Puck was bored. And as everyone knows, nothing in all the Realms was
more dangerous than a bored Puck. He'd come to this party with the
understanding that it was going to be the 'party of the century', but so far
the only thing to celebrate was how many propositions he'd got in the last
half-hour. Figures. Get a bunch of jocks and cheerleaders in one room with
twenty cases of beer and you have the makings for a grope and bash session,
definately not Puck's scene unless he was the one to start it.
Tossing aside his empty beer can-- what in Danann's name did they
make the stuff out of these days? Sewage water?-- he got up from the couch
and squinted through the haze for an exit. His spot was immediately fill by
an interlocked couple, pressed together so close he wondered if they could
breath. Shaking his head more at himself than anyone else, he moved
carefully over sprawled forms towards the door. He should have been out
seeking the talismens, not trapped here like a prisoner. The Powers in
Charge may have ordered him to stay away-- with a bared sword, of all
things--, but they ordered it imperfectly. Why, oh why was he here?
"Yo nosh leving so shoon, Al?" asked something big, hairy and
smelling like spoiled meat that staggered into veiw.
Puck grimanced and gave the fur-bearing male a push. "I've been to
WAKES better than this, Todd. I'm splitting."
Todd's face puckered up as he tried to figure that one out. Opening
made, Puck wiggled past and was out the door before Todd could get a reply
past pickled brain cells. Outside the building, he shot a digusted look at
the night sky-- barely even 8 pm and what in the world was he to do now?--
and shuffled down the street, a regular human guy without nothing to do on a
Friday night.
While his polar opposite was out searching for fun, Zoey was in the
park, enjoying the silence and lonely atmosphere. A few light leaps, and he
was perched atop the stone angel that made up the centre of the fountian.
Glints of moonlight danced across the golden and silver seeming scales of
the koi that swam in the clear waters below him. A soft night breeze
stirred the mass of ebony and ivory locks that cascaded down, caressing his
too hollow cheeks. Blackened lips split in a malicious grin to expose his
sharpened teeth as his pale eyes rose to the moon above. Crossing one
emaciated leg over the other, an expression of contentment flowed over his
near skeletal features, lending the creature of nightmare a brief air of
peace. One onyx nailed hand dipped into one of his pouches, withdrawing his
silver and jade flute.
*The portals* he thought as he lifted the instrument to his lips.*I
have to find them before the others* Music helped him best concentrate, as
did the lonesome scenery. A soft breath of air gave lift to a melanchony
sounding music from the woodwind. Closing his eyes within their black
circles, his corpse pale flesh nearly matched the marble statue he sat upon.
His mind drifted on the music, reaching out for anything that might point
him towards one of his elusive targets.
Puck stopped in mid-step and hit himself acrosse the forehead. "Oy vey!
I've got to get that brain transplant!" he said with a laugh. "There's that
dance club that I haven't been to yet. Or I could always find some cops to
annoy. But first...." With a devilish laugh, he headed down the street
with a bounce to his step.
Kione parked the small red and white Honda motorcycle, and rescued her
kit from the tender mercies of the saddlebags. She popped the lid open,
checking the strings and bow. With the way she drove, there were never any
guarantees that she wouldn't find the violin-like instrument with a string
or two snapped or :shudder: in several pieces. Content that it was safe for
now, she walked into Foxglove's.
Looking around for either Richard or Colette, she sat down at the bar.
Foxglove's was a great little bar smack dab in the middle of the artistic
district. Oak borders on the wall, and cheery pastel green and yellow walls
gave it a nice atmosphere. The fireplace was a nice touch too.
Kione ran her fingers over the carved wood of the bar. It was an amazing
piece. The top was overlaid with glass, to keep the carvings from being worn
down by too many hands. The woodcut was huge,almost the length of the room,
and she was pretty sure if you looked long enough, you could find anything
in the carvings. It also seemed to depend on your state of mind. The first
time she had played here,she saw a miniscule bar of music. The day after the
death of a classmate, an hourglass. When she questioned the owner(and
carver) Peter Leary, he had simply smiled and said that even he couldn't
find everything...
Absently watching the other members of her band assemble their
instruments and speakers, she asked the bartender for a ginger ale. It would
be a good twenty minutes before they were ready to begin.
Ellessandir had been utterly speechless when told to get a job. Sure it
was to fit into Atlantis' world, but he had never worked (at anything other
than his music and magic) in his entire life. He was the Court Bard, and a
mage, not a tradesman. But the order had come from their Highnesses, and was
not to be disobeyed. So... he got a job. As a bartender.
