Welcome to Gaia! ::

There were wheeling shapes in the sky above as Clif neared the factories. Strange, unnatural lights emminated from the buildings as the flickery shapes of the Shadows danced among the windows. No, light wasn't the right word. It was still darkness, but more like what you would see at twilight ibefore the sky turned forever dark, and it was contrasted sharply by things of greater darkness, and unnatural black, darker than black should be. Lone Shadows blend in with those cast by people and buildings, but when the terrible beasts grouped together, their darkness was all too apparent.
Clif knew to avoid those places where their darkness could be seen. Even though it would be easier to aim at them, he knew the dangers they had in numbers. Best to confront one alone and have a hard time shooting it than wound one in a pack and have the whole swarm on top of you. He did a wide arc around the old plant, to a building that wasn't so crowded. There seemed to only be three or four, and that was good, becasue he could take them on and wait for more who seek shelter away from the crowded weyrs.

Nathan fidgeted with his braid, waiting for his hot chocolate and trembling softly. It felt like forever before someone distinctly peppier than the first waitress came over with a giant mug. He realized after a moment that it was the strange one who'd offered chocolate to the grimy shadow-covered man he'd been interested in earlier.

"Uhh."

He blinked up at her in shock, blushing richly. "Uh... N-No.. thank you..." he mumbled, biting his lip. "I find myself... inclined not t'believe you..." he added, effeminate voice shaking. His accent thickened in his nervousness, making him a bit more difficult to understand.

He watched her for a moment longer before turning to stare down at the mug of hot chocolate. His bright eyes narrowed slightly, assessing the rapidly melting marshmallow and whipped cream. It was difficult to trust it when his odd little waitress had felt so strongly compelled to assure him it was poison-free. Hrm...

Jasper probably looked slightly out of place since she was in a pair of pajama pants and a tank top, but she didn't care as she walked back into the Gold Tavern. All she cared about was getting her book back. Thankfully, she found her book still on the countertop, by the seat she was sitting at before.

As she picked it up, she saw the white haired mage staring at a cup of hot chocolate that Lila had brought him. He was looking at the cup with a hint of doubt in his eyes. Jasper could understand why, since Lila had told him it was poison-free. She was about to go over to tell him that it really wasn't, but the man with red hair and grime from before had gotten to him before she did. Jasper was almost compelled to laugh out when the man took a drink and told him he would keel over if it was poisoned, all in a serious tone. As he walked away, Jasper decided to mingle with the shy mage after his ordeal with Lila. So, she walked over and sat down next to him, making sure to keep space between them so that he wouldn't have a pianic attack.

"Don't worry, it isn't really poisoned," Jasper assured him. "Lila just happens to be very friendly and outgoing. She did something sort of like this to me when I ordered a chocolate pie once." Jasper chuckled slightly at the memory. As she looked at the man, she couldn't help but feel as if she'd seen him before. So naturally, Jasper dove into her inquiry.

"You seem familiar. Have you ever been to a bar called Dusk by chance?" She asked politely.

"Yeah, you've probably performed before. I own that bar," Jasper said to the mage. And she couldn't help but smile as she watched him lick whipped cream off of a long finger, like a little kitten. But he was right, they had to have met somewhere else other than Dusk. It was disappointing to her that she couldn't remember where she had seen this man, since her memory was usually wonderful.

'Maybe he'll know my name if I tell him,' She decided in her mind.

"Well, nonetheless, I don't know if we've ever really talked before. My name is Jasper," She told him casually.

Andrew walks silently down one of many neon lit streets in Twilight City, his deep green eyes revealing the depths of his boredom. His black loafers made practically no sound, but then, did he really need to draw any more attention to himself? A pale wisp of a man only an inch short of seven feet tall, black curls in a barely tamed ponytail falling over the shoulders of his red crushed velvet shirt; were he to live anywhere but Twilight City he would probably be gawked at. But this place did hold quite the strange mix of people.

Glancing down at the saxophone case he carried at his side, Andrew sighed wistfully. He wanted to play, but want was not enough. There was a feeling, a tingle in his fingertips, a need to play whenever the time was right. At least, that was the way Andrew saw it. It was not time to play until he had to or he would burst. His Duvessa would have it no other way; such a harsh mistress. that thought brought a slight, amused smile to his full lips.

Having stopped paying attention to his path, Andrew had to halt abruptly when he nearly ran into Alexander exiting the Gold Tavern. Regaining his balance and forcefully changing what he was certain was a stupid expression of surprise on his face, Andrew examined the man briefly. Nothing about Alexander's appearance particularly drew his attention, not even the grime upon him. His carriage, though... he comported himself with an unusual grace, the Changeling thought to himself idly. But it was only worth a passing consideration; after all, he felt that tingle.

Andrew nodded politely to Alexander. "My apologies." he speaks with a soft, disinterested voice. In truth, he normally would not have apologized for anything short of bowling the man over. But he did suppose at the least Alexander was owed some gratitude for blocking his path at the pivotal place and time.

He slipped into the tavern, giving only a cursory glance to the patrons already gathered. One he assumed to be a woman held his attention a breath longer than the others, but only due to the guitar on 'her' back. Perhaps this establishment hired entertainment. That was even better; it usually meant the staff took a bit longer to realize Andrew did not belong and oust him. Finding a spot with little activity, he opened his case and slipped the end of a reed into his mouth. Quickly he assembled Duvessa, finally attaching the reed to the mouthpiece and hooking the instrument onto her strap. A short pause to appreciate his beautiful partner and companion, of course, and then he began to play. Something slow, deep and rich, Andrew decided.

"Oh! Cool. I wish I could own a bar... I'd definitely make better money than I do now." Nathan laughed warmly, sipping delicately at his hot chocolate and still managing to get whipped cream on his nose. "Oh, for pity's sake..."

Crossing his eyes to focus, he made a hearty effort to get his tongue far enough up to remove the offending cream from his nose, but to no avail. With a sigh, he grabbed a nearby napkin and wiped himself clean. "The one thing I didn't pick up from my mom..." he mumbled to himself as he stared warily at his remaining whipped cream.

He glanced up as the red-haired stranger rose and waved, waving back almost sadly. A large part of him wanted to get up and follow him, at least find out his name, but he was also conversing with Jasper, who he was sure wouldn't like it if he suddenly jumped up to follow a grimy unknown.

Turning back to his remaining companion, he smiled and offered a handshake. "Mine's Nathan," he replied. "You really do sound familiar... What a pain that I can't place it!"

Jasper would not have to try very hard to keep her conversation from Andrew's ears. He could only hear the music and, at that moment, nothing else really mattered to him. His eyes had drifted shut to better appreciate the sound. Why would he need to see? He certainly knew where to place his fingers without his eyes to guide him. Once or twice people who had seen him play had asked him how could he know if the audience enjoyed the show if he never paid attention to them? What a silly question. He was not really playing for them.