X-Men 2020 Role-Playing Records
The following is the story in Air Raiser's X-Men 2020 RP at http://www.oocities.org/the2020rp/.

This role playing thread invovles the interaction between Joey and Changeling between November 26th and the 30th. Continued in part VII.

NOTE: Not every single posting was copied into this file. Only the posts that actually added to the plot line where added. Most of the Out Of Character (OOC) comments have been eliminated to save space. Some of the text as been changed to combine two or more different threads. If you have any problems with with this notify me, Sirah at the2020rp@yahoo.ca



Posted by Vision on 11/27/2001, 11:18 am
Vision lowers her hand to the kitchen table, waiting for Twixle to hop off. She’s silent for a moment, staring into space as she thinks. Her eyes are still green, she hadn’t realized the surprise was enough to shift them to the color of jade, so she hadn’t thought to change them back. “ Twenty minutes ago I would have said no way. He was just a rather air-headed teenage mutant with wings. Now….” She trails off for a moment before starting up again. “Now, I’m not so sure. He’s either a very powerful mutant….. or something else.” She didn’t want to say the word angel. That would be just a little too weird.
It wasn’t just his healing powers that made him unusual, she thinks. Couple that with the wings and the super-fast healing that Kat and Kanga said he possessed, then add in his amazing speed and the fact that he had been floating off the floor and glowing and it summed up to a very powerful mutant indeed. She had known mutants that had one or two of the traits. Her own sister was a good example, with healing, empathic and shifting powers, but she knew of no mutant that had that many talents. She just shakes her head, absently searching through the kitchen to find something Twixle might like.

Posted by Twixle on 11/27/2001, 12:52 pm
She stepped off Vision's hand and walked a little ways across the counter before sitting, bringing her knees up and resting her chin on them.
She shivered at the mention of "something else". Joey had made the scientists frightened. Identity had not been able to keep his body's form or use his powers for much longer than a few seconds. She remembered the bustle that had happened afterward. And perhaps worse, she remembered Identity's traumatized eyes after they had finished testing every possibility they could imagine.
She cleared her thoughts, inhaling deeply. Scaring herself would not help matters. So she watched patiently as Vision found her food.

Posted by Vision on 11/27/2001, 1:28 pm
Vision continues to search around the kitchen, hauling out little portions of everything she can think of that's easy to find. She eventually places a sandwhich size plate in front of the tiny mutant. It's loaded with a wide variety of food. She sits down by Twixle, lost in thought.
Finally she speaks again, "I'm really sorry about that, Twixle. I didn't think she'd react quite like that." The memory of her own somewhat violent reaction to being returned to her natural form seems to have disappeared from her mind.

Posted by Twixle on 11/27/2001, 4:51 pm
Twixle shrugged indifferently as selected something to eat and began munching it happily. "That's okay. I've never met a mutant who reacted well to having their cover blown," she said between bites. "Besides, that was nothing compared to...." She decided quickly that talking about it certainly was not going to help matters, either. So she reached over and plucked another morsel off the plate.

She glances up
Posted by Changeling on 11/26/2001, 10:22 pm
as Vision takes Twixle from Joey's hand, and her dark, hooded eyes follow their progress to the kitchen. She doesn't make eye contact with anyone, keeping her head down and wishing that she could just disappear and never be seen or heard from again. But no. That had always been her response, leave without a fight, run away from any problems that arose... But she had been immortal then, or very close to it, and it had seemed like the best way to handle things at the time. Not now, she felt she had to stay, if not for Joey, then to atleast to reassure the people who lived in this house. She glances at Kat and Kanga out of the corner of her eye, wondering just how they had taken the sudden shock.

Posted by Kat and Kanga on 11/26/2001, 10:33 pm
The reactions of Kat and Kanga would have been comical, had anyone actually been paying attention to them. Kat's attention was drawn to the other side of the room, her head snapping around to stare at the door a moment before Twixle even left the shadows. The green mutant watched with a growing sense of something gone wrong as the tiny mutant placed her hands on the falcons beak. She jumped a good foot and a half as Changeling arrived in the room with a snarl that displayed her vampiric fangs. The young mutant had never been so upset to be right. Eliza was a vamapire! And to top it off she and Kanga had just showed it to their home! Changeling had previous reason to dislike her, and now she had just wrecked the vampire's plan. She was sooooooo dead.
Kanga looked at the door a second after Kat, just in time to see Twixle drift into the room to place her hands on the hawks beak. The roo mutant knew that her friend usually caught things like this long before she did. Kat wasn't the only one to jump, in fact Kanga went even higher, her naturally bouncy roo legs propelling her towards the roof to land in a a crouch behind the couch. She peers over the edge worriedly as Joey moves to confront Changeling. She's amused for a scant moment. Watching the two was a bit like watching an episode of the old Anime fighting show, DBZ. The two where moving so fast she couldn't follow it. What could she do to help when she couldn't even follow the action?

Posted by Changeling on 11/26/2001, 10:37 pm
She looks down and away, waiting for Joey to say something, but fearing she wouldn't like what he had to say. She backs slowly away from the two girls, hugging herself and trembling, still looking away.

Posted by Various on 11/26/2001, 10:45 pm
Kat and Kanga look only faintly relieved as Changeling moves away from them, trembling harder then they were. A explosive sneeze from the doorway as Mirage peers into the living room from the hallway was enough to send Kat diving behind the couch and Kanga into the air again.
Joey stands silently, starting to float noticeably off the floor as he takes stock of the situation. Kanga and Kat were okay, although they where both scared enough that he didn't even need his sporadic telepathy to realize it. Vision was in the kitchen talking to Twixle and feeling guilty and aprehensive all at once. Mirage was the source of the sneezing as she had a allergy attack over Changeling's temporary vampirism. No one was hurt, expect Twixle, and he had taken care of that. Now everyone was waiting to see what he would do. "I think it's time for us to go..." He says quietly to the members of the household.

