny, Luu notes, “Alien autopsies are one thing, stuffed duck gynecological-plushy implants are quite another.” Turning the duck to face her, Luu examines it for a moment and says, “It’s a cute duck, but I already got Lloyd.”
Moving over to check out an Egyptian-styled chair, Luu slowly reads over the Hieroglyphics. “Property of the British Museum,” she pronounces slowly, before looking at Jinny, and noting, “Well, this is probably a replica, but one with a sense of humor. Might have to get it.”
The shocks and springs on the Datsun are upgraded for handling and are substantially stronger than the usual ones a person might find on a car of that vintage. That said, there is only so much space inside the car, and the chair might be a little iffy to fit inside unless they leave the hatchback open, which is definitely a possibility. Bulk rate is definitely a possibility with the books, but three shelves worth? That’s the entirety of the backseat with little room for anything else. “Maybe a U-haul would have been a better choice for a vehicle.” Jinny finally concedes, looking over the room and then back at Luu who seems to be hungrily sizing up the Egyptian-style chair, walking around the desk to sit in the plush red leather chair, spinning on it in a small circle once with her feet in the air, shoes thumping the desk lightly on accident, sending a sheaf of papers tumbling to the floor.
“Yikes!” Jinny squeaks, slipping out of the chair to quickly gather the fallen documents, hurriedly stuffing them into the folder they slid out of in mostly the same order, putting them back on the desk near the pile they fell off of and trying, very hard, to look innocent. Wasn’t her, officer. Nope, nope, nope!
While she’s on her hands and knees, though, a shoebox is nudged out from under the sideboard behind the desk by her feet, the plain blue fairly prominent against the mustard yellow of the carpet. It’s probably more documents, but who knows? The Estate people didn’t spend very long in this room, it seems. She gets back up to her feet and sits down at the desk, brushing her hands over the leather blotter and studying what’s around, her gaze finally catching on the old rotary phone sitting on the desk. $10. “Hmm…” She lifts it up and turns it over, reading ‘Property of Pacific Bell’ stamped in the metal frame on the bottom, and notices that it’s been rewired for use with modern phone systems. “Oh yeah…” She hefts the phone, very nearly sending more papers tumbling when the cord is pulled taut. Thankfully, she catches herself and straightens that pile, unplugging it to keep anything like that from happening again. “This little darling is coming home with me.”
The squeak causes Luu’s attention to fly towards Jinny. “We’ll probably need more chairs,” Luu notes, as if to say ‘sure we’ll take that one too.’ The interest Jinny takes in the old telephone gets a slightly confused look from Luu. “I guess it is kinda retro?” she says hesitantly, as if she’s not so sure what the point is of a phone that can’t access TikTok in any sort of meaningful way. “I don’t have a landline at the Jacobean,” Luu points out, noting, “never really thought there would be a need for one. They still make those?” A beat as she adds, “Right, right, stick shifts, ok.”
Luu’s eyes light up as she finally notices the authentic Emperor Norton scrip, noting, “Ok, now this we have to get. I know car space is limited, but hopefully we have some pocket space as well. But the Emperor only made so many of these, and it would be a shame to let it disappear to the ages. Probably needs some conservation work as well, but we should be able to find someone to help with that.” Luu holds up the scrip, examining it in the light, seemingly quite satisfied with this find.
Hefting the phone triumphantly, Jinny carefully took the handset off the cradle. “If anything, there’s something satisfying about hanging up a phone. I mean…” She takes out her cell phone and pretends she’s in a conversation. “Well...I’m leaving then! Goodbye.” *tap* End Call. She looks to Luu. “Now, same thing with the handset.” Up it comes, right to her ear. “Well...I’m leaving then! Goodbye.” Followed by a heavy clattering thud with the slight ringing of a bell jostled. Very, very satisfying!
