The Fantabulous
Sisyphean Tasks & Talismans, Linburn
Dana subtly winced when Sammy, her slimy housemate, suggested she could 'do something' with the flooring - as talented as the transmuted witch was, her track record did not encourage confidence. However, she launched into a bold (and unnecessarily loud) declaration of her latest apparent triumph, "I think the flies are more of a concern for my store than your lab - last week a customer was nearly carried off by a swarm of magical mosquitoes." The swarthy magus crossed her arms skeptically and eyed the block of wood, "Although, that did help me sell them a warding charm." She added with a shrug, resuming mopping the floor and giving notably more attention to the areas Sam crossed. In the shadow of an overladen display case something stirred and a pair of piercing, icy eyes followed the rhythmic movement.
The chime of a small bell (curiously absent from the vicinity of the door) alerted Dana to the latest instrusion, albeit from a more conventional direction. She glanced in the direction of the door, a small black shape taken the opportunity to leap on her mop and assault it enthusiastically, "There you are, Orpheus..." Sisyphus chuckled, gently prying the excitable kitten off the mop-head and stroking his short fur. She nearly forgot the new customer until Sammy announced his presence, "Sam, you make me wonder why I bought the bell." Dana winked, turning to the tall, lean man.
He had a face, which was a nice start - she had a group of customers the previous day lacking such distinguishing features, resulting in a rather awkward exchange. His long hair and glasses covered some of the details, though his eyes were perhaps darker than her own and had a youthful complexion - he looked no different than his last visit a year prior, "We have to stop meeting like this, Kyrio." Dana grinned, sending the cleaning tools back into a nearby closet with a gesture, "Though as long as the Mage Union haven't sent you here I'm happy to see you, of course." The witch placed a purring Orpheus on her shoulder, he perching himself there comfortably as she cautiously stepped forward. Sisyphus was well aware of his reputation.
"What will it be today? Curses? Poisons? Postcards?"
“Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
AKA Nixer
Axel Tower
After a brief pause as he registered the flood of words that had been said to him, Axel lightly chuckled, leaning back slightly in his seat and crossing his legs. He reached into the drawer of his desk, pulling out a box of cigars, and took another one, only to pause briefly as he brought it out of sight below the desk.
There was a small glow, and he brought the now lit cigar between his teeth.
Strange, since there didn't seem to be a lighter anywhere.
“I commend your enthusiasm, kid. Healthy trait to have. Of course, depending on the people you talk to. Some aren't as tolerant. I personally have no idea what they're on,” he shrugged, before taking out the cigar and leaning back forward. “And yes, please just call me Axel. I tried to get my subordinates to do the same but they insisted on calling me 'Mister'. Ah well. In any case...”
He trailed off, a faint, barely noticeable glint of red reflecting off the back of his retina as his tone shifted to one more cautious and neutral. “You've... heard a voice, you say? What did they sound like?”
Linburn Streets
Ewan continued looking at the patch of empty air for a moment longer, hesitantly reaching out to touch it, only to realise with what might have been a minute expression of sadness that they had long been gone.
He was so focused on that, it seemed, that he didn't seem to fully click on Zima's explanation for a couple of seconds, at least until she waved the bag towards him. He took it gratefully, albeit a little stiffly and slowly.
In the brief period of time that he wasn't talking, one could have sworn that there was a distant, rhythmic ticking sound in the background, but he soon spoke up again, overtaking its volume easily and making it impossible to confirm.
He nodded enthusiastically at her question. “It's my first time I've talked to one, yeah! Or... ran into one, I guess...” he trailed off, his voice dropping into an embarrassed mumble before he shook it off and looked up at her again.
That was odd. She seemed a little different than just now. Maybe it was because he actually had his full attention diverted towards her. More intimidating. But not in a scary sense.
Strange.
“U-um... so they can turn invisible? But only t-to... mortals, was it?” he asked in a suddenly shy and quiet tone, inwardly having a panic attack on why he had started stammering. What was going on with him? He'd never been like this before! At least, not that he could remember...
edited 4th Jun '18 1:20:52 PM by Enirboreh
bork
Linburn Streets - Logan
Logan was about to leave the alley and head back to the surface, but Zima said some very interesting words. Not only is this woman able to see him but also knows about his species. It doesn't seem to be a malevolent voice either.