Posted by Changeling on 11/26/2001, 10:50 pm
She winces at the sneeze and glances up at Mirage. Her features are no longer those of the hardened vampire, but the frightened teenager trapped inside. Her fangs are gone, as are her several hightened senses. She glances at Joey's face as he speaks, like a child that knows she deserves worse punishment than she could ever handle, and just might get it.

Posted by Various on 11/26/2001, 10:59 pm
Mirage peers at Joey, scrubbing at her watery eyes as she tries to get a good look at Joey and Changeling. "What? Wait just a minute! What the heck happened here? Why are we missing one bird and have an extra human?"
"Mirage!" Kat hisses from her hidding place behind the couch. "Now is not a good time!!"
Mirage blinks, usually the only person who used that tone with her was Vision. "Well, what happened?!?" Wordlessly Kat reaches over and pulls Mirage down beside her, then starts hurriedly explaining. Kanga keeps a worried eye on Changeling, her extendable staff in hand. If Changeling came this way she might be able to manage to clunk the vampire on the head before she got her.
Joey ignores the almost-comedy going on behind him. " I guess I'll talk to you two tommorrow.." He says to Kat and Kanga with a calm wave. He peeks into the kitchen, checking on Vision and Twixle before returning to the living room. He collects Changeling, wrapping one arm around her shoulder and then leading her gently from the house, still floating a inch off the ground.

Posted by Vision on 11/27/2001, 4:57 pm
"Nothing compared to?" Vision prompts Twixle distractedly as Joey peeks in to check on Twixle and Vision, then pops right back out again without saying a word.

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 7:56 am
She looked up from her meal as Joey poked his head into the kitchen, watching his expressions carefully. Then she looked back at her food. "Um...Nothing; you don't want to hear about it." She felt she should not have brought it up, but what was done was done.

Posted by Vision on 11/28/2001, 9:52 am
Joey just seemed to be checking to make sure everyone was okay before leaving.
"Probably not, but now I'm curious." Vision answers.

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 2:53 pm
"Well...Let's just say that once an MTHS personnel made me turn back one of their captives....It was not pleasant. They had made him go crazy when they overtook him. It was as much as a test for me as him...." She shuddered involuntarily and resumed her meal.

Posted by Vision on 11/28/2001, 4:32 pm
She winces sympathetically. "Fun.."

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 7:05 pm
"Yeah," she said, half-hearted, obviously covering her distaste for the memory with a seeming diffidence toward it.

Posted by Vision on 11/28/2001, 7:07 pm
She falls silent to think and let Twixle eat in peace.

Posted by Changeling on 11/26/2001, 11:05 pm
She doesn't look up as Kat pulls Mirage behind the couch with her. She doesn't have to, she knows that her association with this whole family had ended before it began.
She flinces from Joey's touch, then leans into it and lets out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. When they exit the house, she starts to cry, silent tears running down her cheeks. She shivers again, then shudders more violently as the quiet sobs wrack her slender body.

Posted by Joey on 11/26/2001, 11:11 pm
When they where far enough from Vision's so that the sight of the winged teen wouldn't be associated with the carefully human facade that the mutant had built up he wraps a wing around Changeling as well as an arm. With his other hand he pulls the halo out of his pocket, plunking it gently onto her head. If nothing else it could at least provide some comfort. He didn't know where he was leading them, but at this point he didn't think it'd matter to Changeling.

Posted by Changeling on 11/26/2001, 11:20 pm
She sobs into his coat, but takes comfort in his closeness and the help of the halo, and soon she's only leaning against him, letting him lead her where he would. He was right, she didn't care in the least where they went, as long as he was there.

Posted by Joey on 11/26/2001, 11:24 pm
The silver haired teen continues to walk, not quite getting himself lost. He had a general, very general , idea of were they where. Oh well, at least if he got them lost, she would probably know the way back. Assuming she snapped out of it before he managed to get them into further trouble.

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 7:22 pm
She continued to munch, taking pleasure from eating once again. She continued to eat a little longer than her stomach would seem to normally handle, but she did not seem to notice she ate like someone twice her size. Was she really that ravenous? Or perhaps it came from not knowing when her next meal might come, perhaps something left over from her experiences at the MTHS.

Posted by Vision on 11/28/2001, 7:27 pm
Vision stops think for a moment to watch Twixle eat in amusement. The last time she's seen someone eat like that was when Mirage came back from the lab..... Her amusement fades at that thought.

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 7:35 pm
Finally realizing that she had stuffed herself to the brink of what she'd be able to keep down, she sighed and reclined onto her side, out of the way of her wings.
"Thank you," she said pleasantly, "that was good."

Posted by Vision on 11/28/2001, 7:39 pm
"Your welcome." She says absently, lost in thought again.

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 7:43 pm
She yawned, wondering vaguely why being full made one tired. She made a makeshift pillow at the crook of her elbow as she lay her head on her arm she had previously propped her head up with.

Posted by Vision on 11/28/2001, 7:57 pm
She half smiles, then gets up to check on Mirage, Kat and Kanga.

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 8:02 pm
She yawned once more, her eyelids drooping closed. Within moments she asleep and dosing lightly.

Posted by Vision on 11/28/2001, 8:06 pm
Kanga and Kat jump as she steps into the living room, obviously they were still nervous. Mirage just looks confused. All three are in the middle of a rather tense discussion.

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 8:08 pm
She curled up slowly in her sleep, not waking from her repose.

Posted by Vision on 11/28/2001, 8:12 pm
Vision watches the discussion for awhile, turning her head this way and that like a person watching a tennis match. Finally she gives up, interupting. "I think the best thing is to head to bed."
Kat looks up. "But what if..."
Vision cuts her off. "Joey doesn't seem the type to let a vampire 'get' his friends."
Kat and Kanga nod reluctantly, then after a moment of silence head down the hall to get ready for bed.
Vision slumps onto the couch and Mirage joins her.

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 8:14 pm
Her eyelids flickered and she gave a soft moan then fell silent once more as the nightmare passed quickly.

