| Logs |
2002 February 27
| Morning Rain |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
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| Realms: Morning Rain Logs |
Witch Children
"The UN Security Council today announced that it suspects that a small nuclear weapon was tested in the Pacific approximately two months ago. Thus far no link has been made between it and the Transhuman Incidence Event, which took place three days later. The anti-proliferation group Doomsday Watch claimed Israel had built the weapon. Israeli Prime Minister Uriel Sharon denied his country would do such a thing..."
The day becomes late, then very early evening. The sun peeks out through the lower edges of the clouds as more seem to roll in from nowhere. The streets slowly empty, and stores start closing. The clock tolls 7PM, and SoHo starts to become empty as the day's shoppers and tourists retreat to their homes. At about that time, there is some commotion across the street -- it's hard to miss, even with the open door and the breeze blowing, but the sound carries well. From here it looks as if a young man is arguing loudly with Nunzio.
Nagi hrmns, looking out the window. He adjusts his glasses, watching. Jade looks up from where she's relaxing and chatting with her friends, legs stretched out on another chair in the OutWrite bookstore. Since the store's closed, her 'professional' mask is put away, and she's just being herself. She murmurs curiously, "Nunzio's a nice guy... wonder what the kid's problem is?"
Both are gesturing wildly, though it's hard to see into the still-dim store from here; Nunzio likes a nice, quiet, intimate atmosphere for the dinner crowd. The young man points sharply at Nunzio, and Nunzio apparently stops gesturing so much, moving his hands in a placating manner, at about the same time his wife starts screaming at the man too. Kim blinks, looking up over the counter. "Hey, yeah, that's odd. Nobody complains about Nunzio."
Bryce frowns, "I don't like the looks of this. I think I'll go poke my nose in."
Officer Samuels comes out of a coffee shop up the street and starts walking down toward the deli. He's still in uniform, though this is a little later than when he usually goes off duty. Nagi says, "Perhaps you should wait a moment, Bryce. There is a policeman coming." Jade glances at Bryce, then at Nagi, with a slightly worried expression. She looks a bit relieved as she notices the approaching cop. Nagi says, "Antagonizing the young man further won't help Nunzio. He's more likely to listen to the police."
Bryce starts to sigh as he gets to the door and sees the policeman, "I suppose s- shit! I think the kid's got a gun!" He pauses, torn. While Merv is still a couple of doors away, Clarissa, still screaming, shoves a brown paper bag down the counter towards the young man. Oddly, the boy is still pointing at Nunzio.
Nagi says, "Damn. Jade, wave down the policeman; I'm going to go across." Merv notices the altercation and speeds up, hurrying toward the deli.
Bryce says, "Oh, god," and hesitates. Is that a gun? Can I take it? It'll be obvious as fuck. It's Nunzio! WhatdoIDO? Nagi is already out the door and crossing the street.
Jade looks around worriedly, then sighs. Kim's still in obvious eyesight of her unusual friends, so either they're going to blow their cover to him or- whups, Nagi's out of the building already. Looks like he's stuck behaving like a normal, then. She steps to the door and waves to the cop, "Officer, please hurry! There's a holdup occurring at Nunzio's!"
Merv nods to Jade, and shouts, "Halt! Police!" as the kid comes out of the deli with the bag and a gun. He's reaching for his own sidearm when he sees that the kid's already aiming at him. "Don't- oh shit! Drop your weap-!" The last word is drowned out by the crash of the kid's pistol.
Jade turns and shouts, "Kim! Go to cover in the back and call 911!" Nagi pauses, hearing the report of the gun, then breaks into a run, shrugging off the hanging side of his overcoat. Don't waste your life, boy.
Kim gives a start at the report of the pistol and bounds for the relative safety of the back storeroom, snatching the cordless from its cradle. "Come on, come on...! HELLO! Operator, a cop's been shot, I'm at..." His voice disappears into the back room. Jade turns and is already darting to where she knows Bryce keep their overcoats, shrugging out of her day clothing and hastily tugging on the concealing stuff they'd arranged. She grabs up the rest and runs for the door, wondering if she's already too late.