Ewan's curiosity also was something else to note. It would be good to interact with another human, he wouldn't freak out if he saw what he really looked like right? It felt like the boy had a more innocent curiosity than a zealous one.
The beastkin walked out of the alley, returning to the duo. He wasn't going to drop his perception filter in public but he could at least talk to the one who it doesn't work on. "Hey, say I can talk with the boy if we go to a more private area. I know I'm asking a stranger to help somebody they don't know but I do want to talk to him. I just need somewhere safe that I can allow him to speak to me, I don't imagine most humans would have the same feeling."
Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.
Happy Box Hater
Gaunt's Books
That walking disaster left without her guns. Which meant somewhere down the line, she'd be back. Better be before closing, he didn't need someone breaking in here just to get back their weapons. Luckily she remembered a mere few seconds later. Thank god for that. Less time spent with her around, the less chance all the stock would end up in flames.
Tim was just about to get settled back into his writing, even having taken Apple out of his ear again, when the bell rang. This was a new record for customers, wasn't it? Normally was a lot longer between them. With a small sigh, the corpse deposited his pet worm back into its "home" and paid closer attention.
Odd fellow. Honestly looked somewhat... well, he couldn't place it. Something was up, though. Not the place of the employee to pry into the customer, though. Mr. Gaunt hadn't really said as much, but Tim wasn't just going to stick to the letter of the law when his work was involved. He had a job to do.
"Looking for something in specific?" he inquired politely. Best to get this guy out of here as quick as he could. Tim had come to appreciate the leisure time he had while working here, even if he did enjoy being visited by Mary on occasion. Doing his job was nice and all, but his novel wasn't going to finish itself.
edited 4th Jun '18 9:49:57 AM by pillowmantis
Why is a yam attacking me?
Linburn Streets - Zima
Zima blinked at the boy's stammering and new, much shyer tone—then had to fight to make sure her only sign of amusement was a sudden grin. Was the kid suddenly crushing on her? That was always adorable.
"Basically!" she said. "A pretty helpful trick, considering ho-"
She stopped herself when she glanced back and saw the beastkin from before—a large, upright wolf—slunk out from the alleyway. And then he made his request. She paused for a moment.
"Well speaking of our big furry stranger," Zima eventually said before facing the boy again, "he's back. And he'd like to chat with you. Somewhere where he can show himself."
She raised a pale eyebrow at him. "What do you think, kid? Interested?"
AKA Nixer
Linburn Streets
You could practically see Ewan's admittedly rather glazed-over eyes light up with newfound happiness at the news despite his continued lack of an actual smile, heavy enthusiasm dripping out from every syllable as he clearly tried to resist jumping up and down. In fact, the only reason he wasn't was because he knew he'd just end up locking up his legs.
“Yeah! I mean, er... yeah. Sorry, I've just never met a beastkin before,” he apologized to the empty air a little too far to the right of Logan's actual position. He then turned back to Zima, and his shyness was back in an instant, almost with the flick of a switch it was so abrupt. It was crippling too, he could barely meet her eyes, yet for some reason wasn't blushing in the slightest like one would expect.
“Um... m-maybe back in that alley? I can't really think of anywhere else, th-this is... well... kinda my first time outside properly, so...”
His fingers stiffly locked themselves around the handle of the plastic back, the skin going even whiter at the tightness of his nervous grip.
Café Banal
Thankfully for all the customers of the small coffee shop, Beatrix elected to avoid a repeat of the earlier event and simply parked her bike in a space like a relatively ordinary person, and after much deliberation pulled her guns out of their holsters and placed them inside the storage compartment under the seat.
This may have been barely standard procedure for anyone else, but for Beatrix this was the equivalent of her rocking in a dark corner whilst sucking her thumb in pure paranoia. Thankfully, the world had the luxury of her refusing to let that show, and so she calmly walked into the café, ordered a latte, and sat down in a seat near the window, shrugging off her jacket and drumming her fingers on the table anxiously.
Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush from earlier not quite having worn off yet. Or maybe the shock and slight guilt of the crash was still lingering over her. Whatever it was, she was on edge.