Posted by The Two on 11/28/2001, 8:18 pm
Vision and Mirage talk quietly for awhile, then Mirage heads to bed. Vision sits silently for a moment, then moves back into the kitchen. Sleeping company was better then no company at all, and Vision had too many things spinning around in her mind to rest.

Posted by Twixle on 11/28/2001, 8:23 p
Vision returning to the kitchen, not moving silent enough for her small size, pulled her from the deep slumber she had just fallen into. One small eye opened and a whisper of a smile crossed her face before her eyes closed lazily once again.

Posted by Changeling on 11/27/2001, 2:58 pm
She sighs and relaxes a little more against Joey, her mind banishing all though of past and future. She didn't want to remember anything, it was too painful. And she didn't want to think of what would come tomorrow, that was terrifying. Only now... warm, comforting... like a dream after a nightmare... she sighs again and reaches up for his hand, her questing hand brushing against his extended wing. She smiles slightly as his feathers tickle her fingertips, and pulls his arm tighter arround her shoulders.

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 4:39 pm
The silver haired teen looks like he can't decide if he should just relax and enjoy himself, or remove his arm and wing now that Changeling seemed to be calmer. This probably wasn't something he was supposed to be doing. He hadn't been returned to earth to fool around with the natives... but Changeling didn't seem to mind, if her pulling his arm tighter around her was any indication. He'd leave things the way they were, Changeling seemed to draw some comfort from it.

Posted by Changeling on 11/27/2001, 4:54 pm
Her mind is in a sea of warmth, but something inside is knotted. She doesn't want to think about what she'll do now, but she unwillingly makes a decision about what she'll have to do. It was for Joey's sake...
But for now, she just walks beside him, unaware of his thoughts, and it didn't occur to her that he might get in trouble for it. If it had, she might have been even worse off than she already was.

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 5:00 pm
He continues to walk along, blinking at the sudden realization that he really was lost now. He had no clue where they were.. He shrugs mentally, hopefully Changeling would know the way back.

Posted by Changeling on 11/27/2001, 5:06 pm
She finally looks up to notice the scene around them. She knew where they were, she'd hunted here often... this was the run-down part of the little city outside New York. Homeless people walk the streets and sleep in the alleys. It doesn't occur to her that any of them would recognize her... she's lost in her warm, comfortable world, watching everything as if it were a movie. No direct connection to either herself or Joey.

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 5:14 pm
Joey eyes the streets almost warrily, this was probably not the best place to be with Changeling the way she was at the moment. He turns a bit, heading back the direction he came. He could just trace his way back to the area around Vision's, right? Sure Joey.. Then from there he could find his way back to Changeling's warehouse.

Posted by Changeling... on 11/27/2001, 5:31 pm
She is led docilly enough, and soon they're out of the area.
However, they didn't leave everything behind. A pair of eyes watch them go and follow silently behind.
The homeless man had seen the pair, and, at first, figured they were a couple of teenage loves. He had smiled and watched them pass, but as they neared his spot on the street he recognized one of them. Her... there had been shock and horror in his mind, but that soon changed to wary anger She's gonna drain him dry! That poor mutant boy doesn't know what he's in for... And so he had turned to follow them as they passed him the second time, heading back the way they had come, hoping to rescue the boy from the ugly death he hadn't been able to save his brother from...

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 5:38 pm
The silver haired teen continues to lead Changeling back to the area he knew, concentrating too hard on trying to find the right way to be aware of the things going on around him.

Posted by The homeless man... on 11/27/2001, 5:48 pm
He follows close behind, steping as quietly as he knew how. That demon woman wouldn't get another meal... he'd see to that. And there'd be one less blood sucking feind out there to worry about. He could finally sleep, and lay his brother's avenging spirit to rest...

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 5:52 pm
The silver haired teen pauses, staring upwards at a street sign. Had he come this way before? He couldn't remember.

Posted by Changeling and the man on 11/27/2001, 6:05 pm
Changeling also looks up at the street sign, then at Joey's face. Her dark eyes are slightly unfocused, like she were sleepy.
The man following them grins and stoops silently to pick up a good sized branch as he passes a tree. That should do it, if his memory served him correctly... He sneaks to within a few feet, then makes a dash for Changeling, aiming the impromptu stake for where he thinks her heart should be, shouting a warning to the boy with his wing around her to get out of the way.

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 6:11 pm
Joey's speed saves him and Changeling now. Joey goes straight up, his other wing opening as he gets into the air. He wrapps his other arm around Changeling to keep her from falling to the ground. He hovers, having a bit of trouble keeping himself steady. His wings weren't made for hovering, that's for sure. The silver haired teen is too shocked to say anything, he just hovers staring down at the man with the tree branch.

Posted by Changeling and the man on 11/27/2001, 6:23 pm
She gasps and clings to him when he flies up, startled out of her reverie. She looks down at her attacker.
The man tumbles foreward, thrown off balance by the sudden disappearance of his target. It takes him a moment to realize that the boy had rescued her, and he glares up at them. When he speaks, he trys to keep his voice calm to avoid traumatizing the boy "Listen, boy. I know this is gonna sound crazy, but that girl aint no saint." he reffers to the halo still hovering over her head. "Let her down easy, an' there won't be no trouble..." he tightens his fist on the stake, readying himself for a quick attack.

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 6:27 pm
He continues to hover, shifting Changeling so that he had one arm behind her shoulders and the other behind her knees. He would have dropped her if he hadn't.
"Well, she's got the halo, hasn't she?" He asks, sounding amused, not like Joey at all.

Posted by Changeling and the man on 11/27/2001, 6:37 pm
She puts one arm arround him to help stabilize. She remains silent, she had to. It still burned where he had come in contact with her skin when they had been attacked, and she was still fighting to stay human after the shock. Her eyes are tightly shut.
The man on the ground blinks and shakes his head "Well, I don't know where she got it, but she sure don't deserve no such thing. She's a murderer boy!" He doesn't want to scare the boy, but he seemed like this was all a joke!
Changeling jerks when the man below them calls her a murderer, and opens her eyes. How could he know?