Bryce snarls and runs out the door, going for the opposite side that Nagi is. The remaining people on the street panic, mostly running as Samuels falls to the ground. Bryce yells, "RUN!" at the bystanders. The kid looks at the downed officer, at Nagi crossing the street towards him, and at his pistol as if he's only just noticed it there. He turns and runs, still holding the bag and the gun. Nagi hits the curb and turns after the boy at a full run. He doesn't bother calling out to him; he doesn't believe it would make any difference except to draw attention to himself and a potential gunshot. The kid is surprisingly fast, actually gaining a little on Nagi as he pelts for the corner.
Jade pauses at the door, Wait... they can't change in the street... I'll have to draw them off individually to change. She crosses her fingers that the phone keeps Kim busy for a while. Then... she pauses, and lets herself become one with the background. There is no Jade here... no one will see her. She slips quietly out the door and grins mischievously to herself. She may have to hide her true nature, but it feels good to let the fox spirit loose! She patters lightly down the street to Bryce first, and whispers to him, "Step into the nearest alleyway -- I have your coat!"
Bryce stops running when the kid runs, despite a screaming chase reflex, and heads back in the direction of the shop for his disguise -- or starts to, before he hears Jade and dashes for the closest alleyway. Jade follows Bryce closely, pushing the coat and other equipment into his hands, then letting her stealth cover him as well, as he changes. Bryce changes as fast as he can without fumbling and delaying the process. Jade whispers as Bryce changes, "Can you fly us to follow Nagi, and you deal with the kid as I help Nagi change?"
Nagi keeps on sprinting flat out, cursing silently to himself. Turn down an alleyway, boy... The kid leads a most unmerry chase as he hits the corner of Grand and turns left sharply, heading towards the Holland Tunnel. He's certainly fast, and Nagi is a few arms' lengths behind him, and gaining. Bryce and Jade keep pace with the boy.
Bryce slithers into the zip-up black catsuit, trenchcoat, gloves and full-head mask, and gasps, "Yes!" to Jade. He steps in as if to hug her close, and doesn't let go. "Hold on tight!"
Jade nods, wrapping her arms tightly around Bryce's neck, "Hurry, please -- Nagi's alone with the kid right now!" Bryce carries Jade up out of the alley in a phoenix-trail of cool but bright "fire" and goes in the direction Nagi and the kid went, about forty feet up. Jade gives a small gasp of delight, then giggles. Bryce can hear a very quiet, "Wheee!" Then she adds to Bryce as they fly, "I didn't scent any blood, by the way -- Officer Samuels should be fine."
Bryce is currently devoid of humor and not particularly enjoying this. He looks frantically for the kid and Nagi, to land by them, or just grab the kid if Nagi's in danger. From that height, over the brownstones down Grand Street, the flying pair can see Nagi chasing down the kid towards Wooster Street -- it's absolutely impossible to miss the hideous shirt Nagi is wearing, so the boy half an arm's length out of his reach is likewise easy to spot. Bryce and Jade plummet towards them. It is at the entrance to an alley that Nagi finally catches hold of the boy. He takes a swing at the fleeing boy, but just barely grazes his jacket. He sighs inwardly and picks up his pace.
A thin, bright strand of fire shoots from the frantically flying Bryce as he carries Jade closer to their comrade in need of disguise, and touches the idiot kid's gun, bursting into a fatter flare for a moment. The smell of vanilla around Bryce and the gun is nearly overpowering, as Bryce yanks it out of the kid's hand.
A few people have seen the flying person, and a few even stop to point. Most people even now have not yet seen a transhuman; one that is all a-fire doesn't invite closer curiosity, and most people try to steer clear. The kid, for his part, barely escaping Nagi's strike, makes a sharp left into an alleyway, screaming at the top of his voice, "EDDIE! EDDIEEEEE!"
Jade looks down at the scene, then pats Bryce's shoulder, "Can you put me down there, please?" She lets her thoughts drift for a moment again... foxes vanish, and so shall she, when she lands... Bryce swoops immediately to comply. Jade says, "Thanks!" She bounces lightly on her toes as she lands, then steps quietly to the side, stealthing a bit closer to Nagi and awaiting a moment to whisper to him where she won't cause a reflex-strike. "Nagi? It's me... step into shadow for a moment, please?" Nagi skids to a stop at the mouth of the alleyway. Jade steps up next to Nagi, letting her stealth cover him as she pushes his coat into his hands.
