The Taste of Seduction

"That\'s why they decided to hide on earth…"

"And at the end of the rainbow--" Atlas knocked on the wood twice and continued his statement. "--may be another clue they might be keeping, leading us to The Book of Shadows."

There was silence for a while as they pondered about it. Meredith\'s head cocked to the side, curious as to why leprechauns are now involved in their mission.

"Leprechauns… I know they are mythological, originated in the Irelands from the books I read here but they are really true?"

"Meredith," Atlas said, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he set his food aside for a while as they discuss this. "If werewolves, vampires, witches, wizards, dragons, and the like exist… why can\'t the leprechauns not?"

"Oh, I know there are lots of possibilities and beings," Meredith started, shrugging her shoulders. "It\'s just that I have never seen a leprechaun before."

"Well, true," Atlas agreed, now getting his plate in front of him and then continuing to eat his meal. "Actually, according to Austin even us magical beings rarely see leprechauns."

"Oh?" Meredith blinked her eyes for a few times. "Why?"

"Like I said--" Atlas started, chewing on his meat. "--they left the magical realm and decided to stay in the human world. They are hiding their possessions from us magical creatures who know that their treasures are precious. That\'s why they\'re rarely seen for mortals and immortals."

"I see… and the start of the myth…"

"Well, of course, mortals stumbled upon them by accident, that\'s why they made up stories about it before they couldn\'t see those creatures again. Then it\'s passed down until it became stories for them," Atlas explained, Meredith nodding as it slowly made sense.

"Yeah… that\'s understandable. It makes all sense."

But with the curiosity now stirring in Meredith\'s mind, she leaned in closer on the table, talking as if whispering even though it\'s only her and Atlas in the room.

"What are leprechauns like? What do they look like, too? Did Austin tell you?"

Meredith looked like a child. It made Atlas chuckle, making him ruffle her hair to slightly tease her in a playful manner.

"Well, what do you know about leprechauns?"

Meredith paused for a while and recalled what she knew about leprechauns. She knew them as creatures in the Irish folklore. They are fairies in a form of an old man, always tiny. They wear a tall green hat and always live alone to make shoes and whatnot.

They are often playful, too. Like what the folktales say, they are often found at the end of the rainbow with a pot of gold. They are often associated with a four-leaf clover, too. Often associated with the color green as well.

Meredith shrugged. "Tiny men with tall hats… playful and always at the end of the rainbow with their pot of gold?"

"Well, yes," Atlas said, taking a sip of his water before continuing. "But what most people don\'t know about leprechauns is that when they feel threatened, they show their hiding area, lure them with a fake pot of gold, and then keep them there forever until they die as punishment."

"Oh…" Meredith furrowed her brows as she said her thought aloud. "Then what if they feel threatened when we visit them when all we want is to look for clues and not get their pot of gold or treasured possessions? Are they going to attack us?"

"Well, we have to be prepared. As beings very possessive of their belongings, they might see us as a threat. In some ways, we have to convince them otherwise--that it\'s not our intention."

"But why leprechauns, Atlas? Is the book that difficult to get?"

Atlas shrugged his shoulders as well and tried his best to answer her question. "That\'s what I\'m curious about, too. If the clues to the book is kept with leprechauns, then maybe there is more than to it when it comes to the book. Something more valuable that shouldn\'t fall into the hands of people."

"Well, makes sense," Meredith answered, letting out a sigh. "Of course the leprechauns probably didn\'t do it for free when it comes to keeping the secrets leading to The Book of Shadows."

"Exactly. That\'s why we probably have to give them something precious in return for a clue. They do love treasure. We have to negotiate."

Meredith took a piece of meat in her mouth and chewed. As they were slowly understanding their goals on earth, she looked at Atlas and asked him a question.

"So where are we going to look first on earth?"

"In Ireland," Atlas answered, already finished eating his dinner. "Leprechauns are included in the Irish folklore for a reason. They decided to hide and stay there, so we will check there."

"Alright," Meredith replied, pushing her plate towards Atlas. His eyes widened a bit as he noticed that she did not finish all of her food. With her giving him her plate, it would mean that she\'s asking him to finish all of them (which he\'ll do gladly…). "Then we visit Ireland, then."

Atlas continued eating Meredith\'s leftovers as she drank her glass of water.

"Remember, since we\'re going back to earth, we can also not do it immediately even though the looking for the book calls for urgency."

Meredith blinked her eyes a few times in confusion. "What do you mean? Didn\'t you want to get over with this so my bond with Marcus could break?"

"Well, yes," Atlas answered, stabbing his fork in his meat when he heard Marcus\' name. "But remember that you have your best friend and little brother on earth that you could visit. I\'ll also catch up with my brother, Ace. I\'ll try to see if I can ask for his help even in Ireland."

"Oh, yes… you do have a point," Meredith replied, already excited when the idea of visiting Sofia and her little brother came alight. "Let\'s do that, then."