Losing her patience, she roughly sighed, leaning back in her seat before realising her earlier purchase was still in her coat. She quickly reached back and fished around in it with a hint of urgency, desperate to relax herself somehow, before finally wrenching it free and opening it up on the table.
It was about history, obviously, she barely read anything else as it was the only thing that truly fascinated her, but this one was specifically focused on the dealings and events leading up to the God-Creator's destruction of the Dæmon-Organisms. She didn't know why, but she always had such a grand attraction to these topics.
The world seemed to fade away around her as she slowly began to lose herself in the book, now completely unaware of her surroundings in her intense focus.
edited 4th Jun '18 3:34:02 PM by Enirboreh
bork
Linburn Streets (near alleyway) - Zima
For a moment, Zima only stared at the kid, refusing to outright frown. "Never been out..?"
Well. That sounded familiar. Now that she thought about it, the stilted shyness reminded her of Leta—
Zima grimaced slightly to hide her involuntary flinch. Oh dear lord, if Leta got wind of her talking too much about oldkin to a mortal—wait, fucking Christ, if she found out Zima left some kid alone with a strange beastkin...
"In that case, I'm coming with you," Zima said in a reassuring tone. She then turned back to the wolf.
"You seem friendly enough, but you know what they say: Always good to use the buddy system!" she chirped at them both—with a light sharpness in her smile and a shine in her eyes that firmly said "I dare you to say 'no.'"
Linburn Streets - Logan
Logan nodded to Zima's remark about the buddy system. "I would too in your situation, I mean, I look like a werewolf! I can't help but think he's going to freak out when he sees me like the last human who did but, I feel I might as well take the chance anyways."
The beastkin moved to the alleyway and dropped his perception filter. That kid never been outside before, have to wonder what type of parents they had. They might even be looking for the boy right now. Not that Ewan was the only one to be interested about, Logan remembered being told that the perception filter doesn't work on oldkin, what type of oldkin was the lady? Was that even her true form right now?
edited 4th Jun '18 4:53:56 PM by JustaUsername
Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.
AKA Nixer
Linburn Streets → Alleyway
Ewan inwardly shivered at the look Zima shot them, nodding furiously to her in hasty agreement. As they entered the alleyway, he paused, briefly leaning over and absently massaging his knee before looking up at the now revealed humanoid wolf. Naturally, due to being caught off guard by this, he immediately fell over backwards with a yelp of surprise, only to spring back onto his feet again with a clearly enthralled tone of voice.
“Wow! You're a wolf? I thought you felt kinda fuzzy! I didn't hurt you when I hit you, did I? I'm sorry, I wasn't really watching where I was going anyway,” he apologized, his enthusiasm dwindling away as he remembered the original reason he had wanted Logan to show himself.
He shifted slightly, revealing that the leg he had rubbed earlier was looking uncomfortably stiff. It appeared to have completely locked up at the joint, in fact, which was probably why he had lost his balance in the first place. Notably, however, despite its rather painful appearance, he didn't even seem to notice it. Instead, he rigidly extended his hand out for the beastkin to shake, expression still completely impassive despite his cheerfully friendly tone.
“Uh, sorry, I just realised I forgot to tell you my name! I'm Ewan! Ewan Fletcher!”
edited 4th Jun '18 5:09:31 PM by Enirboreh
bork
Schrodinger's Human
Matthew and Owen - Reunion
Owen’s “apprentice” (for the lack of better term) hugged him and cried. This was the reaction that Logan fully anticipated from Matt. He patted Matthew on the back and said, chuckling: “What, you thought that I would die that easily? Come on, stop crying.” As they let go of each other, Owen scanned Matt’s body in order to see if he had been keeping shape ever since he was gone. Suffice to say, he was satisfied.
“I see that you haven’t skipped your trainings”, spoke Owen, letting off a smile of satisfaction. “Very good. You haven’t forgotten what I taught you, Matty.”
Owen remembered the time when he first met Matthew. He was a lonely boy, whose insecurities haunted his every move and word. I made him into the man he is today. And for that, he felt pride.
“How have things changed after my… “death”?”