A bar, he had reasoned, wouldn't be too bad. At least it wouldn't be
boring... It suited his personality. He found himself striking up
conversations with humans he never would have given a second glance in the
streets, and enjoying it. If most of those humans happened to be female,
well...
Ellessandir went under the name of Alexander Embers here. It was close
enough to his true name that he would react if he heard it. With his long
brown hair tied back, and his slightly pointed ears and eyes masked, he
supposed he looked human enough. Squinting at the green haired lass in front
of him, he fetched her ginger ale and rested his elbows on the intriguing
counter to stare at her. 'Danaa, but you look familiar...'
Kione had taken a sip of her ginger ale, when she noticed that the
bartender hadn't left. Turning, she glanced at the long hair, tied back, and
the golden eyes. Familiar...but not overly. Maybe he had bartended here
before.
"Can I help you?" she asked, looking at him oddly. Why the hell was he
staring at her like that?
Crysalis stood outside the club warily, with arms crossed tightly over
her chest as if by will alone she could make her shivering fade away. Cool
air washed over her pale skin softly, almost in a lover-like caress, and she
wondered belately if her Glamour would be effected if the temperature
dropped to below her body's tolerance. Almost nervously she tugged at the
long tendrils of her now moon blonde hair, straightening it, fussing, and
reassuring herself that it wasn't the tinted silver of her normal
appearance. *Stop it!* she shrieked inside her head. *You can do this!
You're going in to see if you can find out anything, not to melt into a
puddle.*
"I must be out of my mind," she muttered as she stood outside the door,
undecided on whether to enter or just forget everything and go home to
translate some ancient books.
"You're very pretty, you know," the glanconer said in what he considered
a seductive voice. The woman was _so_ damn familiar! And there weren't that
many human women with that hair... So why couldn't he place her?
"Oh, good," Kione replied sarcastically, "I was worried I'd grown another
head. Sorry, bub, not trolling for guys tonight. Try over there," she
pointed to a giggling young woman fawning over the men of Baynsh Mysfortune,
who were visibly getting annoyed. But the woman continued on obliviously,
happy as a drunken clam. "She's a sure thing."
"She's...uh...not my type," he said, looking dubiously at the woman's
disgusting display. Yeah, that would be the day... Ellessandir turned back
to the hostile lass with a smile. "You're just my type, lhiannon. My shift
ends in an hour, if you'd care to wait..." He decided to put the feeling to
the back of his mind. She was a beauty, for a human, and the High King had
made no command that he stay celibate through his entire visit. Thanks be to
Danaa...
Colette walked into Foxglove and noted the excellent
lighting.It was dim yet not dark enough to omit the shadows that danced
against the walls. She surveyed the scene, there were a numerous amount of
people and she spotted the group,Baynsh Mysfortune, setting up on the stage.
Now where were Richard and Kione? Everyone was dressed in casual attire and
well in their early twenties, except for the clump of admiring waifs
standing around Baynsh Mysfortune.
"God, I feel like a desperate school girl...wait, I am a school
girl," She mumbled aloud, self-consciously. She smoothed over her
golden-blonde locks. She was wearing a tight maroon halter top and
black leather pants.She let her eyes graze upon the scene once more and fall
upon the bar. Kione seemed to be flirting with a really cute bartender,
she walked over.
"Hey," She replied, standing behind Kione.
The fading sounds of a haunting flute melody was overwhelmed by the
hoarse yells and shrieks coming from the building. Five seconds later the
door was slammed open as panicking humans ran helter-skelter down the
streets acting all the world like they were being chased by something.
Standing on top of a lamp post in all his green and purple glory, Puck held
his sides laughing, his flute clutched nearly forgotten in one hand.
Finally taking a breath, he wiped a tear from his eye and jumped
lightly to the ground, his Faerie finery changing to mortal clothing, hair
darkening to black save for the twin white streaks, eyes changing to a
vivid, but human, sapphire, the points to his ears shrinking.
With a sniff in the direction of the still screamming
mortals--that was for the lousy party-- he ambled off towards Foxglove for a
change of pace. And when he got close to it, he couldn't help but notice
the lady standing outside the door looking totally lost.
" 'lo there," he said in a lazy drawl. "Are you lost or sometheen',
miss?"
"I'll pass, thank you- ," Kione started to say coldly, when
something caught her attention. That word he had called her...lhiannon? Now
why was that familiar? She had almost tacked it down, when a "Hey," came
from behind her. Kione turned to find Colette standing behind her.