There is a minivan at the far end of the alley with the motor running and another kid waiting by the open side door. He looks up at the commotion that Nagi, Bryce, and the thief are making. At the entrance to the alleyway, Nagi pulls on his coat, making certain the collar is turned all the way up to hide his face, and then steps into the alleyway. Jade waits until Nagi has shrugged into his concealing trenchcoat, then slips stealthily towards the van. Wonder if it can drive away with a flat tire or two?
Bryce's lips peel off his teeth in a nasty grin as he reaches out toward the fleeing shooter of Merv with a blast of fiery colors and strong vanilla, and just barely manages to grab him and yank him a foot away from the ground, suspended and glowing. Bryce stands ten feet away from the kid, connected to him by threads of glowing fire, and eyes him. The kid yelps, his legs waving wildly, shouting incoherently. "Eddie! Ahhh! Get 'em away from me! Help! Eddie, EDDIEEEEE!"
Jade grins and decides to see if she can make a portion of one of the van's tires go away. She crouches next to it and touches it with a slender finger, concentrating... no tire here, just air! Then she blinks, looking up and seeing Nagi charging... then again, the van's even less likely to take off if Nagi cuts it in half! The kid in the alley (Eddie?) goggles at the flaming apparition that's just grabbed the thief. He turns and jumps into the van, yelling "GO GO GO!!" The van takes off with a screech of tires.
Nagi picks up his pace a little, breaking into a brief sprint before bending his knees. Panicking. As he does so, he draws his blade... pulling the length of steel from seemingly nowhere. He straightens his legs, propelling himself forward just enough to skid to a halt to the rear of the van, bringing his blade down in a low arc with his momentum.
From within the van comes a startled "HOLY SHIT!" as the ki-blade rips through steel and wheel, taking out a tire and a good slice of the fender. The car swerves forwards for several more meters, not sure whether to go left or right between one tire that let all its air out and another tire that has been shredded. Instead, an ear-piercing screeching sound is made as it scrapes the driver's side against the wall and comes to a halt. Nagi turns, holding his blade over one shoulder, and pushes up his sunglasses with his thumb. Mental calmness, not skill, is the sign of the matured samurai.
Jade looks up, watching the van screech into the wall after Nagi's strike. Looks like the driver's side is slammed up against the wall, so no one will be exiting from there... but the passengers' side is still open. However, the van is far enough away that she can't move to it and actually do anything... so she moves up to it and just looks into the front windshield. Anyone hurt? The occupants appear to be healthy, if in confusion, shouting and scrambling over one another to get the hell out of the car. None have as yet noticed the person peering in. She's not surprised, considering she's still in stealth-mode.
Nagi turns back to the wreckage and walks deliberately toward the van, not hurrying so as not to be taken by surprise by the now-certainly-panicking occupants in their rush to escape. He shrugs his coat sleeve off as he nears the van, holding his blade in the other hand, and smoothly reaches up, pulls open the door, and then drives his blade through the opening until the point bites the wall that the driver's side is smashed against.
The mass of the blade and its wielder's considerable strength, to say nothing of the sharp edge, should leave no doubt, but Nagi takes no chances. "You should sit very still," he tells them, quietly. Nagi's blade is somewhat more eloquent than he; there's a tremendous whang! as it strikes the far wall through the door, and the blade sings faintly, vibrating along its length. That in itself probably speaks far more to the perpetrators than anything Nagi could think to say.
The passenger and the driver just kind of stare at the sword. 'Eddie,' the boy in the passenger's seat, just kind of slowly nods, swallowing. The person in the back seat looks between Nagi, the sword, Eddie, and back again, before his jaw works a little and he leans back in the seat a little bit, biting his lip. Nagi nods. "Very good."
Bryce concentrates hard, and sends a sheet of light to cover the back of the van, pinning the back door shut. Throughout all this, the gunman has been watching, partly enraptured, partly terrified. "Craaaaaaaaap," he whimpers, seeing what happened to the van. Bryce smiles sweetly to the hanging boy, eyes angry. Jade slips quietly away to the end of the alleyway, looking around for a phone with which to call the police.
Eddie takes in a shaky breath, looking out the corner of his eye at the man with the sword. "What... what're you gonna do to us, man?" he asks shakily.
Nagi shrugs fluidly. "We will give you to the NYPD. What they do with you is not my concern."
A bit of bravado enters Eddie's voice as he laughs, albeit nervously. "Heh... heh, y-yeah, man, right... you... you guys are tranz, man... you, stick around for the cops? You guys never do... right...?"