Chris - From streets to Gaunt’s Books:
Christopher Hawke headed to the library, having finished his latest work of art, which involved lots of fluffy kittens. By the time Chris left his house, he fully expected one dissatisfied voice whispering him about it. Drawing cute pictures was one of the ways Chris repelled back instincts of the Homicider. Any actions committed against the interests of Sam (as Chris called it) put a certain strain in Chris's body, which he did not mind at all.
It seemed to have been a long time since he became a Homicider, even though in reality it happened merely a few days ago. Chris remembered the night of his first transformation. The smell of blood, the feeling of rippled muscle and flesh, as well as beastly screams all resonated in Christopher’s mind. The vision of his attempted murder filled his vision.
Have to get rid of it. Even if it costs my life.
Chris elected to visit the bookstore in hopes of finding the information he needed. The Internet, with its abundance of false information and scams, could not be trusted, he thought. I’m not going to sit around and say things like “Woe is me!” while doing absolutely nothing. If I don’t do something quick, then who knows what will happen? Besides, I have some books that I was itching to read for a long time now.
Luckily for him, it seemed that Chris and Sam could not share their thoughts, which meant that he was free to plot against what he perceives as his evil side.
Chris arrived at the library, only to feel the jolt of his heart. The growl of the beast ringed in his ears. He noticed... fear? Strange. It never felt something like that before, unless..... Something lethal is here. Christopher smiled and went in the Gaunt's Books.
edited 4th Jun '18 5:34:23 PM by kaalban
Everything that lives is designed to end.
Matthew - Reunion
Matthew stopped crying and wiped off his eyes - his bro felt a little...cold, but if anything was wrong Matt knew they could fix it. "I-I knew, I knew you weren't gonna die like that..." Matthew felt so completely relieved - the person who'd brought him up from nothing was now back like...like nothing had even happened.
"You know I wouldn't skip on training - I remember what you told me about my throwing arm!"
Matthew was beaming, and then Owen asked what had happened since his "death". Matthew's face took something of a more sad look again.
He started to explain, "Coach...coach moved on so fast from this, he bumped me up to Varcity Starting QB, kept Jackson second string...Jackson wasn't happy about that. I think cuz of that, Jackson's started picking on the nerdy guys. And...after you, uh, died...people straight up slandered you - insisted you did steroids, said other stuff. The school blabbermouths said the worst of it."
This was the first time in a while Matthew had really shown anger - he really couldn't stand people talking bad about his bro, especially with what happened in mind.
"B-But you're back now. Everything can...can be as it was, right, bro...?"
Kyrio - Shopping
"Oh you know, I'm a retired man - no more Mage Union business for me. I'm a full time dad, taking care of one complicated footballer. Have you heard Matthew's first Varcity game is coming up?" He cheerfully gossiped a bit about what was going on, giving no indication he was anything but the suburban single dad he presented himself as.
It was too bad his reputation reached before him a great deal.
He became a bit more serious, however, and stated, "...though just because I am retired doesn't mean I've neglected the grapevine. I suspect you've heard Old Antonius might be on the move, on top of a number of...other factors. I need a charm against dark and unclean forces to make sure my son doesn't go into anything unprepared."
Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
Lindburn Streets > Sisyphean Tasks & Talismans
From the moment he stepped into the city, Josh felt uneasy. Compared to his tiny backwater town...Linburn was a sprawling metropolis that was probably full of twists and turns leading to all sorts of places which would be interesting to visit at some point but as it stood...the young man wasn't entirely sure where to go.
It was certainly much more noisier than home, with him having to adjust his headphones to at least block out some of the sound. Not to mention the map he'd asked for wasn't much help in giving directions as Josh cautiously kept walking, hoping to find at least some sort of monument or place to at least get his bearings, a bit oblivious to the fact he'd already walked past Gaunt's Books and eventually finding himself outside Sisyphean's Tasks and Talismans instead before nervously walking inside to have a look.
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
Alleyway - Logan
Ewan's first reaction was expected for Logan, the sudden mood swing afterwards was not. Still, a human willing to give him a handshake is only a welcome interaction. The beastkin shook the boy's hand, allowing Ewan to feel his fur and hand-paw. "My names Logan Lowe, I know it sounds very human. Don't worry about me getting hurt, I can shrug off quite a bit."