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 6:41 pm
"From me." He says, hovering a bit lower, he was so hyped up now that he'd probably end up floating a good five feet off the ground. "And I realize that she's done quite a few bad things, but she's not like that any more..."

Posted by Changeling and the man on 11/27/2001, 6:49 pm
She gazes at Joey when he speaks, and closes her eyes again to concentrate, leaning against him.
The man squints his eyes "How d'you know. You with her?! Another of her kind?" He spits out the suspicion, his intense hatred masking Joey's true nature from his eyes. He only sees a winged mutant teenager, keeping him away from revenge.

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 6:54 pm
The teen frowns. "Don't let hatred blind you. I'm about as far from that kind as one can get." He emphasis the word 'that'. As far as he was concerned Changeling wasn't a vampire.

Posted by The man on 11/27/2001, 7:02 pm
He glares at Joey, "So what are you, protecting that, that... vile creature. Do you know what she did to my brother? And more after him... Do you have any idea what that monster in your arms can do?" he's practically seething with anger now. He was so close to putting a known murderer out of his misery... only that blasted boy is keeping her from him!

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 7:05 pm
"She's not vile!" There's more then simple truth in that retort. "And yes, I do have a pretty good idea." He refrains from mentioning that she'd done the exact same thing to him. If anything that would make him more suspicous. "She's free from that now."

Posted by Changeling and the man on 11/27/2001, 7:17 pm
Changeling winces slightly when Joey yells, and whimpers silently. This man was almost as bad as that dream she'd had before... the guilt and memories he brought back are worse than any stake he could've thrust through her heart.
The man sneers "I see. And exactly how did she get 'free from that'?" he'd noticed that Joey had avoided his first question by answering the others, and he keeps his questions to one each this time.

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 7:20 pm
"She's been healed of it." He says simply, not mentioning who did it. He's worried about Changeling. This just wasn't her day, or his either, come to think of it.

Posted by Changeling on 11/27/2001, 7:29 pm
Unsatisfied with his answer, the man pulls his lips back in a silent snarl of rage "The only cure is death!" and he hurls the stake through the air toward Changeling with surprising speed and accuracy. With both of Joey's arms supporting Changeling, there was no way he could stop it in time... even if he could react fast enough, it would either strike him or Changeling.

Posted by Joey on 11/27/2001, 7:35 pm
It's a such a simple decision he doesn't even pause to think about it. He simply spins in mid air so that the stake goes through his back, protecting Changeling. Even as he falls from the air, in enough pain that he can't keep his wings working, he worries that it might have been thrown with enough force to make it all the way through him to hit Changeling. He hits the ground, trying to cusion the landing a bit. He manages to remain standing for a moment, then slumps to the ground.

Posted by Changeling and the man on 11/27/2001, 9:25 pm
The man blinks when he realizes that his weapon never reached it's target, and surges foreward when Joey hits the ground. He tugs at the stake, hoping to be able to bring it to bear before the vampire could manage to free herself from the fallen boy's arms. He doesn't seem to care that he'd just killed an innocent bystander. In his mind, Joey was obstructing justice; he derserved whatever fate befell him for protecting such an evil creature. He finally pulls the stake free and steps back to get a bearing on Changeling. He blinks when he doesn't see her. Now where did she go?
When Joey turns her eyes fly open, and she crys out as she both feels and hears the impact. As they fall, she closes her eyes and gritts her teeth against the change that threatens. Not now... Not after Joey protected me... but by the time she hits the ground, she's back to the way she was before. Vampire, and angry. She shifts quickly to the first form to come to mind, the falcon, and flies up before the man can reach them. She stays aloft and watches him, her anger growing by the second, untill he steps away from Joey. Her dark eyes linger on his still form and then turn to the man who is beginning to wonder where she is. Unbeknownst to the homeles man, Changeling re-shifts in midflight to owl and hovers behind him silently. She could attack in this form, but that wouldn't be quite as satisfactory as seeing the look on his face when he sees her human form just before he dies. She grins, human once again, and watches him, waiting for him to turn around.
When he does turn, the look on his face when she smiles at him is reward enough for her patience. He freezes, stake in hand but with no power to bring it to bear, and she takes a slow, menacing step foreward. The man lets out a strangled cry and steps back jerkily, his knees knocking. He's still frozen in shock and fear. Changeling grins wider and steps up to him and speaks, using the hypnotic powers granted her vamire half "Kneel down," he does. She smiles and leans in. When her sharp canines pierce his throat he jerks reflexively in pain and she pauses suddenly.
When he had moved, she caught a glance of Joey on the ground. Her eyes widen, and the look of horror returns to them. She straightens and backs up a step. Now she's the one frozen in fear, and the man blinks free of the hypnotic trance. He looks at her, then realizes what almost happened and lurches foreward, thrusting the branch out infront of him. He missed her heart, but by this time, he doesn't care. He lurches to his feet and runs away as fast as his legs would carry him.
Changeling blinks and looks down at the stake, then brings a shaky hand up to her lips, wiping at the blood she'd drawn from the man and staring at her reddened fingers. She stumbles foreward and falls to the ground, thankfully losing conciousness.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 9:30 am
He's somewhat glad that the stake is pulled from his prone body, at least when he came back he wouldn't have the worry of trying to remove it. He watches, horrified as Changeling hovers behind the man in owl form. "No..." He whispers, it comes out as a faint whoosh of breath, too quiet for even the owls amazing hearing to pick up. He actually winces when Changeling grins, wishing that he could close his eyes. He was so far gone that he couldn't even manage that simple movement. The last thing he sees is Changeling's fangs embedded in the man's throat. Yet another encounter to add to my impressive list of screw ups.. Is his last thought before he finally 'dies'. His eyes remain open, but they're empty. Any life, any intelligence that once lived in them was gone with the color. The pool of blood that had been growing on the pavement below him slows to a stop. It has an almost metallic sheen to it.