"Hi,"she said smiling. "Want to talk? I haven't seen Richard
yet, but he should be in due course." She turned back to the bartender, who
hadn't moved. He was definately handsome, but every time she looked at him,
she got mildly irritated. It wasn't like her to be so judgemental at first
sight...
"Do you mind?" she asked, putting a get-lost expression on her
face. She would rather speak to Colette alone.
Colette smiled.
"Hey, Kione, who's the cutie, a friend of yours?" She asked,
taking a seat next to her. She slowly crossed her legs and looked up at the
cute bartender who was still staring strangely at Kione.
"Oh, I don't mind at all," Ellessandir said cheerfully, extending a
hand to the golden haired lass. "My name's Alexander Embers. Who might you
and your pretty friend be?
Richard drove along the streets of Atlantis on his
motorcycle,enjoying the feel of the wind. Noting the exit near the club
Kione would be at tonight, he signaled, changed lanes, and slowed down as
he descended to the city's level. He had a little trouble finding the
street - some parts of Atlantis seemed to have been designed specificly to
confuse the people living in it.
But finally he found the club, and then a parking space not too far
away. He locked down his bike, and enjoyed a short walk back to Foxglove.
He smiled as the name reminded him of a story he read.
Richard walked into the building, and was hit with a wall of noise.
People chatted and hung out, and the ambiance was a lot less neon than he'd
expected.
'I'll have to thank Kione for showing me this place,' he thought. It
too reminded him of stories set in a bar on I-25, in New York. But there
was no piano player with a blackjack. Ah, well. 'Oh, there they are.'
Richard walked up behind his two compatriots. "Hello there! I hope
I'm not too late." Noticing the bartender was right there, he ordered a
mocha latte.
~
"Hey, there, I'm Colette and this is my friend, Kione." Colette
smiled, taking his hand. She turned around to see Richard.
"Oh, hi Richard," Colette flashed Richard a quick smile and returned
her eyes upon the bartender.
"So, can I get an iced tea?"
"Colette..." Kione growled through gritted teeth, then sighed. No
help for it. She turned to smile at Richard. "Hello."
Another flute melody cutting through the night to Zoey caused him to
blink and pause in his own. Lifting his head towards the sound, his almond
shaped eyes narrowed. A quick leap and he was back on the ground, walking
out of the lonely graveyard and towards the brightened light of the city.
A glitter of Glamour passed over his frail form ashe took on his
Seeming. Time was limited as such, but mortals tended to react badly to
something straight out of nightmares moving among them. Ebony and ivory
locks of hair took on a crimson blonde shade of rubies and gold mixed
carelessly. Eyes of white with hints of jade darkened to a deep
emerald,lively where the other was dull. Dead pale flesh flushed softly,
giving it lifelike tones. His pointed ears became blunted as did his sharp
teeth, small concessions to fit into this realm. He face was still entirely
too pretty, one that led to him being mistaken for a female all too often.
Pausing to gaze at his reflection in a storefront window, a bitter
smile curved his rose kissed lips. He had once been so proud of his
beauty...
Following the hints of Glamour on the air, it swirled thickly about
this place, almost as if the entire courts of Avalon had decended on this
club alone. Lifting a black nailed hand to shield his eyes from the light
as he stepped in, he sighed. Even the dim light was like sharp darts trying
to invade his pupils. Lingering against the wall like a forgotten phantom,
he studied the others, unsure of what made this one place so special...
perhaps a portal, his mind reasoned.
"Sure," Ellessandir said, and went to fetch the latte and iced tea.
As calm as he looked, his mind was racing furiously. An almost tangible
feeling of deja vu had hit him, which he was unable to shake. Setting the
drinks on the bar, he asked them, "Have you guys been in here before?"
Puck waved a hand in fornt of Crysalis's face, his own creased in
puzzlement. "Ummm, hello?" he said, both puzzlement and concern in his
voice. "Miss? Are ya stoned or somethin'? Do you need some help? I can
call 911 if you want..."
As Colette picked up her drink she felt a sudden chill and stared at
the bartender. "Actually, no, I haven't...have you guys?" She asked turning
to Richard and Kione.She unconsciously began to glare at the bartender,
trying to remember where he was from. She tightened her grip on her iced
tea. Suddenly she realized that it was burning hot and that a flame had
ignited in her drink.
"Ahhh!" She shrieked in surprise, dropping the glass onto the
floor,where the flame was extinguished. Everyone else just stared at her.
"Uh...whoa..what was in that drink," She muttered, embarassed. She could
feel herself glowing slightly pinkish in color.
Rich shook his head. "No, this is my first time here. She," he
pointed at Kione, "suggested we meet here."
