Nestled deep within the ruins of an old palace, one singular piece of treasure had remained. It was in such bad condition that most raiders avoided it, not knowing of its true value and the secrets that lay within. The value wasn't the vessel itself but what lay within. Inside a jinn- a genie lay waiting to be freed.
Idriah was beside herself.
There was nothing to do in the cramped, tiny lamp. Huffing dramatically, Idriah sauntered over to the elaborate dressing table at the other side of the lamp. Her raven hair was yet to be done and she was determined to complete the task.
This would take a while.
Looking through a guidebook full of Mediterranean hair tutorials, Idriah set it down on the stand before grabbing her hair brush. Once her back length hair was thoroughly brushed, she started braiding. It was a complicated process, the braids fed into each other making a rather crown-like silhouette.
Once that was done, Idriah closed her book and slunk back to her lounge chair.
A genie's life was pretty dull when she was stuck in her lamp. Lonely too. It would have been one thing if she wasn't isolated but with no companions and no connection to the outside world she was the only one she had. The one privilege Idriah had was she got to dream about the next person who was going to rub the lamp before they did. It helped her get a feel for the person she would have to serve. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. As Idriah lay lounging she started to nod off. She usually did not dream, but that nap was different:
She could see herself rising from the lamp, a young gentleman stood before her. He was rather rugged in appearance, yet handsome just the same. He was frightened. The terror in his eyes was easy to see. It was abundantly clear that he had not expected Idriah to come out of that dinky old peice of metal. He look around nervously, as if he expected to be caught at any moment. It didn't take a lot of brain cells for Idriah to guess that he had stolen the lamp. She decided to break the ice. "Well hello there master," the genie laid the charm on thick. If she had to serve this person, she didn't want to make it anymore unpleasant than it needed to be.
"M-master?" The boy's skepticism indicated that he didn't expect to be in charge of anything nor anyone. It would almost be endearing if Idriah hadn't known better. Most humans were fine until they got a taste of power. "I'm nobody's Master," he argued defensively.
"Why sure you are Master," The genie explained patiently, "you rubbed the lamp and now you have me."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Just call me Bastion, alright?"
"Okay Bastion. What's your first wish?"
"I want you to create an exact replica of this lamp." Bastion held out the tarnished metal so she could see…
That was when the dream ended.
Idriahwoke up with a start.
This would be a very interesting encounter indeed.
Rising from her bed, the jinn thought about how she could best prepare for the wishes she would undoubtedly have to grant. While she could do anything with a snap of her fingers the less effort she had to expend the better. Fetching some jewels from a chest she kept under the bed. She had only seen a glimpse of their first encounter but If the boy wanted to start a new life he would need money and lots of it. She quickly poured the small foutune into a sack and concealed it in her travel robe so it would be ready.
Idirah pondered for a moment and grabbed another object out of the trunk. It was a perfect replica of the lamp- no genie but it was enchanted to make the owner extremely wealthy. If Bastion was indeed going to steal the lamp they best leave a replica to cover their tracks- not to mention a consolation prize for the victim. Idriah took it and hastily hooked it to her coat belt.
Sitting down, the jinn pondered on her conflicted feelings: On one hand the boy seemed to have a good heart, though it was hard to remedy that with his willingness to steal. Who was he, really? Idriah learned long ago not to trust anyone, especially those who dared to call themselves her master.
She may not have a choice in serving but that didn't mean she had to like it-or them. The genie had learned that lesson the hard way a long time ago. Idriah sighed.
It would be a relief to be out of the restrictive confines of the lamp, but she feared what would be asked of her. Idriah had been relatively fortunate thus far, she hadn't been asked to do anything too horrible- at least she hadn't been forced to outright harm anybody physically, though emotionally she couldn't say the same.
Sometimes Idriah felt like she had lived for too long- or at least she had lived the same way for too long. The genie girl crossed her arms thinking. Perhaps the boy could be convinced to free her? The thought was intriguing: he seemed like the type that might have a hint of a conscience at least, though how much of it was an act remained to be seen.
One thing was for sure- this time Idriah wouldn't just sit idily by. This time she would set her self free.