Nagi adds after a moment, "However, I'm told that they do not take well to one of their own being shot. I hope for your sakes that he does not die." His tone hardens slightly. "The alternative would be your sudden and violent deaths. Which do you prefer?"
The guy in the back seat blinks and leans forward. "Shot? A cop? What the...?" Eddie looks sharply at Nagi, his jaw dropping. "You mean... Dan, he... he shot a fucking cop?" Eddie tilts his head back. "That fucking shithead. God damn FUCKING IDIOT! God damn son of a bitch...!" He starts to turn to look at "Dan," but thinks better of it when he notices the sword. He mutters a few more choice expletives. "Fuck that, man," he says to Nagi. "We ain't goin' down for a newbie who couldn't keep it in his pants."
Nagi shrugs. "That is not my problem. Again, for your sakes I hope that he lives."
Bryce grins at Dan, eyes glittering, and says silkily to him, floating closer, "I can fix that, if you'd like that gun back in your pants... of course, it will be loaded..."
Nagi says to Dan, "These ones have wisely chosen to take their chances with the police. I think it a well-advised decision, don't you?"
Jade moves over to the payphone and uses it to dial 911, so she doesn't have to use a coin. It's at this moment that the police sirens can be heard. They're a couple of blocks away and heading towards the deli, but that won't mean much -- if NYPD responds typically, a couple busloads of cops are going to converge on the location of 'officer down.' Nagi says, "Ah... there they are now."
The one called Dan swallows nervously, shivering. "I... I just wanted in the gang! He gave me a nine and told me to hold up the deli...!"
Eddie actually does turn now, shouting out the door, "Shut the fuck up, asshole!" There is a momentary, soft peal of thunder, then a light drizzle flitters down, rattling off of metal and hissing as it scatters water upon the dirty streets.
Jade covers the speaker with part of her costume, to blur her voice slightly, and breathes into the phone, "An officer was shot in front of Nunzio's deli. His shooter and the shooter's accessories are being held..." she pauses, wondering what street she's on, darnit! -then grins and finishes, "-in the nearby alleyway that will have flares rising out of it in just a moment. Thanks, thought you'd like to know!"
The operator on the other end of the phone line splutters a bit, and tries to ask who this is, where they're calling from, but of course, gets no answer. Jade hangs up and trots swiftly back down the alleyway. When she's near to Bryce she softly calls, "Can you shoot up a flare, please, so the cops can find us? I told them we'd do that... is that okay?"
Bryce drags his eyes off the boy who shot Merv, and frowns, "Yes. But then we'd better run. I have a feeling we should go over there; hide in that dark, narrow, alley, but... I don't know if that's the best idea."
Jade smiles at Bryce calmly, "I can hide us."
Bryce says, "Ok. Then let's all go do that. I'll keep the flares up 'til I hear them coming, while we hide..."
Nagi turns partly, "Regardless, we had best be on our way." He withdraws his sword from the wall and gently lifts it up a bit so the fine edge gently grazes both throats. "If you move before the police arrive, I will come back and kill you. Are we understood?" He asks again, softly, "Am I understood?"
Eddie swallows, and nods -- no, he doesn't, he just starts to and stops the movement when he feels the sword. "Er... y-yeah, man, no need to get all Usagi Yojimbo on us! Really! Clear as fuckin' crystal! Honest, man!"
Nagi smiles and nods softly. "Very good." He withdraws the blade. To the others, he says, "We should be away now."
Bryce says to Jade, "So -- all of us, alley, you can hide us?"
Jade nods to Bryce, still visible, then grins, "Flare first, though, please!"
Bryce sighs, "Ok! Good. Sure... can I set him on fire?" He nods to the kid, looking evil.
Jade grins again, "No. Probably best to just dump him in with the others." Dan looks up at Bryce, and goes absolutely pale... and there's a dripping coming from him that is not from the rain. Jade adds cheerfully, "Tempting though it sounds!"
Bryce starts a flare high up even before Jade answers, but pouts very convincingly as he starts to walk toward the alley with the kid in tow. "Let's dump him in the van and we shall."
Nagi says, "Be my guest."
Bryce drops the wall of force, and the back of the van stops glowing. He tosses the kid in that direction, growling, "Get in. If you get out before the cops come... I get to keep you instead, little boy."
