The House of Leaves Café

[Serena Magik Novello]

It was like trying to adjust to those 3D glasses, so of course, the first thing she'd gone and done was to tilt her head sideways to get a better look at how things looked through said glasses. Eyes sweeping the area around them to try to get a feel for what they were doing, trying to feel the magic behind them at the same time.

And that was when she got a glimpse of him.

The way she'd suddenly just gone rigidly still was probably seen as not good news. A leather gloved hand coming up to steady the glasses on the bridge of her nose. Ice. He was like living breathing ice. She stepped closer, reaching out to touch absentmindedly where the thing was pulsing. But she stopped herself before she did so, taking a step back. How to tell the man this. Something ...had happened to him, somehow. Was it her business? Something she could fix? Was she supposed to fix it? So many questions. But she'd want answers to come to any conclusion.

"Well, I see...ice. It's like where you walk, like you ARE ice? And it looks like...something might be trying to change you even more so soon. What brought this all about, do you remember?" She was worried about that egg shaped thing, but to panic the man into doing something crazy would be bad. Whatever it was, seemed to be taking over the man, a thought that made her sad. Didn't seem like this man had a choice. And choices were what she was all about.  

[Ten Tails]

The man sighed and moved away, sitting down on the curb. He leaned back and looked at her carefully. "Happened two months ago, my company had a party. It was dull as anything could be. So some of my friends and coworkers had an after-party. I got very drunk, passed out, woke up in the hospital. That's when I thought they did this hair dying to me....Apparently, I had been asleep for three days after the party. They got me to the hospital when I wouldn't wake up in the morning. And despite some weird dreams, I was fine. But a week after that, the first...incidents started happening."  

[Serena Magik Novello]

Magik couldn't help looking at the man through those glasses while he moved, and then removed them afterwards to get another general look at said glasses. It was odd that someone just gave him these glasses free of charge, but someone had for unknown reasons. Leave it to her to want to try to find a motive, a reason for them to do so. She always wondered what drove people to do certain things.

She didn't realize she had stopped to stand behind him until she looked down and there he was, all the while she had her hand gently holding one of the ends of the glasses, letting them sort of sway back and forth in a light grip. She listened objectively, trying to find pieces to a puzzle almost as if solving a mystery. This man didn't know anything and neither did she.

"What kinds of dreams? Dreams aren't always just ...crazy things with no meaning. Our subconscious minds tell us alot in our dreams. "Some of us just choose to ignore said things..." She winced at thinking the second thought but it was true, she didn't follow her dreams, didn't take any advice, because she knew what road it would take her down.

"Might even be bits and pieces of things that maybe did happen to you that just sort of seem like they're dreams?" No one slept for three days after a party without some kind of trauma or changes possibly taking effect.She kept her eyes as void of emotion as possible, after all, she was trying to analyze, trying to help without getting too wrapped up in his life or worse. "incidents involving ice or water? Whatever is happening to you doesn't make you a freak...it just means there's a whole new world opening up to you. It's going to seem scary at first, but you will adapt. The will to survive and endure always overcomes obstacles you know?No matter how impossible they seem."  

[Ten Tails]

The man just fixed her with a steady stare, softly shaking his head, "You know, as a kid, I spent my whole life wanting to be something special, something unique. Now that I got the chance, and all I feel like doing is sitting down in my boring cubicle and forgetting about it." He laughed heartlessly, snickering at the pure stupidity of the thought. You couldn't forget things like this or make them go away, could you. He just ended is snickering in a sigh, "Hated that damn cubicle anyway." He held out his hand for the glasses, they where his after all. "So what about you, what's your story. Why are you miss golden glow?"  

[Serena Magik Novello]

God, it was like someone stuck a tape recorder inside the man and played back thoughts she'd had over the years. Seeing his offered hand, she gladly handed over the sunglasses. She certainly didn't want the glasses, she could maybe think about making her own, if she felt she needed them for some reason. Most of her friends of old would make toys like those, she always usually just liked to rely on herself, her vibes, her instincts. Maybe not the best choice, but she'd survived.

"Probably just picking up things from my past. Used to be a Cleric of Pelor. The god of the sun and healing. Now I mainly manage my clubs, travel and help out where needed. Try not to get swept up in trouble or complications? And sometimes, life doesn't let you forget about things. Either things happen to push you into action or you get reminded of something. All the rest, is details that would take way too long to discuss. But hey, I've made it this far, you will too. Don't see it as a death sentence..."  