Posted by Tracker on 11/28/2001, 5:00 pm
Tracker watches from beside a nearby tree. He'd been inside his protective sheild for the past few days, following Changeling and Joey, watching them closely. He'd been with them on Halloween night, in the movie, even inside Vision's home. His sheild allowed him to go practically wherever he wished, and be completely hidden from any senses, including telepathy.
He shakes his head somewhat sadly That was pathetic. Now where am I gonna get another partner? He remains there, watching the two and looking arround. He'd hoped that the boy would wake up and heal her, but he seemed to be dead now, so that was out of the question. Curiously, he wanders over to where Changeling lay, still protected from sight and sense by his talent, and watches her shallow breathing and the slow pool of crimson forming around her wound, spreading out to mix with the boys strangely metalic blood Drat, she's human again... Well, so much for hoping that she'll heal herself... he bends down over her, clinically examining her stab wound And that's too serious even for the hospitals. No, I'll just have to find myself another partner. he sighs and straightens glancing down at her again It's not gonna be easy. She was the best so far, even with her... oddities. he looks around the dark, deserted street and wonders how he'll find a replacement.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 5:06 pm
It took the silver haired teen a lot longer to come back during the night time. It's a good ten minutes before the first signs of life return to his still form. His eyelids slide shut, the color returning slowly to his eyes. His body twitches as life returns to his body.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 5:14 pm
Tracker is well gone by the time Joey shows any signs of life, and Changeling is all but dead herself. In a way she was lucky she'd returned to human before the man staked her, because a slight twitch at the last second just after changing had shifted her weight just enough that the stake missed her heart. She is still unconcious. Alive, but fading fast...

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 5:31 pm
Eventually Joey sits up with a groan, the first thing he does is flip his wings closed. He opens his eyes a moment later, looking around. Something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He couldn't even remember why he'd died that time. He couldn't see any cars around, and the pool of blood behind him was too large for something like that anyway. It looked like he'd been stabbed. "Well," he says quietly to himself. "At least it's a new way to go.."
Then he realizes not all of the blood is his own. He blinks, still not seeing Changeling because he's facing away from her. He couldn't figure out what happened. He couldn't fight back, so the blood couldn't be from whatever attacked him. Maybe someone had been with him? He shakes his head in annoyance, wishing he could remember. "This is not my day." He says out loud to himself.
The sense that someone not far from him was hurt quite badly hits him hard. The silver haired teen stands and dusts himself off, swaying slightly as he does so. Whatever had happened, it had drained him pretty badly. He tunes into the feeling and is quite shocked to find that it comes from directly behind him. Spinning he blinks as he spots Changeling, then most of his recent memory comes back in a rush.
"Oh no." He says, kneeling beside her still form. He could sense Changeling slipping away and doesn't even wait to look for the wound, he just heals it in a blast of light.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 5:40 pm
She gasps and her eyes fly open at the shock of the sudden healing, but the stake is still protruding from the center of her chest and the pain from the tissue trying to heal arround it is intense.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 5:44 pm
The branch just kind of disappears. Joey winces, partly out of pain from the healing and partly from the fact that he had somehow managed to miss the stake that was sticking out of her chest. He thought that was paticularyly idiotic of him.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 5:49 pm
She sighs and her eyes close again as she relaxes from the rigid fetal position she had bunched into with the pain. After a moment, her breathing normalizes and her eyelids flutter open. She looks sleepy, like she'd just awakened from a deep sleep. She looks around, then up at Joey and blinks confusedly. "Joey?" her voice is quiet and hesitant.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 5:53 pm
"Gah, sorry 'bout that." He says as he tries very hard not to fall over. He was going to need a serious refuel after this night was over.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 6:01 pm
She blinks "Sorry about what? What happened? I remember falling... Where did that man go?" she glances around frantically, then looks confused when he's nowhere in sight. It seems that her memory is damaged, but whether permanently or temorarily is anyone's guess. Her hand goes to her chest where the stake had been when she recalls a hazy sort of memory of pain there, then blinks when the reason for it returns. She looks around again "Joey... am I... dead?" she didn't think that this is what heaven looked like, but... she remembered seeing Joey's lifeless body, so that must be where they were... angels went to heaven, right? She watches his face, and looks worried when she realizes how unwell he looked. What happened?