The scrip is something that might have been overlooked, or might have been considered a forgery or reproduction. In fact, the little yellow sticker on the back declares it as an Emperor Norton I Scrip with a laughably small price of $5 - which you could probably get for the frame - but as Luu examines it against the light, little details come to light. Watermarks, indentations, and the way the ink flows in the signature promising to repay the amount borrowed with 5% interest in January, 1888. To her untrained eye, it looks authentic, and it seems the good Emperor got out of paying for that one! Most of these, if authentic, were lost in the great fire that consumed most of the city in the 1900’s, which made this one, if real, considerably rare and potentially valuable. Jinny pushed herself up from the seat, letting it spin twice before it slowed to face the desk and wandered over to look, resting her head on Luu’s shoulder for a moment, the phone held against one hip.. “Who’s Norton I, and how was he issuing money way back then? Was that a bank of some kind?”
Jinny? Not knowing about Norton? Say it ain’t so!
“Norton I, Emperor of the United States, Protector of Mexico,” Luu says casually, as she continues to examine the scrip. Slowly, Luu turns to look at Jinny and says, “You do know Emperor Norton, right?” A beat, before she gives her best, “Oh, honey! It’s going to be ok.” Letting the scrip drop to her side, but not letting going of it, Luu begins to explain, “In San Francisco, shortly before The Civil War, Joshua Abrahama Norton, future Discordian Saint, figured out one of the great secrets, and proclaimed himself Emperor and started issuing proclamations and -- “ Luu raises up the scrip, adding, “and his own currency.”
“Now, you might ask,” Luu continues, “what’s the difference between this guy and any other crackpot? Well, this crackpot was the Emperor of the United States, and had a twenty one year reign. Most Emperors don’t even get that, let alone self-proclaimed Emperors. His funeral attracted over one million souls to San Francisco, and the ensuing outpouring of grief caused the great Earthquake that levelled the city.” A beat as Luu scrunches her nose, and asks as if Jinny should know this, “Didn’t you go to Yale?”
The scrip is probably the most valuable thing Luu has held in her hands at this place so far. Collectors pay quite a bit for that and, if determined to be authentic, she could be sitting on a little gold mine if she decided to sell. The thing is? With that being directly connected to Norton I, the discordian saint, the chances of Luu actually doing so are minimal at the very best. It would be very discordian, too, for Luu to have this on her wall, too. Perhaps Eris is working her chaotic magic!
“So he was the Emperor of the United States just because he said he was? And people went with that? They must have, since this is a thing.” Jinny gestures to the scrip that Luu seems to be holding on to quite tenaciously. The question on whether or not she actually went to Yale is left uncommented upon. Yes, she went to Yale - Luu knows this - but saints of obscure religions created in the 1960’s weren’t part of any of the coursework on art or culture that she took part in. Perhaps one of the more esoteric branches of Philosophy might have mentioned him in the chapter on Discordianism but that wasn’t something she dealt with so….no. She did not hear about Norton in anything more than passing mention. But the earthquake?
Jinny chuckles, moving away to study a small collection of dice sitting at the feet of a small mounted skeleton on top of one of the filing cabinets ($200, best price! The label declares) “Now, were I not initiated just a little bit, I might consider that to be hyperbole, or just trying to find patterns in natural events that defy explanation, but I know just as well as anyone that strange things happen in the most interesting ways, and an earthquake caused by the grief of a million people? Totally within the realm of possibility.”
“Well, how do you think most people become Emperor or King or Queen or -- “ Luu begins to say as she reaches up, and flips down her lower lip to show the tattooed word ‘princess’ “ -- some sort of Divine Right or just saying so? And who’s to say all those other Royals didn’t just say so, but Emperor Norton and Princess Luule weren’t the ones with the Divine Right? I mean, even with that, we’d still have to say something right?” A beat as she lightly waves the scrip as she notes, “and this scrip and my tattoo? Both good ways to pay for drinks.” Luu’s eyes go slightly wide as she blushes as bit, and softly notes, “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I mean, the Hollowers get pigeon-holed as Goths,” Luu begins to note, as she continues browsing, the scrip firmly decided as a ‘buy.’ “and to be fair a bunch of them are Goths,” Luu adds, “but they get this sort of thing right. They’re romantics. I mean, a lot of people don’t even think about what they want to be or what they do with their life. Others go for sensible ideas like being actuaries or maybe a lawyer. Then there are the dreamers, like you and I, that think to be artists, but the Hollowers? They don’t say ‘I have this life to live and I want to be a painter,’ no, instead they say ‘I have this life to live and I want to be a French painter during the Belle Epoque.’ I mean, never mind that they’re not French nor do they live in France, or that was one hundred years ago, why would they let that stop them? That’s what they get right. That’s what Norton got right. It’s just a pity so many of them just decide they want to be Goth Club Kids from the nineteen eighties, but -- “ Luu gives a shrug as she notes, “I recently saw a bit more in Robert Smith than I used to, so maybe they’ve seen even more, and that’s ‘The Cure’ for the reality blues.”