[Ten Tails]

Taking the glasses, the man stood and turned to it. "Sounds like you have been through alot." He slide the glasses away in his pocket once more, and held out his hand. "The name is August Brock...and if it is not imposing, you're the only one I've met who has a clue what is going on. If I could ask for your help...well...this would be the first time I have ever said I need a Priest, but I need a Priest." He gave her a wiry smile, "Or nun? Mother Superior? What where your clerics even called, I've never heard of Pelor."  

[Serena Magik Novello]

Alot was an understatement. But the man didn't need to know what wasn't concerning his recent changes. She instinctively reached out to shake the man's hand wincing at what he was saying. "I'm...not a priestess anymore. Can't say that my calling isn't still helping people, not really sure what my calling is these days, you know?" She gave his hand a somewhat firm handshake, definitely a business handshake.

"As to if I have a clue, with this place, I'd have to say no. Haven't been in town for long as I'm not really familiar with anywhere. Don't..ever call me Mother Superior again. Or a nun. I find both names very..disturbing." She smiled genuinely again, letting out a deep held breath. "Just call me Maggy. Maggy Mason." She didn't go by Magik much at all anymore. Typically because maybe she was afraid to speak such a name anywhere these days. "So, where do you work exactly? And you never did exactly explain these weird dreams you were having beforehand?"  

[Ten Tails]

August turned slowly and indicated a large office building 6 blocks down, it was a imposing, generic square tower of black tinted windows. "There, on the 23rd floor." He ruffled his fingers through his hair, looking back at her, "I can't remember the dreams too well. There was lots of flying...on wings I guess? It was hard to tell, kinda like how you never see your hands in dreams. I remember flyby's of alot of places, snowy mountains especially, but also what looked like Jungles, places that looked like Tibet or China, and maybe Russia too...Rolling around in the sands of a desert...All sorts of random things." He toyed with the pony tail, and seemed to realize the streaks for a moment, he looked surprised. "I do know these highlights happened the same night I passed out. I thought it was just my friends playing a joke, but...no one has said they did it, in fact they all say they've always been there."  

[Serena Magik Novello]

Magik turned and looked at the office building sticking out of the vista like a sore thumb. She herself couldn't work that high, always worried about things happening and having the building simply collapse someday while she would be inside it. Her eyes settling back on the highlights. "Maybe you're becoming some sort of...elemental? Though I'm not too sure what would cause that. Or if it's even possible. But I suppose it would be. Powers can manifest sometimes years later..."

She was ranting to herself, unsure of her thoughts. Worrying at her lower lip while her mind was working. She wasn't sure what to say to the man to help him feel better. More comfortable. And that was when she felt a chill breeze moving into the area, after a time, when there had been nothing. It coursed up along her spine, made her feel electrified. "Do you...feel that?" Sapphire eyes looking around as she did a small three sixty turn in place. Trying to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. "Friends wouldn't do anything that bad. And if they did, they're not really true friends." People were walking hurriedly through the city streets, rushing to work on their breaks, hurrying to catch the last buses of the day. Business as usual. And yet....something felt off. Maybe it was just her paranoia talking again.  

[Ten Tails]

"Elemental?" He cocked his head softly, "Really?" He just looked around as she did. "Uhh, feel what? I didn't feel anything.  

[Serena Magik Novello]

"Its just a...guess. Blue streak in your hair. Frozen tea earlier? It was the first thing that popped into my mind." So maybe it was in her own mind after all, she chalked it up to just nerves considering the whole ordeal with August here. She stretched abit and moved the strap on her laptop so it wouldn't dig so much into her shoulder. "So, you live around here somewhere? I'm staying at the hotel down thataways. Not too shabby of a place." She saw who was nearby them, seeing a bus had just pulled into the stop, a elecrtician's bucket truck working on nearby wires, a police officer writing up tickets for people whose meters had expired. Typical everyday things.

Things that made her visibly ease up abit. "I came here for sort of a vacation from...troubles at home? Though, ever since I got here, I've heard stories of this place being dark and troubled. To be perfectly honest, all I see is a typical city. Just like all the rest." And why was she going off on this tirade of sorts to this man? She shook her head slowly. "Sorry. I know you're not in the best of moods, trying to think of some way to help you through this. But without knowing what happened, I'd be pretty much winging it. Have you thought maybe about seeing about...spiritual guidance?" Her head turned towards the very ornate church not too far away. "Sometimes, you get answers when you least expect them." Course, she'd been afraid to step into the church and tried to avoid it as much as possible. for her own reasons.  