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 6:10 pm
"The man?" He'd completely forgotten about the homeless guy that attacked them. He looks around, studying the street around them. Since he hadn't been run through yet, he assumed the guy had run off after somehow managing to escape from Changeling. Vampire victims didn't usually disappear did they? He just shrugs. "Dunno, I think he ran off."
He resists the urge to laugh at that question, it just wouldn't be nice. After seeing someone lying dead and then having them standing over him as he woke up would probably make him ask that too. Especially if he thought the person had been an angel. "No, we're not in heaven." he says, not trusting himself to say more. He offers her a hand to help her off the pavement.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 6:21 pm
She takes his offered help and climbs shakily to her feet, swaying slightly before stabilizing. She doesn't ask anymore questions, something tells her she doesn't really want to know. Instead, she turns toward the direction she knows the warehouse is "C'mon, lets go home... before anything else happens." Her voice is bitter as she says that last sentence; they'd definitly had more than their share of excitement and danger for the rest of their lives, and she was afraid there would be more before morning if they didn't get back to the safety of the warehouse.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 6:24 pm
"Sounds good to me." He says with feeling. He's somewhat glad to note that Changeling actually did know the way back to the warehouse. That was a good thing, because he didn't have a clue.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 6:36 pm
She looks up at a street sign, then turns and resolutely, if not slowly, leads the way back to her warehouse home. She is worried about Joey, and, since she's feeling fine now, sort of helps to hold him up, one arm around him, on the way back.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 6:43 pm
Joey welcomes the help, he wasn't feeling so great. The silver haired teen probably could have made it back without help, but he would have been forced to go slowly or else he would have started flickering in and out. Just how much he's leaning on Changeling is disguised by his light weight.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 6:55 pm
Her thoughts return to those of before the attack, now she was more sure of what she had to do. She'd almost gotten Joey killed... it was just unsafe for him, or anyone for that matter, to be around her. She leads the way, slowly, and soon they're on the big street running past the old building. She smiles when she catches sight of the big greyness of her warehouse, and shoves her previous thoughts aside for tomorrow. It was too much for one night, she'd think about handling it in the morning.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 6:58 pm
The silver haired teen was too tired to notice Changeling's silence, or else he might have started worrying. He's walking along like he's in a dream, all of his concentration going towards not stumbling and ending up on the pavement. He didn't know what would happen if he managed to hurt himself now. He'd never managed to drain himself this badly before, it was all a bit new to him.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 7:09 pm
They finally reach the door to the warehouse and she helps him up the stairs to the office. The window is still open and it's as cold inside as it is outside. She shivers, untangles herself from Joey's coat and goes to shut it. That done, she returns to his side "You look awful..." she hesitates, wondering where he was going to sleep, then sinks to her knees in exhaustion. She must look pretty awful herself, cold without her cloak, hungry, probably very disshevled from the attack, and strangely guilty, though she didn't know why. Probably for getting Joey into such a horrible mess, she thinks. They'd both need some serious sleep.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 7:16 pm
"Thanks." He says, sounding faintly amused by this. It was mostly for show, he felt awful. Absently he wonders how he looks. He didn't think he could look worse then he felt, although he supposed it was always possible.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 7:27 pm
She smiles up at him and shivers again. Absently, she wonders why she's not as cold as she should be, but then remembers the halo that's still hovering above her head. Well, at least it helped... she'd be frozen stiff by now, since she was wearing the same outfit she'd had on at the movie. She curls up in a ball on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest in an attempt to conserve heat.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 7:33 pm
He yawns wide enough to make his jaw crack. Noticing Changeling's shivers he takes off his trenchcoat and drops it over her, giving the halo an absent tap as he does so to increase the heat it's putting out. Then he moves a short distance away and slumps to the floor. He's half gone before he even hits the ground.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 7:37 pm
She blinks when the coat lands on her and is in the middle of saying 'thankyou' when he vanishes. She smiles and wraps the trenchcoat arround her shoulders and snuggles into the sudden warmth, falling asleep almost as soon as her eyes close.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 7:42 pm
There's nothing where the teen once sat, just empty air. Wow, it didn't take long for him to disappear.

The dawn
Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 7:46 pm
comes slowly, permeating the cold air with it's warmth. Changeling stirs slightly under the trenchcoat, sensing the comming sunrise. She doesn't want to wake up yet, so she stays put, pulling the coat over her head.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 7:53 pm
For once he's actually up before dawn. He gets up, heading downstairs as quickly as he can. He's actually flickering out as he moves and he's walking in almost completely silence. As soon as he gets outside he flips open his wings and flys to the roof, perching there. Then he waits silently for the sun to reach him.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 8:00 pm
She doesn't hear or see him leave, still under the trenchcoat, and continues to snooze, unaware of exactly how much trouble she'd actually caused Joey.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 8:02 pm
The first rays of sunlight hit him and the silver haired teen smiles absently. The color returns to his face as he continues to bask in the sunlight.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 8:06 pm
She stirrs slightly, half awake, and lazy dreams float around her fuzzy mind. It's well after sunrise when the first rays of light reach the office room, and she wakes enough to move into the light and warmth like a lazy cat.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 8:08 pm
The teen remains on the roof, he could absorb the most sunlight from there and he didn't mind the cold. He felt much better by now, soon he'd be fully charged again.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 8:11 pm
Warmed by the sun, she yawns and stretches, waking the rest of the way up. She'd had a good, deep sleep, and was very hungry now. She wishes Tracker would show up with some food, or at least a little money. She'd depended on the leftovers of the money he'd given her days ago for her meals since she usually didn't need money for food at all. That was how many days ago? It seemed like an eternity... and she was out of money. Where was Tracker anyway?

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 8:14 pm
Realizing that Changeling has probably woken up by now he drops to perch in the window she's sitting near.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 8:19 pm
She jumps when he lands, startled out of her reverie and her eyes dart to where he'd fallen asleep last night. "Catching some sun, I see..." she smiles, not realizing why he'd gotten up so early to sunbathe. She blinks and cocks an eyebrow at him, realizing that this was the first time she'd seen him without his trenchcoat.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 8:26 pm
He nods, grinning in answer. His wings close, leaving the teen perched in the window without a form of flight. The teens silver t-shirt was almost the same color as his hair. The hole put in it yesterday had disappeared. Come to think of it, his trench coat didn't have any holes in it either. He seems quite content with just sitting there and soaking up the sun.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 8:36 pm
She smiles back, liking the coat-less look, and closes her eyes again, taking in the sunlight. No matter how many days she lived to see the sunrise, she'd always love the sun.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 8:38 pm
He leans against the wall, enjoying the sunlight as any other might enjoy a fine banquet. "So have any plans for today?" He asks absently.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 8:43 pm
She laughs quietly "I can't stress enough how much I do not have a plan..." and looks up at him "Any ideas?"

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 8:45 pm
He shrugs, altering his balance on the windowsil enough that he is forced to brace his body in the frame. "Um, nope. Not a single idea."

osted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 8:50 pm
She smiles and opens her eyes, their deep blackness shining with laughter "Does this conversation sound familiar to you?"
She looks away a moment later, remembering her thoughts of the night before and sobers. She was dangerous to him... he didn't need to die again, she was sure.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 8:53 pm
"Faintly." He says with a laugh. He tilts his head at her as she turns away, catching her sudden change of expression.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 8:59 pm
She keeps her face turned away, the thought process to easily read for her to turn back. She doesn't want him to hurt because of her... not again. That was twice he's saved her life, in the very litteral sense, and she'd repaid him by scaring his friends and getting him killed.

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 9:02 pm
He tilts his head the other way, swinging his legs through the open window and slipping inside.

Posted by Changeling on 11/28/2001, 9:08 pm
She glances at him as he enters, a sad smile tugging at her lips. She'd miss his company...