This good occasion didn't stop Logan from noticing something. The boy's leg, something happened to it. "Speaking about getting hurt. Did you hurt your leg? It seemed to be moving in a way it shouldn't be moving"
Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.
Alleyway - Zima
Zima flinched at Ewan's temporary fall, but he seemed to recover well enough.
That was, until she noticed the irregular leg the same moment Logan mentioned it. Brow furrowed, she took a couple steps forward during the ensuing silence.
But wait—a soft noise. Was that... clock ticks? In an alley?
She shook her head at herself; she didn't need anyone to tell her that a random clock (inside that trashcan over there?) was a little less important than what was right in front of her.
AKA Nixer
Linburn Streets
“Huh? Oh!” Ewan exclaimed, seemingly completely unaware of both his frozen leg and the extraordinarily distant ticking in the background. He looked down at it, twisting it to the side, before suddenly raising his hand and roughly slamming it against the back of his knee. It gave in what should have been an extremely agonizing way, but the boy didn't even flinch, immediately flexing it back and forth in his characteristically stiff fashion before planting it on the ground calmly, none the worse for wear.
“Sorry, my joints do that sometimes. My parents say it's arthritis or something, but I can't feel anything anyway, so I don't really notice. I'm okay, really! I don't hurt!” he insisted upon seeing Zima's own concern.
The faint, rhythmic ticking had now completely halted, strangely.
bork
Linburn Streets - Logan
It was starting to become clear to Logan why Ewin's parents didn't allow him outside much. "Just because you don't feel pain doesn't mean you can't get hurt. A matter a fact, it should be a further reason to pay attention to when you're hurt, as you could be in trouble without realising it!"
Logan was going to next ask about Zima, with her seeing past the beastkin's perception filter. But something more unusual was afoot, that ticking sound. I was originally just background noise for the wolf, but that sudden pause... "Okay, did any else hear that unusual ticking sound? The one that just stopped out of nowhere?"
Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.
Alleyway - Zima
Blinking, Zima turned to Logan.
"Yeah..?" Now that he mentioned it, the sound did stop all of a sudden. "Thought some rando threw one in the trash here..."
AKA Nixer
Linburn Streets
“...Heh. You kinda sound like my dad,” Ewan finally replied with a subdued, slightly solemn tone at Logan's words, before he tilted his head at the question a fraction, the faint ticking resuming.
“Hm? What ticking?” he asked innocently.
Ticking.
Inability to feel pain.
That tilt of the head... it was at an extraordinarily precise angle. Almost too precise.
Tick.
“Well, uh, I guess I should be heading back. I'm sorry, but these groceries aren't all for me,” he chuckled.
Tock.
Locking up of the joints. Arthritis. Inability to feel pain. Tilt of the head.
Tick.
Tock.
“Are... are you okay?”
Rhythmic, distant ticking. Like a clock. Tick. Tock. In time with his movements. His speech. Pausing as he thought, stopping, only to furiously resume.
Tick.
Tock.
Ewan had never smiled. Or frowned. Or indeed, had shown any physical indication of his emotions outside of his voice. It was full of inflection, and it distracted from the rest of him.
Tick.
Tock.
But he just stared. Blankly. With those glazed-over eyes. He didn't blush whilst looking at Zima. He certainly sounded embarrassed. And maybe he was genuinely crushing on her. But it didn't show. At least, not in the purely physical sense.
Tick.
Tock.
Everything about Ewan was soulful. So soulful, pure, and human, in fact, that it distracted from the fact that if you took every single oddity of his and you put it together, it indicated something inconsistent with what he initially seemed to be. Something impeccably precise and intelligent, yet simultaneously rigid, awkward, and not quite natural. Inhuman, almost ironically.
Tick.
Tock.
Ticking. Rhythmic ticking. Emanating from him. Tick. Tock. Like a clock.
Like a perfectly oiled mechanism.
Like a machine.
edited 5th Jun '18 3:41:32 PM by Enirboreh
bork
Happy Box Hater
Gaunt's Books
Another ringing of the bell from someone walking in. Fancy Tim glanced over to look at the new customer. Thank the creator it was just a customer, and not Mr. Gaunt. In fact, it was just an ordinary person. Since he was already busy doing his job, at least he wouldn't have to deal with the maybe machine thing that was browsing.