Jade nods and waves the group not towards the little, narrow, dark alley... but towards the entrance of the main alleyway. She gets Nagi to stand in a shadow there... then takes a moment to create a convincing... shadow. No Nagi... just quiet, dull, boring shadow, that shouldn't interest any police at all, especially since all the action is down the alleyway. Shee holds up a shushing finger to Nagi, and whispers, "Be very quiet, please... there is no Nagi here!" Nagi holds his blade up over his shoulder, momentarily, and releases it, letting it vanish again. He shrugs the left side of his overcoat back on, and leans against the brick facade. He obediently says nothing at all.
Dan whimpers and rips open the back door; he almost dives into the van, landing on top of the guy in back. "OOF! You son of a bi-!" The door slams shut quickly.
Bryce sighs and lands where Jade directed. Jade waits until Bryce joins her, then loops an arm through his... and lets her stealth cover them both. She whispers, "Believe, Bryce... no one can see you. We are not here, for everyone else..." She walks him out of the alleyway, past any on-rushing cops, then whispers to him, "Change back to normal, and you can be just walking along. We'll join you in a moment, okay?"
Bryce tries very hard to believe, obediently, as he strips off the black garb and hands it to Jade. He starts walking along, not too fast, thinking harmless-looking thoughts in his rumpled everyday clothes. Jade makes sure that Bryce is clear of the alleyway and in a place where he could logically appear from... then lets the stealth slip away from him. She turns, trotting back to help Nagi escape also.
Jade slips into the shadow next to Nagi, with a quietly breathed, "...me..." so she doesn't startle him. Once she's covered him with her stealth, she loops her arm through his, lets the shadow illusion fade... and walks quietly out of the alleyway with Nagi. Nagi follows along silently, moving no faster than is necessary. He seems rather quiescent about the whole affair.
"Tyler Edwards is in the news again, this time speaking at a posh conservative breakfast club in Chelsea this morning. At the breakfast, Mr. Edwards said that he expressed optimism that the gay lifestyle was gaining acceptance. Mr. Edwards was originally scheduled to attend the monthly luncheon of the New York City Chamber of Commerce today, but the invitation was rescinded when he stated his intention to bring his boyfriend with him. More City News after this...
Back on West Broadway an ambulance is just pulling away, sirens blaring. Nunzio and Clarissa are surrounded by cops, giving statements. Cops are all over the place, in fact; it looks like the St. Patrick's Day parade, except in SoHo. Jade makes sure she gives Nagi and herself a chance to change back to normal attire before the two of them follow Bryce back into the little bookstore.
Kim is sitting at the register looking pensive and anxious. As the three return, he all but leaps onto Bryce, embracing him. "GOD, Bryce, what happened to you guys! When you dashed off and then the cops came and the kid with the gun ran off and there was this weird smell and suddenly someone shouted 'transhuman!' and it was all so damn confusing, and..." He finally catches his breath, letting go of Bryce and blushing, looking sheepish. "Er... what happened?"
Jade covers a giggle at Kim's enthusiasm. Nagi says, "I lost him." He shrugs and moves past into the bookstore.
Jade glances out the bookstore's window, then at Kim, "How was Officer Samuels?"
Bryce freezes when Kim pounces, but recovers well and pastes on a sheepish look, "Yeah, we weren't fast enough to catch him... how's Merv?"
Kim relaxes a little and remains close next to Bryce, not quite touching -- but almost. "The medics said that he'll live, he was wearing a vest. Cracked a couple of ribs, though, when the kid shot him."
Jade looks relieved. A moment later she decides some tea would be lovely... and maybe the others would like some too. She heads for the counter. Bryce closes his eyes and goes limp, still standing, barely. Oh thank god. Kim hesitates a bit, then visibly tries not to put an arm around Bryce. Nagi says, "How foolish. A waste."
Jade looks up at Nagi, "What is a waste?"
Bryce's eyes snap open. He stares at Nagi. "What?"
Nagi shakes his head. "That boy's days are over. A foolish way to throw away one's life."
Bryce says softly, "He tried to throw away someone else's. I feel very little for him."
Jade nods, having half-guessed that was what her taciturn bodyguard meant, and goes back to making tea. She murmurs, "Would you all like some tea?"
Bryce nods and sways a little, looking tired and gray. "Please."
Nagi leans against the counter. "No, thank you. Let me know when you're ready to go home."