Posted by Joey on 11/28/2001, 9:11 pm
The silver haired teen's grey eyes narrow as he tries to figure out just what was causing that sad smile. Why was he getting a bad feeling about this?

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 3:38 pm
She opens her mouth to tell him what's on her mind, but before she can, her stomache grumbles. Her mouth snaps shut and she blushed deeply, eyes wide. "Umm, I guess that means I need to find something to eat..." she smiles slightly, deciding to tell him later. Besides, she would probably need some help finding breakfast, since she was out of money.

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 5:06 pm
The silver haired teen studies her for a moment, then shrugs mentally. If it was important she'd tell him eventually, he hoped. "Um, yeah."

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 5:18 pm
She nods "So," she isn't sure just where to go with that, or how to ask. She blinks and blushes again "Umm, I kinda ran out of food money yesterday..."

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 5:22 pm
He sits back, thinking. Now where did one get free food in New York? It wasn't usually something he had to worry about. "Hmm.."

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 5:26 pm
She waits and wonders. Had she still been a vampire, there would be no worries, she'd just wander over to the bad end of town and find herself a nice juicy homeless guy... she shakes her head and looks slightly alarmed. Where did that come from?! And where was Tracker? They'd never been apart for so long and she was seriously starting to worry about him. Which was strange in and of itself, since she knew better than anyone how well he could protect himself.

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 5:30 pm
He mistakes her alarm for worry about where she was going to find some food. He continues to think, then shrugs when he doesn't come up with something.

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 5:43 pm
She is a little lost in her thoughts now, wondering where in the world a thought like that came from. Could it be some side of the vampire trapped inside trying to escape? Maybe it was a memory... that man last night had shaken her up plenty, so maybe his mere presence was enough to start her off on that train of thought... Well, whatever it was, it wasn't a good sign. She needed food, and soon. She wishes the diner were still standing, there would be food there... but that was impossible now. Maybe she could get some money somehow... Where? She sighs and gives up, her stomache growling again. She makes a face, maybe being human wasn't all it was cracked up to be in this day and age... It seemed that you had to be stronger to be a human than you did to be a vampire... and that was saying something! Another sigh. This was going to be difficult. If only she'd had some friends... but any friends that she could have had were terrified of her now.
She makes a face, then something dawns on her "Joey, Kat and Kanga never saw me in the light, right? I mean, in my true form...?" she almost sounds excited, but keeps her hopes to a minimum; even if she could get close enough to the two to prove her humanity, there was no reason they should feed her... she'd scared them and their family to near death. And hurt one of their friends... but there was always a chance...

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 5:48 pm
He watches as she makes several faces, wondering just what she's thinking. The silver haired teen blinks as she asks about Kat and Kanga. He had been thinking along those lines himself, but wasn't sure if Changeling felt like going back to visit Kat's house right away. He shakes his head. "Nope. Dun think so.. Not in daylight anyway."

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 5:53 pm
She smiles, then looks at him speculatively "Do you think you could get them to come outside? I mean, if I don't burst into flames in the sunlight..." she leaves the last part unsaid, that they might just trust her enough to give her something to eat...

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 5:58 pm
He nods. "Yeah, probably.."

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 6:00 pm
She smiles and gets up, stretching in the sunlight.

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 6:07 pm
He stands as well, looking absently out into the sunlight. He wasn't sure this was a good idea, but then again, he wasn't the one starving.

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 6:13 pm
She turns and starts to lead the way down the stairs, but stops and turns back to the open window, grinning. She goes to the window and jumps out, opening a pair of large pale golden wings to catch her descent, and soars up to the roof, waiting for Joey.

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 6:18 pm
He blinks, mildly shocked for a moment. Then with a cheerful grin he follows Changeling, diving out the window and snapping open his wings. If one was watching closely one might notice that before he opens his wings his shirt is whole, with no slits in it to let his wings out. After he opens his wings there are two slits in the back of his shirt, like they appeared there to let the silver haired teen use his wings. He blinks, something felt weird. That's when he realizes he's missing his trench coat.

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 6:38 pm
She giggles, hiding her wings beneath the coat. It was still cold outside, so she'd kept it on, her wings opening beneath it. It was a little difficult to fly that way, but it was better than freezing. She remembers the halo above her head and grins. That was another thing keeping her from turning into an icicle.

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 6:42 pm
He blinks absently, marvelling at just how wierd it felt to be flying without his coat. "So are we flying there?" He asks, Changeling was in charge of this show.

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 6:48 pm
She considers for a moment "Hmm, maybe not. I don't know about you, but I have no idea how to get there on the wing. Need ground coordinances." she smiles slightly "Besides, I don't like getting shot at." she swoops down to the ground when she's sure no one's around to see it and her wings vanish. She reaches up to catch a single feather that had dislodged itself in flight and studys it musingly while she waits for Joey to join her on the ground.

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 6:54 pm
The silver haired teen lands neatly, his own wings vanishing in a similar fashion. The slits in his t-shirt close up, growing together quickly. He studies the street around him absently, he thinks he knew the way. Oh well, Changeling would probably be able to correct him if he got them lost. "This way." He says heading towards the city center, surprisingly Vision's house actually is in that general direction.

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 7:07 pm
She smiles faintly and follows, somewhat lost in thought.

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 7:12 pm
The silver haired teen makes his way through the crowd in one of the main streets of the city. It was busy, and he's constantly getting elbowed. He looks up, pausing for a moment as he thinks he hears a voice from the crowd call his name. He listens for a moment, then shakes his head and continues walking, it must have been his imagination. Then his name is called again, quiet distinctly this time. He blinks pausing again, it didn't sound like anyone he knew....

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 7:17 pm
She stops, watching him curiously and looking around for whoever it was that he knew. The voice didn't sound familiar to her either, so it can't be anyone who frequented the diner...