[Ten Tails]

"That might help, if I was a man who believed in that sort of thing." He frowned softly, rubbing at his temples. "City has always had it's fill of weirdness at times. Probably where those rumors came from. But you however, seem...distracted by something. What is wrong? You got some weird power warning you of danger?" He was glancing around himself, her unease putting him ill at ease. He at least could read people that well.  

[Serena Magik Novello]

Maggy reached up and pulled the cowboy hat off of her head to scratch a spot on the back of her head, her hair was almost feeling like it was standing on edge, sort of like a cat with the hair standing up along its back. An energy, a presence? "You should always believe in things you can't see because that belief someday might save your life. Or the thing you should believe in just might?" God, why the heck was she starting with her wisdom crap again? Advice was freely given and seldom taken.

"It's just a feeling. It's usually wrong. Sort of like the whole..someone walking on your grave wives tale? Ever heard of that one?" And that was when she saw it, a black blur flying quickly towards the police officer writing tickets. It seemed to vanish inside the man, blurring the policeman's facial features a moment, giving a dark cast even though the street lights that had recently come on had just started to illuminate it. "We...should get going. How about gettting intro'd with the church? So you have a place to come when you do need it?" She had reached out and snagged the man's shoulder, motioning him across the street. right when the police officer took out his mirrored shades, shook them out, slid them on like almost in slow mo, closing his ticketbook, left hand put on the billy club at his side as he started hurrying their way with a sure pace.  

[Ten Tails]

The man resisted lightly when she grabbed his arm, definitely not wanting to be drug somewhere by a person he had just barely met. Especially once he had told her what he had. But when he say the look on her face, that urgency, well, it inspired a glimmer of temporary trust and he allowed her to lead him towards the church. As the police officer started following them, August whipped out the sunglasses again, and put them on, glancing back at the police officer. Whatever he saw, it got him moving faster towards the church. "What is that thing?" He muttered to her, in a small scared growl from his throat.  

[Serena Magik Novello]

"That is a tracker soul. It's sort of like the equivalent of what the gremlins were during the world wars? How if anything happened to one of their planes, they blamed it on them? Only, they really did exist. And well, so do these, only these aren't playing pranks that wind up going terribly wrong. That one knows what it wants and that's to kill...Snuff out whatever light in this world it can find so the rest of them can move more freely in this world."

She had cast a look back at the one advancing towards them. The police officer had stopped in his steps, put the traffic whistle between his lips and it gave out the stingingly familiar whistle. He assumed a shooter's pose, standing with feet somewhat apart and brought out his trusty Smith and Wesson, pointing it at the two's backs. "HALT! Or I will shoot!"

"RUN! THAT WAY!" Magik motioned for him to zig zag off to one side. "Don't run in a straight line! They're not used to modern tech..." That was about all the advice she could give the man, when she herself left the man, knowing she was the one with the damn golden aura or whatever it was. Last time she'd seen them she'd wound up in a coma in the hospital cause they had caused a massive pile up on the freeway.

She could see the church not that far away. And that was when the police officer's face blurred again, as it pulled itself away from the man, spiraling up into the sky to take a big picture look of both of its prey. It lingered there, sharp needle like whispy fingers shaped into clawed hands looking like it wished to stab into them, before it gave a low sounding almost screech like a barn owl.

((Sound effect needed here =p http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akwc82DOb4k ))

That had goosebumps raised along the back of her neck as she ran, almost ramming herself into the path of a car that had slammed on their brakes, seeing the police officer standing there, in a daze, with gun drawn and looking blankly at the two people running away. "What the?" The police officer stood standing there, which was at least a break for the two running away. One heading in a beeline for the church. Hoping that the thing would follow her and not well...the man coming into his own.

And once the specter had taken in its choices, it had wound itself downwards as if forming into a tornado, to which it appeared to sink into the electrician's bright yellow hard hat, while the man had pliers working on a nearby telephone pole. Magik's eyes widened as she saw the choice. "Wires!" She slapped her hand against the car that had stopped itself in her path, jumping up onto its hood. "LADY, ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZY?" The driver had wound his window down, cigar in hand and beeping his horn now. "GET OFF MY CAR!"

"Whatever happens, Stay,. Inside, Your Car." She simply was crouched down, which looked weird in an almost Underworld type pose. Trenchcoat Spawled out behind her, knees bent, left hand down on the windshield to help her keep her balance...

And that was when she looked up a second later, and she saw the pliers being raised to the wires, and the man began snipping them. Her eyes sought to find where August had run off to. And how much distance was between them, or anything he might be able to do, They would have only a short amount of time to pick their places and make their decisions. Things were going to get ugly.