Jade eyes Bryce, then says firmly to Kim, "Good heavens, Kim, help Bryce to a chair!" Then she nods to Nagi, "It will be a moment. I want to be sure Bryce is all right." She makes tea, hiding her internal smile that she just, in effect, gave permission to Kim to touch Bryce.
Kim blinks to Bryce, then looks shocked and surprised and almost bodily takes hold of Bryce, bringing him to a chair. Bryce's eyes widen as he realizes that involves touching, and looks hastily for the nearest chair to fall on -- crap. Too late. Kim doesn't appear too eager to cater to Bryce, but at least he's not pawing Bryce as much as he just was. A moment later Jade hands a cuppa to Kim to give to Bryce. Her small grin at Bryce is entirely unrepentant... Bryce glares at Jade when Kim's not looking and thinks hard, Twice his age. Twice his age, wench. Jade doesn't quite smirk... quite. Instead she simply settles demurely into a chair with her tea, and sips. Nagi doesn't seem to notice. He might be asleep. With his glasses on it's hard to tell exactly.
Bryce says aloud, "Hell of a day. I think it's bedtime for us all... right after the tea, I'm hitting the sack, guys."
There is a quiet knock upon the doorway. "Hello, is there anybody -- oh. I'm terribly sorry..." Nagi raises his head and turns. Jade also looks up curiously to see who it is. Bryce starts, but the voice is not threatening... he rises to get the door.
The person standing there is slender, about six feet in height, with a mop of hair that's so black it's almost purple, framing a pale, angular-featured face. Dressed somewhat plainly, the person arches both eyebrows as they see Bryce step into view. "I don't mean to intrude, but... are you the owner of this establishment?"
Bryce nods, trying to paste the cheer back on but too tired. "I am. Can I help you with something?"
The person smiles quietly, almost embarrassedly. "No, that's all right. You look as if you've had a long day. I'd hoped for the chance to talk with you, but it can wait for tomorrow morning, if that's well with you?"
Jade says softly, "Who is it, Bryce?"
Bryce says, "I don't mean to be rude... it has been a long day, but I don't turn away people in need if I can help. Would you like a cup of tea?" He opens the door wider and steps back, inviting.
The person smiles, shaking their head and digging through their pockets. "No, but thank you, I don't want to intrude. To be honest, I'm not entirely certain why I'm risking... er, why I'm here." The person starts to tuck what appears to be a business card into the door edge, then smiles and offers it to Bryce. "My name's Caliban. I'll come back tomorrow after you're feeling better."
Nagi raises his head a moment, to mutter, "...the beast from the Tempest?"
Bryce raises his brows and says, "Ariel's not in residence here, if it makes you feel safer." He smiles, getting curious. He glances at the card.
Jade raises an eyebrow, then smiles at Nagi, murmuring, "Oh brave new world, That has such people in't!" Nagi shrugs again and lowers his head.
"Caliban" doesn't seem to react to the comment from Nagi, except for a faint uplift of the corner of their lip; Bryce's words of 'Ariel' make them laugh quietly. "In a sense, that would make me feel safe, Mr. Michaels." Caliban's eyes widen a little at Jade's comment... then smile, and there's the murmur, "'How beauteous mankind is!'" The eyes turn to Bryce again, and Caliban nods pleasantly. "Until tomorrow, then?"
Jade grins at 'Caliban,' simply adding, "'Tis new to thee."
Bryce sketches a short, friendly bow, starting to regain a sparkle in his eyes. "Until tomorrow, witch's child." His tone is entirely friendly. Jade gives a rippling laugh... then goes back to her tea.
Caliban smiles to Jade, nodding once, then looks up to Bryce. "Hopefully without being under Prospero's shackles. Good day." With that...
Caliban simply walks off towards the train station.
Nagi folds his arms. "A bit too much coy allusion for my liking. I have a bad feeling about this already." He reflects briefly on the fact that Jade will certainly be as curious as her friend, and that he is by extension already in up to his neck. ...Cultivate the mind and do not be deceived by tricks, feints, and schemes. They are the properties of magicians, not of the samurai.
Jade smiles ruefully into her cup of tea, and wonders idly if they'll all still be friends tomorrow. Kim looks curiously to Bryce, offering the cup of tea back to him. Bryce takes the tea a little gingerly after shutting the door and hands the card wordlessly to Jade and Nagi. Nagi appears to be dozing again, or at least staring at something on the floor, arms folded over his chest.