Turning to look to Jinny, Luu admits, “Now that Earthquake was of course a couple decades later, and I can’t be sure there were a million people even in San Francisco at the time, let alone at his funeral, but there were enough people that did care about him and did get. They grieved, more for their loss than his, as they all knew they could be Emperor if they truly believed it, but none of them were brave enough.” A slight shrug, as Luu says, “Beliefs, stories, that’s really what we got when it comes down to it, so what do you think happened? What’s your Emperor Norton story?”
“Most people become King, Queen, or Princess, or Emperor because they say so and back up the claim with some sort of evidence like birth into the established royal family and, barring that, established cultural norms. This is usually some kind of religious or political establishment but, in the most extreme cases, the very Human quality of suppression, sheer force and subjugation of the people that they get the power from comes into play.” Jinny turns her back to the skeleton, turning her gaze towards Luu but having her attention snatched for a second by the giant spider poster on the man’s wall. She shakes her head and wonders why he chose that to have a place of honor on the wall. It was a nice picture, sure, and it was definitely attention-grabbing, but why that particular poster? Surely some investigation would answer that question. “But yes. Ultimately, it all begins with the person believing it to be so.”
“And I know that’s not what you meant about the tattoo earning you a drink. It’s like betting someone you have their name tattooed somewhere on your body, and then showing them the ornate tattoo that says ‘your name.’ Technically you win the bet and that, according to Futurama, is the best kind of correct. Jinny smiles and settles back, listening to the tale of the Hollow Ones and their embrace of the Goth subculture or, more likely, the Goth subculture taking what most fit their established norms and was popular, and then applying those things to the subculture in order to allow it to better perpetuate itself. If you have the external view of a subculture spelling out what they might be, it’s far easier to attract those who are enticed by such things and repel those who aren’t. The perfect way to perpetuate things.
Luu asked for an Emperor Norton story and thankfully, Jinny could definitely find one of those. More than a few of those, too, and even some that she, herself experienced, but first, Norton. “I see. Those people weren’t grieving the death of the Emperor, from what you’re saying.” Jinny takes up one of the dice, setting it down quickly when she realizes that it’s made of some kind of polished bone. “Those people were grieving the death of what he embodied in life. His very existence and survival on his own terms was a real magick that they could see and understand without too much effort. A glimpse of enlightenment.” Her voice is low as she says these things, very aware that there are others in the building who may, or may not, be receptive to such things. Better to be safe than sorry. “Every time they saw him, they were reminded of what could potentially be if they believed it enough themselves and when he was gone, it seemed that the magick had gone to the grave with him. The potential was gone with him. Thankfully, some of your...discordians, was it? He must have had enough of an influence to be written about, and someone found it and, well...he became what he became because of his belief in life. Something we should all aspire towards.”
Jinny settles back against the desk now, one heel thumping against the privacy panel as she hooks her heel against the carved details. “Now, what do I think happened? I’ve told stories from all around the world, some forgotten for a thousand years. What I think happened doesn’t matter in the long run, but here we go. I think that Norton I, in his time in the city and his belief that he was Emperor of the United States, became such a well-known institution in the city that his very presence started to shift the universe around him. Whether or not most people believed he was emperor didn’t matter. What mattered in the long run was that enough people, and most importantly he, did. That belief slowly built to a critical mass, like the way a star distorts space and time around it, and slowly blossomed and grew via word of mouth to where it became self-perpetuating and now? Here we are in a study off of Alameda or wherever we are, discussing the effects a man had on the world, a man that’s more than a hundred and forty years gone.” She smiles. “I can’t think of a better eulogy than that, can you? To be remembered for your effect on a place long after you're dust, your stories shared between friends and family and people in the city and, hopefully, your memory continuing on and on and on.”
“Maybe the next time I go to the Library, I’ll look it up and see what was said. Who knows what I might find out?”