Anything else he was planning to say was interrupted by Colette's
flameout. "You alright?" 'That was odd - are there sidhe around? Do they
already know who we really are?'
Still getting no response, Puck patted his pockets, muttering
'smelling salts' under his breath, but only came up with a handful of change
and a packet of breath mints. Shrugging-- maybe she was a life sized
maniquin made up to look real, like a wooden Native American that held
cigars-- he placed the mints on top of her head for color and entered the
bar. Sniffing slightly, he tilted his head to the side and pursed his lips.
Magic, the place reeked of it. Some was probably fae, even the dark fae
likes to get drunk now and then, but most was all too mortal. Living in a
clan of humans where magic was the norm he had gotten use to the tinny taint
of it in the air.
He refrained from rubbing his hands gleefully or jumping up and down
for joy-- it was about time he got mixed up in events-- Puck went over to
the bar--the taint getting stronger there-- and said to the bartender,
"There's a lost woman outside your door. I tried to help but I think I
might have scared her." He smiled angelically, forgetting that some people
find his leather clad mortal form intimidating, and that an angelic smile
only made an outlaw look even more criminal. "So I thought I should tell
someone just in case, okay? Anyways, I'd like a beer,preferably one with
taste."
Zoey arched a brow as Puck came strolling in. He should have known
that he would find the other in a noisy, crowded place like this one.
Avoiding as many of the mortals as he could, the dark fae settled into a
corner booth to watch for the time. It helped to know one's enemy, and with
this place being as charged as what it was, he wouldn't have doubted this
was a portal.
He could feel his time running out, his ability to keep his mortal
Seeming only lasting for an hour, perhaps a little more if Lir were kind. It
was something he highly doubted from the God of Assassins. Whistling a few
notes softly to himself, a spriggan answered his call, bouncing out from
under the table with a dark grin on its face. "Search... report," Zoey
murmured softly to the creature as it took off through the crowd.
"Yeah, I'm a regular here," Kione told the bartender reluctantly, who
nodded, and excused himself to serve another patron. She turned to Colette,
whispering, "What was that?!" A prickling sensation had been running over
her skin for the past half hour, growing steadily. There was something going
on in here...
Colette leaned over and pretended to drop a coin as she leaned down,
she pulled Kione a little, and whispered: "It's the glanconer guy we saw
before!"
"Thank you," said Ellessandir to the man in the leather, "I
understand the regulars here generally look out for each other, so no need
to worry about her." He got one of the import beers from behind the counter,
setting it in front of the man. "I'm pretty sure this one has taste," he
said, grinning, "but I'm not a connoisseur of beers, so I'm not the person
to ask. I-" Ellessandir was cut short as he saw a movement out of the corner
of his eye.
Invisible to anyone without the Sight, a tiny creature, maybe
slightly bigger than the span of his hand, was creeping across the bar, bold
as brass. It stole a few pieces of popcorn from one of the bowls and sat a
man's shoulder to eat. It whispered something in the man's ear, who turned
angrily to the man standing behind him. An argument seemed about to break
out before his wife/girlfriend calmed him down, and he reluctantly returned
to his seat. The goblin, or a spriggan, perhaps, looked disappointed, and
hopped to the floor to creep closer to the bar. It gave a good sized leap
for a creature of it's size, to jump behind the bar.
Ellessandir grabbed the broom, debating whether to beat the
ever-loving-crap out of it, or simply scare it out of the bar. It was
Unseleighe, after all, and the first one he'd _seen_ so far, which worried
him. It shouldn't have been able to come through the portal without help
from another, more powerful persona.
Another patron hailed him from the far end of the bar, making him
hesitate. He set the broom down finally, opting to let it continue for a
little longer. 'But another trick like that, ye littl' bastard, and I'll go
after you with more than a damn broom' he thought sourly, keeping an eye on
the Unseleighe creature.
Zoey rose to his feet slowly, taking a moment to check his reflection on
one of the mirrors hung about the place. He had no idea why they chose to
pack together like this, but they seemed to be having a good time. Winding
his way towards the bar, his gaze settled on his little spy. A faint grin
curved his lips as he watched it's antics. The Dark Bard honestly didn't
care what the thing did as long as it got the information he wanted.
Leaning against the bar at a relatively unpopulated area. Not a lash
flickered as the spriggan leaped up onto the bar and sniffed. Spotting its
quarry, the creature scuttled to him and bounced with dark cheer onto his
shoulder and grasped a few locks of his hair for support. Cutting loose
with a stream of information, Zoey ignored the chatter for the most part.
It was gossip little more.
Eyes of jade titled briefly towards it as it mentioned the near fight.