Jade hms. She didn't get any sense of danger from the fellow at all... but then she also has no idea what sex it might be... and it did say it was taking a risk. Interesting. She looks at the card... then just starts laughing. The card has small, elegant lettering upon it -- it takes only a moment to see it's been hand-inked, not embossed. The inscription reads:
"This Quiet, all it hath a mind to, doth.
'Esteemeth stars the outposts of its couch,
But never spends much thought nor care that way."
Jade grins, "This... person is taking the analogy quite far, I must say. Let me see... if I'm remembering correctly, that is from a poem by Robert Browning, titled Caliban upon Setebos; or, Natural Theology In the Island." She pauses, then adds more quietly, "That's... nice, actually... if he's really trying to create Caliban's dream paradise..."
Bryce says cheerfully, "Fuck if I know what that means right now... oh, good, Jade." He listens.
Nagi says, "Now I definitely have a bad feeling about this, now."
Jade says, "Really, Nagi? Whyso?"
Bryce says, "Hm. You feel that was- Jade, could you tell a gender? I couldn't- you feel that was a dangerous person, Nagi?"
"NASCAR officials expressed disbelief and relief when relative newcomer Jamie Strauss stepped from the burning wreck of her car, unharmed. Ms. Strauss was in a practice run at the Oklahoma NASCAR track when her car overheated, caught fire, spun out of control, and slammed into the barrier. She said to reporters afterwards that she had been scared, but was glad to be alive, and would not want to stop racing. She was then asked to assist authorities in the analysis of the Transhuman Incidence Event.
Nagi says, "Let us assume for a moment that our Caliban is a transhuman. Would not his creation of a 'paradise' be potentially a dangerous thing?" He raises his head, "Haven't you ever read X-Men?"
Jade shakes her head, "I've really no idea what sex it was, Bryce, I'm sorry." She pauses, then murmurs almost dreamily, "How does it go, now...
Who, making Himself feared through what He does,
Looks up, first, and perceived he cannot soar
To what is quiet and hath happy life;
Next looks down here, and out of very spite
Makes this a bauble-world to ape yon real..."
She smiles ruefully, looking back at her friends, "Is it better to merely dream of paradise? -or to try to make one's dreams reality?"
Nagi says, "That depends entirely upon what you plan on doing with the reality that was here first." Kim is looking between the people in the room, worriedly, and this conversation seeming to go over his head.
Jade says, "Well, if he's a transhuman he doesn't have much choice. He no longer fits into this reality."
Nagi says, "But does that give him the right to build his own over this one, regardless?"
Bryce says softly, "Has not this reality been changed already?"
Nagi says, "Not as much as I suspect some people would like."
Jade murmurs quietly, looking into her tea, "Caliban was created, faulty, by Prospero... trapped in flesh. I always felt sorry for him..."
Bryce says, "Perhaps... he just wants to steer it closer to Paradise than toward Hell. Can you blame that?"
Nagi says, "I'm reserving judgement for now... but again. I have a very bad feeling about this."
Bryce says, "No, Jade, you misremember -- Caliban was on the island before Prospero and his child Miranda wrecked there and enslaved him. Caliban is the rightful owner of that island... he was the child of the witch Sycorax."
Jade looks up quietly, "Really, Nagi? I didn't get that feeling at all from him... but I'll follow your lead on this, if he might be dangerous." She looks at Bryce and nods, "True... I guess I meant 'created' more as... given a sense of -- or rather a lack of -- a sense of self worth. He learned he was faulty by comparison to them and Ariel, you know?"
Bryce says, "According to some interpretations Caliban was enslaved unfairly, and perhaps only became ugly when he healed badly after Prospero beat him for loving Miranda, the only other young creature on the island... but there are so many interpretations, discussing literature will not give us the key to our own Caliban."
Nagi says, "You should know by now that I don't trust easily. And that one evaded rather too much for my taste." Jade nods quietly to Bryce, then to Nagi, turning her tea cup about in her hands and brooding silently.
Bryce nods to both companions, and turns to smile at Kim. "I'm wit-wandering, I'm so tired... help me close up, so we can all go get some rest? See you all tomorrow... Kim, feel free to come in late. I think I'll sleep in, too. I'll put a note in the window."
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