"Good morning," the corpse said with a smile, his naturally blue lips curling upwards genuinely. "Welcome, to Gaunt's Books. We don't normally get younger people here. Anything specific that you are looking for today?" He was more worried about the old guy than some kid who probably was only 18.
He was wary. The crash outside was a bad sign. Something significant. The world didn't work like a book, but that didn't stop Fancy from entertaining the thought on occasion. Already a writer of sorts, it was natural. Still, nothing bad could happen in the shop. Mr. Gaunt had assured him of that.
Why is a yam attacking me?
Linburn Streets - Logan
With the return of the clicking, it started to become clearer where the source came from. His perception filter doesn't just work on humans, it also works on animals and...machines. "You're not human, are you Ewan?"
edited 5th Jun '18 5:37:53 PM by JustaUsername
Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.
Alleyway - Zima
For a mere moment, Zima let herself squeeze her eyes shut with a soft groan. Lovely—it was still muggy, she was standing around in some suspect alleyway, and now this kid is suddenly looking to be a machine? Oh, if Leta were there, she probably would've smelled it off of Ewan from the beginning, or heard the ticking faster. And she'd definitely be yanking her out of the situation by now. Probably by the ear.
Good thing she wasn't there, then.
"You sure you're human?" she asked point-blank, face impassive while putting her hands behind her back. (They were starting to getting cold.)
AKA Nixer
Linburn Streets
Ewan froze at their mutual questions, looking up at them with what might have been minor confusion and curiosity before registering their seriousness, to which a burst of denial erupted into his voice.
“I... wh-what? Of course! Of course I am! I'm human, look, see? Look at me!” he said indignantly, gesturing down to himself for emphasis. “I'm human! Why do...” he faltered, before looking up at them both with that blank gaze, although in context it seemed of one of betrayal. “Wh-why do you think I'm not? I'm not... I'm not lying to you! I'm not!”
His voice was starting to break a bit the more he apparently began overthinking the relatively simple question, contrasting with his otherwise stoic demeanour. He stepped backwards, groceries tightly being squeezed in his hand, before he inadvertently smacked his head against the wall of the alley, the jolt seeming to cause a portion of his skin on his forehead to fray away at the edges, revealing a seam that stretched its entire way around his face.
As expected, he barely registered the impact, as he raised his head to look at them again.
“Please, I-I just wanna go home... I'm just... I'm just weird, okay? I've always been But I'm real. I'm human. I have to be. Please believe me, please,” he begged. It sounded as if he was clutching on straws. Ewan wasn't an idiot, after all, so he must have at least some point pegged onto what was going on to some level, only to vehemently deny it. And who wouldn't?
bork
The Flamebringer
Sieglinde saw it differently. The why was of utmost importance. Why could only those who lived here for a sufficient time see it? And even then, why could some not? Where did it come from? Why was Linburn such a hub for the paranormal? Who was calling the recent arrivals here?
There was no way they weren't connected. The writing on the wall was there, it was just a matter time until she found it. A storm was coming. She could only hope that the mortals could weather it.
All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.
Alleyway - Zima
Zima stiffened at his impact with the wall—and her eyes went impossibly wide at the new seam it revealed.
"Kid, your face-!" she exclaimed with shaken alarm.
Linburn Streets - Zima
It just so happened that at the mentioned of an "invisible" furry creature, Zima spotted such a being just as it disappeared into a nearby alley. Blinking, she glanced back at the kid.
"Must be a mortal," she said to him, nodding to him as she casually leaned on her left hip and put a hand on it. "Don't worry kid, just a beastkin, lots of them don't like being seen by your type, makes them nervous. Looks like you two just happened to hit each other by accident."
Zima then glanced down at the bag of groceries still on the ground. With a swift motion, she quickly but gently plucked the bag off the cement, minutely waving it towards the kid's hands. She tilted her head slightly, brows furrowed at him. "This your first time running into one?"
edited 3rd Jun '18 10:05:13 PM by BlackRevolver