Ah well, it was simply doing its purpose in life. Whistling a few low notes
in reply that could have been mistaken for boredom, he nodded slowly. A
cold chill ran down his spine, like ice pressed to warm flesh. An itching
sensation passed over his eyes as if something sharp were in them.
Something wasn't right about this place. Leaving the spriggan to remain
on his shoulder for now, his gaze raked over the room, trying to determine a
source of his discomfort or if this place in itself was the target he
sought.
Reality came crashing down on her. Crysalis suddenly realized that she
had gone motionless for quite her while; her limbs were quite numb and cold
and already, little shafts of shivers sped up her spine. Her eyes had seen
the slight burn of a match of someone lighting a candle and, in that moment,
Papillion had been lost in the majesty of its flickering beauty. A vague
sense unease crept through her; anything could have happened to her while
she stood, wheeling off into dream land as if she hadn't a mind of her own.
*Did anything?* she thought. Faintly, she remembered a voice that had
almost broken through her transfiction, but hadn't completely managed it.
Feeling reckless and bold, angry at her behavior, Crysalis strolled
into the bar and, as soon as she passed the threshhold, wondered why she was
there in possibly the place she was least fit to.
"It figures," she whispered in an almost rasp, clutching her hands
tightly at her sides.
Puck's eyebrows rose in slight puzzlement as the bartender's attention
focused on a spying spriggan and he went for a broom. Most humans of his
aquaintance didn't have the Sight-- save for his human cousins that had
demanded that perk en mass when he'd first appeared in their midst. And he
doubted that the tender was just a plain human. It was logical to assume
that the Seelie have people here by now. It was a good thing that Puck had a
spell ready for this kind of situation.
"Hmmm," he muttered thoughtfully, one finger trailing down the side of
the beer bottle. "Do not let me be deceived/ Show me what I need to See!"
A brief flash of liht flared behind his eyelids, and when it faded, Puck
raised his head and looked at the bartender, a smile curving across his lips
when he could see the elf through the glamour. *Rather dark for a light
fae,* he thought, turning to look over the crowd.
*Ah, Zoey, the impeccible Bard, with company that look better than him,
and... who's that? Is THAT the woman from outside? I haven't seen one of
them in ages. Now what to do, what to do? Warn Zoey or sit back and watch
the fun?
He grinned, turned back to his beer, and said in the silent Faerie
speech to the bartender ~< Don't look now, but your slip is showing.>~
Startled, Kione glanced covertly towards the bartender. "Alexander's"
appearance and voice suddenly clicked in her mind. Punching him in the
stomach and demanding to know just who the hell he was suddenly seemed
viable. She probably would have - crowd be damned- if Zane, the mandolinist,
hadn't tapped her on the shoulder.
"You ready?" he asked her cheerfully, and took a step back at the look
on her face. "Hey, you okay? What's wrong?" She tried to put a cheerful look
on her face.
"It's nothing," she said, shaking her head. It didn't matter. She could
always corner the faery later. Walking to the small stage ,if you could call
a place where the floor was raised four inches off the ground a stage, she
retrieved the kit from it's case, and took her place.
"Signature tune?" she suggested. Zane flashed her a smile and Kory
nodded. "Okay, Kory, lead off. Ben, in on four." Kory got the attention of
anyone within hearing distance with a rousing four-count on the bodhran,
then she and Ben jumped in with the tune that had given them their name-
"Baynsh Mysfortune."
They ran it through twice, but the crowd didn't seem to be in a giving
mood, so as they rounded up the "B" part on the second pass, Zane called out
"Drowsy Maggie!" and Kione followed his change.
She half closed her eyes in pleasure. THIS was the way it should be;
this was what she missed when she was in the office or on her own. Not that
they hadn't been playing out; in fact, they had been busking for the past
year and a half, at the annual Rennaissance Faire, and at coffee-houses and
the like. But Foxglove's was different. She never had as good a time playing
elsewhere than she did here.
"Rutland Reel!" Ben called out as they finished up "Drowsie Maggie" If
Kione hadn't been playing she'd have grinned. It was really a bagpipe tune,
and the fingerings were a stone bitch, but she loved it, and the supersonic
pace was bound to charm the crowd.
Colette sighed softly. "I'll get 'em later..." She sat down and
listened to the tunes of Kione's band. Suddenly she felt another hot prick
against her shoulder and whirled around sharply. She glared at the bartender
who seemed to be lost in Kione's music *Ahh...screw it, whatever.*
(
geocities.com/tokyo/market/Market) (
geocities.com/tokyo/market) (
geocities.com/tokyo)