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001, 7:24 pm
Joey studies the mass of people around them as the crowd ebbs around the nonmoving forms of himself and Changeling. It takes him a moment to see who the call is coming from. A silver haired woman makes her way towards them, grinning. She practically tackles Joey, wrapping her arms around his neck. It's quite a leap, considering that the woman can't be much taller then five feet. Where as Joey's hair is silver white, her's has a distinctly blue sheen to it. "Joey, darling! I haven't seen you in ages!"
Joey blinks, the expression on his face making it quite plain that he doesn't have a clue who this is.

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001, 7:31 pm
She takes a small step back, glancing back and forth between Joey and the woman. She blinks at Joey's confused expression, wondering who the woman is. She stuffs her hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat and looks around at the passing crowd, forgetting that she still had the halo hovering above her dark hair.

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001
She grins at his expression. "Aw, Joey, you don't remember me?" She tilts her head, brown eyes filled with mischeif.
Joey shakes his head, he didn't really want to bluntly say no, but he honestly didn't have a clue. Then something in those brown eyes jog his memory. "Ashley?" He asks, sounding completely amazed and more then a little confused.
The small silver haired woman releases her hold, dropping to the ground. " It's Sky, remember?" She grins again, looking around at the crowd. "Or do you want proof?" She says, eyeing the watch on her wrist.
Joey eyes the watch for a moment. Somewhat amused by the observation that Kat and Kanga had used almost the exact same thing yesterday. Then his eyes widen. "Sky! Yes, of course I remember. I don't think showing up in your real form in all these people is a good idea..."
She grins impishly. "You're no fun."

Posted by Changeling on 11/29/2001
She blinks and listens to the conversation, ever so very curious about who she is. When Joey recognises her, she cocks her head, and when he mentions her true form it makes her wonder. She coniders several options while she watches from the sidelines. Another angel
perhaps? That could explain the hair and real form part, but why wouldn't Joey recognise her? Maybe she was a friend of his from a long time ago... the watch on her wrist would have changed her appearance enough for him not to recognise her... but then, why so
obvious a disguise? If she wanted to fit in, why the silver-blue hair? She puzzles over the woman as they talk, innocent curiousity written all over her face.

Posted by Joey on 11/29/2001
The woman turns to study Changeling, head tilted. She seems to be rather amused by the presence of Joey’s halo and the trench coat that had a definite sense of Joeyness about it. "I don't think I've met any half vampire's before.” She says in a conversationally to Changeling. “Lot's of full vamp's, and they all tried to kill me..” She adds the last bit as an afterthought before continuing, “but no half
vampires..." She eyes Joey, grinning. “And especially not one’s wearing an angel’s halo… Or one’s that had such an usual tendency…” She raises an eyebrow at Joey. “What on earth did you do? I thought it was supposed to work completely or not at all.”
Joey listens absently, wondering why Sky had suddenly turned up. It was true she had a tendency towards showing up in the strangest places, but he really didn’t think New York was a place she’d end up. It just didn’t suit her rather unusual temperament. He blinks when the other angel mentions the fact that Changeling had been (still was?) half vampire. He eyes Changeling worriedly, wondering how she’ll react. He’d forgotten Sky’s bizarre and occasionally annoying ability to pull truth and painful past outa mid air. He blinks again at the halo comment, wondering just how many taboos she’d broken on that one. He’d wondered how she got away with it. He finally comes to the conclusion that because her manner was usually tottering on the brink of insanity people ignored the strange things she said. Then again, maybe NY was a better place for the chaos loving angel then he’d thought, there where so many crazy mutants around, one more didn’t matter.
It takes the silver haired teen a moment to realize that she’s addressing him. He’s rather shocked by the question, and blinks embarrassed. “ I wish I knew..” He says quietly, his expression gone
spacey. Now he knew why Sky had suddenly shown up.

Posted by Changeling on 11/30/2001, 3:33 pm
She starts out of her thoughts when the woman speaks to her, and looks around to make sure no one heard all of that. A few people glance around at the word 'vampire', but they shrug and smile as if the woman were crazy, or kidding. She squints her eyes slighly and looks thoughtful, then smiles. Sky meant no harm... infact, Changeling foud that she rather liked the directness of the woman. "'Unusual tendancy...?'" She raises an eyebrow.
When Sky returns her attention to Joey she grins and decides Angel then... She also looks curious about the reason for the worn looking-ness of the halo, even more so now that Sky had pointed out a fact she hadn't known before. She smiles at Joey's far off look, familiar with it by now.

Posted by Joey and Sky on 11/30/2001, 4:46 pm
She grins at the reactions of the people around them, she practically lived off weird looks. "Yeah, if I didn't know better I'd say that thing had a sense of humor!" The silver haired woman grins again, linking her elbows with Joey and Changeling and leading then off. " You really must tell me about it, over breakfast, I think. Unless you've already eaten?"
Joey just blinks, he'd also forgotten about Sky's direct manner. He didn't know how he managed that, considering the first time he'd ran into her she asked point blank how he died, just out of curiosity. He shakes his head absently, bemused. "No, we haven't..."
Sky grins once again. "Perfect. You two get some food and I get a good story." He raises an eyebrow at Joey as if saying, it'd better be good.

Posted by Only a shadow.... on 11/30/2001
A figure smirked in the shadows as he watched the goings on of the odd group of three. Two were most definitly Angels: those annoying Holy Messengers that got in the way all too often. The third, and perhaps the most interesting, was a vampire. Or at least what used to be a vampire.
The irony of the situtation was almost as amusing as planning ways of revenge against another certain halfling, much like the one he was watching. His smirk grew into a smile, rich and dark, hinting at his own vampiric fangs. But that was the only indicator as to what he was besides the darkness that seemed to radiate from him. His presence was masked and he knew at least the two Angles that were now walking not too far away from his corner could not sense him. The ex-vampire however, he was unsure about and so quickly activated the device that hid his presence from others of his kind.
Drake frowned as he remembered the purpose for his being out in broad daylight and receeded farther back into the shadows. He did not come to be an audience. His shadowy form dissolved into the surrounding darkness.